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What if Stars Don't Die
They say your parents know better . . .
Dante Morris knew exactly what had to be done. Despite having a voice that insisted on cracking whenever he said things out loud, he was expected to become a great and respected lawyer just as all the members of the Morris family before him.
However, after an unexpected accident took his parents’ lives, Dante moves to Halley to live with his aunt Sarah, who is broken in her own way. Now, he will have to find a path of his own and discover that falling in love is not as easy as following a recipe.
Would you dare to embark on a journey in which dogs smile, people hurt, and hearts break to learn that some stars don’t die?
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This is the first stand-alone novel of Halley’s puzzle. However, it is recommended to be read in order for greatest enjoyment.
Dante Morris knew exactly what had to be done. Despite having a voice that insisted on cracking whenever he said things out loud, he was expected to become a great and respected lawyer just as all the members of the Morris family before him.
However, after an unexpected accident took his parents’ lives, Dante moves to Halley to live with his aunt Sarah, who is broken in her own way. Now, he will have to find a path of his own and discover that falling in love is not as easy as following a recipe.
Would you dare to embark on a journey in which dogs smile, people hurt, and hearts break to learn that some stars don’t die?
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This is the first stand-alone novel of Halley’s puzzle. However, it is recommended to be read in order for greatest enjoyment.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2020
10 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 27, 2020
3.5/5
I received a free ebook from the author's newsletter in exchange for an honest review.
Dante Morris has always done what's right. His parents have high expectations and a family legacy to carry on. When an unexpected accident claims both his parents lives, Dante doesn't know what to do. Now that he is an orphan he has two choices: live with his grandparents and continue on the path set for him, or contact his mother's estranged sister, Sarah, and see where life takes him. At the last minute, Dante decides to go with his Aunt Sarah.
What if Stars Don't Die was a soft book that explores what grief does to you. I liked seeing Dante live with his Aunt Sarah and how it both brought them out of their respective shells. There were several small comments here and there that bothered me for reasons regarding victim blaming, and about abusive partners, but I don't remember them well since it was such a throwaway comment.
Dante does develop a cute romance with one of the girls in town. At times, it did feel a bit forced to me, especially when the adults around them are constantly like "ohmigod you're so cute together". The ending was quite rushed in my opinion and also Dante did something really stupid that irked me. Hello running away is not the answer to your problems. But overall, this was a cute story.
I received a free ebook from the author's newsletter in exchange for an honest review.
Dante Morris has always done what's right. His parents have high expectations and a family legacy to carry on. When an unexpected accident claims both his parents lives, Dante doesn't know what to do. Now that he is an orphan he has two choices: live with his grandparents and continue on the path set for him, or contact his mother's estranged sister, Sarah, and see where life takes him. At the last minute, Dante decides to go with his Aunt Sarah.
What if Stars Don't Die was a soft book that explores what grief does to you. I liked seeing Dante live with his Aunt Sarah and how it both brought them out of their respective shells. There were several small comments here and there that bothered me for reasons regarding victim blaming, and about abusive partners, but I don't remember them well since it was such a throwaway comment.
Dante does develop a cute romance with one of the girls in town. At times, it did feel a bit forced to me, especially when the adults around them are constantly like "ohmigod you're so cute together". The ending was quite rushed in my opinion and also Dante did something really stupid that irked me. Hello running away is not the answer to your problems. But overall, this was a cute story.
March 15, 2021
This was a sweet coming of age story about a young man named Dante who experienced something that no teen should have to go through. He learns to grieve, love and connect with people in his Mom's old home town.
Dante's relationship with his aunt was beautiful. Both Dante and Sarah have experienced loss and learn to lean on each other through their grieving process, though I think Dante helps Sarah a lot more than she realizes. For everything that Dante went through, he is very mature for his age.
I also thought that Dante and Maggie's relationship was sweet. She definitely helped him loosen up and have fun. It was nice to see young love.
The only criticism I have for this book is I felt it ended too abruptly. I also wanted to know more about the presentations at the end. But, overall I thought this was a sweet, heartwarming and fun book about friendship, love and finding happiness.
Dante's relationship with his aunt was beautiful. Both Dante and Sarah have experienced loss and learn to lean on each other through their grieving process, though I think Dante helps Sarah a lot more than she realizes. For everything that Dante went through, he is very mature for his age.
I also thought that Dante and Maggie's relationship was sweet. She definitely helped him loosen up and have fun. It was nice to see young love.
The only criticism I have for this book is I felt it ended too abruptly. I also wanted to know more about the presentations at the end. But, overall I thought this was a sweet, heartwarming and fun book about friendship, love and finding happiness.
November 10, 2020
The author sent me her book in exchange for an honest review. Halley reminds me a lot of “Stars Hollow” which is the town from Gilmore Girls, it’s just so cute and everyone knows each other and it gives me cozy vibes. I was having quite a stressful day, but crazy as it sounds, just reading one page from this book made me calm. This is Dante’s story, his parents died in an accident and he for the first time in his life has to decide what he wants for his future. He has always known what he was expected to do, but now that his parents are gone, he feels lost. Trying to escape the reality of his life, he asks his aunt, who he was never allowed to speak to, if he could live with her. And so, the story begins, it’s about grief, love, friends and being brave. I got a feeling each book of the series will get deeper and darker, just reading the sneak peek for the third one gave me chills. Ivy Oakes writes short but powerful books, read it and let yourself explore the amazing town that is Halley.
December 20, 2020
A sweet, emotional and heartfelt story.
Seventeen year old Dante has his life preordained by virtue of the family he was born into. When his parents are killed in a car accident, Dante realizes he has a voice and can reject the life he has been groomed for. He starts with deciding he wants to live with his aunt Sarah rather than his controlling grandparents. Sarah is also dealing with the loss of her husband and is stuck in a funk. With a new found understanding and confidence, Dante soon learns to move beyond his tragedy and ends up helping Sarah while doing so.
Although this is a relatively short book it packs a punch with its themes of loss, grief, self awareness and love. Very well and concisely written it can easily be read in one sitting. The characters are well drawn and their experiences palpable. I connected with this story on many levels and identified with the characters and their journeys.
I really enjoyed reading this one and recommend it to those who need a nice feel good story to get lost in.
Thanks to the author for the gifted copy to read, review and enjoy.
Seventeen year old Dante has his life preordained by virtue of the family he was born into. When his parents are killed in a car accident, Dante realizes he has a voice and can reject the life he has been groomed for. He starts with deciding he wants to live with his aunt Sarah rather than his controlling grandparents. Sarah is also dealing with the loss of her husband and is stuck in a funk. With a new found understanding and confidence, Dante soon learns to move beyond his tragedy and ends up helping Sarah while doing so.
Although this is a relatively short book it packs a punch with its themes of loss, grief, self awareness and love. Very well and concisely written it can easily be read in one sitting. The characters are well drawn and their experiences palpable. I connected with this story on many levels and identified with the characters and their journeys.
I really enjoyed reading this one and recommend it to those who need a nice feel good story to get lost in.
Thanks to the author for the gifted copy to read, review and enjoy.
December 1, 2020
I think the premise of this book had a lot of potential!
A teenage boy is orphaned and goes off to live with this aunt in a cozy little town, sort of like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, where everyone knows everyone. He and his aunt and her strange little dog start to bond and mourn together, and he finds himself falling in love with a girl in town despite all the tragedy around him.
However I felt like the writing just wasn’t super strong, there was a lot of telling the reader how the characters felt vs showing it with natural descriptive writing. The dialogue was also a bit robotic and felt unnatural between all the characters.
I think this book had a lot of promise but just needed a bit more refinement!
TW for death of a parent(s), grief, and child abuse.
A teenage boy is orphaned and goes off to live with this aunt in a cozy little town, sort of like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, where everyone knows everyone. He and his aunt and her strange little dog start to bond and mourn together, and he finds himself falling in love with a girl in town despite all the tragedy around him.
However I felt like the writing just wasn’t super strong, there was a lot of telling the reader how the characters felt vs showing it with natural descriptive writing. The dialogue was also a bit robotic and felt unnatural between all the characters.
I think this book had a lot of promise but just needed a bit more refinement!
TW for death of a parent(s), grief, and child abuse.
November 11, 2020
“For some reason, it never occurred to me that the jaws of death could touch someone next to me. Never once did I think the people whom I cared about could simply cease to exist. Or what would be the consequences of it.”
The author actually gave me an advance copy of this book and I was so excited to read it but I couldn’t read immediately. When I read the book I felt like I was part of the story and I was hooked.
This book came to me at the worst time possible but it turns out, the content of this book came to me at the best possible time. The book started with an unexpected news that changes Dante, the protagonist of the story, life forever. The quote basically speaks for itself. This book talks about the raw form of grief. I love how it shows the ugly parts of grief because grieving about the lost of a loved one is never a pretty thing.
Dante is a solid character for me because despite of experiencing the worst pain possible, he still thinks of others rather than himself. I can relate to him in many ways.
Like when his grandparents cared about their status more than the lost of their son and they are being insensitive with Dante, it really hits me. It warms me though when Sarah made her way into Dante’s life and tried to make him whole even though she was broken herself.
There are parts whenever Dante was alone, he would think about the people he loss and would just breakdown, I felt that. He never shows his vulnerable side in front of others which is basically me when I experienced grief. I was glad he met Maggie though, I mean I need a Maggie too.
The book shows that we are never alone, or should I say we should never experience grief alone. There are those who will be there for us even in our dark times.
The author actually gave me an advance copy of this book and I was so excited to read it but I couldn’t read immediately. When I read the book I felt like I was part of the story and I was hooked.
This book came to me at the worst time possible but it turns out, the content of this book came to me at the best possible time. The book started with an unexpected news that changes Dante, the protagonist of the story, life forever. The quote basically speaks for itself. This book talks about the raw form of grief. I love how it shows the ugly parts of grief because grieving about the lost of a loved one is never a pretty thing.
Dante is a solid character for me because despite of experiencing the worst pain possible, he still thinks of others rather than himself. I can relate to him in many ways.
Like when his grandparents cared about their status more than the lost of their son and they are being insensitive with Dante, it really hits me. It warms me though when Sarah made her way into Dante’s life and tried to make him whole even though she was broken herself.
There are parts whenever Dante was alone, he would think about the people he loss and would just breakdown, I felt that. He never shows his vulnerable side in front of others which is basically me when I experienced grief. I was glad he met Maggie though, I mean I need a Maggie too.
The book shows that we are never alone, or should I say we should never experience grief alone. There are those who will be there for us even in our dark times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2020
Dante, being a Morris, already has a bright and well-constructed future ahead of him. Coming from a family of lawyers, his grandparents and parents also wanted him to become one, but things suddenly changed when one typical school day, the school principal called him to let him know that his parents died on a car accident.
This story talks about grief, resentment, losses, regrets, moving forward, finding solace and most importantly, What if Stars Don't Die talks about finding oneself.
I love how the author was able to narrate the story through Dante's point of view given that he's a he. I felt lots of emotions through his POV. I was sad when he was and I was also mad when he was. His thoughts were successfully conveyed to match a male's POV. This is truely amazing and wonderful.
What I learned from this are:
• Cry when you're in pain. That's fine. You don't have to hide it;
• it's okay if you haven't found what you want for yourself yet. It takes time, just continue venturing life and do not pressure yourself (I can really relate to this);
• have courage on everything that you do;
• show your love and appreciation to the people you love while they are still alive, tommorow is never promised; and
• we may have darkness within us, we can still shine light to someone's life.
If you have been feeling down and losing hope lately, this one is for you as it will remind you that "𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚎."
This story talks about grief, resentment, losses, regrets, moving forward, finding solace and most importantly, What if Stars Don't Die talks about finding oneself.
I love how the author was able to narrate the story through Dante's point of view given that he's a he. I felt lots of emotions through his POV. I was sad when he was and I was also mad when he was. His thoughts were successfully conveyed to match a male's POV. This is truely amazing and wonderful.
What I learned from this are:
• Cry when you're in pain. That's fine. You don't have to hide it;
• it's okay if you haven't found what you want for yourself yet. It takes time, just continue venturing life and do not pressure yourself (I can really relate to this);
• have courage on everything that you do;
• show your love and appreciation to the people you love while they are still alive, tommorow is never promised; and
• we may have darkness within us, we can still shine light to someone's life.
If you have been feeling down and losing hope lately, this one is for you as it will remind you that "𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚎."
November 13, 2020
I want to thank the author @authorivyoakes for gifting me with this free e-book! ♥️
I thought this was such a lovely story about loss, handling the grief that comes with loss, and first love.
We follow Dante who just lost both his parents in a car accident, and he decides he to live with his aunt Sarah, who he knows pretty much nothing about due to the family not exactly being close, and on top of it all, Sarah is also suffering from losing someone she loved, so they make an interesting pair to live together. Both are suffering from loss, and each are handling their grief differently. Sarah is a workaholic, and Dante seemed to just not care.
Eventually Dante realizes what happened to his parents is real, and we watch him go through different stages of grief, but also start to actually do things, and make Sarah do things too, get her out of her comfort zone and they both start to live again.
It was a very sweet, at times sad, and yet lovely story. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to seeing what the next book is like.
I thought this was such a lovely story about loss, handling the grief that comes with loss, and first love.
We follow Dante who just lost both his parents in a car accident, and he decides he to live with his aunt Sarah, who he knows pretty much nothing about due to the family not exactly being close, and on top of it all, Sarah is also suffering from losing someone she loved, so they make an interesting pair to live together. Both are suffering from loss, and each are handling their grief differently. Sarah is a workaholic, and Dante seemed to just not care.
Eventually Dante realizes what happened to his parents is real, and we watch him go through different stages of grief, but also start to actually do things, and make Sarah do things too, get her out of her comfort zone and they both start to live again.
It was a very sweet, at times sad, and yet lovely story. I really enjoyed it, and look forward to seeing what the next book is like.
December 20, 2020
3.5 stars
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book to read and review.
What If Stars Don’t Die follows Dante, a teenager who’s life has been turned upside down when his parents suddenly pass away.
He had his whole life figured out, but now he has a choice: continue the life that everyone else had planned for him and live with his grandparents, or learn what it actually means to live according to what his heart wants and go with his aunt.
We learn about his aunt, Sarah, in a short novella that I had the pleasure of reading and appreciate. You can read this one without reading the novella, but I recommend you do. It was lovely to see how these characters interconnect and learn how to grieve and listen to their hearts above everything else.
Despite this being a sad and difficult topic to navigate, the story doesn’t feel heavy, it deals with grief in a light and hopeful way without disrespecting it.
I don’t know what is like to lose someone so close to your heart, so I cannot say I understand how these characters feel, but I did feel how crushed they were, in their own unique way.
This is a lovely book, Ivy Oakes manages to write short but effective stories. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the series will bring us!
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book to read and review.
What If Stars Don’t Die follows Dante, a teenager who’s life has been turned upside down when his parents suddenly pass away.
He had his whole life figured out, but now he has a choice: continue the life that everyone else had planned for him and live with his grandparents, or learn what it actually means to live according to what his heart wants and go with his aunt.
We learn about his aunt, Sarah, in a short novella that I had the pleasure of reading and appreciate. You can read this one without reading the novella, but I recommend you do. It was lovely to see how these characters interconnect and learn how to grieve and listen to their hearts above everything else.
Despite this being a sad and difficult topic to navigate, the story doesn’t feel heavy, it deals with grief in a light and hopeful way without disrespecting it.
I don’t know what is like to lose someone so close to your heart, so I cannot say I understand how these characters feel, but I did feel how crushed they were, in their own unique way.
This is a lovely book, Ivy Oakes manages to write short but effective stories. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the series will bring us!
December 20, 2020
What if stars don't die is all about Dante Morris who was supposed to become a great and respected lawyer like everyone in the Morris family before him.
But unexpectedly his parents passed away in an accident. The plan was that Dante was supposed to go live with his grandparents but Dante had another idea in mind.
He would go live in Halley with his aunt Sarah, Sarah was broken also and had things to work out herself. Will Dante ever live a normal life? Why is Sarah broken? Will Dante become a lawyer? You just have to pick up this book to find out. You wont regreat it.
My review:
I was sent this book by Ivy Oakes herself, here is my review. This book was so sweet and adorable. I really love all the characters in their own ways, they are so easy to relate to. But my favourite is Sarah she is so fun and outgoing. This book was so easy to read, it was a page-turner. It has a little of everything love/grief/anger/quirkiness/family/first love. I usually don't enjoy books of this kind but this one I enjoyed. Oh and the cover of this book is just so pretty.
But unexpectedly his parents passed away in an accident. The plan was that Dante was supposed to go live with his grandparents but Dante had another idea in mind.
He would go live in Halley with his aunt Sarah, Sarah was broken also and had things to work out herself. Will Dante ever live a normal life? Why is Sarah broken? Will Dante become a lawyer? You just have to pick up this book to find out. You wont regreat it.
My review:
I was sent this book by Ivy Oakes herself, here is my review. This book was so sweet and adorable. I really love all the characters in their own ways, they are so easy to relate to. But my favourite is Sarah she is so fun and outgoing. This book was so easy to read, it was a page-turner. It has a little of everything love/grief/anger/quirkiness/family/first love. I usually don't enjoy books of this kind but this one I enjoyed. Oh and the cover of this book is just so pretty.
February 10, 2025
THANK YOU to the Author Ivy for sending me a copy of her book. This is an honest review.
All your careful planning regarding life will suffer a setback. Major or minor. Its always meant to be like that. Dante Morris understands this as he receives horrible news and it pushes him to redefine himself and to discover that maybe, just maybe, carefully laid out plans aren't really meant to be.
I love how the little stories Dante discovers give him cause to love more fiercely than he had ever allowed himself. It gives him peace and starts him on a path where he is cheered on and loved and in return he lives truly and unapologetically.
I didn't really expect to laugh or feel such profound sense of understanding or sadness at losing someone close to your heart. I felt every single emotion Dante experienced.
I liked this story more than I imagined. I recommend this to ppl who want to feel good.
All your careful planning regarding life will suffer a setback. Major or minor. Its always meant to be like that. Dante Morris understands this as he receives horrible news and it pushes him to redefine himself and to discover that maybe, just maybe, carefully laid out plans aren't really meant to be.
I love how the little stories Dante discovers give him cause to love more fiercely than he had ever allowed himself. It gives him peace and starts him on a path where he is cheered on and loved and in return he lives truly and unapologetically.
I didn't really expect to laugh or feel such profound sense of understanding or sadness at losing someone close to your heart. I felt every single emotion Dante experienced.
I liked this story more than I imagined. I recommend this to ppl who want to feel good.
November 30, 2020
" I understood I am who I am because of my many flaws. I didn’t have to be perfect; I never had to. In the end, all my parents ever wanted was for me to be happy. And happiness cannot be measured because it means something different for each one. It’s not a checklist or following a recipe. Right there, looking at those whom I called family and a smiling dog, I felt another star lighting up in my sky"⠀
⠀
✨ I do not precisely remember whose post it was but I was mesmerized by this beautiful cover and upon seeing the comment the author messaged me if I would like to read the book. I am not lying but I am always in for good looking books. They are my weaknesses and soon I had another addition to my never-ending tbr.⠀
✨ What if stars don't die starts with Dante coming to know that his parents died in a crash and is asked to return home from school. Dante who belongs to an affluential family of lawyers is also set in for law school but this happens. ⠀
⠀
✨ Dante always knew he needs to be a gentleman, his grandparents expected him to be nothing less, he was sure his now-dead parents wanted same, then why does he wish to go with his aunt Sarah and live a life away from the riches.⠀
⠀
✨ The emotional explanation that this book provided was so accurate that I could feel what Dante was feeling. When someone close to you dies you do not react immediately. Reacting immediately is a confirmation that you have accepted their demise. Dante took days to break down and the whole part was accurately and beautifully written.⠀
Dante is such a warm character along with Maggie. Characters like Maggie are people we all imagine having beside us. ⠀
✨ Sarah is just perfect. I know now there is a book about her as well and I will read it soon as well. The way Sarah allowed Dante in her life with normalcy and gave him all the space he needed was beautiful to read. ⠀
⠀
✨ Overall, I enjoyed this book. A simple but beautiful read.
⠀
✨ I do not precisely remember whose post it was but I was mesmerized by this beautiful cover and upon seeing the comment the author messaged me if I would like to read the book. I am not lying but I am always in for good looking books. They are my weaknesses and soon I had another addition to my never-ending tbr.⠀
✨ What if stars don't die starts with Dante coming to know that his parents died in a crash and is asked to return home from school. Dante who belongs to an affluential family of lawyers is also set in for law school but this happens. ⠀
⠀
✨ Dante always knew he needs to be a gentleman, his grandparents expected him to be nothing less, he was sure his now-dead parents wanted same, then why does he wish to go with his aunt Sarah and live a life away from the riches.⠀
⠀
✨ The emotional explanation that this book provided was so accurate that I could feel what Dante was feeling. When someone close to you dies you do not react immediately. Reacting immediately is a confirmation that you have accepted their demise. Dante took days to break down and the whole part was accurately and beautifully written.⠀
Dante is such a warm character along with Maggie. Characters like Maggie are people we all imagine having beside us. ⠀
✨ Sarah is just perfect. I know now there is a book about her as well and I will read it soon as well. The way Sarah allowed Dante in her life with normalcy and gave him all the space he needed was beautiful to read. ⠀
⠀
✨ Overall, I enjoyed this book. A simple but beautiful read.
December 21, 2020
This novel really touched on a lot of topics, including some heavy and dark ones (death, trauma, abuse, etc.), but I loved the fact that the actual novel didn’t come out depressing or bogged down because of it. The author delves into the topic of grief, and promotes the message that everyone grieves at their own pace and in different ways. And that that’s okay.
Chapter 24 really struck a chord in me emotionally, and Dante’s isolated outburst about his parents death was written so eloquently. Death and grief are not black and white. It’s very gray, messy, and real. She shows us the anger, the ugliness, sadness and loneliness that comes with loss rather than glamorizing and downplaying it as some authors do.
I really was able to connect with the MC, and loved the character development. The slow-burn romance is sweet and the two characters help each other discover who they are as people.
I also liked how Julien’s tales throw in a fresh mix of satire that highlight on how humankind is flawed and obsessed with money and our phones.
And how gorgeous is that cover?😍
My overall rating of this book is
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟/ 5 stars.
Chapter 24 really struck a chord in me emotionally, and Dante’s isolated outburst about his parents death was written so eloquently. Death and grief are not black and white. It’s very gray, messy, and real. She shows us the anger, the ugliness, sadness and loneliness that comes with loss rather than glamorizing and downplaying it as some authors do.
I really was able to connect with the MC, and loved the character development. The slow-burn romance is sweet and the two characters help each other discover who they are as people.
I also liked how Julien’s tales throw in a fresh mix of satire that highlight on how humankind is flawed and obsessed with money and our phones.
And how gorgeous is that cover?😍
My overall rating of this book is
🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟/ 5 stars.
September 17, 2021
The story starts with a boy name Dante Morris who recently experienced a great loss which made his childhood dark with grief, loneliness,sadness and depression.The way the author writes the time when he's experiencing his loss brings tears to the readers eyes .. having a fight between his mind and heart he decides to live with his aunt Sarah who's a free spirited bubbly woman hiding so much of pain inside her enough which is revealed later is sure enough to break the reader's heart (especially who have read the story HOW WE MET by the same author). The story tells us how he moves from his eristocratic and elite family to a very middle class bubbly aunt and discovers a new person in him,a person who's no longer wearing those clamps of maintaining a "elite" profilr inside him and who can taste all the adventures of life;no longer have to fake his smile.. he suddenly finds something that gives a new turn to his life and he becomes something more than the famous Morris inheritor.This story has all the tastes of life a person gets in the phase of growing up.. this book sometimes made my eyes wet with tears again sometimes tears came out of joy ...the twists are great..
November 10, 2020
𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚍𝚒𝚎 is the next book after Story of how we met. Like Sarah, Dan is also very innocent and cool. I know you must be thinking who are Sarah and Dan, for that you better read the first book. Both of these books are really very good.
Basically, this book is based on Dan, how he lives his life after his parents die. What all new relations he make. How he becomes special and important in everyones life.
There is so much to talk about this book and every character described in the book. But I want you to read this book, so, No spoilers.😅
This book has so many warm vibes. Every part of this book has my heart. The story is very simple yet deep. The language is lucid and easily understandable. I could completely feel Dan’s situations and problems. This book is very soothing.
And just look at the cover. Once again she amazed me with the cover. I just could not stop staring at it.🤭
Basically, this book is based on Dan, how he lives his life after his parents die. What all new relations he make. How he becomes special and important in everyones life.
There is so much to talk about this book and every character described in the book. But I want you to read this book, so, No spoilers.😅
This book has so many warm vibes. Every part of this book has my heart. The story is very simple yet deep. The language is lucid and easily understandable. I could completely feel Dan’s situations and problems. This book is very soothing.
And just look at the cover. Once again she amazed me with the cover. I just could not stop staring at it.🤭
January 17, 2021
I really liked the plot and characters. This is about a boy named Dante Morris whose parents are killed in a car crash during his senior year of high school. The book deals with grief, family, new friends, new love, and more. Trigger warning for mentions of parental physical abuse, mention of parental death, and mention of spousal death.
I love Sarah, Mr. Tinkle, Maggie, and Fernando. I wish there had been more scenes between Maggie and Dante; I think that would have helped me find the relationship more believable. I really liked all the scenes between Dante and Fernando, and Dante and his aunt, Sarah.
The only downside to this book is there were a lot of grammatical mistakes that interrupted the flow of reading, to the point where it affected my rating.
I would like to read more stories set in Halley, and see more of the town and the people who live there. Definitely check this book out for its characters and themes!
I love Sarah, Mr. Tinkle, Maggie, and Fernando. I wish there had been more scenes between Maggie and Dante; I think that would have helped me find the relationship more believable. I really liked all the scenes between Dante and Fernando, and Dante and his aunt, Sarah.
The only downside to this book is there were a lot of grammatical mistakes that interrupted the flow of reading, to the point where it affected my rating.
I would like to read more stories set in Halley, and see more of the town and the people who live there. Definitely check this book out for its characters and themes!
August 27, 2022
A beautiful and heartbreaking story
Dante was certain that he knew what he wanted to do with his life: become a successful lawyer like his family expected him to. But when he loses both his parents in a tragic accident, everything changes. He moves to live with his aunt Sarah whom he doesn't really know, to a place in which he is a stranger. But the people he meets there might just be exactly what he needs to find himself again and build his own life.
To be honest, I went into this story completely blind, like I like to do with contemporary books. And I did not expect to be this shaken by the story. Dante is a very emotional and touching protagonist and glimpsing his life was very wrenching. There was something deeply poetic about this book that had me crying tears of emotions I can't quite name. It was truly beautiful, a story about regrowth, love and acceptance. About grief and finding oneself. I really, really enjoyed reading it. The writing was appealing and immersive, the story soft and perfectly paced with scenes that had my heart swelling with love and happiness at times. The romance was adorable, sweet, and made perfect sense. The secondary characters were really endearing and I loved how they interacted with Dante throughout the book. I can't quite describe what touched me so with this story, but I can only urge you to read it and find out for yourself.
I highly recommend this book if you like emotional and beautiful stories.
"Leaving is never easy, but when you don't have a choice, it's sad."
TW: death
Dante was certain that he knew what he wanted to do with his life: become a successful lawyer like his family expected him to. But when he loses both his parents in a tragic accident, everything changes. He moves to live with his aunt Sarah whom he doesn't really know, to a place in which he is a stranger. But the people he meets there might just be exactly what he needs to find himself again and build his own life.
To be honest, I went into this story completely blind, like I like to do with contemporary books. And I did not expect to be this shaken by the story. Dante is a very emotional and touching protagonist and glimpsing his life was very wrenching. There was something deeply poetic about this book that had me crying tears of emotions I can't quite name. It was truly beautiful, a story about regrowth, love and acceptance. About grief and finding oneself. I really, really enjoyed reading it. The writing was appealing and immersive, the story soft and perfectly paced with scenes that had my heart swelling with love and happiness at times. The romance was adorable, sweet, and made perfect sense. The secondary characters were really endearing and I loved how they interacted with Dante throughout the book. I can't quite describe what touched me so with this story, but I can only urge you to read it and find out for yourself.
I highly recommend this book if you like emotional and beautiful stories.
"Leaving is never easy, but when you don't have a choice, it's sad."
TW: death
January 17, 2021
What if stars don't die was a short but fun read. The cover looks great and it matches the story so well. I liked how the action flows at a nice pace and how the events are told nice, short and clear paragraphs.
Dante is an interesting character. He was taught to do everything his parents told him and to be a proper young man. When tragedy strikes, he is forced to choose to either stay with his grandparents or to stay with his aunt. He chose to stay with his aunt and that turned out to be a whole new experince. Dante is confused and he doesn't know what to do after highschool. He struggles but he finds love and understanding in Sarah, Maggie and Mr Tinkle.
I liked this short book and it made me smile a lot when a fun scene popped up.
Dante is an interesting character. He was taught to do everything his parents told him and to be a proper young man. When tragedy strikes, he is forced to choose to either stay with his grandparents or to stay with his aunt. He chose to stay with his aunt and that turned out to be a whole new experince. Dante is confused and he doesn't know what to do after highschool. He struggles but he finds love and understanding in Sarah, Maggie and Mr Tinkle.
I liked this short book and it made me smile a lot when a fun scene popped up.
April 5, 2021
Such a lovely, positive book. Nice easy read 😊
March 28, 2021
4 🌟. CW: parental death, bullying, domestic violence/child abuse
I happened to find out about this book since I follow the author on Instagram. What Of Stars Don't Die by Ivy Oakes isn't my typical genre, but I like to explore once in awhile!
The story follows Dante, who grew up stiff, polite, and reserved to the point of not knowing how to express his emotions. This was a story about grief and the complexities therein. Dante moves in with his mother's sister, who has also lost someone she loves, and they connect and build a relationship that helps to heal them both.
Not only is this about grief, it is about self-determination and the importance of advocating for yourself and others. I love that thing that made Dante realize he needed to advocate for himself was when he advocated for a classmate who was living with an abusive father.
This was a sweet and heartfelt book, and I pretty much cried though the last 10% of the book. I was originally going to give this 3.5 stars mostly because I thought the dialog was a bit stiff and unnatural feeling, and there were actually quite a few typos that took me out of it, but! The ending got me. I will always cry when people lose their true love and have to say goodbye.
I hadn't planned on reading more of these books, but now I think I will!
I happened to find out about this book since I follow the author on Instagram. What Of Stars Don't Die by Ivy Oakes isn't my typical genre, but I like to explore once in awhile!
The story follows Dante, who grew up stiff, polite, and reserved to the point of not knowing how to express his emotions. This was a story about grief and the complexities therein. Dante moves in with his mother's sister, who has also lost someone she loves, and they connect and build a relationship that helps to heal them both.
Not only is this about grief, it is about self-determination and the importance of advocating for yourself and others. I love that thing that made Dante realize he needed to advocate for himself was when he advocated for a classmate who was living with an abusive father.
This was a sweet and heartfelt book, and I pretty much cried though the last 10% of the book. I was originally going to give this 3.5 stars mostly because I thought the dialog was a bit stiff and unnatural feeling, and there were actually quite a few typos that took me out of it, but! The ending got me. I will always cry when people lose their true love and have to say goodbye.
I hadn't planned on reading more of these books, but now I think I will!
October 30, 2022
This book did not disappoint.
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