In Little Stars by Linda Green was another excellent book and I was gripped again from the very first few pages till the very end. Linda always has away of bringing you into the story and was beautifully written and so powerful.

Two women Travel on the same train every day to work. They have never spoken to each other. Sylvie and Donna live on different sides of this bitter Brexit divide - Which has divided many families and friends in the UK. What they don't know is that their eldest children, Rachid and Jodie, are about to meet for the first time and fall in love. Aware that neither family will approve, the teenagers vow to keep their romance a secret. Sadly Sylvie's family is increasingly unwelcome in England, and all she wants is a better life for her family. This will
threatens Rachid and Jodie's relationship with each other.

Can their love unite their families - or will it end in tragedy?

Wow, this book is so good I could not put it down once I started it. Then, again I am like this with all her books.
I highly recommend this book. I loved it. Plus, it was so true to what happened and is happening in the UK at the moment.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author Linda Green for my ARC of In Little Stars in exchange for an honest review.

I have read Linda Green novels in the past and always thoroughly enjoyed them, so when I seen her new book I took the chance to read it, without having to find out what it was about, I knew I would enjoy it. Well, not in a very long time has a booked moved me to tears. I couldn’t put it down, and I know there have been reviews relating it to Romeo & Juliet but I can assure you it is a wonderful story in its own right, and yes I see that once I had finished but my goodness I was so touched by it, I cannot get it and the characters out of my mind. The awareness the author has brought to just how awful society can be, how tough lives can be, yet how sometimes something good can come out of a horrible situation. Not to give any spoilers, the story of Jodie & Rashid and their very different families & upbringings brings joy, heartache and sorrow along the way. Such a well written and touching story, that will stay with me for some time to come. Highly recommended.

What a fantastic book, i couldn't put it down. Brilliant style of writing, the story told from the differect perspectives of character was great. I shed a tear at the end, it really pulled on my heart strings. Highly recommend.

Putting aside some of the political stereotypes attributed to characters on both side of the Brexit divide, I enjoyed this book and the love story that unfolded.

I wanted to love this book set in a multicultural Britain. However I found things a little cliched and realise we're basically following the story of Romeo and Juliet but Brexit. An easy read that I'm sure many will love.

In 2019, in a country bitterly divided after the Brexit vote Sylvie and Donna are two mothers living in Yorkshire when their children Rachid and Jodie, meet at college and fall in love. Rachid is the son of a French Moroccan Muslim father and Jodie is the daughter of a Brexit voting father with a racist brother who is becoming involved with a far right hate group. Fearing that their families will disapprove and try to prevent them from being together they begin meeting in secret.
This is the second novel I've read by the author, and one of the most moving, emotional and compelling novels I've read for a long time. I sobbed when I reached the and also felt extremely angry and ashamed of the country we've become under right wing Tory governments.
The author writes with such emotion and sensitivity and really brings both families and the tensions in our country to life. She portrays the strength of the mothers who are both trying to understand their teenagers and keep their families together.
An emotional and heart breaking read that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This was simply excellent and my book of the year so far! It tugged at my heart strings and made me feel all the feelings. I loved this story - it was warm, touching and sad all at once.

The differing POV's were excellently done and each character had a distinctive voice. I enjoyed all of the characters but especially Sylvie.

This was such a powerful story that was well written and engaging. It touches on real life issues and is really thought provoking.

Loved!

In Little Stars is a poignant story about love and hate.
It's so real it's scary, it's set in Englad but it could have been set wherever in the World because unfortunately the far-right and racist are raising their sh*tty heads everywhere.

Jodie and Rachid meets on the train to college and they fall in love. Their love is the one of the fairy tales, they are sweet and attentive, but they have to keep their relationship a secret because they come from families that wouldn't support their love. Jodie's father and brother are racist, while Rachid's father is muslim. Everything goes well until Rachid's family decides to go back to France, because after Brexit England doesn't let them feel welcome anymore, will they find a way to stay together? Or will they be separated for ever?

Linda Green beautifully told the story of these two different families at times of Brexit, her writing was so gripping I couldn't put the book down until the end.

I liked to read the two young lovers pov and also their mothers’, the four of them give a deeper feel to the story, that result in a more compelling read.
I especially appreciated how the author depicted Sylvie and Donna, these two mothers that do everything they can to protect their families, they even overlook their dear ones flaws in order to keep their families together.

I recommend to read this book because it's a must read but I also want to warn you that at the end of the novel my eyes hurt because I have cried too much.

Another retelling of Romeo and Juliet, right down to the characters initials. A very easy read with little driving you to keep going. It is interesting to read it with the modern timeframe (Brexit) but as someone who lives in Britain, it can be a bit boring to read. Well written but not my cup of tea

This is my first time reading a Linda Green novel, but when I read the blurb on NetGalley, I thought the idea of a book with multicultural characters set on a backdrop of Brexit sounded appealing. 

Told mainly from the perspectives of four key characters – Jodie, Donna, Rachid and Sylvie – this story is about love and hate, a modern-day take on Romeo and Juliet. 

Set in Yorkshire, teenage Jodie and Rachid meet on a train going to college and soon become inseparable.  Both come from totally different families and know that their love would be frowned upon, so they decide to keep it a secret from them.

Jodie is a headstrong teenager from a family whose attitudes to race and religion are verging on xenophobic. Rachid’s father is Muslim, but his mother, Sylvie, is French and not in the faith.  His father wants his children to be reared as Muslims but becomes very disillusioned with the UK when despite living and working here for many years, Brexit threatens to heap problems upon them all.

I found the book relatively slower-paced than I’d like, but the story steadily built and was easy to read in a day. With a solid and relatable Brexit theme running through the storyline, the subjects of race and immigration are focal points.  It’s an emotional and hard-hitting read of prejudices and young love.

I think when I read books I'm usually quite stone-faced even if I feel quite deeply in my head. This book made me sob uncontrollably. It was definitely one of the most emotional books I’ve read in a long time. I felt very connected to the characters and felt their love and their pain so easily. The overall backdrop of the novel was quite close for me as I remember feeling horrified at what was happening in the country at that time with the protests and counter-protests. The young love story at the centre was so beautiful and believable. It was really well paced and was intense to read the whole way through. I really loved this book and would definitely recommend it.

Many thanks to net-galley for allowing me to read this book. Told from the point of view of 2 mothers who although seemingly from very different backgrounds have much in common. Its a modern day Romeo and Juliet set against the backdrop of Brexit in Leeds. This book was incredible, easily my favourite book of the year and will stay with me for a long time. Let's just say more than one tear was shed.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. I was absolutely thrilled to learn that one of my favourite authors had written another book. This book did not disappoint, it really pulls on your heart and makes you stop and think about real life family issues.

Oh my goodness. I love Linda Green's books but this one tops the list - her best ever and I honestly could not tear myself away from it. What an emotional, thought provoking and amazing read it was. I won't repeat the synopsis as the blurb says it all but it really affected me and I felt so emotional as I took in the stories of the young man, Rachid who is Muslim and his deep love for a non-Muslim girl. Both families hold some racist views, i.e. his father doesn't want him involved with a non-Muslim girl and some of her family are against the two young people's relationship also due to their own racial opinions. Set against a backdrop of Brexit Britain where division is already rampant throughout the country, this is an additional divisive situation. I loved the characters of Rachid and Jodie who are clearly very much in love but was frustrated with the behaviour of Rachid's father as well as the father and brother of Jodie who all sought to keep the lovers apart for their own selfish reasons, the outcome of which has far reaching and heart breaking conclusions. Oh, I did shed tears over this book. I felt sadness and despair at how Rachid especially was treated by his peers and the typically British attitude to 'not get involved' when they witness injustice happening. The final words will stay with me always. Stand up and step forward. It's a mantra that, if adopted, could make a difference in the fight against racism. A massive 5 stars from me for this book that I shall be recommending everywhere. . My thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love books by Linda Green, but this one has stayed with me much longer than any others because of the way it made me feel whilst reading it. A modern day love story between Jodie and Rachid written from the perspective of their two mothers, In Little Stars deals with the challenges of inter racial relationships, secrecy and post Brexit issues. At times I had to stop reading because I couldn’t see the words on the page due to my tears! Jodie comes from a family who are not very tolerant; her grandfather is openly racist and her younger brother has just been suspended from school for blatant racism while Rachid is the son of a Moroccan Muslim and French non Muslim mother who are becoming increasingly disillusioned with post Brexit Britain.
Donna (Jodie’s mum) and Sylvie (Rachid’s mum) travel on the same train to work each day but have never spoken - they don’t know their eldest children are falling in love and planning a future together.
This story is written with sensitivity, emotion and at times thought provoking, especially regarding the effects of living in post Brexit Britain. This book however, is not a political rant, it is an exploration of how some people behave and think it’s acceptable.
I believe this is a story which should be translated to film - it would be a very hard hitting drama which may make some think about their own behaviour and it’s impact on others.
I highly recommend In Little Stars and thank Quercus Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to receive this ARC

What an emotional story this is, but a wonderful read. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

This book was emotional and sad but also thought provoking.

well written.

I could not put it down

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was beautifully written and reduced me to tears, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

In a divided northern England, love and hate are about to collide.


I loved the idea of a modern day Romeo and Juliet set against the Yorkshire backdrop. This book felt very relevant with the Brexit divide and the racial undertones. The story was certainly thought provoking and made me think about many situations I’ve encountered in a different way and definitely encouraged me to work on my own prejudice.

The story was beautifully written and I loved the English sense of humour that shone throughout. Linda has wrote a marvellous book that I will be thinking about for a long time to come.

As always thank you to NetGalley and the author for the chance to read & review this ARC.

One of my favourite books of this year. A 5 Star read!

“What we can all do is be better allies, to listen to, give space to, and amplify the voices of those people affected.”

This book broke me. It holds such a powerful message of the impact of generation’s worth of ‘banter’, and is such an accurate and shameful portrayal of life in Leeds that I felt like Linda Green had gone inside my mind and my memories. The fact that this book and its message is inspired by real-life racial hate crimes, makes it all the more gut wrenching. I’m not usually an emotional reader, however this book had me sobbing. The depth and detail of the characters and their development throughout this book made them feel like people I know, people I grew up around. The differing perspectives were so carefully woven together and the intertwining of the lives of the characters is masterfully done. A very clever and emotional story about how our actions impact others, and why we should always stand up against things we know to be wrong. This is not a book that I will forget easily.