Skip to main content

Review: Distant Stars

Distant Stars book cover on blue background

I have a soft spot for young adult books, so it was a treat to be able to read Distant Stars by Kassandra Garrison. I don't often read about kidnapping plots, which intrigued me as to how it would be handled in this book. To say that the unexpected took place in this book is an understatement!

I am grateful to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Content to be aware of: kidnapping and violence

Book Synopsis

Will Rutledge needs a fresh start. After aging out of the foster care system, he and his brother, Kane, have nothing but each other. Maybe that is why he agreed to his brother’s insane plan. With his brains and his brother’s muscle, what could go wrong?

Enter Hannah Cole. After a devastating loss, her faith in God is shaken. No amount of money could fill the hole in her life… not even if her dad has plenty of it. Suddenly, Hannah finds herself in the middle of the brothers’ reckless scheme.

Plans start to unravel when Will and Hannah develop feelings for one another despite their seemingly insurmountable differences. With Kane determined to finish the plan, the star-crossed lovers question God’s purpose and ask:

Are some stars just too far apart to collide?

Source: Amazon

Book Thoughts

This young adult novel offers a surprising and touching picture of redemption. It might not be for every reader as it does start off dark with depicted scenes of violence; however, the characters of Will and Hannah grew on me the more I read about their plight. Though their backgrounds could not be more different, it's interesting to see how they interact with each other, given that Will has committed a desperate criminal act. Physical appearances are initially prominent, but the content remains fairly clean for young adult readers on the romance side. All that being said, I found myself quite engaged in the plot to see how it would go and discovered a fresh look at second chances.

I appreciate that the characters are willing to accept responsibility and that there is a recognition of the power dynamics involved. The faith scenes are moving and bring an added layer to this story, making it easy to root for a happy ending after what starts out as tragic and traumatic. The way that things culminate provides an air of sweetness that points to God. Readers who are intrigued by the plot of kidnapping will find Distant Stars to be an interesting look at what it means for God to turn things around at pivotal moments in a young adult's life.

Book Summary

  • Format of book: 📱
  • Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Recommendation: 👍

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things I'm Not Supposed to Do

It's interesting to discover what people should be and shouldn't be doing when they share about books online. More and more, I feel like there can be a backlash against anything now, to the point where anyone with a passion for books can feel paralyzed in offering their own bookish content. For the large part, I try to tune out these things because it's ever-changing, and if it's not one thing, it'll be another. I'm sad when people feel stifled due to these capricious "rules" that half (if not more of) the time seem to keep people from excitedly engaging in what they love most. I'm thankful that I've received immense support from the reading community when I first started out, so I want to encourage anyone who is thinking of jumping in with their personal approach to books by sharing how I practically break the following ten rules covering things from content generation to materials access: I'm not supposed to use Canva for my book posts.  ...
2 comments
Read more

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! May you have a blessed day, celebrating the birth of our Saviour. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. - Luke 2:11 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - Isaiah 9:6
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: A Theology of the Ordinary

Since Christmas is nearing and it's a busy season, I thought a small book (only 68 pages) would be nice to share about.  A Theology of the Ordinary by Julie Canlis was a book that ended up being surprising in different ways, with a lot packed into a short volume. Book Synopsis Julie Canlis is an award-winning author who has turned her attention to the ordinary. With the surge of books and blogs celebrating the ordinary, she lays a theological foundation for this celebration based upon the Father's blessing of ordinary life, the Son's incarnation in ordinary life, and the Spirit's re-creation of ordinary life. First, turning her attention to American revivalist roots, she explores how this has seeped into evangelicalism's DNA, pushing ordinary life in Christ to the margins. Then, she begins by turning to the Father's blessing of ordinary life in creation, and the way in which temple-language mimics creation-language, revealing all of the world to be God's te...
Post a Comment
Read more