Well written and a delightful read. Set on an island populated with houseboats, Jo runs the bookshop and helps her grandmother Mary, a stalwart of the island. When Oliver Greenwood returns to take up his inheritance, she must fight to protect all she holds dear. A beautiful story that is easy to read and one you cannot put down.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for access to this ARC 📚.

🔥Quick Fire Review🔥

Genre/Themes: ⛴️🛶🎨🌻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎸🎤🏡
Tropes: Orphan, Not Like the Other Girls, All Grown Up, Love/Hate Relationship, The One That Got Away, Reunion Romance, Second Chance Romance, Can’t Spit It Out, Everyone Can See It, Accidental Pregnancy, Marriage in Trouble, One Night Stand, Misunderstanding, Set in a Closed Community
Positives: quirky and interesting setting, romance plot about protagonists aged 30-40+ which is a rarity!
<b>Room for Improvement 🔎 :</b> unlikeable characters, romances felt very lacklustre, flashback scenes underutilised, sub-plots that added little to the story with missed opportunities, several typos
Rating: 🌕🌕🌖

✍🏻Full Review - RISK OF SPOILERS 🛑

I was really looking forward to this based on the reviews and ratings but sadly I just struggled to enjoy it. I think this was largely down to the fact that I didn’t find any of the characters relatable in the slightest, with the majority of them being privileged middle-aged people living on a private island on the Thames able to make their living from art alone. This privilege made them all act like impulsive, immature teenagers. The nostalgic elements weren’t enough to raise the stakes of the plot and I found myself skimming the second half waiting to reach the conclusion, which in the end was disappointingly anti-climatic anyway.

Characterisation:
Jo was the most interesting, nuanced character of the book. She started out as a feminist icon to be honest. A 40-something singleton, a party animal doing shots most nights then having casual sex, getting annoyed at people’s hypocrisy over her drunken antics versus her male counterparts doing the exact same things. From a child she had been seen as the ‘leader’ on the island amongst her peers. She was a loud, assertive, self-proclaimed ‘tomboy’. She was basically written to throw out the idea of female stereotypes and traditional ideas about femininity. But then it turns out she gave up her art career because a male teacher-turned-lover in Florence told her she wasn’t good enough. She’d actually been single all this time because she’d never gotten over the guy she knew as a teenager, not because she enjoyed the single life. In fact as soon as they got back together, she got pregnant and engaged. So to be honest I felt like the message of her character was ‘people who act like they don’t want a traditional female life are lying’. That was a bummer. I also found her very hypocritical. The aggression she showed over her neighbours buddying up with her ‘enemy’, the anger she showed towards Oliver for ‘betraying her’ suggested that loyalty and honesty were very important to her… but then she just completely overlooked the fact that her best friend CHEATED ON HER HUSBAND WITH THE GUY SHE WAS STILL IN LOVE WITH? In fact she HELPED HER COVER IT UP? What on earth was that? And why did she find it so easy to overlook that the guy she ends up with also fucked her best friend and another of her neighbours, all in the space of a few weeks while he was still married to a woman in America? Apparently she likes to pick and choose when loyalty and honesty are her values. Her ‘redemption’ arc of going to Florence and officially deciding she wants to paint again was also disappointing, because she basically only decided to let go of her exes’ opinion when she saw him again and felt he’d turned ugly? Apparently letting an attractive guy change the course of your life is fine but if they’re ugly you can let it go… So I can’t help but feel that Jo’s happiness was too reliant on men. I get that she had abandonment issues, after her mum leaving her as a toddler and having an absentee dad. Oliver leaving without a trace just added to these issues and she was desperate for validation. But get some therapy, girl. She was also aggravatingly immature, too. She never once let Oliver explain himself, instead having constant digs at him and starting arguments. The book could have been over in a couple of chapters if she’d actually just let him talk. So all in all she felt like a 40-something year old stuck at the mental age of a teenager because she didn’t have any reliant male figures in her life.
Oliver was such a boring love interest. I honestly didn’t understand everyone’s fascination with him other than being tall, attractive and rich. He was an anxious avoidant type with serious daddy issues. He would escalate fights with Jo then storm out, and he’d only come back to the island to escape his failing marriage under the guise of ridding himself of it. He shagged two women in the space of a few weeks because he was so in love with Jo and wanted to get back at her. What a catch! And his excuses about never coming back to Jo were so pathetic. ‘My dad made me do this’, ‘my dad told me that’. You are in your FORTIES AND RICH. Get over yourself. His mum dying on the island would have been a more understandable reason, but even that he blames on his dad and his neglect of his family so that was a shit excuse as well. The build up of their relationship was so lacklustre to me. The turning point was supposed to be the Christmas they spent together, but the fun they apparently had was so glossed over it felt like there was next to no development of their romance at all. When they finally got together I felt nothing. Yay, two immature and emotionally stunted individuals got back together after not sorting themselves out over the past twenty years! Yippee!
Mary was Jo’s grandmother and the matriarchal figure of the island. She was a nice old lady and unfortunately developing Alzheimer’s. She was guilty of coddling Jo, feeling responsible for the death of Jo’s mother because she didn’t follow her lover Ossie to LA to keep the family unit together. This coddling resulted in an unexplainable distance between her and Jo because they had never properly discussed Ruby leaving, even after all this time. Mary seemed unable to open her heart fully to men after Ossie, hence why her and Golibe break up even after 20 years. I found it sad that, like Jo, Mary holds herself back from love because she cannot let go of the past. I cannot help but feel Mary took advantage of Golibe and his kindness. It felt like a lot of take and not an awful lot of give. She was also accused of this with George, Oliver’s grandfather, who gave her the house and looked after her and Ruby. She did try and help earn her keep by working at the hotel and working multiple jobs as a single mother/grandmother, but I felt she knew damn well that George was in love with her but was afraid to officially tell him nothing was ever going to happen between them in case she lost his support. That’s George’s fault for exerting power over her through money, and trying to buy her affection, but I felt there was no reason for her to do the same to Golibe.
Sophie enraged me in this book. I felt she was an absolutely pointless character and was just there as plot fodder. As a friend she seemed to be the jealous and semi-resentful type towards Jo, more of a frenemy than a genuine friend. She goes for Oliver the moment he arrives, even though she knows about Jo’s issues with him. Oh, and that whole BEING MARRIED THING. A marriage she makes very clear throughout that she feels was the result of rebounding. SHE LIES ABOUT BEING ON THE PILL! Instead of being honest with her husband that she doesn’t want children. She spends the whole story trying to get her husband off the island and escaping to London, where her work was and where she truly wanted to be. She literally had no redeeming qualities, she was the worst. So we had Jo, who lived a non-traditional life that honestly sounded awesome but actually desperately craved a traditional one. Then we had Sophie who lived that traditional life but didn’t want it, and decided the only way she could go about it was by being a deceitful betrayer. What lovely messages about womanhood this book depicted.
Side characters were hit and miss. Dave, Sophie’s husband, was a pushy, manipulative busybody seemingly incapable of compromise. No, I don’t believe Sophie was right to lie about trying for a baby with him, and I don’t think he deserved ending up in a marriage doomed to fail. But the guy wouldn’t even get off the island to take his new wife on a honeymoon. He didn’t even recognise his wife’s discomfort when they talked about children. So, he was a total dick too.
Golibe was great but so underutilised. He was the one realist in Mary’s life, telling her straight that her granddaughter and her coddling of her was a problem and the reason they broke up. But Golibe was an African man moving to a closed white community in the 60s. Where was his story? So much could have been done with that. Their relationship of 20 years is completely glossed over, just showing how Mary seemed completely indifferent towards it in comparison to Ossie in the 60s. I’m glad Golibe found someone new because Mary didn’t deserve him, to be honest.
We only meet Ruby in flashbacks, but I felt she was a reckless coward if I’m being blunt. Want to travel the world and find fame? Don’t want to be trapped as a teenage mum? Use some protection then when you have sex, idiot. Take responsibility for your actions and look after your damn baby? I felt no sympathy when she died, which is another glossed over thing. No idea how or why she died and I couldn’t care less with how shitty I thought she was. Ossie, Ruby’s dad, turned out to actually be a nice guy. That was a shame. Because George, the big manipulator, had convinced Mary not to go with him to be a family and had hidden letters from Ossie begging to be together. Ossie died too, but we don’t know when, how or why. Jack was Oliver’s father and is spoken about a lot, but we rarely hear him actually speak or have any flashbacks or scenes with him so it was a very biased depiction.

World-Building:
The story is set on a fictional Thames island inspired by Eel Pie Island and Eel Pie Island Hotel. I enjoyed the setting a lot, with its enchanting feel and being so intertwined with nature. The descriptions of the island were beautiful, it’s just a shame the romance of the wilderness didn’t match the romance of the story. They even hold an open studio art festival, which actually happens in real life on Eel Pie Island. The closed community made the characters seem very sheltered from the outside world. The flashbacks of the hotel gave a nostalgic feel for the music scene in the 60s/70s, inspired by the real Eel Pie Island Hotel and the artists that played there. But it showed the lows too, such as the misogyny and sexual assault and a LOT of drugs. My issue was the vague mentions of ‘social justice’ that Mary and Ruby were passionate about. What social justice? It would have been better to delve into this, into what everybody was fighting for, because there was too much focus on the sex and rock ‘n’ roll side making the ‘social justice’ feel tagged on and downplayed. There was no mention in fact of how wrong it was that Mary and Ruby were both impregnated as teenagers, and at one point Mary remembers the sounds of a girl being raped upstairs in the hotel. For people wanting social justice where was the commentary and reflection from the characters on this? All of these issues contributed to the privileged, ignorant and isolated feel of the people living on the island. This was worsened by the classism some of the characters showed, with the people who moored illegally on the island being described as ‘tramps’ and ‘scruffy’ and there was a LOT of use of the word ‘gypsy’. So sounds like there wasn’t enough social justice going on at all.

Prose\Plot:
I didn’t mind the prose on the whole, aside from the dialogue in critical moments. When Mary finds out Ruby had died it was honestly a bit cringeworthy, with her anguish being reduced to what felt like a paragraph of non-punctuated repeated words. Not realistic sounding when said out loud, either. There were also multiple typos throughout the book. The romance writing was far too closed-door for a book advertised as ‘sexy’. Any intense or passionate moments were very rushed, which is why I found myself not feeling anything about their love story whatsoever.
Pacing was another big issue. This story is SLOW, and that’s coming from me who loves a slow burn. It got to a point where I was skimming the flashbacks or certain characters’ storylines, like Sophie, because they just weren’t interesting enough and delayed the main plot.
Plot wise the overarching theme just felt very low stakes. We all know Oliver isn’t going to sell the island, we all know he won’t take Willows away from Mary. So you’re left feeling… what was the point in all of that? It could have just been a story about Oliver and Jo rekindling their romance, and Jo rediscovering her love for art. Her jaunt in Florence was way too rushed, especially as it’s meant to completely change Jo’s life. Oliver’s discussion with his wife was too. She said a few lines and that was it, over. Seemingly no repercussions. That’s his whole life in New York, his whole family legacy, ditched so he can go and live on a Thames island. Jo and Oliver decide not to tell Mary about Ossie actually wanting to make life work with her, that he actually did love her, because they felt it would upset her due to her Alzheimer’s. So poor Mary got no closure on that either.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book which is a real shame.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline story set on the fictional Walnut Tree Island, inspired by Eel Pie Island on the Thames.
It’s the 1960’s and sixteen year old Mary, unknown to her parents, escapes from her suburban neighbourhood to meet her school friends to go to concerts given by up and coming musicians on Walnut Tree Island. George Greenwood, runs the venue in an old hotel there and as the story progresses it becomes clear that George thinks a good deal of Mary and looks out for her. When Mary falls under the spell of Ossie Jones, the lead singer in The Demons it is clearly going to end badly and she is left holding baby Ruby and thrown out by her parents. Of course, because he has feelings for her, George comes to the rescue.
Running parallel to this story the book fast forwards to the present day. Mary, now in her seventies still lives on the island in the cottage given to her by George. Her granddaughter Jo has a houseboat on the island though Mary feels comforted by the fact that Jo will have the cottage when she dies. George’s son, Jack has just died and there is talk on the island of Oliver Greenwood, Jack’s son, and his plans for the island now that he has inherited it. Jo and Oliver have a past connection and Dave, who is married to Sophie, Jo’s best friend is hopeful that Oliver will not sell the island. He and Oliver were good friends when Oliver lived on the island as a teenager.
There are lots of characters to get to know in the book but once I got into the story I really enjoyed going back in time to the 1960’s and finding out more about the history of the island. As the story unfolds there are some unexpected revelations and it was interesting to see things from Jo and Mary’s perspective. The story of Ruby and what happened to her is so poignant and it becomes clear that Jo still feels the loss of her mother even though she loves Mary very much. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in return for an unbiased review.

I do try very hard not to rate below 3* but after loving The Garnett Girls I was left feeling disappointed by this one by Georgina Moore. I loved the Walnut tree /Eel Pie Island setting & the musical, bohemian atmosphere. Mary Star as matriarch was a likeable, believable character. However, as a whole, the story comes across as a little confusing with many extraneous characters, repetitive storylines and no main plot to follow (other than the fate of the island which was obvious). Many of the extraneous characters who we hear quite a lot of detail about initially, disappear in to thin air whilst the other main characters are so dislikable that I found the whole reading experience a bit depressing. Lots of potential as a premise but ultimately disappointing.Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Such a bittersweet story, full of love, regrets, friends and lovers. Jo and Oliver finding their way back to one another among all the past regrets and the Island, will it be saved? A wonderful story that broke me a little bit

Enticing story about a community on a fictional island in the Thames. A hotel in the 196os hosts an exciting music scene for up and coming bands, and teenagers flock from far and near to enjoy the excitement, music, beer and necking! Superbly evocative of the period; we meet Mary a young girl with a wonderful singing voice who struggles for recognition in this male-dominated industry. She falls in love with Ossie, singer of The Demons - about to hit the big time in the USA.

Two generations later we meet Mary's grand-daughter, Jo who has been brought up by her on this blissful island. Although now left to decay somewhat, the descriptions of it are superb and you feel you can see the views they talk about, smell the flowers and 'feel' the artists' area. But Jo, an artist who has shared her life with the boat and artists' communities on the island has stopped painting...

There is lots of impromptu partying and socialising with the familiar figures on the island and the atmosphere is laid back, fun and mutually supportive with people Jo has grown up with. But a threat to the island's future ownership is looming. The hotel owner's Grandson is coming back to sort out his inheritance, making the communities suspicious and wary.

Reading this is a pleasure, imagining such a lovely (albeit sometimes too, close-knit) community. I loved how the story progressed, the relationship between Mary and Jo, the past stories influencing the present. But I've deducted one star because of the 'romantic climax' near the end, the dialogue of which which was just too cringey for me - I felt I was reading a Mills and Boon at that point (especially the male dialogue). Fine, if you like M&B - but just not for me. I liked that it happened, just not the speeches! However, apart from that it was an absolute delight to read - a lovely story about an amazing community.

Enjoyed this book. Took me a while to get into it - there seemed to be a lot of characters and I was struggling with who was who! - but once I did, I loved the island and its community. There is a dual timeline, but the sections from the past are much smaller compared with the current time period. They just help to set the scene for what happened in the past that still affects the characters today. There is a lot of history and this shows up in how people still behave and the relationships they have.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC.

This is a meandering family saga that I’m sure will appeal to many; unfortunately I found the characters all very unlikeable and perhaps it was this that prevented me from getting into the story, but I found it really hard to care about what was going on.

Thank you for my review copy,

I’m not sure where to start with this one. It took me until around the 15% mark to get going with it but there are so many characters, it gets confusing trying to remember who is who and to who! At one point I was so confused that I just didn’t care but carried on figuring it would iron out somewhere. I felt that this was extremely long and wordy. Overly descriptive. It’s a good enough story, basically an island saga I suppose, but I personally just found it hard to connect with the story at times - I don’t get this often. It just didn’t draw me in and nothing overly exciting happens. It all wraps up at the end but by that point I was very ready for it to be over. I think this will appeal to people who like a meandering, day to day type read. I think, for me, I just need a bit more oomph and excitement. I’m glad I’ve read this book, I’m just sad it wasn’t really for me.

River of Stars starts with the story of Mary, a teenage girl with a burgeoning singing talent and a rebellious spirit that draws her to the musicians and life on Walnut Tree Island, a place loosely based on the real Eel Pie Island where 1960s bands gathered to play to youngsters like Mary. The book then switches between Mary's life and that of her granddaughter Jo, an ex-artist, both living on the island.

I really liked Georgina Moore's debut novel The Garnett Girls, so I was looking forward to delving into this, her second novel. However, I was ultimately disappointed with River of Stars. I found it slightly clichéd and predictable with some quite unlikeable protagonists

Jo is, quite frankly, a pain in the arse who despite supposedly having self-worth issues seems to be completely in love with herself and is totally oblivious to anyone apart from her grandmother, Mary. Oliver is not really a rounded character. I think I preferred his wife, Emanuelle, who only appears very briefly in the novel and had more about her in those couple of pages than he did in the entire book.

I found Mary's history more interesting than Jo's story. I also wish we had heard more of Ruby and Golibe. However, I liked Sophie the most. She seemed to have the most interesting character but was only really used a foil for the others. Her own story was cast aside in favour of Jo and Oliver's. Sophie never gets to work out her friendship issues with Jo and is treated badly by everyone else with only a bit of a tagged-on, half-hearted epilogue for her, while everyone else seems to live happily ever after.

Also, everyone seems to be obsessed with the Island. It's like there's nothing else out there, never mind the rest of London or great wide world beyond. It's highly unlikely a community could be so insular and unaware of anything else. Does no one else have jobs outside of the island? How do they all make their money? They all just seem to waft around being artistic and/or annoying and getting drunk. I suppose this is what's known as being "bohemian"?

Sorry, this one was not for me, I'm afraid. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

such a sweeping and wonderful book to just get right stuck in to. a time spanning and saga type book is always one of my faves. and i go in with such joyous feelings when i know a book is going to be one of them. there is nothing quite like book, eh. and this one was one of those books and every moments was like those sagas we love so much. i couldnt wait to keep reading and couldnt wait to feel as i new i would all the way through is i got to know the people and the story.
this book gives us the Walnut Tree Island. its set in the 1960s with our character Mary who is taken under the wing by someone right at the point she needed to be. here she lives on in place full of community and shared purpose and care. in the present day she is now an older woman and is joined on the island by her grand daughter Jo. She has bought Jo up and they have called this place, these people their home for a long time now. but all that comes under threat when Georges own grandson comes strolling on in with a set to ruining everything for them all. the whole community is at fear of their lives changing for the worst. the lives they've all come to need,belong in and cherish. there is so much more to come from this group of characters. and what we learn, see and imagine from the writing is just a wonderfully immersive and escapist read. it was just so good. so so good. i loved how we get so many aspects of life and how time and families change but also some things never do. this is not a life i know much of but its one i could truly feel coming off the pages and enjoyed doing so.

River of Stars is a wonderful book that not only shows life stories through different generations, but also shows how wonderful a relationship can be between a grandmother and a granddaughter.

The story weaves beautifully between the different generations, and leaves you rooting for love to be the winner. There are however lots of tricky paths that have to be crossed, along with sad and emotional issues that Georgina addresses.

I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it. I look forward to Georgina’s next book!

Jo Star's heart was broken over twenty years ago when her first true love, Oliver, disappeared from Walnut Tree Island. His sudden return not only stirs up old memories but also brings unrest to the residents of the island as he is determined to sell the land.

River Of Stars by Georgina Moore really surprised me when I started reading it. The beautifully dreamy cover and the accompanying blurb had me picturing something set in the American South. As I read I discovered that the fictional Walnut Tree Island is based on Eel Pie Island in the Thames. The author's description of the island is wonderful, it comes across as idyllic, almost otherworldly - not in a supernatural way but just a different way of life, verging on magical.

The story is told through a dual timeline, alongside Jo's story we also learn of her grandmother, Mary, the first of the Star women to live on the island. We meet Mary as a teenager in 1964 who is entranced by the music scene on Walnut Tree Island, falls in love with a musician on the cusp of fame and is then abandoned. Finding herself pregnant and disowned by her own family, George Greenwood, the owner of the island, takes pity on her and gives her a place to live. The story regularly revisits Mary as she raises her daughter and granddaughter on the island. I was fascinated by Mary's story, from the hedonistic days of the 1960s through to the current day and her role as matriarch of the community who call Walnut Tree Island home.

Jo's story begins in a similar way, discovering young love on the island with Oliver Greenwood, grandson of George. Unfortunately, Oliver's father is domineering and wants nothing to do with the island, forcing the young lovers apart and controlling the rest of Oliver's life. Despite Jo's tragic backstory and heartbreak I really couldn't warm to her, I found her demanding, stubborn, jealous and petulant, to the point where I was more invested in Mary's story than Jo's.

Alongside the Star women are a host of supporting characters who add depth to the novel and the descriptions of life on the island are riveting and seductive. The community atmosphere is the sort of thing that people dream of finding.

The conclusion isn't a surprise, although there is a mixture of joy and sadness for various residents.

River of Stars is a multi-generational story about people living on an island in the Thames. The 60' s story about Mary appealed to me as that is my generation but we didn't hear too much about that. The novel concentrated on Jo, Mary's granddaughter whom I couldn't take to at all. I thought the storyline was predictable and I guessed the end early on. This was my first Georgina Moore book but I'm afraid I'm not tempted to read more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own

River of Stars is a multi generational saga that ranges from the life choices made by 16 year old Mary Star in the mid 1960s to the lifestyle that her beloved granddaughter Jo has chosen for herself in these more contemporary times. It takes a close look at family dynamics as well as the relationships between key community members living on Walnut Tree Island, an atmospheric setting which is used well in the story.

Jo and Oliver, who grew up together, once had a love that could not be contained - not by family loyalties or the opinions of others. Yet in the end, it was not to be. Now, Oliver has returned the island after many years, but his plans are not going to go down too well with some of the islanders...

Featuring a cast of relatable and interesting characters, this is a romantic novel (in so many ways) that many readers will absolutely love. It gets 3.5 stars.

I loved this book. I am not a fan of dual timeline books but in this case it completely enhanced the story. Set on a Thames island it tells the story from the 1960s through to present day . This was a multi generational story of family, community , music and the arts. The characters are beautifully written and come alive to the reader and you become hooked on the story and don’t want it to end .
Highly recommended and five star plus from me
Thank you to Netgalley, Georgina Moore and HQ books for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

River of Stars is the second novel I’ve read by Georgina Moore, and I was instantly swept away by this evocative, multi-generational story set against the unique and richly atmospheric backdrop of Walnut Tree Island.

This is a story steeped in nostalgia, secrets, and the enduring power of community, woven together with Moore’s beautiful prose and finely observed character dynamics.

The story opens in 1964, where the free-spirited Mary Star, just sixteen, is revelling in the hedonistic culture of the 60s.

She’s surrounded by friends, live music, and the vibrant energy of Treeland - the island’s iconic hotel and music venue, owned by George Greenwood.

When Mary finds herself in need, George becomes a surprising but steady father figure, offering shelter and stability in a pivotal moment of her life.

Fast-forward to the present day, and Mary is still on the island, now a strong and spirited elderly woman, living with her equally independent granddaughter, Jo Star.

Jo was raised on Walnut Tree Island and is fiercely determined to preserve its close-knit community and distinctive way of life which is now under threat from external forces and long-buried family tensions.

Moore crafts a compelling cast of characters, from the charming but disruptive Oliver Greenwood (George’s grandson), who returns to the island with plans that threaten to change everything, to Dave, a lifelong resident, and his theatre PR wife Sophie, who is struggling to adjust to island life after the buzz of the West End.

At its heart, River of Stars is a novel about legacy; how the choices of one generation echo across the next. It’s about love, betrayal, belonging, and the ties that both bind and break us.

The sense of place is masterful; the island itself feels like a character, alive with history, wildlife, and weather. Moore’s affection for river life and her lyrical descriptions of its rhythms and beauty shine through on every page.

Though I wasn’t sure initially whether the island’s idealism would ring true, any reservations quickly faded as I became immersed in its charm and complexity.

Following the success of The Garnett Girls, Georgina Moore continues to impress with her ability to portray rich emotional landscapes and layered relationships. River of Stars is a gripping, heartfelt and ultimately uplifting novel that lingers long after the final page.

A beautifully told, character-driven story full of warmth, intrigue and heart.

Thank you to HQ Stories and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

River of Stars is a warm, atmospheric, moving story of family and love.

It took me a second to sink into the story, but once I was in, I was completely enchanted by the island and its inhabitants.

On Walnut Island, a small island just off the Thames, lives a tight-knit community. River of Stars is a multigenerational story of family; we meet Mary, the matriarch, with her charming stories of the island’s musical past. Mary has a daughter at a young age; Ruby - a free spirited character with aspirations of stardom, and then Ruby’s daughter Jo, a former artist who seems completely lost. When the island’s future is called into question and a face from the past comes to visit, everything Jo and her family have ever known and loved about the island is called into question.

The story is so heartwarming, the relationships feel realistic and the flashbacks to the island’s past evokes nostalgia.

River of Stars is a lovely summer read that will completely transport you; by the end you’ll be wanting to run away to an island to live on a houseboat under the stars ✨

An atmospheric and emotional story about people on a Thames island. Their lives, secrets, and hopes, continue through the generations. The book has a bittersweet storyline and so much optimism.

I loved this story ! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
The story features a small community of people who live on houseboats on a fictional island called Walnut Island on the Thames – It features 3 generations of Women from one family who have always lived here however their inheritance is compromised when Oliver Greenwood takes ownership of the island now that his father has passed away – this is a story of lost love, friendships and second chances all on a magical Island . Best read with a glass of wine watching a sunset ! I now want to abandon my family and live on a houseboat….