Contemporary Fiction

3 couples and a mother/daughter duo come stay at a small inn. We get the point of views from all of the people staying at the inn and the couple running the inn. All of their stories are complicated and overlap. This story is well done. I’ve read other stories like this and this one was top tier.


#netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyarc

This was a beautifully written story filled with drama, secrets, and second chances. Set at the charming Vis Ta Vie inn, the book follows several couples facing personal struggles while the innkeepers, Reneé and Jean-Paul, prepare to say goodbye to their beloved home. Each character brings their own challenges, regrets, and hopes, making for an emotional and engaging read.
I loved the setting—it felt like a character itself, holding onto memories and offering new beginnings. While there were many perspectives, they flowed well, though I wished for a deeper connection with fewer characters. The themes of forgiveness, love, and personal growth were well explored, making the book both thought-provoking and heartwarming.
Overall, We Are Made of Stars is a moving and reflective read that keeps you turning the pages. If you enjoy stories about relationships, self-discovery, and healing, this book is worth picking up!

Surprising And Unexpected Yet Powerful. Following Weinstein on social media, I know she was writing this book shortly after the Hamas attacks on Israel in late 2023. As I finished reading this text (that I've had on my Kindle for a couple of months or so even now), Hamas had been parading the caskets of several babies they had murdered earlier in the day. Given that the Surfside Condo collapse in Miami a few years ago now - where Weinstein's family personally knew a few of the victims - clearly contributed quite a bit of emotional heft to the book she was writing at the time, I expected the same to be true here, as Weinstein is quite vocal (yet, to be clear, not preachy) about her Jewish faith and support of the State of Israel. (Haters, go the fuck away. While I've only known Weinstein online to date, she is truly a great person in my own interactions with her, no matter what your own political beliefs may be - and we *do* disagree quite substantially politically.)

So that is the background I approached this story with, my own "baggage" I brought into the Drift, even as I generally approach each and every book with a blank slate - and indeed knew *nothing* about this book beyond its title and that Weinstein had written it when I agreed to read and review it, and even when reading it this remained all that I knew (plus that it releases next week so I needed to hurry up with the reading and reviewing!).

What I actually found here was, as I noted in the title of the review, quite surprising and unexpected - for some reason I expected at least one blatantly Jewish character, if not every single protagonist in the book, to be honest, along with a much more blatantly Jewish plot, along the lines of say Jean Meltzer's books... even though I know from prior reading that this isn't really Weinstein's style. What I *actually* got here was a powerful tale of several flawed duos within families - mostly husbands and wives going trying to work through some level of trauma within their relationship, but also a powerful story (that takes a more prominent role later in the text) between a mother and her daughter.

While there are a total of ten main characters and the story *is* told from multiple perspectives (yes, I know there are readers who don't like that either - if you're at least willing to try it, this is a *really* good one to try with), Weinstein (and, perhaps, her editors) made the smart choice of limiting our number of perspectives to just a few, and never both halves of any of the five duos. This helps both story cohesion and progression, as even with chapter based perspective switches, at least this way we aren't getting first person views of both sides of the dynamic in question.

And the traumas that are happening here... even without being explicitly tied into anything overly "real-world", they're at the same time all too real. I don't want to detail them here due to spoiler potential, but I will note that Weinstein truly shines here in just how real and relatable she manages to make pretty well everything about all of these interweaving secrets and dynamics, and the pacing is done particularly well such that some surprises are tossed in early, others are late and seemingly out of nowhere (yet fit perfectly), and still others are teased well with what becomes for me at least a perfectly satisfactory payoff.

Overall truly a powerful and well written story, exactly what Weinstein is known for, and one that will have the room quite dusty at several different points - you've been warned about that too, now. ;) This is one that will leave you with that beautiful "wow, what did I just read" feeling (in the best possible ways) and will hopefully show you a path through even your own struggles.

Very much recommended.

The Vis Ta Vie inn has loomed large in the lives of those who have come to spend the last week there before it closes. This is told from multiple POVS- there are couples, a group of friends, and so on- and there are of course secrets and lies. And there's a few surprises as well. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. The large cast makes it a little difficult to feel particularly invested in any one of them but it's still a good read.

I loved the setting of this book - a beautiful inn, hiding its own secrets. This was an eclectic cast of characters - told in their very different point of views. I enjoyed the diversity and perspectives, but I kind of wish there were fewer of them. Although I felt like I got to know all the characters, I think I would have been even more invested if I truly felt as if the characters were my friends. I loved that there was some drama, betrayals, some mystery behind each character's story and opportunities. A story about second chances, forgiveness and even the bright side of life, even when handed a bunch of lemons. Overall, a truly fascinating book that someone flowed despite the very different characters and POVs.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies.

This was a story packed full of drama and secrets. Renee and Jean-Paul run the Vis Ta Vie, an Inn that they are going to have to sell soon due to financial struggles. They have one last week with guests and expect it to be extraordinary. Half of their 8 guests have been yearly repeat visitors, a couple are coming back as promised to celebrate 25 years of marriage and 2 are new guests. Every single one of these guests and their hosts have some sort of secret that will come to light through their week stay. I loved the transformation of the characters as the story unfolds. I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: February 25, 2025

At this inn, relationships are perfectly flawed, be it friendships, spouses, or mother and daughter. We watch how fractured they become, and how time away can heal a lot of wounds.

It always feels good to tuck into a book of Weinstein’s and let the hours fade away, lost to the storyline and characters. Overall, a very moving read.

Guests converge at the Vis Ta Vie inn for a weekend. The couple who own the inn are struggling to determine if there is any way to keep the doors open after losing their savings. The group of guests consists of 4 old college friends, a couple on the verge of divorce and a mother daughter duo - all the relationships are in some sort of crisis. Each comes to the inn with a connection to it, some have visited annually, some had important moments occur there. During the weekend secrets and past betrayals are revealed as the guests and the inn keepers support each other and try to fix broken relationships as well as begin new ones.

The set up of this one was a bit slow only because all of the characters, their histories and their connection to each other and the inn had to be introduced to the reader. I always enjoy a story where characters' lives intertwine in ways you cannot see at the onset of the novel. This one worked for me, I became invested in the characters and their relationships and I cared where their storyline would take them. Some things were a tad predictable but I it didn’t take away from my reading enjoyment. I thought the audiobook was great, but with so many characters and storylines, it was great to have the book to read as well. These guests brought their baggage to the inn and I enjoyed unpacking it.

Thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for the ARC to review

We Are Made of Stars, by Rochelle B. Weinstein, tells the story of one week at an isolated inn, known for its exceptional food and the loving care it provides its guests. The innkeeper is a master chef, and he and his wife own and operate the inn. Several of the guests are regulars, and some are not. Almost all have secrets and issues that give the story its tensions. Weinstein manages to rotate POV among the characters without losing continuity or interest. This is a story that will leave you feeling good about flawed human nature and the power of redemption. I highly recommend and thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a pleasure!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This is a multi-POV story that could have used fewer characters and tangential stories. It took me at least half the book to keep all the characters straight in my head. I enjoyed some of the stories and then felt others were kind of thrown in for no reason. For example, the whole thing with Henry’s dad being a con artist and stealing money from folks was just unnecessary and underdeveloped. The author could have shown the cracks in Henry and Lucy’s marriage without that unnecessary side quest. Overall, the book is well-written and moves quickly, but some of the fluff could be removed.

There’s something magical about Rochelle B. Weinstein’s latest novel, WE ARE MADE OF STARS. Set at the picturesque Vis Ta Vie inn, she introduces us to Reneé and Jean-Paul De La Rue, the longtime innkeepers who are in danger of losing their beloved property after being swindled out of their life savings.

Their guests have troubles of their own. Lies, secrets, and betrayals threaten to destroy their carefully crafted facades. Relationships are fraying and choices loom.

This journey of discovery and redemption isn’t always easy or comfortable, but it illustrates that light can exist in darkness.

I alternated between the digital and audio versions. The full cast narration by Stephanie Németh-Parker, Ron Butler, David de Vries, Megan Tusing, Aasne Vigesaa, and Emily Lawrence is a delight and added to my enjoyment.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Publishing, and Brilliance Audio for the advance copies in exchange for my unbiased review.

Reneé and Jean-Paul De La Rue have run a charming inn, Vis ta Vie, in the North Carolina mountains for years. Now, after bad investments, the couple may have to close the inn. On what may be their final weekend, their guests are couples who have vacationed there before. They are: Leo, a movie star, and his wife Penny, whose long term marriage may be ending; Lucy and Henry, whose marriage is ending and the obnoxious sports agent Adam and his beautiful wife Sienna, They are joined by single mother Cassidy and her difficult Goth daughter Rosalie.

We are Made of Stars is a beautifully written character driven novel that reads like a play or movie. Rochelle B. Weinstein shows what her characters are dealing with privately and how it differs from their public behavior. In a breathtaking mountain setting, secrets are revealed, and some problems are solved. We are Made of Stars is drama at its best. 5stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Rochelle B. Weinstein for this ARC.

Mountain getaway Vis Ta Vie Inn promises an escape from real life. The picturesque setting, exquisite food, and welcoming hosts are ready this week for 2 couples harboring mountains of secrets and lies a Hollywood duo in the midst of a scandal, and a narcissistic single mother and her moody 15 year old daughter.⁣
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Not one of these 8 guests, nor the couple who owns the property, could have ever imagined what storms the week would bring. ⁣
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This is one of those books that invites you along on a trip that packs more baggage than an airport terminal. The amount these guests are carrying is enough to weigh anyone down, and it had me firmly planted in my seat as I could not look away. It had a hold on me from the very beginning, had me fully invested in everyones lives, and by the end - I didn’t want to let any of them go. It’s one of those books where you find yourself months later wondering what each and every character is up to, how they’ve grown, and where they’ve ended up in life.⁣
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We Are Made of Stars gets ALL the stars from me. It’s packed with endless emotion while still feeling lighthearted and optimistic - and even quite snarky and hilarious at times. You come away from it feeling as if you’ve spent a week making new friends, embracing (or ditching!) your baggage, and staring up at the stars - all while learning to find joy in just living your life the best you can.

In this character driven story, three married couples and a single mother with her teenage daughter, stay at an Inn in the mountains of North Carolina, run by a couple who are in a dire financial situation. During their stay, they all discover things about themselves, each other and the ties that bind them. There were some lovely elements to the story and some unexpected discoveries, but I found it hard to connect to most of the characters as they were quite dull, with the exception of Rosalie, the teenager who loves to push her limits with her mum! It wasn't a book that I struggled to put down; it was enjoyable, but didn't draw me in and make me feel part of the character's lives.

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Rochelle B. Weinstein and Lake Union for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The De La Rue’s are about to close their home and inn, Vis Ta Vie. Their last group of guests include several couples, a single mother and her daughter, and all have their secrets and truths to reveal.

I loved that this was multi characters and perspectives and they were all so different. It was interesting that some of them knew each other, yet some didn’t. That’s a little different than a lot of “get away to another location” stories I’ve been reading lately. The characters were all well developed and had a lot of different issues going on, which took time to reveal. This story is full of twists and surprises, but also great food descriptions so don’t read when hungry!

“Whatever reason guests landed at Vis Ta Vie - the decor, the beauty of the grounds, the food - the rate vulnerability felt in a private enclave made magic.”

We Are Made of Stars comes out 2/25.

Taking place over a week in a vacation getaway called Vis Ta Vie, this book is a multi-POV that focuses on the intertwining lives of Vis Ta Vie’s owners Renèe and Jean-Paul, actor Leo and his estranged wife Penny, mother and teenage daughter Cassidy and Rosalie, and friends since college couples Sienna & Adam and Lucy & Henry.

While most are strangers at the beginning, events have been put in motion that will soon change all of their lives and bring some together while irreparably tearing others apart.

The short chapters and intriguing plot kept me reading quickly, I wanted to know everyone’s secrets and what the consequences of the secrets would be. And while sometimes a multi POV book with so many characters can get confusing, this one was done so well I easily followed everyone’s separate stories and really enjoyed them all. The characters felt so genuinely human, with all of their desires and faults and terrible decisions.

I highly recommend this title for anyone who enjoys fiction with multiple characters and secrets exposed.

This book is so beautifully written. Rochelle Weinstein just has a way of transporting to you into the book and makes you feel like you are living every moment with the characters. It was moving and relatable. This book was full of love, anger, resentment, second chances, finding your truth. I don't think we as people ever stop evolving and as we age and grow so do our needs. This author just has a way of making you realize we are all human, there is no perfect life, there is no perfect relationship and love is worth fighting for.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this amazing arc.

I really enjoyed this fast paced drama! I like how the characters were all connected and the story was easy to keep up with and understand. I will definitely be recommending this story to others.

Thank you Amazon Publishing and Netgalley for sending me this book for review. Opinions are mine.
I've been a huge fan of Rochelle B. Weinstein since discovering her books back at the end of 2023 and I was so happy to receive an ARC of her newest book We Are Made of Stars.

I never read book blurbs so when I started reading the book I didn’t know what direction the plot will take and at first it was hard for me to keep track on all the different characters but a few chapters in I was able to better tracks everyone's name and their role in the story.
Reneé and Jean-Paul De La Rue are the owners of the Vis Ta Vie inn and they have to make the hard decisions to close their believed inn after losing all their money in an investment scam.
During the upcoming week they will host 8 different guests, 3 couples that have been coming to the inn for years and a mother and daughter.

I don't want to give too much information about the plot so I will say that all the characters in this book are complex and far from being perfect and the more I learned about them the more I enjoyed reading. The book deals with some heavy subjects and show us readers how our life can be changed in a moment.

I really enjoyed the interaction between all the characters and discovering the secrets, fears and underrating what made them all arrive to the inn on the same week.

The writing was amazing and I just wanted to keep reading to know more and more.

We Are Made of Stars is a beautiful story about love, friendships , second chance and forgiveness.

I have read and will continue to read every book Rochelle Weinstein writes. We’ve been friends since before she wrote her first book.
When it comes to the genre, “women’s fiction” ….. “comfort-snuggling”
….. reading….
I say this with ALL HONESTY….
ANY NOVEL by Rochelle fits-the-bill!!!!
Each of her previous books kept me turning pages — kept me interested— kept me thinking — kept me feeling — (always involved in her storytelling), and kept me contemplating life issues (again and again).
She writes about ‘real life’ scenarios…(about things that are important to all people)…..
….meaningful relationships, belonging and connectedness through family and friends, love, support, empathy, personal growth, fulfillment, purpose and meaning, self-actualization, learning and growth, contribution and impact, values and ethics, as well as our health (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual)….
This is Rochelle’s eighth book - I’ve read and cherished THEM ALL!!
We always meet a cast of characters that we get to know well …. with people who are familiar, and perhaps a few less familiar….
but often ‘feel’ like our family or friends.
Her characters have challenges and obstacles to overcome. They have hope and aren’t sissy’s.
Each of her previous books was engaging and deeply satisfying:
“What We Leave Behind”
“ The Morning After”
“Where We Fall”
“Somebody’s Daughter”
“This Is Not How It Ends”
“When We Let Go”
“What You Do To Me”

Our world is scary, chaotic, maddening and confusing these days ….
Reminding me/us….books like:
“We Are Made of Stars” is the perfect antidote ….the perfect book to melt into, escape into, allowing us to put aside our current woes, our own daily stressors and issues.
I gained new perspectives about the complexities of life through our character’s eyes.
“We Are Made Of Stars” allowed me to focus on empathy. It also allowed me to slow down.
My own mind needed rest from my yucky-personal issues—(my goodness—this new book by Rochelle helped tremendously).
I wasn’t even planning on reading it this soon. But I had a hunch: to jump this novel to the top of my reading list. Hallelujah!
Great choice!!
I was reminded that we each have strength…. I mean, *really reminded*, and not just jargon.
We each are resilient human beings…..(ha! whether we want to be or not….we are definitely able resilient souls).
There will always be brighter days ahead…..
Also….
I’m reminded that healthy-loving-functional relationships always help lighten the heavy burdens of life.
It’s affirmative:
💕LOVE💕 is at the heart of “We Are Made Of Stars”.

Rochelle‘s dedication:
“This one’s for the readers. You make it all worthwhile”.
THANK YOU, Rochelle!!!
Right back at ya….
…..you add storytelling enjoyment with depth, purpose and meaning.
You, my friend, make it all worthwhile to read your books.

Meet the prime cast of characters in “We Are Made OF Stars”: [the bare-bone basics… just the tip of the iceberg info.]
….Jean Paul & Renee De La Rue (owners of Vis Ta Vie Inn:….an upscale luxurious mountain getaway retreat).
Jean-Paul De La Rue has outstanding culinary skills; he prepares all the meals. He and Renee turned their brainchild - years ago - into a charming Bread-n-Breakfast Inn in the rolling Hills of Vilas, North Carolina.
Jean-Paul and Renee carefully planned foods that facilitates connections “beyond manufactured personalities”.
“Renee’s superpower is stripping strangers of their facades, digging deep into their cores”.

….Cassidy Banks - single mother - and her fifteen-year-old daughter Rosalie (Rosie).
They don’t share the same closeness which Cassidy had shared with her own mother.
Cassidy wished she shared spa days and gym workouts with her daughter.
Rosalie is more a “Glam Goth Beauty”. She would rather keep her nose in a fantasy novel, closed off in her room with headphones. Rosalie is smart…..with a slight rebellious edge.
Cassidy has been raising her daughter alone. It’s not been easy. But they have an annual trip together, which is always non-negotiable.
Cassidy is a forty-four-year old woman who is “grossly underweight. Rosalie judges her mother for her determination to maintain her college weight, even if it kills her.
Cassidy thinks her daughter, Rosie has a rigid personality and an anemic social life.
She thinks Rosie’s purple hair, color is insubordinate. And that her achromatic choice of clothes might be a sign of depression.
Their mother-daughter conversations are often battlegrounds.
It puzzled Cassidy though when Rosalie apologized to her mother for making her come the inn—(with exceptional French food), when she knows her mother primarily only eats lettuce.
Rosalie herself is a great cook. She values masterful culinary creativity.

….Henry & Lucy Rose-Wall. This is their thirteenth annual getaway week at the Vis Ta Vie Inn.
Henry worked at Atlantis’s planetarium. His affinity for the galaxy is shared with Renee De La Rue. When Henry visits the resort year after year, he and Renee’ spend hours discussing the moon cycles.
For years, Henry tried to interest his wife, Lucy, with the rhythm of space, and the marvel of the infinite galaxy, but it was a language that was pretty much lost on her.
Lucy (Luce to Henry), was a therapist. Despite recent issues that Henry and Lucy had been having, Lucy was so beautiful that she was hard for Henry to resist.

….Adam & Sienna Kravitz. (Ken & Barbie beauties)
Adam and Sienna are Henry and Lucy’s closest friends since college days.
They’re practically family.
Adam is a sports agent. He always has tickets to the best sporting events. Lucy is a stay-at-home-mom.

….Leo & Penny Shay (Lucy is their daughter).
We learn about the complexity of Leo and Penny’s relationship from the first introduction of them.

The “extraordinary weeks” for the guests should be a sanctuary…..an escape from the pressures of life. A place to recharge. Reboot.
Jean-Paul is worried.
“Building a life around a passion for food, wine, and breathtaking scenery once seemed romantic. Creating a place to unplug and restore diminished reserves now feels terribly foolish”.
However…Simone, Jean-Paul’s niece announces the guests have arrived . . .

*Let the Games Begin* … or shall we day let the drama unfold….

Many universal themes are explored - told from multiple points of views.
There is love, loss, marriage, financial issues, parenting, withholds, secrets, misunderstandings, relationships tested, infertility, friendships, infidelity, betrayal, jealousy, eating disorders, addictions, injuries, celebrity status, etc.

…There are the beautiful surroundings…..
….There is scrumptious foods ….and wines …. and lovely hiking trails.
[a sample meal]:
….Salade d’endivrs au roquefort,
….Croque monsieur bites
….Roasted leg of lamb with brown butter and cauliflower cream for classic French jus
….Highbush blueberry clafoutis Veuve Clicquot champagne Chateau Pavie-Decesse Saint-Emilson

“Everyone at the inn has a past, a story. And when they gather, they become pieces of a puzzle, fitting together to make a much bigger picture”.

“Whatever reason guests landed at Vis Ta Vie—the decor, the beauty of the grounds, the food—the rare vulnerability felt in a private enclave . . . . *made magic*”.

…Beautiful writing….
….Thought-provoking storytelling ….
….Emotionally reflective
….Lessons and understanding and forgiving ….
….Completely enveloped and surrounded by love.