This story wasn't quite what I was expecting and, at first, I was irritated with the twist of the
plot, thinking it a bit farcical. However as i read on I became drawn in, gunning for each of the characters as they encountered new challenges.

An intense book following a city family trying to survive a new life in the wilderness of Canada as their world collapases around them.

Despite my initial scepticism I was quickly invested in the story. I only wish we could find out what happens next for the family!

This is a riveting page turner, from beginning to end you never see most of what is going to happen.
As this read begins we are finally in Canada having left Connecticut, and it is not a happy time. Daniel has lost his job, and as a result they have lost everything, and going to remote lake in Canada.
What you never see coming is the nuclear attack, and then Marshall Law. It becomes survival and lawlessness, and yet, you see signs of compassion.
This is a family, Alex and Daniel and two daughters, their son is at College, and when the unthinkable happens Daniel leaves to find his son. You have to think the way things are, will they ever see there Dad/Husband again?
In the end, and wow, I think it was the end, but we end on a cliff hanger!
I received this book through Net Galley and Storm Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt. As someone who picked up this book solely based on the allure of the beautiful cover, I found myself in a narrative that totally surprised me!

This emotional and thought-provoking book delves into the aftermath of a nuclear attack on the United States, weaving a story around a family seeking respite from their own challenges, only to be thrust into an unimaginable apocalypse. Reading how the characters came to terms with the daily struggle for survival and the unrelenting fear for the safety of their loved ones painted a stark picture of how swiftly our lives can be upended.

The characters resilience and adaptability in the face of such a crisis left me questioning my own preparedness for unforeseen and life-altering events. The author skillfully portrays the fragility of our sense of normalcy, compelling readers to contemplate the fragility of our existence and the unpredictability of our futures.

To be honest I read this book simply because of the author, I love all her books and didn't even read the synopsis and this book did not disappoint!
The book is about a family that move out to the middle of nowhere to recollect while their son is in college. All seems well until disaster strikes the world and they need to survive out there while the husband goes to find their son. It's written so well, with so much detail and emotion that it made me think of life in a different way, and how things can change in the blink of an eye.

I enjoyed this book! This book is different from what I typically read, although my favorite TV sore is The Walking Dead. I liked how the story progressed, but did wish there was a little more development of the side characters in the cottage. I would definitely read a second book in this series and think the end is set up great for a second book!

Well I was not expecting a nuclear apocalypse AT ALL when I picked up this book- and it sounds like not many other reviewers were either! I found it an exhilarating read though- much darker than my usual genre so I found myself feeling quite on edge but it was fascinating and genuinely thought provoking. I read it incredibly quickly as I couldn’t stand the suspense of not knowing what would happen and it feels very much like there could be room for a sequel. Very well written and fun to read something different than usual!

I was so excited to see a new Kate Hewitt book available from NetGalley and so without reading the synopsis, I put in my request. Whoa! Like her other stories that take the reader on an emotional ride, this story was raw and chilling and kept me thinking “What if?”

With their marriage in turmoil and a daughter heading for trouble, Daniel and Alex leave their home in Connecticut along with their two daughters and head for Alex’s empty family cabin in rural Ontario, Canada for what was meant to be a six week stay to try and salvage their crumbling family. But when a global disaster strikes, Daniel leaves the girls behind to get to their son who’s in college in upstate New York. What transpires is a highly traumatic, dangerous and heart-wrenching experience for each family member.

This is a gripping story of survival that affected me on a visceral level because while frightening, it is in the realm of possibility. Written in a two person perspective, the connection with Alex and Daniel was deep and I was kept on the edge of my seat with each chapter.

Thank you NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Kate Hewitt for this gripping tale in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication date: January 24, 2024

Alex and Daniel, along with their two daughters, retreat to an isolated cabin in Ontario, Canada in an effort to save their marriage. Alex feels betrayed by Daniel and is unsure if their relationship will survive. A week after their arrival the world as they know it is shattered and the problems they thought they were escaping become minuscule in their new reality.

The Last Stars in the Sky examines the human condition and what happens when survival is at stake. What are we willing to endure? How are we able to adapt? What are we willing to sacrifice? Kate Hewitt’s superb characterization and sharp writing immerse the reader in a world fraught with danger and uncertainty. This is speculative fiction at its best because the dystopian setting is entirely believable and terrifyingly possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

When her family’s comfortable middle-class,life is upended, Alex, her husband and children escape to the family cottage in the wilds on Ontario Canada. I was expecting a gentle read about a family re-connecting, but the story takes a dark turn, when the United States is hit by a series of nuclear attacks.

I found this story completely immersive. The narrative is tightly woven and the character development is superb.The Last Stars in the Sky is genuinely frightening and heart wrenching in .places. The dystopian landscape the author creates is eerily convincing, and will haunt me for some time to come.

Having grown up with a cottage myself in Ontario, it was a delight to read a story set in that familiar territory.

The beginning of the book was quite engaging and then it took an unexpected twist. It was interesting to see how the characters changed as they coped to survive in their new reality. Their abilities to improvise and tackle challenges was admirable, however just too many scenarios in the book that were not believable from having injuries that were healed quickly and an unlimited supply of various vehicles with gasoline. The ending left me questioning how these people went unnoticed for so long in this small community and then having the means to escape in the manner they did after the destruction that came before them.

When an affluent family living in Connecticut, comes to an impasse in their lives, a mother, father and two daughters pack up and head for a family cabin in rural Ontario. An older son is away at college. Before they are truly settled in, an unthinkable nightmare begins. Power goes out. The internet stops. TV and radio cease. Finding out what happened is difficult as there is no operational news source. Armageddon has begun with nuclear strikes on multiple American cities by an unknown source for unknown reasons.

This is a story of survival. And loss. And the meaning of love, family and friendship. It’s a tough read which is frightening while hopeful at the same time. Imagine a world in chaos with no order and no working set of laws. At times I loved the book and at times I couldn’t read fast enough to get past the disturbing passages.

Publication date is soon, January 24. If your a fan of dystopian fiction this is a must read. For me it was a 3 1/2 star rounded up to a 4 for the excellent characterization and plot development. Many thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review b

A powerful read that grabs your attention and is an exhilarating and hard hitting look at what it is to survive and love when the world as we know it ends.
I was captivated by the complexity of the characters, they're multifaceted and nobody was perfect in their actions, the burden of the life "before" weighed on each one of them as they tried to transition into survival and the harshest of realities. Taking a look at how self sufficiency in a remote place can be a gift and a curse, and how community generosity and strength is key to humanity, even when so much is lost.

If you are looking for a deeply emotional and heartwarming women's fiction about a family dealing with the loss of a family member (as the title, cover, and synopsis would suggest), this NOT that book! Also, if you have read other books by this author (as I have), THIS book is very, very different from those.

I admit... I stayed up WAY past my bedtime in order to read and then finish this in one sitting. That is how well the author drew me in and got me involved in the main characters and their stories. The book is extremely well-written with vivid descriptions and emotional plot lines.

However, I have to deduct a star (and if it wasn't so well-written and compulsively readable, I would deduct another one) because I felt blindsided by the actual topic of the story which was no way clear in the synopsis or the beautiful cover. I had to skip over several sections that contained violence and humankind's tendency toward inhumanity to others.

Before publishing, I would sincerely urge publisher and author to put a "trigger warning" at the top of the description online (I understand it's probably too late for the printed copy) to let readers know exactly what kind of a book this is. This is something different from "women's fiction!" It contains violence and fear and the impending reality of a nuclear holocaust.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Kate is not afraid to tackle big subjects, and she does with so well. This novel really got me thinking, how would I survive in a post apocylptic world. Really thought provoking and well written, I loved it.

What a gripping, thought-provoking, page-turner of a novel. I literally couldn't put it down. Thank you Storm for giving me the opportunity to read it. It's certainly got me thinking about what I'd be like in similar circumstances... I would be useless I'm sure. A brilliant book Kate Hewitt!!!

The Last Stars in the Sky by Kate Hewitt is a story of a family who feels like they have hit rock bottom, both financially and emotionally. What could be worse? Oh maybe a nuclear war. I am admittedly not a fan of apocalyptic fiction, but in spite of that, I feel like this was well written. Alex and her children struggle to survive in a remote cabin as the world around them crumbles, while her husband searches for their son who is away at college. I took off a star because I was not able to emotionally connect with the characters, however I was very invested in their story. Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Books for the ARC!

The Last Stars in the Sky
by Kate Hewitt
Pub Date: January 24, 2023
Thanks to this prolific writer, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book was a new author for me but it most certainly will not be my last.
She mainly writes historic and contemporary fiction. Both of which I enjoy.
5 stars

When hope is all but gone, how much can one family bear?

Alex and her family had no choice but to settle in her parents' tumbledown cabin in rural Ontario for six weeks. Everything in her life has been thrown into disarray after her husband lost his job, which meant losing their home. Plunged into a sudden downturn - to somehow survive in an old cabin without a Wi-Fi connection, saving on electricity that runs on a generator, and the next neighbor miles away - life couldn't get much bleaker than it is. But just as Alex and her family barely settle into their new routine, they face a new challenge again. This time, the challenge looms larger - one altered by a nation's collapse where chances of survival appear grim.

One thing about survival stories is that the readers know what to expect because they typically follow the same familiar structure. There were instances when I wavered between reading on and pausing to think about how horrible the characters' circumstances would end up. Survival stories like this will always have different versions of grief - one I wanted to avoid but knew I had to absorb because that's what this particular genre hopes to convey.

In terms of writing, the author wrote in such vivid detail that some readers would find it hard to "unsee" the level of authenticity conveyed by the plot. The dual narrative structure also allowed for more emotional connection, and I appreciate how the alternating perspectives also built suspense and tension. Ending each character's perspective with a cliffhanger made this book even more compelling.

While 'The Last Stars in the Sky' might seem like another gripping and poignant tale of survival, I can assure you it's anything but that. Connecting with the characters becomes hard to refuse as they reveal vulnerabilities that reflect our own. My only misgiving is that the narrative could have been more extended. Emotions are abundant from this aching piece of speculative fiction - one that will surely haunt its readers for a very long time and one that may come in handy, too. After all, a dystopian future is no longer a fictional concept - it is a reality that currently exists in nations where oppression and inequality persist.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for an unbiased opinion. Although I received this book for review, the opinions shared are purely my own.

Imagine waking up one day and the world as we know it is gone, no electricity or running water and gangs emerge to fight over resources and territory. This book is not what I was expecting upon seeing the cover and reading the description but the story was captivating to the point where i did not want to stop reading to see what happens next.

The ending of this booked is open and there is an uncertainty which left me hooked and wondering what might happen next. If there is a second installment, the author did an amazing job in setting the story up with a mix of enough backstory while still leaving questions unanswered for us to return for book two.

Note: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I felt this was a well crafted family drama that was deeper than you imagine it might . The authors writing reminds me somewhat of the early writings on Ann Patchett. Overall was a well crafted excellent read worthy of your time
Thanks to the publisher for letting me review the books