A Book That Moved Me...and Totally Made Me Cry!

TITLE: As The Stars Fall
AUTHOR: Steve N. Lee
PUBLISHER: Blue Zoo
PUBLISHING DATE: August 25, 2020

FROM GOODREADS: 

When a young girl suffering with her own tragedy comes across an injured young dog, she can’t resist helping him. Both having braved the worst the world had to throw at them, the pair quickly form an unbreakable bond. They picture their future as an endless stream of adventures filled with love, laughter, and good times. 

But life has one last cruel trick to play… 

At one moment heart-warming, the next heart-breaking, this is the story of a desperate dog’s roller coaster journey to be the one thing every good dog dreams of being – a best friend. Through a touching tale, As The Stars Fall explores how compassion can make us whole again and friendship can heal even the most broken of hearts. 

For animal lovers, pet owners, and anyone who has ever had a four-legged best friend, especially those who enjoy dog stories and animal novels such as: 

• A Dog’s Purpose 
• The Art of Racing in the Rain 
• Marley and Me 
• The One and Only Ivan 

If you crave a story of love and loss, of compassion and belonging, of friendship that knows no bounds, you need to read As The Stars Fall.

MY THOUGHTS: Several months ago the author reached out to me to see if I would be interested in reading an upcoming release he had planned. He had clearly visited my blog as he even mentioned some reviews of other dog-centric books I've loved.  I said I'd be glad to and about two weeks ago, the digital copy arrived.  I knew it was probably going to be a tad difficult to read because face it, if you do a dog book well, there's bound to be some sadness.  However, knowing The Farm has totally embraced The Dog Days of Summer Reading Challenge, I dove right in.

I really don't want to talk a lot about the plot, because I feel that giving too much away would totally spoil the beauty of this book.  But I will say that the book is told from the dog's point of view.  The reader is taken on an adventure that spans Kai's puppyhood and on into adulthood.  We get to see Kai's struggles, confusion and joy.  And I say confusion because Kai spends quite a bit of time trying to figure human's out.  Kai is a wonderful dog and I have to admit, the bond he forms with his girl Mia is very comparable to the one I feel with my Boxer, Cassius.  As Kai moves on to learn about life, Mia is right by his side.  Lee knows how to capture that special human-canine bond without specific words, relay it to his readers.

Lee has done a great job of being inside a dog's mind.  I loved seeing Kai's perspective on things we humans see every day and take for granted.  Also, because we are seeing everything from Kai's POV, there are some things the reader isn't told up front.  Instead, Lee lets us figure out things much in the same way Kai has to.  This allows the reader to completely be wrapped up in Kai's world and feelings. 

So I guess you can tell I adored this book.  It's truly one I will cherish forever.  I rarely cry when reading but when I do, you know there is a dog involved.  I definitely need to seek out a physical copy of this book so it can proudly be displayed among all of my other favorite dog books.  If you love animals, this is definitely a book you want to add to your collection too!

RATING: 5 PAWS