WHERE THE STARS STILL SHINE by Trish Doller
When it will be published: September 24, 2013
From GoodReads:
Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.
What I liked most: The real reason I love Trish's work is her ability to hit all the right notes to tell the perfect story. She masters at pulling the reader right in from the first page, and carrying that story through to the end while blending just enough suspense, heartbreak, and romance. I love how she writes setting. The town of Tarpon Springs was rich and alive. While I've never been there, I can only imagine, with as much detail as Trish put in her writing, I would find it exactly as she described it.
What I love most about Trish's work is that it's familiar and real. Her stories aren't full of characters I wish I could be--they are people I know already and feel for before I ever turn a page. They are my friend who joined the army right after high school and left to tour Iraq for four years, who returned forever changed. And they are that girl who was lost only to be found in ways she never thought she wanted to be. Trish's books focus on the stories that maybe hurt a little too much to read, but are the stories that need to be told. They are the stories I wish I could tell, if I weren't so scared. It's this kind of fearless writing that makes her my absolute favorite author and a woman I admire to the moon and back.
Why you should have it in your TBR pile: This is Trish's sophomore novel, and now the second book I've had a hard time getting over and moving on to other books. I stayed up until 3 AM to finish this one. I had one hell of a reading hangover the next morning, and it was worth every moment!
The one scene I'm dying for you to read: There are quite a few scenes between Callie and her father that are just heart-wrenchingly beautiful. I couldn't imagine reuniting with a parent who I was taken from and then reunited with. It's even harder to imagine how that parent would try to parent me and establish guidelines and rules. The fumblings between these two were incredible to read, and unforgettable after I put the book down.
From GoodReads: Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love--even with someone who seems an improbable choice--is more than just a possibility.
