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chronicoverthinker's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.25
i really loved megs character development and she as a person in general but i couln't really relate to nate cause he was kind of aggressiv (especially through the last 100 pages), it was hard to read the scenes where he was very rude to his brother or mom.
and i think the cast was divers (BIPoC) but i wish they had different sexualitys or gender identities even though that's not the subject of the book.
and i think the cast was divers (BIPoC) but i wish they had different sexualitys or gender identities even though that's not the subject of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
amysbooks_x's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-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
5.0
This book was an emotional rollercoaster and one the best books I’ve read in a while.
sasena's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing, Racism, and Toxic friendship
amysbookishlife's review against another edition
4.0
15 year old Nathan’s life is torn about when he finds out his big brother Al has taken his own life. Al was a talented young man who was so full of passion, and Nathan wonders why he would have done this? Convinced Al was in trouble, Nathan begins to investigate meeting Al’s former classmate Megan on his quest, who like Nathan wants to keep Al’s memory alive. However, when Nathan eventually finds out the truth, sparks are set to fly.
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly, firstly, was a gritty, emotion packed, heartwrenching read that did tug at my heartstrings several times throughout my time reading it. It did, you could say take me on an emotional rollercoaster ride, one where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get off or not. It was so beautifully written and I did find myself hypnotised by the almost poetic like prose.
The way the story was told really resonated with me, and I found it to be a rather unique way to telling such a harrowing tale. We see the story through the point of views of Nathan, Al’s brother and Megan, Al’s friend and former classmate. I really enjoyed how we got the differing views from Nathan, who used violence and anger to show his grief and Megan, who used Al’s memory to change her life and create something amazing. The contrast between these two characters was utterly remarkable and the voices of both characters seemed so vivid and lifelike. What I also found interesting was the sections at the start of each chapter in Al’s voice. This helped me to understand him as a character a lot more, and they were probably some of my favourite bits of writing from the whole book. The plot, also kept me on my toes and every time I guessed the conclusion, something would happen to change my mind. When I did get to the end, I was, as you can guess, in great shock.
The subject matter within And the Stars Were Burning Brightly is rather heavy, especially the topics of suicide and bullying. I’ll admit that some scenes are quite troubling to read, but they bring to life the fact that this does happen in real life and I commend the author for bringing these topics to our attention. The way that the dark side of social media was perceived was also commendable and it really did get me thinking about how despite how good social media can be, it can be very distressing for some people to use with regards to online bullying etc.
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly was an emotional, moving read that really did touch me. The way it brought topics such as suicide, mental health and online bullying to the forefront was inspiring and I can honestly say, it will stick with me.
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly, firstly, was a gritty, emotion packed, heartwrenching read that did tug at my heartstrings several times throughout my time reading it. It did, you could say take me on an emotional rollercoaster ride, one where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get off or not. It was so beautifully written and I did find myself hypnotised by the almost poetic like prose.
The way the story was told really resonated with me, and I found it to be a rather unique way to telling such a harrowing tale. We see the story through the point of views of Nathan, Al’s brother and Megan, Al’s friend and former classmate. I really enjoyed how we got the differing views from Nathan, who used violence and anger to show his grief and Megan, who used Al’s memory to change her life and create something amazing. The contrast between these two characters was utterly remarkable and the voices of both characters seemed so vivid and lifelike. What I also found interesting was the sections at the start of each chapter in Al’s voice. This helped me to understand him as a character a lot more, and they were probably some of my favourite bits of writing from the whole book. The plot, also kept me on my toes and every time I guessed the conclusion, something would happen to change my mind. When I did get to the end, I was, as you can guess, in great shock.
The subject matter within And the Stars Were Burning Brightly is rather heavy, especially the topics of suicide and bullying. I’ll admit that some scenes are quite troubling to read, but they bring to life the fact that this does happen in real life and I commend the author for bringing these topics to our attention. The way that the dark side of social media was perceived was also commendable and it really did get me thinking about how despite how good social media can be, it can be very distressing for some people to use with regards to online bullying etc.
And the Stars Were Burning Brightly was an emotional, moving read that really did touch me. The way it brought topics such as suicide, mental health and online bullying to the forefront was inspiring and I can honestly say, it will stick with me.
bookish_bunny98's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book as an ARC within a book box box. I got really excited about it when I received it because I’d heard good things about it. But now after reading this book and writing the review I’m not too sure on whether my excitement for this book was worth it.
I’d say this book only just meets 4 star criteria in my opinion.
There is also a trigger warning for this book of suicide, depression, grief, and bullying.
This book is wrote in two points of views, one is a female (Megan) and one is male (Nathan). So it is quite nice to see these two characters views on the events that happen within the book.
It starts off with this black family, who live in the rough/run down part of Manchester. (I’m not been racist it’s how Nathan describes his family) Nathan and his brothers sometimes get stopped in the streets as the police accuse them of the crimes that happen in their area. Al is a boy who stands out and doesn’t fit in at school, he is the one who commits suicide at the start, and Nathan his brother comes home to discover his body.
Throughout this book Nathan is fighting guilt and grief for his brother, he is struggling to believe that something was wrong with Al and that someone else was the cause of all this drama.
Megan was friends with Al because they had art class together and they were starting to become quite close together but then the suicide happens. She wasn’t aware of him feeling like this so the grief for Al and her dad becomes strong again.
The grief between these two characters is what fetches them close together. I feel that throughout the book there was a huge character development and we got to see how both of them actually felt and their feelings towards other people. We also go to see how they reacted to their friends and family throughout this difficult time.
Everyone deals with grief differently and this book 100% shows this.
The plot of the book was really good, I loved learning different things out about Al’s life and how he had those inputs at the start of each chapter just made you feel like their was a third persons view to read but knowing his parts were a small insight to the chapter that was following. It was really well planned out and they style of book was just perfect.
It was fast paced all the way through, the only thing that sort of annoyed me was the ending. But then knowing that there is going to be a book two I can sort of forgive that. The only other thing that annoyed me was Tara but then that is what some people are like a hell of a lot of two faced people around, and when you lose someone close to you, you soon find out who your true friends are in a bad time.
I’d recommend this book if you don’t mind the trigger topics, interested in a sort of discovery story, friendships developing in difficult times, and a hint of romance.
I’d say this book only just meets 4 star criteria in my opinion.
There is also a trigger warning for this book of suicide, depression, grief, and bullying.
This book is wrote in two points of views, one is a female (Megan) and one is male (Nathan). So it is quite nice to see these two characters views on the events that happen within the book.
It starts off with this black family, who live in the rough/run down part of Manchester. (I’m not been racist it’s how Nathan describes his family) Nathan and his brothers sometimes get stopped in the streets as the police accuse them of the crimes that happen in their area. Al is a boy who stands out and doesn’t fit in at school, he is the one who commits suicide at the start, and Nathan his brother comes home to discover his body.
Throughout this book Nathan is fighting guilt and grief for his brother, he is struggling to believe that something was wrong with Al and that someone else was the cause of all this drama.
Megan was friends with Al because they had art class together and they were starting to become quite close together but then the suicide happens. She wasn’t aware of him feeling like this so the grief for Al and her dad becomes strong again.
The grief between these two characters is what fetches them close together. I feel that throughout the book there was a huge character development and we got to see how both of them actually felt and their feelings towards other people. We also go to see how they reacted to their friends and family throughout this difficult time.
Everyone deals with grief differently and this book 100% shows this.
The plot of the book was really good, I loved learning different things out about Al’s life and how he had those inputs at the start of each chapter just made you feel like their was a third persons view to read but knowing his parts were a small insight to the chapter that was following. It was really well planned out and they style of book was just perfect.
It was fast paced all the way through, the only thing that sort of annoyed me was the ending. But then knowing that there is going to be a book two I can sort of forgive that. The only other thing that annoyed me was Tara but then that is what some people are like a hell of a lot of two faced people around, and when you lose someone close to you, you soon find out who your true friends are in a bad time.
I’d recommend this book if you don’t mind the trigger topics, interested in a sort of discovery story, friendships developing in difficult times, and a hint of romance.
rosiefrog's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
4.5
charliewalt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
naomisbookcase's review against another edition
3.0
Nate loved Al, he didn't always say it or show it but the love between brothers is often unspoken. There is now no chance for Nate to tell Al how he really feels and he is left alone in a world that seems to fight against is recovery from grief at every step, only he knows how he can cope with the loss of his brother so why will no one trust him? Getting to the bottom of his brothers suicide is something Nate wants to do alone, so what will he do when Megan tries to find comfort in him when tying to move on from her own grief?
Book Box Club kindly included this book in their subscription box as part of their programme to showcase upcoming 2020 releases. I came into this novel with some fears about how it would have been handled based solely of the synopsis on the back. The main trigger warning for the book is that suicide and graphic mentions as to the actual process Al used were mentioned throughout. As someone who has struggled in the past with my mental health I would strongly recommend that you avoid this book if you are not feeling 100% stable - if any of us ever do in today's current climate.
Whilst it mainly deals with the feelings of grief that surround Al's family, friends and predominantly his brother, Nate, the novel does touch upon stereotypical issues that surround the youth of the UK. We do all deal with grief differently and I cannot comment on how that particular situation must feel but the attitude of Nate didn't feel real to me, his constant need for answers felt more like a writing device to keep the story moving. He pursued his need for answers and due to this a majority of the book was slow-burning because he wasn't getting any. At multiple points throughout the novel I considered DNF'ing because nothing was happening of importance.
Megan was the only character that made me what to continue through to the end, I really wanted to see how her character developed. I'm glad I stuck with the book in the end, Megan's development did come to fruition and Nate even became a nearly likeable character. As a main character Nate was problematic, he was blaming others for only caring about Al now he's dead, but he is the exact same. Looking back this seems like his coping mechanism for not feeling guilty but that wasn't clear when reading. Although the events that led to Al's suicide were seriously traumatic to read it added a level of depth that the story desperately needed.
This was a difficult story to get through however the ending sold it for me. Everyone's development really brought all the dangling threads of plot together and made an ending that brought comfort to all involved, including the reader.
Book Box Club kindly included this book in their subscription box as part of their programme to showcase upcoming 2020 releases. I came into this novel with some fears about how it would have been handled based solely of the synopsis on the back. The main trigger warning for the book is that suicide and graphic mentions as to the actual process Al used were mentioned throughout. As someone who has struggled in the past with my mental health I would strongly recommend that you avoid this book if you are not feeling 100% stable - if any of us ever do in today's current climate.
Whilst it mainly deals with the feelings of grief that surround Al's family, friends and predominantly his brother, Nate, the novel does touch upon stereotypical issues that surround the youth of the UK. We do all deal with grief differently and I cannot comment on how that particular situation must feel but the attitude of Nate didn't feel real to me, his constant need for answers felt more like a writing device to keep the story moving. He pursued his need for answers and due to this a majority of the book was slow-burning because he wasn't getting any. At multiple points throughout the novel I considered DNF'ing because nothing was happening of importance.
Megan was the only character that made me what to continue through to the end, I really wanted to see how her character developed. I'm glad I stuck with the book in the end, Megan's development did come to fruition and Nate even became a nearly likeable character. As a main character Nate was problematic, he was blaming others for only caring about Al now he's dead, but he is the exact same. Looking back this seems like his coping mechanism for not feeling guilty but that wasn't clear when reading. Although the events that led to Al's suicide were seriously traumatic to read it added a level of depth that the story desperately needed.
This was a difficult story to get through however the ending sold it for me. Everyone's development really brought all the dangling threads of plot together and made an ending that brought comfort to all involved, including the reader.