It's been sixteen years since Norae Whelan's adoption. She's conquered her past by baking her way through her challenges. All that's left is culinary school, until a unique stranger offers her an opportunity to learn the truth of her birth and with it, the trial of facing down what she thought she left behind.
Her birth mother's hometown is a place where memories hide beneath the floorboards of an eclectic house. Inheriting a house and all its mysteries is one thing. The instant attraction to Orion Reise is another. There's only one problem. Orion's blind, and the reason behind it lurks through the downtown streets, dying to take him away.
With the end of summer fast approaching, Norae must make some big decisions. She'll have to decide if falling in love with Orion is worth the price of letting go of her past and embracing a potentially, disastrous future.
I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you S.H. Clark and RABT Books Tours and PR. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.
I am a huge fan of YA coming of age stories and cooking competitions of all kinds! My boyfriend was a chef in his previous life and the synopsis intrigued me. Thus I am very excited to be a part of this tour.
The Secrets of Constellations is the story of Norae Whelen who was adopted 16 years ago. She’s conquered her past by baking her way through challenge after challenge. Next is culinary school until a stranger offers her the opportunity to learn the truth about her birth and the past, she thought she’d left behind.
Her birth mother’s hometown is a place where memories hide beneath the floorboards of an eclectic house. Inheriting a house and all the mysteries with it. Finding herself instantly attracted to Orion Reise she must decide between Orion and her dreams.
This book did not disappoint. Filled with a cast of colorful characters who dynamic make the story engaging from start to finish. The more I read, the more I enjoyed the characters and this story. This book us funny, poignant, and thoughtful. The antics kept me engaged and wanting more. The insight into Native American culture added depth to the story. The descriptions are vivid and I fully immersed myself. I look forward to reading more from this author!
A fine read! Simple to follow but you see the chapters are a bit long
From the beginning you could easily guess how this will end, still, i enjoyed listening The characters are diverse and unique. I wished there is more of Willow though.
Norae was adopted at 2 years old, at 18 she loves her life with her adoptive parents, even if they are a little weird sometimes. Norae is applying to culinary school to pursue her dream of opening a bakery when she receives a visit from her birth mother's solicitor. Norae's birthday mother, BJ, has died and left Norae her house, under the condition that Norae lives there for three months before she decides what to do with it. Norae sees this as the perfect opportunity to find out about her past and then sell the house to pay for culinary school. However, Thatchor House has other plans for Norae when she arrives to find a house full of eccentric tenants.
The Secrets of Constellations is a heartfelt and emotional Young Adult story about finding what you need. Norae enters Thatchor house with a concrete plan, but has to quickly shift when she learns of all the others living there that BJ has taken in. Norae's journey is moving as she gets to know all the residents that BJ has taken. As Norae learns about each of the residents, she uncovers a little bit more about her birth mother. Norae is particularly drawn to Orion, a 19 year old who is blind and carrying around some heavy secrets. Norae and Orion have a tumultuous three months as Norae decides what to do with Thatchor house and Orion's past comes to a head. I really enjoyed the story line, but I do wish Norae had more growth in herself, she seemed to affect growth in those around her more than focusing on herself. With that, I really enjoyed the mix of characters at Thatchor house along with their occupations and issues that they faced.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
This is such a sweet YA romance, and I felt like it was unique too.
I love how this brought together some things that I don't read about a ton. Adoption and living with and loving someone who is blind.
It's got young love and it's got two people who heal through each other and their own life problems.
It has wit and banter that cut through the heavier issues. It's really well-balanced.
This is a YA Romance that is a little deeper, which I really enjoyed. It's not cookie cutter and it's not all sunshine and rainbows. But in the end it is a beautiful story with so much heart.
As a coming of age story, it was the right side of messy lessons and emotions. The cast of characters were firmly fleshed out in my head, despite there being so many and Grey was a great main character.
It's a slow-paced story, but things happen, it's not an easy journey, it's story about growing up and finding yourself along the way. Facing your past and looking into your future. Becoming your own.
I like the characters, Norae and Orion. They are smart and brave characters.
I am used to cheesy, predictable books. There's something comforting about them. I felt like this book was a bit over the top with the cringe, though.
**Spoilers below**
Like bio mom just happens to leave a whole house and sexy blind boyfriend and eventually a tech company (conveniently after the house burns down) to a daughter who gets a full ride to her dream school? And the leads role in life is to fix everyone else's sob story? Idk. It was just a bit too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I don't typically red this genre, so this was a whole new literary experience for me. But I have to say, the characters were colorful, and the story was so imaginative! I couldn't put the book down and finished this quicker than I finish most as I cared about the characters, and couldn't wait to find out what was happening in their unique situations. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre as the topics feel refreshing, and the main characters are lovable!