Starworld by Audrey Coulthurst and Paula Garner

When worlds collide, two lonely souls build one of their own.

Sam Jones hides behind silence. She’s anxious, introverted, and burdened with secrets that isolate her from the rest of her classmates. Zoe Miller, on the other hand, seems to have it all — confidence, charisma, and the kind of life that looks perfect from the outside. But beneath that surface, Zoe’s world is collapsing under pressure.

When a chance message between them turns into an escape from reality, Sam and Zoe create Starworld — a private universe of texts, drawings, and dreams, where anything is possible and neither has to pretend. But as their imaginary world deepens, so does the truth they’ve been avoiding.

Tender, funny, and devastatingly real, Starworld explores the fragile boundaries between fantasy and friendship, and the courage it takes to be seen for who you truly are. Coulthurst and Garner craft a story that glows with honesty and heart — a celebration of connection in the loneliest of places.