mmarlborough 's review for:

The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella

3.0

emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I loved Joella’s first two books “A Little Hope” and “A Quiet Life” very much. I cried reading both and cared about all of the characters in the small towns he paints so well. While I liked this one, it didn’t have quite the emotional weight for me as his first two. 

Jack took over his family restaurant after his father passed, an institution on Rehoboth beach. The DelDine group has made him a lucrative offer but he can’t imagine selling. A slew of events happen to him and the people he cares about, making Jack consider selling for the first time. But what is his life outside of the restaurant? 

I cared about Jack and was invested in his journey. Joella’s descriptions make me want to visit this seaside Delaware town! His previous two books changed perspectives of various people around the small town and I think this is what I missed most here, as we resided solely with Jack. Don’t let this cover fool you - there’s a lot depth and bigger issues in this one, it is not a frothy beach read like the cover leads you to believe. While enjoyable, I preferred Joella’s first two books but can’t wait to read whatever he writes next. 

✨Content Warnings: Domestic Abuse, Drug Abuse, Mental Illness, Abortion, Suicide, Death of a Parent, Dementia, Cancer