Where the Forest Meets the Stars

An absolutely wonderful story with a few surprises along the way. Vanderah has a beautiful style, and her characters are charming and relatable. Ursa, the little girl and centre of the story, is especially loveable. There's a fair bit of action and suspense, as well as a heartwarming and moving tale of love and recovery and growth and magic. A really beautiful book.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝗪𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 @glendyvanderah⁣ ⁣ ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5⁣ ⁣ It lost its last star because without giving the game away, I wanted more love and lust out of the last chapter then I got. But on to the magic...⁣ ⁣ This was a truly incredible read. This opened up such a broad range of emotions, it took me to a fearful reality then the next second transported to a parallel universe. Absolutely adored all of the characters, in particular Gabe and Ursa. I think I quite fancied Gabe. Such a cleverly thought up plot, I wonder, did Glenda ever have her own imaginary world or imaginary friend growing up?⁣ ⁣ "𝘈 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘰'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘑𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘜𝘳𝘴𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝟻 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴. 𝟻 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘜𝘳𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮?"⁣ ⁣ It had similar vibes to The Shack, which is a book that changed my life. Highly recommend reading about Ursa, Jo & Gabe's story. Its 321 pages of pure magical contentment. ⁣ ⁣ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬. ⁣

This novel captured me immediately, I couldn't put it down. I was quickly drawn in to the mystery of the runaway little girl. The main characters are in depth and wonderful. All with their own story. Jo is a highly intellectual PHD student and cancer survivor. and follows her heart rather than her head, which leads her in to trouble. Gabe has physchological issues that hold him back socially and intellectually, Ursa is clever, witty, complex.and charming and Tabby is simply a wonderfully described character with a big personality. The relationships between these characters are beautiful and make the book a page turner. The book is full of love and charm, but also dark and deeply sad at times. It's obvious a lot of research went into this novel. Research on Ornathology, mental health and child welfare issues. Reading this novel is cathartic, well worth a read.

This was such a wonderfully woven story. A great mix of characters and specialist subjects. I loved all the quarks.

I really enjoyed this book - the story was imaginative and kept me engaged. However, I did struggle with the dialogue occasionally. I found the way the characters spoke to each other to be unbelievable (not always though). I think Gabe’s mental health issues weren’t dealt with in a particularly open manner - the conversations around this felt very much like some grandmas whispering “he’s got, the er, you know - he’s not so good in the mind”. But I work for a mental health charity, so maybe my opinions are changed by that. I really liked the story arc, the main character Ursa, and how the story evolved.

When I first started reading this book I wasn’t sure what it had been about it which had made me buy it. The writing style wasn’t what I would usually pick and the subject looked like it was going to be lightweight. But, somehow, it grew on me. What pulled me in was the way the three main characters were linked, their inner selves in some way divided from or conflicted by their corporal selves. Gabe is a physically imposing young man but suffers from social anxiety. His appearance belies his inner self. Jo is a compassionate and intensely nurturing person whose ability to procreate has been stolen by cancer. Then there is Ursa, a little girl who claims to be an alien just fallen to earth. The three go on an emotional journey which helps them all reconcile the conflicting aspects of their identities. I found the ending a bit rushed and the narrative in the whole too reliant on dialogue, but this book did hold my attention.

This book is so good. I had no idea what it was about when I started reading it, I just saw the great reviews and decided to give it a go. If I had known what it was about, in all honesty, I probably wouldn't have read it. But I'm glad I did, I loved it! The story starts with the arrival of a young child, Ursa, claiming to be an alien to Jo who finds her at her rental home which is almost in the middle of no where. What follows is the Ursa's story and how she influences Jo, and her neighbour Gabriel. This is a story of love, loss hope and heartbreak. It has elements of child abuse, depression and cancer and yet all of it is dealt with sensitively and reminds us all that hope can be found in the darkest of places and is not the depressing read you might expect from such heavy subject matter. If you think about it too deeply, some parts of this story are completely unrealistic - but to enjoy it, accept it for what it is, because the message within it is really heartwarming.

Absolutely loved this. Such an unusual mixture of many things and beautifully written. I usually burble on in a wordy way but on this occasion would rather let others discover for themselves because it is a magical book that is hard to define.

I bought this book for the title only, and it does the book justice. A wonderful tale of attachment and love weaved into a forest setting. No spoilers here, but do not miss the opportunity to benefit from the experience of this read.

At first, I thought the novel was pure fantasy, given the way Ursa enters into the life of Jo, claiming she came from the stars. However, nothing magic happens, but everything is so normal, such as things that happen among normal people. Ursa mingles into the lives of the neighbors so naturally, yet so intensively, that she changes everybody’s life, and, certainly, for the better. Ursa is the missing puzzle piece, the one that brings happiness and love to everyone she meets. Reality prevails over fantasy and long she was really an alien coming from the stars. I think it is a great book. An original story that moved me and reminded me of the importance of enjoying every minute of my life, while I have it.

“Where the Forest Meets the Stars” is a beautifully written, heartwarming tale that masterfully blends mystery, hope, and healing. Glendy Vanderah keeps readers on edge with unexpected twists while weaving an emotional journey of love, loss, and resilience. The characters feel raw and real, making this a powerful, unforgettable story that lingers long after the final page."

Its such a beautiful story full of love and compassion. I am usually a fan of thrillers n suspense novels but this one kept me hooked. The character of Ursa is such that till the end you want to believe that shes a soul from somewhere else.. shes lovely and exhurbiant and so much full of magic. Beautifully the writer has explored the delicate topics of depression and how one bounces back from a terminal illness. Simple yet so engrossing... the forests truly meet the stars ... loved it🤗

"Where the Forest Meets the Stars" by Glendy Vanderah is a captivating tale that seamlessly weaves together themes of grief, healing, and the magic of connection. From the very first page, I was drawn into a world where the ordinary and the extraordinary collide. The story revolves around Jo Teale, an ornithologist who is grieving the loss of her mother to cancer, and Ursa, a mysterious young girl who claims to be an alien on a mission to witness five miracles. Their unlikely friendship forms the heart of the narrative, and it's impossible not to become emotionally invested in their journey. Vanderah's writing is nothing short of exquisite. Her descriptions of nature are vivid and poetic, creating a rich backdrop for the story. The characters are beautifully developed, each harboring their own wounds and secrets, and their growth throughout the novel is both moving and believable. As the story unfolds, it explores the themes of love, loss, and the healing power of human connection. It also delves into the profound idea of finding wonder and miracles in the most unexpected places. Vanderah's storytelling skillfully tugs at the heartstrings, leaving you with a sense of hope and renewal by the end. "Where the Forest Meets the Stars" is a literary gem that will resonate with readers who appreciate stories that are both heartwarming and thought-provoking. It's a book that reminds us that even in the darkest of times, there is light to be found, and sometimes, that light is as extraordinary as the stars themselves. This novel is a testament to the magic that can be discovered where the forest truly meets the stars.