The Wide Starlight is INCREDIBLE.

I felt wrapped in magic, and instantly safe in the hands of a true storyteller. I loved the first half of the novel, but once Eline goes to Norway I was ENAMORED with this book. The descriptions of Svalbard (a Norweigan archipelago close to the North Pole) are exquisite and I could feel both the cold and the Norse mythology seeping into my bones. Every character was perfectly rendered, and Eline's yearning for her mother is so heart-wrenching. Themes of mental health, grief, loss, wholeness, love are all expertly rendered.

Nicole Lesperance's writing is phenomenal - simple and smooth, but so rich and enchanting at the same time. Main character Eline's narration is complemented by chapters told in a hauntingly gorgeous storybook style with perfect balance.

Overall, The Wide Starlight is stunningly magical and heart-achingly emotional. The Astonishing Color of After is a perfect comp so if you loved that, you'll love The Wide Starlight!

In this beautiful and magical story, we meet Eline (Eli) as she tries to put the pieces together of what happened to her mother. Years ago, her mother whistled at the sky under the northern lights and she disappeared before Eli’s eyes. Afterward, Eli and her father left their home in Norway and reside on Cape Cod. When these same northern lights are visible over her Massachusetts peninsula for one night only, Eli takes a chance and whistles at the sky. And there she is! Her mother is here again but she is different now and she is not alone. While that may seem ominous, in truth, mostly it is, but beautiful and magical, as well.

Her mother’s disappearance from the second time is something that Eli cannot handle, so she convinces her father to go back to Norway, where she knows she will find her mother yet again. There she meets family she has never known of and is constantly visited by the three beautiful but ominous princesses who seem to be up to no good. What they claim is their help will come with a price. But nothing will stand in the way of her reuniting with her mother.

This was a beautiful story, filled with colorful musings and magical tales. This was about the bond between mother and daughter and how wonderful and yet tumultuous it can be. The Wide Starlight was a unique story that pulled me in and lulled me, cocooned in the incredible storytelling and absolute magic like a flame that you are drawn too for its warmth but if you get too close, you will get burned. There was such a sense of urgency in these pages and I found it thrilling and enthralling.

I am not one to typically read atmospheric novels like this, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed how Lesperance skated over the line between fantasy and reality, it made for a very intriguing read. I was confused for at the first fifty pages, but after that, I was hooked not only on the story, but also on the language. Lesperance's imagery throughout the novel was striking, and I am beyond obsessed with how beautiful the cover of the book is.

This story is a bittersweet one as Eline struggles to find the reality of what really happened to her mother that night, and how she comes to realize that it was not something she could have stopped. The character that really tore at my heartstrings was Eline's grandmother, as we find out more about the reasoning behind some of her actions at the end of the story, I could not help but shed a few tears. This is a beautiful story and one that will stand out for me for a while.

DNF'd about halfway through. I guess I just don't enjoy things with weird/poetic writing and language, because this was VERY difficult for me to read. I really love fairytale like settings and magical worlds, but this was just an overload of pretty writing instead of actual plot. I'm not sure why this got such high reviews.

This book is such a beautiful story that wraps grief, loss and the important of family. NIcole weaves Norwegian folklore into it where you are completely swept away. it was such a lyrical, wisk me away as if someone is reading the story to you. Eli's journey to find her mother is one i wont soon forget and could hardly put down.

“Once upon a time, far from the green house at the top of the world, a girl stood alone on a frozen fjord under an empty night sky, clutching a ring that had turned from gleaming gold to dull silver. ‘I wish for my mamma to come back.”

Ah, were do I start with this beautiful story. The Wide Starlight is magical and dreamy and so gorgeously written. The kind of book that makes you feel like anything is possible when you’re reading it. That maybe, just maybe, there’s some magic in the world that the rest of just can’t see. The Wide Starlight by Nicole Lesperance is the book that kept me up reading well past 2 am on a Sunday night making for the Mondayest Monday ever and I have zero regrets.

Eline was only a child when her mother disappeared, snatched up in to the sky by the Northern Lights, leaving her alone on a frozen fjord far from her home. At sixteen, Eline, or Eli is living in Cape Cod with her father, far from her Norwegian roots when a series of unlikely events occur. First the arrival of the Northern Lights which are rarely, if ever, seen in the Cape. This, along with a cryptic note found in a bush, leads Eli to remember the night her mother disappeared; the night she whistled down the Northern Lights and was swept up into the sky. Thinking she can bring her mother back, Eli whistles at the sky and her mother returns but she’s a mirror image of her former self and she’s brought with her a spot of trouble.

There’s so much I loved about this story! There is a sense of magic incorporated in to every page; the lyrical stories and Nordic fairytales told by the characters are poignant and wistful, captivating and compelling. And then there’s the setting! What a setting Ms. Lesperance created! Atmospheric and richly detailed; an absolute joy to read and discover. I loved how she examined the love between a mother and daughter; the rose-colored glasses we wear as children when we see only the perfection of our parents. She explores the bitter heartache that comes with loss, explored in vivid detail and all wrapped up into one painful ball of raw emotion. My words can’t really do this book justice.

Most of us who read a lot will say ‘this is a story that will stay with me for a while’ after reading a book that’s really touched us. This is how I feel about The Wide Starlight; it’s a story that will come back to me again and again, long after I’ve finished the last word.

I was so impressed with this book! The gorgeous fairytale-like atmosphere that somehow still managed to have relationships that felt so real. The mistakes we make with friends and family. The heartbreak. Highly recommended.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing book!

The Wide Starlight is the story of Eli, a girl who was abandoned by her mother under mysterious circumstances, and now, years later, is looking for her mother and answers as to what really happened the night her mother disappeared. The story is heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and beautiful. The writing alternates between Eli's first-person narrative and a third person narrative that is told in the style of fairy tales that weaves together both some fairy tale elements and elements from Eli's and her mother's pasts. One of my favorite things about this book is that there are some moments where it is hard to tell whether the fantasy aspects are really happening to Eli and her mother or if the fantasy elements are a way for Eli and her mother to cope with what is going on in their lives. I love books that keep you wondering like this but also eventually let you know what is real and what isn't. I loved getting to know Eli throughout the book, and I thought the relationships between Eli and all the other characters were beautifully complex.

This is truly a unique and incredible book, and I highly recommend it!

First of all, I have to say how stunning the cover is! The colors are so pretty and I love the art. That's what initially drew me into the book, and then the synopsis kept me hooked.
This book was so touching, magical and captivating. I loved that it was told in alternating perspectives between the present story and myths and legends. I got to learn so much about Norway and its culture and I really appreciated that aspect. I loved how the two sections wound so well together into one mystical piece.
The writing style was absolutely beautiful. The lyrical prose pulled me right into the world and I was mesmerized. This setting set up the perfect wintery read. I was so immersed in this atmospheric book.
Besides being so beautiful, this book touched on a lot of deep and meaningful topics including family, loss, mental illness, and acceptance. This was a highly impactful and memorable story that I think so many readers will truly love.
Thank you so much to netgalley, razorbill and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I really struggled with this one. At first, I thought I was going to love it: a mystery with folklore tied in, cool. However, it felt so muddy and drawn out, I could not connect to it.

Eline, the main character, is mopey and boring. I couldn’t tell you much about her personality except she was anxious and self-focused. I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to make you empathetic, but I didn’t find myself feeling much other than annoyed with her most of the time.

What could have been an interesting look at mental health and mother/daughter relationships, ended up being a muddled view of folk fairy tales and a bizarre fantasy/mystery hybrid.

The redeeming quality for me was the writing. I found the descriptions to be vivid and well-thought out. You can really see the stark difference in the various landscapes and worlds that you’re traveling between when either in the present or folk land. I can appreciate the craft, even if I’m not in love with the content.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

What a magical book! With magical realism and Norwegian folklore blended together this wove a wonderful tale a loss, grief, hope, and family. I really liked Eli as a character. The dynamic between her and father was wonderful. The shift in the setting to Norway was so beautiful and magical, and the writing was just wonderful. This was such a great YA book, a wonderful fantasy story.

Inspired by Norwegian folklore about the Northern Lights (so, you know, I automatically love it), this book follows Eli, a Norwegian-American girl searching for her mother, who was snatched up by the Northern Lights in Norway when Eli was only six. The writing is gorgeous, lyrical, and poignant with Eli’s longing for her mother and her efforts to reconnect with her broken family. And woven into Eli’s story are gorgeous, folktale-esque memories of Eli’s mother when she was a child, and every step of the past that led to Eli’s mother disappearing into the sky. Highly recommend this book

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. Before I get into the plot and characters, which are just as amazing, I must talk about the prose. The words, sentences, and paragraphs are woven together in a such a way, you feel as if you are floating through the sky. They carry you throughout the entire story, no chapter from beginning to end losing that quality, they take you to the stars, then plant you carefully, yet firmly, back on the ground.

The characters are as deep and intense as the north wind. Each character is a perfect amount of perfection and flaw, calm and intense, and success and failure. They are human. And because of that, you become attached to them all, even the ones you know you should be fearful of.

The story itself is as magical as a fairy tale and as realistic as contemporary lives, and yet the two are tied together seamlessly. This is a story about secrets and misunderstandings. It’s also about family, friendships, trust, and acceptance.

I don't know anything about Norwegian fairy tales, but I think I've just read one. And it was magical. THE WIDE STARLIGHT is a beautiful book about the depth and breadth of maternal love, and how a mother and daughter's ultimate task is to let go of one another. The story is ethereal and mournful and so atmospheric. The stark, icy landscape of Norway was vivid in my mind, though I've never been there. Legend and myth are quite literally knit into the story, all peacock blue and white. There was such yearning in these pages, and as a mother, I was wiping away tears at the end. Many thanks to Nicole Lesperance and Penguin/Razorbill for the eARC of this stunning fairy tale. It will stay with me for a long time.