Reviews

Stargazer by Laurie Petrou

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chasityholcomb's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

chantelleatkinswriter's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Stargazer has a slow, steady, though somewhat tense pace. To begin with my sympathies lay with Diana. Though wealthy and privileged, she is ignored by her parents and bullied by her sadistic brother Keith. Friendless and lonely, she watches the family next door, in particular the famous fashion designer Marianne Taylor and her beautiful daughter Aurelle. Though neighbours, they are not yet friends but that changes when Keith dies in an accident and Marianne invites Diana over out of pity. From that moment an intense friendship grows between the girls and they soon end up going to college together and sharing a house. Everything is fine for a while... Diana pursues her art and is soon making waves with her talent, while Aurelle is not really sure who she is. A lot of the time, the duo push others away and exist in their own little friendship bubble. As the story moved on I felt more and more sorry for Aurelle, as she developed addictions and struggled to make friends and by the end of the book, I really wanted her to get away from Diana. This is an incredible portrayal of a toxic friendship, or at least one that becomes toxic. It's also an examination of how our families shape us and our relationships with others. Diana was a fascinating, if unsettling character, whereas Aurelle was very childlike. The book gradually grows darker and darker and the ending had me gasping. Highly recommended.