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jmstarr018's review against another edition
4.0
A surprisingly good read for a book that I just got on a whim.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I read Trish's first book Something like Normal and absolutely adored it, so my expectations for this were very high.
So I guess I was expecting more from this. Don't get me wrong, I liked the story, the characters and it was very easy to read but it didn't have that extra something special.
I read Trish's first book Something like Normal and absolutely adored it, so my expectations for this were very high.
So I guess I was expecting more from this. Don't get me wrong, I liked the story, the characters and it was very easy to read but it didn't have that extra something special.
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
2.0
Since I read this an eternity ago, here’s a quick, disorganized rundown of my thoughts:
* The romance is terrible and goes something like this: Insta-love, Oh-you-must-be-mine, sex, small talk, talk about sponges, angst, more sex, indecisiveness, food, and small talk.
I do not approve.
The air between us is thick with want. Mine. His. It doesn’t make sense because I don’t know him. I don’t even know his name. He’s only the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and I’m so, so tempted.
This is the first time they meet. I repeat, THE FIRST TIME THEY MEET. Serve me up, insta-love.
* Our main character Callie refuses to process new information and is impulsive and dumb.
She's extremely frustrating and full of prejudices.
I get it, she’s been through a lot and all, but she was never relatable to me, and I gave zero shits about her.
Like when she finds out her mother has borderline, her father clearly says mental illnesses do not equal crazy (which is so important, and why the fuck are people still ignorant enough to believe so) Guess what Callie does on the next page?
’’Am I like her? If so, am I crazy too?’’
MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A SYNONYM TO ''INSANITY''. You're just too ignorant to think beyond all the misconceptions about it.
Callie lies to everyone who cares about her and makes the stupidest decisions in the history of the universe.
Also, she is chocked when a boy doesn’t want her, simply because he’s a guy so his world automatically revolves around sex. *headdesk*
Good family dynamics is the only thing that saved this from being a total train wreck.
* The romance is terrible and goes something like this: Insta-love, Oh-you-must-be-mine, sex, small talk, talk about sponges, angst, more sex, indecisiveness, food, and small talk.
I do not approve.
The air between us is thick with want. Mine. His. It doesn’t make sense because I don’t know him. I don’t even know his name. He’s only the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen and I’m so, so tempted.
This is the first time they meet. I repeat, THE FIRST TIME THEY MEET. Serve me up, insta-love.
* Our main character Callie refuses to process new information and is impulsive and dumb.
She's extremely frustrating and full of prejudices.
I get it, she’s been through a lot and all, but she was never relatable to me, and I gave zero shits about her.
Like when she finds out her mother has borderline, her father clearly says mental illnesses do not equal crazy (which is so important, and why the fuck are people still ignorant enough to believe so) Guess what Callie does on the next page?
’’Am I like her? If so, am I crazy too?’’
MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A SYNONYM TO ''INSANITY''. You're just too ignorant to think beyond all the misconceptions about it.
Callie lies to everyone who cares about her and makes the stupidest decisions in the history of the universe.
Also, she is chocked when a boy doesn’t want her, simply because he’s a guy so his world automatically revolves around sex. *headdesk*
Good family dynamics is the only thing that saved this from being a total train wreck.
aliaspaine's review against another edition
4.0
Brilliant! =)
Spoiler
Alex needed to stay and be with Callie - or they needed to figure out a way to compromise so they could remain together, without the long distance and sad-panda stuff LOL =( I was so bummed out by that part of the ending LOLmollywetta's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of my favorites from this year! Full review at wrapped up in books.
bookishmadness's review against another edition
4.0
What I thought: I was super excited to read this, because I absolutely loved Something Like Normal! Turns out, Trish Doller is a superstar because this book was just as amazing. Like, seriously.
We meet Callie, a 17 year old girl that hasn't gone to school, never stays in one place too long and usually eats her meals from a vending machine. This is life with her Mum, until her Mum gets caught by the police and faces jail for kidnapping Callie as a kid. So now begins her life with her dad. Now she has a bed, a computer, food to eat, a friend and the beginnings of a something with the hot boy from the dock. But Callie can't just leave her Mum behind, and she's got a dark secret buried deep that could ruin everything.
Callie has had a hard life, and made some fairly poor choices, and you can see all these past things making her a bit self-destructive. It's to read a story like this, knowing that there could be many girls out in the world going through exactly what Callie has been through. I think Callie grew so much as a character, putting everything behind her and moving on.
All the secondary characters have some sort of influence over her, helping her to change and grow.
Plus there is Alex. This book is worth reading, even just to meet him. I want my own Alex now...
Where the Stars Still Shine faces some pretty touchy issues, and in my opinion, Trish Doller does a good job at writing them carefully. I can't wait to see what else she gives us!
The Good: This book gave me so many feels! BE PREPARED FOR THE FEELS.
The Bad: I wanted to know so much more about everything after it finished!
Rating: 5 bookstacks
We meet Callie, a 17 year old girl that hasn't gone to school, never stays in one place too long and usually eats her meals from a vending machine. This is life with her Mum, until her Mum gets caught by the police and faces jail for kidnapping Callie as a kid. So now begins her life with her dad. Now she has a bed, a computer, food to eat, a friend and the beginnings of a something with the hot boy from the dock. But Callie can't just leave her Mum behind, and she's got a dark secret buried deep that could ruin everything.
Callie has had a hard life, and made some fairly poor choices, and you can see all these past things making her a bit self-destructive. It's to read a story like this, knowing that there could be many girls out in the world going through exactly what Callie has been through. I think Callie grew so much as a character, putting everything behind her and moving on.
All the secondary characters have some sort of influence over her, helping her to change and grow.
Plus there is Alex. This book is worth reading, even just to meet him. I want my own Alex now...
Where the Stars Still Shine faces some pretty touchy issues, and in my opinion, Trish Doller does a good job at writing them carefully. I can't wait to see what else she gives us!
The Good: This book gave me so many feels! BE PREPARED FOR THE FEELS.
The Bad: I wanted to know so much more about everything after it finished!
Rating: 5 bookstacks
eatingwords's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I loved the concept of this novel. It was interesting to see how everything was turned upside down for someone; to go from one extreme to the next one.
Callie was a very mature character. She was smart, although she was never educated. She was kind-hearted and she had a lot to deal with.
Her mother was a character I loathed from the beginning. How can anyone be so selfish?! Especially when your own little kid is involved?? I did understand why Veronica acted the way she did. But she shouldn't have pulled Callie into it.
Greg was a big contrast to Veronica; he seemed to have done it all right, he has his life under control and he wants to build a relationship with Callie after being withheld from him for so long. Their relationship grows as they have thawed to each other, although neither one really knows how to behave in front of the other one.
The relationship between Callie and Alex was too sweet, too hot for me. It seemed to me like instalove and I'm not a fan of that; but as soon as they got closer to each other I enjoyed reading about their relationship.
I also liked how they weren't all clingy and lovey-dovey; but handled themselves without needing the other one like air for breathing.
The writing was great and I have to admit that I bawled my eyes out during the last thirty or forty pages.
But that was not my kind of ending..
I don't mind open endings when they are appropriate, but this seemed just forced and I didn't really like it.
Sadly this ruined somehow the book a bit for me.
I loved the concept of this novel. It was interesting to see how everything was turned upside down for someone; to go from one extreme to the next one.
Callie was a very mature character. She was smart, although she was never educated. She was kind-hearted and she had a lot to deal with.
Her mother was a character I loathed from the beginning. How can anyone be so selfish?! Especially when your own little kid is involved?? I did understand why Veronica acted the way she did. But she shouldn't have pulled Callie into it.
Greg was a big contrast to Veronica; he seemed to have done it all right, he has his life under control and he wants to build a relationship with Callie after being withheld from him for so long. Their relationship grows as they have thawed to each other, although neither one really knows how to behave in front of the other one.
The relationship between Callie and Alex was too sweet, too hot for me. It seemed to me like instalove and I'm not a fan of that; but as soon as they got closer to each other I enjoyed reading about their relationship.
I also liked how they weren't all clingy and lovey-dovey; but handled themselves without needing the other one like air for breathing.
The writing was great and I have to admit that I bawled my eyes out during the last thirty or forty pages.
But that was not my kind of ending..
I don't mind open endings when they are appropriate, but this seemed just forced and I didn't really like it.
Sadly this ruined somehow the book a bit for me.
olyviaaa's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
christajls's review against another edition
5.0
This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic
Callie’s mother, convinced that her father would sue for full custody, kidnapped Callie at a young age and they became fugitives. This lifestyle lead to some very dangerous situations and at one point allowed for one of her mother’s boyfriends to take advantage and sexually abuse her when she was still a child.
These events happen before the novel starts. The reader doesn’t see the assault take place, we’re only aware of it through Callie’s memories. It’s something that she always carries with her, no matter how her situation changes, even when it improves. I think this is an important thing to take note of – one does not simply “get over” sexual assault, no matter how much time has passed, no matter how good their life becomes.
I also thought Where the Stars Still Shine did an excellent job showcasing how the assault affects her relationships with other people. Calllie is always ready to run and take off. She’s often afraid things are too good to be true. A big part of this stems from the fact that she loves her mother and she trusted her to keep her safe, but living with her mother ended up being incredibly damaging – How can she trust her situation with her father won’t turn out the same way?
It also affects her romantic relationships. Early on a friend sets her up on a date. She’s never been on a date and the only time men or boys have shown an interest in her it has involved sex. So right away she assumes that they’re going to have sex on this date because that’s what all boys want. And then there’s Alex – the love interest of this story. Callie has a hard time opening up to him. The book chronicles the stages of their relationship. From some rocky encounters (including nightmares), to her telling him the truth, to them pushing each other to face things they may not want to, and so on. It’s a slow building love story and at times extremely complicated. But it feels so authentic, which is why it was one of my favourite things about this novel.
Where the Stars Still Shine is an emotional novel that doesn’t shy away from some intense issues. It examines the after effects of sexual abuse and how they affect relationships throughout the course of a victim’s life. I found it to be an honest and realistic read that I highly recommend to contemporary YA fans.
Callie’s mother, convinced that her father would sue for full custody, kidnapped Callie at a young age and they became fugitives. This lifestyle lead to some very dangerous situations and at one point allowed for one of her mother’s boyfriends to take advantage and sexually abuse her when she was still a child.
These events happen before the novel starts. The reader doesn’t see the assault take place, we’re only aware of it through Callie’s memories. It’s something that she always carries with her, no matter how her situation changes, even when it improves. I think this is an important thing to take note of – one does not simply “get over” sexual assault, no matter how much time has passed, no matter how good their life becomes.
I also thought Where the Stars Still Shine did an excellent job showcasing how the assault affects her relationships with other people. Calllie is always ready to run and take off. She’s often afraid things are too good to be true. A big part of this stems from the fact that she loves her mother and she trusted her to keep her safe, but living with her mother ended up being incredibly damaging – How can she trust her situation with her father won’t turn out the same way?
It also affects her romantic relationships. Early on a friend sets her up on a date. She’s never been on a date and the only time men or boys have shown an interest in her it has involved sex. So right away she assumes that they’re going to have sex on this date because that’s what all boys want. And then there’s Alex – the love interest of this story. Callie has a hard time opening up to him. The book chronicles the stages of their relationship. From some rocky encounters (including nightmares), to her telling him the truth, to them pushing each other to face things they may not want to, and so on. It’s a slow building love story and at times extremely complicated. But it feels so authentic, which is why it was one of my favourite things about this novel.
Where the Stars Still Shine is an emotional novel that doesn’t shy away from some intense issues. It examines the after effects of sexual abuse and how they affect relationships throughout the course of a victim’s life. I found it to be an honest and realistic read that I highly recommend to contemporary YA fans.