This is a stunning debut
It is well written with great characters
The writing is descriptive meaning you can picture the scene so well

This book was not what I was expecting at all. At first I was like Fish and Beard were really weird names but characters but when you get further into the story you actually realise it was just abbreviations from there actual names. This storyline caught me off guard and the child abuse section was harrowing but I’m glad someone stuck up for him in the end and justice was served.

We think we know the two boys' crime right from start .. but we don't really and anyway it didn't work. An appealing Sheriff called Cal and a pit stop waitress slowly become involved as the community rallies around to save them from their dangerous escape route. It's also a story of fathers and sons and grandfathers. Beating the odds .. and who you can rely on .. a slow read but with surprises along the way.. (maybe it all ties up too neatly??) Very solid ..

A little late reviewing The raft of stars ⭐️

One gunshot sound and Bread and fish two young boys run into the woods. They built their raft and escape on the river. It’s quite an tale of how the boys survive, grow their friendship, people they meet and as they age and develop strength on the journey.

A survival story and it’s an exceptional one.

Jeepers but this book gave me goosebumps right from the start. The writing is gorgeous and Fish and Bread make an immediate impact as two young boys whose escape from a life which has treated them so diffidently. One of them makes a choice to stand up for the other and the consequences of this act are lifechanging.

They feel that their dreams and visions can sustain them as they set off, feeling that they have broken away from their childhood and are now adults. But being only young, they have no sense of the danger they have put themselves in as they set off down a river towards a future they fully believe will come true.

The adults who come after them are lost in their own ways, brought together by their mutual need to bring Fish and Bread back home. The dual narratives of the boys and the people looking after them are so intricately plotted and dynamically translated onto the page that you cannot help but be swept away by the underlying emotions and emotionally invest in the outcome of this journey.

This is a novel of hope, the fallibility of the human heart and redemption and it is beautifully reflected in the wilderness and natural world that these characters find themselves in. It's absolutely beautiful and a recommended read from me for sure!

Raft of stars - Andrew J.Graff

2 10yr-old boys Fish (Fischer Branson) and Bread (Dale breadwin) are best friends. Tired of seeing his best friend being abused by his father, Fish takes action which leads the two boys flee...

Such a compelling story and a great read.

Ahhhhhhhh the two boys in this one bread and fish will stay with you a while after this book is over, what a wonderful coming of age book this so and one I adored! Beautifully written you can almost believe you are right there with them both, loved it, I was totally emotionally invested in those boys and rooting for them throughout, a gorgeous gem of a book, funny and sad and poignant, brilliant, buy the book, you’ll be glad you did!!

A poignant and well written story. I loved the descriptions and it was like travelling to places I knew long ago (lived in Wisconsin).
Good storytelling and character development, a moving and engrossing story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a powerful, moving coming-of-age story that reminded me so much of the classic film Stand by Me.
The characters Bread and Fish (what wonderful names!) were warm and I loved them, two misfit boys who are just battling through their childhood and their friendship shines through.
A fantastic, impressive debut.

From the off, I was pulled into this riveting, enthralling tale by Andrew J. Graff. In this historical coming-of-age début, set in the summer of 1994 in the small town of Claypot, Wisconsin the reader meets ten-year-old Fischer “Fish” Branson and Dale “Bread” Breadwin. Fish and Bread spend a lot of their time together. Fish lives with his doting granddad, Teddy following his father's death and Bread is often beaten by his abusive and alcoholic dad. Fish has been taught to hunt and other wilderness survival skills by Teddy. One night finds he cannot leave Bread beaten and bruised and he fires a gun. Believing they may have committed murder they flee into the woods...

Raft of Stars is an absorbing read with bucketloads of action and drama. The author's passion for the Wisconsin landscape is evidenced in his writing with many vivid descriptions of its ruggedness. His characters seem to come alive and the same can be said of the wilderness itself. The rich narrative is laden with emotion and danger in this compelling, plot-driven adventure. Very highly recommended and certainly a must-read novel. Grab yourself a copy as soon as you can!

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Interesting and unusual tale. Two young boys run away thinking they have killed someone. This story is about their survival and adventures in the forest and the people who search for them.

This book has everything, love, loss family relationships and adventure. The story of two 10 year old friends, Fisch and Bread in Wisconsin is beautifully told. Fisch spends his summers on his Grandfather's farm in Wisconsin and he and Bread have become great friends. Bread has a miserable life with his abusive father and, although people suspect this, nothing seems to be done. Cal has recently become th Sherriff there, as an alternative life in Houston, where his police career has a setback. Their lives become involved in a fast paced adventure after a catastrophic event. I loved going on the journey with them.

I was recommended this book as I had read where the Crawdads Sing and found both interesting reads both set in America.
This story is set in Wisconsin in 1994 and tells the adventures of two ten year old best friends boys with the nicknames Fish and Bread. They both are such likeable characters that I couldnt help but take them to heart. Their determination and loyalty shone throughout and when they are forced to abscond to the wilderness after Fish shoots Breads Father they prove their resourcefulness when faced with danger.
We are treated to other interesting characters in this story and learn about their lives including local sheriff Cal, family members of the boys and Tiffany a local girl.
This book is heart-warming and a joy to read. My thanks to Net Galley for the digital ARC, these are my own thoughts on Raft of the Stars.

Ten year olds Fish and Bread go on the run in rural Wisconsin after Fish shoots Bread’s abusive father. They set off through forest and river after raiding Fish’s grandfather’s farm for supplies. Like a twentieth century Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, at first they are intoxicated by the freedom and the idea of themselves as hunters surviving in the wilds, but as the terrain becomes more hostile, fear and doubts set in. Meanwhile they are pursued by the adults who care for them, including Fish’s grandfather and mother and Cal, the new young sheriff who has lost his way in life and feels ill-equipped for what he needs to do. This was a well written story with interesting and engaging characters. We get a glimpse of their back stories, but I would have liked to have heard more about them and seen more character development. Instead the focus is on the trials of the journey, both the escape and the pursuit, which didn’t really hold my interest. I do feel that the author has much potential though, and I will look forward to seeing what he writes in the future.

The description of the book pushed all my buttons so I was really pleased to read it. It’s been compared to Where the Crawdads sing and We begin at the end both of which are absolute favourites of mine and I absolutely agree it’s a fair comparison. The writing is delightful as are all the characters in their own way. My small complaint is of my own making because I always put my heroes on a pedestal and I did this with Cal but he refused to behave how I wanted or expected him to! I was totally involved with the story right from the start but it wasn’t quite emotional enough for me.
So to summarise I would have preferred to give this book four and a half stars if this was possible but am settling on four after a full day of heart searching. My five stars really do have to be exceptional and this book was very narrowly less than exceptional but a really really good book all the same. This author is now on my “ to read more” list.

I was keen to read RAFT OF STARS as firstly, it’s a debut. Love me a debut! 😍Secondly, it’s for fans of WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING and I am a big fan of that book.
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One summer night in Wisconsin in the summer of 1994, the lives of two ten-year-old boys are changed forever. Tired of seeing his best friend Dale Breadwin abused by his alcoholic father, Fischer Branson takes action. A gunshot rings out, and Bread and Fish flee into the woods. They build a raft, but the river quickly leads them into even greater danger. In their wake travel a group of adults – each determined to save the boys from the terrors of Ironsford Gorge. The further they go, the more the wilderness starts to change them in profound and unexpected ways. No matter where you run danger will always follow.
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This is certainly a coming of age story and one full of adventure and heart. 😍 The biggest thing that jumped out for me whilst reading this book was how atmospheric and tense it felt. It’s beautifully written as I could imagine the wilderness setting and how the characters change in the natural environment. I found the characters hard to connect with at first. 😬 I felt quite disconnected and I’m not sure why, but as the story developed and gathered pace, I started to feel more invested in the boys, Bread and Fish, and their friendship. The last section of the book was my favourite and I was basically on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen to the boys out in the wild. 😱 It was sooooo tense!!! Like CRAWDADS, the natural world plays a big part in the story and how the characters react and find beauty and power in it, really was well done. It was moving, but I wasn’t balled over with emotion. I didn’t cry. 😭 The boys bond was what stood out for me. 🧐 Definitely recommend if you like coming of age stories, and CRAWDADS.

I didn’t know what was going on at first and the writing was a little clunky, but as I read things made more sense. We follow 10-year-old best friends Bread and Fish as they go on the run after something bad happens. We also follow the people desperately searching for them. Although written from multiple POV’s it felt seamless and flowed really well. It was slower paced than I’d hoped, but it was a beautiful story full of hope and friendship. 

  My favourite part of this book was Bread and Fish’s friendship. The way they would have done anything to protect each other and how they never gave up on one another. It was the characters that really bought this story to life. Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and author for a copy of this book to read and review.

Raft of stars is a dark and dazzling historical coming to age debut novel, full of wild imagery of the rural Wisconsin landscape.

It’s the summer of 1994 in Claypot and the lives of two ten years old boys “Fish” Branson and “Bread” Breadwin are shaped by the two fathers they don’t really talk about. After loosing his father, Fish has spent his last three summers with his grandfather, Teddy. There he learnt all the survival skill helpful in the wilderness. When Fish is not busy at the farm, he spends all his time with his best friend Bread, whose father, Jack, is an abusive drunk. One night tired of seeing his best friend suffering, Fish decided to take matters into his own hands. A gunshot flees at the scene and the boys decide to run away, believing themselves murderers. They decided to find solace in the woods, but more challenges await..

Four adults try to track them in the woods, all of them on their own journey. Teddy, Fish’s grandfather, who knows by heart the woods; Tiffany, a gas station attendant looking for connections; Sheriff Cal, who is having second thoughts about his career in law enforcement; and Miranda, Fish’s mother, a fierce and faithful woman. This is a compelling and immersive read, full of action, drama and unexpected twists.
Graff’s passion for the Wisconsin landscape is palpable throughout the whole book, using vivid and beautiful evocative descriptions, in this way the wilderness becomes a character by itself.

I would recommend this book to everyone who has enjoyed reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Thank you HQ & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of the book.

Raft of Stars is a dark and dazzling historical coming-of-age debut full of wild imagery of the rural Wisconsin landscape and characters with real heart. It’s the summer of 1994 in Claypot, Wisconsin, and the lives of ten-year-old Fischer “Fish” Branson and Dale “Bread” Breadwin are shaped by the two fathers they don’t talk about. After the death of his father, Fish, who hasn't at all comes to terms with his devastating loss, has spent the last three summers on his loving and supportive grandfather Teddy’s farm where he has taught the young ’un all about the toil involved in looking after the farm and passed down the survival skills useful for the wilderness and taught to him by his father, such as hiking, fishing and hunting. When Fish is not enjoying time with his grandfather he would while away his spare hours getting up to all sorts of adventures with his best friend, Bread, whose father, Jack, is an abusive drunk. One night, tired of seeing his best friend bruised and terrorized by his no-good dad, Fish takes action. A gunshot rings out and the two boys flee the scene, believing themselves murderers. They head for the woods, where they find their way onto a raft, but the natural terrors of Ironsforge Gorge threaten to overwhelm them.

Four adults track them into the forest, each one on a journey of his or her own. Fish’s mother Miranda, a wise woman full of fierce faith; his granddad, Teddy, who knows the woods like the back of his hand; Tiffany, a purple-haired gas station attendant and poet looking for connection; and Sheriff Cal, who’s having doubts about a life in law enforcement. This is a compulsive and absorbing read with plenty of action, drama and surprises along the way and Graff's passion for the Wisconsin landscape, where he grew up, is plain as day and provides many vivid and beautifully evocative descriptions of the ruggedness and the atmosphere. His characters are full of heart and come alive one by one as you read; in some ways, the wild wilderness is a character in itself. The narrative is laden with emotion, danger and rich, nostalgic moments that had me remembering my childhood days with a resolute fondness. This is at once a compelling plot-driven wilderness adventure and a resonant coming-of-age tale told from shifting viewpoints and filled with rich detail of childhood friendships sliding between the boys' idyllic future hopes and dreams and the reality of having to run for their lives. A stunning and refreshingly original novel. Highly recommended.

It's the summer of 1994 in Claypert, Winconsin, and the lives of ten year old Fischer ''Fish'' Branason and Dale ''Bread'' Breadwin are shaped by the two fathers they don't talk about. One night, tired of seeing his best friend bruised and terrorised by his no - good dad, Fish takes action. A gunshot rings out and the two bous flee the scene, believing themselves murderers. Four adults track them into the forest, each one on a journey of their own.The cast of characters is small but they all have roles to play in each others lives. Fish and Bread go on a journey of survival, freedom, friendship and they have to face their fears as they head down the river on a raft. This is a heartwarming story of childhood friendship and trust. This is a well written debut novel.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HQ and the author #AndrewJGraff for my ARC of #RaftOfStars in exchange for an honest review.