It took me quite a long time to finish this book. Once I started reading, I was caught up in the story but as soon as I put it down, it would take me days to want to continue reading it. There were certain parts of the story that just did not interest me and actually turned me off to really enjoying it. I did finish and I thought it was okay, but definitely not a fan.
The premise sounded great. The book centers around a mystery involving a tree known as the Bridegroom's Oak. The story involves three different timelines that are all interconnected. There is the story of Sophie and Hanna in 1941, then we meet Jenny, an American girl whose dad moves them to West Berlin during the 1980s. Lastly, we have 2020 with Miles and his friend basically communicating over social media while stuck in a room for months scared to even walk the dog without a mask outside alone. ugh....
That timeline was a downer. Mostly because I felt like the author was using the characters to lecture and promote controversial behavior that we can now look back and see was often overblown. This author is talented, and I look forward to reading more, but this book just didn't do it for me.
I received a complimentary e-book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This historical mystery is a universal story that will appeal to readers of all ages. I loved the multiple timelines and comparisons among the teen characters. It was a brilliant example of how alike we are, despite our differences. The author did an exceptional job of portraying the sacrifices of these characters and the bittersweet nature of the various time periods. This book was a true testament to the power of hope. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves witty banter, romance, and historical grounding.

I was a fan of Bray's "Gemma Doyle" trilogy when I read it; both for the world-building and the intense relationships of the characters that evaded the usual teen troupes. "Under the Same Stars" is based on historical periods that many will compare to the U.S.'s current political climate. The settings may not be as fantastical, but tales and fairy tales still play their part in this novel depicting Hiler's rise, Berlin in the 1980s and COVID-19. With the three timelines in alternating chapters, it's obvious that they are interconnected, but you'll have to wait until the end to find out how (but you might guess beforehand).
Though the beginning is slow-going, I feel the strongest story was of Hana and Sophie in 1940s Germany. Lots of those intense relationships and "tragically romantic" scenes. The Berlin part had its moments (who doesn't like punk?) but just ended, and its picked up thread doesn't make a huge impression. The COVID-19 account resonated the least with me. It was more of a vehicle to to get everything to to end up in the same place, and the characters seemed much less fleshed out.
So, you've got authoritarianism, a country split in two and a pandemic, sprinked in with light touches of LGBTIA+ themes, racism, and art. It's an interesting combination.
#NetGalley

"From New York Times-bestselling author Libba Bray comes an evocative and groundbreaking young adult historical mystery that examines truth, rebellion, reconciliation, and what must be sacrificed for a better world.

It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom's Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.

In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom's Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too - but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.

In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.

In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are in the first weeks of COVID lockdown and hating Zoom school, when an unexpected package from Chloe's grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom's Oak eighty years ago."

The hook is the disappearance for me.

This book is exhibits A-Z why I will ALWAYS read what Ms. Libba Bray writes. True to form, the writing in this was incredibly beautiful, but not enough so that’s it’s alienating for a casual reader. I loved the three timelines and the mystery of how they’re all connected. It’s interesting how the lessons from history are still so relevant in 2025. There are many ways to draw parallels between now and 1941 with the slow rise of fascism, limiting public information, and rewriting history. This book is very important and poignant and sad and beautiful.

Libba Bray masterfully weaves together three historical stories into a surreal novel with a poignant message for today’s generation. While reading this novel between December 2024 and January 2025, there were several moments when I considered taking a break for my own mental health. However, I persevered and ultimately loved the book, thanks to the hope the author managed to infuse into the narrative despite the heavy reality of the characters’ lives.

Three interwoven stories set in 1941 (Germany), 1980 (Berlin), and 2020 (NYC) along with a fairy tale. I probably liked the Berlin story the best because it felt the freshest to me. Overall this was an ambitious, long novel that some will love but it was just okay to me.

DNF. I like the *idea* here. But a few chapters in, I could already feel my brain melting because of how much the book was trying to do. So many characters to remember, and as soon as I get used to one set, I’m jerked away to the next few! This just feels clumsily put together, and would have been more impactful with a more narrow focus.

Did not really work for me in the way I expected. I think that I went into this novel with way too hgh of expectations. The covid narrative felt forced and didn't really function with the author's bigger intention with the text. I felt most invested in Jenny's narrative. I enjoyed the author's prupose to encourage social change and activism.

Under the Same Stars follows 3 characters in 3 different time periods: WW2 in Germany, West Berlin, and 2020 in America. The story was engaging, I wanted to see what became of the characters and how the story unraveled. I liked the characters and how the perspectives allowed you to get to know all of them.

The writing itself was good, however I thought the writing about the teenagers in 2020 was a bit stereotypical if not trite and honestly cringy.

I would recommend to any one who wants a captivating read but for sure not the best book Ive read in the WW 2 realm.

I’m a long-time fan of Libba Bray’s work, of the way she’s able to shift between fantasy and historical fiction, incisive cultural and societal commentary and truly hilarious comedy, gorgeous romance and thrilling action. When I saw a promo for her new YA novel Under the Same Stars, I requested it without even reading the synopsis. It was the right decision.

Under the Same Stars is historical fiction that weaves between three time periods, three protagonists. First is Sophie, a teenager in 1940s Germany. Sophie and her best friend Hanna are more focused on love and friendship than on the war that increasingly encroaches on their village. They write romantic letters to mysterious pen pals, leaving their notes in the Bridegroom’s Oak that lies in the nearby forest, checking back frequently for responses. Soon, though, they are unable to deny the threats among them and have to decide how they will react to the injustice they see.

The second story takes place in West Germany in 1980. The Berlin Wall runs through the city where Jenny Campbell and her family move because of her father’s promotion. Jenny hasn’t been satisfied with herself or her life for a while, but this major change opens up possibilities for her as she happens upon the underground punk scene and, in particular, Lena, who seems to embody all that Jenny wants for herself. As Jenny is drawn into Lena’s world—and drawn to Lena herself—she struggles with the expectations of her parents, her vision for herself, and the demands of her new friends in the face of the wall that looms over them all.

Finally, there’s Miles in New York City, at the beginning of the COVID lockdown, during Miles’s senior year of high school. Miles is living alone—one of his mothers was traveling when the lockdown happened, and the other is a nurse who is self-isolating to keep Miles safe. Miles is even more lonely because he and his best friend Chloe hadn’t talked for months, and now the lockdown makes it seem as if they’ll never talk again…until she reaches out for her help unraveling a mystery.

Chloe’s grandmother suffered from a stroke and is now in an assisted living home, unable to communicate. But she sent a mysterious package to Chloe with details about her youth in Germany. Miles has taken three years of Germany and, like Chloe, is a huge fan of an investigative podcast, which has inspired Chloe to look into her grandmother’s history . . . with Miles’s help.

From here, Bray orchestrates a gorgeous balancing act, one that navigates each teenager’s coming of age, the upheaval of their unique eras, and the decisions they must make for who they want to be in the changing worlds around them.

Because there’s always just a little magic in Bray’s books, there’s also a beautiful fairytale that is told and re-told through the novel, transforming as truths emerge and come into focus.

Under the Same Stars is a stunning novel that shows, through these characters, how important it has always been to stand up for what is right and to take hold of who they truly are.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free arc!

The three historical timelines that Libba Bray chose to weave together around the theme of resistance are really interesting: Germany during WWII, West Berlin in the 80s with the punk rock scene, and 2020 during the pandemic in Brooklyn, NYC. It is intriguing to learn as the story unfolds, how the characters interrelate to each other. There is a fairytale element woven throughout the book that evolves as more information is uncovered.

The writing in this book is a bit uneven. Many parts of it are well-written and at times, gripping. However, there are sections that almost feel as if they are written by another author and not as strong. At 480 pages, I think that some editing could have been done to whittle down some of the weaker parts.

If you enjoy historical fiction books with three different storylines that converge at the end, you will enjoy this book.

LIBBA BRAY FOREVER!

I chuckled when I learned that 1/3 of the story occurs during Covid lockdown because Libba Bray's THE DIVINERS series helped me get through lockdown while living in China. It's been five long years since Bray's last book came out and I was so excited to be approved for her latest, UNDER THE SAME STARS, which is quite different from her previous work. For one, there's no fantasy element, though there is a fair bit of whimsy and fairy tale love involving a special tree in one part of the story called The Bridegroom Oak. Second, this story is split into three different timelines: Germany during the first part of WWII, West Berlin during the late '80s while the Berlin Wall was still up, and New York 2020 during Covid lockdown. The stories intertwine, of course, and there's a suspenseful mystery at the center of all of them.

I really liked the book overall, but I gotta say that two of the three timelines were much more enjoyable to read than the last. Bray excels at writing about history and making us feel like we're experiencing it through her characters, and that's why the timelines in WWII and the 1980s were better overall than the Covid timeline, though I did like how everything got wrapped up in the end. Part of this is because the characters--Sophie and Hanna in Kleinwald 1941 and Dallas and Lena in 1980s Berlin--were just so great, and I didn't want to leave them at the end of the book. Miles and Chloe were also lovely, and I LOVED the Zoom prom, but I didn't find MIles' character journey to be more authentic and politically involved to be all that, well, authentic. I don't know if it's because I'm around teenagers all the time and talk to them about politics regularly, but all the conversations Miles had with other characters, as well as his reflections, about getting more involved in activism felt kinda cringe and cloying. When the timelines switched to 2020 I found myself getting a little bummed out even though we learned more about the central mystery during those portions. Perhaps I'll re-read UNDER THE SAME STARS in ten or so years when Covid is a little farther down the historical timeline and feel differently.

The Covid timeline aside, I think every historical fiction lover out there will adore UNDER THE SAME STARS. Get it for Sophie, Hanna, Dallas, and Lena. I'm sure you'll stay up until 3 in the morning like I did to find out what happens to them at the end of the story.

Major thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan's Children Publishing for the ARC of this rad Libba Bray book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel flips between 3 time periods.
1940’s Germany: WWII. Teen girlfriends, Sophie and Hannah, go from day dreaming of boys to witnessing friends go to war and neighbors just disappearing. Difficult times put these girls in a position to help the resistance but it will mean risking their lives.

1980’s Germany: Jenny’s dad is transferred from the US to West Berlin. Jenny makes two new friends both with secrets that change her forever.

2020 NYC: COVID lockdown for friends Chloe and Miles. Chloe’s grandma sends a package that leads them on a mystery solving mission.

Interesting story intertwined between the years. I really found the 1980’s Germany story interesting. The East/West Berlin and the Wall. I haven’t found much in historical fiction about that era so I found it quite engaging.

I love Libba Bray’s fantasy books, but this one just fell flat for me. It took too long to get into the character and then when I did, it switched points of view. Promising but not delivering.

Sophie lives in 1940s Germany and truly believes in the Bridegroom’s Oak. She has been writing to a mysterious suitor and hopes he will be her true love. With the war escalating around her, this oak may be what the resistance needs. Jenny has recently moved to West Germany in the 1980s. She strikes out against her parents when she befriends a punk-rock girl and an old lady in her building. Miles and Chloe are in 2020 NYC during the COVID outbreak. After Chloe gets a package from her grandmother, she begins to investigate two teens who went missing near the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago. How are all these teens connected?

Under the Same Stars is a stand-alone historical fiction story that does a lot of bouncing around yet it eventually all comes together. Readers will need to make sure they pay attention to the beginning of each chapter to know who and when the story is about. Bray did a wonderful job of connecting these lives across decades and writing a story that will stand the test of time. Under the Same Stars is a good read for all historical fiction fans.

In the 1940s, two German girls meet at an oak tree, first to use the tree's magic to find a boyfriend and later as part of the Nazi resistance. In the 1980s, an American girl spending the summer in West Germany joins the punk scene. In 2020, a boy living alone in New York City during the pandemic spends his time unraveling a decades old mystery of two girls who went missing back in 1940s Germany.

Every single one of Libba Bray's books has been so different, and yet her writing always draws me in, and this was no exception. It took me a while to see the connection to the 1980s era, but once the connections started they didn't stop. There were several love stories woven in here, touching on some friendships that moved into love as well as one of coming out, but the stories are less about romance than about the lengths someone in love might go, especially in times of war and oppression. There were solid parallels between World War II, the Cold War, and current political factions in America. I don't think I can say which era I enjoyed the most. Overall this was a moving read that had me close to tears several times, and of the five books I was reading at the time, this was the one I looked most forward to returning to.

Libra Bray’s beautiful language is in full effect in her newest book Under the Same Stars. My favorite perspective was Jenny in 1980s West Germany, and was one I kept waiting to come up. I can see students loving this book, and will be adding this book to my classroom library.

The lines between 1941 in Germany, 1980 also in Germany (specifically West Berlin), and 2020 in New York City are not obvious at first, as we learn about teenagers Sophie, Jennifer, and Miles. As with Alan Gratz's Refugee, the chapters for each are interwoven, with incredible reveals along the way. Readers will discover even more connections than the characters do. The story telling is incredible, immersing the reader in each of these distinctive time periods and drawing the thread of standing up for what is right through all of them. This is the book we need heading into 2025, with the soundtrack of David Bowie's Heroes playing in the background. Highly recommended for grades 9 & up.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. Three timelines that very slowly come together. Not sure we are ready for, or have the distance yet from the 2020 timeline, but the parallels with the other two timelines worked. The fantasy part, with the tree and animals, that story took the longest to connect with.