Kate Hewitt (1)

Thank you to Net Galley and Storm Publishing for the ARC of The Last Stars in the Sky.

I have to say that I am not a Dystopian reader at all- and I was not prepared for this book to be dystopian… but I loved it!

It starts with a familiar story of a family on the brink of financial ruin, having to make the unfortunate decision to give up their family home to move to a smaller (in this case much, much smaller) home farther away from their established life, causing a marriage to be at its breaking point. Well- this is about all that is “normal” about the story.

Once settled in the family’s “rustic” (being a nice word) cabin, children unsettled without wifi, and parents sort-of speaking, the world turns on its axis. While watching TV on all of the few channels that come in at the cabin, report fires engulfing cities, then the connection goes out.

The book tells the story of a semi-broken family squished close together by circumstances and survival to either make it out together or break and drown.

The characterization in this is incredibly well-written with the reader reading from both the wife’s and husband’s perspectives. The reader gets a real feel for the quirks and personality traits of each character, as well as how strong the human will to live is. Hewitt describes the setting in the story so well that I have a true mental image in my head of each scene of the book- without making the amount of details overwhelming. This created a both character and plot driven story that far exceeded any expectations that I had.

This novel is genre crossing in the best way including elements from contemporary fiction, family drama, dystopian, sci-fi, mystery and thriller all wrapped up into one beautiful (I mean look at that cover) package. I loved this story and became so invested in the different characters. If you’re interested in any of these genres- or multiple, this was a great read that went in multiple directions that I had not anticipated.… (mehr)

THE LAST STARS IN THE SKY was not at all what I expected based on the blurb. Alex and her husband Daniel leave their home and life in Connecticut behind after Daniel loses his job. They uproot their teenage daughter Mattie, who is bitter over leaving a troubled boyfriend behind, and bring a younger daughter as well. The first 20% of the book moves very slowly, reflecting on the family’s troubles. Then the big twist/reveal comes, and we discover what the novel is really about. It’s impossible to review the book properly without spoiling that there is a worldwide nuclear attack and this quickly becomes a post-apocalyptic survival novel where it's every person for themselves.

As Daniel leaves Alex and his daughters behind in order to go back to Connecticut and get their son Sam, they are forced to fend for themselves with society quickly crumbling. This book was unlike any Kate Hewitt book I’ve read before, but I was rivetted. Very well written. I love post-apocalyptic novels and the struggle to find food and supplies and figure out how to get through winter and make it one more month was written in a very exciting way. My one criticism is that the ending is very abrupt. I would have liked more resolution and answers about what happened as far as the worldwide nuclear attacks. We don’t ever get any answers about what is going on. That’s all left up in the air. The family is shown on the run and in danger at the end and we’re just sort of left with that? Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, but I would have enjoyed it more if it had been left with a better sense of closure. 5/5 stars.

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and Storm Publishing for review purposes.… (mehr)

A family crisis brings more pleasure than they could have hoped for as a younger sister who has been estranged for years from her family and her older sister steps forward to care for her teenaged nephew at Christmas. The narration leaves much to be desired as many reviews have pointed out.

FROM AMAZON: When Laurel West discovers her estranged sister Abby has checked herself into rehab and wants her to take care of her 14-year-old son, she doesn’t hesitate to step in. Abby was there for Laurel a long time ago, and she longs to be able to offer the same. However, as a single woman who still dreams of the fairy tale, Laurel isn’t prepared for teenage Zac’s sullen moods or silent rage. When he’s expelled from school, she decides to take drastic measures and temporarily relocate them to her great aunt’s cottage on the windswept hills of the Orkney islands north of Scotland...about as far as she can run from their problems, but will it be far enough?

From the moment they step onto the island’s shores, everything seems to go wrong...including a run-in with eccentric sheep farmer Archie MacDougall. When Zac gets in trouble at the village pub and is rescued by Archie, Laurel thinks things are only getting worse. But Archie’s suggestion of putting Zac to work on his farm might be the change he needs, and Laurel strikes up a surprising friendship with a man who is about as far from the fairy tale as she can imagine.… (mehr)