Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
My original review for this title can be found HERE on The Book Hookup.
**Special Note:** An e-ARC of this title was provided by the publishers via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review an any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this galley and not from the published version.
Initial Thoughts: I like the simple complexity of this story. Nothing felt overdone, but it felt real. There were characters, especially younger adults, making stupid decisions and learning from their mistakes. I liked it. Plus, I think every girl could use a guy like Alex in their life, if only to call them a goddess and to kiss them breathless.
The Lowdown: As you can gather from the summary, Callie has lived a life many would consider to be way outside the realms of normal. Kidnapped- though it was, it also kind of wasn’t- by her mother, the duo spent their time traveling the states, hiding out in every little corner, surviving on meager meals and little to no money. Callie doesn’t know the luxuries of a home or sometimes even a bed, she doesn’t know anything of family, small comforts, or even about what it is to receive an education since she hasn’t been enrolled in school since kindergarten. But when a routine traffic stop lands her mother in a whole heap of trouble, Callie finally reunites with a father she barely remembers and learns of a life she never had… or even knew she was missing and wanted.
Transported to sunny Florida, Callie learns to become Callista- a girl from a large Greek family who has to accept hard truths of her past so that she can thrive in her future. And possibly in all that, she’ll find herself and maybe even love.
My Thoughts: Though I’ve heard rave reviews of Doller’s other novels, this was the first book of hers that I read and it did not disappoint. I was immediately pulled into Callie’s new world alongside her, riding the tempestuous roads of her struggles to embrace a life of rules and responsibilities she’s expected to carry. To further complicate things, she’s having to adjust to her recent overwhelming life-change all while understanding newly discovered revelations about her mom’s health and conquering those hidden truths she’s fought to keep buried. I loved the honesty in her story and the raw, realistic approach in which the author delivered it.
One of the biggest reasons I liked this book so much is because it was packed to the brim with lively and lovely characters that I grew to be quite fond of by the end. Among a larger portion of contemporaries out there, I’ve been hard pressed to find one that had a main character who was surrounded by a loving, supportive family. So, imagine my surprise when I found that I truly loved Callie’s father, and eventually her step-mom. It was nice to see and feel the love that he had for her radiate off of every page. You could tell from the beginning that he had a large heart and missed her and that he was just good. And of course with him, you get a whole host of cousins and aunts and a very special grandmother that was waiting to nurture and love her to make up for all those years that spent apart.
On a separate note, this is a book that deals with a lot of sensitive subjects- mental illnesses, various types of abuse and how it affects the victims- but I thought each was handled appropriately. It never read to me that it was thrown in for the sake of creating the plot, but rather, that it was just a part of who those characters were and how it shaped their decisions. I appreciated the delicacy in how Ms. Doller wrote these storylines into the book.
My one little teeny-tiny hangup with this novel would have to be where Alex and Callie were concerned. I simply wanted to feel their chemistry more. I mean, I enjoyed their intimate scenes and when they spent time together because it was written well, but I never felt their connection as much as I had hoped I would. When things went south for them for a short period, I expected myself to be bawling. Yet, I never shed a tear, and I think it was because I wasn’t quite as invested in their relationship as much as I thought I should have been. This is only a minor issue because the romance was there, I just wanted a little more from it, I guess.
Swoons: There were a few sprinkled throughout, but mostly Alex was just deliciously described. I need to feel his curls with my own fingers.
♥ Swoony Teaser:
Verdict: I’d say don’t miss out on this one. It’s nice to read a realistically portrayed contemporary among all the great fantasy that’s out lately. However, I’d like to reiterate myself and say that there is mentions of sexual assault as well as some physical abuse in this novel for those that try to stir clear of those topics.
Also, can we just discuss the beauty that is that cover? Good, because I’m so unbelievably in love with it. I think it’d look pretty on your bookshelf, just sayin’.
♥ A very special thanks to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for allowing me to preview an early copy of this title.
**Special Note:** An e-ARC of this title was provided by the publishers via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review an any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this galley and not from the published version.
Initial Thoughts: I like the simple complexity of this story. Nothing felt overdone, but it felt real. There were characters, especially younger adults, making stupid decisions and learning from their mistakes. I liked it. Plus, I think every girl could use a guy like Alex in their life, if only to call them a goddess and to kiss them breathless.
The Lowdown: As you can gather from the summary, Callie has lived a life many would consider to be way outside the realms of normal. Kidnapped- though it was, it also kind of wasn’t- by her mother, the duo spent their time traveling the states, hiding out in every little corner, surviving on meager meals and little to no money. Callie doesn’t know the luxuries of a home or sometimes even a bed, she doesn’t know anything of family, small comforts, or even about what it is to receive an education since she hasn’t been enrolled in school since kindergarten. But when a routine traffic stop lands her mother in a whole heap of trouble, Callie finally reunites with a father she barely remembers and learns of a life she never had… or even knew she was missing and wanted.
Transported to sunny Florida, Callie learns to become Callista- a girl from a large Greek family who has to accept hard truths of her past so that she can thrive in her future. And possibly in all that, she’ll find herself and maybe even love.
My Thoughts: Though I’ve heard rave reviews of Doller’s other novels, this was the first book of hers that I read and it did not disappoint. I was immediately pulled into Callie’s new world alongside her, riding the tempestuous roads of her struggles to embrace a life of rules and responsibilities she’s expected to carry. To further complicate things, she’s having to adjust to her recent overwhelming life-change all while understanding newly discovered revelations about her mom’s health and conquering those hidden truths she’s fought to keep buried. I loved the honesty in her story and the raw, realistic approach in which the author delivered it.
One of the biggest reasons I liked this book so much is because it was packed to the brim with lively and lovely characters that I grew to be quite fond of by the end. Among a larger portion of contemporaries out there, I’ve been hard pressed to find one that had a main character who was surrounded by a loving, supportive family. So, imagine my surprise when I found that I truly loved Callie’s father, and eventually her step-mom. It was nice to see and feel the love that he had for her radiate off of every page. You could tell from the beginning that he had a large heart and missed her and that he was just good. And of course with him, you get a whole host of cousins and aunts and a very special grandmother that was waiting to nurture and love her to make up for all those years that spent apart.
On a separate note, this is a book that deals with a lot of sensitive subjects- mental illnesses, various types of abuse and how it affects the victims- but I thought each was handled appropriately. It never read to me that it was thrown in for the sake of creating the plot, but rather, that it was just a part of who those characters were and how it shaped their decisions. I appreciated the delicacy in how Ms. Doller wrote these storylines into the book.
My one little teeny-tiny hangup with this novel would have to be where Alex and Callie were concerned. I simply wanted to feel their chemistry more. I mean, I enjoyed their intimate scenes and when they spent time together because it was written well, but I never felt their connection as much as I had hoped I would. When things went south for them for a short period, I expected myself to be bawling. Yet, I never shed a tear, and I think it was because I wasn’t quite as invested in their relationship as much as I thought I should have been. This is only a minor issue because the romance was there, I just wanted a little more from it, I guess.
Swoons: There were a few sprinkled throughout, but mostly Alex was just deliciously described. I need to feel his curls with my own fingers.
♥ Swoony Teaser:
“All week I’ve wanted just three things : hot wings, cold beer, and you.”
Verdict: I’d say don’t miss out on this one. It’s nice to read a realistically portrayed contemporary among all the great fantasy that’s out lately. However, I’d like to reiterate myself and say that there is mentions of sexual assault as well as some physical abuse in this novel for those that try to stir clear of those topics.
Also, can we just discuss the beauty that is that cover? Good, because I’m so unbelievably in love with it. I think it’d look pretty on your bookshelf, just sayin’.
♥ A very special thanks to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for allowing me to preview an early copy of this title.
I started off this year reading a lot of historical war novels (Atonement, The Last Summer, My Dear I wanted to Tell You)...and it was really getting to me. So after taking a break from 'My Dear', I decided I needed the opposite of a war novel. Something light, something that wouldn't make me feel depressed or sick to my stomach. And while Where the Stars Still Shine didn't exactly fit that description, it was still a perfect change of pace and a wonderful book.
This YA contemporary can be dark and disturbing at times, dealing with kidnapping, mental health issues, and sexual abuse. However, it can also be heartwarming and sweet. I loved the dynamics between the characters, and Callie's voice in particular. She seemed real to me, so even when I didn't agree with something she was doing--which happened frequently---I understood why she was making these decisions. I also loved the setting and the elements of Greek culture that were such an important part of Callie's newfound life with her father--I haven't read anything about Greek culture before, so this was interesting as well was informative. Mostly, this book was just enjoyable, even though it did bring me to tears a few times. I would definitely recommend this book.
This YA contemporary can be dark and disturbing at times, dealing with kidnapping, mental health issues, and sexual abuse. However, it can also be heartwarming and sweet. I loved the dynamics between the characters, and Callie's voice in particular. She seemed real to me, so even when I didn't agree with something she was doing--which happened frequently---I understood why she was making these decisions. I also loved the setting and the elements of Greek culture that were such an important part of Callie's newfound life with her father--I haven't read anything about Greek culture before, so this was interesting as well was informative. Mostly, this book was just enjoyable, even though it did bring me to tears a few times. I would definitely recommend this book.
i wanted to love this. i really did. it just never quite clicked for me especially when it came to the romance which felt very shallow and under-developed. if the novel had just focused on callie adjusting to her new life while dealing with stuff she's had to deal with from her past life, then i think this would have been a much stronger novel.
Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Though I didn't love Doller's debut Something Like Normal, finding the main character rather dislikable and the book overall just a bit too short for everything that was in it, I was still interested in checking out more of her writing and decided I'd give this one a shot if I could. I am happy to report that it went better!
Callie has lived a life on the run with her up and down mother after being technically kidnapped and kept from her father. After a mistake by the mother, Callie is reunited with her father and the big boisterous Greek family she had missed out on knowing all these years. Of course it is not easy to acclimate to this new lifestyle with accountability from parental figures, friendships to negotiate for this loner, and a tentative romance with the dreamy Alex. Can she reach a place where the stars still shine?
I was surprised by how realistic this book felt to me, given that I had a very stable upbringing, am not drop-dead gorgeous, and have never crushed on the hottest guy in the room (funny guys please!) and yet I felt really bonded to Callie and her situation. Everything she thought she knew is uprooted and after ten plus years on the run, it makes for a big change. Especially startling for her is the romantic relationship as Alex turns out to actually be a decent guy unlike pretty much every guy she's known previously (I personally didn't think he sounded hot in a physical way but I tend to be in the minority among YA book bloggers and have seen others gush a lot about him.) One qualm there is that he's twenty-two to her seventeen and will have a birthday before she does-so that makes him my age and I wouldn't want to date a teenager. No one else really seems to have a problem with this but I would have felt more comfortable if he had been twenty, say.
Which is not to say that this book only focuses on romance, as the above paragraph may have made you think that romance was the only thing going on here. I just feel like the romance is really important for Callie to move forward because she had a lot of messed-up ideas about relationships due to her mother's poor example. There is also Callie making a friend (or rather renewing a friendship) and taking on her first job as well as excursions to what sounds like an amazing bookstore that I'd love to visit. And the big thread is Callie trying to find herself a new place in a family as her father had remarried with two sons. I actually feel like more could have been done her. For example, Callie and the stepmother don't start off on the strongest footing and more of that tension could have been explored before moving toward resolution.
As a reader who likes things to be neatly resolved, I still feel like there are a few too many loose strings (especially regarding the mother and Callie's childhood abuse because I'd really like her to get some counseling or something to help her process it.) Other complaints would be wanting more of that big Greek family-there's really only about two scenes with them though they're on the outskirts for others. It's a more concentrated story, really focusing on Callie and what she's going through so I understand that the family couldn't naturally be integrated more but it's still something I would have liked.
Overall: If I kept writing this review, I think I would have picked at more flaws in the plot that left me feeling somewhat disappointed but in general I did really like the writing, the character of Callie, and just the flow of the book, which keep me interested in more writing from Doller.
Though I didn't love Doller's debut Something Like Normal, finding the main character rather dislikable and the book overall just a bit too short for everything that was in it, I was still interested in checking out more of her writing and decided I'd give this one a shot if I could. I am happy to report that it went better!
Callie has lived a life on the run with her up and down mother after being technically kidnapped and kept from her father. After a mistake by the mother, Callie is reunited with her father and the big boisterous Greek family she had missed out on knowing all these years. Of course it is not easy to acclimate to this new lifestyle with accountability from parental figures, friendships to negotiate for this loner, and a tentative romance with the dreamy Alex. Can she reach a place where the stars still shine?
I was surprised by how realistic this book felt to me, given that I had a very stable upbringing, am not drop-dead gorgeous, and have never crushed on the hottest guy in the room (funny guys please!) and yet I felt really bonded to Callie and her situation. Everything she thought she knew is uprooted and after ten plus years on the run, it makes for a big change. Especially startling for her is the romantic relationship as Alex turns out to actually be a decent guy unlike pretty much every guy she's known previously (I personally didn't think he sounded hot in a physical way but I tend to be in the minority among YA book bloggers and have seen others gush a lot about him.) One qualm there is that he's twenty-two to her seventeen and will have a birthday before she does-so that makes him my age and I wouldn't want to date a teenager. No one else really seems to have a problem with this but I would have felt more comfortable if he had been twenty, say.
Which is not to say that this book only focuses on romance, as the above paragraph may have made you think that romance was the only thing going on here. I just feel like the romance is really important for Callie to move forward because she had a lot of messed-up ideas about relationships due to her mother's poor example. There is also Callie making a friend (or rather renewing a friendship) and taking on her first job as well as excursions to what sounds like an amazing bookstore that I'd love to visit. And the big thread is Callie trying to find herself a new place in a family as her father had remarried with two sons. I actually feel like more could have been done her. For example, Callie and the stepmother don't start off on the strongest footing and more of that tension could have been explored before moving toward resolution.
As a reader who likes things to be neatly resolved, I still feel like there are a few too many loose strings (especially regarding the mother and Callie's childhood abuse because I'd really like her to get some counseling or something to help her process it.) Other complaints would be wanting more of that big Greek family-there's really only about two scenes with them though they're on the outskirts for others. It's a more concentrated story, really focusing on Callie and what she's going through so I understand that the family couldn't naturally be integrated more but it's still something I would have liked.
Overall: If I kept writing this review, I think I would have picked at more flaws in the plot that left me feeling somewhat disappointed but in general I did really like the writing, the character of Callie, and just the flow of the book, which keep me interested in more writing from Doller.
I loved this book. I read it in one day and was glued to my seat. It was just that good. I look forward to reading more of her books.
2.5-3 stars.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. But overall, glad I read it. More to come.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this one. But overall, glad I read it. More to come.
I didn't finish this book. Mostly because it wasn't my type of book, and I could not stand the main character at all!
I don't know if I'll come back to this book, but maybe I will.
I don't know if I'll come back to this book, but maybe I will.
I really liked this one, it made my chest hurt and I definitely shed some tears throughout. I can't imagine going through what Callie has, though I don't understand just HOW much she still clung to her mom after everything. My own instincts are different though. I also don't like how things left off at the end with her and Alex, I would have enjoyed more there. :/
I purposely saved this book as my last of 2013. (First and last books of the year are (maybe oddly) important to me. I think they have Meaning.) And I just knew this would be a special book.
AND I WAS RIGHT. *high fives self*
Trish Doller has this way of writing stories and characters that seep into you and knock around your head for days. So it seems like I'll be taking Callie and the Tarpon Springs gang with me into the new year, and I'm very okay with that.
So, so excited for anything Trish writes next. And after that. Etc, etc. :)
AND I WAS RIGHT. *high fives self*
Trish Doller has this way of writing stories and characters that seep into you and knock around your head for days. So it seems like I'll be taking Callie and the Tarpon Springs gang with me into the new year, and I'm very okay with that.
So, so excited for anything Trish writes next. And after that. Etc, etc. :)