Cute book that was easy to read and easy to follow the storyline. Defiantly a slow weekend kind of book. One that does not require a lot of effort to enjoy.

This book was just adorable. I'm not one to read much YA, but the premise drew me in and the story did not disappoint. Lily is somewhat of an outcast, her parents constantly fight and are on the verge of divorce. Lily is pretty much raising her younger brother and juggling her friendship with her best friend Zoey. She is also being bullied by the most popular boy in school named Noah, who happens to be her neighbor. When tragedy strikes during a football game, Noah is left with brain damage and in the hospital for quite some time to recover. Once home, he starts to befriend Lily and her younger brother Mason. Lily has her guard up, as Noah used to be her bully. As the story unfolds, Lily realizes that Noah has changed and is not the same person he once was. A bond is formed between the two, as Lily and Noah with together to write his memoir about his recovery.
This was a huge enemies to lovers story and I have to say I enjoyed it.

Took me awhile to get into this book. Like the synopsis, it’s interesting and the end result is worth it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bluefields for letting me read this book.Trigger warning:Brain Injury, Disability, Bullying, Divorced Parents.This is a book you will not want to put down.

If we were following a traditional Save the Cat-style plot structure, this hook, this slice of life, it's a doozy! Poor Lily's story is rife with chaos and conflict, and the idea of her adding a boy into the mix...well, it seemed like a bad idea. Especially a boy like Noah who has caused so much pain, shame, and trauma to Lily over the years. But then we see his softer side, and obviously, I could see why a young girl like Lily could forget.

HOWEVER, I don't know how I feel about this story. Someone can bully you and the all of the sudden, act differently, and it's OK? I don't know...I feel like even if he has remorse, he's still definitely shown his ass.

I found some of this difficult to read and a little triggering personally. However, it was very well-written and I liked the fact that Lily was a MC with some depth and vulnerability, which has added to a little of her edge.

This unfortunately wasn't my favorite Kelly Oram book. It felt a little forced, but in the end the payoff was decent. I was not particularly drawn to the characters unfortunately.

I loved reading this one. I just love this kind of books.
4 stars read for me. I love this author snd her writing style.
Thanks to netgally for this arc.

An entertaining quick YA read. It was a good easy read that was enjoyable. There weren't any twists or turns that I didn't predict and the plot was kind of basic. But overall was a good read that I would recommend to younger readers who want to explore YA and light romance.

Lily and Noah have been neighbours forever but never friends. Noah seemingly makes it his mission to annoy Lily to no end while she's dealing with family and personal challenges as her senior year is shaping up to not be the one she imagined.

That all changes when Noah suffers a severe injury during a football game and his life is altered. Lily trying to be a good reporter attempts to get some of the story for the schoolpaper but her morals win over when she meets Noah's mom who assumes Lily is one of Noah's friends. Once Noah starts back at school, the results of his injury are pronounced and Lily is requested to work with him on a memoir he wants to write about his experience. Lily and Noah grow closer, and learn to adapt to their new dynamic.

There is a lot going on in this novel and I think some more backstory would have served the story a bit better, along with some a little less conflict between characters. This entire story seems to be about bringing out the worst of all the supporting characters and there's a lot of attempts at developing them that fall flat.

It was a cute story overall, and will be enjoyed by fans of Jenny Han.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. This book was so fun. I really enjoyed it. This book kept me interested and i enjoyed the book and this genre

The Starburst Effect is a wonderful, sweet story. There is romance but the book delves deeper into issues like bullying, forgiveness, and disabilities. Lily and Noah learn to see the world from different perspectives and it changes their whole lives. I recommend this book to every young adult.

The book cover was the first thing to get my attention. It’s so cute, right? The author’s a familiar one too – I’ve read a couple of Kelly Oram’s contemporaries and I enjoyed the romantic comedies best, namely The Avery Shaw Experiment & If We Were a Movie.

The Starburst Effect has all the vagaries of high school – the popularity hierarchy, the turmoil and angst of being a teen with a kind heart, trying to do the right thing while being harassed by the bully next door. You can’t help but empathize with Lily who has a little brother to look out for.

Noah is your typical jerk, gorgeous, popular, a jock, and a bully. I wanted to punch him for everything he put Lily through. Then the accident happens. And everything changes. Noah learns firsthand the repercussions of his actions and the meaning of kindness and true friendship rather than the fake life he’d been living.

This story is a rollercoaster of emotions. It will make you angry and sad, make you laugh and cry. It’s filled with poignant emotions and a realness that will tug at your heartstrings.

Lily’s life feels like it’s falling apart - with her parent’s divorce, her “boyfriend” cheating, and her jerk of a neighbour, Noah, making her a target and turning everyone against her, she’s set to have quite the senior year. When a bad hit on the football field leaves Noah with a traumatic brain injury, his whole world turns upside down. The new Noah, dealing with a heap of new disabilities, is nothing like the bully that Lily knew. But can she put aside her anger and their complicated past to not only help him, but forgive him?

I cannot speak to the representation of traumatic brain injuries or aphasia, as I have not experienced either, but I do appreciate that it was a main focus of the story. I have always been passionate about brain health and the dangers that contact sports pose for young athletes, and while that aspect was not explored, it was in the back of my mind while reading.

I felt for Lily and Noah as they navigated their new relationship to each other - Noah who didn’t remember the relentless bullying, and Lily, who couldn’t forget. It made for a really great arc and I truly enjoyed reading this book - once I started, I couldn’t put it down!

Reading the start was hard knowing that the FMC was going to end up with this rotten kid who lives next door. Besides that, the parents were super dramatic and I don't know how CPS has taken the FMC and her brother away yet.

3 Stars

The Starburst Effect is a cute young adult romance by Kelly Oram.
I want to love this story. It centers around a teen with a TBI (traumatic brain injury.) This tale had so much potential.

I enjoyed it, but wish it had so much more. I would have loved to get some of Noah's pov. Only getting to hear about his injury, and the way his whole life changed, only from Lily's pov, left me wanting.

At the start, Noah is a complete and utter ass. The author redeems with via his tbi. But damn it, without his pov, it was hard to really like him. I needed more from him. The author took the easy way out, making him go from a football star who's a bully, to someone who is suddenly the butt of everyone's jokes and being bullied.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It's cute and sweet. But the writing just isn't something I can really recommend to someone. It's messy, disorganized, and lacking a whole lot of depth in parts that needed more depth. This storyline had a lot of hope, but fell flat.

This romance book was just okay. I wish I could've loved it but honestly, the main character wasn't relatable and I felt bored most of the book. I do love that the book tackles some serious topics like bullying and fighting parents, I just couldn't get over the Wattpad-style writing. I think the book would be good for someone just getting into reading.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the e-ARC.

When I first read this, I have zero knowledge about The Starburst Effect, what does it means and about. I also didn't expect much about the story because I'm not a big fan of a bully and victims "love" story, but girl did I wrong. This book left a huge and deep impression in me, and I absolutely love it! It's adorable, pure, heartfelt, and so wholesome. It's not letting the mistake forgiven or forgotten under the rug over an accident, it shows how forgiveness is earned and that humans can change for the good. I love how Lily and Noah started to change and intertwined, the way they started over, try to understand and help each other, how they find solace and safety in each other's presence while make amend of their bad histories and be each other's rock, and how they started to develop feelings to each other and make themselves be a better version of themselves. I really admire Lily and Mason characters here, also the author really did a great job for making me fall in love gradually with Noah as the story goes--it makes me feels we're on the same ride with Lily. I also love how they are two kinds of family and their own issues portrayed here. This book climbed to favourite books list of this year!

Overall rateL: 4.5/5

Thank you to the Author and publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This story had the opportunity to be super impactful. It fell pretty short though in some ways where the main characters stayed in some ways stagnate and fell into old patterns. The high school bullying was unfortunately very prevalent and should have been recognized by the adults in the book.

Fue una novela que disfrute muchísimo. No conocía a la autora y me encantaría leer todas sus novelas! Fui sin expectativas y me las dejo a mil ✨

The Starburst Effect is the name given to the aftereffects of a traumatic brain injury. While the point of impact will bear the brunt, the ripples and aftereffects will spread out. In this book, Oram allows us some insight into what happens after such an event.
Lily is a senior, and wants to go to college to study journalism. Unfortunately, her best friend has become obsessed with fitting in, her parents are constantly arguing and she lives next door to Noah, the star quarterback, who is responsible for the bullying she experiences on a daily basis. When Noah is injured during a school football game he is put into a coma for months, and then has to learn how to do the most basic things.
Not, perhaps, wholly believable but Noah and Lily end up becoming friends when he returns from hospital. While this shift might seem rather unlikely, it offered a valuable insight into their lives and experiences. It was hard not to fall for Noah after seeing how he copes with these new experiences. The cruelty shown to both these characters was hard to take, but they are great together. A timely reminder that we never know what others are going through, and taking time to think of their circumstances might make a difference.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.