This is the second novel that I have read where the protagonist addresses a dead loved one in second-person, and I find that it really works for me. It's an effective way to create intimacy and absence, and I really felt the connection that Daniel was trying to hold with Sam. The prologue was stunning, and a fantastic way to introduce Sam's voice in order to round him out, instead of only seeing him through Daniel's perspective and Ordorica's writing is poetic throughout. I found the dialogue a bit stilted, which made it more difficult to have a concept of the other characters, because it felt like all of their voices sounded similar, but the feel I got for Daniel and Sam was real, and I did cry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e-ARC!

I don't know where to start with my review of this book. When I first started reading it, I couldn't remember what it was supposed to be about and didn't look it up to refresh my memory before jumping in. Because of this, I had to stop reading it around 3% as I was not prepared for the immediate feelings this was bringing up of my own loss that even years later I am still grieving. After a few days to prepare myself, I jumped back in, and let me tell you, I devoured this book in one day. I only mention this, not as a negative about the book, but to try to have anyone who reads this review understand how quickly and beautifully the author's words made an impact on me.

I know it is early in 2024, but out of all the books I've read this year, and probably all of 2023, I have not read an author who wrote so masterfully. I was brought along through the entire story, never once feeling like I was missing something or that I was left out somewhere and would need to "figure it out" later.

Truly this was a beautiful story of love, loss, and friendship, but also finding yourself and the will to move forward after such profound loss.

It is rare for me to rate something that isn't sci-fi or fantasy 5 stars, but this was a no-brainer for me.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review from Netgalley. Thank you to Tin House Books.

I believe the prologue of How We Named the Stars is absolutely beautiful. I cried a little when I read it the first time, and then read it again when I finished the book. The entire book itself is full of beautiful, emotional writing. When I finished, I discovered Ordorica is a poet, so that makes sense.

With that said, I want to say the book lacks substance because so much relies on language alone. Most of the book is just paragraphs of Daniel’s, the narrator, thoughts. Not exactly much happens until the third part. Until then, so much is just what’s in his head. However, it’s difficult to say the book lacks substance since the point seems to be emotional, not plot-focused. Still, it fell flat for me.

Speaking of the plot, essentially it’s supposed to be adjacent to a love story between Daniel and Sam. At least, that’s how I feel. Perhaps others would say it’s a full-on love story. But as I said, so much is in Daniel’s head. I find it hard to discuss this without spoilers, but the links between Daniel and others felt weak. If more time was spent with those other characters, where we as readers see them being themselves instead of Daniel telling us about them, perhaps the links would feel stronger. Besides Daniel and Sam, and really just Daniel, there is nothing to be said of these characters. I know nothing about them or their development. With Sam, I had trouble understanding why Sam felt the way he did. It was like, it just happened because it needed to be that way for the book. There was no development of character or feelings.

In the third part of the book, things change in many ways and there are so many scenes with other people. People talking and things happening. This was like a breath of fresh air. To be honest, while reading the first and second parts, I was getting frustrated. It was Daniel’s constant thoughts. If there was a scene with dialogue, each line was followed by a paragraph of Daniel’s thoughts. I didn’t know if the whole book would be this way, but I didn’t want to give up. The prose itself was lovely.

I guess all of this boils down to the old adage of “show don’t tell.” This book almost solely tells us what is going on. It was disappointing. My frustration would rate it two stars, but my feelings while reading Ordorica’s use of language would give it four stars. Normally, a three star rating from me usually means it’s a middling book. But I can’t say that’s the case here. There are two strong reactions to this book, and three stars is just the average.

I really loved "How We Named the Stars" and look forward to recommending it. This beautiful coming-of-age story quickly drew me in since Daniel and Sam are such engaging, relatable characters. Daniel's friends, Sam's mother and Daniel's abuelo were also wonderful characters. The book is very funny at times. I also loved the influence of queer elders in the book. I like how Ithaca was also like a character in the story. I could see that Andrés Ordorica is a poet because of his beautiful descriptions of birds and the landscape.

Daniel moves across the country to attend college. He’s sensitive and overthinks things, but builds a connection with his roommate Sam. Their friendship becomes something more as Daniel explores his sexuality and his place on campus. Daniel is eager, but Sam is hesitant. After freshman year ends, Daniel decides to spend the summer in Mexico with his grandfather to find space from his feelings and learn more about his late uncle and namesake. When Daniel’s life changes forever, and he must come to terms with tragedy, he discovers his uncle’s story is tied to his more closely than he realized.
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I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and Tin House, but all opinions are my own.

This is such an absolutely beautiful story. It is a queer coming of age story, and a love story but not a romance. It’s angsty, but my inner elder sad girl loved that about this book. I loved seeing Daniel become Daniel, even when he was messy and unsure, and especially when he was messy and bold. If you feel like this is giving “Ander and Santi Were Here,” I agree!

This book takes the perspective of Daniel’s journal reflecting on the past year. For that reason, there was quite a bit of telling vs. showing. Some dialogue seemed… not quite how people talk, which also took me out of the story at times. Still, I really really enjoyed this one and I’m grateful for a wonderful experience with my first ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lovely, heartwrenching, and ultimately uplifting novel. I found the scenes with Daniel & Sam, and Daniel & his abuelo, to be particularly moving. It took me a little to get used to the rhythm but once I fell into it, I just loved the way it was written. Overall I enjoyed the novel more on second read, because I better understood the uncle’s narrative.

I do not typically read contemporary fiction, but wow am I ecstatic that I chose How We Named the Stars as an introduction to the genre. Andres N. Ordorica’s debut novel was a tender coming of age story filled with grief, love, and self-discovery, and following Daniel’s first year of college as a first-generation Mexican American man who is growing into his identity as a gay man. Daniel is a chronic anxious overthinker, which can sometimes feel draining in a book from his POV, but Ordorica uses Daniel’s thought process to show us how deep a first love can influence decisions one makes across their entire lifetime. Ordorica does a phenomenal job showing the real ups and downs of love – be it familial, platonic, or romantic, or even self-love—and Daniel’s journey through the passion and heartache of his first year of college wrenched my heart in so many ways. What makes this story so affecting is that Ordorica does not shy away from showing the darker side of dealing with grief, and Daniel’s journey back to himself feels so real and hard-earned.

From a larger perspective, I really appreciated how Spanish was woven into the work. The chapter titles changing from Spanish to English when Daniel arrived in Mexico helped to ground me in our setting right from the start and gave a small glimpse into how Daniel began to embrace his heritage and family legacy during his time in Mexico. The use of Spanish in conversation was incredibly smooth, giving better insight to Daniel’s experience while not alienating non-Spanish speakers.

In thinking of the chapters/sections, one note I will make is that the formatting for the file had incorrect spacing, which sometimes took me out of the story as I had to determine what is part of the journal entries from Daniel’s Uncle and what was the main story. While I am certain that this will be correct for the physical copies, it did influence my reading experience.

It's hard to put into coherent words how this work affected me, but I know that I will continue to think to its lessons for a long time. The best way I can describe it is that this work made me want to go back and hug my 18/19-year-old self so tightly and love her through all the happiness, pain, and heartache she would come to know. Thank you, Andres, for giving me that.

Thank you to NetGalley, W. W. Norton & Company, and Andres N. Ordorica for an advanced copy of this work in exchange for a review.

A beautifully written coming of age story- a story of grief and love. Daniel is in a conversation with Samuel, the young man he fell in love with who has, sadly, died. They came together at university from very different backgrounds but that didn't matter. Now, Daniel has retreated to his ancestral home in Mexico, where he is contemplating life, fate, coming out, his love. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is heartfelt, emotional, and thoughtful- a good read.

Andrés N. Ordorica's How We Named the Stars is a tender debut novel tracking a young man's coming of age. It deals with first love, grief, learning oneself, and alienation. Daniel de La Luna is a Mexican-American, first generation college student at a prestigious east coast university. He finds himself overwhelmed and very alone. Luckily, he finds a North Star in his roommate Sam who he really vibes with, and starts to find a community at the university with other students and an advisor. Over time, the conversations between Daniel and Sam become more intense and intimate, and Daniel realizes that he is developing deep feelings for Sam. Just as the school year is coming to a close, their relationship blossoms, but comes to an abrupt end as Sam pulls back and Daniel goes to Mexico to visit his extended family as he deals with profound grief after a devastating, unresolved loss. Much of the later half of this book deals with Daniel learning more about his family in Mexico, including his uncle who passed away at a young age, and whom Daniel is named for, and how he recalibrates a new normal for him.

This is a sweet and sad novel. I really enjoyed the journey of self-discovery and emotions Daniel went on. Because this book is primarily told through Daniel's point of view, it is not an objective look at interactions he has with people. He is a major overthinker, which can be frustrating at times, and I found Sam to be almost a too perfect ideal of friend/partner, but I had to remind myself that it was how Daniel viewed him.

Thank you to Tin House, via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.

My ARC was messed up on Kindle so page numbers and the author’s name kept getting mixed into the text of the book. Since it’s coming out soon anyway, I’ll just add to my TBR.

A beautifully written book that describes the coming of age of the main character-Daniel de la Luna-a Mexican immigrant spending his first year at a prestigious east coast university.
The book is a love letter to his deceased roommate Sam, with whom he experiences first love, first grief, first loss, and a true awakening of his sexual identity. His summer in Mexico emphasizes his family ties and reveals the similar struggle of his namesake deceased uncle Daniel and his experiences there give him the strength to move forward and reengage with the world and with his friends with a new sense of purpose.

This one was a difficult read for me precisely because how well it captures what grief of losing a best friend/first love can unleash on a young adult. There were too many parallels to Daniel's loss of Sam to my own life, that it's a little insane I allowed myself to go on this potentially triggering journey. I think the the reason I found this unputdownable, despite being forced to revisit a very painful phase of my life, is perhaps the larger point of this book. At the heart of this there is a very intersectional story about how a relationship like Daniel and Sam's is so transformative for someone already living in the liminal spaces of belonging and becoming. Daniel's growth through isolation , self-doubt, queer repression and crippling anxiety is not unlike my own. Meeting someone like Sam who sees you and liberates you through kindness is not unlike my relationships with many of my found family as a young immigrant. And Daniel's journey through losing Sam, over and over again, and finding solace through reclaiming himself in ways he may not have otherwise, is also not unlike my own journey of grieving and growing in the years after losing my best friend and someone I thought was the love of my life. This story is a very simply written but profound act of absolution that validates having a relationship with grief, with a lost one long after they've passed, of time changing this relationship to be used and leveraged to become everything you want to be and discovering everything you didn't know was the story of you. Thanks Netgalley and thanks to Andres Ordorica for this beautiful book. The cherry of top for me was the author's note at the end that ties Becket's Waiting for Godot as an inspiration for this story -- a play that was deeply meaningful to me and my version of Sam, and also meaningful in my own queer journey.

How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica is a beautifully written story of love and grief intermingling in the memories of Daniel, a young Mexican American man, who has experienced both love, grief, and growth in the short span of his first year of college and the summer that follows.

There are many things I can say about this book and how it lyrically captures the newness and uncertainty of first love, loss, grief, and heartbreak, but I think what I appreciated most about this book was the tenderness in which these subjects were handled. I cannot say that I did not cry because I most definitely did. However, I was not absolutely gutted by the trauma while still feeling every part of it and I believe Ordorica has a beautiful way of turning life's pains into poetry. I also appreciated how though I am not like the main character, Daniel, I saw myself in him. Perhaps this is because Daniel read as more than just a character in a book I was reading. He felt real as if I knew him and as if at some point in my life (maybe even now) I am dealing with things quite like him, learning to deal with and move forward from/with grief.

Structurally, the way the chapter (section?) titles mirrored where Daniel was in the world was excellently executed. When he was at his elite university in Ithaca the titles were in English and when he was in Mexico for the summer, they were in Spanish. They also served to help ground me in the passage of time as well as how Daniel viewed time as his experiences changed. Additionally, the usage of Spanish within the text was done without alienating non-Spanish speakers. While I do speak Spanish, I was pleased to see that everywhere it was used within the novel also included context clues or translations to help non-Spanish speakers get the message.

As much as I loved this book, there were small things that I wish were handled differently. For instance, early in the book there are clear moments or racism and homophobia being displayed as Daniel is living his life in Ithaca, but after those moments pass they just seem to fade away and we're living in the bubble of first love and heartbreak. The characters do continue to live their lives at school, but there aren't many more mentions of how those things impact them. Granted, this book is not completely about that and the focus is on Daniel's story. I do just feel it was brought up so blatantly and then swept into the background not to be seen explicitly again.

Still, this was an emotional read for me and I am happy I read it.

thank you to netgalley and Tin House for allowing me to read this book. This was so beautifully written,

This book broke parts of me I didn’t know existed, but managed to assure me that I could put myself back together. What a beautiful, tender, and devastating letter of love, grief, and discovery of home in all its many definitions.

I might have to make a longer post once I’ve collected myself and stopped crying for a bit, but for now I’m nearly speechless. I haven’t been so deeply affected by a novel in a while. I can’t wait to see what Ordorica writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Grief is a funny thing, it doesn’t always manifest in ways society expects.

This story came to me at a very difficult point in my life. This year, I lost one of my best friends. She had just turned 23 and was supposed to get married in the summer. I helped her pick her wedding dress. I would never get to see her in it.

Because of that, this book was deeply personal to me.

I felt very connected to Daniel and his experiences. We are so similar yet so different (I guess shout out to being a queer Latino named after your dead tío?).

It was ambitious of the author to begin the story with us already knowing Sam is dead, because we don’t yet know the characters or really care about them. It’s a big task to work backwards and create the connection to their story when the reader already knows (some of) the conclusion. But I think the book truly achieves what it set out to do. The knowledge of Daniel’s impending loss weighs on the story, but it doesn’t make the moment it happens any less impactful.

The novel tackles the feelings of grief and the ways they can manifest and shape a person. It seamlessly entwines the story of Tío Daniel with the rest of the narrative. The impact of that loss on his family and the almost… predestined life of Daniel as his nephew only furthered the themes of the novel.

I found the actual writing and prose of the novel to be beautiful as well. Author Ordorica doesn’t shy away from describing the dirty and unpleasant parts of life and turning them into something not necessarily beautiful, but natural. I felt like I was experiencing the world with Daniel.

Overall, I loved this book. It wasn’t “healing” per se, but it was cathartic. I think part of me needed it. But even besides my own personal connection with the topic, I thought the novel tackled the themes of grief in a unique way.

Five stars for sure.

"How We Named the Stars" is an introspective, coming-of-age, Mexican, LGBT+ story about a college freshman who falls in (very dramatic) love (as only college students can do) with his roommate.

The story is told in two parts: Daniel meets Sam in college and their friendship develops as Daniel struggles to come out of his shell. During summer break, Daniel goes back to Mexico for the first time in seven years and, dealing with heartbreak and loss, begins to find his feet. The story felt realistic, like it could actually have been a college memoir penned to an old friend, although the ~spicy bits~ were just a hair unrealistic and would have, in the real world, led to an unpleasant experience and quite a bit of pain (sorry, not sorry), although it also would have felt out of place with the tone of the story to have long, very detailed spicy scenes.

While the pacing of the book is definitely on the slow side - long expositive passages interspersed with barely any dialogue - I loved that the author unapologetically interspersed Spanish words and phrases into the dialogue. There are no footnotes or translations by the narrator - either you understand the Spanish or you don't (and in my opinion, the author also provides enough context clues to understand everything).

I really enjoyed this book - Daniel is one of those characters that you will throughout the entire book to find happiness without being a character that feels stagnant or helpless. I recommend this book for anyone who feels the need to read a slow, soft coming-of-age story.

Gorgeous writing. “How We Named the Stars” is such a stunning book, I don’t think I was prepared to be that emotionally involved. I read it in one sitting, but it took me a second to get into it after reading the beginning dialogue which was a tad awkward (I think on purpose). I’m so grateful I kept with it, as Daniel’s telling of his relationships with those around him made me feel like a close friend, feeling everything as he did.

How We Named the Stars covers so many topics: nostalgia, racism, isolation, love, fate and connections, heartbreak, acceptance and freedom of expression. I feel like there’s so many themes in this book that it would get overwhelming to some people, especially towards the end when there’s so many things going on. I don’t know if GR does half stars, but I’d dock it a half star down for that.

As a queer person, I found this book extremely relatable. It felt like I was reliving the feelings of my first real crush; the first time you allow to see yourself with someone you might have been afraid to before, the closest friend you’ll feel like you’ll ever have and the one you’re most worried to lose. It reminds me of when I struggled to be open with my sexuality and learning about others who never found their chance to be themselves. As much as it filled me with pride, it also filled me with grief about the pains and fear of being queer.

There’s not many books I’d love to read again for the first time - but I believe this is one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story took my heart and stomped on it in the best way imaginable. Daniel and Sam’s story told through Daniel’s memories, and retrospection was what every teen story wishes it was. The bits of diary anecdotes from his uncle to mirror Daniel’s life made it that much more meaningful. I cannot wait to see what else Odorica writes.
My only complaint with the story was the formatting but that is most likely due to the ebook transfer to my kindle.

"How We Named the Stars" by Andrés N. Ordorica is truly so beautiful and gripping from the very first page. Ordorica weaves so much authenticity and poetry into everything he writes, every scene and statement so articulate and succinct, painting the perfect picture of these two boys' lives (especially Daniel's, who is the first-person narrator of this story).

"Stars" crosses a lot of heavy territory in terms of grief, racism, family issues, profound loss, queerness, and young love, holding appropriate space for each while remaining optimistic and hopeful - a very rare, and difficult, balance to strike. Throughout multiple points, it moved me to profound tears, recalling the same losses I've experienced in life (especially losing someone too soon) and attempting to live up to your family's expectations.

As the story is told from Daniel's perspective, he is our eyes and ears to this world, and he is an authentic, trustworthy narrator. How he sees the world - and interacts with those in his life, and even the way he processes grief in the end - is fundamentally good, so we root for his success, we grieve his losses, we are angry on his behalf, and we root for him along the way.

For a book tackling so many difficult subjects, Ordorica has truly crafted an extremely kind, sensitive, and deeply vulnerable perspective on grief and tragedy. His turn of phrase is nothing short of spellbinding, the sort of writing any author aspires to when planting a picture in your mind. It's truly no wonder he's a poet. Despite a book that should have felt bogged down under the weight of its own synopsis, it was a real page-turner and so well-paced. I could have easily read it in one day, but spaced it out just to savor his writing and take in every well-earned detail.

I'm grateful to have read this book, and I recommend "How We Named the Stars" for anyone who wants to experience a full spectrum of emotions about first love, grief, and loss, set in a world that feels lived in and authentic. Be prepared to smile and fall in love with both Daniel and Sam - getting to know them, even for a short while, is worth it in the end. Oh, and do have tissues handy.

Thanks to Tin House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.