Her Name in the Sky

By: Kelly Quindlen

Narrated by: Piper Goodeve

Seventeen-year-old Hannah wants to spend her senior year of high school going to football games and Mardi Gras parties. She wants to drive along the oak-lined streets of Louisiana's Garden District and lie on the hot sand of Florida's beaches. She wants to spend every night making memories with her tight-knit group of friends.

The last thing she wants is to fall in love with a girl - especially when that girl is her best friend, Baker.

Hannah knows she should like Wally, the kind, earnest boy who asks her to prom. She should cheer on her friend Clay when he asks Baker to be his girlfriend. She should follow the rules of her conservative community - the rules that have been ingrained in her since she was a child.

But Hannah longs to be with Baker, who cooks macaroni and cheese with Hannah late at night, who believes in the magic of books as much as Hannah does, and who challenges Hannah to be the best version of herself.

And Baker might want to be with Hannah, too - if both girls can embrace that world-shaking, wondrous possibility. Contains mature themes.

©2014 Kelly Quindlen (P)2017 Tantor

The definitive coming out novel

Where does Her Name in the Sky rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 5% of the at least 200 I have read

What was one of the most memorable moments of Her Name in the Sky?

The book is well crafted and the characters are all well developed. It is believable and manages to pull you in to feeling what the characters feel

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had a good cry several times. It evoked a strong enough response for me to want to write a review. This book should be read widely

Love is love

I was sucked into this novel from the start. The characters are flawed and #relatable, and the very conservative setting perfectly balanced what America currently is- biased but not hopeless. #lgbt+ #teenromance #comingofage #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Good book

I don’t do these kind of books but as a first it was enjoyable. Though slow at times for me that was remedied by listening at 2x speed. Characters were all believable though near the end I can see where other reviews thought it got resolved a bit fast and characters getting over certain things quickly. Though I liked how the author handled the religious side of the story as a catholic myself.

Favorite LGBT novel

This book was given to me as a gift for my birthday, and I am forever grateful for it. While it’s great we have rom-com media now, this is the only story that has made me feel seen and that I related to.

The narrator does a marvelous job bringing all the characters to life and navigating the treacherous terrain of this heartbreaking story with its hard won happy ending. I loved it.

excellent book, very inspiring.

Well written treatment of some of the many challenges sr.s in high school can face.

Beautifully written YA love story

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! It’s so many things - a beautifully crafted love story, a romance, a coming of age story, a story about friendship, about accepting yourself, and connecting with your own spirituality. The narration by Piper Goodeve is seamless and brilliant.

Amazing

The writing in this book was fantastic!! Hear wrenching tale of first loves!! Must read!!

Such a good read

I read reviews and listened to the audio sample before I purchased...
honestly, I wasn't that impressed with the sample. I thought, "what the heck. I'll just get it."

It's a very realistic book. It captures the inner struggle some face in regards to religion and morality when coming out. I truly loved and cared about all the characters. The author described the setting and feelings in a way where you could see it and feel it. I felt the heart break ,and I felt the love.
I enjoyed the narrator as well.

Just get it. What have you got to lose?

Well written!

I thought it started out a little slow, but I'm glad I stuck it out. And having watched Thirteen Reasons Why it threw me off that the 2 characters were named Hannah and Baker, where that characters name is Hannah Baker... and then she even threw in a Clay. It threw me off a bit, but not a big deal but worth mentioning.
The story was well told and made me frustrated, annoyed, cry and laugh. Baker and her reactions to things really made me mad several times... but I guess that's the whole point. The religious aspect was pretty spot on and added to the angst and dilemma both characters were feeling. It definitely pissed me off that some religious leaders preach hate in the name of God and religion... so again, that was the whole point. So excellent story telling, pulling the reader into their emotions and plight.
Great narration. I loved Pipers voice.

Charming YA tale of a lesbian teen romance

Delightful lesbian teen romance set against the backdrop of a Catholic school in present day Baton Rouge. It does have some mild angst and religious trepidations in getting to the happy ending. Well worth a listen. Lots of religious elements that I very much enjoyed.