Girl Made of Stars

This book was a lot. Amazing. And awful. And heart wrenching. And emotional. And it was just a lot. I can tell this book will stay with me forever and will always end up meaning so much to me.

Al iniciar este gran recorrido literario, somos envueltos con una relación más allá de la conexión superficial, entre dos gemelos, totalmente opuestos, pero unidos por el mismo reloj de arena, que cuenta su tiempo de inicio y finalización en esta tierra. Es así que conocemos a Mara y Owen, dos jóvenes adolescentes que llevan una vida relativamente tranquila, nuestra narradora, la gemela mayor, ha terminado una relación de años con su mejor amiga y pareja, Charlie, mientras tanto, Owen disfruta de pasar tiempo con su mejor amigo Alex, quien les lleva a una fiesta de su escuela de música, en donde los tres estudian, ahí se encuentran con una carismática chica Hannah, quien es la pareja romántica de Owen y a su vez la amiga íntima de Mara.
Luego de un encuentro algo incómodo entre Charlie y Mara, esta decide irse a casa con Alex, pero este ve algo a lo lejos que le hace devolverse dejando a Mara ansiosa y principalmente sola, al salir a buscar al joven, se encuentra a un Alex asustado e incómodo, no termina de saber el motivo de su salida hasta el otro día, donde su madre decide hacer una junta de familia, Owen abuso de Hannah, es dicho a escondidas y entre miradas culpables, el llanto doloroso de su hermano menor, deja una gran incertidumbre en Mara, ¿Es acaso cierto?
Y así es como estalla el tema central del libro, que si me permiten decirlo, es tratado con una soltura increíble, dejando en claro más de un hecho desagradable, un abusador puede venir desde cualquier lugar y sobre todo de la confianza, aprovecharse de la comodidad y traspasar los límites. Y que la víctima será criticada por múltiples miradas, dejándoles una sombra que atormentara sus vidas por un largo tiempo. Abusadores serán pocos los desconocidos y muchos más rostros ya explorados.
A través de este texto podemos ver como Mara, está con una gran batalla mental, sin poder lidiar con el hecho, el gran y horrible hecho, causado por su hermano, quien parece ser afectado solo unos instantes por este, pero que con el pasar del tiempo toma una postura desafiante hacía su hermana, haciéndole la siguiente pregunta “¿Crees que la viole? ¿Me tienes miedo?”
La cruda realidad es que desde aquel fatídico evento, Owen, ya no sería más aquel joven que tanto conocía, alegre y sincero, su hermano, su otra mitad.
Desde el otro punto de abuso, podemos ver a una chica dañada, con miedo y asco de sí misma, dudando y repitiendo una y otra vez en su cabeza, impidiendo aceptar lo ocurrido, ¿Por qué él? Yo tuve la culpa al no querer, debí luchar más fuerte, debí gritar más fuerte.
Es imposible para el lector no empatizar y ponerse del lado de Hannah, quien por obvias razones es quien más sufre, y más cuando al final de nuestra lectura nos enteramos de que Mara compartía un dolor similar.

Por desgracia, este libro no busca la fantasiosa e inalcanzable paz, ya que una vez manchada una piel, no hay forma de devolverla a su estado original y así nos entregan el final más triste y amargo que una novela de este tipo podría darnos, con dos chicas rotas y un abusador sin castigo, sin embargo, nos deja unas palabras de aliento que debo repetir, mientras tengas en quien confiar, podrás luchar.

This book was so heartbreaking and took such a glaring look at assault from every angle, but the writing and actual story was so YA that it wasn't a five star for my taste anymore. Still highly, highly recommend and this meant so much to me.

This is the type of book I wish I had come across in highschool - or even middle school. Difficult subject matter, but very necessary.

not long before i read this, i also read [b:Asking For It 25255576 Asking For It Louise O'Neill https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445503799l/25255576.SY75.jpg 44977539] and it really baffles me how teenagers turn to slut shaming when a girl is sexually assaulted. books like these (others i've read being [b:Speak 39280444 Speak Laurie Halse Anderson https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529044298l/39280444.SY75.jpg 118521] and [b:The Way I Used to Be 23546634 The Way I Used to Be Amber Smith https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1433883455l/23546634.SY75.jpg 43145997]) are so important and i'm very happy that authors continue to address the effects of trauma. this book in particular stood out to me because it tells the story of a girl in the middle of both sides of the assault - and man, is it too real. this is definitely one i'm not going to forget any time soon.

THIS WAS SO GOOD. Many parts made me cry. Many parts made me feel empowered. Many parts hit too close to home. Some parts made me angry - but that's something I liked about the book too. It wasn't black and white. It was complicated and messy, and showed the complexities of people and relationships in the aftermath of sexual violence. The fact that Owen never seems to face any consequences for his actions definitely bothered me. His supposedly über-feminist Mom just continues to love and accept him? I think what Mara tells him at the end is supposed to "punish" him in a way but does it really? As I said, the relationships are complicated, but I wish there was a bit more pushback against him. Still, a great read overall and I would highly recommend.

The authors note at the end of the book is a must read, read it and it will explain everything I want to say.

This author explains so well how sexual assault is something you can't move on from, it stays with you and no one can understand how bad it tears you apart even if 10 years have past.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

5 stars Ashley Herring Blake is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. It was beautiful. Hard to read at times (I got so angry and sad), but beautiful <3 and important.

You can also find this review on my blog.
cw: rape, molestation, pedophilia, biphobia, homophobia, victim blaming, depictions of anxiety and panic attacks, PTSD

As I said in the brief, one-sentence review I managed to spin out immediately after finishing Girl Made of Stars: This is one of the most painful, difficult reads I've ever experienced, and it still managed to end on an empowering, hopeful note. It's been on my radar for a while now and I just hadn't gotten around to it yet. I was actually picking up another book from the library for a buddy read that I'm doing when it caught my eye. I spontaneously snatched it up and I'm so, so glad I did. I think it was truly the perfect time for me to read this book.

I wish I could take a picture of myself right now, so I can remember this fiery girl, hold on to her.

It's difficult to know where to begin with a review like this. First and foremost: take care of yourselves, loves. This is about the nitty gritty of rape culture, the many ways in which women can be both assaulted and undermined. It's about the guilt, and the uncertainty, and the grey areas of being a survivor, as well as the difficulty of learning that someone you trust isn't as safe as you thought they were. I managed to finish it in one evening, but I had to put it down a couple times to just take a spin around the apartment to get my head out of the story. Ashley Herring Blake writes a world that feels so real and is so easy to live in, that it grips you in a deeply emotional way.

It's changed me forever, but changed doesn't mean broken.

Everything is handled so beautifully in this book. In addition to focusing on rape culture and survivors, the main character also deals with sometimes crippling anxiety and PTSD. She's also bisexual, which is mentioned explicitly on-page (as a bi woman, I was extremely excited about this), and her best friend/ex is genderqueer (this is the only rep I can't speak to personally, but I'd be happy to share ownvoices reviews if y'all have any). There are also some great scenes where actively asking for consent is demonstrated and emphasized, which I'm always a huge fan of seeing (particularly in YA).

For all the girls whose names I'll never know.For me.Girls made of flesh and bone.

I can't even get into everything this book manages to explore, but somehow it does it all without feeling like the author is trying to pack too much in. I went through the full gamut of emotions while reading this. I spent the last half an hour of reading just sobbing in bed, but that was in part because I felt so validated and loved and understood. If you can manage the content, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It was truly a beautiful, if difficult, experience and deserving of so much support and recognition.

I loved this book so much!! 2 weeks later and I'm still thinking about it.

I'm sure everyone has read the synopsis of this one by now so in short we follow a girl whose friend accuses her twin brother of rape and what happens after that and how she and her family deal with it.

The characters were excellently written, in fact I would have happily read more about them. The book not only looks at friendships, but relationships and families too. It's got the lot and you really connect to them all! I loved the focus on parents in this book, a lot of YA books have the parents kinda hazy in the background or as the bad guys, this one brings them to the forefront and has them involved throughout.

The representation was wonderful and so naturally done, it didn't feel like there was a token gay character or a POC on the side for diversity. Nothing felt forced here!!

For being 280 pages this book packs quite the punch! Herring Blake has a gift for writing this book in so few pages and I will be reading more from this wonderful author.

This is everything I love most in a novel, particularly a YA novel – important issues, strong female characters, girls looking out for other girls, and strong friendships.

Every time someone steps forward to report they've been sexually assaulted, my heart goes out to them, and I admire their bravery. I hope they find justice and healing, and I hope they're believed. But I also wonder what it would be like to be put in Mara's situation – where you love both the accuser or the accused, or even just the latter.

How difficult it must be to love someone, to have had a healthy relationship with someone, to have that someone be someone you trust and who has been a force of good in your life, and to be confronted with the possibility that they've harmed someone so profoundly.

As much as I advocate believing the victim, I understand that it might be near impossible to do in this one instance, as illustrated in the character of Mara's mother, who is feminist and who has taught Mara to be feminist, but who cannot conceive of her son being guilty. Mara is able to come to perhaps a different conclusion than many might due to knowing her brother so well and because she has her own experiences related to the core issue.

Without giving too much away, I appreciated how Mara kept hearing in her head a derogatory phrase used toward her, and it was in realizing another girl was none of those things and still vulnerable to sexual assault, she was able to realize that she wasn't those things either.

Mara also grapples with still being in love with her ex, and a growing attraction to someone she'd never considered before, and this was also well written. The reasons for her break-up, the reasons she quickly grew close to someone else, and why the story line resolved the way it did.

I highly recommend Girl Made of Stars!

I have a few small nitpicks.

I found the occasional word choices odd and slightly incorrect. At one point, Mara avoided eye contact with a lake, which goes against my understanding of the term. :)

Mara and Charlie start a group called Empower for people interested in feminism and LGBTQ issues, and yet non-binary is treated like a new term, even though I think it should have been on Mara's radar for ... reasons.