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itschelseaw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Death and Alcohol
chris_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Car accident
carlatemis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, and Alcohol
royalwaterfowl's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
The male role models in Daniels life are great. This book had so many good examples of healthy, emotional masculinity. I loved Abuelo.
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia and Alcohol
Minor: Racism
a1exander's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
bibliomich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Ordorica writes with such viscerally emotional prose that even if you have never gone through the specific experience(s) of his protagonist, you can still deeply relate to the feelings attached to these moments. As I watched Daniel fall in love for the first time, I also felt those feelings of falling. Just as his heart was broken for the first time, my heart also broke. In addition to the central love story of the novel, Daniel is also navigating the triumphs and challenges of being a first-generation Latinx college student at a predominantly white university, exploring his identity as a young gay man, connecting with his family in México, and facing grief in the wake of unimaginable loss.
Ordorica writes with the slow, careful prose of a poet, and I highly recommend taking your time moving through this story. Also, please check the content warnings (included in the comments).
Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for my advanced copy of this beautiful novel.
Graphic: Homophobia and Grief
Moderate: Death, Racism, Car accident, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Physical abuse and Injury/Injury detail
jaechristy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
jayisreading's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Car accident
atreegrowsinbooks's review against another edition
- 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
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
Graphic: Homophobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident and Alcohol
Minor: Death