Review: The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum

Hey, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I have a book review for The Weight of the Stars. I read this book a while ago, but I haven’t able to write down a coherent review with my thoughts on it. I finally managed to put my thoughts down, so here it is!

Title: The Weight of the Stars
Author: K. Ancrum
Genre: Science Fiction, Contemporary, Young Adult
Series: None
Page Count: 384

Synopsis: “Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn’t an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the wrong side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends.

One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann’s offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the two misfits are brought together despite themselves—and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria’s mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system.

Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And its up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more . . .

In K. Ancrum’s signature poetic style, this slow-burn romance will have you savoring every page.”

Content Warnings

underage drug and alcohol use, absent parents, parent death (off-page), child abandonment, bullying, physical violence, criminal activity, depression (mentioned)

(Full list on author’s website)

There are no spoilers in this review.

I don’t really know how to start this review, other than by saying that this book was absolutely incredible.

The Weight of the Stars follows Ryann Bird, a teenage girl who lives in a trailer park, caring for her brother and his one-year-old son. She dreams of traveling across space, but in her current circumstances, that’s only a far-flung fantasy. And then she meets Alexandria and learns that her mother took a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system. At first, Ryann and Alexandria’s relationship consists of flat-out hostility towards each other. But as the story progresses, Ryann has to help Alexandria, and the unexpected friendship that grows between them blossoms into something more.

“Diversity is a flower that blooms with greater beauty and greater strength each time it is cross-pollinated.”

First of all, I’d like to talk about the gorgeous cover. It’s so pretty! I love the sound waves and how they’re colored with the night sky. The design on the pages was very cool as well, how each page had part of it along the edge. I also loved the design for the last ten pages or so, it was really eye catching, even if it was only in black and white.

When I first started reading this, I didn’t particularly feel anything. I wasn’t really connecting with the characters and I didn’t know what the motives behind the characters were. I was also very confused about the chapter names and what the lengths of time meant. They’re explained on the Goodreads page, but I’m still not completely understanding it.

“The stars have weight,” […] “and my little life wasn’t heavy enough to outweigh your want of it.”

However, as the story progressed, I got into it more and was soon fully invested in these characters and their stories. All of the characters were done so well, with strengths and flaws, and I loved the family they created. There’s Ryann, our butch lesbian protagonist, who loves her friends and family with all her heart and would do anything to keep them safe; Alexandria, the new girl in town who’s been lonely her whole life, attempting to catch radio signals from her mother every single night; James, Ryann’s younger brother who stopped speaking after a trauma and who has a baby he is an amazing father to; Ahmed, Ryann’s best friend who is the Sikh son of three parents in a polyamorous relationship; Shannon, who is usually the popular girl but somehow fits in perfectly with this group; and Tomas and Blake, who I don’t remember much about (I’m sorry, I’m sorry) but they were very cool as well.

That ending. . . wow. I literally just sat there after I finished and did not know what to think. There were so many emotions packed into those last few pages, it all just hits you afterwards.

“Love is not about holding people who you want them. It is about doing what’s best for them because you need them to be ok.”

The Weight of the Stars is a beautiful novel, with amazing characters and a heartwarming and heartbreaking plot. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a coming of age story, with a little science fiction and romance.

My Rating: 4.5/5 dragons

Have you read The Weight of the Stars? Is it on your TBR?
Chat with me in the comments below!