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A review by bethreadsandnaps
The Same Bright Stars: A Novel by Ethan Joella
4.25
4.25 stars
Ethan Joella's THE SAME BRIGHT STARS (publishes July 2, 2024) features Jack, a man in his early 50s who is carrying on the family tradition of operating the restaurant Schmidts in the beach town of Rehoboth, Delaware. The rest of his family is deceased, yet his staff fills in as his family, along with his friends Deacon and Andie. I loved the family Jack has created. A corporation is wanting to buy Schmidts, and Jack struggles between deciding whether to sell the restaurant and finally taking time for himself and his obligation to his employees as their employer.
When he finds out a shocking secret from his past, Jack's world turns upside down and he's forced to confront his past, present, and future with a new perspective.
I'm not sure I've ever read a book set in Delaware, and I loved the beachy boardwalk setting that is also Joella's home. The beach setting resonates even in the winter portions of the book. I loved Jack's character, an upstanding guy who usually does the right thing. His friendship with Deacon comes across as genuine and supportive. He also has a kindness and directness as a manager toward his employees. I also really liked how the main plotline wrapped up - not quite in a bow but yet optimistic.
This is my favorite so far of Joella's three novels. There were a lot of topics brought up (maybe too many?), several of which could be triggering (suicide, abortion). Joella handles these topics deftly, so you're in good hands. The plot was a bit bumpy at times - as in, not woven as smoothly as I think it could have been when plot points are dropped for a huge chunk of the book and then resolved seemingly out of nowhere.
While this novel looks to be a light, summery read from the cover, it has a lot of depth with an unforgettable main character.
Ethan Joella's THE SAME BRIGHT STARS (publishes July 2, 2024) features Jack, a man in his early 50s who is carrying on the family tradition of operating the restaurant Schmidts in the beach town of Rehoboth, Delaware. The rest of his family is deceased, yet his staff fills in as his family, along with his friends Deacon and Andie. I loved the family Jack has created. A corporation is wanting to buy Schmidts, and Jack struggles between deciding whether to sell the restaurant and finally taking time for himself and his obligation to his employees as their employer.
When he finds out a shocking secret from his past, Jack's world turns upside down and he's forced to confront his past, present, and future with a new perspective.
I'm not sure I've ever read a book set in Delaware, and I loved the beachy boardwalk setting that is also Joella's home. The beach setting resonates even in the winter portions of the book. I loved Jack's character, an upstanding guy who usually does the right thing. His friendship with Deacon comes across as genuine and supportive. He also has a kindness and directness as a manager toward his employees. I also really liked how the main plotline wrapped up - not quite in a bow but yet optimistic.
This is my favorite so far of Joella's three novels. There were a lot of topics brought up (maybe too many?), several of which could be triggering (suicide, abortion). Joella handles these topics deftly, so you're in good hands. The plot was a bit bumpy at times - as in, not woven as smoothly as I think it could have been when plot points are dropped for a huge chunk of the book and then resolved seemingly out of nowhere.
While this novel looks to be a light, summery read from the cover, it has a lot of depth with an unforgettable main character.