TW: Mentions of Rape

This story begins with a pair of twins who loved the stars and loved each other so much, they were as intertwined as the constellations themselves. They have been together through everything and Mara always found comfort in her brother’s, Owen’s, presence. However, all of this changes when news spread about her brother potentially raping her friend, Hannah Prior. Mara is forced into this conflict where she must choose between believing the story of her brother or her friend dealing with this situation while she acquires her own conflict between her ex-girlfriend and her brother’s friend who caught her eye recently. Not only that, she also needs to confront a secret she kept buried inside for too long to truly feel free of the burden life has placed on her shoulders.

I am surprised at the contents of this book from the cover of the book but I guess that is why they say to never judge a book by its cover. I thought it would be a happy book dealing with beautiful stars and amazing relationships but I couldn’t have been more wrong. However, I still enjoyed this book very much. Blake did a very good job at writing emotional scenes, kicking me right in the gut, and weaving the symbolism of stars into the story, creating more possibilities and connections to what a star could and should be. There were some scenes that made me cringe a little but if I had the choice to read this book again, I would have accepted it without any hesitation. I recommend everyone to read this book if they can handle the brutality about rape, victim blaming, sexual violence toward girls, anxiety attacks, PTSD, and physical abuse.

-Saanvi V.

The Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.