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readabookorfive's review against another edition
2.0
Under Shifting Stars is a book I so deeply wanted to love. LGBTQIAP representation is something so important to me and when I saw this book had not only a non binary character in but also a gender fluid character in i was so excited to dive in, unfortunately I didn’t like it.
One of my main issues was the writing style, I just found it to be so disjointed and jarring especially in Audrey’s POV. The characters definitely didn’t feel the same as each other but I didn’t really enjoy the writing style for either of them.
I did on the other hand, like the way grief was handled in this book. It broke my heart watching these two having to go through this loss and how it effected them and their family. Apart from the scene with Claire when she finds the video, that made me feel so sick to my stomach. But, other than that it was handled with so much care and respect and I loved that about it.
Overall. I just did not like this book and I am sad about it. I thought it would be a favourite of the year but it just fell so completely flat for me. I do commend the author for having diversity in their book as well as dealing with some heavy topics but it just wasn’t for me. Although, I know some people will read it and absolutely love it which is great!
One of my main issues was the writing style, I just found it to be so disjointed and jarring especially in Audrey’s POV. The characters definitely didn’t feel the same as each other but I didn’t really enjoy the writing style for either of them.
I did on the other hand, like the way grief was handled in this book. It broke my heart watching these two having to go through this loss and how it effected them and their family. Apart from the scene with Claire when she finds the video, that made me feel so sick to my stomach. But, other than that it was handled with so much care and respect and I loved that about it.
Overall. I just did not like this book and I am sad about it. I thought it would be a favourite of the year but it just fell so completely flat for me. I do commend the author for having diversity in their book as well as dealing with some heavy topics but it just wasn’t for me. Although, I know some people will read it and absolutely love it which is great!
nymphoutofwater's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
rhymeswithshmo's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
mb918's review against another edition
5.0
FANTASTIC! I usually don’t care about sister dynamics, but I felt fully invested in both of these characters’ storylines and individual journeys. I also really appreciated the way that Clare researched and discovered her gender identity through the internet because that’s super relatable for most younger people reading ya books like these. Also, Taylor rocks.
mybestfriendsarefictional's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
its_nix's review
emotional
relaxing
slow-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
dalyramales's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
2.5
citrus_seasalt's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
GOD. This book was absolutely excruciating to get through. I hated Claire for most of the story, which was GRATING with her being a POV, because outside of her relatable scenes on her gender expression and discovery(and some stuff about her sexuality) she was frustratingly mean. Like, I get it, you don’t want to get bullied and want to fit in, but in the final act her genuine surprise at any of her actions leading to…woe is me, CONSEQUENCES?, was so frustrating. Aubrey was subpar neurodivergent representation, being somewhat relatable at best(I am on the spectrum), and borderline offensive at worst. It took me a while to realize there were no quotations in her POV chapters to represent how she didn’t know if what she said was inside or outside her head at times, but it made reading more difficult. Her thoughts were also relatively simple, to the point where I had to check the tags to see if this was a middle grade or not. (It’s not. I get that the protagonists are only in their freshman year of high school, so there’s not that much of a difference, but she had…7th grader whimsy in some of her internal monologues. I hated it.) There were times in which I couldn’t tell if the infantilization of her was an ableist move on behalf of the parents or the author, thankfully it was more of the former towards the end but, I feel as if there should’ve been an extra reader for the autistic rep because some kind of author bias seeped in(at least to me during my reader experience). It speaks volumes I had to ask myself that question at all because the lines should not be blurred on something as egregious as that.
The only reason that this book isn’t one star is because of a) the thoughtful queer representation, b) how some of the explorations of grief were handled, c) Audrey being respected as a teenager and not a kid in the final act(with the narrative also starting to reflect that, imo), and Claire becoming more of a bearable person lol. Every side character felt one-note, except for Taylor, but even our POVs got repetitive in their gimmicks after a while: Audrey, the “freak” and the “weirdo” who desperately wants to be otherwise; Claire, the “perfect one” who’s secretly “not perfect” and panicking at the realization that her true self isn’t what others want to see or envision her as.
The only way I can see someone benefitting from reading this book is if they’re new to learning about the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities and want to be a little more knowledgeable or familiar on their identities and struggles. Like one of those little pamphlets you find that are short and give you a few basics on different places or subjects. But, that has it’s own issues.
The only reason that this book isn’t one star is because of a) the thoughtful queer representation, b) how some of the explorations of grief were handled, c) Audrey being respected as a teenager and not a kid in the final act(with the narrative also starting to reflect that, imo), and Claire becoming more of a bearable person lol. Every side character felt one-note, except for Taylor, but even our POVs got repetitive in their gimmicks after a while: Audrey, the “freak” and the “weirdo” who desperately wants to be otherwise; Claire, the “perfect one” who’s secretly “not perfect” and panicking at the realization that her true self isn’t what others want to see or envision her as.
The only way I can see someone benefitting from reading this book is if they’re new to learning about the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities and want to be a little more knowledgeable or familiar on their identities and struggles. Like one of those little pamphlets you find that are short and give you a few basics on different places or subjects. But, that has it’s own issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Ableism, and Car accident
Minor: Dysphoria