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atreegrowsinbooks's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Even though I just finished this book, I am already thinking about the next reread. There is such a wonderful mix of devastating, heartbreaking, and beautiful emotions that I feel as though I left a part of myself in this book.
HOW WE NAMED THE STARS by Andrés N. Ordorica tells the story of Daniel as he embarks on the new adventure of college with new friends, experiences, and his roommate Sam. Daniel is an extremely relatable character who struggles with feeling at home in college while dealing with a lot of struggles he’s internalized as a classic overthinker. He feels lost in all of the new experiences that college brings (a relatable experience for many of us) and is still trying to understand who he is in his queerness while navigating situations he’s never experienced before. His roommate Sam becomes an important person in his life. We follow Daniel throughout his first year away in college as he experiences wonderful beautiful things as well as incredible loss and grief.
What makes this book so unique, is while it is narrated in first person, the narrator, and main character Daniel is addressing Sam in a second person narration style using “you”. I haven’t come across many books utilizing second-person narration, so I was immediately drawn in. Ordorica weaves an incredible story with poetic prose and remarkable characters that I fell for instantly.
I don’t feel that my review truly captures just how magnificent the writing is here. Ordorica is simply amazing with his words, it is clear that he is an amazing poet because his words flow effortlessly off the page. His writing was so easy to follow but incredibly vivid and real. This story truly touched my soul.
As much as this story is about the beauty of first love and friendship there is also a heavy dose of grief, immense loss, and how we begin to heal. HOW WE NAMED THE STARS is an ode to love and honoring those who we have lost along with the ways we can move on while still keeping them in our thoughts. It’s worth it to talk about those we have lost and remember things about them in order to heal.
Daniel is a character I wanted to hug many times throughout this book. He goes through so much and has some important epiphanies that are relatable to all. Growing up is hard but there is also beauty in the difficulty, and for anyone who has struggled with confidence, anxiety, overthinking, or being unsure of yourself or who you are PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. Be ready to cry and fall in love with the characters and this book.
Thank you to Andrés N. Ordorica for writing this book. I’ll be sure to read more from him in the future. Also thanks to NetGalley and Tin House for this e-ARC! #HowWeNamedTheStars #NetGalley
HOW WE NAMED THE STARS by Andrés N. Ordorica tells the story of Daniel as he embarks on the new adventure of college with new friends, experiences, and his roommate Sam. Daniel is an extremely relatable character who struggles with feeling at home in college while dealing with a lot of struggles he’s internalized as a classic overthinker. He feels lost in all of the new experiences that college brings (a relatable experience for many of us) and is still trying to understand who he is in his queerness while navigating situations he’s never experienced before. His roommate Sam becomes an important person in his life. We follow Daniel throughout his first year away in college as he experiences wonderful beautiful things as well as incredible loss and grief.
What makes this book so unique, is while it is narrated in first person, the narrator, and main character Daniel is addressing Sam in a second person narration style using “you”. I haven’t come across many books utilizing second-person narration, so I was immediately drawn in. Ordorica weaves an incredible story with poetic prose and remarkable characters that I fell for instantly.
I don’t feel that my review truly captures just how magnificent the writing is here. Ordorica is simply amazing with his words, it is clear that he is an amazing poet because his words flow effortlessly off the page. His writing was so easy to follow but incredibly vivid and real. This story truly touched my soul.
As much as this story is about the beauty of first love and friendship there is also a heavy dose of grief, immense loss, and how we begin to heal. HOW WE NAMED THE STARS is an ode to love and honoring those who we have lost along with the ways we can move on while still keeping them in our thoughts. It’s worth it to talk about those we have lost and remember things about them in order to heal.
Daniel is a character I wanted to hug many times throughout this book. He goes through so much and has some important epiphanies that are relatable to all. Growing up is hard but there is also beauty in the difficulty, and for anyone who has struggled with confidence, anxiety, overthinking, or being unsure of yourself or who you are PLEASE READ THIS BOOK. Be ready to cry and fall in love with the characters and this book.
Thank you to Andrés N. Ordorica for writing this book. I’ll be sure to read more from him in the future. Also thanks to NetGalley and Tin House for this e-ARC! #HowWeNamedTheStars #NetGalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Alcohol
Minor: Death