Blog Tour Close: The Sound of Shooting Stars by Heather Allen

Today brings to a conclusion the very successful blog tour for The Sound of Shooting Stars by Heather Allen!  

Thank you so much to all the wonderful blogs that participated, reviewed, promoted and generally supported this gorgeous story.  We hope that you enjoyed being part of the tour as much as we enjoyed having you.

Read on for Tami's review and make sure you enter the giveaway while you've still got the chance!

Title: The Sound of Shooting Stars

Author:  Heather Allen

Genre:  Contemporary YA

Publication Date:  11 November 2013

Event organized by:  Into the Night Reviews

Jamie Grey grew up tossed around between foster homes. At an early age he shut the world out, deciding he wouldn’t care. Whatever life had to throw at him, he would look the other way. Now his senior year is about to start and he’s been forced into yet another new home. This will be the last time, he assures himself. When an unexpected curveball comes his way in the form of a certain stubborn seventeen year old girl, Jamie soon finds out that life doesn’t always work out the way you plan it.

Beckett Chase has been entitled her entire life. Living in the plush landscape of Palm Beach, Florida, she’s never wanted for anything. She’s always taken what and who she wants with no remorse. When she sets her sights on Jamie Grey and she’s met with rejection, her descent from the top begins.

With a twist of events causing Jamie and Beckett’s worlds to collide, will they be able to put aside their differences or will fate intervene offering an entirely different option?

I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this story, so had the opportunity to develop a really strong connection with the characters and perhaps even understand a little more about them than the average reader.

Jamie was a firm favorite for me.  Despite his challenging upbringing he still managed to retain a sense of optimism.  He struggled with connecting with people and really, who could blame him given the life experiences he had, and yet there was definitely something about him that made me want to get to know him better.

Beckett Chase was your typical “high school beauty queen” ... although there was the ‘real’ side to her that actually challenged all the requirements of that role.  Early in the story I couldn’t stand her and I wondered if she was ever going to be able to redeem herself.  As the story unfolds there is a lot to learn about Beckett, her choices and her past that help you to understand who she is much better.

The story is told from both Jamie and Beckett’s point of view.  I really like seeing two sides to the story, it broadens your perspective and helps to understand what is happening for the various characters.  While there was also a really strong cast of other characters in the story, the focus is definitely Jamie and Beckett and I liked that that was the case.  I felt immersed in their lives and not distracted by potential side stories.

For me The Sound of Shooting Stars was a sweet, teenage romance with just enough high school drama to make it interesting.  It wasn’t straight forward, so the twists were unpredictable and added to my engagement with the story and characters.  I loved that way it all came together at the end - it left me feeling satisfied that all the characters got what they deserved and I felt like the time I’d spent reading was a good investment.  I’ve read Heather’s other books and have to say that I think this one is my favorite so far!

4 out of 5 stars

Heather Allen is the author of The Just Breathe Trilogy, and newly released- The Sound of Shooting Stars. Heather finally realized her dream of becoming an author only recently with her mermaid trilogy. She savors every moment on this new journey and the wonderful friends she has met along the way. She has many more books planned. More ideas pop up than she has time to write about.

Heather currently resides in the scorching hot state of Florida with her husband and three children. She holds degrees in education from The University of Central Florida and Nova Southeastern University. She is a hopeless romantic who loves to read just about anything, coffee and Jelly Belly jellybeans. When she isn’t teaching, writing or reading, Heather can be found at the beach or out on the water boating. 

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Heather is offering an amazing Giveaway in conjunction with the blog tour!  

Prizes include ebooks & paperbacks by Tiffany King, Carol Kunz, Rachel Wade, Misty Provencher, Heather Dencker, Heather Allen and Heather Gunter as well as tickets to Indie Girl Con in February 2014 and a gift card.

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