The Stars Aren't Ready - Georgia Peterson - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Georgia Peterson

GENRE: YA Drama, Coming of Age

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: This indie book surprised me. It started off as a typical time loop but soon went into unforeseen plot possibilities. There could have been improvements, but overall, a satisfying book if you go with the flow.

Story Synopsis:

Eighteen-year-old Joel has arrived at the Grand Central Station in New York with a single agenda: he's going to end his life with his homemade bomb. After all, there's no point in life without Livvie, his younger sister. But the universe seems to have other plans, and every time Joel presses the bomb trigger, he finds himself back at the entrance of the station. What can he do to end the loop he's stuck in?

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Joel, with some flashbacks coming in third person.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 While the story spans a fairly large time period, the author provides very clear time references with not just the entire date but also clues like 'A week later'. This is so reader-friendly.

😍 The themes covered in the story are quite dark: death, mental health issues, drug abuse, parental abandonment, and a couple more that I won't reveal as they are major spoilers. But these are dealt with maturity and without going into too many intense details, keeping in mind the target age range: the YA crowd.

😍 The writing is very fast-paced and doesn't waste time in scene padding.

😍 The blurb indicates that Joel wants to be with Olivia, but doesn't clarify who she is. As such, I jumped to the natural conclusion that she might have been his love interest and hoped that the book doesn't become a typical YA romance. To my surprise, Olivia turned out to be Joel's sister. (Not a spoiler as this is revealed in the second chapter itself.) This point was a pro for me as I prefer family drama over romantic drama. If you go in expecting a love story, you'll be disappointed.

😍 Joel's character is wonderfully etched. His emotions come through clearly in every chapter. My other favourite character were the Italian couple. Despite being secondary characters, they make a mark.

😍 Unlike most new-ish indie authors, this author doesn't throw in every "issue" under the sun into her plot. It stays more or less focussed, with very minor deviations.

😍 Not once did I roll my eyes, a bad habit I indulge in while reading YA fiction. Trust me, this is a big compliment.

😍 While the ending is a nice one, it doesn't provide closure to all tracks. Just as in real life, some character arcs are left hanging, and we can only wonder about the what's and why's of them. (This point could go either way, but I liked the pragmatic approach.)

😍 The cover and title might seem simplistic but they fit the story marvellously.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😒 Between the 30 to 50% mark, it starts feeling repetitive, which is partly because of the Groundhog Day styled time loop. (Thankfully, the second half went in a whole new direction, and in a good way.)

😒 Some parts were a bit unreal. Like, how do so many ordinary people know what a bomb trigger looks like?

😒 The incident that happened with Limpy and his partner in the second half was not needed at all.

😒 While I liked the story, I wasn't hooked by it and could easily keep it aside. (This might be because I'm a couple of decades above the ideal readership.)

All in all, this is a YA novel that's works better than what the blurb promises. It's a story that's sweet and sad at the same time, and has an impactful lead protagonist in Joel.

The young author shows promise. This is only her second book, so a little rawness is visible in the writing. But there's no doubt that she has talent and she will surely shine with more experience.

As an adult reader, I found it a decent read, but if I were a couple of decades younger, I'm sure I'd have been greatly moved by the story. Hence I go with 3.5 stars, rounding up because I think the book will work better for the intended reader group.

My thanks to author Georgia Peterson and BookSirens for the DRC of “The Stars Aren't Ready”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.