This book is warm, heartfelt and earnest without being sappy or fluffy. It’s a wonderful, emotional summer read that I looked forward to decompressing with every night. I loved Jack and rooted for him wholeheartedly. Will definitely recommend to others and read Joella’s backlist because I enjoyed this so much.

This is a character-driven slice of life story that could be described as a slow burn but I prefer the term thoughtful, the kind of writing that reaches down to my core and touches my soul.

Jack runs a restaurant, an establishment owned by his family for generations, a place where everyone knows your name. It’s a beach location but Jack’s beach chair is gathering dust in his closet. Who has time to lounge at the beach?

He has a string of failed relationships with no time for hobbies or his own interests but Jack is a good guy who cares deeply for the town and the people in it. This makes me care deeply for Jack.

He simply rarely gets this care and attention returned to him in kind. He’s approaching an age where he considers selling the restaurant but what will this mean for the town, his employees, and for himself?

Then Jack receives shocking news from his past that has him questioning his life choices and his path to the future. Jack is kind and generous to all, the type of good man we can and do admire. We get to know his employees and the townspeople, warts and all.

The story is interspersed with snippets from a guidebook on Rehoboth Beach, which were delightful. We are treated to bits of Jacks past life, current life, and his hopes for the future. There are deep issues touched upon but the overall tone and message is one of hope.

This is a quiet story that took hold of my heart. It’s the kind of writing that I absolutely love and I can’t recommend it enough!. This was my first book by this author and I’m including him in my short list of authors who write about the ordinary in extraordinary ways.

5+ stars!

A middle age coming into yourself story. I appreciated the way Jack was able to find a solution to retiring and not selling out. The story shows how people can show up when it matters and that love and family can be found in so many places. Just because something ended or had hard moments doesn’t mean it wasn’t great or worth it.

REVIEW 🌟

The Same Bright Stars ~ Ethan Joella
Pages: 304
Genre: Literary Fiction

Gist: Jack is the third generation of Schmidt’s who has been running his family’s restaurant on Rehoboth Beach in Delaware but a conversation with DelDine has him contemplating a sale. He doesn’t have much of a life now - but what would his life be without the restaurant? Processing this potential life change takes Jack on a journey of self discovery and opens doors he didn’t even know existed.

Thoughts: So it’s official…Ethan Joella is IT for me - and I’m going to tell you why.

The Same Bright Stars is his third novel and I was quite literally swept away and fell in love instantly. I got inklings of The Bear on Hulu - the same family restaurant vibes with all the heart, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make here. His third book - amazing, but so was his first. And his second. The consistency of good writing here is just (I think) really hard to find. He’s a can’t miss for me at this point.

Secondly, the guy needs not one gimmick to sell a story. His writing is that good. Thoughtful, straight-to-the-heart, thought-provoking, and warm. We need a little bit more of all of those things in the world today.

And most important to me - he’s as nice as he is talented. Always a kind word, a comment on an Instagram post, a check-in on Arden. I’m telling you - Ethan Joella is the real deal.

People don’t like long reviews and I get it but this book and author calls for all the praise. It is warmth for your soul and is undoubtedly one of my best reads of 2024 so far.

Ethan Joella never disappoints and this may be my favorite of his novels! The setting is a delight - Rehoboth Beach - and I completely fell in love with the community, the characters, their messiness (aka humanness, which Joella does so well), and the protagonist is an underdog lover's dream! While the story is not necessarily fast-paced, Joella does such a great job at keeping readers hanging on for more and I flew through this one. While the beach setting does lend itself to some pretty spectacular summer reading, the novel includes all seasons and will be wonderful no matter the time of year. Highly recommend!!

Wonderful story of healing. This kept me intrigued throughout. I enjoyed the beach setting, which is a great summer read. I connected with the characters and enjoyed the story of loss and hope.
4/5 star

I’m just not sure this author is for me. I DNF’d A Little Hope over a year ago and if I didn’t have the audio of this one, I probably would have done the same. I will say this one was a bit relatable for me because I worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years and know first hand how it completely takes over your life.

I did think the story had potential and maybe I should have stopped and picked this one up when I was craving something with less action. It was a bit slow for me but I did see the potential in the story. Especially when the past comes back to affect Jack’s present. The ending was satisfying though.

Thanks to Scribner for my copy of this wonderful book!

I read this book set in Rehoboth Beach in Delaware on the Jersey Shore and I'm so glad I saved this book to read at the beach. I love Ethan Joella's beautiful writing style and how nuanced his characters and relationships are woven into the story. I usually gravitate to more of a plot vs character-driven novel but I know every time I pick up one of his books I'm going to enjoy the book!

I loved the Rehoboth setting and the tension that Jack felt about what to do with his family restaurant and does he sell it to the conglomerate and retire. It brought up great questions about how we live our lives and the decisions we make.

Really really enjoyed this beautifully written book! If you like character-driven novels you'll love this book!

Ethan Joella does it again! One of my favorite authors and I continue to find out why when I read his work. Adored this story and the characters. The store of loss, love, and loyalty hit right to my soul and made me root for them as if they were part of my reality. Recommend to anyone to an amazing, feel good read.

The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joella is a slow-burn, character driven novel about family, community, choices, and reflection. Jack Schmidt runs his family's restaurant and is truly the glue that holds a community together. Jack is not without his own struggles - he is dealing with pain from his past and problems in his present that make him very relatable. There are a lot of characters in this book and it really made me think about the impact one person can have on a community - Jack is a very thoughtful man who always tries to do the right thing by those around him. The setting, Rehoboth Beach, plays an important role in the novel - I loved the breaks in the story that describe the location and I have definitely hope to visit in the future! I have always loved Ethan's books as they make you think about your life, your choices, and the impact we all have on one another. I would highly recommend picking this book up, or Ethan's previous two books - A Little Hope or A Quite Life - both beautiful stories, too.

Love the Rehoboth Beach Setting and the cast of characters that you grow to love in this book. Jack owns a family restaurant and in midlife has to decide if he wants to keep running the restaurant or sell to Deldine. It’s a quiet, character driven novel about family and relationships, love and hope. You’ll grow to love each of the characters and their stories. If you love Ethan Joella’s previous books you’ll like this one too.

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Same Bright Stars is a heartfelt, endearing story centering around Jack, a single man who is the third generation owner/operator of a small town restaurant, and his decision whether or not to sell the family business to DelDine, the corporation buying up small businesses in the area. Diving into the realities of running the restaurant, especially during the holidays, the book shows Jack working with his team of cooks and waitstaff, thinking about how his actions will affect much more than just him. There are flashbacks into Jack’s past to show glimpses into how both he and the restaurant have gotten to their current crossroads. I really felt for kindhearted Jack, along with his friends and the family he created at the restaurant. Interspersed within the book are also sections from a guidebook for the town. If you haven’t had the chance to visit Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, this book will help you feel like you have been there. It’s been 20+ years since I’ve been there, but this love letter to the town reminded me of boardwalk dining and outlet shopping while camping at Cape Henlopen.
I love Ethan Joella’s writing, and he is an auto-buy author. He is also one of the kindest people I’ve interacted with on bookstagram - and that kindness is apparent in his well-crafted characters and beautiful portrayal of the beach town. This book brought me to tears, just like his previous releases have, but they felt cathartic - and I definitely finished the book with a smile on my face. If you haven’t read his books yet, I definitely recommend them. They are slow-paced, character-driven stories about community, family, and what really matters - human connection. Thank you, Ethan, for sharing your beautiful words.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for the eARC.

I have really enjoyed Ethan Joella's novels, they are so human. This ended up being my least favorite of the three, perhaps because I missed the multi POV and how the characters all came together at the end. I also found that parts of the novel almost felt rushed and I didn't have time to fully understand how we got there or the fallout of what happened. The best part of this book for me was Lara, I really enjoyed her character and what she brought to the story.

3/5 stars.

Three generations of Schmidts have run the family restaurant in Rehobeth Beach. Now, middle aged Jack has found himself with very little life outside of the restaurant - no romantic relationship, hobbies or days off. When approached to sell the restaurant to a chain taking over other restaurants along the coast, he decides it's time to make a change. Full of great characters and a relatable story line; this is a very enjoyable book.

A great Summer read about life and loss. Each character was unique and the storyline was so wonderfully written. I did not want to put the book down an all.

Another endearing story with lovable characters from Ethan Joella. No matter the circumstances, you’ll always end up rooting for them. This is no different. The setting is inviting and Jack is such a nice person. It’s refreshing!

Ethan Joella does it again! This was such a heartfelt story about the relationships of family, friends, and coworkers. The writing was so well done. I felt for all the characters and was rooting for them. The setting of Rehoboth Beach was so fun. Now I need to plan a summer getaway there.

I highly recommend all of Ethan Joella's books!

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for this advance copy. I really enjoyed Joella’s previous novel, and the gorgeous beach cover had me excited about his newest this summer. But I felt like the cover was a little misleading, as this is not quite the beach read one would expect. It’s a more character driven novel, but there are many characters that we don’t get to know very well. It reminded me of the Virgin River series, which I really enjoy watching on Netflix, but it made this story come across as unoriginal for me. I know many readers are loving this one and it has wonderful ratings. I’m in the minority, but it just wasn’t to my taste, or perhaps it didn’t find me at the right time.

Jack Schmidt has worked in his family's Rehoboth Beach restaurant his entire life. It's all he knows. So when he's approached by a local corporate restaurant conglomerate with interest in purchasing the decades old establishment, it's one he truly considers. The people who work there, and have for years by his side, are like his family, especially since he's got no family to speak of. He comes to discover people and bonds he never thought possible....

Oh dear I just adore this author. On the surface, this story is simple, straightforward and easy. But it's powerful and compelling in it's simplicity. You can't help but love Jack, love his heart, love who he is and the relationships he's created. I felt like the setting itself, both the beach and restaurant, were vibrant supporting characters along with a huge cast of the folks Jack surrounded himself with. I savored the last 100 or so pages, desperate to see how it ended but also reluctant to turn the last page. I usually don't love somewhat ambiguous endings but this one made my heart soar in anticipation of my assumption (hope?) of what was happening in those last sentences.

I've read all three of Joella's books and this one may be my favorite. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read in exchange for my honest review. This was so lovely.

Ethan Joella’s writing continues to shine in this novel. He captured the inner workings of restaurants well, and brought a lot of depth to a wide variety of characters. I appreciated the contrast between Jack’s two romantic interest although the introduction of the long lost son was a bit far fetched for me.