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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I think my thoughts on Where The Stars Still Shine are some of the weirdest thoughts I've ever had about a book, but in a totally good way. I really like Where The Stars Still Shine, but I also have mixed feelings about it, and I'm not completely sure what to think. I have no clue if that makes sense, but that's where my thoughts are.
I liked seeing Callie go from living with a mother who didn't seem to take her into consideration to living with a father who wanted a daughter that Callie wasn't able to be. She definitely struggled with feeling like she belonged and having people who get worried when she decides to wander off in the middle of the night. I totally understand that her mom wasn't around a lot, and Callie spent a lot of time on her own, and had to fend for herself. And so I can totally understand that it would be hard to adjust to living with someone who is there, and actually worries when she keeps wandering around town and not telling anyone where she's going.
Her loyalty to her mom was frustrating, especially with what happens after Callie goes back to Florida to live with her dad. Her mom is not a likable person, and she wasn't supposed to be likable, but it did get frustrating because her mom totally didn't deserve it, in my opinion. I understand why her mom acted the way she did (to some degree) and I can understand not wanting to take meds but Callie also deserved better. I suppose I can relate to Callie's loyalty, because it is the only thing she's ever known, but that didn't make it less frustrating to read.
I also liked seeing Callie re-connect with her family after being gone for so long. Also interesting was her relationship with her step-mom and half-brothers.
Here's the thing that I have really mixed feelings about: her relationship with Alex. I just didn't care for their relationship and it was hard to stay interested in them as a couple when she get ditching her family for him. She made an effort to do things with him, but not her family, and that got a little old after a while. I also wasn't expecting it to be such a big part of the novel.
I was reminded of If You Find Me, which has a pretty similar plot and deals with similar issues as Where The Stars Still Shine. I didn't pay too much attention to Callie's education, but she only finished kindergarten, because moving around all the time would definitely make it hard to stay in school. I'm kind of surprised her dad didn't push the issue, but at the same time, she only has a kindergarten education, so Callie would have a lot of catching up to do.
I do feel bad for her dad, because his daughter came back as a complete stranger that he's not sure how to parent. He's doing the best he can, and Callie certainly didn't make things easy for him. I do think he clung to his memories of Callie as a small child and had ideas of who she was and what she was like, and I'm sure his image of her didn't match up with who she really was.
Final Thoughts: My mixed feelings seem to be focused on Alex and Callie, but other than that, I really enjoyed Where The Stars Still Shine. I liked seeing Callie struggle with her place in the world. Where The Stars Still Shine gets 4 stars.
I liked seeing Callie go from living with a mother who didn't seem to take her into consideration to living with a father who wanted a daughter that Callie wasn't able to be. She definitely struggled with feeling like she belonged and having people who get worried when she decides to wander off in the middle of the night. I totally understand that her mom wasn't around a lot, and Callie spent a lot of time on her own, and had to fend for herself. And so I can totally understand that it would be hard to adjust to living with someone who is there, and actually worries when she keeps wandering around town and not telling anyone where she's going.
Her loyalty to her mom was frustrating, especially with what happens after Callie goes back to Florida to live with her dad. Her mom is not a likable person, and she wasn't supposed to be likable, but it did get frustrating because her mom totally didn't deserve it, in my opinion. I understand why her mom acted the way she did (to some degree) and I can understand not wanting to take meds but Callie also deserved better. I suppose I can relate to Callie's loyalty, because it is the only thing she's ever known, but that didn't make it less frustrating to read.
I also liked seeing Callie re-connect with her family after being gone for so long. Also interesting was her relationship with her step-mom and half-brothers.
Here's the thing that I have really mixed feelings about: her relationship with Alex. I just didn't care for their relationship and it was hard to stay interested in them as a couple when she get ditching her family for him. She made an effort to do things with him, but not her family, and that got a little old after a while. I also wasn't expecting it to be such a big part of the novel.
I was reminded of If You Find Me, which has a pretty similar plot and deals with similar issues as Where The Stars Still Shine. I didn't pay too much attention to Callie's education, but she only finished kindergarten, because moving around all the time would definitely make it hard to stay in school. I'm kind of surprised her dad didn't push the issue, but at the same time, she only has a kindergarten education, so Callie would have a lot of catching up to do.
I do feel bad for her dad, because his daughter came back as a complete stranger that he's not sure how to parent. He's doing the best he can, and Callie certainly didn't make things easy for him. I do think he clung to his memories of Callie as a small child and had ideas of who she was and what she was like, and I'm sure his image of her didn't match up with who she really was.
Final Thoughts: My mixed feelings seem to be focused on Alex and Callie, but other than that, I really enjoyed Where The Stars Still Shine. I liked seeing Callie struggle with her place in the world. Where The Stars Still Shine gets 4 stars.
A few phrases come to mind when I think of this book: culture shock, reality check, and. . . Stockholm Syndrome? Perhaps that’s a little far, but I think it rings true. All Callie has ever known is life with her mother–the mother who kidnapped her and hid her from the rest of her family almost all her life. And why it’s easy to point fingers at Callie’s mother, her story is also heartbreaking, watching her struggle with inner demons. And then there’s Callie: stuck in the middle between the life she should have lived for the past ten years, and the life she actually lived.
Watching Callie come to terms with her life was an incredible journey that lasted the duration of this book. At the beginning, even the mood and the atmosphere FEEL so lonely, and it was the hardest part of the book for me to get through because of that. As Callie slowly learns to trust people, to open up, and to really entertain the idea of being part of a family, the setting and Doller’s writing started to reflect that.
This isn’t a book to pick up if you’re looking for a book packed to the brim with plot–it’s heavily character-oriented and while I wouldn’t classify it as one of those slow-moving, but beautiful books, I think the pacing does tend towards the slower side. The revelations that Callie comes across as she struggles with her new life keep the book moderately paced and I HAD to find out how this part of Callie’s story ends, but I don’t think I’d go so far as to call it a page-turner.
I don’t know how a person would act in Callie’s situation, but her character development seemed highly realistic to me. Here she is, thinking all of life has been one way the entire time, and suddenly she’s confronted with this new truth that’s the opposite of everything she’s always been told. She’s dazed and confused, which affects ALL her relationships–her relationship with her father, her relationship with her cousin who becomes her new friend, and her potential romantic relationship. It’s hard to read about Callie’s inner turmoil, but it’s worth it in the end.
At the end of this book, things aren’t perfect. It’s not as if Callie wakes up one morning and suddenly feels like she fits everywhere she “needs” to and her life’s now normal, but she’s in such a different place at the end of the book that it works. Everything might not be tied up in a pretty string, but she’s come far enough that it’s clear to see she might one day be that way, which was an incredibly emotionally satisfying ending.
Final Impression: I loved this book. If I hadn’t heard so many good things about the author, I might not have picked this one up, but I’m SO SO glad I did. It was hard to read at times, but I think the emotional journey Callie went through was believable and satisfying from a narrative point of view. The beginning was slightly rocky for me, but after that, it was clear this was a wonderful book that I came to love.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book on Netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Watching Callie come to terms with her life was an incredible journey that lasted the duration of this book. At the beginning, even the mood and the atmosphere FEEL so lonely, and it was the hardest part of the book for me to get through because of that. As Callie slowly learns to trust people, to open up, and to really entertain the idea of being part of a family, the setting and Doller’s writing started to reflect that.
This isn’t a book to pick up if you’re looking for a book packed to the brim with plot–it’s heavily character-oriented and while I wouldn’t classify it as one of those slow-moving, but beautiful books, I think the pacing does tend towards the slower side. The revelations that Callie comes across as she struggles with her new life keep the book moderately paced and I HAD to find out how this part of Callie’s story ends, but I don’t think I’d go so far as to call it a page-turner.
I don’t know how a person would act in Callie’s situation, but her character development seemed highly realistic to me. Here she is, thinking all of life has been one way the entire time, and suddenly she’s confronted with this new truth that’s the opposite of everything she’s always been told. She’s dazed and confused, which affects ALL her relationships–her relationship with her father, her relationship with her cousin who becomes her new friend, and her potential romantic relationship. It’s hard to read about Callie’s inner turmoil, but it’s worth it in the end.
At the end of this book, things aren’t perfect. It’s not as if Callie wakes up one morning and suddenly feels like she fits everywhere she “needs” to and her life’s now normal, but she’s in such a different place at the end of the book that it works. Everything might not be tied up in a pretty string, but she’s come far enough that it’s clear to see she might one day be that way, which was an incredibly emotionally satisfying ending.
Final Impression: I loved this book. If I hadn’t heard so many good things about the author, I might not have picked this one up, but I’m SO SO glad I did. It was hard to read at times, but I think the emotional journey Callie went through was believable and satisfying from a narrative point of view. The beginning was slightly rocky for me, but after that, it was clear this was a wonderful book that I came to love.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book on Netgalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
It's Melina Marchetta meets Friday Brown meets White Oleander. So good I thought it was Aussie YA.
My review just got eaten and I shall cry.
This was a great book, and I will write an actual review (again).
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OK, let's try this again!
So often in our lives we hear the dramatic part of a story - the murder, the trial, the kidnapping, or the return. But what happens after? How do the people involved deal with what has happened in their lives? When Callie is returned to her father after a life on the run with her unstable mother she faces a huge lifestyle adjustment. She needs to learn how to make friends, interact with relatives, and live a stable life. Added to that, everyone wants something from her, or at least from the person they wanted her to be.
I loved reading this from Callie's perspective and getting a feel for her thought process. It feels like Doller really thought through the effects that growing up with very few constants could have on a child and how she would interact with others afterward.
There were some things in the story that seemed off: the way that no one seemed curious about Callie's life before her return, the fact that professional counselling wasn't considered as an option. The assumptions made about how she's just going to fit exactly into the slots they want are ridiculous.
Overall, I highly recommend this one!
This was a great book, and I will write an actual review (again).
-----------------------------------------
OK, let's try this again!
So often in our lives we hear the dramatic part of a story - the murder, the trial, the kidnapping, or the return. But what happens after? How do the people involved deal with what has happened in their lives? When Callie is returned to her father after a life on the run with her unstable mother she faces a huge lifestyle adjustment. She needs to learn how to make friends, interact with relatives, and live a stable life. Added to that, everyone wants something from her, or at least from the person they wanted her to be.
I loved reading this from Callie's perspective and getting a feel for her thought process. It feels like Doller really thought through the effects that growing up with very few constants could have on a child and how she would interact with others afterward.
There were some things in the story that seemed off: the way that no one seemed curious about Callie's life before her return, the fact that professional counselling wasn't considered as an option. The assumptions made about how she's just going to fit exactly into the slots they want are ridiculous.
Overall, I highly recommend this one!
I really did like this. I loved Kat especially, actually. She is a great friend person even if she is a space invader. I will be honest in saying that the license thing I commented on in the beginning still really bothers me because it makes the story fall apart a little. But other than that, thoroughly enjoyed Callie and her story
This book had the potential to be really good but instead it lead to disappointment, I spent majority of the novel wondering when we would finally see her recconnect with her family members, but I didn't see anything, and if I did it was pretty shallow or glossed over. Some parts were well done, for example Callie and her mother, but then again the author could have developed the relationship further.
I don't know, I didn't feel any connections to any of the characters because Callie felt so distanced from them, Doller could have given us so much more and provided us with 3D characters, yet the only one I felt Callie truly cared about was Alex, and even their relationship could have had more to it. What realy irked me about this book was Callie's past. We are told time and time again that she is 'broken' and her past is tragic but the only time we see it come into play is when she is with Alex. Sexual Abuse is not a light topic and I felt like the author handled it very casually and as tool to further Alex and Callie's relationship, but I never felt that Callie had any real closure regarding her pretty terrible past. The whole book felt like it just scraped the surface, and the author could have gone far more deeper into the novel!
Actual rating: 2.5
I don't know, I didn't feel any connections to any of the characters because Callie felt so distanced from them, Doller could have given us so much more and provided us with 3D characters, yet the only one I felt Callie truly cared about was Alex, and even their relationship could have had more to it. What realy irked me about this book was Callie's past. We are told time and time again that she is 'broken' and her past is tragic but the only time we see it come into play is when she is with Alex. Sexual Abuse is not a light topic and I felt like the author handled it very casually and as tool to further Alex and Callie's relationship, but I never felt that Callie had any real closure regarding her pretty terrible past. The whole book felt like it just scraped the surface, and the author could have gone far more deeper into the novel!
Actual rating: 2.5
I totally enjoyed this. I liked the protagonist and cared about her story, even if there were moments that felt a little overwrought.
I enjoyed it more realistic about relationships. Though it took more a contemporary rom aspect to it that I an anticipated but it was cliche in anyway. Would recommend.
Lots to admire about this book, but the love story here kind of killed the book for me - it was so fast and had no real basis. And that doesn't bother me, necessarily, but in the context of this story, it just didn't ring true for me at all.
a bit overwhelming with sadness and harsh elements of reality. overall though it ends in the way only real life could.