VOTED A TOP READ OF 2019!“You will lose your memory.”That’s what a doctor told me at just twenty nine years old. My headaches and exhaustion weren’t from overexertion like I thought. It was more. A lot more.
Despite my unimaginable challenges, I found love at a time I needed it most. Layne, a rising star and popular frontman, was unknowingly singing life into my soul through his allusive lyrics.
Layne, a rising star and popular frontman,
was unknowingly singing life into my soul through his allusive lyrics.
I lived and breathed for the mesmeric sound of his voice.
Kismet led us to a kind of love anyone would die for.
However, Layne shouldn’t be stuck loving me after I begin to forget him.
We will once again be strangers, separated by a crowd.
I can no longer promise him a future like the one he vowed to me.
Layne is determined to help me get better.
I’m determined to make him see past my illness.
The outcome … to be determined.
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I read about this book in an email or on Instagram and knew I wanted to read it. I wondered just how many feels it would bring out. Well, this story is filled with all the feels I look for in a story. It starts out with a bang and doesn’t let you go until the end. Where I was left feeling content and happy that I found this awesome story.
This is a first for me from this author and I can’t wait to read more from her.
This book was recommended so many times and I’ve seen it pass by as a must read. I finally had a chance to read it and can’t say enough that everyone should read this beautiful book! Not only is it a heartbreaking story but it is also a story that will pull on your heartstrings and makes you wonder about so many things. I was completely blown away and I could relate to a lot of things she was going through. The story was consuming me. At times it was hard to read but all the parts were vital to the story. It’s a back to back story but the way it was written, you could really follow everything the author was trying to say. A huge must read and one that will stay with you after you’ve read it!
Layne and Dani have been together for a lot of years and are going through a very hard time after Dani has been diagnosed with a disease no one saw coming. They’re trying to get through it the best they can and care for their daughter in the process. It’s a lot for the family to be dealing with and Layne is desperate to somehow find a way to get Dani through it and maybe, find a cure or good medication that can help her but it’s not easy… Dani’s past is coming back in pieces and somehow it’ll be something that she’ll have to deal with alongside everything else she’s dealing with. Through it all, Layne never loses hope and will do whatever it takes to have her by his side. Will love find a way to test the true tests of time?…
WOW! I would honestly give this story more than 5 stars if I could! This author has been on my list of want to read authors for about a year now, but this is my first! And what an introduction to a new-to- me author this book is. This lady can write!! Such a stunning, emotional and heartwarming story! It is wonderfully unique and sliced my heart wide open, but thankfully put it back together by the end in the best of ways. Dani, Layne and Aly will take you on a journey that at times you won’t be sure if you can handle, but it truly is worth it. Sometimes I do not like so many time jumps, but in this book it totally works to help understand Dani better. It is definitely not your typical romance novel by any means. It is chock full of so much heart, love, soul, and heartache I was completely riveted! Bravo!
Shari Ryan stands out among her fellow authors with Shattered Stars. This story consumed me mind, heart and soul in a way that I will be forever changed. These characters take you on a heartbreaking journey of hope, fear, determination, faith and love. You will hold your breath and cry, but then you will be filled with so much happiness and joy.
Layne and Aly are such a unique couple who are perfectly imperfect for each other. I fell in love with Layne for many reasons, but most importantly for his unwavering strength, love and loyalty and devotion to Danny and Aly. They give you chills and so much hope in moments of despair, you are rooting for them to find their way back to peace and continuing to chase they dreams. Danielle has been through hell and back and has a maturity and strength that will blow your mind, but also make you so proud of her.
Shari, you shattered my heart in so many ways as you weaved this beautiful story that is full of promise and unconditional love that stands even more than the test of time. A part of my soul has been forever changed because of this breathtaking, passionate story that is one of the best stories of 2019, but probably also my lifetime.
This book. Ah, this book. It gutted me. Devastated me. Ruined me, and yes, shattered me. But it left me with hope. A heart bursting with hope. I find myself in way too similar of a situation as Layne and Dani. The difference is my special someone doesn’t yet understand what he’s lost, and none of us know yet what parts of his mind remain. So while this was a heart-wrenching, soul-shattering read for me, I emerge on the other side with optimism and hope that, although our journey has just begun, the end of our road can look something like Layne and Dani’s. Thank you for that, Ms. Ryan.
This book, at its heart, is about love. Not the starry-eyed hearts and flowers love, but the love borne of strength, determination and selflessness. A love that withstands every trial and adversity thrown at it, a love that makes the impossible choices, and a love that stands strong and tirelessly endures. There are so many wonderful examples of this kind of love in this book – a mother’s love for her child, a son’s love for his mother, love between friends who are as close as family, and the beautiful romantic love between Dani and Layne.
Ryan gives us poetic prose brimming with heartfelt emotion that captivates the reader’s heart with authentic, admirable characters who leave their mark on the soul. You’ll be left breathless as you watch these characters find something good and precious from horror and tragedy and look deep enough to see the beauty in ashes. Their story is stunning, their love is epic, and their journey will irrevocably touch your heart and live within you long after the last page. Easily in my top five reads for the year, you absolutely don’t want to miss this evocative, poignant, phenomenal story!
*I reviewed an advance copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.
This was my first Shari J Ryan’s book. This is a women’s Fiction and Rockstar Romance. Keep this in mind, because, this isn’t your typical romance. The story goes back and forth, from past to present. Dani and Layne’s story is emotional, inspirational, heartbreaking, and heartwarming afterward. This story shattered my heart. Dani is a beautiful character. Layne is a wonderful and handsome character, loving, caring, and so supportive. I love the Epilogue. Erin Bennett did a great job with the narration.
SHATTERED STARS is only the second Shari J Ryan book I have read, and once again she has turned me into a watering can. Even though it made me cry, I recommend this book.
The situation Dani and Layne find themselves in is heartbreaking. 29 years old, and being told she has already started to lose her memories puts incredible pressure on this otherwise strong relationship. It’s clear from the outset that Dani and Layne have an incredible love but their attitudes in how to go on given Dani’s prognosis differ greatly. I feel Ryan does an excellent job in expressing the fear, frustration, anger, helplessness and love that arise from Dani’s health issues.
The ending brings about a resolution but I still unsure how I feel about it. Yes, it’s believable but this latter part of the book was a tad too rushed for my liking. I needed more time to understand it, absorb it.
I listened to an audio version of this book narrated by Erin Bennett. I feel she did an excellent job in narrating this book. The many and varied emotions of the characters were conveyed wonderfully. I was immersed in the story from the start and the only thing that stopped me from finishing this book quickly was waiting to listen to this book while at home so I could be as emotional as I needed to be behind closed doors.
She is slowly losing her memories due to the headaches. She find love but pushes him away as she is worried how much she would forget him. Will he stay away? How will she cope when she loses everything? See how she get on
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Shattered Stars – Interesting and intriguing, this is a story of overcoming the bad and living for the good. A horrible rape with a good outcome; a horrible illness with a corrected outcome; and a marriage made up of three wonderful people making the best of the worst. It is too easy to turn this review into a book report but there are so many good elements to this story with a large focus on living with a good attitude for life, not the negativity so common in these types of situations.
A young man with a heart the size of Texas filled with love and determination for a young teenaged mother and her daughter and a life with them. The young woman faces many problems from the age of sixteen, but with the support and love from her mother, good friends and her man, she succeeds against all odds.
The well written storylines alternate between her past and her present with plenty of emotions, drama and love so well described by the author as she tells a wonderful story full of good characters and a positive view of life. I contacted the author to read her books and received this book through Booksprout. 4*
Read Last Words first for the best experience.
Last Words #1 – This is my first read by this author and I find this story is amazing. I’ve read many stories by the survivors of the Holocaust and this is one of the best. Well written but full of emotions and experiences that rip the heart out of a decent person. While the book isn’t as graphic about the horrors of Theresenstadt, there is plenty of the reader to grasp what everyone was going through in that terrible period of time. The four main characters are so loving, so decent, that what happened in the past wastes 75 years of a perfect love. Ms. Ryan has a gift for telling a story full of horror and pain, and yet, lets the light of love shining brightly through the decades. I found this book on Booksprout. 5*
The Other Blue Sky #2 – This is the second of two books of the Surviving the Holocaust series. I highly recommend reading Last Words before reading Blue Sky. Blue will be more meaningful to know the previous generation’s story as well as Annie’s past before Blue. This well written, emotion filled sequel can be read without reading Words first but why?
The storylines continue from Words but focus on Annie, although all the previous family characters are still a large part of this story, too. The emotions are still plentiful and range the gamut. Love is a major character, along with fear. While this book is filled with pain, there is so much love and light that shines through.
The author does a wonderful job with her descriptions and the reader can see the locations and feel the emotions. There are smiles but there is plenty of pain and discoveries in Annie’s life. I contacted the author to review her books and I received this copy through Booksprout. 5*
A great story that’s a quick read, plenty of emotion, strength and love, hardships and trials, and romance. Wow is all you can say and not give too much away. Shari has done a wonderful job writing this story and making it so we continue to turn each page until we reach the end. A story that will pull at your emotions and your heartstrings.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Told in a both here and now time as well as through flashbacks, we see Layne and Dani’s love from first meeting to their present where a medical condition is derailing their lives.
Layne is a fantastic hero here, the kind of person you want by your side as you fight. Thoughtful, kind a fighter when Dani is giving up and her blank spaces are confusing her. Dani is a survivor, a mom, a wife and she is losing her memories.
I wished this book had focused more on the present, even as i understand why the author focused so much on the past as their initial meeting and falling in love sets their tone. However the ending was a little too convenient if thankful.
Heartbreaking and heart-warming this deals with pain both past and present and how our lives can be forever changed from one experience. Read it and weep.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Oh, my gosh! What a riveting, emotional story? This book goes back and forth between the past and present. While sometimes those kinds of books can be hard to follow or can lose momentum, I found that the story of Dani and Layne’s past to be vital to the understanding of their present and hopeful future. Dani has been through and is going through so much. The author pulled me right into the story, showing how what’s happening to Dani affects those around her, most notably her husband and teenage daughter. This book has incredible sadness and personal trials, yet it is also hopeful and inspiring. This is the first time that I have read this author, so I was pleasantly surprised to see how easily she drew me into the story and made me care about the characters and what happened to them. I love to be affected emotionally by a fiction story, and this one did that in spades. Layne is simply amazing, so compassionate, caring, and unwilling to give up on his love and their future. For Dani, it was so hard to see her struggle with memory and her hopelessness about it all at times. The book is beautifully written and thoroughly gripping. If you enjoy a love story that fully engages your emotions, this book may be right up your alley.
I was taken back at how easy this book was to read. I’ve always enjoyed Shari’s writing style but Shattered Stars is written in a way that you yearn to find out what happened. The love between Dani and Layne is incredible. The storyline keeps you wanting to find out how their story ends. I can’t say too much about the book without giving away spoilers. Do yourself a favour and read this book. You won’t regret it.
Oh my!! The roller coaster ride that Shari J Ryan takes you in this book is something else. You hurt, you cry, your heart breaks, you fall in love, you swoon and you eat cake!
I could not imagine going thru everything that Dani and Layne went thru in their teen years, but it made them the strong individuals and couple that they are today. Only to find out again in their late 20s that they are facing yet another mountain – early onset dementia. Can you imagine at 29 years old, not even knowing your husband’s name anymore??
This book takes you thru many ups and downs, and I promise you, it’s a love story like any other!!
This book broke my heart into pieces did many times. These two are the definition of soulmates.
I’ve read an array of stories by Ms. Ryan and she kills every single type of book she writes. The funny, the twisted ones, and the emotional ones. But I have to tell you, her emotional ones…. they hit you on the heart and don’t let go. And I take so so much away from reading them! I laugh and I cry and I just can’t stop reading!! Layne and Danny’s story is like nothing I’ve ever read before. Grab a box of tissues and some chocolate and be ready for the read of a lifetime. But be ready for sweet and love and everything that comes with that too. You don’t want to miss this book! Trust me, you’ll love it
I have been trying to start my review for Shattered Stars for about 20 minutes now and the best words I can come up with to sum up this beautiful Story are READ IT NOW! Shattered Stars pulled on every emotion I have and absorbed all of my attention until I had read every single word. Dani is such a strong heroine. She faces her fears head on and loves her family Completely and Selflessly. And Layne. That man is all of the husband and dad goals wrapped up intoone sexy rockstar package.
I voluntarily received an ARC of this bookin exchange foran honest review.
5 Cranky Stars
There are three significant events that have happened in Dani’s short life so far. The first when she was 16 and was brutally attacked, where she ended up in hospital with head injuries and pregnant. As much as it devastated her she was keeping the baby, with her mothers full backing. The second event was when she was 18 and fell in love for the first and only time with Layne a leader of a rock band. He loved Layne with all his heart and Ali (Dani’s daughter) stole his heart. This event was a beautiful love story. He helped Dani get over her fear of roller coasters and height by shooting a music video with her on one with him. The third is the present being 28 and finding out that she had early dementia, probably caused by the head trauma when she was 16. Layne would not accept this and went with her to every doctor and every clinic appointments. He tried everything including clinical trials. Dani had all but given up but Layne had to fight for all of them. The last trial he tried to sign her up to were more thorough with their tests and just told her she had to wait until all the information was in before they could tell them anything. Could this mean a brighter future or a bleaker one????
Ali and Layne were getting closer and he was teaching her to play guitar and from there another spur of a story comes off.
A very enjoyable book to read, it was like reading three books in one as each chapter jumped between each time period.
4.5 Stars
Get the tissues ready before you head into this book. I don;t know how many times I teared up while reading this book. It’s powerfully emotional and raw. This book breaks your heart, but then puts it back together better then ever. What characters battle through out the book shows you how strong the love between them is. Everyone should have a love like Layne and Dani. They are the true testament of love and the strength they have is awe inspiring. This book is definitely a must read!
A great change from the ordinary. A heartfelt look at illness and its effects on loved ones. You think you know where this going but believe me, you don’t. I liked the past and present aspects in understanding what these characters are going through. This does deal with difficult themes for some, but in a very delicate way, but just be warned. Another good and solid story with characters you grow to love and root fo.