Poignant, riveting, achingly heartbreaking. These are just a few words to describe what is the essence of ‘See All The Stars’.

This book was at the top of my 2018 reading list as soon as I read the synopsis, I knew it was for me so thank You Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the approval. I never got through a book this fast and that’s saying something.

It was just so unexpected. Unpredictable. Unequivocal. A few parts were predictable and I got straight away but I was like woah at the same time, I’m not really sure how else to describe this amazing book. It’s also the authors debut novel which in itself is wondrous so kudos to her and her team.

I just wish the ending didn’t leave me so blasė. I felt like I needed more but I guess that just shows what a great book it is- when you’re still Thinking about it long after it’s over.

I would definitely recommend this book for everyone to buy as soon as it’s released.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I . . . "

Yes, I read this super early, several months in advance of its release date, but I couldn't get it off my mind once I saw the cover and read the blurb. When a book like this is sitting on your Kindle, you read it, publish date ignored. Within a handful of pages, I knew this was the sort of book that required my full attention. Kit Frick's beautiful prose pulled me into the solar system made up of Ellory, Ret, Bex, and Jennie, with me flickering on the sidelines as a star, watching their natural rotation unravel. With Ellory as our narrator, we see the friends in the past and in the present, known only as Then and Now. We know the friendship was rocky and dependent on Ret, we know now that they are no longer friends, we know that something happened in the summer of junior year, and we know that all Ellory wants is to get through her senior year unseen and unheard.

"Somewhere, there's an alternate reality version of Ellory. . . . I think about that girl sometimes, until the wanting gets too big, . . . "

I don't want to ruin the novel for readers checking out reviews in advance of See All the Stars' release date, so this review will be as broad as I can make it. I'll try not to gush endlessly, but really, I want to, and I want to post the 29,803 quotes that I highlighted. A coming of age story that belongs with the best of them, See All the Stars takes you back to the high school halls filled with drama, friendships, and first love. The alternating storyline allows readers to become a part of the story, reliving Ellory's junior year experiences and floating alongside her while she hides from everyone during her senior year. With a large cast of secondary characters, we visit parties, river banks, classrooms, and bedrooms, each character and scene proving to be pivotal to the story line.

"Our hands were the beginning of a spectacular, bright promise."

Then, we recognize her naivety in her willingness to submit to her friend Ret, the self appointed leader of their group, and in her desperate hope to make her first real relationship last. We learn that though Ret and Ellory call themselves best friends, they're held together more out of necessity, they need each other, just as they need the other two to balance them out. We watch her downward spiral as she accepts the use of alcohol and drugs around her, how she lets things slide that as readers we scream at her to question, and how she becomes a puppet to a friend's desperate need to have her all to herself. Now, we praise her complex development as she ages another year, but we also ache with each lie she believes and each lie she tells herself. As Now reaches the last chapters, we rejoice as Ellory learns to face the thing that left her friendless, boyfriendless, and alone. The style of writing, and the alternating time frames allows readers to experience the then, while also uncovering the truths that the friends didn't know at the time, revealing us the details of the fall. The accident, something we don't know understand until the end, pulls the friends in two directions and Kit Frick's decision to only write from Ellory's perspective forces us to choose her side.

"My mom calls what happened the fall. It's a kindness, a shortcut, a way of taking something hard and shaping it into two little words that can slip off your tongue."

See All the Stars is the sort of novel that shouldn't be limited to only readers of the Young Adult genre. It's too complex, too big of a story to be ignored by readers of New Adult, Adult, and Contemporary Fiction. The depth of See All the Stars makes it feel very real, making me not only empathize with the characters, but also reevaluate my own personal experiences, putting myself in the same shoes. The focus on relationships, lies, truth, and forgiveness made for a very compelling story. The characters are very well developed, made up of layers and flaws, their emotions ruling their decisions. I was able to guess at some of the plot, but the final chapters of the book proved that the true reveal was one worth waiting for. The shock factor was huge and unexpected, but perfect for a novel that makes you care so much for the main character and the hurt that she had gone through. I was incredibly impressed to find that See All the Stars is Kit Frick's debut novel and I really hope to see more from her.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one with Ret."

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I...’

A coming of age novel about a group of friends that are torn apart by lies, secrets and betrayals.

This story follows 2 timelines. It bounces between the main character, Ellorys’, junior and senior year in high school.

It opens with an ‘incident’ that happened to Ellory that you do not find out about until the very ending of the book. This ‘incident’ was the only reason I kept reading, I was waiting for it to reveal itself.

I felt the story was very slow paced and I didn’t connect with any of the characters. I also did not like the groups fixation on their ‘leader’. The bulk of the story was about the group fighting for her attention. It got old quickly.

A stunning, thrilling, and totally addictive read with dueling then/now timelines and a mysterious secret that will keep you hooked until the very last page.

These are my least favorite reviews to write. See All the Stars started out strong. I was intrigued by the mystery of what happened between Ellory and her friends to cause Ellory's forced suspension and their falling out. About a third of the way through, I started to lose interest, but I decided to try and push through in hopes that the story would pick back up and pull me in again. Alas, my hopes were not fulfilled and I was unable to push through this one.

I really enjoyed See All the Stars. I was a little concerned going into it that it would be another cliched teen drama but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was not. I felt like the characters were well written, believable, and worth reading about. The storyline kept my interest and was well paced.

The app isn't allowing me to read this book. For some reason it isn't working correctly BUT I will be requesting it from my local library as soon as it is available. Based on summary, I think it will be very popular with my students.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I . . .

I chose to follow her.

Ret, Ellory, Jenny and Bex. They were four friends, inseparable. Ellory was the artist, Bex, the dancer, Jenny the grounded one and Ret the center of their universe. Each girl lived to please her and be noticed by her. They sought out her approval in all things. For her part, Ret knew the power she held over them and reveled in their competition for her affection.


I lied to myself.

A coming-of-age story, See All the Stars is also a mystery that shifts between two time frames. Then and Now – before the fall and after its devastating effects. Ellory’s delusion and her release. Frick takes us on a journey of coming to terms with the lies we tell ourselves. Lies that serve their purpose for the meantime. Lies that allow us to believe that everything is okay. As the layers of the story are peeled back the reader is offered glimpses of the truth and slowly uncover the event that leads to Ellory’s ruin.


I learned to forgive.

By the time the mystery unfolds Ellory has become more introspective. She is a year older, a little wiser and learning to be honest with herself. Instead of laying blame elsewhere she is cognizant of her motives and the impact of her behavior. She learns that in order to move forward in life she must first be able to forgive herself.


See All the Stars is Kit Frick’s first novel. The plot was fast paced, the characters relatable, yet there was a certain depth to it that I find uncommon in most YA novels. I look forward to hearing more from this author. Job well done!


Much thanks to Net Galley, Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, Margaret K. McElderry Books and the author, Kit Frick, for receiving a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The suspense and spot-on depiction of the inner workings of teenage friendships make this a tense, gripping read, perfect for fans of We Were Liars. As readers alternate between Ellory's two timelines (junior and senior year of high school), the story works toward revealing what happened *then* that left split her world and friendships apart *now.* This is definitely one that merits a second read to absorb everything; it perfectly, painfully captures how teen girls can get caught up in the love/hate web of relying on each other for validation of their identity.

This book is written extremely well about a just too used topic. It is a good YA read that keeps readers interested thanks to its sequence of order and air of suspense and mystery. Young YA enthusiasts still in middle and high school will connect well to the characters and situations. I am not a huge fan of the plot twist that this book uses, mostly because I have read it time and time again and I have found it to become tiresome. However, Frick's writing is so well thought out and beautiful that I am still very impressed. Had the ending been a little different, I think I would've been more won over. Still a good and worth-while read, nonetheless.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for the ARC!

Nice book! A must read for fans of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.

I feel like I've already read other similar stories before, so it didn't bring anything new to me. I liked it, but didn't love it. Still, for being a debut novel, I must say it's really good. Congrats to the author. Hoping to read more from her soon.

This was a very moving portrayal of teenage friendship. The author actually made me care deeply for these characters and I was invested almost immediately upon starting. Friendship can be very complex and this concept was captured well.

This was a very interesting and well-written story. I've been having a difficult time lately finding a young adult novel that stands out among the rest, but See All the Stars did exactly that. The book's pacing was perfect, and I loved that I was surprised at the end. Kit Frick definitely knows how to tell a story.

Although the novel deals with typical teen angst, friends, boyfriends and drama, it is anythung but typical. Such a clever story, written both in the present time and in flashbacks. We learn what happened bit by bit. I was drawn in and had to keep going until the end.

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. This book. I can't say truthfully that I read it in one sitting, but I can tell you that I got as close to it as I could. I absorbed this book. I couldn't wait to get off work so I could go home and read more. I stayed up way too late to read the last 100 pages, and I regret nothing.

It started with four - Ellory, Ret, Jenni, and Bex. Unseparable forces of nature. Add in a beautiful, soulful, hardworking boyfriend, and Ellory feels like nothing in life could be better. Her world is perfect. If Matthias would just open up more. If Ret would tone it down.

But now, everything's changed. Now, it's just Ellory. No boyfriend. No friends. Alone.

What happened last year to cause such a drastic change? See All the Stars reveals the beautiful and heartbreaking story that will have you itching to read more. I couldn't turn pages fast enough. I loved the writing style. I felt like I was back in high school. The fully developed and real characters are what make this debut YA novel so magical. I absolutely loved it and will be buying a copy for my personal collection ASAP.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

The cover is so lovely for this book and the hype is amazing.

Even though I realized that this book doesn't come out for quite some time, I devoured it anyways. I simply couldn't help myself. The blurb drew me in. The characters and plot had me gripped, and the exquisite way in which the story was told kept me reading the book late into the night. I very much recommend this book to all readers.