Lies We Tell About the Stars

Gr 9 Up–Celeste has been best friends with Nicky forever. They’re basically family, and they share a birthday, so they might as well be twins. When a devastating earthquake hits their home, all Celeste can think about is finding him, especially given their recent fight. He’s gone. That’s all she knows. Their families fear the worst, and Celeste, along with her faithful diabetes alert dog Ursa, will stop at nothing to find him. In the process, Celeste discovers that despite how close they had been, Nicky had a lot of secrets. In the months that follow the earthquake, Celeste must figure out what life without her twin might look like, all while navigating her senior year of high school amid tragedy, grief, illness, and romance blossoming where she least expects it. Nadler’s writing is addictive: readers will be drawn in by the whirlwind of activity, mystery, and teenage drama. Though the on-the-page, consensual sexual encounters in some of the chapters may seem out of place at first, it serves as one of several reminders that life marches on, even when all feels lost. Nadler mixes this with a healthy dose of celestial science and space nerdery to create a book that readers won’t want to put down. Celeste is of Irish descent, and Nicky, who is LGBTQIA+, is implied to be of Italian descent. Celeste’s love interest is Latine. Other characters are diverse.