Title: See All the Stars by Kit Frick
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult, Suspense, Romance
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
We Were Liars meets Goodbye Days in this thrilling debut novel that sweeps readers away as they try to solve the mystery of what happened then to make Ellory so broken now.
It’s hard to find the truth beneath the lies you tell yourself.
Then: They were four—Bex, Jenni, Ellory, Ret. (Venus. Earth. Moon. Sun.) Electric, headstrong young women; Ellory’s whole solar system.
Now: Ellory is alone, her once inseparable group of friends torn apart by secrets, deception, and a shocking incident that changed their lives forever.
Then: Lazy summer days. A party. A beautiful boy. Ellory met Matthias and fell into the beginning of a spectacular, bright love.
Now: Ellory returns to Pine Brook to navigate senior year after a two-month suspension and summer away—no boyfriend, no friends. No going back. Tormented by some and sought out by others, troubled by a mysterious note-writer who won’t let Ellory forget, and consumed by guilt over her not entirely innocent role in everything and everyone she’s lost, Ellory finds that even in the present, the past is everywhere.
The path forward isn’t a straight line. And moving on will mean sorting the truth from the lies—the lies Ellory has been telling herself.
Review:
See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a truly captivating young adult novel that features a complex storyline of friendship and ultimately, healing.
Ellory Holland’s friendship with Ret Johnston, Jenni Randall and Bex Landry is complicated yet all encompassing. The summer before their junior year is a time of change as Ellory enters into a romantic relationship with Matthias Cole. Like many teenagers, she struggles with finding balance between spending time with her friends and Matthias.
Fast forward to the next year and Ellory is beginning her senior year of high school without her friends or Mathias due to an incident the previous spring. She maintains a low profile during school hours but she remains tormented by the events the previous April. Will Ellory find a way to move past the traumatic events that have so completely altered her life?
Narrated from Ellory’s point of view, the novel seamlessly weaves back and forth between the previous year and the present. Ellory is fully cognizant that Ret is the glue that holds the four girls together. However, she does not see just how toxic her friendship with Ret is until it much too late. Ret is passive aggressive and manipulative but Ellory’s loyalty blinds her to her friend’ s faults. Fissures in the friendship begin after Ellory begins dating Matthias but she remains unable to fully recognize how unhealthy her relationship with Ret is becoming.
An impressive debut, See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a well-written and engaging young novel that has just the right amount of suspense and angst. Ellory is a well-drawn character whose behavior is relatable and realistic yet sometimes cringe-worthy. Although some elements of the storyline are somewhat easy to predict, there is one plot twist that is absolutely jaw-dropping and positively stunning. Adult and older teen readers will enjoy this engrossing and believable journey of healing.
