We Are All Constellations

by Amy Beashel

Overview

A heartbreaking and hope-filled tale about the stories we tell ourselves to survive for fans of Kathleen Glasgow and Jennifer Niven. From the author of the Carnegie Medal nominated The Sky is Mine.

You are strong. You are brave. You are not alone.

Seventeen-year-old Iris is happy. She's fearless, she's strong. She is everything but a girl who lost her mum.

But Iris's dad and step-mum have been keeping a secret. One big enough to unravel her. Only the magnetic Órla can provide an escape, until things get...complicated. As Iris questions who she is, it becomes clear she can't run away from grief.

What happens when someone who has never faced up to the darkness lets it in?

'This poignant YA story of long-frozen grief and gradual self-discovery is slyly funny, romantic and filled with unlikely beauty.' Guardian

‘This beautiful book will floor you and deserves to be on every shelf, everywhere.’ Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces

‘I am in complete and utter love with everything Amy Beashel writes, but this one may just be my favourite.’ Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780861540662
Publisher:	Oneworld Publications
Publication date:	10/06/2022
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Amy Beashel lives in Shropshire with her husband and two kids. Her debut novel The Sky is Mine was nominated for a CILIP Carnegie Medal 2021, longlisted for the Branford Boase Award 2021 and shortlisted for the Bristol Teen Book Award 2020. Incidentally, she is also the fastest woman in the world on a space hopper.

Editorial Reviews

'An incredibly beautiful and moving book, as full of twists and turns as it is heart and compassion.’ Kate Weston, author of Diary of a Confused Feminist

‘Amy Beashel’s second novel, We Are All Constellations, echoes the emotional authenticity of her first... This is a book about mental illness without being anything as reductive as an “issue book”: it is both insightful and compulsively readable.’ Irish Times

'This poignant, beautifully written story, with a queer love story at its centre, is about living life to the fullest and how facing painful truths can set you free.' Bookseller

‘A brilliantly insightful, heartbreakingly lyrical book... Amy Beashel is a shining constellation of stars and I will look out for whatever she writes in the future.’ Armadillo Magazine

‘A story exploring friendship, grief, sexuality, love, and family. A heart-wrenching read that will stay with you long after you have finished it.’ School Librarian

From the Publisher

'This poignant YA story of long-frozen grief and gradual self-discovery is slyly funny, romantic and filled with unlikely beauty.'

Guardian

‘A story exploring friendship, grief, sexuality, love, and family. A heart-wrenching read that will stay with you long after you have finished it.'

School Librarian

‘I am in complete and utter love with everything Amy Beashel writes, but this one may just be my favourite.’

Jennifer Niven

‘Amy Beashel’s second novel, We Are All Constellations, echoes the emotional authenticity of her first... This is a book about mental illness without being anything as reductive as an “issue book”: it is both insightful and compulsively readable.’

Irish Times

'This poignant, beautifully written story, with a queer love story at its centre, is about living life to the fullest and how facing painful truths can set you free.'

Bookseller

‘A beautiful, nuanced and necessary book, handling difficult topics with great skill and without judgement.’

Gina Blaxill

‘Beashel brings emotion-packed metaphors to her sophomore novel. Through the eyes of its relatively small cast, she navigates sexuality, abuse, mental illness, and difficult family relationships with gentle and adept consideration. Characters are well-rounded, fleshed out with interests and motivations regardless of their scene count. Many readers will appreciate the book’s handling of a mental health crisis and an afterword that lists resources regarding issues that appear in the book.’

Booklist

‘Every single relationship in this book is exquisitely realised and written... Amy Beashel’s prose is incredible poetic and powerful... We Are All Constellations is a brilliantly insightful, heartbreakingly lyrical book. I have a new favourite contemporary YA writer. Amy Beashel is a shining constellation of stars and I will look out for whatever she writes in the future.’

Armadillo Magazine

'An incredibly beautiful and moving book, as full of twists and turns as it is heart and compassion.’

Kate Weston

'This poignant, beautifully written story, with a queer love story at its centre, is about living life to the fullest and how facing painful truths can set you free.'

The Bookseller

'This poignant YA story of long-frozen grief and gradual self-discovery is slyly funny, romantic and filled with unlikely beauty.'

The Guardian

‘Powered by the pain of grief and the joy of love, We Are All Constellations is a deeply compelling coming of age story that deals honestly and unflinchingly with the agonies of discovering your past may not be all that you believed. Amy Beashel's exquisite prose is full of heart and her characters will stay with you long after the final page. I loved it.’

Louisa Reid