Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Books | Fiction / General
4.3
(1.9K)
Glendy Vanderah
An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestseller.In this gorgeously stunning debut, a mysterious child teaches two strangers how to love and trust again.After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child's home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay--just until she learns more about Ursa's past.Jo enlists the help of her reclusive neighbor, Gabriel Nash, to solve the mystery of the charming child. But the more time they spend together, the more questions they have. How does a young girl not only read but understand Shakespeare? Why do good things keep happening in her presence? And why aren't Jo and Gabe checking the missing children's website anymore?Though the three have formed an incredible bond, they know difficult choices must be made. As the summer nears an end and Ursa gets closer to her fifth miracle, her dangerous past closes in. When it finally catches up to them, all of their painful secrets will be forced into the open, and their fates will be left to the stars.
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More Details:
Author
Glendy Vanderah
Pages
321
Publisher
Lake Union Publishing
Published Date
2019
ISBN
1503904911 9781503904910
Community ReviewsSee all
"This story had me hooked and I finished a book for first time in a long time! "
K p
Krystle poirier
"
Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a beautiful book.
Jo, a breast cancer survivor, is determined to do the work of two people while conducting research on birds. She is living in a remote cabin and spends 12 hours or more each day in the field.
Gabe lives on the property next to Jo's rental. He takes care of his ailing mother and his small farm while dealing with depression.
Ursa is an alien from the pinwheel galaxy. She has come to earth to see 5 miracles before she returns to the stars.
The three lives intersect and are forever changed.
I found Jo to be very relatable. She is learning who she is now that she has fought the battle with cancer. She is determined not to let her cancer status define her. She is confident in the choice she made to have a double mastectomy but worries about how men will view her.
The book also appealed to me as someone who lives in Illinois. The book is mostly set in rural southern Illinois. Effingham, Illinois and the Univesity of Illinois are also visited.
I recommend this book for anyone who wants an uplifting read with a romance subplot that is clean.
My content warnings include- guns, gun violence, death of a pet, mental illness.
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Brandi Always Reading
"This book hit so close to home. I grew up in southern Illinois so all the town and the descriptions I could just feel deep in my bones. I also work as an ornithologist with the nps so it all hit so deep. It was a nice story and had me hooked just WAITING to find out what secrets the book was going to reveal "
Gabby Lucas
"it’s very different, not what i’m used to reading. but i loved the characters and storyline. the issues dealt in the book are described very well. i recommend to anyone"
trin
"The poetry of the title falls flat in execution"
Diane Morello
"This was refreshing read I needed, and it was magical when referring to Ursa and the stars. It was an overall nice read, and it was a nice story. Some of the conversations between Jo & Gabe were questionable at times, but the book did what it needed to do. Would recommend!"
Emily G.
"I enjoyed this one although it was much different than I imagined. I normally don’t read anything extraterrestrial (ish). "
Heather Ayers
"This was a very cute book to read. Shows tough love & recovery from physical & mental illness. I love all the details to nature & the relationship growth between characters. Overall, a great fast read. Did I tear up a little at the end? Heck yes. "
Kaila-Marie McCullough
"Loved this "
S
Shannon
"Kept me interested from page one. The twist and turns keep you coming back for more. The ending gets tied in a neat bow and I just loved the whole book !"
L d
Lauren d
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