I really feel like this one did not live up to the promotional synopsis. What I expected was more of an in depth love story from Caleb and Alice. The story was more slow paced and was hard to connect to.

The story is what I look for in a good historical fiction novel. The story flowed well and was a page tuner.

The premise of this book sounded promising, but unfortunately if fell flat. Alice and Caleb lacked chemistry, and neither character was particularly likeable. The narrative only scratched the surface of their personalities, leaving them feeling one-dimensional.
The reverse storyline of Haruki, the Japanese survivor, was difficult to follow because of the way it was interspersed throughout the book and added nothing meaningful to the main plot.
Overall, the book felt disjointed and failed to capture my interest.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Wow! This book is one of the best books I have read recently and I just don't know how to review it. It is a wow, it is a wonderfully written book that is certainly an epic tale and one I delved into and couldn't put down.

The stories of Alice and Caleb are intriguing, love, war, secrets, challenges and the after affects of war and the decisions we make. This is a sensitive, emotional read that made me think and made my heart race. This is a brilliant story, tastefully written with well developed and interesting characters. If I could give it more than 5 stars I certainly would. Wonderful!

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was a wonderful book. A unique insight into the lives of those who worked behind the scenes during WWII.

I really enjoyed this read. Set in Los Alamos during the Second World War, Alice, a young physicist from a privileged background, meets Caleb, a poor Orthodox Jew who could not afford to finish a PhD. I appreciated the differences between the two on a variety levels: economic, class, even religious as they were both Jewish but practiced differently. I think the book brings up a lot of interesting questions on the validity of secrets, the “greater good”, and what we do in the name of love.

With both characters working in the lab, we didn’t see much of life in Los Alamos outside of scientists. Don’t get me wrong - I loved seeing the POV of a female physicist at Los Alamos, but I didn’t feel like I was fully immersed in the world because it didn’t show more “normal” life. The wives and non-science staff were only seen through the POV of scientists. It felt a bit othering. I would say I felt like I was in the lab, not in Los Alamos. Not a bad thing per say, just unexpected.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for this ARC!

This is a historical novel set against the backdrop of WWII and the Manhattan Project. One of the things that I really liked about the book is the insight it gave me into those working directly on the Manhattan Project. Most of them didn’t know what they were truly doing, the impact it would have on the world and the whole moral dilemma associated with the project. I also gained insight into what it felt like to be a survivor of the atomic bomb. This wasn’t a history lesson but rather insight into the thoughts and feelings of these characters.

Beyond what was going on in the New Mexico desert, there is a love story between Alice Katz, a young Jewish physicist and Caleb Blum, a Berkeley physics grad student. These two individuals couldn’t be more different from each other. Caleb is an Orthodox Jew whose is primarily working on this project so he can send money to his family and they can avoid foreclosure of their store. On the other hand, Alice is in a field that is male dominated and comes from a well to do family that wants her to settle down, get married and not work in a man's field.

There is another component of the book that takes us directly into the world of those who suffered from the atomic bomb. Told through Haruki Sato’s perspective, a survivor of the atomic bomb. We get a glimpse into what it is like to suffer from severe radiation sickness and the impact of the atomic bomb on him, his family and Hiroshima.

This book deals with some heavy issues such as ethical dilemmas, antisemitism, personal sacrifice and scientific advances that have grave consequences.

I received a complimentary book in exchange for an honest review. All thought and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

#NetGalley, #TheSoundOfAThousandStars, #Rachel Robbins

This was an ARC from NetGalley, so thank you to them, the publisher and the author. I had a really hard time figuring out what rating to give this one. It was a historical fiction that deals with the Manhattan Project (when the atomic bomb was created and launched over Hiroshimi and Nagasaki).

Naturally it was not a cheery book, but I did find it incredibly depressing. I think it would have benefited from a moment or two of levity. The story was heavily science-based and very historically accurate except for things like private conversations that we couldn't know. There was a "love story" between the two main characters, Caleb and Alice, however, it was born out of desperation more than love.

So with all that said, I think it was an important story and it's necessary to keep this in our minds, especially with the current state of the world. When we ignore or forget history, we are doomed to repeat it. I think if you really enjoy deep historical fiction, lots of science and this particular time in history, you will love this novel.

This has a lot of potential but it didn't quite deliver for me. Caleb and Alice are both working at Los Alamos but they came there from different places. This is more about their romance, about how they overcome their divide, than anything else. While I appreciate the effort to include the perspective of a survivor of Hiroshima via Haruki, I was confused by how his story is told in reverse. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Over to others.

I know the story is classified as historical fiction, but it seems so real. I was transported to the desolate Los Alamos. I am amazed that the scientists and all the supporting employees and their families were able to live there. The author's words would have had me doing a u-turn and running toward the city lights. To be given a glimpse of what it might have been like had me in awe of what they went through.

The story deals with the creation of weapon that haunts many to this day. The author shares some of the struggles and dangers that the actual people might have dealt with. The scientists came from many different backgrounds. Those that assisted them were grabbed as undergrads and put to work, risking their lives. They went to sleep each night knowing they couldn't talk about it with others. All just got a glimpse of what they were building.

I became emotionally invested in the characters. How could I not? My heart bled for Alice as she fought to be there as a female metallurgist. Her brillance was second class, overruled by being a female. Her dedication was inspirational. I thought her falling for Caleb, an undergrad, would make for a lighter story.

I was so wrong. Sometimes being from the wrong side of the tracks can crush a person. The way Caleb grew up was so different from Alice in her fancy clothes and diamonds.

The Sound of a Thousand Stars is not a light read. It is a very emotional read with loss of life, innocence, and struggles. The author did a really cool thing. The story is broken up with the story of a survivor of Hiroshima. His story is told backwards. It was a great reminder of the consequences of the creation of the bomb.

I don't think I will ever forget the story. It has created a lasting impression. I think I need to go read some young children books to wash away the darkness.

In this complex and insightful World War II historical fiction novel, readers join scientists Alice Katz and Caleb Blum, working in very different roles in Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project. Alice, dealing with the rampant sexism in the labs at Los Alamos, and Caleb, dealing with the divide between the different levels of workers, have no idea what they are working on, only that it’s critical to the war effort and they must finish before the Nazis do. Based on the story of Robbins’ grandparents, Alice and Caleb must find their places in Los Alamos against the institutional odds which are against them. Alternating between their perspectives throughout the book, Alice and Caleb are complicated and flawed characters, and their relationship is equally complex, particularly in the context of the institutional biases and discrimination which they experience at Los Alamos and in their pre-war lives. This really adds to the complicated moral backdrop of the Manhattan Project. Robbins’ characters are the star of the novel, and the growth and development which Alice and Caleb experience over the course of the book engages readers with the larger emotional stakes. A strong, complex historical fiction novel about the unseen workers on the Manhattan Project, fans of World War II historical fiction are sure to enjoy this book.

The tagline of "Oppenheimer meets Hidden Figures" captured my attention. What I liked about this book: it was inspired by the author's grandparents, set in Los Alamos, deals with some of the ethical conundrums of the era, based in science, had a story line about a Hiroshima survivor, author's notes and historical notes. What I did not like about this story: I struggled to connect with the characters, disappointed at how the Los Alamos and Hiroshima storylines connected, the romance between Alice and Caleb did not work for me. The book was missing the Hidden Figure expectation I was looking forward to. The main character, Alice, was not written strong enough and I was looking for more of her as a physicist. The epilogue finally connected Alice and the Hiroshima survivor, Haruki, but the meeting felt contrived. In the notes at the end, the author explains some of the liberties she took in timelines, but I wish she would have stuck closer to her grandmother's story as a teacher there in Los Alamos. I do agree with the author that these stories need to be saved and told of the survivors and there were recommended books for further exploration.
As an avid WW2 HF reader, I so wanted to love this story and there were parts that were well done. However, this will be one of the few books I do not recommend to others.
Thank you Alcove Press and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel follows the lives of Alice and Caleb who both work in Los Alamos during the making of the atomic bomb. There are also several short chapters about Haruki a survivor of Hiroshima.

Alice and Caleb’s story evolves as they work together in Los Alamos. Haruki’s story is in reverse.

I enjoyed this novel, however found the pace slow at times.

The Sound of a Thousand Stars is a humanized story of the Oppenheimer story of building the bomb. Alice is a physicist in a time when women weren't considered serious scientists - but she proves she is serious. She is recruited by Oppenheimer where she has a very siloed role because everyone was kept in the dark about what the other teams of scientists were working on. She meets another young Jewish scientist, and although they come from totally opposite backs socioeconomic backgrounds they are attracted to each other. The story unfolds as they work together building the bomb through the aftermath.

I found the scientific details were a little boring for me, but they wove this historical fiction together with the human side - there was the counter story of a survivor of the bombing that was told backwards.

I really enjoyed reading this book and am glad I had already seen the Oppenheimer movie to give me that perspective. But, of course, books are always better and this one deals with two lives in particular. I recommend that you read this book.

I was given this book by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

“The Sound of a Thousand Stars” is a WWII historical fiction book by Rachel Robbins. This book follows three people - Alice Katz and Caleb Blum, both at Los Alamos, along with Haruki, a Japanese survivor of the Hiroshima atom bombing. There are a number of things I should’ve liked more than I did in this book - Alice is a strong female scientist; Haruki’s story should have been more gripping - but this book has a number of faults. While I understand why Ms. Robbins wanted to show Haruki’s story “in reverse,” for me it distracted from the 1944 Los Alamos storyline. I also found the pacing of this story incredibly slow … along with there being a lot of telling, but little exploring/diving into the characters. The romance between Caleb and Alice I found distracting, which is sad because the romance took up quite a bit of this book. I did like that Ms. Robbins based this upon her own family’s story, but I wish that the science had been explored more (along with Alice being stronger in a male-dominated field) and the romance explored less. I really wanted to like this more than I did.

Alice Katz, a physicist, is invited to work on the Manhattan project in the New Mexican desert. Caleb is a young scientist who jumped at the chance to earn money for his struggling family. Secrecy is strictly maintained at Los Alamos, where scientists use code words and hide the larger pictures from both the public and each other.

I didn’t really love this story. The love story between Alice and Caleb was too much push and pull. I don’t think they really liked each other, at least evidenced by their words and actions. SEcondary characters were not really fleshed out, they felt stereotypical and uninteresting. More character development would have gone a long way. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

This novel was a disappointment and certainly did not live up to the promotional synopsis which described it as a “sweeping historical debut where two Jewish physicists form an inseverable bond amidst fear and uncertainty.” It was tempting to not finish the book, but I kept on hoping for a positive shift.

I felt little or no connection to Alice and Caleb, the two main characters. Their love story held little emotional depth and was characterized by so much ambivalence that it did not seem credible. The story chronicles the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos under such high security that many of the staff (including highly placed physicists) did not know what they were creating. These people were putting their lives at risk without informed consent.

The writing style felt flat, and the pacing was slow. I was puzzled that the term “pantyhose” appeared in the context of a storyline set in 1944. Much of the descriptions of the recognized physicists, their spouses and other staff cast them as flawed, even unstable, human beings. Additionally, another storyline concerning a Japanese survivor of the Hiroshima bombing, is woven with the chapters; the story is told in a reverse timeline which did not embellish the novel and even proved to be a distraction at times. Lastly, the conclusion felt rushed by leapfrogging almost 50 years into the future with no definitive history to lay the foundation for the outcome.

Overall, the novel did not meet my expectations based on the book synopsis and I cannot recommend it.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

An amazing story of love and The Manhattan Project that is both sad and triumphant. Hikari’s story is haunting and magnificent.

The Sound of a Thousand Stars by Rachel Robbins is a dual perspective historical fiction and romance story about the scientists behind the atomic bomb and the Manhattan Project. The heart tugging story of a Hiroshima victim, Haruki, is told backwards in alternating chapters which added an emotive element.

In an era when female scientists were "computers" who took care of administrative tasks, Alice was a physicist who met Caleb whilst conducting dangerous lab experiments. The author describes the experiments in an atmosphere crackling with tensions of the war. She and Caleb navigate the scientific world as Jews.

I could feel the unease of the scientists as they knew their responsibility in placing the deadly weapon in the hands of the military. Physicists J. R. Oppenheimer and Marie Curie and radioactivity, Niels Bohr's atomic model and zoologist Helen Gwynne-Vaughan's contributions are referenced. The scientific information is fascinating and taught me a lot. Haruki's story is moving but it felt like the two perspectives were entirely different books. The romance did not feel convincing to me. But I did enjoy the writing style.

Do be sure to read the author's notes to learn about her inspiration and connection to this particular story

My sincere thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this captivating novel.

I couldn't finish this book, so I put it down for days at a time, and by the time I was halfway through, I couldn't do it anymore. The concept initially seemed great: a woman physicist working on The Manhattan Project, but the book morphed into a poorly written romance. I didn't finish it. I couldn't.