The Stars in Our Hearts
"The Stars in Our Hearts" is a cute story that's perfect when you need a break from heavy stuff. We need more female friends standing up against the patriarchy!
Who doesn’t love a good cozy fantasy every now and again? “The Stars in Our Hearts,” by Stevie Hosler, is just that. I’ll be the first to admit, this isn’t my usual genre, but I still had a fun time on the journey, as you’ll see in this “The Stars in Our Hearts” book review. The book takes us through the centuries as we follow two best-friend soulmates, Chiara and Marcella, in their adventure to find one another in each of their lifetimes.
Soulmate Friends on a Journey to Find One Another
The book throws us right into the action, with Marcella and Chiara hanging out at their Italian cottage. I’ll go ahead and mention this right away because it was the first thing I noticed, and it kept happening throughout the book. We are overloaded with waaay too much exposition in the form of telling. Marcella immediately starts narrating her backstory and every detail about her life, and it really slows down the narrative.
I get why it was done – the narrative in this lifetime is extremely short. There’s really not a lot of time to work with. We only spend a few pages in this Italian timeline before jetting on to the next life. There simply wasn’t time to spend showing us more about Marcella and slow dripping some of these details instead of flat-out telling them. Still, I really didn’t like this approach, and I wish we could have learned more about Marcella and Chiara in a more natural way, maybe in other lifetimes as flashbacks? That might also have increased the tension at times, which sadly, I felt was lacking in some scenes.
From One Lifetime to the Next
Marcella’s and Chiara’s shortest lifetime is Italy, yet somehow it’s the most important. It’s the one that binds them together through the years. I wish we could have seen more of it, because it seemed to be the crux of their connection. While it was nice to see their relationships develop in other times, they always think of themselves as Chiara and Marcella in the end.
Each lifetime, however, had a unique setting and plot. The friends are always somehow able to reconnect, no matter what obstacles are set before them. For me, I think the London and New York lifetimes were the most interesting, as we seemed to really get a better glimpse of their personalities in them. Also, I just think the scenarios were more interesting and intriguing.
I wish we could have spent more time in each lifetime. I think, while flitting around to different lifetimes was fun, it definitely limited how much we could connect with the characters. Every time it felt like I was getting familiar with the surroundings and the people in their lives, we moved on to the next tale. It made it feel like nothing was at stake, because I knew the characters would die soon and move on to their next life, where they would find each other again.
The Power of Female Friendship in “The Stars in Our Hearts”
No matter what was thrown in their path, the love Marcella and Chiara had for each other was always true. It made me yearn for a friendship like that. It’s a little cheesy, yes, but it fits perfectly into the “cozy” genre. I think “The Stars in Our Hearts” is a really cute tale that’s absolutely perfect for when you need a break from the heavy stuff. It was a breeze to read, and a nice palate cleanser from my usual mix of fantasy and horror. We need more tales of female friends standing up against the patriarchy!
P.S. If anyone wants to be my platonic soulmate across the centuries, applications are open!
