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brittmariasbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I was provided with an ARC through NetGalley.
I think I read See All the Stars at the right time so I could relate much more with Ellory, especially with what she was going through with her boyfriend.
I enjoyed the way the story was told. The interchangeable then and now parts of the book really gave the story some mystery which kept me engaged.
Because of the comparison to We Were Liars I feel like a kinda expected the book to end like it did but even though I sort of saw it coming, I still enjoyed this story.
I think I read See All the Stars at the right time so I could relate much more with Ellory, especially with what she was going through with her boyfriend.
I enjoyed the way the story was told. The interchangeable then and now parts of the book really gave the story some mystery which kept me engaged.
Because of the comparison to We Were Liars I feel like a kinda expected the book to end like it did but even though I sort of saw it coming, I still enjoyed this story.
nicolemartin10's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bernluvsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
4 You Got Me stars for Kit Frick's See All the Stars!
Have you ever had a friendship or love/relationship that completely consumed you? You know the type that barely toes the line between normal and obsession. I think many of us have been there at some point in our lives. You almost lose yourself in the other person. That is the bulk or Ellory's tale told here in split timeframes - the then & now.
To be honest though, this was more than a complicated tale of first love, friendship and betrayal. It was also part mystery - unfolding in shattered, piecemeal flashbacks that felt as erratic as Ellory's emotions. Ellory is trying to come to terms with something and we are along for the completely addictive ride. Frick knows how to build tension and weaves a superb story of flawed characters. I thought I had this one all figured out & then BAM - she got me!
I won't spoil a thing here. I'll just say that this is not your typical, cliche YA read. It was addictive, suspenseful and there were important lessons to be learned on substance abuse, forgiveness, letting go and accepting things that are not within our power to change. See All The Stars was definitely a stunning debut by an author I'll be sure to follow in the future.
Have you ever had a friendship or love/relationship that completely consumed you? You know the type that barely toes the line between normal and obsession. I think many of us have been there at some point in our lives. You almost lose yourself in the other person. That is the bulk or Ellory's tale told here in split timeframes - the then & now.
To be honest though, this was more than a complicated tale of first love, friendship and betrayal. It was also part mystery - unfolding in shattered, piecemeal flashbacks that felt as erratic as Ellory's emotions. Ellory is trying to come to terms with something and we are along for the completely addictive ride. Frick knows how to build tension and weaves a superb story of flawed characters. I thought I had this one all figured out & then BAM - she got me!
I won't spoil a thing here. I'll just say that this is not your typical, cliche YA read. It was addictive, suspenseful and there were important lessons to be learned on substance abuse, forgiveness, letting go and accepting things that are not within our power to change. See All The Stars was definitely a stunning debut by an author I'll be sure to follow in the future.
mackenzierm's review
5.0
First, I have to say that I am so grateful for having been given the privilege of reading this e-arc. I absolutely ADORED this book.
I can't remember all the details as I did not write this review right after finishing the novel.
But I do remember that it took my breath away.
A story of sorting truth from the lies, whether that be lies told by others or lies told by herself.
A story of true strength, of pushing through the hard times.
I love the title of this book, I love the cover. I love everything. I will definitely be keeping Kit Frick on my unofficial list of authors to read!
I can't remember all the details as I did not write this review right after finishing the novel.
But I do remember that it took my breath away.
A story of sorting truth from the lies, whether that be lies told by others or lies told by herself.
A story of true strength, of pushing through the hard times.
I love the title of this book, I love the cover. I love everything. I will definitely be keeping Kit Frick on my unofficial list of authors to read!
ladygetslit's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up on a whim. It was an unclaimed ARC in the break room, and I was hooked after reading the first chapter. See All the Stars is one of those books that keeps you going because you just have to know what happened in the past to cause the situation of the present. For me, at least, I didn’t necessarily see it coming.
What impressed me about this was the lyrical writing, paired with the unflinching examination of pure teen angst. I can see how some would read this book and see it as over-dramatizing. It’s essentially Mean Girls, but with a darker twist and a severe lack of Tina Fey’s humor. But I loved it.
Here’s my take: we always need more stories about the complex nature of female friendships. Ret, the complicated, toxic group leader in this story, isn’t just a “mean girl” and can’t just be boiled down to her actions. Even when she’s binge drinking and sleeping around, Ret’s actions all come from a specific place of her own inability to cope with life. Even when Ellory, our protagonist, is hating Ret, she still loves her friend. As over-dramatic as the plot of this book seems when laid out on paper, it does an amazing job of showing just how traumatic toxic friendships can be for everyone involved. We, as adults, would do well to pay attention to this—and maybe find better ways of talking about it.
This is also a great exploration of grief in a way that I haven’t necessarily seen before. One can grieve for lots of reasons: loss of a parent or parents divorcing, a bad breakup with a significant other, or even a breakup with a friend. But so rarely do we talk about friend breakups, how they’re part of life but can also be incredibly painful.
All that being said, See All the Stars is a pretty intense examination of the dark side of teenage relationships, and it’s probably not for everyone.
What impressed me about this was the lyrical writing, paired with the unflinching examination of pure teen angst. I can see how some would read this book and see it as over-dramatizing. It’s essentially Mean Girls, but with a darker twist and a severe lack of Tina Fey’s humor. But I loved it.
Here’s my take: we always need more stories about the complex nature of female friendships. Ret, the complicated, toxic group leader in this story, isn’t just a “mean girl” and can’t just be boiled down to her actions. Even when she’s binge drinking and sleeping around, Ret’s actions all come from a specific place of her own inability to cope with life. Even when Ellory, our protagonist, is hating Ret, she still loves her friend. As over-dramatic as the plot of this book seems when laid out on paper, it does an amazing job of showing just how traumatic toxic friendships can be for everyone involved. We, as adults, would do well to pay attention to this—and maybe find better ways of talking about it.
This is also a great exploration of grief in a way that I haven’t necessarily seen before. One can grieve for lots of reasons: loss of a parent or parents divorcing, a bad breakup with a significant other, or even a breakup with a friend. But so rarely do we talk about friend breakups, how they’re part of life but can also be incredibly painful.
All that being said, See All the Stars is a pretty intense examination of the dark side of teenage relationships, and it’s probably not for everyone.
Spoiler
Trigger Warnings (contains spoilers): alcohol and drug abuse, alcoholic parents, bullying, death.yetanothersusan's review against another edition
2.0
This is the story of 4 girls whose friendship implodes after *something* happens in their junior year of high school. A lot of foreshadowing in the parts leading up to the *big event* and a lot of 20-20 hindsight try to build suspense that ultimately results in a let-down when what happens is actually revealed. The friendships weren't focused on enough to make the reader invested in them and impacted when they blew up. Really, this book felt like a run of the mill YA book with nothing really unique to offer. And, similar to how I have felt about a lot of books recently, the need to continue the story past the natural end and over explain things was a bit tedious.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
alailiander's review against another edition
4.0
Ugh. I hate a twist. I so hate a twist. Even a really good twist!
This was a great read; I didn't want to set it down, and barely did, from start to finish. The reveal is a long way in and I think perhaps some of it could have been trimmed (seriously, why did Jonathan even make the list?) but the curiosity was killing me, but it is a heck of a pay-off. In retrospect-of course-it makes perfect sense-how did I not see that-but I definitely didn't and it was worth the wait for the reveal! The twist is just big enough to feel authentic to the emotional build-up and guilt journey leading up to it, but not so big that it just seems ridiculous. Just excellent.
This one felt like high school to me, all that melodrama and heatbreak and that 111%ness of all feelings and experiences. It rang true, the locations, the rituals, the whole rest of your life as merely backdrop to the meaningful relationship, be it friendship or romance. That singular focus...
The only thing I wasn't sure of Ret - there's, just, this trope of the high school meangirl who has all the emotional manipulative powers of a first world national spy service and never misses the mark puppeteering her underlings... and while it is engaging to read, I don't think I buy it. These people only exist in fiction. Am I wrong? I mean, mean girls: yes, of course they exist - but nobody hits the cruelty target that effectively everytime. I mean, is anybody actually that effectively Machivellian? Wouldn't it be exhausting to be emotionally managing/abusing/manipulating all of the time?
I also appreciate that this one took its time with the ending. The ending goes on awhile after the reveal, there's only some closure and a bit of what is next. The epilogue contains barely a narrative bow to tie things up and I think the ending is the better for it.
This is just a really great YA read. My thanks to the publisher, author and netgalley for the eBook ARC for review.
This was a great read; I didn't want to set it down, and barely did, from start to finish. The reveal is a long way in and I think perhaps some of it could have been trimmed (seriously, why did Jonathan even make the list?) but the curiosity was killing me, but it is a heck of a pay-off. In retrospect-of course-it makes perfect sense-how did I not see that-but I definitely didn't and it was worth the wait for the reveal! The twist is just big enough to feel authentic to the emotional build-up and guilt journey leading up to it, but not so big that it just seems ridiculous. Just excellent.
This one felt like high school to me, all that melodrama and heatbreak and that 111%ness of all feelings and experiences. It rang true, the locations, the rituals, the whole rest of your life as merely backdrop to the meaningful relationship, be it friendship or romance. That singular focus...
The only thing I wasn't sure of Ret - there's, just, this trope of the high school meangirl who has all the emotional manipulative powers of a first world national spy service and never misses the mark puppeteering her underlings... and while it is engaging to read, I don't think I buy it. These people only exist in fiction. Am I wrong? I mean, mean girls: yes, of course they exist - but nobody hits the cruelty target that effectively everytime. I mean, is anybody actually that effectively Machivellian? Wouldn't it be exhausting to be emotionally managing/abusing/manipulating all of the time?
I also appreciate that this one took its time with the ending. The ending goes on awhile after the reveal, there's only some closure and a bit of what is next. The epilogue contains barely a narrative bow to tie things up and I think the ending is the better for it.
This is just a really great YA read. My thanks to the publisher, author and netgalley for the eBook ARC for review.
baileyraebooks's review against another edition
2.0
this book was not well written, i found myself confused more times than i can count on one hand, and the characters were as plain as cardboard cutouts. i kept reading because 1. i own the book and 2. i wanted to find out what the reveal was. i was disappointed by the ending, i didn’t find ellory relatable or sympathetic and i could not, in good conscience, recommend this to anyone.
deannawong's review against another edition
2.0
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -"
"I took the one back to you."
Things I liked:
- The use of 1st person referral for "THEN" and the use of 1st person present tense for "NOW".
- Comparing the friend group to the universe: it established the dynamics immediately.
- How at the end, friendship and romance proved to be toxic.
- The part where Ellory gains closure by crossing off the names on her list.
- Ellory lying to herself the whole time.
Things I didn't like:
- The pacing dragged soooo much.
- Too many filler scenes, especially in the "NOW" parts. Sometimes I just wanted to skip them.
- The ending was a bit predictable.
- Nothing really happened to cause Ellory to want to move on (except for the end of the year approaching).
"I took the one back to you."
Things I liked:
- The use of 1st person referral for "THEN" and the use of 1st person present tense for "NOW".
- Comparing the friend group to the universe: it established the dynamics immediately.
- How at the end, friendship and romance proved to be toxic.
- The part where Ellory gains closure by crossing off the names on her list.
- Ellory lying to herself the whole time.
Things I didn't like:
- The pacing dragged soooo much.
- Too many filler scenes, especially in the "NOW" parts. Sometimes I just wanted to skip them.
- The ending was a bit predictable.
- Nothing really happened to cause Ellory to want to move on (except for the end of the year approaching).