The audiobook was very well done. I appreciated how the narrator handled speaking for men without sounding dumb. I thought the story was OK. I don't care much about this part of history--or know much about it BUT it is clear that the author cares greatly. I just had a hard time caring about most of these characters. This is my first Olivia Hawker novel and while I didn't LOVE it, I will probably continue to read other books she writes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Olivia Hawker and Brilliance Audio/Publishing for the ALC of the audiobook!

The Stars and Their Light: A Novel by Olivia Hawker

"What kind of disturbance would it take to blow apart this mass delusion of nice, ordinary, secure American life? Not much."

To essentially echo other statements, this is not the usual, run-of-the-mill historical fiction. I'm not too sure as to the why regarding the negative feedback as if it's not stated plain-as-day what The Stars and Their Light is about... This is historical fiction with elements of science fiction. Honestly, though, what would you think of first if someone mentioned Roswell, New Mexico? Aliens, of course. Well, I mean, allegedly... So, say we transport ourselves back in time to 1947, when an alleged UFO crash lands on the outskirts of town, you would have to ask yourself how these people would act. Olivia Hawker nailed that one. The historical fiction portion is accurately portrayed: a stark presence of faith and religion, bolstered by the sexism, post-World War stress, and hysteria couple nicely with the untimely (allegedly) extraterrestrial visitor.


"The distance between Earth and the nearest star was greater Betty could comprehend. She knew that the light from some of those cool, bright points in the blackness took thousands of years to cross the void of space. Millions of years. Scales of time that made her dizzy. Evidence of a vastness beyond this small, fragile planet. That turned her into a pinpoint of improbability... Yet she found it easier to stare into that mystery than look into the bright divinity of an ordinary night, with its ordinary grief... The stars and their light were very far away, but she could name them and count them. They were here with her, in the realm of the living, where everything was sacred. Even the unknown."


Alright, I'll be honest. I had to sit with myself for this one for a bit... I struggle with the theological and stories related to it. After hearing the author's note, and her story with witness something otherworldly and questioning her faith, I felt a little safer. As someone who also questioned everything, struggled with her faith and left the church and any idea of it behind as a result, I feel the author's intentions fully here. It was honestly genius to have the two main characters experience the same type of growth and realization, just inverse to each other. It was a clever move to have one begin in the faith, only to question and grow out of it, versus another's beginning lack of faith only leading to her need to know more and dive fully into it.


"She wanted no bill of good-standing for an institution that held no truth for her. Patricia's God, the god of love, needed neither petitions or dispensations. He required only the sincerest effort of an honest heart."

"If they're so far away, but we can see them, then they must be..."
"-HUGE, bigger than God. That's why I like to look at them. It's proof, isn't it? That some things are just too big for us to understand.""

"Their God might be nothing more than a comforting fiction, but some stories were worth telling. Even when you knew they weren't true."


I really enjoyed this story. All the characters experience an arc of some sort, which allows for them to be fully realized and the story to come full circle. The stigmata experience is something I was fully unfamiliar with and felt like, as a reader, I walked away learning something from all of it. I would recommend it to readers who especially like Historical Fiction and implore those who like Sci-Fi *elements* to hold on because it all ends up being worth it.

A final note of praise is for Jackie Zebrowski, our narrator, whom single-handedly kept engaged from beginning to end. The infusion of characterization, pacing and articulation allowed for the smoothest and most engaging historical fiction adventure I've ever been on. Well done!

"The only place left to go was forward, into a remade world. Into this bright unfolding future. A future where women took their rightful places shoulder-to-shoulder with the men, and didn't need to rely on their fathers or husbands for protection."

This book took me by surprise in the best way. I expected a story about the Roswell incident, but what I got was something much deeper—a quiet, reflective novel about belief, identity, and what it means to search for something bigger than ourselves.

The story centers on Sister Mary Agnes, a young nun sent to Roswell just after the mysterious 1947 crash. But rather than diving into aliens or conspiracies, the book focuses on the emotional and spiritual journey of its characters. Mary Agnes is deeply thoughtful, and I found myself really drawn to her internal struggles and quiet strength. Her connection with a local teenager, Betty, adds another layer to the story that felt honest and tender.

Olivia Hawker has a beautiful writing style—calm, lyrical, and rich in emotion. It’s not a fast-paced story, but it left me thinking about how people make sense of the unexplained, and how faith and doubt can exist side by side.

If you’re looking for a unique take on historical fiction with emotional depth and a touch of mystery, I definitely recommend this one. It’s a slower burn, but it lingers in a meaningful way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this advanced copy of your audiobook! The Stars and Their Light takes place in Roswell, New Mexico, as a mysterious object falls from the sky and the military is unclear about its identity or origin. The entire story takes place around the famous Roswell UFO incident in 1947. Sadly, I got 50% into the audiobook and DNF. At the halfway point, none of the characters appealed to me. It felt as if the nun was befriending a teenager and falling for Harry. Harry was forced to leave the military when he didn’t want to lie about the incident with the UFO. Betty wanted to attend college and her father forbid it, due to his fears of the UFO sighting. None of the character arcs pulled me in and for a 14 hour audiobook, I was hoping to be way more invested.

decided to try the audiobook alongside the ebook. not my favourite setup, the app was abit glitchy and kept freezing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Brilliance Audio for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Olivia Hawker, perfectly narrated by Jackie Zebrowski. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

It's 1947 when Sister Mary Agnes arrives in New Mexico to establish a monastery in the town of Roswell. Just weeks before, rumors of a crash landing of an unidentified craft triggered a crisis of faith. Residents are looking now to science and the stairs rather than the divine. But then Sister Mary Agnes meets Betty Campbell, a teenager marked physically by the crash, and also finds herself drawn to Harvey, the handyman refurbishing the monastery. She soon has her own crisis of doubt about her faith.

As a Catholic and also a big fan of X-Files who worked at Wright-Patterson AFB, is it any wonder that I loved this book? I'm always open to the conversation between science, faith, and doubt and this was all played out with the infamous Roswell UFO and government conspiracy. The characters feel very real and it harkens back to a time when few colleges were coed, and women in science were rare. You'll feel for the father who just wants to protect his daughter, and the daughter who just wants to spread her wings. The author's notes were fascinating as well, so don't miss them. The narration was great and I loved getting lost in this story.


Thrown into her own crisis of doubt, Mary Agnes must choose whether to uphold the order in which she came of age or embrace the truth she feels in her heart, despite its terrifying complexity.

I’ve enjoyed several of this author’s books and this one did not disappoint. I thought the depiction of the events and the fallout from it was very well researched and the characters all felt real and fleshed out. I very much enjoyed the author’s note at the end.