I have descended from my ivory tower and read a fiction book that was written in the 2000s…and I had such a fun time doing it! Andy Weir weaves science into his stories so well, and I loved the relationship between Grace and Rocky. Finally, as far as tropes go, humans and aliens trying to teach each other their respective languages is one of my favorites.
It’s hands down one of my favourite books. I try to recommend it to people without telling them much detail because it’s wonderful hearing them encounter each new plot development.
Weir’s The Martian is similarly great, check it out too!