Review: The Stars Are on Our Side | Jennifer Hartmann #NewRelease

 The Stars Are on Our Side by Jennifer Hartmann is now live...

Tabitha Brighton's name made national headlines when she was kidnapped by the infamous serial killer known as the Matchmaker. She was also known for something else: being the only victim he ever willingly released.

Now, two years later, she's ready to tell her story.

Through a series of interviews with a local writer, single mother Tabitha relives every harrowing detail of her trauma, haunted by the memory of the man she was held captive with and ultimately lost. As she confronts her demons, she finds solace in Gabe--the new man in her life who will do whatever it takes to prevent her from slipping back into the shadows.

But Gabe has his own troubled past that threatens to unravel their fragile connection. And just when Tabitha begins to believe in the possibility of new love and a fresh start, her world is turned upside down once again.

Gabe always tells her not to look down, to keep flying. But even stars fall...

And no one ever talks about the crash.

** The Stars Are on Our Side is an interconnected standalone in the world of Still Beating and Lotus, featuring fan-favorite characters Tabitha and Gabe. It is HIGHLY recommended that you read both Still Beating and Lotus prior to reading this book for the most effective reading experience.

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I'm not sure what I can say to convey how soul destroying, yet life affirming, The Stars Are on Our Side is. Tabitha and Gage practically leapt off the page and left me feeling certain that if I traveled to Marengo, Illinois I would find them there, living their lives. And there were many times I felt the need to find them and check on them, and tell them it would be okay. Because for quite a while, they were decidedly not okay.

She's lost in her own war. I'd like to think I'm a part of that war, but I can't allow myself to mull it over for too long. I laid down my sword five months ago when the girl I was helplessly falling for surrendered to her dark past.

Tabitha was one of only three survivors of the serial killer called the Matchmaker - and the only one he ever willingly released. It's been two years since that horrific experience and Tabitha has not been able to move on. She pastes on a smile for her small circle of friends, but in so many ways she is still in that dingy basement, chained to a pole, terrified of the man whose heavy boots stomped down each step.

I'm certain one can find dignity in most things, but there is no dignity in unrequited love. It's fucking painful.

Gabe was there to support Tabitha from the start- as a friend, even though he wanted so much more. Desperate to see her through the trauma, he could feel her slipping away, her past pulling her back day by day. At the same time, Gabe's own troubled past came to call, threatening not only his future but Tabitha's, as well.

I'll take your leftover pieces. I'll cherish those pieces. And I'll spend my whole damn life doing everything in my power to make your heart whole again.

Switching between present and the past, as Tabitha recounts her time as a captive two years prior, The Stars Are on Our Side was dark, harrowing, gritty. and at times almost too much for my squishy heart to handle. But it was also filled with bravery, resilience, devotion and love. Gabe was there to fight for Tabitha with every step she took on the road back from her hellish past, but there came a point where Tabitha fought for Gabe just as hard. Their journey was not an easy one, but it made the outcome all the more rewarding.

That's what love is. It's finding that perfectly imperfect person that complements your heart, that brightens your shadows, that sees your broken, mismatched parts and wants to spend the rest of their life piecing them into place. And even if those pieces never fully fit, they love you anyway.

Jennifer Hartmann has created such special characters and they endure the unimaginable. But they also triumph over their circumstances and prove themselves so deserving of their hard-fought happiness. The Stars Are on Our Side is a story that I will think about again and again, remembering these characters, their struggles, and their ultimate triumphs. Powerful, emotional, and unforgettable. 4.5★

Content warning (highlight to view): rape and assault, kidnapping, forced sexual encounters, violence and mild gore, on-page character death

Meet Jennifer Hartmann

Jennifer Hartmann resides in northern Illinois with her own personal romance hero and three children. When she is not writing angsty love stories, she is likely pondering all the ways she can break your heart and piece it back together again. She enjoys sunsets (because mornings are hard), bike riding, traveling, bingeing Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and that time of day when coffee gets replaced by wine. She loves tacos. She also really, really wants to pet your dog.

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