Review Detail
The Secret Astronomers
Featured
Young Adult Fiction
311
Takes Junk Journals and Secret Notes to the Next Level
(Updated: June 03, 2026)
Overall rating
3.5
Plot
3.0
Characters
4.0
Writing Style
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
4.0
A truly one-of-a-kind story, told through furtive post-its and doodles in a colorful format sure to appeal to junk journalers and paper note gremlins everywhere. This is just the kind of pseudo-intellectual rabbit hole that young scholars (including past me) love to go down, with one series of innocuous notes spiraling into an obsessive, almost daily conversation about anything and everything between two teen girls at the same school but with very different lives. The format is super unique, mostly consisting of notes and doodles pasted over pages of an astronomy textbook. (I'm definitely considering borrowing this idea to penpal with a friend...)
The characters wear their opinions on their sleeves, with pointed remarks about the seemingly backwater rural environment, hot topic issues, and even a certain inflammatory president.
These opinions may or may not reflect those of the author (and I'm not here to argue where the line is between fact and opinion on these subjects), but in the context of the story they're delivered with that teen certainty that one is 100% correct. This makes it difficult to identify when something is meant genuinely or more as a satirical critique, and it can come across as abrasive if the reader does not agree with the viewpoint being explained. Though I applaud the narrative for tackling so many issues head on, I wish there were room for more discussions. However, when Copernicus raises a topic (rather strongly, as is her way), Kepler tends to go along with it, so there's less discussion and more of following a trail along the same thought.
But it's not all philosophical. In between the central mystery (which takes back seat to the banter, honestly) and comments about daily life, we're introduced to the day-to-day of two high schoolers, with school trouble, secret crushes, angst over the future, and all. There is some swearing, but overall the content is more blunt than crass.
Pick this up for the thrill of uncovering unexpected friendship and finding freedom in sharing ideas.
The characters wear their opinions on their sleeves, with pointed remarks about the seemingly backwater rural environment, hot topic issues, and even a certain inflammatory president.
These opinions may or may not reflect those of the author (and I'm not here to argue where the line is between fact and opinion on these subjects), but in the context of the story they're delivered with that teen certainty that one is 100% correct. This makes it difficult to identify when something is meant genuinely or more as a satirical critique, and it can come across as abrasive if the reader does not agree with the viewpoint being explained. Though I applaud the narrative for tackling so many issues head on, I wish there were room for more discussions. However, when Copernicus raises a topic (rather strongly, as is her way), Kepler tends to go along with it, so there's less discussion and more of following a trail along the same thought.
But it's not all philosophical. In between the central mystery (which takes back seat to the banter, honestly) and comments about daily life, we're introduced to the day-to-day of two high schoolers, with school trouble, secret crushes, angst over the future, and all. There is some swearing, but overall the content is more blunt than crass.
Pick this up for the thrill of uncovering unexpected friendship and finding freedom in sharing ideas.
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