Title :              Under A Million Stars

Author :           Rita Branches

Series :            n/a

Release date :   August 8th 2016

Rating :           5 Stars

 

 

Blurb : Can a beating heart bleed from the shattered pieces?

 

Her heart cracked when her best friend walked away; it completely shattered when she lost her family in a tragic accident. Now orphaned at seventeen, Charlotte Peterson is forced to live with her former best friend, Jacob Parker.

 

Charlie, a talented pianist, desperately wants their loving friendship back, but something is holding Jake back. The more she spirals into the darkness of depression, the more she needs him. Jacob vowed to stay away from her—no matter how much he still loved her.

 

Armed with secrets that would have destroyed both of their families, he chose to end their friendship and walk away, which nearly killed him. As he watches the girl he once knew begin to fade away, however, he realizes that their relationship is more important than the truth he’s hiding.

 

Now it’s up to Jacob to put the pieces of Charlie’s broken heart back together—even if it means revealing the secrets he so desperately wants to protect her from. Will Jacob find a way to bring back the carefree, talented girl he once knew, or is it too late for both of them?

 

*It’s a Stand-alone*

 

Review : I read “Painting Sky” a while ago, which I think was the debut novel of Rita Branches. If I remember correctly it was during a Blog Tour and I really liked it, a LOT.

 

So when the Author approached me with her new book “Under A Million Stars” and asked if I would like to read it – it was basically a no-brainer after I had taken a short look at the blurb and deemed it definitely up my alley.

 

Oh my and HOW up my Alley it was.

 

And I do not say stuff like that just because I got a book for free. Believe me, there is more than one author out there that had to take some hard truths from me. Because no matter how nice or polite the words you use are – they will not change the facts if you do not like a book.

 

But no worries as far as this author is concerned, if you are looking for a YA novel with deep characters and a well told story that tugs at your – you can pick up both, the previous book as well as “Under A Million Stars”.

 

I remember comparing Rita Branches first story to one of Colleen Hoover or L.A. Fiore. I wasn’t sure at that time, having only one book to judge from, but now I would say definitely the style of L.A. Fiore only in the genre of a YA.

 

I am as usual not willing to spill on the storyline.

 

But you can be sure that Jacobs and Charlottes story will devastate you at times. But you will also smile in other moments.

 

It is the story of the power of true love. The kind of love that lets you be strong enough to walk away from people you love to spare them from harsh realities.

 

As an outsider one might consider Jacobs decisions unnecessary or harsh but ones you accept that they are coming from deep within his heart.

 

From what he deems right at that moment. You can feel his struggle in every letter written in this book. Always considering the lesser evil in the problems, he faces.

 

Rarely you find so well described struggles in such a young book character.

 

And I loved every minute of reading it.

 

Honestly … this book offered me one of the rare occasions where I was hoping for a leading character to loose a battle.

 

And I will be more than happy to pick up the next book by this author if the blurb sounds appealing to me.

 

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