THE PROMISE OF STARDUST: A PERFECT VALENTINE'S DAY REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE PROMISE OF STARDUST

BY PRISCILLE SIBLEY

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Matt Beaulieu was two years old the first time he held Elle McClure in his arms, seventeen when he first kissed her under a sky filled with shooting stars, and thirty-three when they wed. Now in their late thirties, the deeply devoted couple has everything—except the baby they've always wanted.
When a tragic accident leaves Elle brain-dead, Matt is devastated. Though he cannot bear losing her, he knows his wife, a thoughtful and adventurous scientist, feared only one thing—a slow death. Just before Matt agrees to remove Elle from life support, the doctors discover that she is pregnant. Now what was once a clear-cut decision becomes an impossible choice. Matt knows how much this child would have meant to Elle. While there is no certainty her body can sustain the pregnancy, he is sure Elle would want the baby to have a chance. Linney, Matt's mother, believes her son is blind with denial. She loves Elle, too, and insists that Elle would never want to be kept alive by artificial means, no matter what the situation.
Divided by the love they share, driven by principle, Matt and Linney fight for what each believes is right, and the result is a disagreement that escalates into a controversial legal battle, ultimately going beyond one family and one single life.
Told with sensitivity and compassion, The Promise of Stardust is an emotionally resonant and thought-provoking tale that raises profound questions about life and death, faith and medicine—and illuminates, with beauty and grace, the power of love to wound . . . and to heal.

PRAISE FOR THE PROMISE OF STARDUST:

“I read this first novel two times. The first time, I was intrigued. The second time, I felt privileged to share in such an amazing story.” ~Jacquelyn Mitchard, author, The Deep End of the Ocean

“Brave…. Priscille Sibley explores with compassion and insight how political and personal needs align and shift as a husband, a mother, and a father navigate the needs of a family member in crisis.” ~Randy Susan Meyers, author, The Murderer’s Daughters

“There’s nothing like devastating moral quandary to spark reading, and this trade paperback original would be a great book club choice…” ~Library Journal

“In The Promise of Stardust Sibley explores an ethical dilemma in a way that might lead you to question your own beliefs. Woven with elegance through a twenty-year love story, the novel takes numerous twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages.” ~Catherine McKenzie, Internationally bestselling author of Spin, Arranged and Forgotten

“Sibley does a wonderful job of exploring a complex and controversial moral issue, skillfully giving both sides of the story…. This is a gripping, thoughtful, heart-wrenching, and well-written debut that would be a great discussion vehicle for certain book groups.” ~Booklist

“Sibley wrestles with the most complex medical ethics in our time and gives us characters who will stay with us long after the last page. She is a skilled story teller.” ~Jacqueline Sheehan, New York Times bestselling author of Lost & Found

“I loved this book. Priscille Sibley manages a delicate and brave balance with this gripping novel.” ~Katrina Kittle, author of The Kindness of Strangers and The Blessings of the Animals

“The Promise of Stardust is a story about love and sacrifice, conflict and hope. I couldn’t put it down and when I open it next time, I’ll read it more slowly. Highly recommended. A winner!” ~Patricia Harman CNM, author of The Midwife of Hope River

“A literate and incandescent Nicholas Sparks-like love story complicated by intense moral and ethical questions.” ~Kirkus Reviews

“The Promise of Stardust is a riveting story of a family ripped apart by an impossible choice. You will live these characters’ lives like they are your own, and race through the pages of this engrossing, deeply moving novel.” ~Kristina Riggle, author of Keepsake

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Priscille Sibley is a neonatal intensive care nurse who lives in New Jersey with her husband and three teenage sons. Her short fiction has appeared in MiPoesias and her poetry in The Shine Journal. She is a member of Backspace Writers Forum and Liberty State Fiction Writers. The Promise of Stardust is her first novel.

To read more about this very talented author, see her "Bio" on her website HERE. 

MY THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

THE PROMISE OF STARDUST is Priscille Sibley’s first novel and I loved it so much that I truly could not put it down. When I finished it at 3 AM, I was sad that it ended and realize it will stay with me for a very long time. Sibley tells a memorable, poignant love story that will keep you turning pages as the twists and turns in the novel move it quickly along. The love between Matt Beaulieu, a neurosurgeon, and Elle McClure, a gifted astronaut, began as children. As next door neighbors, their families’ lives seemed connected. Elle was a young teenager when she went through the prolonged, painful death of her mother, while doing much of the care giving on her own. She cared also for her younger brother as her father drank his way out of the situation he couldn‘t handle. This effected Elle in so many ways and all those around her. It was also at this time that she and Matt realized that they weren’t just childhood pals but that their friendship had grown into something much more.

After Elle’s mother’s death, their lives went on to include the years of their education, and being together as well as apart. Finally, Matt and Elle realize there is nobody else in their world but each other. They are married and they begin what they perceive to be a long and happy lifetime. However, when Elle has an accident and winds up on life support, Matt is devastated especially since as a neurosurgeon, he realizes how helpless he is to bring her back and that she is virtually already gone. But when Matt finds out Elle is pregnant, everything changes once more.

Knowing how Elle would feel about a lingering death like her mother faced, Matt has an agonizing decision to make. Having lost 4 children already with miscarriages and a stillbirth, Matt knows how much this baby would mean to Elle, and to him. His decision to keep her alive to hopefully deliver the baby they always wanted battles against his conscience in knowing she wouldn’t want to be living this way. As he weighs this heartbreaking decision, he finds he must also deal with all the others who feel they have a say in the situation because they also love Elle. As news of Matt’s fight for Elle and their baby reaches the public and the courts, Matt must battle even against family members in order to save his unborn child.

As the narrative weaves an intricate tale, readers will feel they know these two characters so well thanks to the skillful writing of author Priscille Sibley. Flashbacks are woven into the current story to add to the depth and understanding of the characters and their situation. Elle’s journals give readers great insight as well. We  really know these people thanks to Sibley using these techniques. Just when you think you know how things will go, Sibley throws in a curve and takes you off on another path. The action and romance combine with the moral ethics involved to make for an amazing story begging to be shared and discussed with others. I highly recommend this poignantly moving book to everyone who loves a well written, riveting, and important story for our times. 

 GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO TRACY AND THE GOOD FOLKS AT

WILLIAM MORROW/HARPER COLLINS BOOKS,

I HAVE ONE COPY OF THE PROMISE OF STARDUST

TO GIVE AWAY TO A VERY LUCKY READER

 
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GIVEAWAY ENDS AT

6 PM, EST, FEBRUARY 28

   GOOD LUCK!