Review: Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

The narrators January LaVoy, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, and Major Curda were excellent! LaVoy is one of my all time favorites and I will listen to anything she narrates, but the addition of the 2 other narrators to voice Miles and the Grandmother on the tape telling the story were perfect choices. They really brought the 3 interconnected stories to life.

This follows 3 interconnected stories, and I'll admit it took me a while to figure out how they were all connected but I eventually put it all together. This follows best friends Sophie and Hanna in the 1940's in Germany as the Nazis are establishing their hold. As teenagers they are maturing from girls into women and putting their beloved fairytales and folklore behind them like the famous Bridegroom's Oak that is said to make love matches and send messages between lovers. The oak tree becomes a key part in the events that take place in their town not only when it comes to romance but to save lives. In the 19080 we meet Jenny, who has moved to Germany from Texas because of her father's job. Her parents want her to be one way but she is desperate to find her true identity. Lena a punk rocker just might hold the key to unlocking that identity as she shows her the real Germany and introduces Jenny to the punk scene. Then we have Miles, who is stuck alone doing virtual school and terrified to go outside during the COVID pandemic. His moms can't come home due to travel and Covid protocols, so he has to fend for himself. His best friend Chloe gets a strange package from her ailing grandmother that leads them to investigate two missing teenagers from 80 years ago around the Bridegroom's Oak. Those teens are Sophie and Hannah, which unfolds a story that connects Miles, Chloe, the missing girls, and Jenny in a very unexpected way.

I really liked the way this was told. It has the same beautiful writing you would expect if you have every read Libba Bray in the past. The interwoven storylines was a creative way to tell this tale. Despite the fact that all three storylines are broken up I felt like we got to know all of the characters pretty well. We see growth in all of the characters as they face their fears and opposition, stand up to bullies, and stand up for what they believe in. I also thought that the recording of the fairy tale by Chloe's grandmother was a nice touch, it not only helped with the investigation, but as with all fairy tales it was a way to hide what was really going on at the time and tell the real story of what happened.

I'm a huge fan of The Diviner's series, I grew up in the 80s, survived COVID, and I love WWII historical fiction. This book was a huge win for me. I love Libba Bray's writing, though this does not have the fantasy elements that Diviner's had. This touches on alot of things in the various historical events of the 1940s and 1980s in Germany as well as the spring of 2020 pandemic that we all just lived through. If those time periods and events are going to be triggering for you, take care and maybe shelve this one for later. I thought the author did a great job discussing the political landscapes of each time period and some of the horrible events that occurred.

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September TBR

Well the kids are back in school, and fall activities have started back up with a vengeance.  That means everyday after work I have to be somewhere and there is little time for reading after feeding the hungry hoard.  Thank goodness for audiobooks.  Between commuting and the chaos of life I would never get to read, so I listen.  Now if only I had time to post all of the reviews I meant to write.  I'm still feeling like I'm in a bit of a reading slump, I've got a ton of books I want to read but I can't stay focused.  I read for 5 minutes then I go do something else.  I'm still reading everyday so I'll break out of it eventually.  It isn't the book either they are all good so far, I think I'm getting run down by life and I took on too many ARCs in August.  Here's to September being a little better.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• This is out already and I'm way overdue with my review.  I'm hoping to finish this over the holiday weekend and get my review up.  So far its action packed and picks up with Sal still wanting to exact revenge on those who wronged her and her country in the past.  
• Rule by Ellen Goodlett
• This comes out on September 11th.  This is supposed to be a Three Dark Crowns meets Pretty Little Liars.  Now I know nothing about PLL but I liked Three Dark Crowns so I thought I'd give it a go.  
• Lies by TM Logan
• I already started this and its a perfect family thriller.  I haven't gotten very far but its good.  This comes out on September 11th.
• The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
• I've had this for a while now and its about time to get to it.  This comes out on September 18th.  I believe it is out in other countries though and I've seen good reviews.  It promises a murder mystery and a kind of weird groundhog day plot line.  Sounds really interesting.
• Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand
• This comes out in October, and is another YA thriller/horror novel.  The plot reminded me of my beloved R.L. Stine books that I adored in elementary school.  I couldn't get enough of them.  This sounds perfect for fall.  
• Broken Things  by Lauren Oliver
• I've read a bunch of Lauren Oliver's other books and I really like her thriller/mysteries.  I'm really looking forward to getting to this especially as we get into the fall.  This come out in October as well.

Audiobooks

I've got a ton of stuff on hold at the library so I'm not even going to mention them.  I never know what's going to happen audio-wise and most of them are repeat mentions from the past.  I do have 2 currently checked out so I will mention those.  Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake comes out on the 4th, and I'm looking forward to continuing The Three Dark Crowns Series on audio.

• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• I haven't read anything by Joe Hill.  I love Stephen King so I'm anxious to see how his son's books compare.  I'm reading this for a challenge prompt as a book I saw a stranger reading.  There is always a gentleman sitting outside of my office building reading every morning before I got into work and he was reading this one day.  I just started it and it's interesting so far.
• Before The Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray
• I'm loving The Diviners series.  I love the historical aspect of the series and the paranormal happenings.  I really love the characters and the audio books are so gripping.  I already have this checked out and as soon as I finish Strange Weather I'm starting this.

August Wrap Up

I can't believe summer is over.  This summer felt really long, but it was over way too soon.  It was a busy reading month with everything being released at the same time.  I got a bit overwhelmed and a little slumpy with my reading.  I'm a little behind with my ARCs but I'm getting there.  I think I still had a pretty good reading month.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Point by John Dixon
• Review
• This is an urban scifi fantasy.  It deals with troublemaking teens and young adults who have an aptitude for the unnatural.  Each of them has some sort of supernatural ability, but they can't stay out of trouble.  This lands them at The Point, a school within a school at West Point Army Academy.  Here they can hone their powers, while also working towards a career in the military.  It was OK.  The characters were a little too immature for my liking.  I think its a great book for young readers, I just had a hard time connecting to it.
• As Dust Dances by Samantha Young
• Review
• This is a follow on to Play On, but this standalone follows a different couple associated with the arts and music community.  This follows a broken musician and an equally broken record executive as they both try to figure out what they want out of life and how to navigate through fame and success.  If you are a fan of Sam's contemporary writing this is a must.
• The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Review
• I was surprised with an ARC of this and I loved it.  I sort of continues where the Wicked Series left off, but it isn't a continuation.  It is a companion to the series, but like the original it left me without closure.  Rumor has it there is another installment coming and I hope it gives us some answers.  Great for new fans of JLA and diehards alike.
• These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
• Review
• This is full of political intrigue.  The magical system is based on botanical elements from the plants found on the island setting of the story.  The pirates are stream raiders who harvest and trade the plants on the iland of Grace Loray.  In some places the magic is legal in others it is forbidden.  The 3 main characters find themselves questioning everything they know about loyalty, magic, and peace in an effort to save those they love and their home.  It is fairly slow paced and more political than action packed.  
• Crew by Tijan
• Review
• I wasn't sure if I was going to get an ARC of this one, so I was pleasantly surprised when I was on the review list.  This is a new young adult contemporary series by Tijan.  It is very mature, and follows a group of kids in a crew.  They aren't a gang, but they kind of are in the way they protect each other and don't take crap from anyone.  They are dangerous and violent and it makes for a pretty unique storyline.

Audiobooks

I got through several audiobooks I've been waiting on

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• This totally lived up to all of the hype.  This isn't normally the type of book I go for, but I throughly enjoyed it.  It was a captivating memoir, or atleast it felt like you were listening to a memoir about a real woman.  It was wonderful, highly recommend.
• The Diviners and Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray
• This was another unexpected surprise.  I didn't realize this was a paranormal read.  I loved it.  I loved the historical aspect to it.  I loved The Diviners so much I quickly went on to continue the series.
• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• I've been waiting for this for quite a while.  It picks up shortly after King's Cage with Cal and Mare forming alliances to fight Maven.  I'm really happy that I chose to finsih off the series on audio.  This is quite long, and a bit slow paced but the audio really helped me stay engaged.  There are several persepectives that add to the flow of the story that would have taken away from my reading experience but on audio they were quite good.  It kept me engaged and I'm quite happy with how the series ended.
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• I really enjoyed this.  It is full of political intrigue and has a couple of twists and turns that I didn't see coming.  It is a great follow up to The Thief and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.  
• Final Girls by Riley Sager
• I've been on a thriller kick lately and this book has gotten alot of hype lately.  I see why, it was quite good and I really enjoyed it.  It was one of those books where you weren't quite sure where it was headed until the very end and I surely didn't see the end coming.  I love that in my thrillers.  

August TBR

I'm starting to get caught up on my ARC list, unfortunately several of them are releasing on the same day.  I was doing really well until June hit then I got a bit slumpy and behind schedule.  All of my TBR is ARCs because I committed to having reviews posted by release day.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• The Point by John Dixon
• Netgalley recommended this to me because I reviewed something else, Nyxia I think.  This looks really interesting.  Future military cadets with superhuman powers, sounds amazing right?  I'm also a sucker for a female hero.  This comes out on August 7th.
• As Dust Dances by Samantha Young
• This is a follow on to Play On, but this standalone follows a different couple associated with the arts and music community.  The synopsis promises a tragic ending to a successful music career, a sexy record exec, and Sam always writes amazing romances and dialogue between her characters.  This comes out August 7th, I have and ARC and will be reading this next.
• These Rebel Waves by Sara Raasch
• I loved Raasch's Snow Like Ashes series and can't wait to read this.  It also comes out August 7th.  This promises pirates, magic, and rebellion.  Sounds awesome!
• Ruin of Stars by Linsey Miller
• I've had the ARC of this forever.  This is the sequel to Mask of Shadows, and follows a gender neutral assassin.  Sal is now one of the Queen's elite assassins, but she also wants to find out what happened to her family.  Book 1 was action packed and I'm looking forward to seeing where Sal's adventure takes us.  This is out on August 28th.

There are a couple of more books I want to get to in August but lets get through these ones first.  Jennifer L Armentrout's 1001 Dark Nights The Prince comes out in August as does Tijan's Crew.  I'm hoping to get to those and maybe some challenge books.  

Audiobooks

I'm still waiting on a bunch of these at the library, so we'll see what we get to this month.  Most of these are holdovers from July,

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Everyone keeps talking about how good this book is so I grabbed it on audio.  I had no intentions of reading this, but some of my favorite reviewers loved this so I thought I'd take a chance.  
• The Diviners by Libba Bray
• I keep hearing great things about this one as well.  I already started this and so far it is really interesting.  It started out a little slow, but I'm invested now.  I'm liking the paranormal spin to things and 
• Repeats from last month, still on the waiting list
• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
• Circe by Madeline Miller
• Warcross by Marie Lu