Review of Swimming in a Sea of Stars
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Lauren Gallagher 2
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- Latest Review: Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright
Review of Swimming in a Sea of Stars
[Following is a volunteer review of "Swimming in a Sea of Stars" by Julie Wright.]
I’ve just finished reading Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright and I’ve been blown away. I rate this book 4 out of 5; if it wasn’t for a couple of typos in the book, I would have given this book a perfect 5 out of 5.
The book is categorised as young adult fiction but as woman in her 30’s, I’ve still enjoyed this as much as I think my 13-year-old daughter would. The language isn’t patronising or stiff like some YA fiction that I’ve read, nor is it the opposite end of the spectrum, where you cringe at every line. The characters are authentic and individual, each with their own unique background and story to tell.
I love the way the book is written from the viewpoints of five different students, and I thought it was really clever how Julie Wright managed to show the same situations from different viewpoints without being repetitive or boring. I think that the way this works could be useful to readers navigating similar challenges in their lives and could help them to visualise the same situation from someone else's perspective.
The subject matter is a little dark; teenage suicide will never be a subject that is easy to discuss, however, Julie Wright handles it brilliantly. The book is honest, sensitive, empathetic, and has a good balance of dark and light. Julie Wright explores and navigates the feelings of Addison, the main character who made a suicide attempt, and the four teenagers affected by it. The story is beautifully written with some heartbreaking and, conversely, some heart warming scenes. I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears while reading this book.
There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about the book. The only change I would make is that I would have like to have seen a resolution to all the story lines for all of the main characters. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue (or something similar) to explain what happened to Addison, Celia, Avery, Booker, and Damion after the story had finished. I would also have liked to know what happened to Booker’s cousin, Seb, too. It’s perhaps left like this so that the reader can draw their own ending up and although I appreciate that, I would also like a definitive answer – but that’s probably just me being pedantic!
I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults alike. As a parent, I wouldn’t mind giving this to my younger teenager to read, but I realise that some parents would want to shield their children from the dark subject matter explored in this book. The subject matter of this book might be unsuitable for strict, religious people who believe suicide and attempted suicide are sins.
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Swimming in a Sea of Stars
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I’ve just finished reading Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright and I’ve been blown away. I rate this book 4 out of 5; if it wasn’t for a couple of typos in the book, I would have given this book a perfect 5 out of 5.
The book is categorised as young adult fiction but as woman in her 30’s, I’ve still enjoyed this as much as I think my 13-year-old daughter would. The language isn’t patronising or stiff like some YA fiction that I’ve read, nor is it the opposite end of the spectrum, where you cringe at every line. The characters are authentic and individual, each with their own unique background and story to tell.
I love the way the book is written from the viewpoints of five different students, and I thought it was really clever how Julie Wright managed to show the same situations from different viewpoints without being repetitive or boring. I think that the way this works could be useful to readers navigating similar challenges in their lives and could help them to visualise the same situation from someone else's perspective.
The subject matter is a little dark; teenage suicide will never be a subject that is easy to discuss, however, Julie Wright handles it brilliantly. The book is honest, sensitive, empathetic, and has a good balance of dark and light. Julie Wright explores and navigates the feelings of Addison, the main character who made a suicide attempt, and the four teenagers affected by it. The story is beautifully written with some heartbreaking and, conversely, some heart warming scenes. I’m not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears while reading this book.
There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about the book. The only change I would make is that I would have like to have seen a resolution to all the story lines for all of the main characters. I would have liked to have seen an epilogue (or something similar) to explain what happened to Addison, Celia, Avery, Booker, and Damion after the story had finished. I would also have liked to know what happened to Booker’s cousin, Seb, too. It’s perhaps left like this so that the reader can draw their own ending up and although I appreciate that, I would also like a definitive answer – but that’s probably just me being pedantic!
I would recommend this book to teenagers and adults alike. As a parent, I wouldn’t mind giving this to my younger teenager to read, but I realise that some parents would want to shield their children from the dark subject matter explored in this book. The subject matter of this book might be unsuitable for strict, religious people who believe suicide and attempted suicide are sins.
******
Swimming in a Sea of Stars
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Swimming in a Sea of Stars by Julie Wright
