Where The Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller
Published by Bloomsbury on September 24, 2013
Genres: Contemporary
Pages: 352
Format: ARC
Source: ALA, Publisher
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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.

Where The Stars Still Shine, Trish Doller’s sophomore novel, is a solid follow-up to her debut, Something Like Normal.  I didn’t love it like I did Something Like Normal but I did like it quite a bit.

Trish Doller has a way with messed up characters.  Callie was raised by her mother, who kidnapped her at a very young age.  She drags Callie from place to place, living in motels, not going to school, and being forced to put up with the trashy men that her mom brings home.  The way she’s raised is terribly wrong but Callie doesn’t know any other way.  Until her mom is arrested and she’s returned to her dad, she never knew she could have a different life.

Callie was very messed up after her childhood.  She didn’t know what real love was like.  She didn’t know how to handle family or friends and she didn’t remember anything about her life from before the kidnapping.  She tended to push people away, especially the people that loved her.  Then there was Alex.  She doesn’t know how to be with him.  She’s not confident that people could really love her, especially him.  He’s sweet, funny, and super cute with Callie and  her family.  It’s hard to tell if he’s a player at first but he does seem to be a good guy.

As for Callie’s mom and dad, they are complete opposites.  Her mom is a selfish woman who needs mental help.  I totally hated Callie’s mom, especially the way she treated Callie.  I also hated how Callie acted around her mom.  Her dad was a totally sweet guy who loved Callie with all his heart.  He was an amazing guy.

The plot was fast-paced even when there wasn’t a whole lot going on.  I never felt bored with the book and I was always eager to see what would happen next.  The story definitely had my full attention.

Overall, Where The Stars Still Shine is great for contemporary fans.  It’s got a lot more going on than you’d originally think.

What others are saying about Where The Stars Still Shine:

Book’d Out’s review: “Like Trish Doller’s debut novel, Something Like Normal, Where the Stars Still Shine is a gritty, contemporary young adult novel favouring realism over fairy tale.”

Tabitha’s Book Blog’s review: “If you enjoyed her novel, SOMETHING LIKE NORMAL – than I have no doubts that you’ll enjoy this one as well.”

All The Books I Can Read’s review: “But apart from that I loved all facets of this book and it further cemented Trish Doller as such a gifted voice of contemporary young adult/new adult literature.”