Under the Same Stars
A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
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4.6 • 10 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times Bestseller • A USA Today Bestseller • An Indie Bestseller • A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
"Under the Same Stars will leave you shattered and wildly hopeful." —E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud
"Stirring and absolutely unforgettable" —Samira Ahmed, New York Times-bestselling author of Internment and Hollow Fires
"Full of banter, romance, humor and a little bit of magic" —Gayle Forman, author of Not Nothing and After Life
From New York Times-bestselling and Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray comes a propulsive historical mystery that examines truth, rebellion, reconciliation, and what must be sacrificed for a better world.
It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom’s Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.
In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom's Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too—but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.
In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.
In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are slogging through the last few months of senior year when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Three generations of teens find themselves while fighting for change in this inspiring historical mystery from Bray (the Diviners series). It's 1939 in Kleinwald, Germany, and best friends Hanna and Sophie would rather fantasize about an ancient mythical entity's purported matchmaking abilities than pay attention to world events—until Hitler invades Poland. In 1980, aspiring photographer Jenny and her preppy conservative family relocate from Dallas to West Berlin, where Jenny meets Lena, a queer German punk rocker who lives in a squat and vows to show smitten, closeted Jenny the "real" Berlin. And in 2020 Brooklyn, while navigating lockdown and learning about social justice movements, Miles agrees to help best friend (and secret crush) Chloe investigate a package from Chloe's grandmother containing mini-cassettes and a scrapbook featuring two Kleinwald teens who disappeared in 1941. Bray's intimate third-person narrative kaleidoscopes back and forth in time, interweaving the three story lines and highlighting their internal resonance. Though the setup is occasionally awkward, nuanced, gratifying character arcs and a harrowing, emotionally charged third act send this lengthy novel out on a high note. The cast is intersectionally diverse. Ages 12–up.
