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sarahthornton's review against another edition
4.0
Magical, immersive and a single read because the OCD gave me so much anxiety.
katekate_reads_'s review
4.0
Starworld is the story of Sam and Zoe - two high school girls who don’t run in the same crowd but end up exchanging numbers and building a friendship through texts that they both really need.
This was a much deeper story than I expected going into it - and that was probably my bad for not reading the description closely enough and going more from the cover. This isn’t a romance. This isn’t (just) about two very different people coming together. And (happily) there is no love triangle in sight.
Lots of times in YA it feels like each major character has one particular challenge they are facing. But in real life - that’s not how it goes. One person can be dealing with multiple challenges at the same time. In this case - Zoe knows she was adopted and has questions about her biological parents and her adoptive mom has cancer and her family is struggling with how to best care for her disabled brother. Sam is trying to help her mom with her OCD, isn’t sure of her sexuality and is missing her dad who moved to London after her parents’ divorce and has been largely absent from her life.
Both Sam and Zoe struggle with how much of their lives to share with their friends - who they are willing to let in and how much they want to be seen. I love the ways their friendship grows and the challenges they face together. I wasn’t as into the Starworld sections as written through their texts - but can see how this could appeal to the right audience.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
This was a much deeper story than I expected going into it - and that was probably my bad for not reading the description closely enough and going more from the cover. This isn’t a romance. This isn’t (just) about two very different people coming together. And (happily) there is no love triangle in sight.
Lots of times in YA it feels like each major character has one particular challenge they are facing. But in real life - that’s not how it goes. One person can be dealing with multiple challenges at the same time. In this case - Zoe knows she was adopted and has questions about her biological parents and her adoptive mom has cancer and her family is struggling with how to best care for her disabled brother. Sam is trying to help her mom with her OCD, isn’t sure of her sexuality and is missing her dad who moved to London after her parents’ divorce and has been largely absent from her life.
Both Sam and Zoe struggle with how much of their lives to share with their friends - who they are willing to let in and how much they want to be seen. I love the ways their friendship grows and the challenges they face together. I wasn’t as into the Starworld sections as written through their texts - but can see how this could appeal to the right audience.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
ashwolff's review
3.0
This was just not for me. One big thing that completely turns me off from characters and their books is when they use foul language frequently. That turned me off right away. I think the book dealt with some issues that aren’t common in YA, like a brother with a pretty severe disability, and a parent with OCD. Zoe’s love for her brother was beautiful, we got to see so much kindness. Not all stories have “happy” endings, and that’s ok, I just can’t say that overall I liked this one very,UCD.
*ADvanced reader copy provided by Netgalley
*ADvanced reader copy provided by Netgalley
izzy_obert's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bog_elfin's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
abbyobert77's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
biblioemily's review
3.0
*ARC provided by Candlewick Press via Baker & Taylor ARC program* 3.5 stars. Swearing & underage drinking make this most suitable for 9th grade & up. Good treatment of mental illness, and a good story of friendship.
charlie_cheese's review against another edition
3.0
i ultimately REALLY liked this book -- the bittersweet ending was absolute perfection. I did find myself actively noticing how YA it is though which got a little distracting. It felt very.... teenage drama, and although there were themes that everyone could relate to, it got a little tiring. It was a really lovely story of friendship though, and i'm SO glad that the author chose to keep it at friendship instead of pushing them together at the end. It would have felt inorganic imo, but she didn't! They were friends and they came back to each other and it was PERFECT.
greengaybles's review against another edition
3.0
Idk y'all this was...not what I expected or hoped for? The synopsis led me to believe that it might go somewhere it definitely didn't go, and I'm on the fence about whether or not to spoil it because I think I would have liked to know before I read it, but I also hate spoiling things for people. I guess that's what the spoiler tag is for, so okay...here goes the spoilers.
How was this book not an f/f romance??? How was Zoe straight???? Where in the entire story before Sam tries to kiss her and confesses her feelings did Zoe behave in a way that would indicate she's at all into guys????? What part of her interactions with Sam was platonic??????
Listen, female friendships are often blurring that boundary between platonic and romantic, I get it, but don't do it to me in fiction. Or, if you're going to, make it clear that that's what I'm in for before I dive in expecting a sapphic romance. Even after Sam confessed and was rejected, I thought maybe Zoe just wasn't ready to go there yet and she would eventually realize her feelings for Sam and apologize and they would make it work. They never did. Zoe has a boyfriend by the end of the story!
That aside, the book was fine, but the extreme quirkiness of the characters was exhausting to read after a while, and even though the concept of Starworld itself was interesting, the execution was so annoying to read that I came to dread the parts where they were texting in that world. I was never a big roleplayer back when everyone I knew was doing Harry Potter roleplay, so maybe that's why it didn't work for me. I also don't know if the disability and mental illness rep was good or bad, but Sam's relationship with her mom who had OCD was pretty awful to read, for both of them.
I usually don't come down this hard on books, even if I don't love them, but this one was tough in so many ways that I don't know how to talk about it without doing that. I may change the rating from 3 stars to 2, but that feels too harsh even for my feelings about it. Right now it's 2.5 rounded up.
How was this book not an f/f romance??? How was Zoe straight???? Where in the entire story before Sam tries to kiss her and confesses her feelings did Zoe behave in a way that would indicate she's at all into guys????? What part of her interactions with Sam was platonic??????
Listen, female friendships are often blurring that boundary between platonic and romantic, I get it, but don't do it to me in fiction. Or, if you're going to, make it clear that that's what I'm in for before I dive in expecting a sapphic romance. Even after Sam confessed and was rejected, I thought maybe Zoe just wasn't ready to go there yet and she would eventually realize her feelings for Sam and apologize and they would make it work. They never did. Zoe has a boyfriend by the end of the story!
That aside, the book was fine, but the extreme quirkiness of the characters was exhausting to read after a while, and even though the concept of Starworld itself was interesting, the execution was so annoying to read that I came to dread the parts where they were texting in that world. I was never a big roleplayer back when everyone I knew was doing Harry Potter roleplay, so maybe that's why it didn't work for me. I also don't know if the disability and mental illness rep was good or bad, but Sam's relationship with her mom who had OCD was pretty awful to read, for both of them.
I usually don't come down this hard on books, even if I don't love them, but this one was tough in so many ways that I don't know how to talk about it without doing that. I may change the rating from 3 stars to 2, but that feels too harsh even for my feelings about it. Right now it's 2.5 rounded up.