When The Stars Lead To You by Ronni Davis | Book Review

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Nicola Yoon meets Jenny Han in a heated first-love romance about two teens who are torn apart one summer by prejudice and mental illness, and find each other once again.Eighteen-year-old Devon longs for two things. The stars.And the boy she fell in love with last summer. When Ashton breaks Devon's heart at the end of the most romantic summer ever, she thinks her heart will never heal again. But over the course of the following year, Devon finds herself slowly putting the broken pieces back together.Now it's senior year and she's determined to enjoy every moment of it, as she prepares for a future studying galaxies. That is, until Ashton shows up on the first day of school. Can she forgive and open her heart to him again? Or are they doomed to repeat history? From debut author, Ronni Davis, comes a stunning novel about passion, loss, and the power of first love.

I love a good contemporary book, especially when the comparisons are in the vein of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen. When The Stars Lead To You by Ronni Davis was a single day read for me. Davis’s debut kept me compelled from page 1 to page 394. I did see that not everyone felt the same way I did about this book, but honestly, I love that it is this intense contemporary starring a biracial teenage girl. More please!

When The Stars Lead To You opens with Devon spending her summer at the beach with her cousin Stephanie. She is introduced at this party to Ashton, which Stephanie tries to play matchmaker. As it turns out, Devon and Ashton have major chemistry together. The two spend so much time together, start dating, and it is magical. On the last day of summer, however, Ashton breaks Devon’s heart. She thinks she will never see him again.  The book then picks up about a year later, it is Devon’s senior year and she is 18. She attends this private prep school. On the first day there is a new student. That student is Ashton. Of course, the chemistry is still there, but Ashton broke her heart. Will she give in again?

I loved Devon’s character to the moon and back. She is so driven. Devon wants to be an astrophysicist and she absolutely loves the stars. She is top of her class with some competition. Devon wants to attend McCafferty University because they have this program specifically for astrophysics and it is the best in the country. However, only 3% of students get in and finances unfortunately are a consideration. OH AND DID I MENTION HER BEST FRIEND. Devon’s best friend is Blair who is ride or die and I also love her and her love for Devon.

So, moving on, the relationship between Devon and Ashton is intense. It goes from 0 – 60 very, very quickly. Yes, there’s a gap of a year there, but when they do pick back up, it is at a fast pace. The story does get serious as it delves into loving someone with a serious mental illness. I loved that therapy was portrayed as a positive, but also, that the book didn’t gloss over how sometimes therapy and working on yourself can be really hard and painful. As for Ashton, he is for the most part, a good partner for Devon. And well, their relationship really is full of that typical high school intensity of emotion.

For me, When The Stars Lead To You by Ronni Davis was an awesome debut. I felt like this book was thoughtful, well structured, and engaging. Devon’s pushing of her own boundaries felt very realistic – especially given her relationship and intensity of feelings. The book also seemed to do a good job portraying what it is like to be biracial at a school mostly full of privileged white kids. We see one of the classmates make occasional microaggressions, but they are called out, and while it is not malicious, it is shown to absolutely be messed up. I am hopeful that people reading this book realize and learn NOT to do what Devon’s one classmate did. I know there’s mixed reviews out there for this book, personally, it really worked for me as a reader.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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