Okay, don’t come at me. I know this is a well loved book. I liked it, but I didn’t love it.

The story is quietly contemplative. It’s a beautiful look at how easily a person can get trapped in a life he didn’t quite want. We examine regrets and what-ifs.

What I loved was that we weren’t wallowing in self-pity or sadness.

What I didn’t love was that not a lot actually happened. We moved slowly through each day. I was bored in the middle, and by the time a few things happened, I wasn’t all that invested anymore.

I am so glad I finally went back and read this. A beautiful story about a man who is reevaluating his life after running a long time family restaurant (alone and in a beach town) and is offered the option to sell to a chain. Beautiful written with a sympathetic main character ad beautiful setting.

I’m not sure this but home for me like his previous books. It was beautifully written and had moments that captured my heart, but overall it was just okay

I was enthralled by this story. Having been in the restaurant industry for fifteen years of my life, it always hits home. I completely empathized with Jack's work ethic, commitment to the restaurant, loyalty to his staff, and his overall exhaustion. Joella has a very unique gift of writing characters that you become fully immersed in. This is my favorite part about Joella's writing and why I continue to come back to his books time and time again. The Same Bright Stars is no exception!

This is the third book by this author I have read, and I am a little disappointed because I enjoyed his other books. The story revolves around Jack Schmidt, a beachfront restaurant owner. I couldn't relate to the characters, in fact, the main character Jack is depressing. The glimpses into Jack's past felt choppy, and the storyline was slow-moving. Thanks to the author, Scribner, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is the perfect summer read! I love @joellawriting’s storytelling ability, character-driven stories, immersive writing, and realistic characters! There is such strong coastal vibes in this one, and is a great summer read to break up a lot of the romances I tend to read in the summer.

Beautifully written and wholly human, this is a story you can be swept away in this summer! I love reading themes of found family and this story was brimming with hope while exploring grief.

Also shoutout to @joellawriting because he is the most lovely author! He is on my auto-buy author list 👏🏻.

I loved this heartfelt, moving story about Jack, a man who has never married or had kids because he’s spent his entire life running his family’s restaurant after his father dies. I loved Jack and his relationships with so many people. This story reminds us that family isn’t just who we share blood with, it’s the people in our lives who make us better, challenge us, and love us no matter what happens. This book tackles some really difficult topics, but the reader never loses the hope that the story offer.

Beautiful book - Such a good read that I enjoyed! I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

Another beautiful novel by Ethan Joella....and one that makes me want to return to Rehoboth Beach!
In The Same Bright Stars, we meet Jack. He's the third generation to run his family's restaurant and its been his life for the last 12 years since his father died. He's now presented with an opportunity that will enable him to change his present life and future....but first he'll need to better understand his past.
The novel takes place over the course of a year and goes back and forth between present day and Jack's life. The storyline features all well developed and interesting characters who almost all seem to have one thing in common: incomplete families. I loved the visit to Rehoboth Beach and the perspective of a long term local resident, as well as the glimpse into restaurant life.
Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner Books for the opportunity to read The Same Bright Stars in exchange for an honest review.

Ethan Joella's writing has so much heart and this book is no exception. Joella puts the reader in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with Jack. Jack is the third generation to run his family's restaurant. It has all he has ever known. When his father passed away, Jack picked up right where he left off with the business and has been working nonstop to keep it afloat ever since. With a local developer breathing down his back, Jack begins to question whether this is the right choice and if there is more out there for him.

There is so much to love about this book. Joella writes people that are real and fully-formed better than most. The people make this book. The found family at the restaurant is great. The people in Jack's life show up in the quietest ways and yet have so much impact. The setting is great and works as a read year-round as it's at the beach and takes place through the fall and winter months. I liked the conversations about finding your way at a later age. It's like a second coming-of-age story and celebrates the idea that you can make a choice when you're younger that may not work for you later in life as you change. You can make new decisions as you grow. There are complicated plotlines that lead to this growth. I loved watching Jack figure out what he wanted and then going for it.

Joella's books are ones to be celebrated. He understands the human condition and makes his readers think and reflect in the most beautiful ways. I would recommend this book to anyone. A solid 5 stars!

I am a fan of Ethan Joella for life! His writing is so smooth and easy to read, and the characters are so realistic and believable.

In The Same Bright Stars I love the internal conflict that Jack struggled with. It reflects the same insecurities and doubts we all have about ourselves, the friendships and relationships we have, and the utter complexity of families.

The setting of Rehoboth Beach, DE is also a beautiful character and back drop to this story. The small town descriptions gave me such Stars Hollow vibes (IYKYK).

Highly recommend and if you haven't read Joella's other book yet, they are a must read!

Quietly beautiful and emotionally stirring. I couldn't get enough of it and wish it would have continued longer. It reminded me of an Elizabeth Strout book.

The Same Bright Stars features many of the same things that I have loved in Ethan Joella's previous novels-- good storytelling and authentic, likeable characters that accentuate the human experience in a way that feels genuine and hopeful.

The Same Bright Stars is about a restaurant owner named Jack who is considering selling the family business. The many years of restaurant ownership having taken a toll on him, and he wonders if selling to the mega DelDine group might be the best solution. This story is told from Jack's persepective both in the past and the present.

It's a fairly simple story, but it's well developed and extremely likeable. A quiet story that leaves you with a smile on your face. I loved the little beach town setting, and the town itself felt like a character in the story. I read this a week after I got home from a beach vacation, but I should have read it while at the beach! That would have been perfect!

This is just a nice book-- a nice story with nice writing! Jack is a good guy, and you can't help but cheer for him and his restaurant.

Well, another book and author I didn’t know I needed in my life. As a regular thriller reader, I’m just starting to branch out and these feel good books I’ve been reading lately are just what I’ve been after, I just had no clue.

This was a book that wasn’t light by any means, there was loss of a parent, drug use, suicide, and Alzheimer’s all laced in here but for some reason, Joella was able to still make it warm and full of love. His writing style is the type that you automatically feel drawn in without any real major bang of something happening to pull you in. It's clearly because of how he writes his characters.

With that, the characters were rich and well developed, hooking the reader into caring. And I did, I cared about each of them. Not an easy task for someone who is usually all about the whodunit, so kudos to Joella for getting to this old skeptic.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an hones review.

This book is about Jack who has to make a decison to sell hi family restaurant after h is dad's death. Throughout the bookk you read about unresolved isss and secrets but I found it to be a nice read.

I enjoy books by Ethan Joella.

Three generations have run this restaurant and Jack Schmidt has been at the helm since his father died. He is tired though and wants a different life. Or at least he thinks he does but when it comes to change he is paralyzed by the thought of that. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium. He has no hobbies, hardly any friends and an offer he thinks he can’t refuse. A company wants to come in and buy the beach restaurant and make it more high end. Glam up the beach or so they say, but he doesn’t know who trust.
The Deldine group had made him an offer he can’t refuse. He just has to get to the day of the sale and it is smooth sailing from there. But he meets a woman and he starts to have serious feelings for her. He spends a few days doing nothing and he doesn’t like it and worst of all he does not trust the group who is purchasing the restaurant. All these hopes all the doubts, Jack doesn’t know what to do.
He just hopes he figures it out before it is too late. The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joelle, is such a good summer read. The characters and the story were very good. This was a quick read for me and I am glad i had the opportunity to read and review it. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for my copy. It is always so great to read any book by a new author, to me.

This was an enjoyable read for summer. I really loved the setting, and the relationships among the restaurant staff. To me, there were just a few too many love interests and a few too many problems and a few too many times periods. I love a dark, issues book! But in this very light toned novel, there just didn't seem to be enough pages for go deep with any of the individual subjects.

Thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for sharing this ARC!

Ethan Joella has mastered character driven novels that make you want to keep reading! The Same Bright Stars is a beautiful story set in the beachfront splendor of Rehoboth Beach. Make no mistake - this is a perfect beach read!

I have to be honest, this wasn't my favorite Ethan Joella. Not sure why because it had the makings to be a book I loved. I worked in the restaurant industry for years and thought I would be drawn to the characters and plot, but found it just okay. A Quiet Place still reigns supreme for me.

Ethan Joella's "The Same Bright Stars" is a heartwarming exploration of family, legacy, and the hard choices that define us. The novel centers on Jack Schmidt, the dedicated yet isolated owner of his family’s beachfront restaurant, Schmidt's, which has been a staple for three generations. Since his father's death, Jack has been the steadfast captain of this beloved eatery, sacrificing personal relationships and leisure in unwavering commitment to its success.

For me, the novel’s strength lies in its setting--nostalgic and summery. Joella brings the beachfront community to life, capturing the essence of a place where tradition and progress collide. Jack's journey is poignant and relatable, as he grapples with the fear of losing his sense of self and the possibility of finding happiness beyond the restaurant's walls.

The novel's pacing occasionally falters, with some sections feeling overly drawn out. While the emotional stakes are clear, a tighter narrative could have heightened the impact of Jack’s ultimate decision. Despite this, Joella's prose is engaging and heartfelt, making the reader care deeply about the outcome. This book is a testament to the enduring power of legacy and the hope of new beginnings.