Review by jennifermreads - Under the Same Stars

jennifermreads 's review for:

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

4.5

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Covers and sprayed-edges sell. Well, at the very least, they draw attention. I was wandering the aisles of a store and saw the beautiful oak-tree-rings edges and that matchbook on the cover. It was only then that I saw the words “Libba Bray” and, when I read the blurb and discovered it was set, partially, in my favorite historical fiction era (WWII), it was buy, buy, buy as fast as I could. I did not even leave it languishing in my TBR pile for months on end but read it within two weeks of purchasing.

What a powerful, multi-timeline, multi-viewpoint novel. As I tried to piece together the resolution to the cold case along with Miles and Chloe, I had so many flagged pages. I thought I had it figured out and then *BAM* a twist, a turn, and a surprise. Weaving the story through three time periods provided powerful illustrations of resistance through the ages. There will always be a need to make our world “better” and we need to decide how we are going to affect that change.

For those who may not be ready to read books set during the COVID pandemic, be aware that one of the timelines is 2020. While there is not a lot of detail or discussion of the virus itself, the mentions of lockdown will conjure up recall of a time we’d all like to forget. This timeline’s scene-setting is not heavy handed—just be aware.

In 2025, I am reading off-my-shelf with the intent of keeping the books I love and treasure and passing along the ones that I do not see myself picking up again or thinking fondly of each time I see it on my shelf. For now, <i>Under the Same Stars</i> will remain in my personal library. I am not sure if I will revisit this WWII historical fiction but I am not quite ready to part with my copy where I have a large number of Post-it flags denoting incredible quotes.

Content Warnings