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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Good read with original story line and wonderful characters.
I loved the plot and the characters. It was an unusual story with a good ending. Loved the little girl and how intelligent and scrappy she was!
A very unusual storyline but one I could get behind. The reader was very good, I got to know them with the authors’ help of course. the only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that during the many conversations there was he said, she said redundantly, I found it to be annoying, but still a good read.
It’s a beautiful book. But the “he said” “she said” dialogue really is the thing that sticks out to me. If you can get past that the story is beautiful.
Captivating and engaging.. a wonderful weaving of Life’s Quarks! A Delightful Read!
Don’t judge a book by its cover, they say. Well, I did. I bought this one because I loved the cover and, okay, because the title and summary sounded sophisticated enough.
There’s nothing sophisticated about WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE STARS. As I listened, I began wondering if it was a YA novel or a straight-out children’s book. Oh, the writing is competent enough – good grammar, nice descriptions. The main character is an ornithologist, which is interesting. She has recently lost both her mother and her own breasts to cancer, so she is a sympathetic character in that. And the plot has potential – little girl shows up at the heroine’s cabin claiming that she is an alien from a far-off galaxy. I really did want to believe that.
But there is something rote about this book. The potential for emotion is there, but the carry-through is not. Turns of the plot are simplistic, such as when the male lead, who allegedly suffers from depression and agoraphobia, recovers after a few heart-to-hearts. Dialogue is flat, adding to the cardboard feel of the characters.
The author does do a good job in making me wonder whether the little girl is, indeed, an alien – such potential here – though the child is too often a bratty little whiner. Okay. I listened to this book, and that may have been the way the narrator read chose to read it. She also made the female lead too argumentative at times, perhaps in an effort to create drama. Male voices sound identical. Female voices are all ballsy, apparently to distinguish them from the resonance of the main character, whose voice was lovely.
Bottom line? I’d say that, like the eponymous forest, you should venture into this book at your own risk.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars should be the top book of the year in my opinion; and a debut novel besides! A mysterious child appears and teaches two people how to trust and love again. A graduate college student is resuming her life after a serious illness and a man suffering from depression lives cross. Both would rather be left alone, but the child has other plans. Seriously what could happen just by helping a child?
Usually I only rate a book as a page turner when it’s suspense. But I just couldn’t put this one down. I loved how it unfolded with some unexpected turns.
This book is heartwarming. You really root for these characters to be together. You’ll love it, I promise.
Sweet, fun, dark, loved it!
I think some serious issues were dealt with using interesting characters, a quirky little girl/alien, and a dog. other stuff was thrown in too.
I listened to the audio version of Where the Forest meets the Stars. The narrator, Lauren Ezzo, does a great job of bringing Ursa, Jo, and Gabe to life, giving them each a voice and vibrant personality. I loved Ursa’s ‘alien’ character and ached for her as her past and terrible secrets were revealed at the end. The author does a good job of developing her characters and bringing them to their physical and mental wounds, then growing each character into a stronger person, including secondary characters. Overall I enjoyed this first offering by Glendy Vanderah. That being said, I would encourage this author to put a tight rein on the profanity. There were times it did not seem natural and I felt like I was being smacked with trashy words that offered no meaning or continuance to the story.
This audio book was recommended to me by my local library.
Joann is outside the home she is renting when a young girl in torn pajamas and no shoes shows up. Ursa claims she’s an alien who has taken over the young girl’s body and she’s on Earth to find 5 miracles for her Ph.D. before she can return. Jo tries to call the police, but Ursa runs, and the officer tells her of the horrors of foster care and implies she’s better off where she is.
What unfolds is Jo’s story of completing her research while trying to figure out where Ursa came from, why no one has filed a missing person, and how she can keep the young girl safe. In the meantime, Jo befriends a man selling eggs down the road, Gabe, and he too is drawn in by how whip-smart Ursa is, she’s very clever and often sees more than she lets on.
This was a fun read, watching the bond form between the unlikely trio. All three of them had overcome a lot in their lives, and there was still a lot of healing that needed to be done. For me, it was a slow start, but once it picked up, I couldn’t stop reading. Ursa was a fantastic character, magical in her observations and her tales. A fun read.
I loved reading the book in its entirety. Great characters and story. I admit I “believed” from the beginning, and continued to believe, even after the more real conclusion.
This book started right out nicely paced and kept it up. I really enjoyed it, and didn’t know quite how it would end. I enjoyed the whole book and thought the ending was perfect. I enjoy reading something that’s a little off-norm. It got me thinking – and feeling – in a happy way!
I enjoyed the suspense of the book.
What a great read! It kept me interested, caring for the characters, and wondering until the very end. Thanks for this wonderful book, Glendy Vanderah, and keep ’em coming!
It was a great book with the elements to keep you interested.
This book was ok. It was interesting to begin with and then I felt like I could have skipped whole chapters and not missed much. It was easy reading, but slow reading. It didn’t seem believable to me. I really wanted to love this one. I just can’t recommend it.
What an original, beautiful, and emotional story. I absolutely loved it and it is definitely one of my favorite reads of the year. This is Glendy Vanderah’s debut novel, and I am already very excited to see what kind of story she writes next. I loved everything about this book, from the setting to the characters and the mystery of it all. I had no idea what to believe and what would happen next, but I knew that I was in for a wild ride. First of all lets talk about the main characters Joanna (Jo), Gabriel (Gabe), and Ursa. Jo is researching nesting birds in rural Illinois and one day comes across a young girl who calls herself Ursa. She says that she is an alien and came to earth to witness five miracles. Of course who would believe such a story, but honestly further into the book I wasn’t so sure about things anymore. Gabe and Jo take Ursa under their wings and make sure she is cared for, and also try to figure out where she came from. The bond between these three characters was beautiful, and I fell in love with them over and over again. All three of them have been through some hardships, and try to live the best way they can.
This book was such a pleasant surprise and I am so happy I saw it being recommended on my Facebook timeline. This book was suspenseful, mysterious, emotional, romantic and full of love and acceptance. The characters growth for all of them was amazing, and I loved seeing them blossom. I really think this book is one of a kind, and I loved how original it was. I just couldn’t get enough, and was sad when I got to the end of the story. I love these characters and I am going to miss them. Where the Forest Meets the Stars is a book I would definitely reread over and over again. I am keeping a close eye on this author and make sure I don’t miss her next release.
First off, for a debut novel it is outstanding. I had to keep reading just to make sure my wife wouldn’t snag it away from me. The characters are well introduced with just enough information to pique the readers interest. The author continues to build characters as they reappear in the script. All in all, I very much enjoyed the novel and dearly hope there is a second novel coming soon.