Where the Forest Meets the Stars Review

 

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

By: Glendy Vanderah

Synopsis:

In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.

After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.

The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.

Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren’t Jo and Gabe checking the missing children’s website anymore?

Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.

My Review:

Where does one start when they are writing a review of probably one of the best, most intricate novels they’ve ever read? Seriously, I wasn’t expecting this book to be what it was. Not for any reason other than that it was a debut novel by an author I’ve never heard of and it was adult contemporary fiction which I do enjoy, but never thought of as a favorite genre.

This novel blew me away. I’m tearing up right now just thinking of things that occurred in the pages. The emotional rollercoaster that I was on did not disappoint in the slightest. It was revolutionary. It was powerful and raw and quaint and hilarious and comforting and hopeful. The main characters, each with their own perfect character arcs kept me interested from start to finish. The world building was even more than others I’ve read in this genre. I felt like I was there with Jo, Ursa, and Gabe. I wanted to grab a hold of each of them and hold them and cry or laugh with them.

The research for this story was thought out. The story unfolds flawlessly. I want to be careful to say anything else because I do not want to spoil anything for anyone, but please read this novel! You will love it. You will recommend it to everyone you know.