what an absolutely delightful surprise gem of a story. this actually reminded me a lot of ‘the great alone’ and ‘where the crawdads sing.’ these stories are proof that an appreciation for nature and the comfort it lends can lead us to the most insightful and human of moments. i strongly believe that our environments play a crucial role in our development as people, so i really enjoyed reading about ursas search for miracles in the new world she finds herself in. with unhurried writing an...

4.5 or maybe 10 stars, I don't know. My mind is still blown. Don't ask me about stars right now. Oh wow! I know I shouldn’t begin a review with Oh Wow but I was so blown away with Where the Forest Meets the Stars that it has taken a few days to put words to my thoughts (and you see how well that has gone, right?) Oh wow is what I have come up with so far. Joanna Teale is an ornithologist is safely tucked away in a researcher’s cabin on the marshes of southern Illinois where she is completing her...

Ok, I see all the glowing reviews and think that maybe I read a different book. Maybe Amazon sent the sucky version to my Kindle. The writing was weak. Character development was thin. I finished it out of spite. DO NOT waste your time.

I LOVE this book. It's been awhile since I've read something that was so genuinely human and soul-affirming. The main characters - Jo, Ursa and Gabe - are messy, in the sense that they all carry the weight of some kind of personal trauma with them, and act out of it in ways that are both beneficial and detrimental depending on the scenario. They're also not without personality flaws. That's the very thing that makes me feel invested in each of them. Their life experiences give them deeper dimens...

There’s a reason (or two or three) why Where the Forest Meets the Stars is an Amazon bestseller. It’s special! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ So special, in fact, I’m unlikely to forget this story or its characters. Joanna has had her share of trauma and grief. As a breast cancer survivor still grieving the loss of her mother, she goes back to graduate school to study birds (this in and of itself was fascinating, and a fun tidbit- the author had this same profession). Joanna has become a workaholic living a so...

I think so far this is one of the best book I’ve read on 2019. It’s so emotional, heart warming, poignant, amazing story of three people who try to live with the hand life’s dealt them. Jo, in a remission from cancer, Gabe, fighting with his depression and a little girl Ursa who defines herself as an alien brings them together and seal their fates. The story is about living not only surviving, staying strong and seeing the worthiness of your own life. Trio is surprising combination who complete

What a wonderful and unexpected surprise 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 turned out to be! I was just kinda throwing it at the wall to see if it would stick and I ended up in love with this book. 𝙅𝙤, 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙂𝙖𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙅𝙤'𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙗𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙙𝙚𝙝𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙚𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣, 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩...

Its not a hype! I could not pull away!!!This book is soooooo easy to love!!! There is storytelling...and then there is FRESH- ORIGINAL- DELICIOUS - MASTERFULLY -ENCHANTING - TOTALLYENDEARING- storytelling...This is one of THOSE books you want to read!!!!! Go in blind! TRUST all the High Ratings!!!! Wonderful- wonderful- wonderful!!!!!! 🥰

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah (Author), Lauren Ezzo (Narrator)This may be a time when I would have enjoyed the book better if I hadn't listened to the audiobook. I feel like I need to attend a rock concert for several hours so that I can get the shrill whines and yelling of Joanna and Ursa out of my head. Being so annoyed by listening to them made me more critical of other things, I think, such as how often there would be long strings of short dialogue, ending with "he said...

Gorgeous storytelling and strong, relatable characters made this a book to treasure. You won't want to miss this one. This gem has everything I love in a story. I was hooked from the very beginning and my curiosity only grew stronger as the mystery of the little girl named Ursa wandered up to Jo's cabin.Ursa has a story to tell and  what a story it is!  Where did she come from? Where are her shoes? Why is she insisting she was sent to witness five miracles?The author weaves the plot in an a

Unique In So Many Ways!!As a self-professed contemporary romance junkie, this read is outside my usual genre, which I have been finding myself more and more. Captivating is definitely one adjective I would use, as well as unexpected and so very special.It was an ‘out of this world’ experience to listen to this extraordinary story. While there is a bit of romance involved, it is more about hope, friendship and miracles.There is a reason you will see five star after five star reviews. It is gorgeo...

The big mystery here is the 4+ rating for this book. Child appears out of nowhere claiming to be an alien ... the book had a good start but slowly devolved into melodramatic affair. The kid turns into a whiny brat, Gabe's issues are resolved in an expedient manner (years of abuse, depression, and mild agoraphobia vanish in love's wake? ... not believable), and the same with our protagonist's issues. Everyone's issues simply fell away. Everything wraps up and works out perfectly for everyone - in...

A stunning story that will tug at your heartstrings,a tale bursting with love and sprinkled with magic! I absolutely Loved every single word in this beautiful book! A magical tale about a remarkable girl who brought hope to many. BRAVO Glendy Vanderah! This is an exceptional story that will stick with me for a long time. The fact that this is a debut is as remarkable as Ursa. Joanna is an ornithologist Who is spending the summer in rural Illinois, studying birds for her doctorate. She is sti

Where the Forest Meets the Stars is definitely quirky - something I always enjoy in a novel when it is done right, and Ursa pulled off the quirky element perfectly! Is Ursa really an extra-terrestrial? Right up until the very end, you will be left wondering! This novel deals with child abuse, breast cancer and PTSD. Despite these heavy themes, the story is still hopeful and up-beat. All three of the main characters manage to survive their particular "hell on earth".Three very damaged people (Jo,...