Danielle Wong

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.


Swearing Off Stars is about a young American named Amelia, called Lia, in England to attend a semester of university in the 1920s. There she meets Scarlet, a beautiful aspiring actress and activist, who is part of a group pushing to allow women to actually matriculate and earn degrees. Lia joins the group, finding purpose in the gender equality group and finding love with Scarlet. However, Scarlet lives in fear of their homophobic society and of their relationship being discovered. Their relationship falters and Lia moves back to America, attempting to move on from Scarlet until she finds a letter in her father's study many years later that inspires her to seek Scarlet out and perhaps rekindle their love affair.

I wish there was more to the plot, but unfortunately that's pretty much it. Probably my biggest criticism is that Swearing Off Stars is too short. Far too short. I wanted to invest in these characters and once I realized that the book spanned decades I wanted to know far more than the story offered. Thirty years passes between the beginning of the story and the end, yet the characters seem to grow more flat and dull as the story progresses rather than richer and more vibrant. We learn the most about Scarlet and Lia as college students, but the years between their meetings are summed up in a few quick paragraphs. That was intensely frustrating for me as Danielle Wong is clearly not without talent but there just wasn't enough of the story to elevate it.

There's not much differentiating the narration of Scarlett and Lia, despite Lia being an American and Scarlett being British; both their internal and external voices sound alike. As the years wore on, I wanted their voices to become more distinct. Scarlet lived the life of a movie star and Lia was a journalist and, during WWII, a military medic. Their adult voices should have felt very distinct and distant from when they were naive university students. Scarlet's surprisingly short perspective chapters almost seem as if they're there to remind you that the their love is mutual. I'm not sure whether that works entirely.

One thing I liked quite a bit, but like everything else suffered from lack of development, was Lia's relationship with her boyfriend-turned-best-friend. He goes from being in love with her to a lifelong best friend that deeply cares for her and their relationship is sweet and steady.

As it is now, homophobia was a spectre hanging over the lives of the queer characters in the story. However, I found the characters' conitnued behaviour frustrating. Queer people have always existed and found ways to exist, yet Scarlet was unable to even attempt it. Back in New York, Lia maintains a long term relationship with another woman, even living with her. Scarlet's reticence felt less related to the sword of homophobic Damocles than to her own issues, but this was not fleshed out at all. It stood out for me because Lia and Scarlet seemed to live lives completely separate from any sort of queer community or connection as well as being met with acceptance from almost all who find out about their lesbianism.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Swearing Off Stars as queer historical novels aren't nearly as popular as contemporary ones and because Danielle Wong clearly has talent, but it was just too short, lacking the depth of character that I need to get really connected to a story.… (plus d'informations)

i'm a bit stunned that this made it through editors in this form. there is a solid (although not particularly interesting and definitely not unique) story at the foundation, underneath all of it, but it's inconsistent, entirely ludicrous in terms of believability of said story, is emotionally manipulative (to no avail since the characters weren't properly developed and their story isn't believable), and just so poorly written. it deals with important issues of women's rights through the decades, but it's never really parsed out or focused on the way it should be. the love story should be a backdrop to this main story of fighting for rights, but instead there are just bits thrown in here and there, none of which is coherent or consistent or makes a full story. (incidentally the same thing is true for the love story, even though it's supposed to be the focus.) nothing is developed well, let alone completely, from the characters to the setting to the actual story itself. speaking of setting - what in the world? why take this book from oxford/london to new york to connecticut to hong kong to the bahamas? there is literally no reason for any of it. no story/writing decision backs up what the author is doing at any point and it reads as if she did no research at all into the various times and places she set the book. nothing - literally nothing - is developed, from the characters to the story to the locales. this is held together with an idea and nothing more.

the only good thing i can say about this book is that it is a quick and easy read, so it's not something i had to spend time slogging through. (also that it wouldn't be damaging or dangerous for an unsuspecting reader to pick up, in terms of its messaging.) it's bad (honestly, quite awful) but in a breezy way, so it's painful for the sake of literature, but not in the way that dense books slow a reader down. other than that positive aspect of it, i couldn't have liked it less.… (plus d'informations)

*SPOILER AHEAD*

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review!

Swearing Off Stars was the love story of two girls, Amelia and Scarlett.

The novel made me laugh, cry, grin like a fool and fall in love. In short, it did everything an awesome novel is supposed to do.

I loved that Amelia was so insistent about making it work out and hated that Scarlett didn't even have the guts to try!

The author's writing style and descriptions were just beautiful. I had a lot of fun reading this book!

The only negative thing about this book was it's ending. I'm not the kind of reader who always wants a happy ending, but I feel that Lia and Scarlett DESERVED a happy ending. They'd gone through so much and finally united and then bam! Everything's just gone! :(

I wish the ending had been different, but other than that, I absolutely loved Swearing Off Stars!… (plus d'informations)