If you love space exploration, have wondered about exoplanets and how we could explore these close yet, for a human lifespan, far planets this novella will probably appeal to you. It did to me, I absolutely loved it.

This book is on the rather hard-SF part with plausible technology and discoveries. But although its about exploring distant alien worlds it is a very human story. And with "human" I mean both in terms of humanity; its moral, scientific questions our societies are concerned with. But also very human on an interpersonal level between the four crew members and as well in terms of our evoloved biology and survival instincts that both may not be as suited for life outside of earth.

Its 5 stars for me, because its a perfect execuation of the ~150 pages / novella format, sucks you right in with the first couple pages. And this mid/near-future, plausible explonet exploration outline was simply very intruiging for me personal, it seems to have fulfilled a personal longing for a story like this.

The version I read also includes a double-interview between Becky Chambers and her Mother, who happens to be an astrobiology educator.