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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I read this as a buddy read with a friend.
"Where the Forest Meets the Stars" follows Joanna Teale, a woman who just recently lost her mother and who is trying to heal from her own battle with breast cancer. Jo is a grad student and wants nothing more than to finish her degree and get some control back in her life, but that becomes threatened when a little girl, Ursa, shows up at her home. Ursa claims to be an alien who cannot return to her home planet until she has witnessed five miracles. Jo tries to do the right thing and see if Ursa was reported missing, but she cannot find anyone who seems to know who this Ursa is. Jo befriends her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel, to try to have him help her get Ursa back home, but the pair quickly realize that Ursa may have been sent to them for a bigger purpose.
This was a really beautiful story that is rife with messages about the beauty of life and choosing how to react to the misfortunes around you. Ursa was by far my favorite character, and I was rooting for her and her story from her initial introduction. The way that she sees life, even after everything she has been through, is beautiful, and I loved how she was so focused on seeing the good in the world around her.
Gabriel suffers with his mental health, and I really appreciated how his character was represented. Additionally, I really liked how his struggles were presented. Male mental health is still not talked about nearly as much as it should be, and I think it is so invaluably important to see strong male characters presented and show an accurate portrayal of the struggles they may be facing.
Jo's character was slightly more off-putting from the beginning. She is very cold and closed off because of the obstacles she has faced in her life. I struggled to connect with her, however I did end up enjoying her story arch and how her and Gabriel, along with her and Ursa interacted. Ursa was exactly what Jo needed in her life to help remind her to truly live.
The biggest turn off for me in this book was the alien angle. I am not really into space and aliens, so having a character claim to be an alien did not hook me. Ultimately, I was fine with where the story went, and I appreciate the risk the author took in this angle, but it just did not hit 100% for me personally.
Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who needs reminded to look at the moments of beauty in the world around them.
"Where the Forest Meets the Stars" follows Joanna Teale, a woman who just recently lost her mother and who is trying to heal from her own battle with breast cancer. Jo is a grad student and wants nothing more than to finish her degree and get some control back in her life, but that becomes threatened when a little girl, Ursa, shows up at her home. Ursa claims to be an alien who cannot return to her home planet until she has witnessed five miracles. Jo tries to do the right thing and see if Ursa was reported missing, but she cannot find anyone who seems to know who this Ursa is. Jo befriends her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel, to try to have him help her get Ursa back home, but the pair quickly realize that Ursa may have been sent to them for a bigger purpose.
This was a really beautiful story that is rife with messages about the beauty of life and choosing how to react to the misfortunes around you. Ursa was by far my favorite character, and I was rooting for her and her story from her initial introduction. The way that she sees life, even after everything she has been through, is beautiful, and I loved how she was so focused on seeing the good in the world around her.
Gabriel suffers with his mental health, and I really appreciated how his character was represented. Additionally, I really liked how his struggles were presented. Male mental health is still not talked about nearly as much as it should be, and I think it is so invaluably important to see strong male characters presented and show an accurate portrayal of the struggles they may be facing.
Jo's character was slightly more off-putting from the beginning. She is very cold and closed off because of the obstacles she has faced in her life. I struggled to connect with her, however I did end up enjoying her story arch and how her and Gabriel, along with her and Ursa interacted. Ursa was exactly what Jo needed in her life to help remind her to truly live.
The biggest turn off for me in this book was the alien angle. I am not really into space and aliens, so having a character claim to be an alien did not hook me. Ultimately, I was fine with where the story went, and I appreciate the risk the author took in this angle, but it just did not hit 100% for me personally.
Overall, I do recommend this book to anyone who needs reminded to look at the moments of beauty in the world around them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
siobhanward's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a surprisingly fun read for me. I did struggle a bit to get into it at first, but once I was in, I really liked it. I thought the plot was cute and I liked the interactions between the characters. The only thing that really stuck out to me as a negative was how Gabe's mental health was handled. I feel like a book being written in 2019 should have a better attitude than "um have you tried being less depressed??" because that just ain't it. I'm also just kind of over the "mental illness is scary" trope.
Despite that, I still really enjoyed this book and had a lot of fun with it. I'm looking forward to reading more from Vanderah in the future.
Despite that, I still really enjoyed this book and had a lot of fun with it. I'm looking forward to reading more from Vanderah in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death and Mental illness
stephsparkles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Murder
shyleek's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I'm not a sci-fi reader but this alien book has me intrigued. The characters in this books were so well created and deep without feeling like I was reading character descriptions for 200 pages. A predictable read but in the way that you were pretty sure how it was going to end but knew it wasn't going to be easy to get there and wanted to go on the adventure with Gabe, Jo, and Ursa.
I don't have triggers when I read normally but check the trigger warnings because there is some sensitive material.
I don't have triggers when I read normally but check the trigger warnings because there is some sensitive material.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Drug use and Terminal illness
beccaj11's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I could not put it down! It was one of those books that I was thinking about throughout the day waiting to get back to reading it. I loved the characters and the unique plot. In some ways, it had some really predictable tropes (that I personally enjoy and find comforting), but in other ways was incredibly unique and unexpected. The way the author crafted Ursa’s story and approached the trauma she experienced blended with this very real sense of magic was beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, and Mental illness
caseybottiger's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Gun violence
Moderate: Mental illness and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
eheath08's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
kellimartin22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved these characters and their relationships so much. The author encapsulated so many different themes, but the thing I loved most was how the reader was unsure of where Ursa came from and how she really ended up at Jo’s house. I was definitely not expecting the ending, but I was too caught up in the beautiful story to be trying to predict what would happen. Gabe’s character also brought forth an interesting element in terms of mental health and family dynamics without overshadowing the rest of the story. I also loved all the bird research going on, and was not surprised to learn the author really was a specialist before becoming a novelist. Best book I have read in 2023 so far!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, and Mental illness
cin19's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
jennyofark's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, and Mental illness