Love, Stargirl Review

Love, Stargirl Review
Author: Jerry Spinelli
My rating: 3/5 stars

Summary:

Love, Stargirl is the sequel/companion novel to Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The sequel follows the life of Stargirl after leaving Arizona. It's one long letter that Stargirl writes to Leo about her almost everyday life and her new friends in Pennsylvania. While Stargirl reflects on her time with Leo, whom she still has conflicting feelings for, she also has a new life in Pennsylvania with new people that impact her life in ways even Stargirl couldn't imagine.

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My thoughts:

To begin, I didn't even know there was another Stargirl book. I thought the first book ended with enough closure, but also with enough of an open end for the reader to make his/her own decisions. But, alas, a sequel has been written and published, and I could not help but read it.

Love, Stargirl just didn't touch me the same way Stargirl did. It's great that the audience gets to experience Stargirl's thoughts and life from her perspective, which make her more realistic; however, it lacks the wonderment of the first book, which is what originally enticed me the most. And since there was a lack of magic and wonderment, not much else carried me through it besides already being attached to the familiar story and characters and wanting to see it through.

One aspect that sort of bothered me is Stargirl's choice of friends. She ends up with an eclectic group of friends by the end of the novel, which makes sense because she attracts all types of people since she's also very "out there." But, the fact that she is best friends with a six-year-old boggles me. I guess since she's so different from everyone else, that's normal for her, but everyone else is okay with their friendship. When I befriended a girl in my neighborhood who was only a few years younger than me, I was met with concern from others. Not that I was a bad influence, but I was warned that my being older wouldn't be best for someone who was in a different "age group" than me at the time. Note: to keep this already long paragraph short, my feelings about Betty Lou are that I admire her as a character, but am still surprised that Stargirl also befriends someone so much older than her. Besides that, she spends time with a guy that would piss me off far more easily than he does her, and a hot-tempered girl that would anger and annoy me to no end. But, I guess Stargirl being Stargirl can handle all of that.

Characters and lack of wonderment aside, I enjoyed the book as much as a not-so-necessary sequel can be enjoyed. I was happy to spend a little more time with Stargirl, Cinnamon, Archie (my favorite), and also a bit of Leo. All in all, I was pleased with Love, Stargirl.

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Would I recommend Love, Stargirl?

My complicated answer is maybe. Yes, read it if you really enjoyed Stargirl since it's a sequel to it. However, if Stargirl was just okay to you, then maybe don't read it. But it's a short read, so it wouldn't be a huge waste of time either way. For me, I enjoyed it and am glad I read it. Again, this is a YA/middle-schooler-aged book, but I still appreciated it and I'm nearly nineteen!

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Resources:

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