A Sky Full of Stars

It’s no secret that Dani Atkins is the ultimate queen of emotional fiction, capturing all of those moments in life which alter or change us in some catastrophic way. From birth to death, Atkins is able to pick apart the most sensitive and heart-breaking subjects in a beautiful manner, in order to deliver to her readers a novel so astutely aware of emotions, it’s impossible not to succumb to the tidal wave of feelings that will no doubt drown you.Dani Atkins’ latest novel is no different, and falls exactly into the above category. A Sky Full of Stars bubbles over with heartache, pain, grief and loss, and it will surely smack you right in the gut with the sheer depths in which Atkins dives in order to capture the feelings felt by Alex, in such a profound and incredibly tender way. I’d be lying if I told you I’d got to the end of this novel without crying once. In fact, I found myself crying at numerous moments through the book, because it was just so rich with the sheer power of human emotion. It got to me, and not only the moments of despair, but the fleeting moments of happiness that were peppered throughout, too.A Sky Full of Stars by Dani Atkins follows the lives of Alex and his young son Connor, and Molly, a primary school teacher. Written in alternating narratives, readers are able to slip and slide between these two separate lives, the realisation of knowing they are going to intertwine at some point ever-present, just on the periphery. Having recently lost his wife to a sudden tragedy, Alex and Connor are still in the very early stages of grief. Molly, recently the recipient of a new heart, is trying to figure out how to come back from thinking yourself as good as gone. I adore how Atkins never shies away from the raw and sometimes shocking complexities of real human life in her novels. She writes in such a way that truly opens your eyes to life and how different it is for people all over the world. The situation in which Alex and Molly come to know each other is out of this world, yet I couldn’t seem to tear my eyes away from the page once the realisation of their circumstances dawned on me. Not realising that his wife, Lisa, had signed up to be an organ donor, Molly becomes the woman who receives Lisa’s heart in order to save her own life. I mean, before the story even really got into its stride, that was already enough to set the tears off.‘Had she felt it then, the moment when the sand in the hour-glass had started to trickle out?’As I look back through my highlights in the novel, I can genuinely feel my stomach tighten when I skim over certain passages. Atkins explores the bond between father and son so perfectly. She highlights the tricky moments in which Alex feels lost and unsure of how to help his own son, and I can only imagine how hard of a position this would be. It’s clear that Connor shared such a special bond with his mother, and Atkins portrays Alex’s fear of not being able to fill his wife’s shoes in such a vivid way. It all made for tear-jerking reading. My heart ached for the man who suddenly was so out of his depth, when just months before, he and his wife had been an incredible team together. It was impossible not to feel for Alex, to want to reach into the pages and comfort him, tell him that it would all be okay, in time. The terror of suddenly being a single parent floods the chapters dedicated to Alex, and it absolutely broke my heart, again and again. I could only hope that with the love and support from his family and friends, Alex would eventually begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel.Molly’s story was equally as moving, and again, I found myself reading the words through blurred, teary vision. After a virus leaves Molly’s heart failing, it’s only a matter of time before her own clock runs out. It is only down to the death of Alex’s wife that Molly is given the incredible chance to continue her life on earth. Once able to, Molly and Alex become close friends via letters they write to each other, and it’s impossible not to pick up on the subtle hints of something more than just friendship developing. But of course for Alex, he is forever wondering whether it’s Molly that he is attracted to, or whether it’s his wife’s heart that Molly now holds. What I loved about this was that I was never quite sure of where this would lead. I couldn’t be 100% certain that what I was feeling was correct, but this uncertainty was actually very enjoyable and made my curiosity towards the plot stronger.Watching the friendship between not only Molly and Alex, but Molly and Mac, another donor recipient, develop, was utterly addictive. I couldn’t put this book down and found myself racing through the pages, eager to see where the numerous lives within this book would end up. It was magical, in a way that had me spellbound throughout, and my heart entirely wrapped up in the circumstances of these characters. I wanted nothing more than a happy ending for each of them, Jamie and Barbara included. They all felt so very real to me, and it didn’t take me long at all to begin to think of them as real people who I genuinely cared about. Atkins delivers to her readers the absolute truth of life in her latest novel, and that is that no matter how much pain or loss we may experience, life will go on, and it will become good again. Perhaps not the same, but good, nonetheless. With the help of family and friends, it is possible to learn to live and love again.Needless to say, A Sky Full of Stars by Dani Atkins was a bold, robust and incredibly moving novel, one which I am sure I will recall for a long time to come. Emotion drenched every chapter, the characters leapt and danced amongst the pages, and I really cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who loves being welcomed into a story as if you’ve met these characters before. Thank you, Dani Atkins, for writing such a gorgeous story. To think of it makes my heart beat a little bit faster, and that in turn only makes me think of Molly.

Told from the dual perspectives of Alex and Molly, A Sky Full of Stars is a heartbreaking story of a family ripped to pieces when the mother, Lisa, an astronomer, suddenly dies. Heartbroken husband Alex is left a single father to young son Connor, who can’t accept that his mother has gone forever and still believes that she is coming back for him. Lisa made him a promise that sadly she was never able to keep.Molly is one of four people who come into Alex and Connor’s lives following Lisa’s death and each one has an impact on Alex and Connor and indeed, on each other. Four strangers who in normal circumstances wouldn’t have met have their lives changed and they must each learn to find a new way forward.It is such a difficult and sad situation and against advice, Alex gets rather more involved than perhaps is wise. He was struggling himself and at a loss to know what to do to help Connor. His brother Todd and his wife did their best to help but Connor was inconsolable and however improbable it may be, Alex was drawn to these four people feeling that there was a connection to Lisa.Any book by Dani Atkins is an emotional read and this was no exception. I couldn’t help but feel invested in these characters and I liked all of them, especially Molly, a primary school teacher. She was a fabulous character – engaging and funny. Aside from the emotional aspect, there are moments of drama – Atkins certainly puts her readers through the wringer!A Sky Full of Stars will tug at the heartstrings. It is written with warmth and sensitivity, dealing with grief and showing how friendships can be forged in the most challenging of circumstances. The characters are wonderfully drawn and feel authentic. I loved the relationship between Alex and his brother Todd, there was real brotherly love although Todd wasn’t afraid to dish out some home truths to Alex. It wasn’t all sadness and there were plenty of humorous moments too which is why I love this author’s books – there is always light and shade.I enjoyed this so much. The story didn’t pan out quite the way I had expected however I was sad to leave these characters behind at the end.

Would recommend this book it was great reading I couldn’t put it downGreat for a book club read

Heartbreaking, funny and poignant all at the same time. Five people brought together in exceptional circumstances, their stories becoming entwined. I laughed and cried, and was sorry when it ended.

I am never, ever let down by this author, which is why this is the 6th of hers I've read and it will not be the last. And every one has me sobbing...either at the end or at a random little sentence she writes. However, I am pretty sure this one "got" me the most so far ! I am sensible enough to be well aware not to read them in public any longer after a quick repair job I needed to do after reading one on a lunch break at work, to fix the black mascara trails down my face-it wasn't pretty. So I've never made that particular mistake again. So be warned......Though, saying this, her stories are just superb and her characters are lovely and people you are cheering along. The premise of this was a really interesting one as well.....and quite fascinating. I made a note at 35% in as to where I wanted it to go and I got the ending I wanted, which greatly pleased me. Then a little further on I was sobbing on one page yet a couple of pages later something Maisie said made me laugh aloud, whereupon I made a note that that is the mark of a great writer.I spotted a few errors, some missed hyphens, a dropped apostrophe and one word missed from a sentence, then she wrote detectible and not detectable but that was all I noticed that was wrong. This version has a beautiful cover as well.So, if you've never read one of this author's books and you have a heart, do give her a go. You can thank me later.