What a beautiful coming of age story. Best friends 10 year old Fish and Bread grew up in the small town of Claypot, Wisconsin something bad happens and the boys run away.

The small town rally together led by Cal the towns sheriff to help find the boys.
An eclectic bunch of characters help to find the boys. Miranda is Fish's mother is dealing with another loss. Tiff, trying to make a life for herself has had some troubles. Grandfather Teddy is troubled with his own grief and wartime scars all of these characters are struggling with their own personal tragedies.

There is so much to love about this book, its full of hope, love and kindness. Fabulous debut novel, im looking forward to seeing what andrew brings out next.

This was such a beautiful book that I really enjoyed. Its about friendships and such a great storyline. I loved the era that the book was set in.

Please note, I only read 33% of this book, so I will not be posting reviews publicly.
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I found this book to be decent, but not as captivating as I'd hoped. I think it touches on important aspects of domestic violence and smalltown politics, but it never quite grabbed me. I'm sure it will be a book club favourite for many, it was just unfortunately not for me. I can't pinpoint whether it was the writing style, the plot or the characters, but it was getting to the point where picking it up and continuing to read was feeling like a chore. I stopped before it got to that, but I can't in any good conscience continue to read it at the risk of giving it a bad review.

<b>Raft of Stars</b> by Andrew J. Graff was a delightful book which I thoroughly enjoyed from the first page until the last.    The prologue piqued my interest immediately.    The scene was set via a note from two young boys who were running away.   My first thoughts were that they seemed like good young boys, full of innocence as they head out on an adventure.    One sentence later I  was shocked to read their admission that they didn't mean to kill the father of one of the boys.     Naturally this was an unexpected turn of events and I couldn't wait to find out what had lead to this event and what would happen next.

The book was populated with six main characters plus the shadow of the man whose death the boys were running from.  All characters seemed realistic to me,  certainly not perfect, but complete with flaws, weaknesses and vulnerabilities and I found them very likeable.   Fish and Bread (Fischer & Dale Breadwin) were ten years old and my heart went out to both these young boys.     I could readily relate to the anxiety and desperation felt by Miranda (Fish's mother) and Teddy (his grandfather).   The other two characters were Sheriff Cal and local girl Tiffany.

The story unfolded as the boys fled, building a raft and taking to the river with Teddy and Sherrif Cal in hot pursuit on horseback.    Initially Miranda and Tiffany were manning the home post, waiting & hoping for the boys return. After receiving some unexpected news they too took to the chase, paddling a canoe.    Thus there were three separate adventures taking place on or beside the river.   Each of these increased the tension as they experienced the brute force of nature.    Not only did they face the dangers of the river and a ferocious storm but there was wildlife to contend with and tough life lessons as they endured fear, exhaustion, hunger, sickness and injury.  Throughout it all some of the chacters had some harsh self realisations and life changing moments. 

The more immersed in the story I became the more it brought to mind This Tender Land, a book I loved,  and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a classic I read probably 40 years ago.    The comradeship between Fish and Bread; the difficulties they'd each grown up with, the essential goodness of them and their need to flee, all of which becames pivotal to the storyline.  

This was a debut novel for Graff and I look forward to seeing what he will produce in future.   My thanks and congratulations to him for Raft of Stars.   Thanks too to Harlequin Australia and Netgalley for the opportunity of reading this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review which it was my pleasure to provide.

4.5 stars on Goodreads

A story of boys, hard-knocks, friendships and a journey two young boys should never have to take.

The characters Fish and Bread (love the names) think they have committed a crime against someone who is mean and abusive and flee to save themselves. This is a story of their journey and the perils of life and even the adventures had.

But as much as it is the story of two boys it also tells the story of the 4 people who are determined to find them, each with a tale to tell. Along the way each character finds love, friendship hope and despair.

A heart warming and heartbreaking story, well written that brings to life the hardships brought upon people throughout theirs lives.

Fish and Bread are best mates who are both doing their best to deal with the troubles in their lives. It all comes to a head one night when Fish shoots Bread’s dad during a violent act. The boys then decide to make a run for it down river on a raft they find. Meanwhile Tiffany has a crush on the Sheriff and when he joins forces with Teddy (Fish’s grandfather) to help find the boys, he entrusts her with his dog. After the dog runs away, Tiffany befriends Fish’s mum and they too set off to try and find the boys. A beautifully written story of friendship and grief and the bonds between people.

Raft of Stars is the first novel by American author, Andrew. J. Graff. Fish and Bread are on the run. Fish (sort-of-accidentally) shot Bread’s dad (a nasty, violent alcoholic), and they don’t want to go to jail or foster care. Bread leaves a note for Fish’s grandpa on his fridge to explain they are headed for the National Guard Armory at Ironsford to find Fish’s dad (who will know what to do).

The note promises to send money for what they have taken, and asks grandpa to please reassure Fish’s mom they will be OK: they have their bicycles, two cups, their fishing poles, some food, Jack Breadwin’s gun and five bullets, grandpa’s jackknife and sharpening stone, a flint, matches and a tarp. Please tell the Sheriff that Fish didn’t mean to kill Bread’s dad (he’s on the Breadwin kitchen floor).

Ten-year-old Fischer and his best friend Dale Breadwin are confident they can make their way through the Mishicot Forest to Ironsford, ninety miles to the north. They will build a cedar raft, follow the river, hunt and fish, poach if they have to.

Their plan does have a few small wrinkles: Fish hasn’t told Bread that his father died in the Middle East three years ago; both boys are likely discounting the danger of coyotes and bears; neither boy is aware that the forest harbours dubious characters running meth labs in riverside cottages; nor, perhaps most importantly, that there are dangerous, unnavigable rapids at Ironsford Gorge.

They soon realise that they have grossly underestimated the difficulty of raft-building with only a barlow knife, and when their food supply (Slim Jims, beans, tuna) runs out, they are dismayed to find not only that foraging and fishing less productive than they had anticipated, but also that killing a creature to eat it is not as easy or straightforward as they had believed.

Meanwhile, within hours, several people are on their trail. Fischer’s grandpa, Teddy Branson is a Korean War veteran who immediately understands the dangers these essentially good boys could face, and is determined to save them. Sheriff Cal is a newcomer to the Northwoods of Wisconsin, having departed Houston, Texas in disgrace to take up the post of interim Sheriff in Claypot. A year in Marigamie County has done little to take the city out of the man, and he’s unconvinced about such a trek on horseback.

Fischer’s mom, Miranda travels from Cedar to await news at Teddy Branson’s farm. Tiffany Robins, the purple-haired cashier at the Sit-And-Go Gas Station, was charged with caring for Sheriff Cal’s dog. The aspiring young poet, who is sweet on the Sheriff, joins Miranda when the blue heeler goes AWOL. But Miranda is a mother fiercely attached, a lioness who is single-minded about rescuing her boy, and cannot sit idle. These two women strike out in pursuit, proving themselves surprisingly resourceful.

As two boys on a raft face hunger and weather and wildlife, two men with horses, persistent mosquitoes and a machete slash a path north, while two women paddle a canoe towards those killer rapids. They face wild water, storms both physical and psychological, and discover untapped reserves of strength and courage.

As the story hurtles towards a dramatic climax, friendships are formed, loyalties are tested, truths are told and acts of true bravery are performed. Graff does it all with some gorgeous evocative prose: “Fish saw a stretch of river the length and width of a football field, marked by vertical cliffs on either side, with two or three craggy islands dividing explosive currents. The water seemed to fight itself. It tumbled into pits. It bellowed. It hissed and leapt. It beat against the faces of the islands in giant, upswept pillows of water. Downstream of the islands, the entire river disappeared again, presumably over another falls, sprays of water rising into the lightning.”

This is a tale of love and grief and valour which can favourably compare with William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land. Frequently funny (often blackly so), sometimes sad, and occasionally thought-provoking, this is a tale that would translate extremely well to the silver screen. An outstanding debut novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and HQ Fiction.