Under the Same Stars

By Libba Bray

Instant New York Times Bestseller - A USA Today Bestseller - An Indie Bestseller - A Good Morning America Book Club Pick

"Under the Same Stars will leave you shattered and wildly hopeful." --E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars and Genuine Fraud

"Stirring and absolutely unforgettable" --Samira Ahmed, New York Times-bestselling author of Internment and Hollow Fires

"Full of banter, romance, humor and a little bit of magic" --Gayle Forman, author of Not Nothing and After Life

From New York Times-bestselling and Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray comes a propulsive historical mystery that examines truth, rebellion, reconciliation, and what must be sacrificed for a better world.

It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom's Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.

In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom's Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too--but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.

In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.

In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are slogging through the last few months of senior year when an unexpected package from Chloe's grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom's Oak eighty years ago.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0374388946
• ISBN13: 9780374388942
• Release Date: February 2025
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.6" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Be the spark to start the fire!

Everyone lives under the same stars and everyone has the right to love and freedom of choice! Unfortunately there are people who would deny others those rights. And that is when you need to step up and light the match to bring about change. That is what this wonderful book is about! Told from three viewpoints at three pivotal times (World War 2, the Berlin Wall, and during the pandemic), Sophie, Jenny, and Miles learn that they can be that spark and even though it might be hard, even to costing everything, it is so vitally important to stand, even when others are just going with the flow. There are so many emotions and feels, danger, love, sacrifice, secrets, betrayal, that this story just flows along nonstop! This book has a great story, woven and connecting the three times and I loved it all, feeling the desperation in getting forgeries made to save the children, making music to defy the wall and all it stands for, and making sure justice is found for the ones trampled on and forgotten. Such a good message! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this amazing message of a story!