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chelseakamm's review
5.0
Wow. Wow, wow, wow. This book. I can't say truthfully that I read it in one sitting, but I can tell you that I got as close to it as I could. I absorbed this book. I couldn't wait to get off work so I could go home and read more. I stayed up way too late to read the last 100 pages, and I regret nothing. It started with four - Ellory, Ret, Jenni, and Bex. Unseparable forces of nature. Add in a beautiful, soulful, hardworking boyfriend, and Ellory feels like nothing in life could be better. Her world is perfect. If Matthias would just open up more. If Ret would tone it down. But now, everything's changed. Now, it's just Ellory. No boyfriend. No friends. Alone. What happened last year to cause such a drastic change? See All the Stars reveals the beautiful and heartbreaking story that will have you itching to read more. I couldn't turn pages fast enough. I loved the writing style. I felt like I was back in high school. The fully developed and real characters are what make this debut YA novel so magical. I absolutely loved it and will be buying a copy for my personal collection ASAP. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
detectivelily's review
2.0
this was just not it. it isn't just 'like' we were liars (also not the best book), it's basically just a knockoff. i was not at all interested in the 'mystery' and i could not have cared less about any of the characters.
labtracks's review
4.0
This unexpectedly ended up being my “read in a day” book for my 2018 challenge. It’s not long, but not short. It took a bit to get into this one. The characters you’ve seen before the click and inside jokes, the competition among females and for males. But it distinguishes itself as it goes on. Flipping between “then” and “now” you slowly get a picture of the story. This is well done.
The ending was somewhat predictable. That’s the only reason for 4 stars. Otherwise this is quite good. Characters I was interested in, a story line I wanted to see a resolution to and good writing style did have me finished in a day. Similar to quite a few other books out there lately, but still stands on its own.
I was unable to download this to overdrive so did need to read on my physical computer which was not so convenient.
The ending was somewhat predictable. That’s the only reason for 4 stars. Otherwise this is quite good. Characters I was interested in, a story line I wanted to see a resolution to and good writing style did have me finished in a day. Similar to quite a few other books out there lately, but still stands on its own.
I was unable to download this to overdrive so did need to read on my physical computer which was not so convenient.
vanessa_issa's review
3.0
Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC!
Nice book! A must read for fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.
I feel like I've already read other similar stories before, so it didn't bring anything new to me. I liked it, but didn't love it. Still, for being a debut novel, I must say it's really good. Congrats to the author. Hoping to read more from her soon.
Nice book! A must read for fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.
I feel like I've already read other similar stories before, so it didn't bring anything new to me. I liked it, but didn't love it. Still, for being a debut novel, I must say it's really good. Congrats to the author. Hoping to read more from her soon.
nyix's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Blood
paigeafterpage_'s review
4.0
This took me awhile to read because, so many things happened these last two weeks.
I thought this would be a fast read for me, but I found it slow in some spots.
I will say I did like the ending.
I thought this would be a fast read for me, but I found it slow in some spots.
I will say I did like the ending.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a truly captivating young adult novel that features a complex storyline of friendship and ultimately, healing.
Ellory Holland's friendship with Ret Johnston, Jenni Randall and Bex Landry is complicated yet all encompassing. The summer before their junior year is a time of change as Ellory enters into a romantic relationship with Matthias Cole. Like many teenagers, she struggles with finding balance between spending time with her friends and Matthias.
Fast forward to the next year and Ellory is beginning her senior year of high school without her friends or Mathias due to an incident the previous spring. She maintains a low profile during school hours but she remains tormented by the events the previous April. Will Ellory find a way to move past the traumatic events that have so completely altered her life?
Narrated from Ellory's point of view, the novel seamlessly weaves back and forth between the previous year and the present. Ellory is fully cognizant that Ret is the glue that holds the four girls together. However, she does not see just how toxic her friendship with Ret is until it much too late. Ret is passive aggressive and manipulative but Ellory's loyalty blinds her to her friend' s faults. Fissures in the friendship begin after Ellory begins dating Matthias but she remains unable to fully recognize how unhealthy her relationship with Ret is becoming.
An impressive debut, See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a well-written and engaging young novel that has just the right amount of suspense and angst. Ellory is a well-drawn character whose behavior is relatable and realistic yet sometimes cringe-worthy. Although some elements of the storyline are somewhat easy to predict, there is one plot twist that is absolutely jaw-dropping and positively stunning. Adult and older teen readers will enjoy this engrossing and believable journey of healing.
See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a truly captivating young adult novel that features a complex storyline of friendship and ultimately, healing.
Ellory Holland's friendship with Ret Johnston, Jenni Randall and Bex Landry is complicated yet all encompassing. The summer before their junior year is a time of change as Ellory enters into a romantic relationship with Matthias Cole. Like many teenagers, she struggles with finding balance between spending time with her friends and Matthias.
Fast forward to the next year and Ellory is beginning her senior year of high school without her friends or Mathias due to an incident the previous spring. She maintains a low profile during school hours but she remains tormented by the events the previous April. Will Ellory find a way to move past the traumatic events that have so completely altered her life?
Narrated from Ellory's point of view, the novel seamlessly weaves back and forth between the previous year and the present. Ellory is fully cognizant that Ret is the glue that holds the four girls together. However, she does not see just how toxic her friendship with Ret is until it much too late. Ret is passive aggressive and manipulative but Ellory's loyalty blinds her to her friend' s faults. Fissures in the friendship begin after Ellory begins dating Matthias but she remains unable to fully recognize how unhealthy her relationship with Ret is becoming.
An impressive debut, See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a well-written and engaging young novel that has just the right amount of suspense and angst. Ellory is a well-drawn character whose behavior is relatable and realistic yet sometimes cringe-worthy. Although some elements of the storyline are somewhat easy to predict, there is one plot twist that is absolutely jaw-dropping and positively stunning. Adult and older teen readers will enjoy this engrossing and believable journey of healing.
sophieacton's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It was getting three stars until THAT ENDING
sooky's review
4.0
A gorgeously written story about first love, loss and friendship.
Blurbs that compare a book to other books are always dancing on a thin line and can fall into spoiler territory pretty quickly. I somehow managed to ignore that first line of the description until I was about halfway through, but then it hit me. Does that mean…? It didn’t ruin the story, but took away from the mystery a bit.
The story is centered around Ellory May and her group of friends: Ret, Bex and Jenni. Their borderline toxic relationship is explored in depth as Ellory switches back and forth between then and now. The before and the after. This is not your typical frenemy story, however. There’s a fine line between someone feeling lost and insecure lashing out and one being outright manipulative for the sake of drama, and for quite a long time I was not sure just what to make of these girls.
The budding romance between Ellory and Matthias is pretty vanilla, and despite them being together for about nine months, it always seemed kind of innocent and cute. Until of course it wasn’t… Their relationship is not free of difficult moments, but they don’t center around some stupid love triangle or steamy drama, but happen because teenagers are not always equipped to deal with shit life throws at them. I loved how the author laid out their emotions so clearly, and yet Ellory refused to see the signs. Choosing to ignore what’s right in front of us is one thing many of us can relate to.
Ellory is a lovely girl with dreams of living in Portland and studying art, a clear plan for the future I found admirable, and a set of parents who are, in her words, annoyingly present. We never really meet them, but it’s clear they are involved in her life and are supporting, gently steering her down the path of self sufficiency.
One thing I particularly liked was the Ellory’s unapologetic mention of her therapist she started seeing after everything happened. She treats her visits as a necessary and helpful way to overcome her trauma, and never as a taboo, or something she should think of as a sign of weakness. Why should she? Therapy, and getting help for one’s mental health should never be something one should be ashamed of.
I wouldn’t say this was a thriller though. See All the Stars is more like a slow burning, character driven mystery, and while certainly suspenseful on occasion, the emphasis is on the emotions, not so much on the actions. There’s a lot of dreaming and wallowing going on, but it’s understandable under the circumstances and I found it conveying the story in a way that will hit you in the feels.
Blurbs that compare a book to other books are always dancing on a thin line and can fall into spoiler territory pretty quickly. I somehow managed to ignore that first line of the description until I was about halfway through, but then it hit me. Does that mean…? It didn’t ruin the story, but took away from the mystery a bit.
The story is centered around Ellory May and her group of friends: Ret, Bex and Jenni. Their borderline toxic relationship is explored in depth as Ellory switches back and forth between then and now. The before and the after. This is not your typical frenemy story, however. There’s a fine line between someone feeling lost and insecure lashing out and one being outright manipulative for the sake of drama, and for quite a long time I was not sure just what to make of these girls.
The budding romance between Ellory and Matthias is pretty vanilla, and despite them being together for about nine months, it always seemed kind of innocent and cute. Until of course it wasn’t… Their relationship is not free of difficult moments, but they don’t center around some stupid love triangle or steamy drama, but happen because teenagers are not always equipped to deal with shit life throws at them. I loved how the author laid out their emotions so clearly, and yet Ellory refused to see the signs. Choosing to ignore what’s right in front of us is one thing many of us can relate to.
Ellory is a lovely girl with dreams of living in Portland and studying art, a clear plan for the future I found admirable, and a set of parents who are, in her words, annoyingly present. We never really meet them, but it’s clear they are involved in her life and are supporting, gently steering her down the path of self sufficiency.
One thing I particularly liked was the Ellory’s unapologetic mention of her therapist she started seeing after everything happened. She treats her visits as a necessary and helpful way to overcome her trauma, and never as a taboo, or something she should think of as a sign of weakness. Why should she? Therapy, and getting help for one’s mental health should never be something one should be ashamed of.
I wouldn’t say this was a thriller though. See All the Stars is more like a slow burning, character driven mystery, and while certainly suspenseful on occasion, the emphasis is on the emotions, not so much on the actions. There’s a lot of dreaming and wallowing going on, but it’s understandable under the circumstances and I found it conveying the story in a way that will hit you in the feels.