Starworld

Right off the bat, I’m in love with Starworld. This unexpected novel pulls so many of my heartstrings. I am absolutely one of those humans who likes finding people in books I can relate to, and from page one, Sam Jones was my girl.

Things I like about Sam:
- She hides in Art Class.
- She’s terrified of humans and still texts like the most amazing nerd ever.
- She hides in bathroom stalls for peace and quiet when the world is too much.

If that were all there was to it, I’d be a fan of this book, because already I’m driven by a character who had me wrapped around her finger in the first eighteen pages. But that’s not all. Because pages eighteen through thirty-six brought Zoe, and I immediately fell in love with her too. If Sam is the show more girl I relate to now, hiding in the books and crannies and wishing I couple disappear in my passions, Zoe is the girl I was in high school. An outlier who wants to me a cool girl. Zoe is more successful than I ever was, but she’s willing to do anything in theatre to be a part of the story. She cares about people and knows her life is blessed despite everything and yet she still needs an escape. Like Zoe, I even had a mother going through cancer when I was that age, although that’s where the familial similarities end. The two girls together are incredible as well, so from page 36 forward, even if this was just intended to be a romance... I’m all in.

Starworld is not a romance, though. It’s a story about two girls with immensely complicated lives struggling between their own social, familial, and academic responsibilities to be themselves. To just get their homework done. There’s a lot of conversation about the struggle between guilt and desire. When the feel ungrateful for being unhappy or not 100% enthusiastic. They’re complicated and their struggle is heartbreaking and beautiful all at once. It’s actually refreshing to read such an incredibly diverse book (differently abled rep, mental health rep, LGBTQ+ rep, plus an adopted character, a character with terminal illness, and a character with divorced parents) and have it be about more than a romantic story that “fixes” everything.And I liked the twist, I really did. I liked it because it was something I haven’t seen in YA before, and I liked it because it showed both sides of the story. I don’t want to give it away because I wasn’t expecting it, but I think that sometimes things are not wrapped up like a Disney movie... but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s scary and messy, but it can still be something beautiful at the end of the day.

Generally speaking, I loved this book all over. It was a little messy, but mostly sweet. It definitely made me want my own Sam or Zoe type person to go to Starworld with. The pacing was quick and yet perfect, and the story was light and nice, with some harsh realities mixed in to ground it. In so many ways Starworld made me feel raw and vulnerable, because both these girls slowly tear themselves open. Be prepared for heartwarming adoreabless, but also be prepared to cry. show less

Sam doesn't fit in at school. She spends most of her time trying to live with and accommodate her mom's OCD, and the rest of the time pretending she's a robot to avoid thinking about her dad, who left five years ago to move to London. Her only real outlet is occasional video games with her friend Will. Popular, pretty Zoe has lots of friends and a great boyfriend, and gets good grades and starring roles in the school plays. But her life is falling apart at home as she and her family struggle to deal with her mom's cancer and her disabled brother Jonah -- and as she struggles to find her identity as someone who was adopted. When the two girls forge an unlikely friendship over texts, they create an escape called Starworld, and they start show more to realize that they understand each other in a way they've never experience before.

I started out liking this book and ended up unable to put it down in the last half -- I even sacrificed some sleep! Sam and Zoe felt very real and I felt for them as they navigated some really tough situations. I wasn't expecting to get so attached, but I was crying on and off throughout the second half. Recommended! 4 stars. show less

Sam Jones is a high school senior, an introvert, an artist, and a lesbian. She lives with her mother after her parents divorce. She can't invite anyone to her house because her mother's OCD means that there are very rigid rules in their household. Sam has one friend, Will, who has his own friend group but doesn't mind hanging out alone with her, playing video games. Sam wants to be an aerospace engineer, like her father, who she never sees or speaks to since he left the country after the divorce. Sam spends most of her time in the school's art room, painting.
Zoe Miller is a high school senior, popular, dating one of the most popular school athletes, previously she spent time acting in school plays but now works in the scenery show more department. Zoe switched to scenery because she needs to spend more time at home; her mother's cancer has recurred and her special needs brother requires more supervision now that he is older, bigger and more violent. Zoe can't invite any one to her house because her brother scares her friends.
Zoe and Sam meet one day in the art room when Zoe asks to borrow one of Sam's paintings as scenery in the school play. They exchange contact information. When a text meant for Will accidentally gets sent to Zoe, the two girls start a conversation that leads to the invention of Starworld. Starworld is a fantasy world created by the girls in text messages. Star world becomes a refuge from the stress of their lives for both girls and allows them to open up to each other. At first they keep their friendship text only. Eventually they reveal their friendship to others and even meet each other's families. But Sam has a secret that may end their friendship.
I enjoyed this book. Sam and Zoe, as characters, were well fleshed out, as were their parents. Their friendship was believable and organic.
I received this book through the Library Thing Early Reviewers Program. show less

Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner was a poignant tale of two girls trying to find themselves, and their place in the world. One day during art class, Sam Jones is interrupted by Zoe Miller, who asks about a painting Sam has done. This simple action opens a tentative dialogue between the two, which soon deepens into an unusual friendship. They are linked together through the text-only storyrealm they dub Starworld, a freeing from mundane reality. They begin to hang out together, telling each other things they haven't shared with others before. But one innocent mistake shatters the fragile dream.

This story hit me like a gut-punch. Both main characters spoke to me in very deep levels. Like Sam, I'm an incredibly introverted show more person. I tend to shun shallow company. My heart aches for her so much when she opened up about a very fragile part of herself, and was rebuffed in the moment. I think wish she'd not chosen to hide afterward, but, well, it's an introvert way. We don't handle humiliation well. The more introverted, the harder it is to handle. Annddd, I suffer from OCD and anxiety, which her mum is cursed with. Thankfully, the OCD has mellowed and lessened over the decades since childhood, when it was at its worst. Reading about OCD does generate an uptick in my own for a few days to weeks. Consequently, I'm currently beset by the need to triple check the front door is locked.

Like Zoe, I have low self-worth. I wasn't adopted, but neither was I what my nuclear family hoped I'd be. They had no idea how to raise an extreme introvert, pushed me into situations I wasn't ready or able to deal with, and tended to deride me if I resisted or freaked out. Nor were they able to understand my rabid love of reading, and later in life, my spirituality choices. I wanted to give both these girls big hugs!

Routine is clearly a theme with the story, being a huge part of both girls' lives, for different reasons. Sam's mum is the one with OCD, and it's pretty severe. Regimented behaviour rules her life, and if those routines of safety are broken it causes anxiety, and triggers coping routines. Sam feels stifled by the rules she must follow, most of which make no sense to her. With Zoe, routine is important for her mentally challenged brother Jonah. Routine helps keep his behaviour in check. He knows what to expect, and since their mum is sick, that helps. They later learn they need to not allow things to become routines for him all the time.

I was very glad that things worked out okay for the girls in the end. Starworld, and their short-lived friendship, helped each grow far beyond what might've been expected. In many ways, they sparked the healing within the other that was badly needed for wholeness. Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Candlewick Press for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Most especially, many thanks to Candlewick Press for the lovely hardcopy. Reviewed for JBN Blog Tours. show less

Literary Merit: Excellent
Characterization: Excellent
Recommended: Highly Recommended
Level: High School

What an incredibly important and life-altering book. I was completely blown away by this story, and would gladly share it with the entire world if I could get it in enough hands. I picked it up expecting a cute, heterosexual romance, and instead got a touching story about two girls - two friends - who find one another at the time in their lives when they most need an understanding friend. It's a very powerful, sweet story, and I have nothing but praise to share in this review.

Starworld follows the story of two very different teenage girls. Zoe Miller is a popular girl, one of the theater kids with a football-player boyfriend and an show more endless assortment of friends. Beneath the surface, however, Zoe is dealing with the turmoil of wanting to know who her birth parents are, as well as the thought of having to send her severely disabled brother away to a long-term care facility. As if this wasn't enough, Zoe's mother is in partial remission from cancer, and her relationship with her boyfriend Hunter is on the rocks.

Meanwhile, Sam Jones is an outcast who escapes reality through her art. A child of divorce, Sam struggles to care for her extremely OCD mother while harboring resentment towards her dad, who moved to England and seems to never have time for her anymore. Her best friend Will has started a new relationship with a girl named Kitty, leaving Sam to face uncomfortable questions about her own sexuality... and the fact that she might like girls more than boys.

The two meet by chance one day when Zoe is scouting out props for the school's new play and sees one of Sam's paintings, leading the two to begin a fantastic adventure into a made-up universe known as Starworld, where the two of them can escape their awful realities for a little while. What follows is a story about friendship, love, loss, and the importance of having people in our lives who see us for what we truly are.

I can't even explain how relatable and easy to love both of these characters are, even though they're practically exact opposites. While I admit I was much more of a Sam in high school (a loner with weird humor who preferred art and fantasy to dealing with people), I also related strongly to Zoe's feelings of inadequacy, and like she was pretending to have everything together when she clearly didn't. I was instantly drawn to both of these girls, and wanted the best for them even though I was aware they were only fictional characters. Even more relatable is the way they converse through "startalk," using asterisks to communicate actions in third person. I always assumed that my friends and I were insane for communicating this way in middle and high school, but it felt validating to know that other people grew up doing this as well. Between Sam's anxiety and Zoe's unexpected love of role-playing, it was easy to bond with these adorable characters and really feel for their plights.

This book tackles a LOT of subjects in one story: adoption, OCD, disabilities, cancer, LGBT issues, divorce, and even the loss of a pregnancy. In a poorly written book, this would easily get overwhelming and preachy, but this book is written in such a way that nothing feels in-your-face at all. These two characters are portrayed as normal high schoolers with very adult problems: one is dealing with a severely OCD mom she has to practically babysit, and the other has a mom with cancer and a younger brother being sent away because he's become too unruly for her parents to handle. These issues aren't piled on the reader all at once, and they're never sensationalized in a way that seems disrespectful to real people who may be dealing with these issues. In fact, in the back, the authors have provided resources and references for each of the issues they mention, explaining that this story is only one portrayal of very complex and diverse issues. I REALLY appreciated this, and admired their ability to seamlessly work so much diversity into one book without becoming preachy or trying to teach a lesson.

I often say when reading YA that there's nothing I appreciate more than a strong male/male or female/female friendship. LGBT representation is extremely important, but so is the depiction of healthy and supportive friendships between all of the genders. Though Sam's feelings begin to lean more towards the romantic side than the friendly side, interacting with Zoe really helps her in learning to embrace her sexuality and love herself for who she is. Likewise, Sam provides Zoe with escape from a dreary situation, and helps affirm the fact that she is both valuable and wanted as a human being (something she struggles heavily with as someone who was adopted). Both girls find growth and fulfillment from meeting and learning about one another, and come out as stronger characters in the end because of it. It was absolutely incredible to watch the slow progression in their characters, as both learn to come out of their shells and trust one another with painful secrets. The friendship Sam shares with Will is also beautiful, as both try their best to be supportive of one another even when things seem hard.

Another aspect of this book I really enjoyed was the idea of families, and how there are many different types of families: both those we are born with, and those we choose later in life. Both girls in this story come from unconventional families: one was adopted, and the other has divorced parents who live across an ocean from one another. In their journeys to accept themselves, both girls end up bonding more closely with their families as well as with one another. Sam learns the truth behind her mother's OCD, and works up the courage to visit her dad and leave her mother to work on her mental illness without a crutch. Zoe learns that even though she loves her adoptive parents with all her heart, it's okay to have questions about her birth parents too. This book also establishes the importance of family groups we create with our friends, who become just as crucial to our lives as blood relatives. This book explores a lot of beautiful themes about family and friendship, and I absolutely ate it up.

Before I wrap up this review, I simply have to acknowledge my favorite scene, which happens in the epilogue of the story. After leaving Starworld behind for several months, Sam returns an e-mail Zoe sent to her thanking her for Starworld and her experiences, as well as apologizing for previous events. One of the last remaining mysteries Sam left was what exactly Starworld's "most prized treasure" was, leaving the story they created together unfinished. For Zoe's eighteenth birthday, Sam had gotten her a beautiful vintage vanity set, complete with a hairbrush and a small silver box for trinkets. Missing, however, was a silver mirror, which Sam sent explaining that this in fact, was Starworld's greatest treasure. I'll admit that my heart melted and I teared up at this, as it further cemented just how positively this friendship affected the lives of both of these characters I'd grown so much to love. Sure, this might've been a cheesy or cliched way to end the story, but I absolutely loved it and thought it added perfect closure to the novel.

I was extremely positively surprised by this book, as I was expecting a light and fluffy summer romance that wouldn't require a lot of thought or effort to read. What I got, however, was a beautiful story about two lost girls who found a lasting friendship that changed their lives forever, helping them to grow into better people. The novel tackles tough themes without sugar-coating any of it, while remaining realistic and sincere. It never feels like it's trying to preach a certain message, instead choosing to focus on fleshing out these very real and human characters with very real and human problems. It's sweet, touching, and extremely heartfelt, and I applaud the authors for their stunning and important work. I would recommend this book to everyone, especially teens who have dealt with or are currently dealing with the issues presented in this book. Teens and adults alike will easily see themselves in these characters, and feel immediately captivated by their stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and can't wait to see what these two authors write in the future. show less

Despite running in very different circles in school, Sam Jones and Zoe Miller have more in common than they think: they both want to escape the difficulty that is their home lives. Sam is a quiet loner, content to spend Sundays with her best friend, Will. She loves the stars, but isn't sure she'll ever be able to study them, thanks to her mom, whose life is ruled by obsessive compulsive disorder. Ever since her Dad moved overseas, the burden of caring for her Mom falls squarely on Sam. Meanwhile, at school, Zoe seems carefree and popular. But her charisma hides her secrets: she struggles with the fact that she's adopted. She also has a mom in remission from cancer and a disabled younger brother who is the main focus of her parents. When show more the girls have a chance meeting at school, they exchange phone numbers, and suddenly find themselves bonding over text messages and a land they've created together: Starworld. Starworld gives Zoe and Sam the escape from reality they both so desperately need. But can it survive all the outside influences and stress each are facing?

"If I have a superpower, it's invisibility. Like the perpetually overcast skies of Portland in winter, I'm part of the background -- a robot with a disappearance drive, the dullness against which everyone else shines." ~Sam

This was an interesting and somewhat different YA novel. I enjoyed the story of two brave girls battling tough circumstances. Boy, poor Zoe and Sam certainly had the weight of the world on their shoulders. I really liked both of our main characters. The book tells the story from each of their perspectives, making it easy to know each girl. I found myself a bit more aligned to Sam--probably because she was queer and shy (like drawn to like, right?). As other reviews have mentioned, some of the book is in texting format, as Sam and Zoe fall into Starworld. Being far removed from teenagehood myself (sigh), I will admit that I did sometimes sort of "fast read" or skim those sections. I appreciated them--because Starworld meant so much to these girls and their friendship--but the text-speak wasn't always the easiest to read and digest.

I had picked this up thinking it was a love story, but it's not a true romance, though there's love in other forms. There's some great representation in this book: a queer character in Sam, plus discussion of adoption, mental illness (OCD and anxiety), disabilities, and more. All were very well treated too, I felt.

The book felt a little slow at times. It felt a little repetitive in its insistence on Zoe feeling different due to being adopted. Still, I was very drawn to Sam and Zoe's story. There was a strength in each of them, and I was intrigued to see what was going to happen. Sam's arc as she struggled with her romantic feelings was especially strong and wonderfully done.

Even though much of the book is serious, it's also very funny at times, with some excellent quotes and zingers. (I really did love Sam and her sense of humor; she was right up my alley.)

"I hate using phones for their original intended purpose. It's like Alexander Graham Bell wondered, Hey, what could maximize the awkwardeness of human-to-human communication? And then answered himself by giving us the ability to speak to one another through stupid disembodied little boxes."

I mean, right? One of the best quotes ever.

So, overall, this book is really a love story of friendship and triumph. It's very easy to root for the characters and get caught up in their lives. I was often just aghast at how much these poor girls had to go through. If you're not necessarily used to text-speak, it may give you a pause, but Starworld is a big part of the book (obviously!) and it's woven well into the story. This was a different and intriguing read, and I'm glad I picked it up. 3.5+ stars (rounded up to 4 here).

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Librarything in return for an unbiased review (thank you!). show less

Sam Jones and Zoe Miller are seniors in high school, but they've never had a reason to communicate during their years in school together. Sam is a nerd. She wants to be an aerospace engineer, and she's artistically talented, too. She also has only one friend, and she prefers to keep it that way. Zoe is the classic popular girl: she gets the lead in every school play, and she has a beautiful voice. She's also dating the star of the basketball team.

When Zoe approaches Sam about using one of her paintings in an upcoming play, Sam is freaked out to be speaking to someone on Zoe's level at the school. Eventually, the girls develop a friendship and bond over the home lives and family challenges that they're both trying to hide from everyone show more else. The two girls build a special world through text messages that they both visit when real life becomes too much, and Starworld is both a refuge and a secret that they share.

Although the girls' families provide plenty of tension and drama, the plot is made even more intense as Sam struggles with her romantic feelings for Zoe--and Zoe is completely oblivious.

STARWORLD by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner is told in alternating voices, and the book does a great job of balancing drama and humor. I raced through the pages, and I was rooting for both girls to find safety and happiness. The characters of Zoe and Sam are both developed well, though Sam has a bit more depth--it's possible that's because she has to stand on her own so much while Zoe has more of a supporting cast with other friendships and a larger family. I enjoyed the story itself, and although I ended up skimming the sections where the girls' texts took them deep into Starworld, those forays didn't detract too much from the real relationships surrounding them.

All in all, STARWORLD is a completely charming book, and I loved being a fly on the wall through Sam and Zoe's story. My thanks to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. show less