Girl Made of Stars is a beautifully complex story about sexual assault, victimization, and empowerment (and so so much more). The characters are thoughtfully portrayed as multifaceted and complex, Mara’s struggles feel so real as she grapples with intensely conflicting feelings. The strong friendships in Girl Made of Stars were my favorite part, it’s filled with young women who support each other and love each other.

This is a particularly great book for discussions with groups. Girl Made of Stars will be a difficult book to recommend because it is far from light reading, it is dense, emotional, and heavy. But that’s what makes it an important and powerful book, it’s the perfect book for discussing sexual assault and double standards, it’s the perfect book to recommend to a reader who is finding their voice.

This book was great. I loved how its based around twins as i love reading books who main characters are siblings and reading how much they love and connect with each other. This book showed us how torn people can become when theres issues between their family and friends and how much of a struggle it is learning who is telling the truth and whos side to fight without hurting the other side. This book is based around the concopt of rape so if that tiggers someone i would be wary of reading it. We only see the narrator of Mara who is the sister in this book and only have the storyof what happened through owen and hannahs descriptions of what happened which makes it harder to figure out who is the one telling the truth and who is lying. So much happened in this book even though its short which made me as the reader feel so many different emotions from happy to wanting to cry to angry, its a real page turner. 

I gave this book 4 stars as i really enjoyed reading about Mara and Owen.

Girl Made of Stars is a YA novel that cannot be shoved into a simple review. There are so many facets, so many layers, so many stories wrapped up together in one satisfying read. For Mara, Charlie, Owen, Hannah, and Alex, the loose ends don’t get tied up in a neat package. I like that the edges are still raw. Honestly, that’s life.

This is a very thought provoking young adult novel. Full of teenage angst. Mara coping with her sexuality but having the full support of her family especially her twin Owen. Suddenly Mara's world gets ripped apart and has her questioning what's real. Has their twin bond been disconnected forever?Is the trust in her friends validated?
Read and find out.

This is such an important story during the time of #metoo and our focus on consent and male advantage. It also gives a strong voice to people who are questioning their gender identity. It's about so much more than these huge, significant issues, though. Ultimately, it's a story of courage, love, loss, family, and tragedy. Slow at times and a little overbearing, but still an important and timely story that is well written.

I'm crying. I'm actually bawling. Apologies for any typos, I can't see very well. This is so heartbreaking, and so powerful and empowering. It's about loyalty and friendship and family and love, about being broken and finding your strength. This is exactly the kind of book we need in the world and I will be forcing it into people's hands. Along with tissues and a hug afterwards.

Fantastic.

Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

To be completely honest, this book stumps me a little. While it was an enjoyable read that I finished in a day, if it had been any longer I don't think I would have coped so well. The premise exploring rape culture is one aspect I applaud about this book. It is so important within society today to understand how rape culture works and what drives it. I feel Girl Made of Stars did a particularly good job in this respect. However, I don't feel I was the right reviewer for this book. Being a twin myself and the book centering around twins, I found myself easily irritated by the many twin cliches that wouldn't normally bother the average reader. I also found there were certain actions repeated continuously throughout the book - the main character's hand holding of everyone and the dragging of ones hand through their hair - which I found distracting..

My last point is that the story also delved into a lot of other subjects which I feel took away from the main story, Attention was diverted by massive info dumps, especially at the beginning. This would have been fine if the subjects had somehow been subtlety shown throughout the text but they were told and explained quite pointedly. So, while these irritations made the book fall flat for me, I still feel it was an important story. It focused on serious issues and dealt with the ramifications reasonably. I would still recommend this book, which is why I've given it three stars.

This book was so raw and powerful I couldn't put it down. Mara had so many struggles to overcome that you end up being so completely swept up in her story. This is the book to read for anyone who has lost their voice due to sexual assault and for anyone who has had to climb their way out of the darkness of victimhood.

This book is a powerful and intense story about at the horror of sexual assault, the brutality of a system that is constantly against women but it is also a story of hope. I have loved the characters and their bravery. It's a difficuly read but a very important one.

Mara and Owen are twins; they know everything about one another. But when Hannah - Mara's friend and Owen's girlfriend - accuses Owen of rape Mara finds herself lost. How could her brother do something like this? It can't be true, but Hannah wouldn't lie, she simply wouldn't. As she searches for truth with the support of her closest friends, Mara comes face to face with her own demons that have been shut away for far too long.

Girl Made of Stars openly but honestly tackles tough topics like gender identity, consent, victim blame, and sexual assault. A timely and essential read for teens.

This book definitely deals with a lot of sensitive topics, from sexual assault to the enormous problem in our culture of victim blaming. The main characters in this book, Mara, Hannah and Charlie are all interesting characters and its an interesting concept, a girl whose twin brother is accused of sexually assaulting her friend/his girlfriend. When I read the synopsis for this book, it really sounded like an impossible situation for these characters to be in. I mean, in this type of situation, I assume you would want to believe your brother. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and I found both the characters and the story to be both relatable and realistic It is definitely an important book that deals with some very hard topics. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future..

Did not finish after the first chapter. I didn’t like the characters, especially Mara’s personality. Thank you for approving me though.

This is a painful story, but a story that needs to be told. "Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara's friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime?" Talking about real issues and real emotions this book manages to capture the middle ground between love and belief.

I raced through this book without putting it down because I just wanted to know how it was going to end and couldn't wait and the book didn't let me down. I found myself getting angry, depressed, saddened and hopeful through the pages of the book and finished feeling all those emotions as well.

Wow oh wow. This story is just amazing. It's not often that books make me cry but this one did. Such an intense story and beautiful characters. I can't begin to describe how much i love it and i will be buying it the day it comes out.

CW: RAPE

Girl Made of Stars really messed with me.
A couple of weeks ago I watched a movie (O Fim da Inocência) which feautured a rape scene and ever since then I have been very sensitive to it. Being a man, I dont get cat called, I dont get annoyed by abusive men on the streets, I am not scared to walk alone at night so watching that scene and reading this book really opened my eyes. I always understood how fucked up sexual assault is but watching it on the big screen and reading about it opened a big wound.

One day Mara decides to go to a party but she ends up leaving because parties are not her favorite. Mara then finds out by one of her friends that her best friend Hannah was raped by Owen, Mara's brother. Having loved her brother her whole life, Mara doesn't let her mind wrap around this situation.

I posted a poll on twitter (@filipeheath) asking which book I should read and another book won but I still decided to read Girl Made of Stars and im so glad I did. This book really broke my heart, reconstructed it, broke it again, it was an emotional rollercoaster. I read it in one day because I was so attached to the characters that have very powerful personalities.

There was on-page nonbinary/genderqueer representation (MC’s best friend) and our main character was bisexual and there is an f/f relationship.

A story of how someone deals with the divide between family and frienship that deals beautifally with such a sensitive topic. Thank you Ashley Blake.

A gripping, moving, and powerful tale of family, grief, coping, and amazingly written complex situations strong women find themselves in. This book was so beautifully written in all aspects, the actual lyrical writing style, the depth of character building, and the way that difficult topics were tackled.

This book was stunningly written. From the first sentence on it was just pure joy reading Ashley’s poetic writing style. The pieces of astronomy that was thrown in sporadically really helped add to the story, and were so interesting. This book really showed the way a rape accusation affects everyone involved not only the two people. It affects family relationships as well as friendships, especially when the accusation hits so close to home.

The character descriptions were excellent, I felt like I could see them and their personality from the moment they were introduced. I felt like hearing from both twins was very important throughout the novel. Mara was put in such an awful position, to believe her twin brother, or one of her best friends. She was torn, Hannah was being blamed and treated awful, while her brother was seen as this great person even after the accusation. I felt very connected to Mara, like her I suffer from severe panic attacks and PTSD.

I feel like all the topics covered throughout the book were done with the utmost respect and sensitivity. There was a bit of a love triangle, so if that is a main selling point warned. I will say it is not the main focus by far, so please try not to let that deter you from reading this stunning novel. I feel that it focused way more on friendships and family relations. I absolutely adored this book and it will definitely be making my top reads list this year.

Mara and Owen are twins, and as such, share an extremely close bond. As they navigate High School dating, Owen starts dating Mara's best friend Hannah, while Mara comes out as bi-sexual, briefly dates Charlie and now has a difficult relationship with her ex-girlfriend.
When they all go to a party and the drink starts to flow, a lot happens in the blur. The following morning Mara finds out her beloved twin is accused of raping Hannah, leaving Mara torn between two of the most important people in her life. Instinctively feeling that her brother isn't telling the truth, Mara finds herself making some tough decisions, risking alienating her entire family. Owen continues to deny everything, receiving support from his gang at school and Hannah gets publicly shamed as she must me making it up. Mustn't she?
This is a great book that handles an incredibly sensitive topic with aplomb. Mara is an extremely sympathetic central character, and you can't help but imagine yourself in her horrendous situation and the decisions you would make in her shoes.
Some of the gender and sexuality themes were almost a distraction, as Blake doesn't always have enough time to really go deep on them, so they become marginal. However, that's my only criticism of this otherwise excellent book that navigates a challenging topic with a truly deft hand. An important book for teens.

This main character of this book finds herself in an incredibly difficult situation - her twin brother Owen, who she adores, is accused of raping his girlfriend/her close friend, Hannah - so I was really intrigued as to how it would be dealt with here. Personally, I think it’s very well done: the book discusses topics like consent, victim blaming and rape within relationships in a really natural way, weaving the issues seamlessly into the story. It also doesn’t shy away from the complexity of what Mara is feeling. She wants to believe both Owen and Hannah, but also neither of them, and her confusion and the conflicting emotions around it is really effective - there were a few scenes that felt like a punch in the gut! I also really liked the bi and genderqueer rep, which both seemed really well done to me. In terms of style, it was a little too dialogue-heavy for my liking (though for the most part the dialogue is really good) and I thought some of Owen and Mara’s stars stories were a tad twee at times, but that’s just personal taste. Overall, a really good and important book that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

TW: rape, sexual assault
In the author’s note at the end of the book, Blake said something like “I hope this is the book you need. This was the book that I needed to write.” And for me, that’s so true, this book is beautiful piece of art that has insightful commentary on the rape culture in relation to our current political moment. But more than that, it’s the story of first love, teenage friendships, and getting comfterable with your sexuality.

So well done, this book blows open a raw hole, it was so intense that I was a loudly sobbing puddle for most the book, and at points had to take a break because it was hurting my brain in the best way. Be warned that this book will absolutely wreck your soul, and then provide you with that valuable sliver of hope that you’ll cling to after you close the last page.

My favorite characters (more like ICONIC Queens) were Hannah and Mara. They both banded together and truly supported each other as survivors in the best way that both of them needed. The way their interactions played out on page was just a testament to the emotional maturity that these teen girls had.

Also, I was over the moon to see that there was on-page nonbinary/genderqueer rep (MC’s best friend); and our MC herself was bisexual and there is an on page f/f relationship. Even though none of that was the focus, it meant the world to me to see myself represented directly as an enby. I definitely especially shed some tears for this.

Ashley Blake has a knack for writing realistic teens and their interaction. They text, call eachother and I dialogue is something that I could imagine saying to my friends. Nothing about the entangled emotions of humans is black and white, thing are always messy and complicated, which makes any story more compelling. Let this be known that this was an entirely character-based plotline there’s not much action, more deep explorations of society and flawed people.

Unlike many other books that this deal with this heavy topic, this one was unique as in that the alleged rapist is our MC’s twin brother, Oscr and most of the book Mara has to deal with the aftermath and fallout. Not only her, but all their friends and social circles, and really the rest of the school have to “pick sides” on who to believe and who to blame, which was a constant delicate but tough situation everyone had to deal with.

Mara as a character is one of the strongest people I’ve ever read. Yeah, she fell apart and had some big breakdowns when her personal life got too triggering. She’s also the lead editor of the Feminist Magazine, and I found the need to pick it up because the articles sounded so awesome. In the end I was so proud of her choices, and felt like she was one of my best friends. This book does that; makes you feel all the feels. And it’s worth it, you won’t regret picking this one up this spring.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own**