yarelytg's review
1.0
Heard this book on audible while I was at work. Honestly never seemed interested and can’t remember what happened.
mimireadsromance's review
5.0
Write My Name Across the Sky is one of the best books I've read in 2021. I really don't have the words to do this book justice. It's a tale of three women-an aunt and her two nieces-and how they find their way through their personal struggles. The story flows seamlessly as the women face lost dreams, old hurts, illness, and an intriguing art mystery. I was captivated from the first page to the last, and wept tears of sadness and joy. The story was so well written, I decided to also listen to it in the audio format when it became available. The audio performance was fantastic-each woman's character brought to life perfectly! I cannot recommend this book strongly enough to readers that love a great multi-generational tale. For all of the women's struggles, the underlying message of hope shined through in every chapter!
awray's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Grief, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Addiction
winglady's review against another edition
5.0
O'Neal is a master of building compelling, complex characters. While the "action" of the story took a bit of time to be revealed, just getting to know the people at its center was pure pleasure.
kristensreadingnook's review
4.0
Gloria is a 70-something IG influencer and aunt to Sam and Willow. She is under suspicion by the FBI for taking part in some art fraud many years before.
Sam is a video game developer with a temper. She is reeling from the breakdown in a relationship with her best friend and also trying to save her company from going under.
Willow, Sam’s younger sister, is a free-spirit. She has taken after her deceased mother as a musician, but her last album was a flop and she has come back to NY upon Gloria’s insistence.
Write My Name Across the Sky is a family drama, told in short chapters, from each of their POV’s. I was able to cheer for all of the characters, even Sam with her many unflattering qualities. I loved seeing these three women come together to help each other out and fight for each other, even while fighting amongst each other.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Sam is a video game developer with a temper. She is reeling from the breakdown in a relationship with her best friend and also trying to save her company from going under.
Willow, Sam’s younger sister, is a free-spirit. She has taken after her deceased mother as a musician, but her last album was a flop and she has come back to NY upon Gloria’s insistence.
Write My Name Across the Sky is a family drama, told in short chapters, from each of their POV’s. I was able to cheer for all of the characters, even Sam with her many unflattering qualities. I loved seeing these three women come together to help each other out and fight for each other, even while fighting amongst each other.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
life_full_ofbooks's review
4.0
Barbara O’Neal has a magical way with creating characters and setting scenes. Write My Name Across the Sky is rich with both.
It’s told by 3 protagonists- sisters Sam and Willow and their Aunt Gloria. 3 very different women, 3 very different backgrounds, and one beautiful story.
Each of the characters are so deeply drawn; not just these 3 women, but all of the supporting characters as well.
This is written in such a way that you get a wonderful grasp as to the backgrounds of each woman and you’ll be instantly drawn in to their story.
Ms. O’Neal has quite the knack for writing character driven stories and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors.
It’s told by 3 protagonists- sisters Sam and Willow and their Aunt Gloria. 3 very different women, 3 very different backgrounds, and one beautiful story.
Each of the characters are so deeply drawn; not just these 3 women, but all of the supporting characters as well.
This is written in such a way that you get a wonderful grasp as to the backgrounds of each woman and you’ll be instantly drawn in to their story.
Ms. O’Neal has quite the knack for writing character driven stories and she has quickly become one of my favorite authors.
vane_reads95's review
3.0
“My gift has always been an ability to be happy. It sounds small until you live in the world for a while.”
I partially enjoyed “When we were Mermaids” and I felt like it had their ups and downs so I wanted to give Barbara O’nelle another chance with this book. Unfortunately, I kept falling asleep and having to start again the audiobook more than 4 times :/
Samantha and Willow are half-sisters whose mother was a famous singer. Their mother lived a short life due to heroin, Samantha and Willow were raised by their aunt Gloria. Now adults, Samantha and Willow struggle with relationships and careers. They both also seem to bump heads a lot as each believes the other sister is better, reveling some jealousy between them. The conflict arises when Gloria’s past begins to hunt her, facing serious legal consequences.
I’m always appreciative of multiple POV’s and this story was written in 3 POVs. I did notice that Samantha is portrayed as being very smart, yet the story doesn’t really support those facts, she mostly comes off as mean, shallow and envious.
This is my first time giving listening to an audiobook so this might be why I didn’t enjoy it as much? This does not mean I will stop listening to audiobooks from now on lol
When I hit the 30% mark I was totally dragging myself to finish it. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters at all either, perhaps this story will be best for those who are into music/art/gaming/coding.
If you enjoy sister-conflict stories and family secrets, then I recommend you this book.
I partially enjoyed “When we were Mermaids” and I felt like it had their ups and downs so I wanted to give Barbara O’nelle another chance with this book. Unfortunately, I kept falling asleep and having to start again the audiobook more than 4 times :/
Samantha and Willow are half-sisters whose mother was a famous singer. Their mother lived a short life due to heroin, Samantha and Willow were raised by their aunt Gloria. Now adults, Samantha and Willow struggle with relationships and careers. They both also seem to bump heads a lot as each believes the other sister is better, reveling some jealousy between them. The conflict arises when Gloria’s past begins to hunt her, facing serious legal consequences.
I’m always appreciative of multiple POV’s and this story was written in 3 POVs. I did notice that Samantha is portrayed as being very smart, yet the story doesn’t really support those facts, she mostly comes off as mean, shallow and envious.
This is my first time giving listening to an audiobook so this might be why I didn’t enjoy it as much? This does not mean I will stop listening to audiobooks from now on lol
When I hit the 30% mark I was totally dragging myself to finish it. I wasn’t able to connect with the characters at all either, perhaps this story will be best for those who are into music/art/gaming/coding.
If you enjoy sister-conflict stories and family secrets, then I recommend you this book.
bookishmamma's review
4.0
//REVIEW// *ARC provided by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.*
Write My Name Across the Sky
// ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
What can I say but I absolutely loved this book. It was a quick, fun and engaging read. It is filled with mystery and intrigue, love and relationships, and growth. It follows two generations of women, one a 70-something influencer - Gloria - and retired flight attendant and her two nieces - Willow and Sam - who she raised after her rock star sister died of an over dose.
Perfect for fans of Barbara O'Neal's When We Believed in Mermaids and Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones and the Six.
Write My Name Across the Sky
// ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
What can I say but I absolutely loved this book. It was a quick, fun and engaging read. It is filled with mystery and intrigue, love and relationships, and growth. It follows two generations of women, one a 70-something influencer - Gloria - and retired flight attendant and her two nieces - Willow and Sam - who she raised after her rock star sister died of an over dose.
Perfect for fans of Barbara O'Neal's When We Believed in Mermaids and Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising and Daisy Jones and the Six.
hdwoodyard's review
5.0
When I requested this book from Netgalley, I was not expecting to fall in love with it as much as I have. Barbara O'Neal has crafted such a beautiful, interesting story that I needed to read right now. I will definitely be picking up some of her other reads soon!
This story features three strong, independent women at different stages in their lives who are facing very different issues. Their circumstances reunite the three women and force them to reconcile with their shared past traumas. I loved reading about Gloria, the enigmatic, 70-something year-old social media influencer with a past in illegal art trading and the kind of love story that makes you believe in love again. She is truly an icon. We can't sleep on her two nieces though--Willow, a singer/songwriter searching for her breakout album, and Sam, a genius video game developer who started her own company with her best friend in high school who is smashing through the glass ceiling.
Every woman needs to read this, I have no words.
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC.
This story features three strong, independent women at different stages in their lives who are facing very different issues. Their circumstances reunite the three women and force them to reconcile with their shared past traumas. I loved reading about Gloria, the enigmatic, 70-something year-old social media influencer with a past in illegal art trading and the kind of love story that makes you believe in love again. She is truly an icon. We can't sleep on her two nieces though--Willow, a singer/songwriter searching for her breakout album, and Sam, a genius video game developer who started her own company with her best friend in high school who is smashing through the glass ceiling.
Every woman needs to read this, I have no words.
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC.
garete62's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75