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A review by w_r
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Firstly, in defense of the book, let me say this: There are some 2/3 star reviews of this book, but the parts of the book they critique just feel, to me, like the things they have not lived. The voice of the writer feels confusing at times because being desperately in love with someone at 19 who cannot articulate his feelings back to you IS confusing. The overall style of writing to Sam and not the reader is just Daniel saying everything to Sam that he could not say when they were together. The supposed blurred timelines are explained toward the end of the book, and were obvious from context clues earlier on.
And now, my own review:
If you ever wonder how the world keeps turning and how we are, deep down, all the same, just know this. I related so deeply to a queer Latinx boy that I felt some of these pages were copied from my own 19-year-old journal. The combination of angst and deep reflection was spot on. This is a story about love and about grief, about honoring those human experiences while discovering who you are and where you came from, and who you might someday be. Living and loving is wonderful and painful and passionate and devastating and hopeful and hopeless - all of this is amplified at 19 years old, that torturous in-between age - and Ordorica absolutely nails it all.
And now, my own review:
If you ever wonder how the world keeps turning and how we are, deep down, all the same, just know this. I related so deeply to a queer Latinx boy that I felt some of these pages were copied from my own 19-year-old journal. The combination of angst and deep reflection was spot on. This is a story about love and about grief, about honoring those human experiences while discovering who you are and where you came from, and who you might someday be. Living and loving is wonderful and painful and passionate and devastating and hopeful and hopeless - all of this is amplified at 19 years old, that torturous in-between age - and Ordorica absolutely nails it all.