SWIMMING IN A SEA OF STARS
Julie Wright
Summary
A single kindness can save a life.
Journal entry: Heading to school. I know what everyone will say. There goes the girl who tried to kill herself.
Addison is no stranger to feeling stressed, insecure, and sad. Her therapist recommended she keep a journal to help her understand those feelings better, which she really needs today. It’s her first day back to school, several weeks after she survived her suicide attempt. She knows there are rumors about why she did it: A lousy home life? Bullying? Heartbreak? None of them are true, but it doesn’t matter because Addison still feels like she’s drowning. She still holds secrets she’s not ready to share.
During the school day, Addison encounters four other students struggling with their own secrets:
Booker is anxious about seeing Addison. They were sort of a couple until he tried to kiss her. She fled and then tried to end her life. Those two things couldn’t be related, could they?
Celia feels trapped by her mother’s abusive boyfriend. She can guess why Addison did what she did.
Damion is TikTok-famous and thinks befriending Addison could boost his followers. But what no one knows is he needs the world to remember him since his sick mom doesn’t anymore.
Avery is considered a loner and doesn’t know Addison, but they have neighboring lockers. With Avery’s older brother in jail for dealing drugs, Avery is desperate for meaningful human connection.
Swimming in a Sea of Stars is a poignant and gripping novel about how we’re all interconnected, like the stars in the night sky that form constellations and map out the universe, and if even one star goes missing, the effect is profound.
Courtesy of Goodreads.com
Review
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing, and I’m voluntarily leaving a review; all opinions are my own.
Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction, Sad Books, Mental Health
Format: Multiple POVs
Content: Talk about suicide, abuse, drugs, bullying, physical health
Can I just say this book sort of wrecked me.
There is so much going on in high school, and the stress kids face is real. So even though this is fiction, it is a lens on reality. Teens need more empathy from adults and each other. School can be rough. And sometimes home is even rougher.
As we follow each thread of a person’s story, we can see how it weaves in with other people, and how we can affect one another. The power in this novel is seeing how simple acts have great consequences—both bad and good. I felt like the descriptions were not too intense or specific to potentially cause harm but to bring awareness.
This is definitely a heavy novel but so important to read to understand better.
It specifically says it was written for suicide prevention.
I think high schoolers going through rough patches will find this book to be helpful to know that no one is alone. To hopefully find the courage to reach out. And to be a friend to others.
I hope you read it as an adult too.
We all need to know how to help others in need. This is actually a story full of HOPE. And there is beauty in healing and coming to trust others.
I highly recommend this book!
Michelle
PS: There is no self-harm described. I think this is important.
Tales Untangled 