Review: When the Stars Lead to You

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Rating: ★★★★

I received this book for free from The NOVL in exchange for an honest review. 

First and foremost, I want to start off with a massive trigger warning for depression and suicide. These topics are heavily discussed in this book.

This was a very heartfelt and touching book.

The depression representation was really well done. It showed what depression looked like and how it affects not only the person with it, but also their loved ones. After reading the author’s note at the end, you can tell just how personal this story was for the author. 

A lot of reviewers have mentioned that the romance in this book is very insta-lovey and obsessive. There is merit to that, however, that was kind of the point of the book. Towards the end, the nature of their relationship gets discussed. This book isn’t necessarily supposed to be one of those cutesy YA romances. 

I loved the biracial (main character is half white and half black) representation. I liked that it didn’t shy away from showing the racism that is still prevalent today. I also liked that classism and elitism was also explored in conjunction with her race. It’s interesting to see how race, class, and gender all intersect. This book is so sex-positive which is so refreshing to see in YA.

Lastly, I thought the ending was perfect for the story. It seemed realistic and I liked that it was more ope-ended. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this #OwnVoices debut. 

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