Raft of Stars is a coming of age story following two young friends, Bread and Fish, who run away after Fish takes action against Bread's abusive father. The Sheriff and Fish's grandfather go after them to bring them home.

Set in the wilderness of upper Wisconsin, Raft of Stars is a very atmospheric novel. You can literally picture what is happening. For the most part it really worked, I just wish there was some more character development amid all of the action. I did like how it wrapped all the characters up at the end.

Oh Fish and Bread, you wonderful little boys. If Tiff didn't scoop up Bread I certainly would have. He'll be in good hands with Tiff, Cal, and a dog. Kodos to the author for not spelling that all out in the epilogue.

As a mother of an outdoor loving 11 year old, this book hit hard. I felt every paddle stroke in my soul as Miranda raced to find her son. From the moment those boys ran away, that "Mama Bear" protective power surge was engaged, and there not even my boys.

Excellent idea to give the boys nicknames. It took the edge off of the seriousness of having two children alone in the woods, and added a gentleness to keep the story an adventure and not a thriller.

What started off with a strong start fizzled for me and I lost interest about half way through. I still plowed through, but it was not a highlight book on my list.
We have 2 young boys with a solid friendship. This is where the difficulty started for me actually, as they talked and acted far too mature for their ages. They go on the run as one of them thinks the other one has killed their abusive father. What transpires is a modern day Huck Finn of sorts. I did not like the writing style - far too long and descriptive for me. I also did not connect with the characters at all.
Thankful for the ARC nonetheless.

This book was an action packed adventure of 2 young boys as they battle a river, weather, and their own fears and limitations and come out stronger. I think the author did an excellent job of creating believable characters, each showing positive and negative behaviors that made them very human and relatable. This book was not just filled with wonderful drawn characters but was set in a beautifully descriptive setting in the Northern Wisconsin area. Great book and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I enjoyed this book. Great characters that kept my interest. The author does a wonderful job of describing the scenes. You really feel like you are along for the ride. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

I would have liked to see Bread and Fish face some actual consequences for the hell they put these adults through. Fish's mom and grandpa went into that forest looking for those boys and faced equally rough times, just like the boys did. When the boys saw that the adults they actually trusted were worried and coming for them, they ran even further away into danger. I think out of all the hard to believe scenarios this novel presented me with, that's the worst yet. The fact that the boys kept on running. Rapids, bears, and all.

I would have turned back around and let the sheriff have them if my son had run from me, seeing that I'd come all that way to help him and his friend! They would have went to Juvie for sure - not for attempted murder, nope... for being runaways. Little as*holes.

Thanks netgalley for giving me the pdf so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡

GOREGOUS. If you like character driven stories you'll love this. The writing was beautiful, the character memorable - nothing bad to say about this book!

While I enjoyed this book, I was expecting something a little different going in. After reading the synopsis before requesting on NetGalley, the book translated something a tad different.

To start, I think this is more of a Western book. It’s not a bad thing! Again, just wasn’t what I expected, nor was it my genre of choice. I got some thriller vibes, but wouldn’t call it that either. I understood this as a YA coming of age story.

With all that to say, I enjoyed it after I finished, but it did take me a bit longer because it wasn’t holding my interest. Towards the middle of the book, there were a lot of descriptions that were a tad irrelevant or tangent-esq, but it didn’t necessarily take away from the story. I just wasn’t sure why it was there!

The gem of this story is the relationship between the two boys, Fish and Bread. They’re two, sweet souls who care for each other despite the hardships they’ve endured because of the adults around them. No matter the situation, they do things with the other in mind.

Bonus! It makes references to '90's nostalgia and I loved that aspect.

Big thank you to Ecco and NetGalley for this ARC!

A beautiful book on top of a gorgeous cover. This book was definitely out of my usual genre and I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. It reminded me of when I was a kid going to Wisconsin every summer to a cabin. The imagery and descriptions are enchanting. I also have watched Andrew discuss the book and the passion behind the story is joyful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Raft of Stars" is an enjoyable debut with an intriguing (if familiar) premise. Visually reminiscent of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", with which RoS shares a mode of transport (river raft) and caricature-like villain(s), and tonally reminiscent of "The Body", the novel leans into its own, parabolic element in its final half.

Graff maintains tension throughout, but RoS's opening pages are its strongest, and the vibrancy of the beginning lent impulsion to sequences where my interest flagged. The narrative is character-driven, and the first half of the book reads like a series of character studies. The latter half did not maintain the same depth of character insight, featuring instead a slew of increasingly improbable action sequences. The most interesting characters (arguably, Teddy and Bread) are not narrators,

Although characterization is strong on the whole, male characters are far better realized than their female counterparts. Tiffany's narrative in particular, apart from a touching affinity for Bread, is negligible; rather, she is a narrative tool to characterize Cal, who regards her with the unspecific affection of one stranger for another. Early on, Cal admits that he "liked the idea of loving a woman [like Tiffany] who wrote poetry on bills" - a telling statement that seems to forewarn upset when he comes to know Tiffany as an individual. However, Tiffany is so unmoored, so lacking in convincing personhood, that even when the two characters are driven together in the final chapters, there is no substantial chafing between expectation and reality.

The only other female character (Fish's mother, Miranda) is painted with half-hearted strokes. Maternal (likened to a "mama bear") and Pentecostal are her defining traits. While I appreciated that the religious element was not overwhelming and was treated with respectful skepticism, Miranda's perspective might have been a useful addition (or could easily have supplanted Tiffany's). Highlighting Miranda's character in the latter half of the story, which veers towards parabolic, might have allowed Graff to emphasize the narrative's spiritual aspect without losing character insight. It also could have freed the character from her two-dimensional, "mama bear" characterization,

The ending is "tidy" - perhaps too tidy. I also could have gone without the sermonizing on darkness. On the whole, however, RoS was well-written and nostalgia-tinged (perhaps through association with classics - though not, I think, destined to be a classic itself).

Would you be prepared to risk your future to save your best friend from his abusive drunken father? A dad who, literally carries his gun in his hands (forget about a holster), even, when he is at home.

Fish (Fischer) and Dale (aka Bread), have become tight friends over the last three summers. Fish spends the summers on his grandpa's farm, ever since his father failed to come home from his deployment to Afghanistan. That is how Fish and Bread meet. The more Fish witnesses Bread's abuse, the more he feels compelled to help his friend. Until one night, he does ... and he shoots Bread's Dad. Deed done, the boy's need to run, and they decide to flee. The quickest escape (pre-teens, so cars are not an option), is by the river, any other way (foot, bicycle), they'll be caught.

Sheriff Cal, was pretty new in town, having moved to Wisconsin from Houston, in an attempt to tamp down his stress on the job. He gets to know the people in the county of Marigame, in Northern Wisconsin.. But he is careful not to get too close to them, in order to maintain his authority. One person he gets to know is Tiff. She works at the local Sit & Go gas station, and she'd like to get to know Sheriff Cal a lot better.

So the boys escape and soon Sheriff Cal sets off to try to find them, Then with an update, Tiff sets off to find Cal ... They all know the clock is ticking before the boys hit the falls ....

Raft of Stars is a book about so many things.It is a coming of age story, a book about secrets (white lies), it's a book about the beauty and the power of nature, it's about friendship and loyalty, it's an adventure story, and a story about the lengths people will go to help the people they love. Author Andrew J. Graff is familiar with this corner of the world. It is where he grew up and the place he calls home and there is no mistaking his love of Wisconsin. "This is a story that is all heart. These are characters you can love and root for. This is an author who will always give the reader hope." (@anneaustex).

Thank you @eccobooks for my eARC in return for my honest review. #5stars

A very fun and absorbing adventure, quite different from what I normally read. Enjoyed it a lot, even though I have some loose end questions such as (view spoiler).

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book is what would happen if This Tender Land and Huckleberry Finn had a baby. It was one of those magical pieces of writing that completely transports you to the world the writer has created. When I finished it last night, I felt both relief that everything was finally resolved and the tension had dissipated, but I also felt a sense of sadness that our adventure together was over. I wasn’t quite ready to leave these characters!

I started to say that the storyline is really a coming of age tale, but upon further reflection, it was also a come-to-grips for most of the adults in the book also. Each of the main characters had an internal struggle that the author used deftly to flesh out the characters and endear us to them as the story played out. It worked. I became invested in these people and their lives.

While I wouldn’t say this was a five-star read for me, it definitely evoked emotions from this reader. The ending had my heart racing and wanting to cover my eyes before squeezing my heart enough to bring actual tears to my eyes.

This story is a tale of friendship, family, survival, perseverance, and bravery. It was beautiful in its simplicity and one I will definitely recommend.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book. I enjoyed the book. This author has a gift! I had no idea Wisconsin was so rugged and adventure filled! I just imagined rolling dairy fields lol. I live in Colorado and people think I trudge through the mountains but we are on the plains, an hour away from mountains. This coming of age story, set in 1994 was captivating. I held my breath several times throughout the book as scary encounters with nature in all its fury for all the characters. The tornado scenes were terrifying from all perspectives! Everything that could possibly happen happened. It was not an idyllic float downriver for anyone. The boys had limited food and supplies but used their skills and intuition to survive several days in complete wilderness. I enjoyed the interactions of the adults in their journeys to rescue the boys. The ending was amazing. Great writing. I look forward to more great books from this author!

Ten year old boys Fischer and Dale go running off in the night when Fischer believes he has shot and killed Dale's no good father. The kids are on a journey to seek out Fischer's dad even though Fischer has not actually confided in Dale to tell him his father died long ago. The adults, which includes Fischer's mom, a sheriff, Fischer's grandfather and Tiffany, a gas station clerk, pair off to go find the boys before trouble finds them. I just saw this entire story as the boys making senseless decisions which put a whole lot of people at risk. I get that the boys are hurting in their own ways and the adults each go on their own mental journeys but seriously there were some really dumb decisions along the way.

Great characters. Plot is a bit unbelievable. How did two young boys survive this adventure? Plenty of adventure and intrigue. Suspenseful.

It's hard to believe this beautifully written book is the author's first novel. I was hooked even from the author's note to readers at the beginning. Graff has a way of connecting the reader with the book's atmosphere and characters. He conveyed the childhood joy of growing up and spending summer days exploring nature and how that might feel when those summers are no longer carefree. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and their evolving relationships with each other. I will say that with the two main characters having food-related nicknames (Bread and Fish), I sometimes got them confused..but that might just be me.

I liked the way the author gave a sense of the Wisconsin river setting with just the right amount of description (I tend not to like too much description). This is a book to read slowly and savor--right up until the reader gets to the page-turning end. Some of ending events did seem a little over the top/Hollywood.

I am eager to read Graff's next novel. Thank you to #NetGalley and ECCO for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very good start for a young author. The book started out slow introducing you to the main characters and then built to a breathtaking finish. It is the story of two ten year old boys, Fish and Bread, who think they have committed a murder. They take to the woods in a dangerous effort to run away from the consequences of their actions. They decide to build a raft and float down a river in the north woods of Wisconsin not realizing that they are headed right for rapids and a dangerous waterfall So the chase is on. Fish's mother and grandfather join in the search, also the local Sheriff Cal and his young female admirer Tiffany. There is more than one plot in this novel. Cal is doubting his career choice and all of the characters have reasons to doubt their life choices. Its nice to know that novels like this are still being written with a beginning, middle and end.

A heartwarming adventure story. Two boys come of age and learn how to fight the darkness in their lives.

Raft of Stars is a great little book that ticks all the right boxes for me. It takes place in the vast Wisconsin woods, has elements of survival, and features an interesting cast of characters. A baby snapping turtle, poetry in the margins of utility bills, a lost boot, a poacher camp, a skull-decorated raft, worm soup, a shoreline tornado, deadly falls, bear breath ... there were so many little touches in the story that makes it into a memorable piece of literature. I want this to be a new classic. When I started out reading it, I thought the author was maybe trying too hard to write "literature." But he did. It's gorgeous, and the ending ties everything up so perfectly.

Two young boys flee into the woods when Fish thinks he's killed Bread's abusive father. They start out on bikes and then make a raft to float the river toward a destination that's not really there. The sheriff (newly transplanted from Texas) feels truly out of his element, tracking them through the woods on horseback with Fish's grandfather. Fish's tongue-talking, denim-dress-wearing mother is also in pursuit in a canoe, along with a lady who is secretly in love with the sheriff and has just lost his dog.

I love a story with well-fleshed characters. Even though the book starts out following the two young boys, it's the sheriff who changes most in the story, so perhaps he's meant to be the main character. I imagined him as the sheriff from Stranger Things (David Harbour). And, in my mind, Tiffany was Stevie from Schitt's Creek (Emily Hampshire).

I'm sure there's supposed to be some type of Biblical parallel with the kids being named Bread and Fish. Did they ultimately end up feeding everyone like the bread and fish from the Biblical story? Maybe.

I hope this book ends up on the radars of the right people because it deserves a place in the sun. It's just lovely. I'm glad the publisher gave me a chance to read it free through Netgalley. I'm also glad I got to spend time in the forest with these characters.