I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A coming of age novel wherein the protagonist, Hattie, loses a close friend right before receiving a life-changing diagnosis.

Hattie’s dealing with a lot: her dad’s blindness, her own inherited eye disease, the loss of a close friend. But when Mason’s ghost appears to her, he forces her to look at life differently.

Beautifully written.

"Never Seen the Stars" by Kate Korsh was just what the doctor ordered! I was in a reading slump, with nothing grabbing my attention, but this one sure did!

Thank you to NetGalley, Korsh, and Scholastic for the e-ARC of Never Seen the Stars.

This novel follows Hattie as she navigates her grief; she's dealt with a few blows that set her life off-kilter, and we follow her journey as she figures out how to communicate her inner-most feelings, while also listening to those around her. After being faced with her own emotions (and figuring out how she really feels), she then has to figure out how to communicate with her close friends and family.

In the process, Hattie feels like she's destroying her relationships, but I found that to be realistic and important for teenagers to see that grief isn't clean or linear, but rather a unique experience for each person. The writing of canon events in high school (scorched romances, new friendships, and family roller coasters) was done well, too, keeping in mind where Hattie started, and where she eventually ends up. Korsh writes Hattie as a relatable narrator and her friends as dynamic extensions with their own grief and approaches for how to communicate/be after a loss.

I love when authors write about what is familiar to them, and reading the "about the author" blurb showed why the writing of Hattie's genetic eye disease was so intimate and realistic. Having the protagonist be diagnosed with a disease that is familial and she needs to grapple with is realistic for students (and all readers) and lessens the isolation.

Overall, I enjoyed Never Seen the Stars and thought it was a relatable read for mature high school students.