An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestseller, and a Goodreads Choice Award finalist.
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 … 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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This book grabbed me right from the start! Beautiful debut! Loved the depth and emotional aspect of the characters. I also enjoyed the tinge of humor. It had a good plot, unlike any I’ve read before, and I kept wondering if this was real or fantasy. Easy, fun, entertaining read. I highly recommend!
Well paced. Initially, dod not know if the story was reality, or fantasy. Really enjoyed the book.
Beautifully written and thought-provoking. Believable characters whose depths are revealed with natural dialog and inner-thought sharing that brings them to life on the page. Looking forward to another novel by this talented author.
A good read – children can be so resilient!
A tribute to love!
Brilliant .
You won’t be sorry if you read it.
As dark as this book seems to be, it was very lighthearted for the most part. I loved reading about Ursa and Jo’s adventures into the forest as well as the budding romance between Gabe and Jo. It was beautifully written and the plot was well thought out as well. My favorite part, as per usual if you’ve read more of my reviews, is the characters. I don’t know what it is, but if the characters suck and your plot is the best plot that anyone has ever written, I will still not like the book. That’s why this book is so great because it’s lighthearted with beautiful characters and a wonderful plot.
Overall, though, I found this book beautiful and entertaining and still somehow being lighthearted and not too explicit when it came to romantic scenes. I felt that there were a lot of lessons throughout the book that weren’t thrown in your face, but rather subtly insinuated, which I always appreciate.
Favorite quote: “‘I got so close, her pain and fear became my own. We shared everything and loved each other like we never had when death was some distant thing. In the end, part of me died with her. I’m not recovered from it even now, but I made the conscious choice to enter the darkness with her. Everyone I know who’s lost someone they love has voiced regrets—they wish they’d done this or that or loved them more. I have no regrets. None.’”
Another great book by Glendy. Keep them coming!
This book had everything one could want during a Pandemic – it was a very good story, although a little “out there” but the characters were great, the little girl was amazing and it kept me going – I even shed some tears. Very good read.
This is a story about the strength and beauty of the human spirit and the miracle of love.
I so enjoyed this book — the setting of farm and field, the strong and loveable characters, and the multiple themes, especially of healing and forgiveness. Even the suspense is multi-faceted. The author moves the characters through their pain without weighing down the story, maintaining a balance of hope and tension througout.
I listened to the Audible version. The narrator portrays emotion beautifully and she’s particularly good with the child’s voice.
Despite the emotional ups and downs, “Where the Forest Meets the Stars” leaves you with a smile in your heart.
Usha, Jo and Gabe’s interesting story of need all kinds.
A very intriguing book with several important life themes woven in.
This is the story of Joana Teale. A breast cancer survivor, she is settling into life as a graduate student researching nesting birds. One night a little girl shows up at her house saying she was an alien. She is covered in bruises and Joana is sure she is a victim of abuse. The little girl states that she is on this planet to see five miracles and then she can leave. Joana who can’t seem to locate the girl’s parents, decides to let her stay and figure out what to do next.
With the help of Joana’s neighbor, Gabriel, they start to piece together the girl’s past until the truth comes to light. However, in the meantime, the three form a bond that will be hard to be broken.
This was an okay book. Not great. I rolled my eyes at the writing a few times. It passed the time while I had a long 10 hour drive to Pennsylvania, but that was about it. It was entertaining enough, but the writing got more and more “lazy” near the end of the book and I found myself just wanting to finish it and not really devoted to the story anymore.
I am a historical fiction writer and reader, so I rarely crack open anything else BUT a histfic. book. However, after seeing the description on Kindle Unlimited, I thought I’d give it a whirl. Vanderah is a fabulous character-builder and I was impressed with Lacey’s character arc. But this story is about forgiveness. It’s about learning to open one’s heart–whether that opening is to a child in need, a chronically depressed individual, or someone who is repeatedly hateful. Therein lay the true beauty of this tale.
Vanderah’s style is simplistic yet captivating. I am still sitting here wondering if the characters had an alien encounter or not! To readers, I suggest you take this one to the beach or savor it on a rainy day. It’s an easy, quick read!
This is a lovely book that instantly grabs you. The mystery of who (or what) Ursa is was handled well, without making me feel like “get on with it already” as I’ve felt with other books. The setting and bird nest research details were great, enough to make me feel I was there in the woods with the characters. The romantic relationship could have been more developed though. I didn’t feel as though these two people had a real attraction or even a deep friendship that would lead there. The seeds were there, but I would have liked more depth in that area, even knowing it’s not a romance novel. This is a great book for the “gentle reader” who doesn’t want a lot of graphic details or language. Enchanting!
This was a five star book until Vanderah decided to wrap things up perfectly in a saccharine bow. Worth reading for the first 3/4 as Vanderah is a good writer who creates compelling characters, but the ending frustrated me as it reduced the story to a Lifetime movie.
Really enjoyed this book .
Love it !
This story is beautifully written and the characters were so endearing. The plot kept me guessing the whole time. I recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing. It’s that type of story, mixed with the magical realism of Sarah Addison Allen.
This was the free Prime book I chose for Feb. 2019. Since I had oodles of books on my Kindle I didn’t make it a point to read it right away. Now that I did, I have to say I was totally impressed with it. It really kept me interested and I finished it in just a couple of days. That’s something I don’t do very often anymore. I actually would get off my laptop (games) to just read this book. I’ll have to keep an eye open for more books by this new author.
Sweet and unusual story.