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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
I read this as a buddy read with a friend.
"Where the Forest Meets the Stars" follows Joanna Teale, a woman who just recently lost her mother and who is trying to heal from her own battle with breast cancer. Jo is a grad student and wants nothing more than to finish her degree and get some control back in her life, but that becomes threatened when a little girl, Ursa, shows up at her home. Ursa claims to be an alien who cannot return to her home planet until she has witnessed five miracles. Jo tries to do the right thing and see if Ursa was reported missing, but she cannot find anyone who seems to know who this Ursa is. Jo befriends her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel, to try to have him help her get Ursa back home, but the pair quickly realize that Ursa may have been sent to them for a bigger purpose.
This was a really beautiful story that is rife with messages about the beauty of life and choosing how to react to the misfortunes around you. Ursa was by far my favorite character, and I was rooting for her and her story from her initial introduction. The way that she sees life, even after everything she has been through, is beautiful, and I loved how she was so focused on seeing the good in the world around her.
Gabriel suffers with his mental health, and I really appreciated how his character was represented. Additionally, I really liked how his struggles were presented. Male mental health is still not talked about nearly as much as it should be, and I think it is so invaluably important to see strong male characters presented and show an accurate portrayal of the struggles they may be facing.
Jo's character was slightly more off-putting from the beginning. She is very cold and closed off because of the obstacles she has faced in her life. I struggled to connect with her, however I did end up enjoying her story arch and how her and Gabriel, along with her and Ursa interacted. Ursa was exactly what Jo needed in her life to help remind her to truly live.
The biggest turn off for me in this book was the alien angle. I am not really into space and aliens, so having a character claim to be an alien did not hook me. Ultimately, I was fine with where the story went, and I appreciate the risk the author took in this angle, but it just did not hit 100% for me personally.
Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who needs reminded to look at the moments of beauty in the world around them.
"Where the Forest Meets the Stars" follows Joanna Teale, a woman who just recently lost her mother and who is trying to heal from her own battle with breast cancer. Jo is a grad student and wants nothing more than to finish her degree and get some control back in her life, but that becomes threatened when a little girl, Ursa, shows up at her home. Ursa claims to be an alien who cannot return to her home planet until she has witnessed five miracles. Jo tries to do the right thing and see if Ursa was reported missing, but she cannot find anyone who seems to know who this Ursa is. Jo befriends her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel, to try to have him help her get Ursa back home, but the pair quickly realize that Ursa may have been sent to them for a bigger purpose.
This was a really beautiful story that is rife with messages about the beauty of life and choosing how to react to the misfortunes around you. Ursa was by far my favorite character, and I was rooting for her and her story from her initial introduction. The way that she sees life, even after everything she has been through, is beautiful, and I loved how she was so focused on seeing the good in the world around her.
Gabriel suffers with his mental health, and I really appreciated how his character was represented. Additionally, I really liked how his struggles were presented. Male mental health is still not talked about nearly as much as it should be, and I think it is so invaluably important to see strong male characters presented and show an accurate portrayal of the struggles they may be facing.
Jo's character was slightly more off-putting from the beginning. She is very cold and closed off because of the obstacles she has faced in her life. I struggled to connect with her, however I did end up enjoying her story arch and how her and Gabriel, along with her and Ursa interacted. Ursa was exactly what Jo needed in her life to help remind her to truly live.
The biggest turn off for me in this book was the alien angle. I am not really into space and aliens, so having a character claim to be an alien did not hook me. Ultimately, I was fine with where the story went, and I appreciate the risk the author took in this angle, but it just did not hit 100% for me personally.
Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who needs reminded to look at the moments of beauty in the world around them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Cancer, Death, Medical content, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Stalking, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
ka_ke's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Where the Forest Meets the Stars is the a wonderfully safe read. If you’re in the mood for something full of hope, found family and trauma-recovery this is the book for you!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Drug abuse, and Medical content
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Infertility, Infidelity, and Pedophilia
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