Review: Gravity: A Novel by L.D. Cedergreen

After years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child, Gemma Walsh finds her husband in bed with another woman. Unable to face his betrayal, she retreats to Priest Lake where her family owns a small cabin. But Gemma finds that she is not the only one hiding away at the lake to avoid an ugly truth.

Andrew Monroe was once an essential part of Gemma’s life but tragedy and misunderstanding shattered their bond, separating them. Now twenty years later, Gemma questions the coincidence of their newly intersected paths as she struggles to resist the sparks that ignite between them.

Just when Gemma feels that she has found her second chance at happiness, she is faced with a shocking truth as her reality spirals out of control. She can’t deny the powerful force that brought Andrew back into her life anymore than she can defy the same force that now threatens to pull them apart.

An emotionally-charged, heart-rending story that will leave you to question the freedom in truth and the existence of fate in its deepest sense.

5 Amazing Stars!

Review by Jen Hagan

A couple of days have now passed since I read Gravity and I feel like I can finally put my thoughts to paper without soaking the keyboard with the waterworks.  I still find myself thinking of this beautiful story of a second chance at young love, seeing beyond the tangential facts, and putting it all together to make a story of peace and acceptance.  (And now once again the big emotional lump has found its way into my throat…) 

Gemma is 36 years old and is having a very bad day – she forgot a crucial file at home, went back to retrieve it and found her husband screwing somebody else in their bed.  She and her husband, Ryan, have been married for over 10 years, but the last 2 years have been very stressful as they have tried numerous unsuccessful fertility treatments.     

Gemma has packed up her car with enough supplies to last 3 months and is returning to a place of comfort – a place that she has not been for 20 years – the lake house.   Growing up as a child she spent every summer at the lake house.  Her neighbors included Andrew, who was the same age as her, and his older brother, William.  Andrew and Gemma were inseparable and they developed an unforgeable friendship.  During Gemma’s last visit to the lake, an unfortunate event was able to penetrate their strong bond.  The hurt was too much for Andrew to bear and the anger that built up inside him caused him to walk away never knowing the truth.

I knew that I had just lost my best friend and the first boy I had ever loved.  And I needed him more than ever.  

Andrew lost his mother when he was 6 years old.  His father never showed any emotion or attention towards his sons.  Andrew and William got lost in the shuffle of their dad’s success and found themselves without anybody to nurture or love them unconditionally.  They spent their years in boarding schools with their futures planned out to work for their father.  The only family that Andrew could ever really remember was that of Gemma’s.  When he walked away from Gemma, he also walked away from her family and the kindness and compassion that he was finally shown was gone.    

20 years have passed since Andrew and Gemma have spoken to each other, but it’s as if no time has come to pass between them.   But the events of that night still linger and seeing Drew has caused Gemma’s subconscious to take her back to that night and relive it in her nightmares.  They are both avoiding the unavoidable…to speak of the events of that night.  Eventually the elephant in the room is going to need to be addressed and Andrew will finally know the truth.

Drew hung his head in defeat and sank to his knees in front of me.  Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at me.  I could see the pain and regret in the depth of his gaze as I watched a grown man’s strength crumble, and it tore me apart inside.

That night changed everything --it took away their love for each other and changed the lives of 2 people.  I was angry that they could have had that time together as it was obvious of the love that they had for each other as adolescents and that grew over the years, and then it was gone.  I was furious, but nothing could prepare me for what was heading my way. 

We know why Gemma is at the lake house, but why is Andrew?   He purposefully evades giving any answers as to why he is there and for how long.  Gemma lets it go because she is enjoying their time together and for once she has what she has always dreamed of.

It was just Drew and me.  Together.  At last. 

About 70% in the author sucker punched me…then a few pages later she kicked me while I was down.  If I thought I was mad about Andrew and Gemma losing 20 years, then this takes on an entirely new level of anger.   I kept going and eventually threw my anger up in the air and embraced the story for what it is…it is a story of hope and faith…hope that we can right our wrongs in some way and faith that forgiveness will be granted.  

Let go of your regrets and truly live. 

Is it a coincidence that Gemma and Andrew are at the lake together or is it a sign of fate?  What if you don’t believe in fate?  What if you only believe in what you see in front of you? 



It was as if gravity had pulled us both here, to this place at this exact time, and I couldn’t seem to defy the force of it.  I couldn’t ignore the significance.

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