Heather Webber is--and has been for a while--one of my absolute favorite, go-to authors. And for good reason.

As a lover of romance, I can say that her books aren't overly-romantic. That should speak to how much they captivate me. Webber doesn't need all the romance for her stories to hold my attention. 

A Certain Kind of Starlight is told from the viewpoints of Tessa Jane and Addie; estranged sisters who have their love of their quirky Aunt Bean in common. Growing up, they weren't close because Tessa Jane was the result of an affair between their shared father, and Tessa Jane's mother, Henrietta. 


While there's not a ton of romance in this, it is a love story. Just a love story between sisters, between aunt and nieces, mothers and daughters, and even friends. 

As with Webber's other novels, she uses magical realism--usually in the form of magic animals--to help tell this story. And I'm so in love with her style. 

Every part of this story was beautiful... And just know that with Webber, there's always a happy ending--albeit sometimes bittersweet--there's beauty found in the ordinary, and true appreciation of what it means to be family. 

I loved this book to pieces. I haven't read a book by Heather Webber that wasn't just simply... AMAZING.

This is my second book by this author and I tried to like her books but have realized she just isn't for me. I loved the premise but the execution fell flat and I found I had the same issues as I did with At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities , it is more chick-lit than magical realism. Too much Hallmark movie and not enough magic. This should have been right up my alley, a southern bakery location and a plot with a bit of magic. I found it to be more along the lines of a soap opera. I hate tropes with lack of communication and big secrets, it frustrates the hell out of me. Like just grow up, keep a secret if you promise to and get on with your life. You're a grown-ass woman stop saying you'll let it out by accident.

There are too many characters and we don't focus on just one or two long enough to get to know them. We meet everybody in the whole damn town and their brother. I just didn't click with any of the characters, even the two main ones. Everything was spread too thin and felt watered down. The entire thing bored me to tears. The pacing was just so damn slow and I know that's how they do things in the south but I dreaded picking this book up and it took me a long time to finish. The characters seemed two-dimensional, flat if you will. The ending felt very rushed and all too tidy for my liking.

I did appreciate that romance was not at the forefront of the plot and I loved how each chapter started with a baking hack and a bit of wisdom from Verbena. The recipes and discussions of making the cakes made me hungry and I swear I gained ten pounds just reading about them. If you like sickly sweet, heartwarming stories with a lot of characters, this book may be for you.

4 stars. This is the first novel I've read by Heather Webber and I very much enjoyed it.

A Certain Kind of Starlight is a story full of magical realism and small town Southern charm. It's so easy to love Addie and Tessa Jane and I was fully invested as they navigated family struggles, heartbreak, and second chances. The story revolves around these two characters getting back to their roots with a little help from their Aunt Bean (whose baking advice at the very beginning of each chapter is so sweet and entertaining). There are a few antagonists that bring about twists of drama, as well as several lovable side characters that are full of good advice, banter, and sisterhood. I especially enjoyed the air of mystery that was woven throughout the storyline and I am *still* thinking about the final chapter of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story of Addie and Tessa Jane is sweet and inspiring. Secrets that we keep don't protect us or other people; they cause damage and destruction. In the small town of Starlight, Alabama, Aunt Bean guides the girls to figure out their own lessons while she waits patiently to support them. As Addie and Tessa Jane reevaluate who they are and who they should let into their life, the starlight crater in their family's field is the tie that holds the girls together and will ultimately give them clarity.
I'm enthusiastic about the magical realism genre and a longtime fan of Heather Webber. This novel is one of her best, tackling weighty subjects with dashes of wit and whimsy. I would recommend this to anyone!

When I open a Heather Webber magical realism novel, I know I am in for an experience that will leave me smiling afterward. Full of southern charm and secrets, small-town nosiness and neighborly love, and a touch of hospitality and comfort, this book delivered in spades. I adored the characters and was sad to say goodbye at the end of the book.

Watching adult women come back to their hometown and come into their own, plus all the descriptions of the food and the lessons taught in the baking descriptions were such a fun backdrop to this story that takes family secrets and small town power dynamics and shakes everything up. The family matriarch was a beautiful character and the legends around the star field and is magic light have the whole book that perfect touch of otherworldliness that I love. Each of the women (not just the two main POVs, but all the ones surrounding them) had something special around them. I also appreciated the way the author handled toxic secrets and helping people in bad relationships.

Thank you to Forge Books for my #eARC.

This is the fourth Heather Webber book I've read. My sense upon finishing was that it didn't feel as smooth as her other books that I love. Two things make this perception inconsequential: I highlighted the heck out of it, and I'm rating it well above average. The bottom line is that Webber has never let me down—each of my five readings (I reread Midnight at the Blackbird Café in March) has been a delight! Sometimes I've felt like I'd been on an emotional rollercoaster—every time, though, all is well that ends well.

It took quite a while to keep the family (and neighbor) trees straight, which might have been an early challenge to my impression of the book. I anticipated Ree's secret (advertised in the publisher's blurb) way ahead of its reveal, but Webber surprised me in other ways (brava!). The book is full of family traditions, strong matriarchs, Southern expressions and wisdom, and helpful baking tips. I especially enjoyed Aunt Bean's “from the kitchen of” entries at the beginning of each chapter, which allowed her to share her elder-wisdom in an interesting way besides in conversation with other characters. Aunt Bean and her bakery employees, the Sugarbirds, often stole the show, but Addie and Tessa Jane were good main characters—flawed, but growing. There were other lovable supporting characters and several very effective villains. To top it off, a bunch of non-human animal characters play important parts.

If you are a Heather Webber fan—or if you're just in the mood for a character-driven, found and biological family, Southern dose of magical realism—get yourself on your library hold list pronto and/or preorder the book in your favorite format(s). I've done both.

This unbiased review is based on an ARC supplied by the publisher—Tor Publishing Group, Forge Books. Publication is expected July 23.

I chose this book because I adore all of Heather Webbers books. This one was no different. So good and didn’t want it to end. I love that each book has just the right amount of magic, family, food, and sweetness. Each character was so relatable and the way she weaved their stories together made them all easy to like.

It took me by surprise how quickly this novel captured my heart.

The characters come to life so easily, and this little town and its traditions are magical even without the sprinkle of beautiful magic we get throughout. This book is a warm, cozy hug. The imagery is stunning and I love the way Heather writes familial relationships, friendships, and a dash of romance. She writes humor, love, healing, and grief in such a unique way that they blend together seamlessly. I found myself wanting more in the best way. You can truly picture yourself there in Starlight with the characters. The ending moved me to the point of tears!

Heather’s books never disappoint. I’ve loved her stories so much, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe being my forever favorite. This book is now my second favorite.

Heather Webber has done it again! Forever one of my favorite authors. 💙✨

Thank you @forgereads #partner for the gifted copies of this book!

This book was such a wonderful heartwarming story that I didn’t know I needed. Addie left town years ago to help keep a secret she promised not to break. She left town knowing this would help her keep her word. But she is called home to help her ailing aunt and to run the family bakery. Tessa, Addie’s sister also feel she has lost her way and light in life. She too comes back to help with her Aunt to put pieces of her life back together. These women come home broken but leave stronger having seen a clear path forward. 🫶

I easily was absorbed and invested into sweet story of reuniting with your past. I absolutely loved how it was set in a bakery and the little snippets where Heather added tips and tricks of baking. This book felt so cozy and honestly loving. I adored Aunt Bean and how she brings these two women together. It almost felt like the rainbow after the storm…something beautiful coming out of something dark. Perfectly done! This book is categorized as magical realism and it was done very subtly…almost like it could really happen which made this book feel more relatable! If you’re looking for a charming warm hug of a book make sure to grab a copy of this one!

Heather Webber's latest novel, A Certain Kind of Starlight is everything you'd hope for in one of her novels. She really is the 'queen of small-town charm' and this book is full of characters you'll love to love, and love to 'hate'. It goes between the perspectives of Addie and Tessa Jane, two half-sisters who after never having a true 'sisterly' relationship growing up, find themselves thrown together when their Aunt Bean (aka Verbena) calls them to come home. If you love books set in small towns, with loveable characters you can root for, and lots of family secrets just waiting to come to light, A Certain Kind of Starlight is just the book for you!

My favorite relationships in any book I have read by Heather Webber are those between women, especially the ones between family and found family. Webber has an absolute gift for pulling me in and getting me invested in her world. In many of her books, the narration duties are shared by two characters. A Certain Kind of Starlight is no exception. Here Addie and Tessa Jane alternate narration from their respective experiences and points of view.

Addie and Tessa Jane may have a complicated relationship but both are united in their love and concern for Aunt Bean, a strong-willed Southern firecracker built along the same lines as Granny Zee or Glory (See Midnight at the Blackbird Café and In the Middle of Hickory Lane). It is sheer magic watching each character progress through their respective arc under the backdrop of magical realism Webber builds so well. And just as with South of the Buttonwood Tree, which made me want to visit the Buttonwood Tree, A Certain Kind of Starlight makes me want to visit Starlight. Who wouldn't want to walk on the Starwalk? Also - fans of her books - and I am one - should keep an eye out for some really fun Easter eggs. This was a truly enjoyable read.

I received an eARC from Forge Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Certain Kind of Starlight

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“ Everyone knows that Addie Fullbright can’t keep a secret. Yet, twelve years ago, as her best friend lay dying, she entrusted Addie with the biggest secret of all. One so shattering that Addie felt she had to leave her hometown of Starlight, Alabama, to keep from revealing a devastating truth to someone she cares for deeply. Now she’s living a lonely life, keeping everyone at a distance, not only to protect the secret but also her heart from the pain of losing someone else. But when her beloved aunt, the woman who helped raise her, gets a shocking diagnosis and asks her to come back to Starlight to help run the family bakery, Addie knows it’s finally time to go home again.”

Wow!!! Heather Webber does it again! It cannot get any better. The writing, the setting, the characters are just all written amazingly. Everyone needs to read this book at least once. I laughed, got angry and cried. It brings all the emotions out which I believe is the sign of a great book. One of my favorite books ever is Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather but I think this might have crept past that a little bit. It’s in my top 5 favorite books and I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Another wonderful slice of magical realism from Heather Webber. Interesting characters, amusing relationships, and good people enjoying good endings due to their natures and a touch of woo woo. A winner.

Every book of Heather Webber’s books that I read is a wonder, and A Certain Kind of Starlight is no exception. This book felt personal to me, as I could relate so strongly to both Tessa Jane and Addie. Just like them, I’m someone who always looks on the bright side. Like them, there have been shadows that have tried to douse that light. I loved the way these two women tried so hard to move beyond the shadows, beyond the regrets they owned, beyond the ways others had a hand in making their lives both light and dark. There are some humdingers along the way, as secrets and truths are revealed. There are also many beautiful moments between not just Addie and Tessa Jane, but with beloved family and friends who make their lives shine. This is a book filled with charming and endearing characters, as well as some who are neither charming nor endearing; but they all join in to bring us this wonderful story about family and about finding the pathway to a life that is light-filled.

A Certain Kind of Starlight glows with sparks of warmth and happiness. Heather Webber’s words will heal your soul and help you find light in the darkness. The kitten magic helps, too. Be warned, when you pick up the book, you’ll be faced with the age old dilemma of putting it down to get a good night’s sleep or reading just one more chapter (that will definitely turn into three or five).

#HeatherWebber
#ACertainKindofStarlight
#KittenMagic
#NetGalley

I loved a lot of things about this book. The characters were wonderfully written as well as the intricacies of the connections between them. Everything was done skillfully without over kill which we see a lot. Story was relatable in a current way but also felt very nostalgic. This was an extremely enjoyable read mixing the world building, plot and character traits. Lovely-I must read!

This was a sweet magical wholesome book. It was slow and had a lot of characters, family dramas and secrets. The magic was simple as I was hoping for a little bit more.

Heather Webber is one of my favorite magical realism authors, but this one lacked some magic for me. I really struggled to get through this one. I think it’s worthy to read, but it lacked something for me.

Another sweet and heartwarming story from Heather Webber, if a bit too similar to her previous work.

I have come to appreciate Webber’s ability to depict many different relationships, and in this book, she focuses on family, both biological and found.

If you read Midnight at the Blackbird Café and/or South of the Buttonwood Tree, you will recognize elements of both in this book. Honestly, I felt like this book could have been the natural child of those two. But if I’m going to compare this book with Midnight at the Blackbird Café and South of the Buttonwood Tree, I feel like this one feel just short of the mark. The pacing felt almost too slow and character development not as nuanced. It just wasn’t quite up to the standard set by Midnight at the Blackbird Café and South of the Buttonwood Tree.

But while I enjoyed both of those better than this one, I still liked this story with the Southern small town charm and words of wisdom I’ve come to expect from Webber as well as the heartwarming exploration of familial relationships and the story’s hopeful message that we must experience the dark to better appreciate the light.

If you enjoy easy reads with a touch of magic, small towns, and family relationships, you’ll like this one too.

I found that I had a really hard time getting into this one, even though the premise is something I normally enjoy. I think that while the setting and plot were really good, and the writing I enjoyed, I just couldn't connect to the main characters. It might just be a matter of this one isn't for me, but I'd say it's worth trying.