"GIRL MADE OF STARS" – Ashley Herring Blake

"Girl Made of Stars"

by Ashley Herring Blake

released May 15 by HMH Books for Young Readers

"I need Owen to explain this. Because yes, I do know that Owen would never do that, but I also know Hannah would never lie about something like that."

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? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn't help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie.

As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault.


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I saw a friend reading this on Goodreads (God bless it) the other day and ran to Barnes & Noble to buy a copy.

Having read the cover copy, which reveals more than the first few chapters give away, the book's opening was dreadful – knowing what the main character was headed for but hadn't yet hit. (Dreadful meaning "full of dread," not "bad.") The rest of the novel was a thoughtful, emotionally-charged exploration of being torn between impulses, and of how well we know those we love.

Not a dry eye in the house, folks.