This was so not the storyline I was anticipating. Not even a little. I love the author, read the editors blurb and started reading. We meet a family (Daniel and Alex and their Mattie and Ruby) dealing with some serious issues. Marital, financial, trust, teenaged angst, defiance etc and so much more. When the family, except for their son who is at college decide to get away to a remote cottage to do a reset, reconnect and figure out how to move forward they are mostly off grid. Once they are able to reconnect what they discover is horrifying. The world they left a few days ago is no longer. The US has been attacked by multiple nuclear bombs and they’re left to figure out how to survive the craziness. When Daniel leaves to get Sam (college son) to bring him to the rest of the family, Alex is left behind with the girls and to figure out how to survive. Militias, staying invisible, crazy people, sustenance and constantly wondering if Daniel and Sam are alive and will make it home to them. Everyone is left to figure out what they’ll do to survive and left wondering if they can survive that as well. This is not at all the book I anticipated reading. Coming off the global pandemic my brain went to there rather than the literal nuclear option. Again, glanced at the description as I adore the author so though not at all what I was anticipating or typically read, this was an emotional, intense, scary story that was so well written and leaves me wanting there to be a sequel.

When everything falls apart, Alex and her family are thrown into chaos when her husband loses his job, and they lose their home. Imagine settling into a rundown cabin in rural Ontario without Wi-Fi, surrounded by miles of solitude. Life gets even darker as the nation is all in danger, bombs here and there.

This story hits you with the familiar ups and downs of survival tales, making you pause between chapters, contemplating the characters' struggles. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, making you contempt choosing between wanting to know what happens next and needing a moment to absorb the characters' struggles. The author doesn't just tell the story; they paint it with such detail that it's like watching it unfold right in front of you. The dual perspectives and those nail-biting cliffhangers? They add layers of suspense and emotion that keep you glued to the pages.

'The Last Stars in the Sky' isn't your typical survival story. It digs deep, exposing the vulnerabilities of the characters, making it hard to resist connecting with them. Sure, I wished for a bit more storytelling depth, but this speculative fiction piece lingers, echoing the harsh realities of our world.

It was a book I would recommend !!

Wow. How is this not getting more attention? This was absolutely fantastic.

Don’t let the beautiful but serene cover fool you- this story is beautiful, yes, but it’s far from serene.

When a struggling family is forced to temporarily relocate to an isolated cabin in a remote part of Canada, they fear the worst has happened. However, shortly after their arrival, they wake up to a world where the actual worst HAS happened. This story follows their often-dark journey from that devastation forward.

I’m always a fan of a realistic survival tale, but too often, they seem to fail in the realistic part of that equation. This one does not. In fact, it exceeds my expectations. Frightening and fascinating in equal measure. I loved it. I would jump at the chance to read a second installment, should the author choose to give us such a gift. Either way, this is definitely one I’ll re-read in the future.

Thank you Kate Hewitt, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Alex and her family escape to rural Canada due to circumstances. they go to her parents' cabin. there are lots of twists and turns in this story.

Not my normal genre of books and I almost gave up in the first part, however I decided to persevere. Well written and interesting subject, however I felt it ended abruptly and difnt conclude the story.

Wow! This author does such an amazing job telling a story that the reader thinks they are living with Alex and her family. I was rooting for so many of the characters. This book will remain in my thoughts for quite some time.

Thanks so much to netgalley and storm Publishing for the arc. The opinions are my own.

I picked The Last Stars in the Sky just for the cover. I did not realize it was a dystopian book. Which lucky for me is a genre I just recently found out enjoy.
What a book. I really thought it would just be a couple working on their marriage in the middle of no where in a cabin. I’m so glad that I was wrong. I really enjoyed the book and everything it was. I’m hoping it will have a sequel because I was not fond with how it ended. I would 100% recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an ARC of The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt for an honest review.

This was the first book by Kate Hewitt that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Her writing is beautiful even when the subject matter is deep. I enjoyed how the chapters switched between Alex and Daniel so you could see the struggles each of them were going through for their family.

Definitely don't judge the book by the cover, I was really surprised by the turn of events. It's the end of the world as we know it. I remember having a lot of the same feelings reading this as I did years ago reading The Things That Keep us Here by Carla Buckley. Definitely situations that you will remember.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book and review it. I’m a bit lost for words surprisingly!
The title and the front cover gave the impression of a different book, maybe that’s why looks can be deceiving! I hadn’t read the blurb about it so was going in blind.
It took a twist I never would have expected and turned into a book I would never usually even pick up. But I was hooked at times!
I don’t want to give spoilers away but it is not what you are expecting. We meet Alex and her family. Due to things going wrong for them - they escape to rural Canada to her parents Cabin to try and rebuild a life…but what is about to come you can not predict.
The story is about their fight to survive. I really liked the book and couldn’t put it down but I must say I was disappointed in how quick it went from mid story to bam the end. I feel like it was really rushed and surely there should be a sequel? Also would have been good to learn more about Daniel and Sam’s trip. Don’t want to give too much away!
Will definitely look out for more of her books though.

EXCERPT: We drive in an increasingly taut and expectant silence down the road, the trees on either side of the narrow dirt track looming above, dark and menacing, or maybe that's just me, reading into a difficult situation. After all, none of us really want to be here.
Thanksgiving is in just over a week, and we're meant to be having turkey, watching football, relaxing - reveling in our comfortable home back in Westport, Connecticut, in front of the big screen TV, the turkey in the oven, spinach dip and pita chips on the coffee table, a bottle of red breathing on the sideboard. Except that home isn't ours anymore and we had nowhere else to go but here - my parent's ramshackle cabin in rural Ontario, Canada that hasn't had a single visitor in seven years.
This is a chance to reset, I remind myself. Reboot. Refresh. Re-something. Take deep breaths and mindfully remember what is good about life, what we're grateful for . . . or so all the glossy magazines and curated Instagram feeds tell me. All I need is a matcha iced tea and the space to recalibrate. Throw in a yoga mat and it's all good.
I close my eyes against the dark, winding road. It didn't take much to make me cynical, and yet I still want to believe in it all. I want to believe that six weeks away from reality is really what we need to restart our lives, get them back, much better than ever.

ABOUT 'THE LAST STARS IN THE SKY': “Mom, why are you so mad at Dad?”

“I’m not,” I say, which isn’t exactly true. Putting on a brave face for my two young daughters—pretending everything is fine in my marriage—has been hard. That, and losing the house after Daniel lied to me.

I never expected to have to uproot my family to go live in my parents’ isolated cottage on Lost Lake. It’s twenty miles to the nearest town, an insignificant speck in endless pine forests. Nobody’s lived here for a decade.

Now, I pick up a rusty pail from its nest of autumn leaves and turn to my daughter. Suddenly, I recall how I used to help my own mother pick wild strawberries up here as a little girl. Maybe, this isn’t a punishment. Maybe this place will be the making of our family.

I’m still thinking it when my daughter rests her silky head on my shoulder that evening in the flickering firelight. And when, over a steaming cup of coffee at dawn, I watch a single loon cut a course through the mirrored surface of Lost Lake.

Later, I’ll hold on to these memories—ghostly shreds of another life. Because just eight hours after I sat on that sofa, feeling so hopeful, the world as I knew it—as anyone knew it—was gone for good.

MY THOUGHTS: The Last Stars in the Sky was a complete surprise to me. I automatically request Kate Hewitt's books. I think that there has only ever been one that I have been a bit ho-hum about.
I was expecting a family drama and, yes, that is certainly what I got but not in the format I was expecting!

Kate Hewitt continues to amaze me with the versatility of her writing. I almost stopped reading when the 'big event' happened, but I am so glad I didn't. Kate took me on a journey is scarily realistic and quite probably going to happen at some point in the future.

She chronicles the changes to this 'entitled' family as they struggle for survival at the most basic level; how their priorities suddenly change and they hone skills they never knew they had.

The characters are complex and it was exciting watching as they adapt to their new circumstances, developed resilience and learned to think differently - in terms of survival rather than wants. Alex amazed me, as did Mattie. As they faced more difficulties, their personalities slowly grew into people I actually liked.

This is not an easy read in places. Daniel's journey to rescue their son Sam from his college is harrowing. It could have been a book all on its own. I don't know that I liked the ending - it's a cliffhanger. The jury is still out on that one. But as for the rest of the read, I unexpectedly really enjoyed it and read the whole book in just over a day.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheLastStarsintheSky #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Kate likes to read women's fiction, mystery and thrillers, as well as historical novels. She particularly enjoys reading about well-drawn characters and avoids high-concept plots.

Having lived in both New York City and a tiny village on the windswept northwest coast of England, she now resides in a market town in Wales with her husband, five children, and two Golden Retrievers.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Brilliant book. Loved it from the start to finish. Admirable Characters and their struggles and tremendous strength is something I admired a lot. Fast paced and engaging throughout. Courage in the time of tragedy is the main strong point of the story. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt is a departure. In takes place in the Ontario wilderness mostly, after a nuclear attack on multiple cities in the US and Canada. There is no communication: no television, no internet, so Alex and Daniel work to survive and save their family: Mattie and Ruby, their daughters, and Sam their son who was in college. The four had arrived at her parents’ cabin to recover from the trauma of Daniel losing his job, lying about it, and then losing their house. Mattie, at almost 14, had hooked up with a boy who was trouble and so they decided on this reset. The reset probably saved their lives.

It is a story of survival, of doing things one never dreamed they were capable of. As Daniel took off in their car to bring Sam home, the women set about trying to survive and plan for whatever future there was. The most stark thing about this novel is the two types of reactions people seemed to have. Some were willing to help and do whatever was necessary to survive. The others, thwarted bullies in most cases, just wanted to survive and they raped and pillaged to accomplish that. Several people joined Alex and the girls at the cabin and they were making progress toward sustainability. It had been five months since Daniel had left and they had given up hope that he was still alive. The government turned out to be useless and many of the bullies came from their ranks. It, as most post-apocalyptic novels are, is bleak, but full of the human spirit, which can accomplish much when pressed All too realistic. Thanks Kate Hewitt for giving us a peek into the future. Let’s hope it remains fiction.

I was invited to read The Last Stars in the Sky by Storm Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StormPublishing #KateHewitt #TheLastStarsInTheSky

This book really surprised me. It was amazing.
It's about keeping your family together post nuclear attacks on America. I loved all the characters!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Just wow! My first book from this author but definitely not my last. What an incredible writer. The characters were amazingly thought out - from their personalities, to their interactions, to the changes they went through, just spectacular. The storyline was creative and well thought out. Everything was perfectly descriptive - at times I was able to fully transport myself into this book. Honestly, I could not put this down and can’t wait to recommend it to friends!

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy

I loved the title of this book and hoped it would as good as it sounded. In fact, it was amazing. A lovely, cosy read for those winter nights. Thank you for the ARC.

What starts out as a trip to the old family lakeside cottage, neglected after the death of one grandparent and the failing health of the other rapidly turns dark as the world collapse around them.

The scene is beautifully set with the ramshackle old house in need of as much TLC as the familial relationships. As the world collapses the core characters find inner strengths they did not know they possessed as they struggle to reunite their eldest son with the family and protect their new homestead.
The whole plot is so possible a threat as to make it terrifying, particularly the speed at which society disintegrates. It left me pondering whether I would even want to be a survivor faced with that future!
A fast paced and emotional read.

I have just finished reading "The Last Stars in the Sky" by Kate Hewitt. Thanks you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is not the type of book I would normally read. It is about a family of five who journeys to their summer cabin in Canada to start anew after the husband loses his job and they lose the house. Alex, the wife feels as though an extended trop to the cabin will be the answer to reset their lives. The son Sam, stays at college and the rest of the family travels to the cabin. A few days after they arrive...there is a nuclear strike in the USA and they are left without food water or safety. With their future in jeapordt, Daniel (The Husband) leaves the family to go find ;Sam, while Alex, and her two daughters are left at the remote cabin to survive.

And survive they do...through resilience and sheer determination they learn to hunt, fish, forage in the woods, and suvive agains the odds...sometimes doing and seeing things they would never want to do. Meanwhile Daniel struggles to find Sam...and endures his own survival in what seems like horrible consequences.

The story culminates in some feel good moments...but ultimately, the family must work together to keep surviving, but at this point, the reader is fairly confident that they will all survive.

I loved the characters in this story. They were real and honest and scared and resilient when they had to be. There were some ugly moments but moments of great triumph as well. The suthor did an excellent job of showing both the wonderful and horribly ugly side of humanity.

I wish more time had been spent describing the journey of Daniel when he went looking for Sam. We still don't know what he did that was so awful...we can only imagine and maybe that is the whole point.

All in all...i liked this book ALOT! A welcome departure from my usual choices that tells the story of survival and sacrifice and the human spirit.

Happy Reading

I loved "The Last Stars in the Sky" by Kate Hewitt.

From the very beginning, the end of the world vibe had me hooked. Seriously, I couldn't put it down.... the emotions it stirred up were amazing, beautiful, heartbreaking but yet hopeful. 

The survival techniques, the courage displayed, and the bonds formed in the face of the end are captivating. A truly resilient and grabbing journey.


This was my first book by the author and I'm so grateful to netgalley for my review copy .

Happy Publication Day!
Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for and Arc in exchange for and honest review!

Went into this book blind, not knowing what it was about or have never heard of the author. The book started out a little slow, but 1/4 of the way in it picked up! The was an excellent story of disaster, family, survival. I couldn’t put it down, highly recommend. Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions. I will definitely be reading more of Kate Hewitt’s books.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

The story of Alex and her family, when they decide to come to the ramshackle cottage of her parents in Ontario, for a short period.

Alex is aware that the cottage hasn’t been lived in for a long time and it’ll be different kind of living the children than they are used to. But feel it’s won’t be as difficult as what they’ve had happen in their lives so far.

The story had me hooked from the beginning, hoping that things worked out for Alex and her family.

I highly recommend this book.