Under Shifting Stars - by Alexandra Latos (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

This heartfelt novel for fans of Jandy Nelson and Adam Silvera follows twins Audrey and Clare as they grapple with their brother's death and their changing relationships--with each other and themselves.

Audrey's best friend was always her twin, Clare. But as they got older, they grew apart, and when their brother Adam died, Clare blamed Audrey for the accident. Now, Audrey's attending an alternative school where she feels more isolated than ever. Tired of being seen as different from her neurotypical peers, Audrey's determined to switch to the public high school, rebuild her friendship with Clare, and atone for Adam's death . . . but she'll need to convince her parents, and her therapist, first.

Clare knows her sister thinks she's the perfect twin, but Audrey doesn't realize that Clare's "popular" status is crumbling--she's begun to question old friendships, dress in Adam's clothes, and wonder what feelings for a nonbinary classmate, Taylor, might mean. As she grapples with not only grief but also her gender fluidity, Clare wonders where she'll belong if she sheds her carefully constructed image and embraces her true self.

Will first crushes, new family dynamics, and questions of identity prove that Audrey and Clare have grown too different to understand each other--or that they've needed each other all along?

Review Quotes

"A nuanced and perceptive exploration of family relationships and finding oneself in the face of suffering." - Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens starred selection
A Junior Library Guild Selection
★ "Latos does justice to the marginalized identities of her characters...creating character arcs that feel authentic and lovingly rendered."--Shelf Awareness, STARRED review

"Highly relatable... an accurate and gut-wrenching depiction of the uncertainty of growing up and finding oneself. "--Kirkus

"Highly recommended. Give this to readers who are looking for issues-based fiction and anyone who enjoys getting into a character's head."--School Library Journal

"A heartbreaking, complicated, hopeful story that explores the complex ways of existing--not only as teenagers, but as neurodiverse and gender nonconforming individuals--in a world that prizes normalcy. Highly recommended." --Canadian Review of Materials

"Sharply observed, laugh-out-loud funny, and entirely necessary; Under Shifting Stars shines like a supernova." --Ashley Little, author of Confessions of a Teenage Leper

"Luminous and lovely, heart-breaking and ultimately hopeful, this shimmering new novel explores how to be ourselves in a hard world." --Alice Kuipers, author of Life on the Refrigerator Door

"A gutting and exquisite portrait of resilience in the face of grief, Under Shifting Stars renders the complexities of life and love as twins struggle to find themselves and the connection they've lost. Audrey and Clare are achingly real with voices that are masterfully distinct. Suspended in melodic prose that had my heart aching to the very end, Latos renders hope in a novel that is unlike anything I've ever read." --Heather Ezell, author of Nothing Left to Burn

"Under Shifting Stars traces both the burgeoning assurance and the wonderous self-deception of two siblings. Clare and Audrey, twins but not-quite twins, are caught in that awkward traffic circle when teenagers go around and around, testing their dreams and unwrapping their potential.... a mesmerizing story." --Aritha van Herk, author and professor at the University of Calgary