The Stars Are a Million Glittering Worlds

by Gina Butson

A hypnotic novel about love, guilt and forgiveness. If you loved Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro, you will adore The Stars Are a Million Glittering Worlds.

Thea, a young woman crushed by guilt, flees to Central America to escape her life in New Zealand.

In Guatemala, she meets the charismatic Chris and his partner, Sarah, and the three of them form a tight bond. While the rest of the world is caught in the grip of the global financial crisis, the three friends find a false reality in the backpacker party town of San Pedro. Surrounded by the dark volcanic beauty of the Guatemalan highlands, Thea starts to come to terms with her past. But everything changes when a tragedy occurs.

Knowing she has to leave Central America, but not ready to return home, Thea settles in Tasmania and into a new relationship. Bonded by grief, she and her partner make a life for themselves in Hobart. But years later, when tragedy strikes again, all Thea's old grief and guilt - together with unanswered questions - come to the surface. Against the backdrop of the pandemic and lockdowns, Thea begins to question the trust she has in her partner. She realises that if she wants to know the truth, she will need to come clean about her past.

'An engrossing plot, fully imagined characters, and beautifully observed settings. Butson gently guides the reader on a journey marked by pain, secrets and guilt to a place of forgiveness, acceptance and peace. A stunning debut.' - Laurence Fearnley

Genres: Literary Fiction, Fiction

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2025

Reviews

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this novel from a new NZ author. It’s something different and I was caught up in the story of the characters dysfunctional relationship which seems fine on the outside but which was founded on a tragedy. Begins in Guatemala in a backpackers where a tragedy occurs. Then heads to Tasmania where a couple try to come to terms with what happened in their shared past, but also what one of them experienced before that. This is about how carrying guilt can affect all your relationships, about forgiveness of self, and about how you can get carried off by the power of other people and get swallowed up and lose your essence. Great read.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping - very readable.

[Ness VDH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a richly atmospheric and thoughtful journey through different worlds—both external and internal—that explores themes of guilt, grief, and the complexities of human relationships. Set against vivid backdrops—from the volcanic highlands of Guatemala to the rugged terrains of Tasmania.

The story unfolds slowly, introducing the characters of Sarah, Chris, and Thea. Sarah & Thea have such a fun and sisterly-vibe relationship (not initially, but as their relationship flourishes). We hear from Thea and Sarah, but never from Chris’s side, which leaves a gap in understanding his perspective and motives.

When news reports came up about people who died or had accidents near where Chris was, I thought, Is this going to turn into a murder mystery? But instead, the story focused on the heavy weight of what remained unsaid between Chris and Thea.

The novel’s quiet, introspective tone has its moments, but sometimes it felt more like emotional avoidance than real depth. Chris’s character never fully earned my trust—his late nights and “runs” made me suspicious, and his relationship with Thea felt tense and unstable, with unresolved feelings lurking just beneath the surface.

The story does circle back to what happened on the mountain and explains why Thea left, but the reveal felt a bit flat. It answered the “what” but didn’t fully satisfy the “why,” leaving me wanting more.

One element that lingered with me was the sense of unfinished business between Thea and Sarah. I kept waiting for Thea to return to Sarah’s family, to offer some closure or connection—but that never came. Maybe that’s the point—that some stories remain open-ended, or that what’s left unsaid is meant to carry forward into the future. Either way, it left me with a quiet ache.

Overall, this is a story about silence, tension, and the complicated ways people hold onto—or avoid—their truths.

Quite thought provoking, thank you bookclub (& thank you night shift for 7hours worth of reading time 😜).

[Fran Gilchrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by a NZ author

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a whole bunch of voice memos to write up the review but really I am walking away from this book feeling conflicted and disappointed that I don’t even want to bothered review this properly which is such a shame because I was so excited about this book that I l started it as soon as iI could get my hands on it.

I think your enjoyment will come down to one thing: Do you like Chris?

If you love the character of Chris immediately then you will eat this book up and love it.

If you (like me) can see right through Chris from the start then you will struggling with this book so much because he just gets worse and the book goes one. He is a terrible character that is so cliched that he ticks all trope plot device boxes with no development, no depth and no redeeming factors that make him a decent character so he just detracts from the story rather than adding to it. BUT, and it’s a big but, it is still worth sticking with he book, just engage in small parts that make is more bearable.

Aside from Chris, the other characters are great and so engaging. The story beyond Chris is engaging and easy to connect with. The writing it good and the audiobook narrator just great. Everything about this book was so good but Chris just ruined the experience for me. He just made be disconnect with the story immediately when the story focused on him but anytime he wasn’t around int he story, it was just so good.

Overall, it’s worth picking up and Butson shows a lot of promise. She just needs to work on making her side characters have a bit more depth beyond their purpose of being a plot device as Chris took enough space in this book that he needed to have more depth to make having him around hold a purpose.

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed bits of this book! The plot was cool & I liked the general idea as a mainstream girlypop read.

The first half of the book went very slowly where it was just the same thing over and over (girl gets frustrated at other girl being gaga over a weenie guy), and then a lot happened in the second half but it was very “tell” which isn’t my vibe. I found myself frustrated with the characters because girl 1 saw her friend getting manipulated by a weenie guy and then after they stopped dating, girl 1 is like oh goody my turn! I felt like there were minimal brains in the characters and not a character arc for any of them. Also still a bit confused about Gretel storyline but I was skimming at that point.

I would have loved if this was more about the trauma she went through and less about her relationship with a weenie guy. It seems like the book was meant to be a mystery about her past with a distracting romance but neither of those hit for meeee personally !

I very much enjoyed that the characters aren’t perfect and make mistakes in this book and the internal dialogue was very good and well done

The outline was good and definitely a fab debut, but not worth the hype for me personally & I wouldn’t read again

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with poignant poetic phrases that remain grounded in real life.    A story of those untold guilts, mistakes, stories that we carry with us each day and how that is what shapes us in our normal lives and careers.  

It's a thoughtful book that stays on an even pace and an even trajectory even when dealing with such life changing experiences. 

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Kiwi recently returned from Central America this book had me reliving destinations and emotions. It’s a powerful story of life in the wake of loss, the urge to escape and the feeling of guilt being good.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing. There was a little bit too much waiting for the other shoe to drop about Chris but a sense of place that I love.

[Safra Bacchus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. I went to Gina's book launch at The Booklover bookshop and was great to hear about the development of this book. Such a great read that prompted backpacking memories, interspersed with the great outdoors, relationships and how past experiences continue to shape us. A must read!!!

[Keziah Niamh · Rating 4 out of 5]

hometown mentioned!! this made me feel uncomfortable but in a gripping way?

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this was well written, it’s definitely not going on my to-recommend list, and I think comparing it to “Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts” is quite unfair to Josie Shapiro’s book (now THAT is a book I would recommend to everyone!) The plot sort of teetered on being exciting a few times but then took the opposite direction to what I was expecting and I finished the book feeling very unsatisfied.

[Caroline O'Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I might be in the minority here, but this book just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I didn’t hate it, in fact, I did enjoy parts, but overall, something was missing. A few chapters in, I found myself wondering if I should DNF it. But there was just enough to keep me going, and occasionally, I was truly engrossed, but sadly never wowed.

The ending left me with more questions than answers, and now I kind of wish I had put it down earlier.

That said, there were things I really enjoyed. The setting of Aotearoa, especially the mention of my beautiful Taranaki even if it was only about our majestic Maunga, it just felt special. The descriptions of Guatemala were rich, colourful and gave off a good fun vibe.

I enjoyed the friendship between Thea and Sarah, it felt natural and heartfelt. But Chris? Nope. Didn’t like him from the start. He came off as self absorbed and kind of insufferable (honestly, I think he needed a good slap haha).

“There’s home, the place you live; and there’s home, the place you’re from.”

That line stuck with me. After 17 years in Aotearoa, I can truly say NZ is home, I’ve always felt more at home here than where I come from. I’m incredibly grateful to live in this beautiful place.

Don’t let this review put you off as lots of readers have absolutely loved it, sadly not me.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, the good. It's always going to be refreshing to read a book set in central America, Aotearoa, and Australia. And as a climber who loves Ruapehu Maunga, I was surprised and hooked from the prologue. Butson does a great job of really taking us *there* with concrete, sensory details, whether it's a walk to an alpine hut after dark, or the vibe of a divey backpackers in a small town, with ominous undercurrents, in the Guatemalan highlands.

The characters...poor Thea has had to deal with so much at such a young age. However, because of the structure of the book, we don't fully grasp this until right near the end. And as a result, I couldn't really empathise with her character until the final chapter or so. At times, Thea is even wholly unlikeable (such as when she reflects on the "silver lining..." of the tragedy that occurs in Guatemala.) Right from the beginning, I wasn't jazzed on the structure of the book - we are shown that something BIG is about to happen....then we have to wait about 300 pages to find out what this is. I don't feel this worked in terms of character development and I'm curious to know why Butson did this.

SPOILERS FOLLOW.....

There is really only one other key character in this book, and agreement on what we think of him seems universal, looking through the reviews here. My question: I get that some women prioritise looks and great sex, but 14 years?? It takes Thea 14 years to realise Chris is a selfish, evasive, cold-hearted prick?

We are never really shown what, beyond physical attraction, keeps Thea with Chris for so long. I felt this story would have been more, well, believable, if the relationship timeline had been five to ten years (maximum). Ok, Thea met him when she was young, but she ends up spending a big chunk of her life with him, and why? As for Chris, apart from a few glimpses into a childhood where it seems he felt unloved, with unattuned and sometimes mean parents, we really don't learn anything about him. It's not even clear what he does for a job. He's a player, we know this early on. But we never truly get a sense of who/why he is.

I think the idea of Thea being someone who eventually is willing to reflect and grow, while Chris is not, could have been developed more.

Finally, the Ruapehu accident. Assuming she doesn't climb, I think Butson did a better job here with her research than many others would have. Still, I have a mountaineering background and there were also glaring things here that I found implausible, or at least, very unlikely. And I get that the characters are supposed to be making a series of bad choices (which they later acknowledge). But I just don't know any climber who would choose to move UP into bad weather, and then (especially this) sit, without adequate shelter, for 12 hours in a freezing gale when there's a hut perhaps an hour or so walk away downhill. Yes, even if one of them has a sore knee. Yes, even if one is emotionally spent.

So while I found this novel enjoyable, the writing transportational, and the character of Thea someone who I could eventually sympathise with, the story had too many "whaaat?" moments and left me with too many feelings of implausibility, to give it more stars.

All that said, I would read Butson again. I do think she is a talented writer, and I like that she's not afraid to be different.

[Alex Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another NZ debut author knocking it out of the park!Thea is a young Kiwi woman, running away from her feelings, and this takes her to Guatemala. The real world doesn’t seem to exist in San Pedro and she makes friends and tries to forget her old life in NZ. Poor Thea, this book is kind of a series of unfortunate events, and she seems to be in a constant cycle of loss and grief. I really enjoyed her travels and relationships with her girlfriends, and I found I could relate to her with some of the losses in her life. She frustrated me abit with some of her decisions, never actually saying how she felt about things that should be non negotiable, and her tendency to turn situations around and act like a victim even though things were kind of her fault, or partly. Would Thea and I be friends? No, she’d drive me nuts 🤣
I probably wouldn’t be jumping into this book expecting an uplifting happy story, but I feel Thea learned some pretty important lessons.
Really enjoyed this and read it in a day.

[Lakinloveslit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m actually shook that this is a debut! Such gorgeous writing that made me feel such a sense of time and place.
Thea flees NZ for Guatemala after the death of her father. She’s grieving but she also feels a sense of guilt over an accident (that we don’t learn about until later chapters). There she meets Chris and Sarah, and they form a trio of travellers exploring what Central America has to offer. Tragedy strikes when Sarah is found dead, and Thea’s guilt doubles. She and Chris keep in touch via email, and on her way home to NZ she stops in Australia to see him and ends up staying. They make a life in Tasmania, but Thea never forgets home.
I really enjoyed this. I thought the sense of place was so well done and I truly felt like I was in Guatemala/Australia/NZ in every scene. The themes of grief, homesickness, regret and love were so strong and weirdly felt homesick for NZ even though I’ve never even left the country hahaha. I bloody hated Chris from the get go though, and I was a bit peeved at Thea for not seeing straight through him as I did 😂 I loved going back and forwards through time in this and seeing how Thea got to where she was now and how her past shaped her future. Definitely an author to watch and a book I would recommend if you like character driven novels!

[Jacki (Julia Flyte) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stars are a Million Glittering Worlds is a debut novel from a NZ author that takes place over 15 years in three countries: New Zealand, Guatemala and Australia. We meet Thea as a young woman who has just lost her beloved father. When another tragedy strikes, she decides to get away from New Zealand in a bid to escape her enormous sense of guilt. Drifting through Guatemala, she befriends an Australian couple. Sarah and Chris are gorgeous and charismatic and meeting them will irrevocably change Thea’s life.

This is a tremendously readable book – I tore through most of it in one sitting – and I adored the sense of place. I felt like I’d been backpacking in Guatemala, bushwalking in Tasmania and scaling mountains in New Zealand.

It was a book that I appreciated more when we finally learn Thea’s full story which doesn’t happen until near the end (although the prologue gives a hint). I did think it might have been better to have learned that earlier in the book, but the chapters when it’s revealed are tremendously impactful.

[Rose Carlyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler-free review

I loved this book — an original and thought-provoking novel, the kind you give to your best friend to read because you desperately need to talk about it.

At times early on, you might think this is just a book about a love triangle, but it really isn't. The story takes twists and turns, and you don't really figure out what it's about until the very end. Then, you have that feeling of being astonished even though the truth was right in front of you all along. I love it when books do that.

Not that this is a murder mystery or thriller, not at all. But it has an intriguing and unpredictable plot, which is something I always love in a book, no matter what genre it is.

I recommend going in blind.

[Alison Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you cope with guilt?
I kept putting this book down in the third act, as I could feel the tension and awfulness in what was to come, and could barely stand to learn its specifics. The gift of this book is that in the telling, the guilt doesn’t leave. It’s not absolved, there are no tidy resolutions. Just very real characters. And the dissection of what it means to feel guilt, rippling over time and circumstance, how it shapes you, and what your response to guilt says about you.
This is not a perfect book, some of the pacing is off. But the characters and the emotional heart of it is spot on.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventurous, gripping, wild, tragic. Those are the words that come to mind when I try to sum up this book. This story spans 15 years and is primarily set across New Zealand, Guatemala and Australia. One of my favourite things about this book was that the way the settings were described was extremely immersive, I genuinely felt like I was in these places with the characters! The characters themselves were messy in a slightly infuriating but also realistic way. I would recommend this book to you if you want to follow some imperfect characters through their travels, and ultimately in a search for a sense of home.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin NZ for the gifted copy for honest review.

[Ankez · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enticing and moving book, waving in and out of past and present. Different places, but the main character Thea remains. I appreciated the gift of storytelling, making the places come to live. All these young people travelling, searching for the good times while ghosts haunt them. Finally, we’re told what weighs on Thea’s mind. The details of the mountain trip were familiar and soon the risks too great. Recommended!

[K.V. Martins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather liked this book. An accomplished writer and a very good debut novel. Great sense of the landscape (South America, New Zealand, Tasmania) being a character. I very much liked the focus on how guilt can affect the shape of our lives. A little slow to start off, but once the book got going, it really engaged the reader. Chris, particularly (shady character, that one!).

[Lorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio
3.5 - 4 star
Really enjoyed this by an NZ author. Having travelled in my younger days, I identified with parts of this (not the drugs or Central America, but more the feeling and the idea of experiencing the world) and the concept of dysfunctional connections and the ways different people grow and evolve.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! Couldn't put this down. Beautifully written.

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously loved this book. A great read. I couldn’t pick where the story was going. Each character felt real and I could really understand the motivations/intentions of Thea. Highly recommend.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic debut from Gina Butson. The characters felt real, and it brought back memories of travel and the escapades that happen. Couldn’t put it down

[James Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! A fantastic meditation on time, place and grief, plus a genuinely suspenseful mystery. Highly recommended!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

fab local fiction

[Jackie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Great characters and a really engaging story, that slowly unfolded. Well written too.

[Emily W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, moving, explored themes of love and grief and guilt with a strong sense of place.