Noah and Lily live next door to each other. Noah is a complete jerk, making Lily's life at home and school absolutely miserable. Not that her home life is anything great to begin with. But then Noah gets hit while playing football, and ends up with a traumatic brain injury. Months later, when Noah comes home, she finds he's a completely different person. And her school counselor is asking her to partner with him on a project. But Lily struggles with the dichotomy between who Noah once was and who he is now. Can two enemies become friends? And how will she handle these feelings for new Noah, when she still remembers old Noah?

This book is YA/teen, but handles some pretty heavy topics, and does so with grace. I don't know much about TBIs, but what I do know is that every one is different. Noah's makes a huge change in his personality and his ability to do things on his own. Lily finds herself struggling because the Noah who ruined her life doesn't exist anymore, but she still remembers him. I liked that Lily didn't fall for Noah the second he came home from the hospital and rehab. I felt like Lily was pretty self aware, but from the way she grew up, I imagine she grew up fast. 4.25/5 stars, and this book needs to come with a don't read in public warning, because I bawled my eyes out more than once.

I was provided an ARC copy of this book through Netgalley. My thanks to the publisher and the author for providing it to me.

okay, so i really wanted to enjoy this book. but it did not work for me. it was way too much and just not what i was looking for. i might come back to it in the future to try again. thanks so much, netgalley!!!

Who doesn't love a good redemption arc? This one is perfect for those who hated the mean, popular student and wish they could go down a peg. Once they do, they end up changing big time.

Lily lives next door to the biggest jerk in her senior year. Noah has bullied Lily for years and now he has ruined her senior year by upping the ante and turning the whole school against her.
To add to her problems her parents are getting divorced and it feels like her world is falling apart.
After an accident that leaves Noah with a brain injury and a host of disabilities he no longer is the popular kid.
Noah and Lily slowly become friends and soon after become boyfriend and girlfriend but the road to true love is never smooth.
This was a delightful YA read that dealt with the serious topic of bullying.
Noah was a fantastic character and I enjoyed his journey immensely. He went from being the most popular kid in high school that bullied others to being the one who was bullied due to his accident. He learnt how to learn from his mistakes and how to forgive those who treated him badly.
The author shows us how cruel kids can be to each other and how quickly things can change in the high school world.
The only downside to this book was that it got a bit repetitive towards the end.

-Cute, high school sweethearts romance with depth
-I connected with the characters & could feel what they were going through as if it were me

This book was incredible. I couldn’t stop reading and loved the story. Not only was there a beautiful relationship between Lily and Noah, but so much depth in her family situation.


Highly recommend this book.

At first I had a hard time getting in to the beginning but I decided not to give up and boy am I glad I didn't. Once I came in it I didn't wanted to stop reading it.

The story was good written and easy to follow while reading. During the reading I felt plenty of emotions (maybe because I can be a bit sensitiva).
I felt sad (yes I cried), angry and happy and sometimes there came out bunch of aawwws from my mouth.

Oh well enough about my feelings let speak about the characters.
I was kinda fond of Lily and I loved her relationship she had with her younger brother. When it comes to Noah I can say that I liked the person he became and I even felt kinda sorry for him after the accident.
Some of the characters in the book I didn't cared for but they where realistic.

The book contains family problem, depression, bullying, high school drama and love, self growth and a bit of enemies to lover (and who doesn't like that?😉).
So IF you are a reader who likes to read young adult books with these themes you might end up liking this one a lot.

I've read only two books by Kelly Oram before and I loved them, that's why I was really excited to read The Starburst Effect. And have you seen this cover? It's absolutely GORGEOUS!

This book tells us a story of a young girl Lily Rosemont trying to live through her senior year. Lily is depressed, because her parents are divorcing, she needs to babysit her younger brother almost every day, she doesn't know what she wants to study in college, or if she can even afford getting into it. On top of that popular kids bully her, and that's why she has only one best friend left. Lily's main bully is Noah Trask, her neighbor, the most popular kid at school, who plays American football. Noah, his friends and girlfriend make Lily's life literally insufferable by, for example, calling her Trash all the time.

One day in September there's a football match and Noah gets a traumatic brain injury on the field. He stays in coma for months till Christmas and then suddenly Noah's a completely different person because of the starburst that has affected his brain. That means there was severe damage where Noah's brain hit his skull, but webbing out from that were hundreds of tiny tears in the tissue. Also, now Noah suffers from aphasia - a communication disorder that makes it hard for him to use the right words.

I related so much to Lily since the first pages of this book - I am depressed, I don't know who I want to be in the future, and I've been bullied in university as well. But few chapters in I noticed that i don't really like ANY character in this book, except probably Lily's younger brother Mason. And I also felt kinda sorry for Noah's mom, Susan. She's a really nice and loving mother.

I didn't root neither for Lily, nor for Noah, because I can't stand real bullies-to-lovers romance, and that's why it was weird and uncomfortable for me to read about their love story. Noah just magically changed after the accident, and Lily just magically forgot how he has bullied her for years and has been making her school life a living hell in some ways.

And then there are side characters. Lily's dad is definitely not the best dad in the world. Lily's mom uses her as a free babysitter and doesn't even care about her daughter's future. Lily's best friend was such a sweetheart in the beginning, and then we see her caring only about fame and boyfriends. I don't blame Zoey for not wanting to be an outsider and so-called freak, but why would you constantly put Lily into uncomfortable situations? That's not really what a best friend is supposed to do.

So, after all I liked the vibes of high school in this book, I felt like a student again. It was a nice ya read with important topics in it, but I just wish there were some likeable characters for me besides the plot.

Thank you for the arc!

I’m not a fan of bully to lovers, but this intrigued me enough to check it and and I wasn’t disappointed. The characters were fleshed out, flawed in ways humans are. The writing is light, but the subject it heavy. Definitely check trigger warnings before reading. Loved every second of it.

I loved the YA vibe of this one while still tackling the hard topics as there were several to juggle. I really enjoyed this read, it was easy in terms of writing style, but fairly heavy in terms of subject matter. It was a book that touched my heart and definitely touched on subjects (i.e. bullying, disability). Would recommend.

If I were to describe this book with an object, it would be a plushie, due to all the cozy and fluffy feels I felt while reading this. This is such an innocent yet complex love story. This is not your typicall love story, where everything runs smoothly then there comes a plot twist, then everything is fine again. No, this relationship is hard work on both parts. The disability featured on this book makes the whole relationship process much more difficult, but It´s completely heart-warming to see the main characters overcome it and work together towards it. Noah (post-accident) is someone I would like to keep in a box and cherish forever. Same with Lily, that´s how much these characters have touched me. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about fighters, not the violent ones, but the good kind, because that´s what this book talks about. It´s a story about fighters and their fight with their insecurities, not letting them win.

I don't usually love books about high school, but this one was very relatable and eye opening. A Must read!

4 / 5 stars

Check TW

I really loved how the story was told because it really captured the thoughts and experiences from high school and how the problems surrounding you impact in your teen years. I also appreciated how the disability has portrayed and the challenges it implied for the main characters. I love the bonding relationship between the mc but also I love her brother. Definitely worth reading it.
The only thing I disliked was the way some characters were redeemed and the fast the mc forgive them.

Thanks Netgalley for the copy of the book, all the opinions are on my own.
This book is so cute, has so much emotion. I really enjoyed reading.

The Starburst Effect was a lot more emotional than I expected it to be but in a good way! Lily is a high schooler is going through a lot. Her parents are getting divorced, giving her more responsibility over her brother, and she's getting bullied by Noah, her next door neighbor and footballer. Until one day, Noah gets a traumatic brain injury, thereby changing his entire life and also Lily's.

There was a lot to unpack in Lily's and Noah's story. Both of them had to undergo so much personal growth and also reconciliation with one another in this story. A tender story about forgiveness, the challenges of growing up, and awareness of TBI, this was a great read! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

"You show me who I want to be. You make me better." The Starburst Effect by Kelly Oram

📚REVIEW📚

Lily is in her senior year, living next door to Noah Trask the popular boy at school and also her tormentor, Trask and his friends will make Lily's year hell with their endless bullying. Add to that her parents are getting divorced.

After an accident on the football field leaves Noah with severe brain damage, it's ironic that Lily would be the one to help him after his friends abandon him. Noah will never fully recover but will he be able to live a normal life? Will Lilly be able to forgive him.

This book was filled with raw emotion. It pulled at every heart string and I'm so happy I got to read this ARC. it is so beautifully written. The author allows you to feel every emotion her character goes through. That's what makes this book so special. She helps you also understand the dynamics around the Starburst effect and how it affects Noah. It's one of my top five for the year.

Rating
5/5⭐

Trigger warning:
Bullying (physical but mostly emotional)
Divorce
Severe Brain Damage
Mental Health
Peer pressure

Thank you @kellyoramwrites, @netgalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC.

When football star Noah suffers TBI (traumatic brain injury) during the first football game of his senior year in high school, his entire world is changed. Which could be good news for Lily, Noah's nextdoor neighbor, and the target of his intense bullying. Thanks to Noah, Lilly has become an outcast in school, with everyone - including her best friend - distancing themselves from her rather than become the popular kids (and Noah's best friends) next target.

Everything changes when Noah finally comes home from the hospital a totally different boy, and gets thrust into Lilly's life in unexpected ways. The two pair up to write a memoir about Noah's experience, and as Lilly begins to trust Noah is a very different person than he once was, she starts to look at him as more than just the once-cruel boy next door.

I loved everything about this book! As a middle school teacher, I have students who are obsessed with football, and with a few having suffered concussions in the past, I felt deeply saddened by Noah's experience. As a mom of an autistic kid, I love that Lilly's growing love for Noah is discussed frankly, as is Noah's ability to still have fulfilling relationships while living with a disability. This feel-good romance will definitely be finding a home on my classroom shelves this coming school year!

The Starburst Effect was a slow burn for me. It grabbed my attention, but it was a struggle to hold it at times. There is alot of things going on as far as bullying, family issues, friend issues. Noah once bullied Lily, but after a terrible accident he is left with a TBI. I did like how it shown the result of a TBI and challenges someone faces. I liked Lily as a character. She is resilent and kind to all the stuff that happened to her senior year.

This book tackles a lot of heavy issues. Disabilities, abandonment, mental health, forgiveness, and more.

Noah is a star football player who has gets hit during a game leaving him with brain damage. He was also the leader of the cool crowd and a major player in the bullying going on.

Lily writes for the school paper and is trying to navigate life while be being bullied, dealing with divorcing parents and unsure if/how she will be able to college due to finances and not wanting to abandon her little brother like her parents have.

While Noah is struggling to find his new normal and Lily is trying to navigate everything life throws at her they team up in an opportunity to help them both. When entering this friendship/working relationship they are tested in every direction by everyone and everything life can throw at them… including themselves.

You definitely want to go on this emotional roller coaster with Lily and Luke and fall in love with their story and heartbreak. Definitely a tearjerker but oh so worth it!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Starburst Effect was interesting. It definitely had its pros and cons. For example, it took me a while to get into it. Don't get me wrong, it definitely ended on a happier note, but it didn't start off on one. In this, you will meet Lily. Now she's constantly bullied by these pretentious assholes. So, it was definitely interesting to see when one of them gets a swift kick from karma. Okay, I lied, it was interesting when they all got their own dose of karma.

Lily isn't the only one suffering throughout her senior year. Nope, Noah gets seriously injured and ends up with a disability. Even though he's her biggest bully, she is the only ally he has. Mostly because his friends are huge assholes and ditch him. It also doesn't help that they start bullying him either.

I'll be honest here, I hated so many people in this book. I don't condone bullying - ever. Especially when it comes to someone's disability. It hit a little too close to home because my brother was bullied a lot in school. It was because of his disability too and no one - not even teachers - knew how to deal with him or the situation. So, yeah, this just reminded me of the bullshit he went through and how I couldn't do anything about it since I was in a different school at the time.

Besides my past, I liked how Noah was different after the accident. He felt sorry for how he treated Lily and how his friends treated her. Even though he doesn't remember everything that happened, I think their time together helped grow a pretty strong bond between them. Of course, there's still lots of drama but people started to see how shitty they truly were. Popularity isn't everything if you are giving up who you are in the process of finding friends.

In the end, I'm honestly happy that I got the chance to jump into this. I do wish that the ending wasn't so rushed though. Still, it was good and made me emotional.