Glendy Vanderah

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

Veronica Overholt

One of the absolute best books I’ve ever read. The story was amazing and engaging right from the start. Heartfelt, emotional and so sweet. 

Alyssa deRaad

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.

Louise Briley 

Keep guessing until the end, who came from the stars versus what was written in them.

celene

i love the dynamic of the main characters,,, what a family <3 i also love there is lowkey romance here woot woot the moment they shook hands y’all wee woOoOoo i was a goner man // such a unique and interesting read! 🤩

Jessica Ford

Read it; don’t listen to the audiobook! 

I chose this book simply because I wanted something to listen to as I cooked my Christmas dinner. I didn’t love how the performer read Jo as very short with people, and Ursa as very whiny, but I didn’t have time to look for another book, so I kept listening. The story eventually drew me in but it’s definitely a slow-burn. It didn’t get exciting until probably three-quarters of the way in. By then I had switched to reading rather than listening, and I couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and how they interacted. I loved learning their stories. This is the perfect book for a rainy day. It will make you laugh and cry and smile.

Tess McMahon

This is one of those emotional books that stayed with me long after reading. We’re introduced to Jo, an ornithologist trying to recover from her mother’s death and her own health battles, Gabe, the quiet egg-man from next door, and Ursa, a young girl who says she’s an alien from the pinwheel galaxy. As the book progressed I knew that whether or not Ursa’s story was true, she was definitely magic. The way she brought the three characters together to heal was truly special.

Turtle lover

I love Ursa, Jo, and Gabe. I love them all. I just finished All the Ugly and Wonderful things and I somewhat get the vibe of that book in this book though this book is less dark. I love the innocence of Ursa and how the characters of Jo and Gabe vibe. They are not perfect characters and has some mistakes and all but I think they are great being the way they are.

about their love story, cute but there is something a little bit missing. I do not see this book completely as a romance book so I dont even expect the romance to be that high. the romance was not pushed and this book is just great.

Elizabeth Moore

200 marvelous, enthralling pages + 120 pages that teetered on, but never fully fell over the edge of fully annoying me = a positive review with a question mark? Agh this book was delightful even though it deflated at the end and it should have categorically made me mad. One of the recurring themes in this book is Ursa claiming good things illogically happening as her alien “quark” power, and I suppose my irrational like for this book is just another example of little alien girl’s magic.

Where the Forest Meets The Stars was dated to win me over because the main character’s name is Jo and I just finished reading Little Women for the first time ever (I know wtf!) and I have fallen so deeply in love with all things Jo, and because I also just read Where The Crawdads Sing, which has similar themes of natural mysteries and the beauty of wild land. And for the first two thirds of the book, everything worked. I liked the sparse language, I liked the friendship between two broken adults who have closed themselves off to the world, I liked this strange little alien child who really did have me hoping that she could really be a Martian like K Pax man. I liked the forest walks, the bird research, the cooking kebabs outside in the fire pit, and the dog who never stopped barking. And the treehouse, and the cabin, and the graveyard, and messy families, and Hope’s Ghost. And I loved, loved that shitty gravel road more than anything. The suspense and little hints about Ursa’s past started off so well, too.

And then, the crux of all the action happened. Out of nowhere and with zero explanation. And it was weird, and some crazy combination of way too rushed and far too dragged out at the same time. One minute I was reading Silas Mariner and then it turned into Big Daddy. I mean I still liked it but the last 100 pages just bothered me and it felt like a different author picked up and left all of the magic and the forest-y otherworldly beauty behind. The ending seemed like it was missing 40 pages, and I audibly groaned when j finished the last page.

I appreciated very much the way in which this story was so much about people who have been roughed up and cast away by life - the cat name references to Hamlet and Juliet and Othello were clever and made sense to me. I enjoyed watching good people break down their walls and find one another and peek out then pull up a the shades they’d on life. I also didn’t love the somewhat reductive way they treated illness; there were heavy tones of “just snap out of it!” Pollyanna optimism as a cure to depression, and there was an obsessive over-focus forced on Jo’s character regarding what other people thought about the physical effects of her battle with cancer without really delving fully in to what Jo thought about it herself.

And still, I like this dumb sweet little book. I will blame it in quarks and barn cats and nesting logs.

Sarahi Flores

This story was a tear jerker! It left me with so many emotions that I couldn't get enough of this story. A girl is said to be from the stars, that got me a little. She is to witness five miracles before she can go back to her home. Okay, that's something worth reading to find out. This story can go in two ways, but I'm not gonna tell you because that would be spoiling and also it would lead you to researching what was the actual story about. All I can tell you is that it's beautiful. I love Ursa, and Jo is an independent woman who is fierce and that makes her amazing too. Let's not forget about her neighbor, Gabriel Nash. He's such a sweet heart. Amazing characters that I grew to love.     This story contains some hardships with loss and grief, mental illness, abuse, and I know I'm forgetting one... it will come back to me by the time I post this. If you read the book then maybe you can be kind enough to comment the other thing it contains. Please and thank you lol.     All in all, this was a fast pace novel for me and I give it 5 stars!     FYI, if you have kindle unlimited, you can read it there without purchasing it. That's what I did and it's also in audiobook format if you chose to not read it. Great choices. I did that audiobook while reading along.

Dani Gale

Such an interesting concept for a novel, and I loved the execution. The characters (especially Ursa) felt so real and authentic. I loved the comparison between mental and physical illness, but that those things didn't completely define the characters.

Julie D.

Sheila Masterson

Absolutely love it! Creative and beautiful story.

Karen Shimek

I enjoyed this book, but the predictable romance was unrealistic and annoying.

Ruth Parker 

This is one of my favourite books that I’ve read so far this year. It was written beautifully and I was so immersed into the storyline and the characters. I thought it was amazing. I had no idea where it was going to go and found the ending shocking. But wow it was just amazing.

Lauren Lopez

The feel good story I didn’t know I needed!

This story is very well written and laid out. There’s a lot of tragedy in this story, but it isn’t overpowering like most stories with this much drama. Ursa is the magical character who makes the story truly come to life. 

When Jo first stumbles across Ursa outside her rental home, she is instantly intrigued by her intelligence and her innocence. She can tell the child has been through something traumatic, but she is still so naive to a lot of the world’s greatest wonders. Ursa’s persistence when telling everyone that she is an alien from a planet called Hetrayeh will make you believe that it’s a fact. Her storytelling goes far beyond that of an average kid’s imagination while playing pretend. 

The mystery surrounding who Ursa really is had me glued to my Kindle, dying to know the truth - is she actually an alien or is she simply a lost a child who is afraid to return home? I can promise you won’t be prepared for the truth when it’s revealed. 

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a mystery mixed with a little love, suspense, and wonder.

isabela. 

[4/5]

omg? this was so emotional. i loved it.

Pepper

Advice: Do not read the blurb. It gives away whatever little happens in the book.


  The Good


Writing was amazing. If I hadn't known it was a debut novel before I picked it up, there was no way I could have guessed it. Such was the quality of writing. The words paint a clear picture in your head. Exactly the way I like it. Simple but elegant. If she happens to write a new book, which I certainly hope she does, I’m picking it up for sure. 

Character development is on point. Right from the beginning I loved the main characters. Considering their flaws and imperfections, it's impossible not to root for them. And the little girl is beyond perfection. After reading a series of poorly written books, it was such a pleasure to read a book with great character arcs and writing. 


  The Bad


The first three quarters of the book was slow. I mean, really slow. Also, I see it why. The author wanted us to care for the characters as much as we did in the end. But sadly, that doesn’t work out very well for me. I like fast paced, action filled stories. The 4 stars are mainly for the last quarter of the book. 

It took me a month to finish off the book, May 8th to June 5th. One chapter at a time, I had to try really hard to push. I read 10 other books while I was trying to read this one. I’m so glad I could finally finish it, because the ending was beautiful and I was afraid I would dnf this.

Lisa Trebilcock

One of those beautiful books, where I thought I wasn't getting into the storyline, then BAM! I fell in love with the characters and related to them so well. I was sobbing my eyes out at one point, which I never do.

Rebeca Keren Nuñez

Intrigante. Me costo un poco meterme con la historia en el principio, pero después se volvió totalmente atrapante y ya n pude esperar para ser como iba a terminar. Es una historia con matices y con un amplio abanico de emociones.

  După ce și-a pierdut mama, dar a câștigat propria luptă cu cancerul, Joanna Teale își reia proiectul de cercetare pentru licență și studiază păsările din zona rurală a statului Illinois. Rutina ei solitară este dată peste cap când îi apare în prag o fetiță misterioasă, plină de vânătăi și desculță.

  Fetița spune că o cheamă Ursa și vine dintr-o galaxie îndepărtată ca să găsească pe Pamânt, cinci miracole. Jo o lasă să stea cu ea și încearcă să rezolve misterul cu ajutorul vecinului ei, Gabe. Dar, pe măsură ce trece timpul, are tot mai multe întrebari.

  Deși între cei trei se formează o legătură incredibil de puternică, știu cu toții că în curând trebuie să ia niște decizii complicate.

Unde pădurea întâlnește stelele

Paduraru Constantina

Aș putea să spun că am fost dezamăgită puțin de „Unde pădurea întâlnește stelele” deoarece o cumpărasem cu gândul că voi citi o carte de realism magic și nu a fost nici pe-aproape. Încă din primele capitole am înțeles că voi citi ceva cu totul în afara genului. Însă, indiferent de acest lucru, cartea fost chiar interesantă, iar ultimele zeci de pagini au fost chiar captivante, în ciuda faptului că m-a plictisit uneori acțiunea și mă enervau adulții din carte.

„Nu am nicio casă pe Pământ. Am venit de-acolo, spuse arătând spre cer. (...) Vin din Galaxia Vârtelniței. Este aproape de coada ursoaicei mari.”

Într-o seară, Joanna, o cercetătoare care se preocupă cu studiul păsărilor, întâlnește o copilă care nu pare destul de mare să se plimbe singură. Fără încălțări și cu vorbele la ea, fetița spune că ea nu e de pe Terra, că vine de undeva de departe și că pentru a se întoarce trebuie să fie martoră la cinci miracole. Joanna desigur că nu o crede și consideră că ceva nu e în regulă cu ea și, cu ajutorul unui vecin, va încerca să facă tot ce poate pentru a rezolva misterul fetei. Însă ceea ce nu știu cei doi e că acea copilă e chiar un miracol.

Personajul meu preferat a fost nimeni alta decât fetița care își spune Ursa. Deșteaptă, creativă și drăguță, Ursa chiar vine din altă lume, una mult mai tristă, dar imaginația ei e magică și poate chiar te va convinge că ea e doar un suflet în trupul unei fete moarte.

Denise B.

One might think, based on the cover, that this is a fantasy or sci-fi novel. You could even go so far as to believe it's about astronomy or something of that ilk (can you tell I've been watching 'The Hobbit'?). I would say it's all of the above but that depends on how deeply you "read" *palm meets face* into the events and characters. Are you a literal or whimsical reader? Possibly like me that likes a bit of both (just call me 'Star Lord' - good grief)? This story is a solid medium pace. The relationships and major events, past and present, are fairly evenly spread throughout the book right up to the end and leaves you wondering equally as much. Will Jo's birds be okay? What does Ursa Major have to do with Purple People-Eaters? Can Hamlet and Juliet reform said People-Eater? All this and more can be deciphered and known within this wonderful and provoking (thoughts and emotions) novel. I definitely recommend you read this! It's not what you'd think.

Chrissie Smith

This book sat on my TBR for a while, but I am so glad I finally decided to pick it up! This story made me laugh, filled my heart with both joy and sadness, and was a perfect reminder that there is always room for second chances, forgiveness, and love after life seems to break you. You will fall in love with Ursa as she shows Jo and Gabe to see life through her eyes, how beautiful the simple things are in life, and what really matters. 

Jan Talkington

A sweet story of love - family, romantic, parental, friendship. Easy reading and heartwarming.

Andrada D

Before this book, I have never thought there was such a thing as a book about which I know  it is practically good but I can't really connect with it. And yet, and yet...

It is a four-star read for sure. Complex themes tackled with a lot of care and tact. But also tacky at times, too melodramatic and difficult to believe.

You have the cancer trope which has been severely overdone in literature. You have the enigma of the child from the stars- which I think could and should have been left so much more ambiguous. You have serious topics- rape, child violence, drugs. You have the depressed individual seemingly magically cured. So there is a mix of good and bad thing.

I personally didn't like the mystery being revealed, I wanted to keep my doubts about the star-child. Also, the romance was so awkward, these people fell one for each other without anything prompting it and the development was so turbulent it made little sense.

But when it came to its heart, dealing with trauma and its effect, the book shone. I chose it as a feel-good book so it never fulfilled its purpose, but it is a great book nonetheless. Just not my cup of tea.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars

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