Review: Star Bright by Anne Richmond Wakefield

Star Bright by Anne Richmond Wakefield
Release Date: July 26, 2018
Purchase: Amazon

Seventeen-year-old Bright runs to stay alive. Her dad left before she was born, her mom died of cancer, and she’s spent years trying to numb her pain. She’s on the road to recovery when she decides to run an ultra-relay race in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It doesn’t hurt that Levi, gorgeous and nineteen, is on her team.


One terrible decision during the race changes everything. Soon, Bright must call upon strength she’s not sure she has and decide she is worth fighting for. To survive the wilds of the Blue Ridge, she’ll have to rely on the one person she's spent her entire life battling: herself.

My Thoughts:
This story was so much more than I was expecting.  I knew going in that it was a thriller and that always speaks to me, but what I didn't know was how emotional Bright's story would be.

Star Bright is labeled as a thriller, but it is so much more than that.  The main character Bright hasn't had an easy life and from the beginning the story pulls you into her life and its ups but mostly downs.  I felt connected to her from the get go and I just wanted to know all the why's and how's of Bright's life.  I think the way the author used her counseling sessions really helped the reader see into Bright more so than most characters.  We get to see her answer tough questions and we get to see a lot of backstory that explains why she is the way she is.  I really enjoyed these parts of the story because I felt like I could understand Bright in so many ways. 

My favorite part though was the thriller element.  Wakefield manages to completely capture the creepy vibe with her descriptions.  One of my favorites was "She sounded like a horror-movie doll come to life."  I mean CHILLS!  This is just one example, believe me there are many, many more crazy descriptions that will stay with me for a very long time.  I won't say more because you definitely need to read this and I refuse to give spoilers.  I'll just say I did not see that twist coming and it was amazing!

This story is something that I have been looking for, but didn't even know it.  Wakefield's voice is fresh and something I think is desperately needed on those YA shelves.  Brilliant debut!

5 snowflakes