285 books
—
448 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “And The Stars Were Burning Brightly” as Want to Read:
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly
by
An emotionally rich and current story of suicide, mental health, bullying, grief and growing up around social media.
When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart.
Al was special.
Al was talented.
Al was full of passion and light…so why did he do it?
Convinced that his b ...more
When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart.
Al was special.
Al was talented.
Al was full of passion and light…so why did he do it?
Convinced that his b ...more
Expected publication:
March 5th 2020
by Simon & Schuster
(first published 2020)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about And The Stars Were Burning Brightly
Community Reviews
Showing 1-53
Start your review of And The Stars Were Burning Brightly
Oh what a beautiful, heartbreaking novel this was, every layer of it hugely authentic and genuinely devastating.
Nate has lost his brother to suicide- through the grief, anger and self blame he starts to dig into Al’s life in the hope of finding answers. Through this quest he meets Megan, mourning not only loss of life but the loss of chances- together, maybe, they’ll find a way to move on.
This was beautifully written, Nathans voice is quirky, honest and strong, taking the ...more
Nate has lost his brother to suicide- through the grief, anger and self blame he starts to dig into Al’s life in the hope of finding answers. Through this quest he meets Megan, mourning not only loss of life but the loss of chances- together, maybe, they’ll find a way to move on.
This was beautifully written, Nathans voice is quirky, honest and strong, taking the ...more
Oct 7, 2019
Got a surprise ARC in the mail today! 😍
Got a surprise ARC in the mail today! 😍
I was lucky enough to read an early version of this novel, and I can honestly say it's going to be massive, it deserves to be massive!
It's an important, thought-provoking, heart-breaking but hopeful book about loss, mental-health, suicide, bullying, and growing up in the age of social media.
The first thing that struck me was the voices of Nathan and Megan, the main characters. So vivid and real, and the language used by Danielle Jawando to bring all of the characters to life is beau ...more
It's an important, thought-provoking, heart-breaking but hopeful book about loss, mental-health, suicide, bullying, and growing up in the age of social media.
The first thing that struck me was the voices of Nathan and Megan, the main characters. So vivid and real, and the language used by Danielle Jawando to bring all of the characters to life is beau ...more
I read the sampler and sobbed the whole way through it 👌.
The only thing I’m worried about is the relationship between the two POV main characters... please don’t make them fall in love but fall in friendship!!!!
The only thing I’m worried about is the relationship between the two POV main characters... please don’t make them fall in love but fall in friendship!!!!
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a story about loss and grief. The moment I receive this book, I instantly feel that this is going to be a hard read. Stories like this are meant to be read in an uncomfortable way, because in no way that these subject are bearable for the readers to read. Raw stories makes us realize that we have to do so much in order to help those who are in need.
I've read many stories about loss and grief, and this book is definitely one of the most powerful ...more
I've read many stories about loss and grief, and this book is definitely one of the most powerful ...more
Beautiful, poignant, earth shattering, healing, family, finding yourself again, deceleration, heartache, happiness, love and forgiveness feature heavily in the fantastically written ya book. Not just to be read by ya but everyone.
And the Stars were Burning Brightly is a misleading book title yet fitting. You might think when you read the title that this is some sappy love story about two dreamers. NO, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Nathan is a teenager who feels that he is the runt of his family, he wasn’t smart at his classes, he wasn’t handsome, he wasn’t talented nor was he gifted. One day, after coming home from school, Nathan discovers that his older brother AL had taken his own life by using his school tie ...more
Nathan is a teenager who feels that he is the runt of his family, he wasn’t smart at his classes, he wasn’t handsome, he wasn’t talented nor was he gifted. One day, after coming home from school, Nathan discovers that his older brother AL had taken his own life by using his school tie ...more
This is a story about grief, of finding out the reason why the person you thought you knew and understood killed himself and trying to look forward and moving on with life. Because that's just how it is, life carries on no matter what happens. That even though he may be gone for good, there's still a part of him that will always burn brightly in the memory of the ones who loves him.
Even though this is kind of a depressing story, most of the time it is anyway but there are hopeful messages that ...more
Even though this is kind of a depressing story, most of the time it is anyway but there are hopeful messages that ...more
If I’ve ever felt intense emotions before, reading other books, this book is definitely even more intense than all those books.
Hammering hard on bullying, suicide and anger issues, the author brings to light in her debut, the happenings behind these disturbing problems that have been destroying lives. Reading this book not only brought me awareness but it also caused me to re-evaluate my own actions. Do my jokes and teasing make someone feel small and hurt? Where do I draw a line whe ...more
Hammering hard on bullying, suicide and anger issues, the author brings to light in her debut, the happenings behind these disturbing problems that have been destroying lives. Reading this book not only brought me awareness but it also caused me to re-evaluate my own actions. Do my jokes and teasing make someone feel small and hurt? Where do I draw a line whe ...more
I was lucky enough to read an early version of this novel, and I can honestly say it's going to be massive, it deserves to be massive!
It's an important, thought-provoking, heart-breaking but hopeful book about loss, mental-health, suicide, bullying, and growing up in the age of social media.
The first thing that struck me was the voices of Nathan and Megan, the main characters. So vivid and real, and the language used by Danielle Jawando to bring all of the characters to life is beau ...more
It's an important, thought-provoking, heart-breaking but hopeful book about loss, mental-health, suicide, bullying, and growing up in the age of social media.
The first thing that struck me was the voices of Nathan and Megan, the main characters. So vivid and real, and the language used by Danielle Jawando to bring all of the characters to life is beau ...more
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel!
This novel was one of my most anticipated reads for 2020 and man did it deliver. And the Stars were Burning Brightly is a book about Nathan and Meg who have to deal with the aftermath of Al's death. And while the plot may sound simple, it is anything but. The story is eloquently written and with so much heart. The characters are at the front of this story and every scene carries its weight. From a writer's perspective, this was just so ...more
This novel was one of my most anticipated reads for 2020 and man did it deliver. And the Stars were Burning Brightly is a book about Nathan and Meg who have to deal with the aftermath of Al's death. And while the plot may sound simple, it is anything but. The story is eloquently written and with so much heart. The characters are at the front of this story and every scene carries its weight. From a writer's perspective, this was just so ...more
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a powerful book about grief. It follows Nate, who is determined to find the reason for his brother Al's suicide. He's convinced that finding answers to all his questions is going to help him deal with his grief. The other main character in the novel is Megan, who is also dealing with grief after Al - her friend's - suicide. Convinced that she didn't do enough to appreciate Al while he was alive, Megan is determined to be a better friend to him now, and to keep his
...more
3.5 stars
A touching, heartbreaking story about the nightmare that adolescence can be. This could not have been an easy book to write, particularly given the author’s own history. The story is told through the perspective of Nate, the dead boy’s brother, and Megan, his friend. What I loved were the tight, loving family that Nate lived in; equally, the storyline with the bullies was horrific. Jawando has captured the toxic world of social media-fuelled teen existence absolutely right. The on ...more
A touching, heartbreaking story about the nightmare that adolescence can be. This could not have been an easy book to write, particularly given the author’s own history. The story is told through the perspective of Nate, the dead boy’s brother, and Megan, his friend. What I loved were the tight, loving family that Nate lived in; equally, the storyline with the bullies was horrific. Jawando has captured the toxic world of social media-fuelled teen existence absolutely right. The on ...more
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a tragic yet brilliantly written novel with an underlying call for kindness, which also instils it with hope.
If it weren’t for the author’s letter at the beginning of the book, I would perhaps have doubted teens could be so devastatingly unkind to each other. This is not to undermine Danielle Jawando’s utterly convincing writing, more to reveal my own privilege of never having been exposed to such vitriol. That the story stems from her own experience makes ...more
If it weren’t for the author’s letter at the beginning of the book, I would perhaps have doubted teens could be so devastatingly unkind to each other. This is not to undermine Danielle Jawando’s utterly convincing writing, more to reveal my own privilege of never having been exposed to such vitriol. That the story stems from her own experience makes ...more
3.5
check out my full review here!
This is an emotional and compelling read that provokes and reflects the candid truth about how serious physical bullying as well as cyber-bullying can have such a huge impact on people. The story starts off with Nathan losing his brother to suicide, but Al was just the kid everyone loves and admires, he was going pla ...more
check out my full review here!
This is an emotional and compelling read that provokes and reflects the candid truth about how serious physical bullying as well as cyber-bullying can have such a huge impact on people. The story starts off with Nathan losing his brother to suicide, but Al was just the kid everyone loves and admires, he was going pla ...more
Heartbreaking read - I really enjoyed the 2 perspectives, you really gets beautiful view of Al and the effect his death has brought on his friend and family. As the story went on, I couldn't put it down. I needed to know how this ended and I honestly was in tears when the reason comes out; simply devastating. Really brought home to me the effects bullying can have on a person, but also how cruel people can be. Beautifully written, haunting story - this one will stay with me for a long time. Than
...more
A startling and brave debut by an incredible new talent. The author sensitively explores the complex themes of suicide, bullying and the darker side of social media, making this book an extremely important read. It is also filled with hope, and wonderfully truthful characters. All teenagers should read this book. I loved it
I’d forgotten how big everything seems as a teenager - and how big everything is. I was never seriously bullied - but the internet has made this so much bigger / worse than it was before. This book is heartbreaking, hopeful, important and timely. Be kind.
Very powerful and moving book on the aftermath of a suicide in the family. Themes of bullying, grief, parent separation, violence, LGBTQ+, some porn references. Recommend 14+
Review to follow - but in the meantime, everyone needs to pre-order this stunning novel! It is full of depth and absolutely stunning!!!!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
