This YA thriller is filled with teen angst, young love and tough friendships. Split into two time frames in a before and after format, I was left guessing what the twist might be - while it was in front of me the whole time, I didn’t even see it! I think once people read this, it may be compared to another popular YA novel, which I won’t name for spoiler purposes - but I’ll be curious to see how that impacts reviews for some - for me, this was definitely a hit!

Ellory, Ret, Bex, and Jenni are the modern day Mean Girls.

"She chose us because we listened to her, Ellory. We hung on her every word."

Ret is Regina George to a “T”: manipulative and cunning. Always keeps everyone at an arm’s length and always having them coming back for more.

"She didn’t pick us because we were special snowflakes. She wanted followers, no friends."

The book goes back and forth between the present (senior year of high school) and a year before (junior year). In the present, we are at the start of the new school year, where the fabulous four went their own ways at the end of last year and are seeing each other for the first time since junior year. They used to all be best friends, but something happened to tear them apart.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…"

The above quote was a phrase Ret used to apologize to Ellory, at least her way of an apology.

You may be wondering: “What exactly happens to break up the crew?” “What is Ret apologizing to Ellory for?” “What happened in the year between?” Read and you will find out 🙂

"Before Ret, I was basically invisible.

With Ret, I was somebody."

Ret gave each of the girls enough attention to make them feel like they mattered. Ellory, Bex, and Jenni craved every second they had the approval of Ret, and at times, would get jealous if someone knew something about Ret that the others didn’t. But Ret knew exactly what she was doing. She never divulged too much to anyone, never truly letting anyone in.

So, I knew what was going to happen from the beginning. It was completely obvious, which disappointed me. And I think the justification by some of the characters just made me mad.

However, there was a slight twist of events in the very last portion of the novel, which I did enjoy. And as I was starting to realize exactly what the twist was, it completely made sense in my head and there were clues throughout the book. Because of that, it upped my two star rating to three.

I think this is a more relatable read for someone still in high school or middle school. For me, I was out of touch and didn’t relate to any of the characters, but I think that mainly has to do with age (I felt a little pedophily). Had I been a bit younger, I think this would’ve been a fun read.

See All the Stars is one of those books I raced through because I wanted to know how it ended. What event could possibly be so terrible as to tear these 4 girls, this solar system apart? Even as I found myself absorbed in the story I knew the big reveal wouldn't be satisfying. And in some ways it wasn't. But I still enjoyed reading Ellory's story. Ret is a fascinating character and I still want to know so much about her; the book answered the major question, but not so many lingering little ones I had. I also really liked the positive representation of therapy and the metaphors for healing and letting go.

I was totally captivated by this story. I loved both Ret and Ellory as characters and I was fascinated with the unanswered questions. The writing and the images Frick creates were so vivid. I will definitely be recommending this book to anyone who likes Courtney Summers, E Lockhart, and Karen McManus.

THEN - They were four—Bex, Jenni, Ellory, Ret. Electric, headstrong young women; Ellory’s whole solar system. Lazy summer days. A party. A beautiful boy. Ellory met Matthias and fell into the beginning of a spectacular, bright love. NOW - Ellory is alone, her once inseparable group of friends torn apart by secrets, deception, and a shocking incident that changed their lives forever. Ellory returns to Pine Brook to navigate senior year after a two-month suspension and summer away—no boyfriend, no friends. No going back. Tormented by some and sought out by others, troubled by a mysterious note-writer who won’t let Ellory forget, and consumed by guilt over her not entirely innocent role in everything and everyone she’s lost, Ellory finds that even in the present, the past is everywhere.

I was really hoping to like See All the Stars by Kit Frick more than I did. I've seen so many glowing reviews for it and it's compared to We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus which were stories I particularly enjoyed, but I just feel kind of meh about this debut. I mean, it isn't a bad read or anything - I was just never hooked like I was with the two stories it has been compared to. First, I'll talk about my favorite aspect of the novel which is the fact that it isn't told chronologically. The timeline is broken up, jumping back and forth between then and now asking the reader to put together the clues and try to figure out what happened between this group of friends. For this sort of story that aspect works really well, especially as things really begin to pull together the drama and the tension begins to ratchet up in decent increments that make you want to compulsively read through the story. Even if it isn't all that difficult to make an educated guess as to the truth.

Now for the aspects I didn't really care for, the story kind of drags - I didn't feel like I had to hang on to every word as I was turning the pages to learn the story behind the incident and the aftermath - and I wasn't invested in the characters enough to really care one way or the other before of afterward. I know the characters are supposed to come off as edgy or something, but I mostly came away with pretentious - looking back on the story I'm not sure why the reveal was such a surprise, especially to the characters who lived the story. One of the things that also bothers me in YA are absent or mostly absent parents - and that's what we get here - seriously, to the parents in YA just watch your kids, or have more than a minor passing role in their life.

Overall, See All the Stars by Kit Frick is a debut YA mystery for fans of We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus. It wasn't quite as what I was hoping for but it is still engrossing and suspenseful. Thanks, NetGalley!

*happy sounds.* Okay, I am not drawn to mystery/thriller/suspense themes often, but this was the perfect combination of those things and summery contemporary! This is a debut novel, which shows a little with the pacing, however the character development MORE than makes up for it!! The chapters flip back and forth between past and present day and the mystery of why the friends no longer speak definitely kept me interested! The characters are well rounded and complex and the plot kept me guessing! A definite page-turner that I would highly suggest to anyone looking for a hold-your-breath sort of read.

The beginning was strong but digressed as the novel went on. The suspense was there, but Ellory seemed to dragged behind at every step.

I was provided with an ARC through NetGalley.

I think I read See All the Stars at the right time so I could relate much more with Ellory, especially with what she was going through with her boyfriend.

I enjoyed the way the story was told. The interchangeable then and now parts of the book really gave the story some mystery which kept me engaged.

Because of the comparison to We Were Liars I feel like a kinda expected the book to end like it did but even though I sort of saw it coming, I still enjoyed this story.

Yes, I read this super early, several months in advance of its release date, but I couldn't get it off my mind once I saw the cover and read the blurb. When a book like this is sitting on your Kindle, you read it, publish date ignored. Within a handful of pages, I knew this was the sort of book that required my full attention

It was a slow start, was going to abandon it but towards the middle it got so good, couldn’t put it down from there. Good, strong story with believable characters. Would recommend giving it a chance.

Kit Frick is brilliant at character development, each of the four girls leaping off the page and getting into the reader's mind. See all the Stars was perfectly paced, and an absolute masterclass in page-turning and suspense driven prose. An accomplished YA debut, and I'm looking forward to what the author does next.

Ellory, Ret, Bex, and Jenni are joined at the hip and inseparable to anyone viewing their posse from the outside. On the inside, these girls are orbiting around Ret, vying for her attention and approval, especially Ellory.

Each chapter alternates between the past and present day, leading up to the event that destroyed the friendship between these four girls. The mystery surrounding the event kept me on my toes, but after the second chapter I correctly predicted the two reveals so I was waiting for Ellory to put two and two together and make the same connection.

I read this novel detached because it was a story I have read over and over again. Ret is a spunky, unique, narcissistic, manipulative, and selfish girl who selects her friends based on their level of neediness. Ellory, Bex, and Jenni were Ret's followers; girls that worshiped Ret and wanted to be her. They each competed with the others to strive for Ret's attention. Ellory always looked the other way and dismissed the times Ret purposely toyed with her and sliced apart her self-esteem. Then Ellory acquires a boyfriend and her friendship with Ret and the other girls slowly begins to fracture.

The big reveal was common sense since the summary of this book depicts it as another We Were Liars, which I enjoyed lots more than this one. The second reveal was self-explanatory because Ret's one of those people who believes she can do no wrong and resorts to manipulation to get what she wants.

Anyway, I was disappointed with this one despite the high ratings and reviews. I think it's just me since I have no tolerance for toxic friendships due to personal experiences.

Thank you Edelweiss and NetGalley for an ARC.

Left a shiver down my spine. Knots in my stomach. My hands and heart wanting more, but a that I might explode if I received it. I don't want to spoil this story - the characters are so conflicting, the plot complex, and I found myself glued to the pages, savoring every word.

Fans of YA novels will love this book! It is a well-written story that will captivate you and will keep you up reading all night. I really liked the main character Ellory and that the book goes back and forth between two timelines, "then" and "now". It made me think back on my teen years and how complexed and overwhelming things felt, that really wasn't such a big deal but at the time they were to me. This book is a story of high school friendships that are torn apart by lies, betrayals, and secrets.

It’s hard to find the truth beneath the lies you tell yourself.

THEN They were four—Bex, Jenni, Ellory, Ret. Electric, headstrong young women; Ellory’s whole solar system.

NOW Ellory is alone, her once inseparable group of friends torn apart by secrets, deception, and a shocking incident that changed their lives forever.

THEN Lazy summer days. A party. A beautiful boy. Ellory met Matthias and fell into the beginning of a spectacular, bright love.

NOW Ellory returns to Pine Brook to navigate senior year after a two-month suspension and summer away—no boyfriend, no friends. No going back. Tormented by some and sought out by others, troubled by a mysterious note-writer who won’t let Ellory forget, and consumed by guilt over her not entirely innocent role in everything and everyone she’s lost, Ellory finds that even in the present, the past is everywhere.

The path forward isn’t a straight line. And moving on will mean sorting the truth from the lies—the lies Ellory has been telling herself.

What happened junior year? That’s the main mystery in Kit Frick’s debut novel See All The Stars. Secrets, lies, and betrayals unfold over the course of the book. The story transpires through Ellory's disjointed narration, recently returned to school after a lengthy suspension. Dealing with the aftermath of an event only referred to as “The Fall,” Ellory is learning to cope with her decisions and her past. Frick does a wonderful job weaving the story together. Her writing is dynamic and each scene flows into the next. The story moves quickly, while giving enough detail to learn about these characters. The shifting perspective from past to present gives the reader just enough detail to pull together relationships, while offering nudges as everything is about to fall apart.

The story centers on Ellory and Ret, two girls who have been friends for a long time. The world of teenage female friendship is complex and often rife with conflict.  The book does a good job depicting the integral complications that occur with a group of friends that rely on a focal member. Ret has always been the glue that holds the group together, often with friction among the other members. Ellory and the others follow her lead, often vying for attention. There's an element of the classic "mean girls" narrative in this, though tempered to a more realistic, if overly dramatic, degree. Their relationship is most interesting when it lets the girls be themselves. Ret basks in their attention and they bask in hers. Though sometimes, it feels like there’s a hint at something just beneath the surface, never quite spoken.

These four girls are inseparable. In the end, it felt as if their relationship was built on clichés that almost explored something a little more substantial but never quite got there. It’s hard to feel empathy for Ellory when she seems completely aware of the unhealthy nature of her relationship with the other girls. Dismissing the signs, she doesn’t seem to have any urge to leave or change the codependent behavior. The story doesn’t challenge Ellory in those decisions, not even when it leads to disastrous results.

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-"
"I followed her."

With the set-up, it’s fairly obvious that something isn’t what it seems. So as more of the plot is dedicated to the mystery of the previous semester, it becomes clear that the mystery isn’t actually the focus of this book, despite the marketing. The book is less a thriller than it is a story about growing up and learning to move forward. We know something is going to happen; we’re just reading to flesh out the details. The uptick in suspenseful young adult novels has led to a number of similar titles in the market from the Pretty Little Liars series to now. See All The Stars is the newest of that trend. Though it will appeal to young adult suspense fans, the book doesn’t deviate from the formulaic set-up enough to ever get more interesting.

The story relies on some tired tropes to move the story forward, including some dramatic situations for the main cast. There’s also an element of stereotyping in the portrayal of some mental health issues in the book, leading to some uncomfortable depictions of symptoms and behavior that doesn’t quite ring true to anyone familiar with counseling or therapy. Some might find the build-up unrealistic or too tropey to drive the final scene, where it matters the most. To me, it felt like a weak spot in an otherwise interesting story, especially tying into the final twist.

Verdict: Check it out.

The book is paced for a quick read; action takes the reader from one scene to the next, leading the audience to piece together the timeline. The nonlinear style worked well for the story; I don’t think it would have been effective without it. It also kept me turning pages once I’d guessed the major conflict and the incident that drove this group apart. In See All The Stars Frick offers just enough details to keep you from looking away, knowing that the proverbial train wreck is right around the corner.

Some readers may guess the ending before the story arrives there, lessening the impact of the final reveal. This story may appeal to those who enjoy We are Liars, One of Us is Lying, or The Perfectionists. As an exploration of grief and toxic relationships, See All The Stars has more potential to address the complexity of growing up and the consequences of tragedy.

See All The Stars will be released on August 14, 2018.

Great read, well written with a great plot and characters. This is definitely a page turner. It is complex, and captivating. It is a suspenseful, mystery. And it has twists and turns. I thought I had everything figured out.....boy was I wrong. I really liked this book and I can't wait to see what else Kit Frick has in store. I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.

*An uncorrected proof advance reviewer copy of this ebook was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows Ellory who is returning to her senior year after a summer away and being suspended for two-months, as the plot thickens you can begin to piece together everything that has happened to bring Ellory to where she is now.
I enjoyed the mystery within this novel, by the time what happened was finally revealed several possible scenarios were already running through my mind, but that didn’t make finding out any less thrilling. On each page, the characters were brought to life, each with their own significance and each adding to the plot.
Although I enjoyed this book and I was definitely hooked towards the end, I did find the beginning did not capture my attention as fully, however this is not necessarily a bad thing. I love the authors writing style, it has a poetic feel and I could feel the passion that went into writing this novel. With this as the authors debut Frick’s writing career seems very promising, I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future works by this author.
Overall this was a good book, I loved the mystery element and that it kept me guessing until the last few pages. If you enjoy teen or YA contemporary novels with a mystery element then you just might enjoy this one!

This book might be called See All The Stars, but it should really be called Give This All The Stars because that's how I feel when it comes to rating it.

I'm going to try to keep this review short simply because I think this book is going to be best enjoyed if you don't know much about it when you start. You follow the main character, Ellory, through alternating chapters that tell the story of her junior year in high school and her senior year in high school. During the junior year parts, you see Ellory hanging out with her friends and boyfriend and generally going through the day-to-day life of a high schooler. In the senior year parts, however, we see her friendless and trying to come to terms with the big "incident" at the end of junior year.

Trying to figure out what that "incident" entailed is where the suspense in this story comes in. From the first couple chapters, I was immediately drawn in because there was just this huge difference between Ellory's junior year life and her senior year life, and I couldn't begin to fathom what had happened to cause such a big change. Kit Frick does an amazing job of keeping that suspense up until the very last couple chapters, so you're on the edge of your seat the entire time. The ending doesn't disappoint either: without giving too much away, I had some suspicions about halfway through the book about what might have happened, and though I was partly right, the full reveal left my mouth hanging open because I didn't see it coming.

Beyond the plot, the character development was so, so good. Ellory and her pain felt like a real teenage girl to me, and the toxic-yet-intoxicating friendships that Frick creates within the main friend group were extremely realistic to me as well. I could picture all the girls as people that I would have known in high school, and I'm incredibly impressed to see that level of character depth in a YA debut novel.

Additionally, there were two really refreshing things that I loved seeing in this book, the first being that Frick had a good grasp on how teenagers use technology and social media to relate to each other. Snapchat, Instagram, group texts and all that are mentioned quite a few times throughout the novel, and every time they were brought up, it felt like the author just got those platforms and wasn't trying to throw them in there just to sound "hip" or "relate to the kids these days." Second, I loved the portrayal of therapy and Ellory's work through her losses and the change in her life. She thinks about her therapist and the activities she does in therapy a lot, and it's awesome to see something like that so normalized in a YA book.

Honestly, there's not really anything negative I can say about this book. It did feel like the characters were drinking a lot more than a typical high schooler would drink, which always bothers me to see in novels, but it didn't detract that much from my overall enjoyment. I can't complain about anything in this book, which is pretty rare for me. I like to find faults in things.

Overall, this was a fast-paced, plot-driven story full of suspense and surprise, but with surprisingly realistic and relatable characters. This book took me back to high school and some of the "mean girls" in my own life, but it was very well-done and I grew to care for Ellory so much. I started crying when I finished this book, not because I was sad, but because I was just so overwhelmed with emotion about this book being over.

I'm giving this my elusive 5/5 stars, and recommending it to everyone who loves YA books, the movie Mean Girls, or just a suspenseful read. I will definitely be looking out for more from this author in the future, and in the meantime, I might have been won over to enjoying YA books (or maybe I'll just hate all other YA books now that I've got this amazing standard to hold them up to).

I won't be saying much in this review for one simple reason: it's better going in not knowing much.
To be honest, I wasn't enjoying this book at all until I was done with almost half of it.
The story is told during two time periods: from the sophomore summer to "the accident" (THEN), and all-throughout senior year (NOW).
We learn all the events leading up to the end of Ellory's friend group in the THEN chapters. And to be honest that was my biggest problem with this novel. Of course, we needed to know what caused the group to go on separate ways. But Ellory's friendship with Ret was hard to read in my opinion.
Ret was incredibly manipulative. The group of friends made me remind a lot of Pretty Little Liars. Ret was the center, the one that kept the group together. Ellory, Jenni and Bex had this idea that they were nothing without Ret.
The NOW chapters were amazing; seeing Ellory deal with the fallout of what happened and trying to move forward. We also got to see the way the other characters dealt with it. Those were the chapters I enjoyed the most.
I have to say I disliked almost all characters. I only liked Ellory and Bex from the main group of characters. The romance part of this novel was... something? I wasn't a big fan of it. It had its good moments but most scenes between Ellory and Matthias were boring.
The need to know what happened in order for Ellory to be alone was what made me not DNF this book. And I'm really glad I decided to keep reading.
The last thing I have to mention is one line that couldn't have been avoided completely. During an argument, Ellory calls Ret a "slut" and a "whore". It could have been avoided by using another sentence to give the impact that slut-shaming was supposed to give. Instead of feeling the impact, I got the desire to stop reading.
Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot.

This book was satisfying! My two favorite genres, some young love and a little bit of mystery? YES! I swooned, I gasped, I sighed. It was that perfect. I really enjoyed that the book went from past to present/then to now and i loved following the characters through both the good and the bad. It flowed well and at a good pace, and all characters were likable which makes the ache a little worst-in a good way. Way to go author! I really enjoyed it.