I have a confession. I have written and rewritten this review umpteen times, trying not to sound so critical, and I'm still not happy with how negative it sounds. I don't like being negative, especially when an author has poured her heart and soul into writing a book, so if you stick around, I promise I'll end on a good note.  

As readers, we're all different, and we approach books with varying expectations whether that be a good thing or a not so good thing.  Suffice it to say, I sadly did not love this book.  As I was reading, I kept having the same internal dialogue over and again:  "This is an amazing, book-lovers-dream story. So WHY am I not loving it?!"  I never could connect with The Giver of Stars, and I think it's because I saw an opportunity for rich storytelling, a depth in characterization, and a setting that pops off the page.  What I personally ended up experiencing as a reader, though, was very different. I found the story captivating, but it too often veered into cheesy because of how the characters were written.  To me, the characters felt more like stereotypes and caricatures than real people, and I also often felt like the writing of fierce, independent women characters was exaggerated to the point of feeling artificial... like they were trying too hard to  be tough.  Lastly, the setting never really came alive for me, and I never had the feeling  of being immersed in the  story.  All these elements worked together to make this book a little too fluffy and unbelievable. Again, this is just my personal opinion, and looking at others' reactions, I'm definitely in the minority on this one.

Ouch!  That sounded a little harsh.