Sadly this book just didn't do it for me. There is no denying that it is beautifully written but something just didn't click. I cant even say what it was. This will be an amazing book for some but just not me

I enjoyed this book. It was slow paced but the setting and characterisations were both lovely and I enjoyed the relationship developing between the two sisters. Very well told tale.

This unusual contemporary novel deals with a very special and challenging sisterly relationship. Set for the majority in Norway, the stark and picturesque landscape showcases the overwhelming emotions that 22 year old Clara undergoes on her physical and psychological journey. At times it is hard to believe that Clara is a fictional creation as her character is so well-drawn. Thoroughly recommended for all readers looking for a quiet, reflective, insightful read. My thanks go to the publishers and to NetGalley for the free ARC I received that enabled me to prepare and post this unbiased review.

I had been recommended this book by my daughter who is a keen follower of AH and I had read her swim book. However, my initial impression was that the author was so much better at describing her own life than the differing concept of fiction. The story had a slow rather boring start and became more interesting when the lead character reached the island her sister lived on. I enjoyed the descriptions of island scenery and the depiction of a life lived off the land. Another however... the characters all felt as if they just conformed to female stereotypes, all in all an interesting story by a very good writer ( I do hope my daughter doesn’t read this as she will not be happy that I didn’t write a rave review) . An enjoyable read by an extremely good writer, perhaps my problem as her other books are faultless! Thank you Netgalley for ARC.

I enjoyed this book and the location of a remote Nordic island. The characters developed well but perhaps there could have been a bit more in the story

I loved this book I got very emotional reading this book. The book is slow paced but it's not boring slow paced. The book follows 22 year old Clara who discovering after her father died a long lost sister Maggie. Clara is entrusted by her father who in a letter wants her to find Maggie. Clara leaves everything she knows behind to find her sister Maggiw who lives in a remote part of Norway. Maggie is not thrilled with Clara's arrival she is very hard to read she has built complex walls and I found them frustrating along with Clara. Clara spends a year building a relationship with her sister you root for Clara. I love Clara's chracture journey and her struggles with not only her relationship with Maggie but with her mum friends and boyfriend as well as her self. Maggie is reserved I liked her journey and I warmed up to her towards the end. I loved the ending it felt perfect. The book deals with grief sucidie and mental health really well. I would like a follow up book. I loved that it was set in Norway and i loved the description of the setting felt like i was there.
Thankyou to netgally the publisher and the author for giving me a advanced copy I recommend this book
5 stars

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps, stop/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me.

This was a slow starter for me but I am glad I carried on reading as it rewarded continuing. I have enjoyed Alexandra Heminsley’s writing in the past - her running book was really good - and I was interested to see how she managed to turn her hand to fiction. The seemingly every day trials of a 20-something didn’t immediately grab me but as the story developed and more layers were added, I found myself wanting to read more. The quiet reflective nature of the sisters and their relationship was sensitively drawn and realistic. I was also relieved that Heminsley did not opt for a big showdown at the end but again, the drama was realistic and had depth and just enough tension. This is a quiet, layered book, well written and character-led. A strong debut novel.

Clara is not living the perfect life. Too scared to pursue her love of art as a career and too scared to leave her controlling boyfriend. Then Clara's dad dies and his solicitor reveals that Clara has a half-sister, Maggie. Her dad, who was estranged from Maggie, has asked that Clara personally deliver some papers and mementos to Maggie in the event of his death. The problem is, Maggie is living off grid in the frozen north of Norway.
Clara sets off on a lengthy journey to find Maggie, and it transpires, to find herself too.
This was a pleasant enough book. Clara and Maggie clearly both have issues, but these were scooted over and not given an opportunity for the characters to develop.
I loved the descriptions of the remote island and the life Maggie was living.
A decent read.

I've followed the author on Instagram for years now and always enjoy her content. I've also read Some Body to Love which I thought was a really moving meditation on several elements of her personal life which she'd only discussed in brief online prior to writing the book. I had been looking forward to Under The Same Stars for some time, ever since she detailed some of the research trip she took to Norway in preparation. If I start with what I did enjoy about the book, it was mostly the cottagecore elements. It made me want to live on a tiny island where I could spend my days foraging and knitting and not dealing with anyone! I think she painted a picture of that lifestyle very elegantly and it was a comforting sort of read in that sense. However, I really didn't think that the way the characters were written added to that sense of comfort and ease. I found the lead character, Clara, immensely frustrating. I expected, coming from this particular author, to read a lead female character who was strong and rounded and insightful but I felt Clara was so simpering and two-dimensional, making poor decision after poor decision, that it really distracted me from losing myself completely in the story. Her sister, too, and her mother (plus the best friend) were all such caricatures of women I've seen a million times before in similar novels. My expectations were just higher because I admire the author and how she's navigated through her personal life, and she writes and speaks so eloquently on women in factual writing but somehow it hasn't translated for me into her fiction. The whole novel feels pastel when I really expected vibrancy. It's an easy read, for sure, and is "nice" but I didn't want nice, I wanted Alexandra Heminsley!

This was a journey of discovery that takes Clara to remote Norway and a landscape as brutal as it is bewitching, a voyage fraught with personal and emotional danger to reveal who her father really was - and find the sister she's never met. Riveting read!

For a debut novel, I was overwhelmed. Alexandra captures the essence and complexity of her characters and makes them come alive.
This was a fascinating and compelling novel which was at once relatable and yet, not so relatable being set in the Arctic Circle. Fantastic and I can't wait to read more fiction from Hemmo!

I think that there was a lot of great thoughts and a lot of effort put into this book, and I did enjoy the background setting of the book which shone through. However I just didn't really gel with it. Sorry.

What can I say about this book. Firstly I was pleasantly surprised. Although it is not my usual genre I found myself hooked on it. Desperate to find out if Clara and Maggie could make their relationship as sisters work. Also desperately hoping Clara never returns to Simon. (I'm not going to tell you the answer to these. You'll have to read the book). The book is well written and well researched and omg when Clara saw the northern lights for the first time all I could think of was how much I wanted to be there. This book is definitely worth the read!!

A beautiful story challenging all family dynamics as well as difficult relationships and the impact they have on lives and behaviour.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t jell with me. There seemed to be a lot of superficial and unnecessary detail - especially at the beginning where we learn about Clara’s life in London. The story progresses and gets better as you get into it but I found Clara an irritating character and some of her decisions didn’t make sense. Disappointing.

I really wasn’t expecting Clara’s voyage of discovery to take her to an island as remote as the one she ended up on with Maggie, or that she would need that in order to escape what she left behind in London.
This was a beautiful story. Maggie’s character felt inspirational to me- I want to be as secure and self aware as she is! It was lovely to see them finally trust each other and develop that sibling bond, even if it took a bit of drama to get there! Would absolutely recommend for the beautiful descriptions of life in Norway as much as for the powerful story!

I will post this review on Goodreads closer towards the publication date, as requested by the publisher.

This book had the potential to be a beautiful and inspiring story of sisterhood, grief and self discovery, however there were two main aspects of the book that made it fall short of this for me.

Firstly, I found the pacing was a bit strange. The first half of the book was quite slow and some parts were a bit irrelevant. Whilst the second part which focused more on the sisterhood story felt quite rushed at times. The main resolution which came in the form of an epilogue especially felt rushed.

Secondly, I guess partly to do with the pacing issues, I found the characters, in particularly Clara, were not as developed as they could have been. Just when it seemed the characters were starting to grow, something would happen that reversed any development.

It was however a relatively easy read, and I liked the setting of Norway which I think worked well with the overall story and themes.

I really wanted to love this book, as the Norwegian setting appealed strongly to me, but somehow it just didn't come together. It's clear that Clara has a lot of problems related both to family relationships in her past and to her present relationship, but the author doesn't give enough information to allow the reader to fully understand why she is as she is. The result was that I kept feeling irritated with her for the irrational decisions she made, and the constant annoying references to adrenalin and 'fizzing' really jarred through overuse.

There were parts of the story that I just couldn't believe in, for example her inability to leave the island, leading to her staying for several months, when she could easily have summoned a boat.

“Under the Same Stars” by Alexandra Heminsley, published by little,brownbookgroup.

This will be the caption on my Instagram post for “Under the Same Stars”. The primary image for this post will be of the book itself, taken from the littlebrownbookgroup_uk Instagram. It will be published no sooner than 08/07/2022, in line with the agreement from the publishing house.

When Clara’s father passes away suddenly she has more than just his death to reckon with. The discovery of a well kept family secret leads her to the edge of the world, and in many ways home to herself.

This is a book that starts with an ending and ends with a new beginning. Clever and artfully done; I enjoyed Clara’s journey of self discovery as she struggled with the aftermath of her father’s death and the secret it uncovered. We journey from her restrained life in London to a remote and wild island off the Norwegian coast. This is a book that in many ways examines what it is to mourn, to love and to be lost. It strikes the perfect balance of being an engaging and absorbing read whilst never becoming overly heavy. It has a satisfyingly slow build before an emotional ending that is both cathartic and rewarding. I loved the environments explored and how the characters moved through and interacted with the landscapes; how at times the very sea mirrored them.

5/5 and for me is solidly a keeper. I know I will return to this story again
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My thanks to @netgalley , @littlebrownbookgroup_uk, @hemmograms for the E-arc. It was an absolute pleasure.

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The section below will appear as a slide on my Instagram post. (First image will be of the book, taken from @littlebrownbookgroupuk Instagram, 2nd slide/ image will be what is contained below.)

“Under the Same Stars” By Alexandra Heminsley
Read it if:
- You appreciate just how complicated families can be and how we all know different versions of one another.
- You know what a beast grief can be and how mourning is a sea with its own tides and swells.
- You like vividly depicted characters that contrast and blend with each other beautifully; all set in an environment that cleverly mirrors the same.
- Books that place an unflinching gaze on the expectations of womanhood, the compromises
women make to fulfil them and how often they have to be untangled later.

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