This was a heart-wrenching and much needed book about the effects bullying can have, particularly in a secondary school setting. Telling the story of Al through the eyes of his brother, Nathan, and his friend Megan, who has taken his own life. Nathan is sure there is more to events than there initially appears to be - his brother was going places, why would he kill himself? - and so sets out to uncover the truth. Full of love, anger and frustration Danielle Jawando captures the grief felt by the characters as they try to process recent events.

It took me a while to get into because as a novel written in the first person, it was written in the way teenagers today might speak and it's not something I'm used to reading. Once I'd got to it, I think it added to the story as it was easier to get into the minds of the teenage protagonists.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a heartbreaking novel following a boy whose brother Al dies by suicide. Nathan is determined to get to the bottom of why Al decided to end his life, making this a bit of a mystery novel; Nathan knows there’s much more going on than meets the eye, but the people he asks refuse to get involved.

Meanwhile, we also follow Megan, one of Al’s closest friends, who starts to look inside herself and decide to be true to who she is. She feels guilt for pretending her and Al weren’t as close as they were in an attempt to fit in with her popular friends, and realises that it’s far more important to be happy than popular.

This is an inspiring novel with a hopeful twist, even though it did make me bawl my eyes out at the end. With a huge focus on art, the star and the universe, you’re bound to learn something, and Danielle Jawando’s writing is both lyrical and frank – an impressive combination to perfect in a debut.

And the Stars Were Burning Brightly is one of the most heart breaking and yet beautiful YA stories that I've ever read. The story completely broke me, and yet I've still been recommending it to absolutely everybody.

15-year-old Nathan finds his brother Al after he has commited suicide. He is (understandably) devastated, and becomes determined to find out what led Al to take his own life when on the surface everything seemed to be going so well for him. Through the course of the story, Nathan connects with Al's best friend and the pair begin to uncover a number of secrets about Al's life, most notably that he was being severely bullied. 

This book obviously touches on a lot of very raw themes and it doesn't always make for an easy read, but it shows beautifully how we really have no idea what is happening in other people's lives or how they may be feeling inside. It also covers a lot of topics that are becoming increasingly important for teens to consider such as mental health and the real world impact of bullying

A fantastic story that was brilliantly written and I would recommend to fans of the genre. Great writing and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Beautifully written and the characters are completely loveable.

When the 15-year-old Nathan finds his older brother Al dead in their room, his world crumbles and he is determined to find out why his gifted brother bound for Cambridge committed suicide. As he immerses himself into Al's world, he uncovers a morass of bullying and abuse. He also connects with Al's best friend. The two teens, plagued by guilt for not having seen what was happening to Al, embark on a quest to bring Al's bullies to justice. In the process, they help each other to heal and celebrate Als' life, and embrace opportunities to a better life.

This is a tale of extreme abuse, disadvantage, family and friendship relationships, but also a tale of hope - that in the face of adversity noone should suffer alone and that there always is a way out. A beautiful life affirming book that really should be compulsory to all teens.

Every now and again a book comes along that just feels so important that it should be compulsory reading in all secondary schools, and this is one such book.

Told from the dual points of view of Nathan and Megan, interspersed with snippets of insight from Al himself, and written using the vocabulary each of them would naturally speaking in, I did find the writing style a little tricky to get used to (especially at first as I had assumed the book was written by an American author for some reason and it isn’t), but once I had settled in to it, it was actually rather perfect for the story being told.

From the blurb, I had expected this book to reduce me to tears, but what the author does in fact is capture that numb, empty feeling you get when you lose someone, the feeling that spreads right through your body until it consumes you, the raw pain of a death, in a way that I don’t think I have experienced in a book until now.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly raises some very important questions about whether being alone is worse than being surrounded by people but feeling lonely because you can’t be yourself. As an adult I know what my answer would be, but back when I was a teenager I am not so sure.

Reading this book, I was once again reminded of how grateful I am that social media was not around when I was growing up so I could escape my bullies at the end of the day. In this book, Danielle serves a devastating reminder of the damage that can be caused by social media and the heartlessness of kids (and adults for that matter) hiding behind their screens. The fact that the events of this book were inspired by the author’s own horrific experiences of bullying at school and attempted suicide just serve to make this book all the more hard hitting.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a painful read but is a book that I would urge everyone to read.

This book is beautifully written. Although it’s written in non-standard English, you look beyond that to a story of how social media can destroy lives. Children who dare to be different are singled out and abused to the point that they feel that they can’t go on and they take their own lives. The author deals with this issue with a carefully crafted sensitivity do you want to know Al and you want to see his artwork and tell him how wonderful he is. I recommend this book to any teen who is struggling with angst over not being good enough, thin enough, pretty enough, clever enough. A story that is heartbreaking but gives you the resolve to know that YOU ARE ENOUGH. As the mum of a teenager who constantly feels she’s not enough, this book hit me hard. I was annoyed but the informality of it all to start with (that’ll be the teacher part of me) but I was compelled to read on. I needed to know why it all happened as much as Nate. A family member committed suicide in the same way and I was left wondering why I hadn’t noticed or why I hadn’t done more to help him. It lives with you forever but if this book helps even one lost soul, it’s done a great job. Well done!

I found this book reaching into my chest and grabbing my heart crushing it, this was a heart wrenching book that made me so sad and angry at the same time. Dealing with topics like bullying, suicide and mental health to name just a few, in a way that made me sob so much, it wasn’t an easy read, it was very thought provoking and I did give me a big book hangover but I am so glad I was able to read it. It has really opened my eyes to the injustice people face just because they are different.

This is a heartbreaking book about loss, mental-health, suicide, bullying and how difficult it can be growing up in the age of social media. This is a book that I would want my students to read. Although it is heartbreaking there is a sense of hope. I feel this book brings up many topics which need to be discussed and could open that discussion in a classroom situation. The topics of this book may not be ones that anyone is comfortable to speak about but the conversations are necessary, this book could help.

Unfortunately I did not finish this book and hope to read it at some point in the future. I found what I did read enjoyable, with a very interesting writing style

An absolutely beautiful YA; the writing made me weep. It was quite long but didn't drag at any point.

I was excited to read this book, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it. Due to the writing style, I was unable to really get into the book, because I kept finding myself zoning out. I might give it a second chance at some point, because I was hoping to really love it - I've heard amazing things from reviewers I trust.

Fifteen-year-old Nathan's life changes forever when his older brother, Al, commits suicide.
Nathan has no idea why Al took his own life and is certain that something must have pushed Al to do it.
Determined to find out what that something was, Nathan starts searching for answers.
He meets Megan, a friend of Al's who is as shocked and devastated by Al's death as Nathan is.
Nathan's search for answers reveals a terrible truth.
Why did Al take his own life?

Part of the reason I wanted to read this book so much was that I knew the author had tried to commit suicide because of bullying when at school. I was intrigued to see how her experiences would shape the book, and felt that they would add more gravity to it.
The book is told from two perspectives (Nathan and Megan's) and each chapter begins with a snippet from Al, which I thought was a nice touch.
Nathan and Megan were both likeable and relatable. I felt sorry for them both, and it was interesting to read how they both dealt with Al's death.
This is a very important read in the way it shows and deals with bullying and social media. It shows how easily social media can be used to hurt people, and it made me quite angry.
The plot was interesting, but the pacing was a little slow for me and I felt like the book didn't need to be quite as long as it was. I guessed one of the reveals early on, which was a shame.
I feel like I could have connected to the storyline and characters a lot more than I did, and I'm not quite sure what that was down to.
I'm disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but still found it to be a heart-felt, important book.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, important read.

Wow, just wow. It took me ages to finish the book because the subject matter is very triggering and should not be taken lightly if you plan on picking this book up, BUT with that being said, it was an emotional and unforgettable experience that definitely left its marks on me as a reader. 
Bullying and suicide are tough topics and they need to be handled delicately and with utmost care and Danielle Jawando delivered on both those accounts. 
At the end of it all, this is a book about love and about hope and finding yourself and knowing that you are a bright light that cannot be put out by others.

This book broke my heart and opened my eyes. 

Unfortunately, I have experienced bullying in both my childhood and as an adult, in some form, but I believe bullying today is 100 times worse, with smartphones and social media.

To know that the Author herself experienced bullying to the point she wanted to end her life makes this book more real.
This book is not just about bullying and suicide, it’s about hope and love, and how, when you feel your life is over, there is always a light to be found. #BurnBright

This was a fantastic read, very thought provoking and I feel a lot of people would benefit from reading it. It highlights exactly why we should all think before we speak and act, and most importantly, why we should be kind to one another. 

The story itself is a tragic read, but the book also contains a note from the author stating why she came to write this story after her own struggles, which makes it all the more personal.

Tackling tough subjects, this book explores suicide, grief in all it's many forms, bullying, and LGBT themes. All brilliantly executed - There was nothing in this book that felt unnecessarily harshly written, but at the same time there is no sugar coating of what happened, to twisting it round to make a fluffier story. 

Nathan battles with sorrow and rage as he retraces Al's footsteps and conducts his own investigation in to what really happened. Struggling with the loss of his brother, he understandably wants answers, even if they wind up not being something he wants to hear.

Megans part in this book highlights another important fact - Guilt and empathy do not equal action, and standing by allowing bullying to happen can be just as bad as being the bully yourself. In this matter, she has her own demons to contend with as she deals with the loss of Al.

I would highly recommend this read to everyone - Particularly high school age, as it could help those who are struggling to understand they are not alone, and others to think twice about their actions.

This is simply stunning.  Heartbreakingly difficult to read in places and puts you through a rollercoaster of emotions but it’s beautiful. I adore how this is told through the eyes of two people, Nathan and Megan, and it resonates so well with how society is today and the pressure on young people to get ‘likes’ and conform. This book will stay with me for a long time I have no doubt.

And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a beautiful, poignant and utterly heartbreaking book. It deals with difficult topics of bullying and suicide, which may be difficult for some people to read, however I would urge you to read it. It’s one of those books that stays with you for a while after.

First things off - you need to be aware of what this book is all about before picking it up to read.  This is not fluff.  This is not light.  This is not a book that will not effect you but it is a beautiful and important book. 



I felt utterly empty after reading this book as I honestly think I cried throughout it all.  That's never happened before.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a really difficult read but it was also an incredible and very important read. Everyone needs to read this but please check trigger warnings before reading.

It took me a long time to read this book, not because it wasn’t good but because it deals with very difficult and very sensitive topics and I had to take breaks in between reading them. The sensitive topics include bullying and suicide and Danielle dealt with these really well. She doesn’t hold back in showing the reality and consequences of bullying and how it affects the person being bullied and also how it affects their family and friends too.

This book is heart breaking to read as we slowly learn what Al went through, we see how much he loved creating art and all the things he wanted to do in life and how because of cruel classmates he committed suicide and now will never get to achieve any of his dreams and goals in life. It gets more and more horrifying as we learn more and more and it just made me think how absolutely awful it would be for those teens who suffer through this and no one realises anything is wrong.

We see Al’s story from the point of view of his brother Nathan and his friend Megan who are each battling their own issues while also struggling to deal with their grief and complicated feelings about Al and his death. It was really interesting to read the story through their eyes as we get to see Al from two different parts of his life.

Megan was his friend but she has many regrets and also struggles with peer pressure and body image issues. She wishes she had just been open about the fact that she was Al’s friend as he had such a big impact on her life and helped her see that she could go to university and achieve so much more than she thought she was capable of.

Nathan is dealing with so much guilt, he feels guilty about how he felt he wasn’t there for his brother and that he can’t work out why his brother took his own life. It was heartbreaking going on this journey with him where he slowly finds out what was happening in his brothers life and slowly piecing it all together. It was incredibly difficult learning about what Al went through and that he didn’t know how to reach out to someone and suffered in silence and alone.

Danielle’s writing is incredible and despite it being an incredibly difficult topic she did a wonderful job. It was such a real portrayal of what can happen when someone is bullied. This is a book that everyone should read and we all need to have more honest discussions about these issues as they are literally taking lives.

Just please read the trigger warnings before reading.