Book Review: Beneath These Stars

By Sara Steven

Perfect couple Lucy and Adam have it all: a home in the picturesque village of Havendon, budding careers and a sparkling future. Life is exactly as it should be.

But, when tragedy strikes and Adam becomes the guardian to his two young nieces, their idyllic life is turned upside down. Suddenly, they face an entirely different future.

Grief-stricken and disoriented, the four of them battle to build a new life together.

Can Adam and Lucy’s relationship survive being pushed to the limit? And can a devastated family find a way to get through such testing times? (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

I can honestly say, I didn’t see this coming. Having read the first book in the Lucy Mitchell series, Beyond the Lens (reviewed here), I’d expected a completely different story. An entirely different outcome for Lucy and Adam. Having said that, I can’t stress enough how much I loved this turn of events.

The synopsis alone intrigued me. As stated, Lucy and Adam appear to live a perfect existence, to be the perfect couple who were made for one another. Hannah Ellis gives us the honest truth when it comes to tragedy. It can cause horrific damage. It can change even the strongest of us. I felt the struggle every single character goes through while trying to get back to some sense of normalcy, changing everything I thought I’d known about the main characters and the type of life they’d have.

While it’s common practice to side more with the protagonist, I found myself supporting and understanding everyone in this story. The depth of grief can make people do terrible things, and sometimes you just can’t see it, until it might be too late. I found myself reasoning with some of the actions, willing others to understand what I could see, looking from the outside in.

An undercurrent to the plot, would be the need to still hold onto the dreams you’ve been striving for, even when the worst obstacles stand in the way of that. I completely identified with some of the struggles the characters faced when trying to move forward. Is it acceptable to want to maintain the passions that drive us, or is it more reasonable to do what’s best for everyone else?

While I enjoyed both books in this series, I really loved the direction Ellis went in, with Beneath These Stars. It was a much-appreciated surprise, and I’m seriously looking forward to reading what’s in store for Lucy and Adam in the future.

Thanks to Hannah Ellis for the book in exchange for an honest review. This book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone.

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