This was a great book to read. The story was enjoyable and the characters were well written. I'm sorry I never got around to typing up my review sooner.

Ashley Herring Blake has a command on words. Her characters feel real, and raw, and despite the harrowing subject matter I found myself reading this book so quickly. I can't fully give it 5 stars because it was such a tough topic but I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come.

A harrowing and effective read. Truly brilliant. I adored this by Blake. Absolutely excellent book and a brilliant read. Recommend!

This is a hard and harrowing read. It explores the issues of someone in your family being accused of rape by a friend. Throughout the book the reader is forced to challenge the conflicting relationships of the characters and differing viewpoints. This is an important read for teens as it allows discussion to take place on consent and what consent is which a number of males do not fully understand.
A good but difficult read.

'Girl Made of Stars' was such a beautiful read. I loved this so much!! The writing was quite lovely—I definitely recommend this!

Unfortunately I no longer wish to review this book as the first few chapters did not reel me in. Thank you for the opportunity.

God, this scenario was so messed up and horrible and I felt SO BAD for her. This book was so hard to read, but I also think it was important. Sometimes the hardest books to read are the ones that stick with us the longest, and this one lingers.

Intricate plot and wonderful pacing. I adored the premise and how the story and characters develop. I highly recommend this book.

Oh my god. This book. THIS BOOK. What can I even say about it? It's brilliant. The prose is sparkling, the characters truly come to life off the page, and the messages are timely. It's about life, friendship, love, and all the many ties that bring us together and tear us apart.

Charlie and Mara's relationship felt so real to me. I am definitely obsessed with them. There is so much love there, and not simply the romantic kind. I've always thought that it is much harder to write realistic relationships that AREN'T romantic, and Girl Made of Stars does it beautifully.

This entire book centers around a very, VERY difficult question, how do you come to terms with something horrible that has happened to someone you care about, potentially at the hands of someone else you care about? It's something you never hope you'll have to go through, and it is handled masterfully here.

This book is vital. Blake does an extraordinary job weaving intense plot elements together, never making them feel like an "unrealistic" combination or "too much." She handles her subjects with grace and care and draws well-developed characters!

Thank you for providing a copy of this book for review however I was unable to open the file for this document unfortunately! Apologies.

I am sitting here in front of my computer where I have just finished Girl Made of Stars by Ashely Herring Blake and I have to tell you that I have no clue how I am going to tell you about this book. This book is one of a kind and is one that will be sticking with me for a while. It was emotional, deep, and eye opening to our world that needs to change.

First off there are some trigger warnings that you should know about if you are going to read this one. Please make sure to check those out below in my list of Go into this one knowing. I myself am a survivor of being molested on more than one occasion when I was younger so I fully understand how these topics might be to much for someone who has survived it. So please be aware of those warnings.

This book broke me. That is about what I feel right now. It will open your eyes to a world that you will not be able to unsee.

This book follows Mara whom is bisexual. Who's twin brother gets accused of raping his girlfriend. Mara is then stuck in the middle of this situation of deciding who to trust and who to call out. It was a no win place to be for her. I have to say that the author did a perfect job with this aspect of the book. You could feel Mara's emotions about how much she wanted to trust her brother but knowing something wasn't right. But also still not waiting to believe that he could do something like this. This felt like a story that could have been pulled from the headlines and I believe that it is one that needed to be told. This book was full of true emotional authenticity that I have EVER seen in a story.

Another aspect of this book is a small love triangle between Mara's ex girlfriend Charlie whom is nonbinary. And another boy that she gets with for a short amount of time. You could really see how everyone was just trying to deal with the situation at hand and move on. And Mara and Adam were just trying to find comfort in any place they could.

A major part of this story dealt with Mara and her own secret trama. Early on in the story you learn that something happened to her three years ago. But you don't find out until way later in the book where it is all set before you. I have to say that her entire experience of what happened to her was one that triggered me to no end. When I was 10 to 11 years old I had the same thing happen to me over the course of a year or so. But it was my mother's boyfriend and not a teacher that abused me in that way.

The trauma of rape and having your freedom taken away, of having your trust violated, in a world where girl's bodies are distractions, where society refuses to believe you is what this book is ultimate about. And I have to say that the author did a fantastic job with it.

This is the story that should be in the hands of every teen out there. That even if you believe that no one is going to believe you. Believe in yourself that you know what happened and that you said NO. Don't let anyone take away your right to say that to have your voice heard!

"In this must read story about sexual abuse and allegations of rape. Mara learns that nothing is harder than telling the truth and letting your voice be heard." ~Crossroad Reviews

Go Into This One Knowing: Rape Allegations, Rape, Abuse via a Teacher, Nonbinary, Bisexuality, Love Triangle

Compelling read. I finished this book in one day and was not disappointed at the end. Many important and difficult issues threaded throughout this book make it a must for many libraries to have on their shelves. Very real characters whose stories will stay with me for a long, long time. So many POVs and voices make this a very powerful statement on our society and culture.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Mara and her twin brother Owen have a special bond. When the pair head to a party with Owen's best friend Alex, and Owen goes off with his girlfriend Hannah, Mara doesn't think twice about not seeing him for the rest of the night.

Mara's world is absolutely rocked when she finds out that Hannah, who happens to also be one of her best friends, has accused Owen of raping her. How can the one person that Mara knows through and through have done this? How can she not believe him when he tells her he is innocent?

Not only is Mara trying to process what's going on with her brother, but she has her own demon she's fighting...a secret that she has held on to for years.

This book was really amazing. It not only tackles a really tough topic that needs to be talked about, but it has a wide range of diverse characters including a teen with gender dysphoria and a bisexual main character. Mara struggles deeply with the truth about her brother, and Blake does an amazing job of making such a tough topic realistic and informative for her readers. As readers get deeper in to Mara's story, they realize how complicated the situation really is. I also appreciated that Blake didn't wrap things up with a pretty bow; that would have not done justice for Hannah and Mara. I highly recommend this book for all libraries, it's a must have.

What a wonderful, imaginative book! My son and I both connected with this one. We bought this for our library as soon as it was available.

This is instantly in my all-time favorite books. To say I loved it would be an understatement... I can't believe I didn't read this as soon as I got it. Shame on me!

This book is so important. Not just because of the topic it centers around or its amazing portrayal of what women go through in these cases of sexual assault, but for its specific perspective. It forces the reader to think about more aspects of cases like these. The fact that Mara's brother - her twin in fact - is the one who committed the crime, AND her best friend is the one who was raped? That is so... uncomfortable. What if it was your brother who did it?

I think that, given the situation, Mara acted understandably. This shook her whole world and forced her to think about her own traumatic experiences. She was understandably conflicted thinking the brother that she knows could never do something this terrible, but is a hardcore feminist herself and has been through a similar situation, so heartily believes in believing women all the way.

I was completely engrossed in reading about Mara's struggle. I was so sad for her and how shit just seemed to hit the fan for her. Her frustration with her family was palpable and her grief over losing her relationship with her brother was so sad on so many levels.

I also related to her struggle with her sexuality, and loved that this made it a coming of age story in some ways, and not just a commentary on today's society.

This book will make you angry and sad. I guarantee it. But it's just so well done and so damn timely... you NEED to read it. Please.

So hard to read, and yet so good. What do you do when it's your twin brother who is accused of rape? And you know he's lying about something.

Rating: 3/3.25. I have been putting off reading this book for months because I knew it was going to be a book that weighed on my heart and soul, This is by no means a feel good book. It deals with serious topics like rape, consent, victim blaming, slut shaming etc. However, these things need to be talked about more and I think books like this are important. While the book itself wasn't the best thing I have ever read, the message was, nonetheless, important. It was also a unique take on the he said- she said aspect, with our main character, Mara having to deal with her own understanding and beliefs concerning sexual assault and how this affects her relationships with her family and friends. Overall, I am glad I finally read this.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I already knew before starting this book that it was going to be a very important and hard one, but it was even more than I expected, so I’m so thankful for having an arc and read it before its release date.

Ever since I knew about this book I immediately added to my TBR and been wanting to read it, and after I did I was so heartbroken and happy to have discover a new favorite book that I just wanted to talk about it. I just loved this book so much, and I think it was a very powerful book that talks about so many important things.

It was an own voices novel with bisexual representation, and I was in love with the cast of characters. Not only I enjoyed reading from Mara’s point of view, but I also liked her development throughout the whole story and her interactions with other characters. It had amazing female friendships, and I was super happy to see that in this story, mostly because of what it was about. It’s always great to see girls supporting and taking care of each other, and this novel definitely had that.

The author also added a different view to the story, because I haven’t read many stories about abuse told from the perspective of a family member, and I think the author did an amazing job and it made you empathize with the main character. She didn’t took out the blame of what he did whatsoever, but because of the relationship Mara had with her twin brother Owen, it made it sometimes a bit harder to read, because of that connection you had with Mara.

I also really loved the romance between Mara and Charlie. They were so freaking adorable together, and I was so happy to see their relationship develop and become healthier as I continued reading the story.

This novel brought up very important topics that need to be talked nowadays, such as sexual assault, rape culture and consent. She did an amazing job at portraying that abuse in a different for of what most people tend to think when they think about assault or rape, and I think it was so important and raw. I’m so glad I’ve read this book, guys.

Though I have to admit that I cried like a baby and that sometimes it was a bit tough to keep reading. It contained a few graphic scenes about an abuse toward a character, so if you’re a sensitive reader or find that triggering I’d suggest to go more carefully.

Overall, it was a beautifully written, raw and powerful story and I loved it so incredibly much. I venture to say that it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I highly recommend you to check it out once it comes out!

"Mara and Owen are about as close as twins can get. So when Mara's friend Hannah accuses Owen of rape, Mara doesn't know what to think. Can the brother she loves really be guilty of such a violent crime? Torn between the family she loves and her own sense of right and wrong, Mara is feeling lost, and it doesn't help that things have been strained with her ex-girlfriend and best friend since childhood, Charlie.

As Mara, Hannah, and Charlie navigate this new terrain, Mara must face a trauma from her own past and decide where Charlie fits in her future. With sensitivity and openness, this timely novel confronts the difficult questions surrounding consent, victim blaming, and sexual assault." [Goodreads excerpt]

I am probably one of the few who people who struggled to get into the story and keep up with the pace which was too slow for my liking. I struggled to warm up to the characters and be invested in their lives even with such an important topic being discussed. I was expecting to feel a lot more, but unfortunately I haven't. The writing is very good and mesmerising so I will continue to pick up Ashley's books!