Reviews - Under the Same Stars

612 reviews for:

Under the Same Stars

Libba Bray

4.32 AVERAGE

tatted_bookaddict's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ladynovella's review against another edition

1.5

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

It's not the worst thing I've read (okay, okay - I got about six chapters in and skipped through it to see if it got any better), but it's not something I particularly vibed with. I usually like it when historical fiction weaves a story between the past and the present, but the "present" seems to think 2020 never really ended and everyone's still scared shitless of cancel culture and being called a Nazi.

Yeah, no. Keep dreaming, BlueSky.

Also, the 2020 scenes are kind of unbelievable because no one is playing Animal Crossing.

jashanac's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 19%

I'm not getting engaged with any of the timelines... and honestly, while it's important to have stories reminding us to look back and remember terrible history and try to not repeat it... when you're living in a period that is absolutely repeating some terrible history and so many people are horrifyingly oblivious to this fact... it's hard to read a story with that messaging. I also don't need that messaging, personally.

So yeah, just not the book I want to read at this point in time. I'm sure it's really emotional and good!

aepperhart's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

meghamonkey's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

hello_sweetie11's review against another edition

4.0

dark informative inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Fantastic! Great YA and wonderful way to show how we keep using history to fight. Amazing how we don’t learn to prevent though

goodin10tions's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

shereadseverything's review against another edition

3.0

Under the Same Stars is an ambitious story told through three distinct viewpoints, each adding a different layer to the narrative. I appreciated how the perspectives eventually wove together—it made for an interesting structure and a satisfying payoff by the end.

While the pacing dragged in parts, the writing had some lovely moments, and the themes of connection and shared experience were thoughtfully explored. And I have to say, the edition itself is absolutely beautiful—one of those books that looks just as good on the shelf as it reads in your hands.

Overall, a solid read with a creative narrative structure and strong presentation, even if it didn’t fully hit every mark for me.

monica_k's review against another edition

4.5

hopeful inspiring sad

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

jennifermreads's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Covers and sprayed-edges sell. Well, at the very least, they draw attention. I was wandering the aisles of a store and saw the beautiful oak-tree-rings edges and that matchbook on the cover. It was only then that I saw the words “Libba Bray” and, when I read the blurb and discovered it was set, partially, in my favorite historical fiction era (WWII), it was buy, buy, buy as fast as I could. I did not even leave it languishing in my TBR pile for months on end but read it within two weeks of purchasing.

What a powerful, multi-timeline, multi-viewpoint novel. As I tried to piece together the resolution to the cold case along with Miles and Chloe, I had so many flagged pages. I thought I had it figured out and then *BAM* a twist, a turn, and a surprise. Weaving the story through three time periods provided powerful illustrations of resistance through the ages. There will always be a need to make our world “better” and we need to decide how we are going to affect that change.

For those who may not be ready to read books set during the COVID pandemic, be aware that one of the timelines is 2020. While there is not a lot of detail or discussion of the virus itself, the mentions of lockdown will conjure up recall of a time we’d all like to forget. This timeline’s scene-setting is not heavy handed—just be aware.

In 2025, I am reading off-my-shelf with the intent of keeping the books I love and treasure and passing along the ones that I do not see myself picking up again or thinking fondly of each time I see it on my shelf. For now, <i>Under the Same Stars</i> will remain in my personal library. I am not sure if I will revisit this WWII historical fiction but I am not quite ready to part with my copy where I have a large number of Post-it flags denoting incredible quotes.

Content Warnings

More...