Audrey Coulthurst is one of my all time favorite authors. From the moment I heard about Of Fire and Stars - a YA Fantasy novel about a pair of lesbian princesses - the stories that she weaves captured my heart. Denna and Mare were only the first pair of ladies to rip my heart out and stomp all over it. Her follow up (prequelesque) novel "Ink Mistress" was just as beautifully written and brilliantly crafted.
Now, Coulthurst has teamed up with the fantastic Paula Garner for a debut contemporary novel. When I first heard about this book, I immediately ran to my Goodreads account and added it to my TBR. Through the fate of the book gods, I was gifted an ARC from a bookish friend.
Now, Admittedly I had not read any of Garner's books at this point - so I was going in blind to her style of writing. (I have since started Phantom Limbs.)
*May contain spoilers*
STARWORLD
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Authors: Audrey Coulthurst & Paula Garner
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Format/Source: physical arc
From GoodReads: Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have one thing in common: they both want an escape from reality. Loner Sam flies under the radar at school and walks on eggshells at home to manage her mom’s obsessive-compulsive disorder, wondering how she can ever leave to pursue her dream of studying aerospace engineering. Popular, people-pleasing Zoe puts up walls so no one can see her true self: the girl who was abandoned as an infant, whose adoptive mother has cancer, and whose disabled brother is being sent away to live in a facility. When an unexpected encounter results in the girls’ exchanging phone numbers, they forge a connection through text messages that expands into a private universe they call Starworld. In Starworld, they find hilarious adventures, kindness and understanding, and the magic of being seen for who they really are. But when Sam’s feelings for Zoe turn into something more, will the universe they’ve built survive the inevitable explosion ?
Here's what I think....
First, let me just say that these two women make an INCREDIBLE team! I really hope to see many more novels by them, together.
The novel is written in two voices. Each voice is unique and powerful on it's own, and honestly - either one of the voices could have told the entire story - but the combination of both characters POV adds a depth and richness to the story that kept me turning page after page.
Many times, Dual POVs causes fatigue for me, ESPECIALLY when it is written by two different authors. Many times, the voices conflict with each other -yes, I'm looking at your Zenith- and even more often the story seems to drag, reliving the same moments from a different view. This is not the case for this novel. The two voices blend seamlessly together, immersing you into a world that you could easily escape into with them.
Zoe and Sam are both strong characters. They have real human flaws that are handled tactfully and accurately.
There are so many every day issues tackled in this story that at times, it did give me whiplash. It jumps from one issue to the next with neck breaking speed.
While typically this would totally turn me off, it only added more to reality of the novel. Life does not give you breaks, it throws everything at you during the worse possible times, and all at once.
The book centers around *Starworld*, the world the two girls create to escape everything else around them. This brought back nostalgic memories of my best friend and I passing our notebook filled with drawings, notes, stories and everything else you could imagine jammed inside. Each adventure they took made me laugh, cry and fall in love with them as it resurfaced emotions I'd long since forgotten.
And of course, like every teen angst novel - there is a love interest. This made my heart soar and then tore it apart into a million pieces. I cannot tell you how many times I sobbed while reading this book. That's not to say I didn't laugh - the laughing was equal with the crying, I'd guess - but this story will hit you in the gut. My favorite books are always the books that make you feel the love that the characters have for each other. They allow you experience that, not just yearn for it - but experience it fully through complete immersion. Starworld does that and then some.
Whether you are straight, LGBT, old, young, boy or girl this novel has something for you. The writing, characters, real world situations and heart felt narrative that the reader is something special - one of those stories you only get once in a blue moon, and a story that anyone struggling to be accepted should read.
TLDR;
As an adopted child, this hit home. As an LGBT child this hit home. As a child who's brother is mentally disabled, this hit home. No matter what walk of life you come from, Starworld is a story for all. A story that will stay with you long after you are done. Grab some tissues, you're in for a long night.
About the Authors:
Audrey Coulthurst: Audrey writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. Her debut novel, Of Fire and Stars, was published on November 22, 2016 by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse.
Audrey has a Master’s in Writing from Portland State University, is a member of SCBWI, and studied with Malinda Lo as a 2013 Lambda Literary Foundation Fellow. She lives in Santa Monica, California.
Paula Garner:Paula Garner spends most of her time writing, reading, or making good things to eat. Her debut YA novel, Phantom Limbs, was published in 2016 by Candlewick Press and is a 2017 Illinois Reads selection for grades 9-12. Paula lives in the Chicago area with her family and a very bad cat. Find out more about Paula and her books at www.paulagarner.com or follow her on Twitter at @paulajgarner.
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