Review: Made Of Stars by Kelley York

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Author: Kelley York
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: October 1, 2013

 

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they've never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?


Review

"That's the sort of person Chance is. 
He gets under your skin, and even when he's gone, you still feel him there like a dull ache. 
A warm memory you can never quite reclaim."

Made of Stars is a book that is part mystery, part coming of age romance. The first half of the story read like any good coming of age tale where boy meets girl, girl falls helplessly for boy, boy could care less etc....and in that regard I loved the story. It was fluffy and romantic and I loved the playfulness of it all. Then comes the second half and the story takes on a much darker tone. It was suspenseful, it was filled with raw emotion and my heart broke for the characters I had come to love and know in the first half. Alone both parts were good but together it was just so tragic.

One of my favorite things about Made of Stars was the dual narration. Instead of just seeing Hunter or Ashlin's perspective we get to know both siblings quite well. While I liked them both equally they do not compare to my love for Chance.  He's such a complex and delightfully written character, he's like an onion whose layers are just waiting to be uncovered and explored. I loved his relationship with Hunter and Ashlin but most of all I just loved him. He was beautiful and broken all wrapped up in one. I wanted to protect him and I wanted him to receive his moment after all the sh*t he suffers through. Sadly, this was not to be and for that I feel gutted and broken.

Another thing I loved was the writing. It flowed off the page and kept me engaged from beginning to end. With just a sigh or a glance I knew how the characters were feeling because I felt it as well. 

Lastly, I really like the romance. It's always refreshing to see an Author not afraid to bend the rules when it comes to young adult pairings. Hunter's "awakening" is gradual but done tastefully. I think the Author realistically portrayed how it might be for someone in Hunter's situation (all American Jock with a smokin hot girlfriend) to realize that they might actually love someone whose the same sex as themselves.

Now while I really did like Made Of Stars it did have a few flaws that kept me from really falling in love with the story. First off I don't really like how disjointed the first and second half felt. It almost felt like I was reading two separate books mashed together instead of one cohesive story. My  second gripe is the ending. I felt the book had more story to tell and then it just sort of cuts off. Of course it only does this after leaving all the characters heartbroken and dealing with the events that transpired during the last part of the story. It was a downer and I didn't like that one bit.

Final Thoughts
Made of Stars is a beautifully written book that had me in near tears come the end. While the cohesiveness of the story didn't always work for me, I did really like it as a whole. I would suggest reading the story if only to meet Chance. He's really one of my favorite characters of late and I would love to see him again at some point. He deserves his HEA damnit. I want to leave this review with a lyric from Adele's Make You Feel My Love. I believe it perfectly sums up how I feel about Made of Stars and these characters. 

When the evening shadows
And the stars appear
And there is no - one there
To dry your tears
I could hold you
For a million years
To make you feel my love

With that being said, I will be rating Made of Stars by Kelley York ★★★★.
*Copy reviewed provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated in an which way  for providing them.

Want to learn more about this book or the Author? Click the links below:
Kelley York:
Goodreads Page
www.kelley-york.com
@Elixing

Comments

  1. Omg me too it was all about Chance! I did love that while it was told through a dual narrative it was Chance's story above all else. I didn't connect with the 2 narrators as much as I would have liked though which stopped me from getting all my emotions in the mix but it was still a pretty good read with great raw, gritty writing that I loved! Fab review, doll!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah Chance is definitely what sold the book for me and I'm sure most who read the book will agree with that as well. He's just such a well written, complex character.

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  2. Can you believe that before I have got the book I actually though that this is paranormal or fantasy. Yeah, I should read blurbs. Anyhow I'm half way through this book and honestly I really enjoy this. This is actually my first book with M M relationship and I can't wait to see how it all goes. I'm getting to the darker part of the story so we'll see. I'm not happy to hear all that about the ending so I hope it'll work for me. Great review :)

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    Replies
    1. Oo can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one as well. Also hah I thought Paranormal as well. Before I started reading it I was almost sure Chance would end up being an Alien or something, lol.

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  3. I've seen this around a lot lately and I'm intrigued! Most of the reviews I've read have been positive so I'm putting this on the pile:)

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