Reviews

When the Stars Fall by Emery Rose

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marita_ls's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

4.0

originalbooknerd's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

𝒲𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈 𝐹𝒶𝓁𝓁 - 𝐿𝑜𝓈𝓉 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓈 1 - 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌

Author: Emery Rose

Couple: Lila & Jude McAllister

Tropes: childhood best friends, first love, single mother, military romance, small town, large family vibes, second chance

Review: If you need a book to rip your heat out then look no further. When Stars Fall is an EMOTIONAL rollercoaster of a book and the way Emery chronicles the journey of all these characters was astounding. Jude and Lila do not have an easy love and they are not ones who break easily. I adored the way these two came together but found their struggles to be the part that sucked me in the most.

Lila was a girl who had her heart broken by her childhood sweetheart and never quite recovered. I found her story with Brody and their son to be a favorite part in the book for me. I know it is an unpopular opinion but the bonds that those three had really held something in this book. I understood how Lila and Brody were not the villains like Jude wanted to believe and I truly thought they both deserved better than Jude. However, the way Lila and Jude’s commitment to one another was expanded upon was a layer to this book that brought out the heart and soul with the first McAllister son. Lila was a HUGE part in the healing Jude does and even though she was not the fiery FMC most expected, I found her softer side and quieter character to be what was needed in this book.

Jude is an alphahole. He was as a kid and even more as an adult. The way Emery was able to create his war harden heart and PTSD is what made me enjoy his POV. The ups and downs he experiences after returning from service was gut wrenching and was in my opinion the dark star in this book. Jude’s character fit the title, When The Stars Fall, and I was astounded with the rawness Emery was able to grasp within his story. HIs hurt over Brody and Lila and then over all the changes in the McAllister family was a huge point of contention in his book and I wish he had gotten more push back from his family with how he initially treated the two.

Lila and Jude tore my heart out. This story is full of emotion and turmoil that is not mainly one MCs fault or the other. Emery truly captured the pining and longing both MCs had and I was happy with how they moved past hardships. This book did not give us much on Brody’s story and I found the heartache he experienced to be a piece I really wanted. I cannot wait for more McAllister men and to see where is all goes from here!

Rating: 4/5, Lila and Jude are a couple full of ups and downs with a heartwarming HEA at the end!

tasha9841's review

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

agmannon's review against another edition

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5.0

broke my heart...

...but fixed it right back up! This was a wonderful story that will wring every last emotion out of you, and it’s a must-read. I’m already invested in the whole McCallister family and eager for books for Brody, Gideon, and Jesse!

allydonesec's review against another edition

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3.0

3.75 stars

jgonz408's review against another edition

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5.0

Oh My Heart. This was such an emotional rollercoaster with a lot of tears. Childhood friend to lovers that grow through so many difficult phases. Military ptsd, pregnancy loss, parents death, heartbreak from each other. It did start off slow but the second half was perfect. It wasn’t a fairy tale and the growth and love that the characters shared through all the mistakes and heartaches was so relatable. I didn’t like that Lila and Brody ended up hooking up, that bothered me and I thought it would change a lot but it all panned out how it should have. Jude was hard for Lila but she showed her love and dedication time and time again and I liked that in the end, he did the same for her. And I loved how Noah latched on to Jude. The family dynamic for the McCallisters was everything. I felt so emotional connected and truly loved this book.