Author: Trish Doller
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: September 24, 2013
Source: Purchased
Find it Here: Amazon, Goodreads
Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.
Trish Doller writes incredibly real teens, and this searing story of love, betrayal, and how not to lose your mind will resonate with readers who want their stories gritty and utterly true.
My Thoughts:
Where the Stars Still Shine is Trish Doller’s second book and I’m telling you, she hit it out of the park yet again! I had read an ARC of Something Like Normal and absolutely loved it! You can read that review here. So you know I was super excited when I found out she had written another novel. But for some reason it took me so long to get my greedy little hands on a copy!
Where the Stars Still Shine follows a girl named Callie who has lived all over the Unites States, never in one spot too long, because her mom kidnapped her when she was about five years old. Not only has she lived most of her life on the run but she has been hurt over and over again by the people closest to her.
Trish Doller delves into some really deep and hard to talk about subjects: kidnapping, abandonment, mental illness and sexual abuse are all major themes throughout Where the Stars Still Shine. Callie is a really complex and layered character. She grew up with her mom who suffers from a mental illness causing her to make poor decisions and act impulsively. It’s part of the reason why they were always on the run because her mom was paranoid. Her mom also told Callie bad things about her dad and she always believed that he didn't really want her. Which is completely untrue but she has some very ingrained trust issues that make it difficult for her to form normal, healthy relationships. Callie is definitely working on some pretty tough issues throughout the whole novel.
I know I didn't really talk much about the plot of Where the Stars Still Shine but it’s basically about Callie and how her and her mom get caught by the police so she goes back to live with her dad who had been searching for her for twelve years. And then she’s learning how to trust people and form healthy relationships with not only her family but with a Hottie McTottie that she meets. Side note: for a young adult novel, it has a few sex scenes that I normally have not seen in other young adult novels.
Overall, Where the Stars Still Shine is a really great read! It deals with some really deep subjects but not to the points where you feel like you’re drowning. I’d say it’s a pretty good second novel and I’m definitely looking forward to anything else that she writes!
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