Hello all! I recently was given an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of Drowning in Stars by Debra Anastasia and her team at Social Butterfly PR. I've read several of her books before and LOVE the Poughkeepsie series, so this was such an honor to have the chance to read this book before its release date and give it an honest review.
Below is my review, which you can also find on my
Goodreads profile.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire accurately sums up much of the life of Gaze and Pixie, the two main characters of Debra Anastasia’s newest book Drowning in Stars. In their lives full of too many struggles for young people to carry, they encounter several guardian angels along their way, but truly all they really need to get through their hardships is each other.
I loved following Gaze and Pixie from their middle school meeting to their senior years! Debra Anastasia portrays beautifully their pure friendship, the magic of a chosen family, and the importance of having someone by your side. In addition, she deals so incredibly with topics of mental health and abuse - it’s acknowledged both delicately and straight out, and therapy is openly mentioned, which is so wonderful to read in a society that still highly stigmatizes these topics.
With details thrown in like references to Disney (I love Gaze’s name even more after finding out its origins!) as well as the personal touch of siblings fighting over the “bubble piece” of pizza, I felt like a part of the lives of all these characters, and when they reach their toughest spots again and again, I got teary-eyed as this story without fail drew me in. Not your typical teenage romance, this is a story with rough starts and real world issues. But not to worry! That just makes the rainbows, cotton candy, and starlight so much sweeter.
Keep scrolling for a synopsis of the book, info about how to get your copy today, a sneak peak, and more!
Debra Anastasia’s writing is imaginary, dark, comedic, and perfectly sexy.”
— Tijan New York Times bestselling author
Drowning in Stars, an all-new, heartbreakingly beautiful mature YA romance from Debra Anastasia is out now!
… he walked a tightrope five stories up just to hold my hand.
Gaze: I moved into the building next to Pixie when I was eleven. She blew bubbles through my window. I shot my Nerf gun through hers. We both had secrets, but one of us was fated to get hurt. I wanted it to be me.
Pixie: When I was afraid of the dark, he would shine a light in my window. We shared our popsicles and I taught him how to get a good swing on the playground. I never imagined I’d have to decide who got to live and who didn’t. I chose him --and he could never know.
She walked a tightrope five stories up just to save my life…
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Excerpt
If she was superman she couldn’t have timed it better because the fire alarm went off. I followed the flow out the door, the teachers closing doors and flicking out lights. I didn’t like how Megan and Ashlin snickered with each other. They gathered near a group of girls that all had their phones out. Their attention was pinned on a door like they were cats ready for a mouse to pop out. It was cold outside. I stood near my last class, but it was more a loose cluster. When the door finally popped open, the fire alarm was starting to give me a headache. The spoils of mean laughter made me grit my teeth. I’d been bullied enough to know that that particular noise was always accompanied by someone else’s pain.Her hair was shorter than when we were kids, but her face was an instant balm to my raw heart.
Pixie.
But I went from calm to confusion. My normally gutsy Pixie looked like she was trapped in her worst nightmare. She hung her head for a few beats of the alarm. Flashes went off. The crew of girls snapping pictures. Pixie was hugging her body and I realized why with a gasp. She was only in a pair of underwear. She was topless and hugging her breasts as a way to cover herself.I jumped through the kids in front of me, using their shoulders to hold myself up and swing my long legs through. I flat out sprinted to get to Pixie, peeling off my basketball jacket from my old school as I moved. I covered her from the front, pulling the arms behind her back. She looked up in my eyes. Her confusion and relief collided. I slipped my sweat pants off and held them out to her feet. She stuck them in one and at a time and then jumped so I could yank them up the rest of the way.
The world swirled around us, blurry and useless. I used the time to cuddle her to me, holding the jacket closed while she wiggled her arms inside. I leaned over her and snapped up the back. She was covered.
“Gaze?” She held up her hand, well it was her hand but it was dwarfed by the extra fabric of my long jacket on her. She almost touched my face before squinting. “You can’t be?” I watched as her soul knew what her brain refused to come to terms with.
“I am. It’s me and I’m back.”
Teachers came into our orbit, asking questions. The snide assholes were there too, but the pictures and video continued, I saw it in my peripheral. I’m sure my boxer briefs were super exciting.
Pixie pushed on my chest. “Are you cold?”
“No.” It was her. I could still smell her strawberry shampoo and tsee the small dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose. They were my own personal constellation that I’ve always wished on a million times.
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