I want to keep this review as simple, direct, and quick. For me, things the book surely isn't. I found it complex, flowery, and draggy.
Honestly, it took me months to finish this book. I started reading a third of the book then took a long break after that and finished it after a few months later. At the start of the story, it was very slow-paced and I hoped that there would be better progress in the chapters to come. It did build up for a few moments but then I felt that the story lost its momentum after half of it.
The idea of the book containing both prose and poetry excited me so I decided to read it. I did enjoy the small bits of poetry written by Alice. But once there was prose involved in the switching perspectives of Alice and Manny, things just got more confusing and it continued as the story went by.
The book did talk about heart-warming themes such as family, friends, love, etc. I saw that but to be honest, I just didn't feel it. The blurb intrigued me which made me curious. But as for the plot, it wasn't clear to me or maybe I just didn't understand it. The characters were okay, I guess and there was representation which was great. I didn't like or hate any of them so I think that's alright.
In conclusion, The Stars at Oktober Bend just didn't work for me. Maybe my expectations were just too high. I could say that it was good at the beginning and at the end of the story. I liked the poetry but other than that, I feel in-between about this up until now.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a copy.
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