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A review by livinthebubble
The Starburst Effect by Kelly Oram
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
This was so cute. Noah and Lily deserve everything.
Romance
The romance was so cute. I loved how they interacted with each other. Although, I'm still a little confused about whether Noah liked her before his accident or not. I wanted a clearer explanation.Also, their break-up kind of annoyed me. I don't enjoy the "it's for your own good"/"it's for the best" but I understand why it was done and I didn't 100% despise it.
Characters
Lily was so relatable. As a fellow bullied high-schooler, I related HARD. Although I wasn't called Trash, I related to a lot of the things she thought and felt and at some points, I almost cried. She's so sweet. I loved her.
Noah was also a cinnamon roll. I loved him and his outlook on life. I can't imagine having TBI and feeling that positive all the time. Also, I laughed at some of the things he said.
Mason and Susan were also amazing side characters.
The rest I didn't really care about (mostly her parents and Zoey).
TBI
It was interesting to read about a character with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). I don't personally know anyone with this condition, so I don't know if it's accurately represented through Noah, but I still enjoyed learning about it and seeing his family and Lily learn to help him.
Redemption
There were a few characters that had a "redemption": Noah, Austin and Zoey.
Noah's redemption was good. He starts off as a jerk (obviously for him to be her bully) but I ended up loving him so much. He's so precious. He regretted and genuinely apologised for his actions. I'm still confused about whether he was always that way (with his parents) as it was never answered.
Austin was meh. His redemption was acceptable and I liked that he apologised to Lily.
Now, Zoey. Fucking hated her. I hate that she was forgiven by Lily. No real best friend does what she did. Ever.
Ending
It felt a little too perfect, everyone was friends, all forgiven, and the main couple got back together.
Predictable
As usual, pretty predictable. It follows the normal contemporary romance plot line: meet, date, break up, and they live happily ever after. But it was still enjoyable.
Overall, super cute book that gave me butterflies. I'd highly recommend it.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Romance
The romance was so cute. I loved how they interacted with each other. Although, I'm still a little confused about whether Noah liked her before his accident or not. I wanted a clearer explanation.
Characters
Lily was so relatable. As a fellow bullied high-schooler, I related HARD. Although I wasn't called Trash, I related to a lot of the things she thought and felt and at some points, I almost cried. She's so sweet. I loved her.
Noah was also a cinnamon roll. I loved him and his outlook on life. I can't imagine having TBI and feeling that positive all the time. Also, I laughed at some of the things he said.
Mason and Susan were also amazing side characters.
The rest I didn't really care about (mostly her parents and Zoey).
TBI
It was interesting to read about a character with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). I don't personally know anyone with this condition, so I don't know if it's accurately represented through Noah, but I still enjoyed learning about it and seeing his family and Lily learn to help him.
Redemption
There were a few characters that had a "redemption": Noah, Austin and Zoey.
Noah's redemption was good. He starts off as a jerk (obviously for him to be her bully) but I ended up loving him so much. He's so precious. He regretted and genuinely apologised for his actions. I'm still confused about whether he was always that way (with his parents) as it was never answered.
Austin was meh. His redemption was acceptable and I liked that he apologised to Lily.
Now, Zoey. Fucking hated her. I hate that she was forgiven by Lily. No real best friend does what she did. Ever.
Ending
It felt a little too perfect, everyone was friends, all forgiven, and the main couple got back together.
Predictable
As usual, pretty predictable. It follows the normal contemporary romance plot line: meet, date, break up, and they live happily ever after. But it was still enjoyable.
Overall, super cute book that gave me butterflies. I'd highly recommend it.
This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail