Guerunche's Reviews > Sprinkled in the Stars

This was a solid debut - made even brighter with Abby Craden narrating. It wasn't without some issues, but still I enjoyed it. It's set in LA but these women kept running into each other which is HIGHLY unusual because there are four million people there. Of course I think that was part of the "they were meant to be - the universe keeps throwing them together" aspect of the story, but it was still a stretch.
Melanie had a truly villainous ex that kept showing up and I wasn't quite clear on how she put up with her in the first place and why she was incapable of setting firm boundaries with her. I think that was supposed to be one of the tells that she might also be on the spectrum. But there was one particular scene where I almost wrote Melanie off for not taking a stronger stand with her. Mel got better, but really struggled.
AJ also seemed to be two completely different people at times so some of what she did seemed completely out of character. She was so strong and confident in many ways and an insecure kitten in others. There was a secondary storyline that had to do with paintings AJ produced that would have benefited from being more fleshed out.
It was a bit hard to see how AJ would have been open to having a relationship with a celebrity when her autistic daughter was so triggered by the chaos surrounding Melanie.
That said, Morley did a lot right. Primarily with Parker. She wrote Parker so sensitively and provided a lot of information that helps readers understand what it was like for not only her, but also AJ as the parent of a child with autism. The struggles, the triumphs, the coping tools and mechanisms that AJ used to help Parker through difficult periods were very insightful.
I also loved that Parker was AJ's priority first and foremost - even when she was falling in love with Mel. It was also sweet that Mel related to Parker in many ways - not really understanding why she did so strongly. How that played out was one of the sweetest parts of the story.
The experiences with paparazzi and horrible gossip rags were sadly accurate and it's certainly understandable why some people would rather walk away than continue putting up with that. People can be so cruel.
One of the things I appreciated most was that this book didn't follow the dreaded "black period" at the 80 percent mark of the book. It's not that Mel and AJ weren't without their struggles, but those were addressed throughout the story and they were just able to go with the flow, learn to communicate and grow together. Kudos to Morley for not falling into that trap.
Overall, this was an enjoyable listen and I look forward to more from this author!