AVAILABLE August 22, 2023
Some “pre review” thoughts: As exciting as it is to communicate with a favorite author, it can also be tricky. Boo Walker has been incredibly generous to me, a humble blogger, offering and sending me CDs and MP3s of his two previous books, bringing me on board as a beta reader for his upcoming novel in 2024, freely giving and receiving feedback via email, and being a friend on social media. Bottom line: I wanted to love this book. Thankfully, I did. Now, on to the review.
Dr. Carver Livingstone has a lot of things figured out in life. Still in his thirties, he is a successful North Carolina veterinarian with several clinics, a surgical patent, and a staff who adores him. But he has a past, one without closure that he has kept buried and at a distance for twenty years. So when his mother asks him to return home to Vermont and mediate a family issue, it isn’t an easy decision.
Carver is, after all, a man of science. He seeks facts and doesn’t like shades of gray. He can also be slow on the uptake when it comes to emotional cues from others. It’s that “different kind of smart,” an observation not lost on Mrs. Eloise Cartwright, his favorite teacher from high school. Mrs. Cartwright was there for Carver during his darkest moments as a teen and, while he has never forgotten the impact she had on his life, he has cut ties with her as much as with everyone else.
Mrs. Cartwright would hate the cliché, but Carver had to wait for the stars to align. Or maybe they have aligned and he just needed a good push. Either way, things are being set into motion through a series of events beyond his control. Call it Fate or call it Faith, change is on the horizon.
There was so much I loved about The Stars Don’t Lie. Boo Walker effortlessly accomplishes a multitude of objectives with a diverse cast of characters. Diverse in the sense that we meet different people at various stages of life, which means there is someone for whom every reader can relate to and understand. And even though many of them have their own epiphanies, it is Carver who is at the center of it all, trying to stay afloat, constantly doubting his abilities, but still learning what’s most important. All he has to do is look up.
On a grander scale is the writing itself, which is done with terrific skill. The pace is just right and the phrasing is very clever. I highlighted several for future reference. I also found myself tapping into personal memories and feelings that few, if any, books have ever brought to the surface. Last but not least there are the messages, mainly of redemption and reminders that we are all a part of something bigger than ourselves, each conveyed with gentle tenderness. Reading, no, experiencing this book was like finally opening a stuck window and airing out a musty room. A refreshing, emotional detox.
I highly recommend it. (Yes, I’m a bit biased, but I don’t care. I loved it.)
10/10 Stars
*This book can currently be preordered on Amazon and is only $4.99 for the Kindle edition. Like all of Boo’s previous books, it will likely be available in print, digital, and audio formats if you have a subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Readwithkristie.com 