I really liked Weir's style of writing and characterization. At first I was hesitant because I felt like Grace's inner dialogue was a bit juvenile, but I grew to really enjoy the way the narrative spun out through his eyes. I also really, really loved that he wasn't the classic 'brave savior of Earth stoically facing death' type of hero. Weir spends so much time building Grace up as this selfless, kind, humanity-oriented individual that at first it was almost offensive for me to read about what really happened, but once I got past the initial anger, I realized how much I loved that he was a self-proclaimed coward because it was the ultimate humanization of a larger-than-life character.

Also, Rocky!!! That alien is my angel and he has never done anything wrong, ever, in his entire several-century life.

And can I just say that Stratt was probably my favorite character, and I LOVED how Weir managed to write something that felt both light and heavy in so many ways? There's a lot of humor in this book and a lot of Stratt's scenes are written through the lens of Grace's admiration for her strength, but I loved who she was beneath that and I appreciate all of the small ways that Weir wrote about humans (both individual and as a species) had to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. While Grace was a literal sacrifice on a suicide mission, Stratt and everyone else involved in Project Hail Mary were sacrifices in their own way (the climatologist helping to destroy the arctic, for example, was such an impactful moment). Stratt had to sacrifice her own emotionality and individuality for the good of the cause; even in the defining moment of vulnerability from her, she's still deeply composed and matter-of-fact. She isn't allowed to be a person the way most others are, and I find that very intriguing and tragic.

Four stars because sometimes it was a bit slow in the middle, but I really liked it!