just the right balance of emotional and science fiction. I don't know how I managed to hold it together through the end. Will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Everything I was yearning for in a book and much, much more. Devastating and so beautiful. Watching Nedda and Betheen find their way to each other was a joy, even with all the tragedy mixed in.

In Light from Other Stars, Nedda hopes to become an astronaut as she grows up in the shadow of NASA. The book shifts between Nedda's childhood and the strange events that occur in 1986 and decades later when she is an astronaut headed to a distant planet.

I started reading this book and had a hard time getting into it, but I didn't know I was just a page from when it got really interesting when I put it down. I am so glad I picked it back up and finished it. What initially seems like a story of a girl growing up and wanting to become an astronaut becomes an interesting story about the meaning of time and how humans understand their past and future. This book does take a bit to get going, but it becomes hard to put down by the end.

I enjoyed the character, Nedda. Story was good overall. Would be very interesting for someone that typically read these sort of books.

I don't read much literary fiction novels, but I was interested in this book, admittedly, because of the beautiful cover. I am pleased and happy to announce that the inside is as beautiful as the outside. If you want a book similar in the vibe to LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, I'd definitely recommend this!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I've had this book in my kindle for a very, very long time. I started reading it right away, but life would always get in the way and made me focus on something else. I kept going back to it, but I could not get into this story. I thought the alternating viewpoints were interesting, Nedda someone I would love to be friends with, but I could not get past the dragging of the plot. There were parts that were so, so slow! I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in space and science. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Erika Swyler is one of the best character writers I've ever read. She makes them so unique, and includes such specific details about every single one. I would honestly read a 500-page book about a group of people making breakfast if she wrote it. Not only that, but the plotting in this story made me enjoy it way more than I usually do with science fiction. And, best of all, she writes some of the most beautiful sentences, even when describing horrible things.

Light from other stars gave me mixed feelings upon completion of this book. It made me laugh and cry. The characters are lovable and real. Would definitely recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this story - recommended it to library patrons as a solid sci fi book. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

It meandered a bit, but I enjoyed the variety of timelines with their connections to Nedda and the Challenger explosion. (which I remember quite well) Her father's invention is a bit worrisome.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Given that I loved The Book of Speculation, I was looking forward to reading this book. What an enchanting and lovely tale this is too. It was hard not to fall in love with Nedda Papas, the delightful Eleven-year-old start of this book with her obsession with becoming an astronaut. But when you add to that the story of her parents grief over the loss of her brother and then the lengths her father goes to try and 'save' her childhood, it becoms a much more powerful story. I'm not sure it totally works but enough of it does, and the writing is superb.

To be honest Light from Other Stars was difficult for me to finish and not what I expected based on the books description and cover. While I knew Light from Other Stars was science-fiction it was easy to become lost in the massive amounts of imagined science, time travel, life cycle continuum's, and space crammed into this book. In general, I enjoyed the story of Nedda Papas, her family, and her dream of one day becoming an astronaut, but felt that the exaggerated amount of science-fiction content took away from the overall story. I would be reluctant to recommend this book to anyone who is not a die hard fan of science-fiction.

I liked the premise for Light from Other Stars, but I struggled to become attached to the characters. I will try to finish it at a later time, but for now it is a DNF.

"Light from Other Stars" is a book told between alternating timelines of astronaut Nedda Pappas as an adult and as a child. Though the book feels like it was well researched and informed about the subject (1980s - present NASA space exploration), I struggled to get into it. Ultimately, I didn't find the characters interesting enough to care about.

Thank you to netgalley for the digital review copy, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

DNF - Did not Finish

I tried to finish the book; however, after multiple attempts, I decided to put the book down. My review may be a bit biased. I am not a biggest fan of science fiction books and in the process of reading them one at a time. ^^

The book revolves around Nedda where she has lived in outer space and earth. Her father creates a machine that slows or speeds up time. It has caused a problem when her brother tried to fix it.

I stopped around 40% into the book. The author started to present the issues that the machine is creating.

I did enjoy the part where the author mentioned the Challenger! It reminded me of the nonfiction book I read on the details of before, during, and after the devastation of the Challenger in mid-flight!

The book was very slow, and I did not understand what was going on if I did not read the book summary. However, the cover of the book was every impressive and drew me into the book initially.

My overall impression was that the book was not the best fit for me. For science fiction lovers, I think you would enjoy the pace and scientific elaborations in the book. The author does into details of Nedda's life and incorporates science theories and concepts, like nuclear elements and anti-gravity.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read the book!

It started a little slowly, but then all of a sudden I was cught up in the story. The story, which is really *2* stories about the same person! Faqntastic! I loved it! I want more!!

I'm giving Light from Other Stars a solid 4.5/5 stars. This book was just something else. The premise alone was like nothing else I've ever read. The characters were incredible, the plot was incredible, and the science was downright fascinating. This book follows two main timelines. One, where Nedda Papas is 11 years old and dreaming of becoming an astronaut when her dad's experiment goes terribly wrong. The other, where she is an adult on a space exploration. I loved following Nedda throughout the years and seeing her go through hardships. I loved watching her grow closer to her mother and grow farther away from who she had been before everything happened. This book is so much more than just a book about some scientists. It's not all about the machines and the experiments. It's also about real, raw emotions and what happens to you after death. It's about moving on from other's mistakes and learning to live. There really are no words to truly describe this book, so all I can tell you is to read it. The only issue I had with this book was that all the science could get a little confusing at times, and the plot was pretty slow for the majority of the book. But this book isn't great because of its plot, but rather because of the characters that move it along. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

I unfortunately DNF'd this book. It sounded like everything I wanted to read, but I just didn't feel connected to the characters and I wasn't really invested in the plot. And I think that's a "me" reason, not a real criticism of the book itself. It just underwhelmed me and I chose not to continue.