Steph Harper is on the run. When she was six, her mother, Hannah, fled an abusive husband—with Steph and her younger sister, Kayla, in tow—to Cherokee Nation, where she hoped they might finally belong. In response, Steph sets her sights as far away from Oklahoma as she can get, vowing that she will let nothing get in the way of pursuing the rigorous physical and academic training she knows she will need to be accepted by NASA, and ultimately, to go to the moon.

Spanning three decades and several continents, To the Moon and Back encompasses Steph’s turbulent journey, along with the multifaceted and intertwined lives of the three women closest to her sister Kayla, an artist who goes on to become an Indigenous social media influencer, and whose determination to appear good takes her life to unexpected places; Steph’s college girlfriend Della Owens, who strives to reclaim her identity as an adult after being removed from her Cherokee family through a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act; and Hannah, Steph and Kayla’s mother, who has held up her family’s tribal history as a beacon of inspiration to her children, all the while keeping her own past a secret.

In Steph’s certainty that only her ambition can save her, she will stretch her bonds with each of these women to the point of breaking, at once betraying their love and generosity, and forcing them to reconsider their own deepest desires in her shadow. Told through an intricately woven tapestry of narrative, To the Moon and Back is an astounding and expansive novel of mothers and daughters, love and sacrifice, alienation and heartbreak, terror and wonder. At its core, it is the story of the extraordinary lengths to which one woman will go to find space for herself.

This book contains scenes depicting suicide and mentions of domestic abuse.

Honestly, outer space terrifies me. Thinking about how vast it is and how much we don’t know about the universe makes me want to keep my feet planted firmly on the ground. Luckily, reading is the best mode of space travel—and To the Moon and Back is astronomically good!

Steph grows up in Oklahoma, connected to her Cherokee roots and far away from her abusive father. Her childhood is defined by her dream of becoming an astronaut, a goal she pursues through college and beyond. Yet, building a career in the space industry isn’t easy, especially when crushes, family, and identity start to get in the way. How will Steph balance her life on Earth with her drive to get to space? You’ll have to read to find out!

To the Moon and Back is a soaring, heartfelt debut. I was struck by the limitlessness of this book as Steph’s story took me to places I’ve never been. It also reminded me of the importance of history, home, and love. If you’re looking to expand your perspective with an emotional, uplifting read, To the Moon and Back is the novel for you!