Narrators: Stephanie Németh-Parker, Ron Butler, David de Vries, Megan Tusing, Aasne Vigesaa
Brilliance Audio
ISBN: 9781662520884
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: 02/25/2025
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
TOP BOOKS OF 2025
Secrets, lies, and second chances are served up beneath the stars at a picturesque mountain getaway in this powerful novel about love and family by the bestselling author of This Is Not How It Ends.
At the Vis Ta Vie inn, Reneé and Jean-Paul De La Rue face the daunting decision to close their beloved home for good.
They’re not the only ones going through a season of change, though. Their guests include three couples in crisis: Hollywood celebs Leo and Penny are spending their silver anniversary together while on the cusp of divorce. Lucy, a practical-minded therapist, and Henry, an astronomer with his head in the stars, are struggling to find common ground. And former lawyer and current stay-at-home mom Sienna and charismatic sports agent Adam look perfect but are hiding rifts of their own. Thrown into the mix are self-absorbed single mother Cassidy and her sullen fifteen-year-old daughter, Rosalie.
The stage is set for a week of betrayals, regrets, and shocking truths that can rend the heart or heal it. Vis Ta Vie—live your life—captures what it means to love through the darkness, and to find the light even after the magic fades.
My Review
Master storyteller and long-time-favorite author Rochelle B. Weinstein delivers a stunning masterpiece with her latest emotionally stirring, beautifully written novel—WE ARE MADE OF STARS.
It is exquisite, flawless, and a work of art. Rochelle is one of the top contemporary fiction writers out today. So, if you have not read her books, this would be one you do not want to miss! Fellow book friends, excuse me, but I get a little lengthy and wordy about the books I adore.
Beneath the stars, the secrets of eight strangers come to light.
Come and join eight strangers in the picturesque mountains of North Carolina at a charming bed and breakfast where your mouth will water with the finest food, wine, and delectables. You will want to book your stay and gather around the dining table with these newfound memorable friends you will come to love and cherish.
Meet the characters
~Vis Ta Vie Inn Owners & Host:
Reneé & Jean-Paul De La Rue
Vilas, North Carolina, mountains
I loved these two!
They are a formidable team. They turned their brainchild into a charming B&B nestled in the rolling hills of Vilas, North Carolina, where eight guests check into the stately farmhouse each week. They named her Vis Ta Vie, French for "live your life," because they were living theirs.
From the lovely antiques and their collectibles from trips to Itay and France, this is their sanctuary, which they escape, recharge, and reboot. They have built a life around their passion for food, wine, and breathtaking scenery. Creating a place for guests to unplug and restore.
Is this going to be an extraordinary week? Could this be the end of the era or the birth of something new?
Meet the guests:
~Leo & Penny
Hollywood Celebrities
~Lucy & Henry
Therapist | Astronomer
~Sienna & Adam
Mom/Lawyer | Sports Agent
~Cassidy & Rosalie
Single Mom | Teen Daughter
Everyone, including the owners, is going through a change and hiding secrets. Their guests, Hollywood celebrities Leo and Penny, were married at the Inn and are celebrating their silver anniversary. But is it a celebration or a possible divorce?
Lucy is a therapist married to Henry, the astronomer, who has his head in the stars with their issues.
Sienna is a current stay-at-home mom (former lawyer) and married to egotistic and charismatic sports agent Adam. They seem perfect on the exterior but quite the opposite behind closed doors.
To shake things up and make things very surprising and engaging, the two who will be front and center are Cassidy and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Rosaline. Cassidy, a single mom, struggles to connect with her teenage daughter while Rosaline is navigating the complexities of adolescence and her mom. She often has to be the parent. You got to love Rosaline!
Told from alternating POVs, from Day One to Day Seven.
Jean-Paul, Cassidy, Rosaline, Henry, Cassidy, Sienna, and Penny.
The stage is set for a week of betrayals, lies, deceit, guilt, secrets, regret, and shocking truths when each secret begins unraveling.
Prepare for a wild roller coaster ride with unpredictable twists and surprises you did not see coming. Hang on!
The author shines as bright as the stars in this intense, captivating, compelling, and suspenseful journey with some magic, lovely metaphors, and deep human connections.
My thoughts...
Oh, how I loved this book! Top 5 Books of 2025
I have been a long-time Rochelle fan and have read all her books. Each one is a favorite, but WE ARE MADE OF STARS stands apart and tops the charts—my absolute all-time favorite of hers. The author is at the Top of her game! I would love to see a movie or TV series based on the novel.
You will cry, laugh, and stay up until 7 am until the last satisfying page is turned. It is a dazzling novel, and her passion is reflected throughout each page, as she pours love from her heart and soul into this novel. She adores this area, and it shows. All her efforts, do not go unnoticed. The characters will remain with you long after the book ends. I am still thinking of them.
WE ARE MADE OF STARS is like no other book you will ever read. This would be it if you could read only one book this year.
Each day opens with a menu, from the first, second, main course, dessert and wine/champagne pairings. Your mouth will be watering, and foodies will enjoy this one. Well done, Rochelle!
If you think relationship conflicts cannot be solved. Read this book. There is hope even in your darkest hour if only you communicate and tell what is in your heart. It is refreshing to see everyone telling their darkest secrets.
This heartwarming tale is lyrical, powerful, full of wisdom, secrets, loss, disappointments, and regrets. But it also explores life’s messiness, relationships, friendship, and family; ultimately, it's uplifting, hopeful, and inspiring. It's a story of the power of love, second chances, forgiveness, and redemption.
I hope there is a sequel, as I would love to catch up with this fabulous cast of characters (minus Adam). The setting, the lovely metaphors, and its relation to the stars are awe-inspiring.
I loved this book! It resonated with me for many reasons that the author will understand. We both share a love of S. Florida and the NC Mountains. (both with two sons). I also grew up in North Carolina and have spent many memorable times in the NC mountains. My sons attended NC mountain colleges, so I have spent a lot of time in Banner Elk, Boone, Blowing Rock, and the surrounding areas. I miss those days.
Get this gem on your TBR list now; however, block out the time because there is no stopping when you start!
Recs...
WE ARE MADE OF STARS is fans of the author and those who enjoy literary fiction mixed with suspense, family dynamics, and contemporary women's fiction with complex relationships and second chances. Also, for fans of Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lynda Cohen Loigman, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Sally Hepworth, Patti Callahan Henry, Elizabeth Berg, Elizabeth Strout, and Nicholas Sparks.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts. I also pre-ordered the paperback copy for my home library (I wish it came in hardcover). I can't wait to see this beautiful cover - a fitting title.
This is my 96th book read in 2025 YTD, and it is only February, but I am sure it will top my list for 2025 at year-end. It is unforgettable and unputdownable.
I requested the audiobook, as I am sure it will be fantastic with this talented cast. Brilliance Audio declined me (I get approval from all the audiobook publishers but not from them). It might be worth an email. I will have to wait until it comes out to listen, but I'm sure it will be worth the wait.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
Pub Date: Feb 25, 2025
Top Books of 2025
On a personal note:
Being in the regional hotel and resort business for many years and a commercial designer, I also spent five years as a B&B Inn Consultant, traveling the US and often spending a year on-site working with inn owners with every aspect of the business and best of all getting to know these wonderful people who have put their heart into these inns as well as have met so many lovely guests over the years.
If you have not visited the NC mountains where the book is set, it is excellent for skiing, dining, hiking, shopping, wineries, and relaxing. I love visiting and always stay at B&Bs. I enjoy the ones in Valle Crucis, Vilas, Blowing Rock/Boone, Banner Elk, Sugar Moutain, and the surrounding area. I miss my time there, and it has been a long time. Sure there is much more to see now. You also want to check out The Inn at Little Pond Farm (see the author's note) and Mast Farm Inn.
I also adore Highlands, NC, on the far west side near Atlanta, where I lived previously. I miss the mountains, and this stunning book took me back. Thank you, Rochelle, for the fabulous journey.
Praise
“With characters so real, you’ll feel like you just vacationed with them, We Are Made of Stars is at once a page-turner and a story that makes you slow down and examine your own life. Rochelle Weinstein’s latest absolutely sparkles with warmth and wisdom.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Good for You
“Incredible cast, splendid setting, and more than one story to keep you turning the pages!” ―Penelope Douglas, New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
“I literally couldn’t put this book down. Secrets, scandals, and emotional scars abound in this wonderfully layered novel about breaking down barriers and learning to forgive. We Are Made of Stars will keep you reading late into the night―and I promise you won’t even mind the next morning!”
―Barbara Davis, bestselling author of The Echo of Old Books
“Love, loss, betrayal, and second chances, which are the hallmark of bestselling author Rochelle B. Weinstein’s repertoire, reach soaring new heights in her latest page-turner, We Are Made of Stars. The spectacular Vis Ta Vie Inn, a luxurious mountain getaway retreat, is the powerful setting for an eclectic cast of characters whose goal is to leave the pressures of ‘real life’ behind for a week and discover what’s truly real. With rich prose, shocking truths, and in-depth characters, Weinstein explores soul-searching matters of the heart with exquisite finesse: marriage, infidelity, parenting, paternity, regret, and the price tag of celebrity. Magic happens at the Vis Ta Vie Inn through the sheer power of food, wine, togetherness, and ultimately, love. Weinstein’s unforgettable ensemble not only finds light in the darkness, but also they discover that sometimes a ‘home away from home’ is where your heart is.”
―Lisa Barr, New York Times bestselling author of The Goddess of Warsaw
“We Are Made of Stars is a work of art―suspenseful, intricate, and completely redemptive. It explores the brokenness and misunderstandings between us and the healing that happens when we acknowledge our connectedness.”
―Annabel Monaghan, bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script
About the Author
Rochelle B. Weinstein is the USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of What You Do To Me, When We Let Go, This Is Not How It Ends, Somebody’s Daughter, Where We Fall, The Mourning After, and What We Leave Behind.
A former entertainment industry executive, she splits her time between sunny South Florida and the mountains of North Carolina. Rochelle is a voracious reader who has shared monthly book picks on Miami's NBC-6 and is currently the book contributor for Miami's AQUA Magazine and literary salon Women Writers, Women's Books.
This champion of writers also teaches publishing workshops at Nova Southeastern University's Alvin Sherman Library. Her eighth novel, We Are Made of Stars, releases February 2025. She is already plotting out books nine and ten.
For more information, visit www.rochelleweinstein.com.
Check out my fun #AuthorElevatorSeries QA
ride with Rochelle and her award-winning novel,
THIS IS NOT HOW IT ENDS.
