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A review by moony_reads
How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica
emotional
sad
medium-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
4.5
ARC REVIEW
“What hurt the most was when I started to forget your voice, what it sounded like to hear you say my name aloud; started to forget how hearing you say my name was a way of seeing myself as I had never seen myself-someone free from how my family saw me—and how you gave my name new meaning, new weight.”
How We Named The Stars is a beautiful debut from Andrés N. Ordorica’s, about a Mexican-American teenager, Daniel. The novel is him retelling the story of his short time spent with his jock roommate Sam at University, and the story is directed at Sam. The relationship is standard; they become friends and fall in love, but this is broken off when Sam decides he isn’t ready to come out and Daniel travels briefly back to México to keep an eye on his grandfather, his world is upended when Sam suddenly dies (not a spoiler, it’s on the first page).
People’s views are a mixed bag for this one, but as a biased queer who lost someone they loved young, I was all over it. (The quote above is what sold it for me, my name was given to me by someone no longer here, so that Hit.)
Sure, some of the dialogue and plot is a little clunky, but for the most part Ordorica provides a poetic, aching narrative. The pace probably could have eased off a little bit, but I enjoyed how fast everything happened, especially as it is Daniel recounting his experience - grief can feel like a whirlwind at times.
My biggest issue lies with Diego. His character comes in at a point where he seems necessary but the way this plot point develops just didn’t feel right to me.
Overall, I loved this and am excited to see what else Ordorica does in the future. The writing is really beautiful and touched me.
Thank you to Saraband and Netgalley for the ARC!
“What hurt the most was when I started to forget your voice, what it sounded like to hear you say my name aloud; started to forget how hearing you say my name was a way of seeing myself as I had never seen myself-someone free from how my family saw me—and how you gave my name new meaning, new weight.”
How We Named The Stars is a beautiful debut from Andrés N. Ordorica’s, about a Mexican-American teenager, Daniel. The novel is him retelling the story of his short time spent with his jock roommate Sam at University, and the story is directed at Sam. The relationship is standard; they become friends and fall in love, but this is broken off when Sam decides he isn’t ready to come out and Daniel travels briefly back to México to keep an eye on his grandfather, his world is upended when Sam suddenly dies (not a spoiler, it’s on the first page).
People’s views are a mixed bag for this one, but as a biased queer who lost someone they loved young, I was all over it. (The quote above is what sold it for me, my name was given to me by someone no longer here, so that Hit.)
Sure, some of the dialogue and plot is a little clunky, but for the most part Ordorica provides a poetic, aching narrative. The pace probably could have eased off a little bit, but I enjoyed how fast everything happened, especially as it is Daniel recounting his experience - grief can feel like a whirlwind at times.
My biggest issue lies with Diego. His character comes in at a point where he seems necessary but the way this plot point develops just didn’t feel right to me.
Overall, I loved this and am excited to see what else Ordorica does in the future. The writing is really beautiful and touched me.
Thank you to Saraband and Netgalley for the ARC!