We Are All Constellations By Amy Beashel

‘We Are All Constellations’ is the latest book by Amy Beashel.

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?

Iris was always lead to believe that her mother died in a house fire, but when she spots the house that she grew up in on social media. The life that she was less to believe was in fact a lie.

The story is seen through the narrative of teenage girl Iris, she’s boisterous and enjoys exploring old derelict houses. Her life has always been a certain way with her father, stepmum Rosa and stepbrother Noah aka Know It All. As Iris adapts to a new way of living, she discovers things not only but herself but also her mother.

The story is one of self discovery and makes for heartbreaking and poignant reading in parts as Iris finds out about her family. Her love for urban exploring is interesting, find old unwanted houses and giving attention. Iris is best friends with Tala, a quiet character who’s the polar opposite of Iris. They bring out the best in each other and their interactions are honest and fun moments. One of the key characters in the story is called Bronagh who was the former best friend of Iris’s mother and I loved reading a character with my own name

This story is a tender story of self exploration and discovery Observational, dark and witty, ‘We Are All Constellations’ is a wonderful, young adult novel about finding your place in the world and it genuinely makes for interesting reading.

You can buy ‘We Are All Constellations’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.