Listen free for 30 days

  • Guide Star

  • A Gripping and Emotional Roller-Coaster of a Novel About Love, Life, and Not Giving Up
  • Written by: Joy Ellis
  • Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
  • Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (65 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Guide Star cover art

Guide Star

Written by: Joy Ellis
Narrated by: Shiromi Arserio
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $22.26

Buy Now for $22.26

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Stella won't give up, but she doesn't know how to go on.

Stella North, a rising star in the police, has her life torn apart by a gunman's bullets. She has often faced danger, but these injuries mean she must give up the job she loves. Her grandmother Beth is her rock. And Beth is no ordinary woman. At 70, she runs marathons and has a past that Stella knows very little about.

Beth calls in her friend, Michael, to help with Stella's recovery. But this man means a lot more to Beth than she reveals. And Stella's ex-husband, Edward, and old police partner, Robbie, want to help, but Stella puts up emotional barriers, and they have problems of their own. Her old friends from her days of Urbex (exploring old abandoned buildings) offer a glimmer of hope for the future.

©2017 Joy Ellis (P)2020 Tantor

What listeners say about Guide Star

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    43
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    45
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    39
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring and endearing

Although not her usual criminal investigation story, I enjoyed the story related to policing. Never give up, always consider accepting effective help, and look to the horizon.
Good narration too

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changes and love

This novel, written by Joy Ellis, is about characters related to the police forces she usually writes about and characters surrounding those police members, but there is no murder mystery to solve. This novel is about life changes and love. The narrator, Shiromi Arserio, fits this story as it is slower paced and involves one main character in particular who is older. I enjoyed the well-developed characters and became invested in their relationships. There were some twists and turns, and I was pleased with the ending. Although different, another good Joy Ellis book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely story with a few surprises!

Ties in with my favourite series but had some very personal connections as my son has had a brain injury. Thank you Joy for another great book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very enjoyable!

Love this author and how the characters all overlap with her other books but also stand alone for new readers/listeners.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

CW: suicide

spoiler alert ⚠️
content warning
Do not go in expecting a mystery, it is not one. Instead it is a really heartstrings pulling story about regrets and healing and moving on. There is one genuine trigger warning I would like to provide: there is an oddly supportive discussion on the suicide of a disabled person. This is not the only depiction of disability in the book, there are many, nor the only discussion of suicide, and the others arguably complicate and add nuance to the book's perspective. However there are definitely folks who will find this difficult, uncomfortable, maybe infuriating, and potentially triggering, so please look after yourselves.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good read

I found this book easy to listen to. The reader was very good. I would recommend reading it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

What A Lovely Story

I loved it, we need more Joy Ellis, really loved this stand alone book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Gripping and Emotional Roller-Coaster? No!

I've read most of Joy Ellis' books and that's why I bought this one. Joy Ellis usually writes in the crime/detective/thriller genre. This was actually quite the opposite; it was more of a love story. Personally, I think she should stick with her normal genre. The narrator was awful. Her voice was gravelly and monotonous. I won't be listening to any of the books she narrates. It was a struggle to finish the book and I only did because 1- I usually try my best to finish books I don't like and 2- I wanted to give Joy Ellis the benefit of the doubt... maybe it would get better. Audiobooks are quite unique in that you need both the author and narrator to be awesome in order to create a fantastic product. This was not the case.
While I don't recommend this book, I will give her new books in this genre another try. But label it as it is: It's not crime, not thriller, and not a roller-coaster. This was more of a 'Danielle Steele' or 'Nora Roberts' feel good/love story rather than a 'Joy Ellis'. Nothing wrong with these authors, just not what I was expecting to read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

I was expecting a different story

I was disappointed. I kept listening expecting for an improvement in accordance to my expectations based on previous books by Joy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Tried too hard

I usually enjoy this author but I found the story dragged badly and there seemed to be no plot. Disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!