Jenn Bennett has become an autobuy author for me in the world of contemporary novels.

Starry Eyes was such a refreshing read that explored family dynamics and relationships - for once a stepmother who is a great parent and we also have a family with 2 mums who are so laidback yet great parents.

I'm definitely not into camping (and the lost in the wilderness thing didn't help convince me otherwise) but the way Zorie and Lennon made it through really touched my heart. I'm could totally relate to Zorie's neurotic personality and not being into nature. While Lennon's affinity for reptiles and the slightly macabre was not really my thing, I found his character to be extremely thoughtful, caring and sweet. And thank godness he's into the outdoors because Zorie would be screwed without him.

Starry Eyes was such a wonderful page turner with lovable characters and a great plot.

A thouroughly charming Young Adult romance from the author of Night Owls and Alex Approximately. Starry Eyes gave me everything I have come to expect from Jenn Bennet. A super cute and fun teen romance with a whole lot of humour and heart!

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Actual rating: 3,5 stars

This book was super cute and feelsy and really enjoyable and I smashed it out in about 2 days. I liked the characters a lot and while at points got a tad frustrated by some of the dramatics overall the story line was really good.

I am convinced that Jenn Bennett can do no wrong. I absolutely flew through Starry Eyes and really loved my time reading it. I wasn't sure how much I would love a book that is predominantly about camping, but I loved it! I wasn't a huge fan of the first half of the book; Zorie was a little irritating and I felt like some of the scenes were a little cringey and the dialogue felt immature. But my favourite thing about this book was the characters. I absolutely adored Zorie and Lennon and their relationship. Lennon is SO SWOON WORTHY, I love him. I also loved how this book included healthy and consensual discussions about sex, along with the representation of anxiety. So although I did not love the beginning of this, book it really came to grow on me and the characters hold a special place in my heart.

I really, really enjoyed STARRY EYES. Teen angst in the wilderness along with bears, snakes, mountain lions, and no mobile phone service! Zorie is obsessed with planning – everything has to be planned in advance so when her mother arranges for her to go glamping with a school friend she is all of a tizz as she cannot plan for the unknown. What she doesn’t know until the day of departure, is that her ex-boyfriend, Lennon, son of a lesbian couple next door who run a sex shop, is also part of the group. Six underage teens, two of which are bent on making whoopee. As you would expect things turn bad for various reasons and Zorie and Lennon find themselves alone in the wilderness when the other four kids run out on them in the middle of the night. Luckily, it turns out that Lennon is quite the hiking expert and he talks Zorie into hiking out of the park.

This is the gist of the main story, however, there are quite a few sub plots going on in the background which all get woven into the main story as the events in these sub plots impact on the two hikers. The fights between several of the characters for various reasons, secrets that become known, and misunderstandings between people are eventually sorted were each totally realistic. I have to confess that when Zorie headed off on a camping trip with a group of school friends that included the boy she lusts after and the one who annoys her – blind Harry could figure out who she was going to end up with – I enjoyed seeing if (a) I was right, and (b) if I was, then seeing how it happened.

Overall STARRY EYES was fast-paced, easy to read and dealt with some serious issues in a non-confrontational way. There is sex but it is not in your face or graphic, the reader is just aware it happened. Even the scenes set in the sex shop is dealt with well – and had me howling with laughter. This is the first book I have read that was written by Jenn Bennett, and I have another one on my ‘To Read’ shelf so looking forwards to reading that one.

A great story to lose yourself in. One to take on holiday for perfect escapism. Loved Lennon and Medusa, loved the setting and three cheers for those who love the stars. Perfect YA holiday romance.

Starry Eyes is yet another excellent summery read from contemporary author Jenn Bennett. Main character Zorie goes on a group camping trip, and finds herself stranded with her former best friend and now 'enemy' (for a variety of reasons you can find out when you read the novel) in the wilderness, abandoned by the rest of her friends.

The development of the romance was really good, and one that you don't often see in YA. It was an established relationship that fell apart and then is put back together again throughout the novel. I really like how Bennett tackles relationship issues in her novels. The main couple are always very open and positive about all aspects of their relationship, and while sometimes (like in Starry Eyes) there will be a lot of drama behind the relationship, there is also an excellent foundation of communication that gets solved throughout the novel. As you can tell in this novel, you know that there is some sort of misunderstanding between Zorie and Lennon that turned them into 'enemies' and you're just waiting the entire novel for this issue to be sorted out.

The other relationships portrayed in the novel that I really liked were the relationships that the characters had with their parents. Zorie is very close to her stepmother (even closer than her birth father), and I loved seeing how they trusted each other and how well supported she was. Lennon has lesbian parents who are both also very supportive.

Overall, yet another excellent contemporary from Jenn Bennett. I feel like she's definitely made it onto my list of auto-read authors.

Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 4/5
Romance: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 2/5

Thank you to Jenn Bennett, Simon and Schuster (Australia ) and Netgalley for a complimentary ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

This is the first book written by Jenn Bennett I have read, but it won't be the last. I wasn't sure what to expect with this book and was pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn't put it down and kept wanting to find out how it all happened.

I enjoyed the way the characters were portrayed. Many were not particularly likeable but they were realistic. I particularly enjoyed the complexities of Lennon, I found him full of a depth I wouldn't have expected when initially starting this book.

I also loved the descriptiveness of the landscape given and often consulted google to find pictures and information on the places described. I would love a follow up book set on the Pacific Trail.

This is only Jenn Bennett’s third contemporary young adult novel, and it’s clear she is on board with the current trends. Starry Eyes includes diversity of ethnicities and offers sex-positive representation in an organic and unpreaching way. MC, Zorie, is a serious astronomer and photographer, and it’s terrific to see the blend of science and art drive the plot and characterisation.

The romantic storyline is based on miscommunication, but fits in perfectly with the personalities of the two love interests. Zorie is a planner – anxious and tightly strung. Her comfort zone relies on safe, predictable and routine. When Lennon stands her up at Homecoming, then disappears and doesn’t talk to her when he returns, Zorie hides her heart-break and embarrassment behind silence and denial. Lennon is presented as a mysterious goth, a boy with wild parents, and his loner reputation allows him to walk away from Zorie with apparent ease.

But we don’t know the truth of Lennon, because everything is through Zorie’s narrative voice, which is funny and self-aware. She is constrained by her inability to be spontaneous, and she is constantly second guessing her thoughts and her actions, especially around other people. But she is also generous, smart and loyal.A flawed, sympathetic girl, and readers will love her from start to end.

Going ‘glamping’ with the popular crowd is certainly well outside her comfort zone, but Zorie finds herself talked into it by her step-mum, Joy, who reminds her to be careful not cautious with her life. Her decision is also spurred on by discovering her father is cheating on Joy, and by the sudden re-appearance of Lennon, who is still treating her with disdain. Zorie desperately wants her life to go back a year in time, and can only obsess about where everything went wrong. Imagine her surprise that Lennon is invited too, and suddenly the trip takes on an extra dimension of stress and torture (of course Lennon is gorgeously fit, and the only one who knows what he’s doing–such a turn on!)

Fortunately this summary only covers the first part of the book. The rest is the hiking trip (which goes gloriously wrong), and its aftermath, and Bennett doesn’t skip any details. We are given the highs and lows, and laugh and cry along with Zorie, as she re-connects with Lennon, and explores her own boundaries and feelings. It’s a terrific journey of self discovery and a little bit survival, when the rest of the crew abandon Zorie and Lennon to find their own way through the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. I can’t wait to see the full sized map, attributed to Lennon in the book—my kindle didn’t do them justice at all.

Thankfully Zorie and Lennon spill their secrets long before the end, and we are witness to their very healthy and joyful intimate encounters (all off-page, I assure you), and what’s really good is how Zorei expresses herself sexually. She’s funny and clumsy and honest. It’s adorable, really. Lennon proves to be a person she can trust, and their love is clear.

One aspect of the novel that takes us out of the bubble of Zorie and Lennon is the sub-plot involving Zorie’s dad, ‘Diamond Dan’. His cheating had repercussions for the whole family, but notably his relationship with Zorie. I am interested that in her previous book, Approximately, Alex, the father there was one of the best I have read, and here is Dan, an apologetic womaniser, who refuses to own any his bad behaviour, and is prepared to risk his relationship with his daughter. I wonder if Bennett has been shocked and upset by some of the #metoo revelations and has found a way to present a part of that in this book.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and Netgalley for the advanced copy of Starry Eyes. I loved it so much, and recommend it highly to young adult readers who love realistic contemporaries that allow the romance to build slowly. Lennon and Zorie have known each other forever, so their relationship is founded on friendship. The hiking and bushwalking means we think about nature, about getting away from our devices, and of course, offers a bit of danger that challenges Zorie’s instinct to shut herself away. There are lessons here for all of us. Already released in the US, Starry Eyes is out in Australia and the UK on June 1.

When you need a book to suck you in and take you away from the rest of the world, pick up a Jen Bennett. Doris and Lennon's story was romantic, fraught with tension and dynamic in all the right ways. The authors ability to pull you in and make you feel emotionally invested in every part of the story is a true asset and I hate when they end. I can't wait for the next one!

This was not at all what i expected. i was after a new YA romance to read and had heard great reviews but was still expecting to be a 'just ok' book.
I was wrong, i loved every moment of it especially Lennon and his broody teenage ways.
My only disappointment with this book would be the cover. The cover shows a teenage boy that is not like the Gothic Mohawk wearing teen in this novel!

Zorie and Lennon are best friends turned enemies and have been avoiding each other for the better part of a year, made easier by their feuding families. When a group camping trip takes a turn Zorie and Lennon are abandoned in the backcountry. Will they be able to resolve their differences and work together to make their way safely back home?

This book is what I’d call a stereotypical Young Adult novel, it uses tired tropes and suffers enormously in the first half of the book from unnecessary descriptive padding and overtly stereotypical characters. The second half of the novel is what sets this book apart from the rest, the author abandons many of the ridiculous formulas of the genre and focuses on the emotional journey of Zorie and Lennon.

Characterisation improves enormously and I could not put the book down for the remainder of the story. The author successfully fleshes out the characters so there’s more to them than the cliches they’d been shoehorned into. The book also touches on some very serious real-world issues in a way that isn’t pandering or inaccurate and successfully navigates these issues without making them a primary focus of the story – I thought it was very well done.

Overall the book is very typically Young Adult, and perhaps I am too old to enjoy that for what it is any more. However the second half of the story is strong, believable and engaging.

Estranged best friends, Zorie and Lennon, fell out a year ago after she was stood up by him at the homecoming dance and Zorie's father is only too happy that the pair are now best enemies instead. Struggling socially, reluctant Zorie (who had a perfect plan for summer) is given a bit of a nudge by her step mother to step outside of her comfort zone and attend a glamping trip away with the popular kids. Little does Zorie know, but Lennon too will be there. And after said kids desert them in the middle of the national park, leaving her alone with Lennon, she finally learns the truth about why Lennon stood her up all those months ago and they both starts to gradually heal old wounds.

I picked up Starry Eyes because I desperately needed a light and fun read, and a break from the heavier books I have been reading lately, and it delivered this in spades. A few pages in, and I was delighted to read, "Astronomy is my holy grail. Stairs, planets, moons, and all things space. Future NASA astrophysicist, right here." I'm something of a science geek myself, and loved to not only feel a kindred kind of connection with Zorie, but just simply seeing the field represented in print meant everything.

So many science fields are male dominated and it's so important that movies, novels, comics, media, represents and reflects girls in these roles, so that we get more young women dreaming and believing that they too can build a career in science.

But even once we step past my initial appreciation of Zorie's astrophysics interests, I found the story a delightful and heart warming read. I found myself easily connecting with her, and having spent a few weeks out camping myself, enjoyed that aspect of the novel too. The growing reconciliation between Zorie and Lennon was sweet, and had me hooked and I appreciated the nod to safe sex practices tucked in there too.

And if that wasn't enough, we also had the loving relationship between Zorie and her step-mom showing that love extends far beyond genes and biological ties. And throughout it all, Zorie learns some important lessons about how planning can't save you from everything. That change is inevitable and uncertainty is a given.

* This eBook ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster (Australia) through NetGalley for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

First of all, thanks to Simon & Schuster Australia and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Now, on to the review!

I have never read a book by Jenn Bennett before, and right now I'm beginning to question my ability to function as a human based solely on that fact.
Straight away I was hooked by the writing style because it was so fluid and the narrative voice of the main character is extremely relatable, chatty and honest. And I love myself an honest narrator.
'Starry Eyes' gave me serious Sarah Dessen vibes which I absolutely LOVED. Not to say at all that there's a similarity in plot or anything like that. Like Dessen's writing, the atmosphere was well created through brilliant world-building (no, it does not need to be fantasy or dystopian to be called world-building) which is 100% due to the great characters and their characterisation. From the get-go, Jenn Bennett describes the town and the people who live in it so well, and to the depth I absolutely crave in my YA contemporaries. Why bother getting to know two characters when you can get to know their whole families and their personalities properly!

Ngl though, at first when meeting some characters I was worried. Especially with Lennon, the boy next door. We all know that boy-next-door type...but thankfully Lennon wasn't it. And surprisingly Lennon didn't turn out to be that male love-interest who is extremely broody and loves alternative rock-type music. That was a relief for me to say the least!
Also, protagonist Zorie is next door to a sex-shop! That is hilarious, geez! All I'm gonna say is so much for Lola and the Boy Next Door. Say hello to Lola and the Sex-Shop Next Door. That's where its at!

Another thing is I was skeptical at first when I realised this was going to be a camping story. I know enough of those YA camping stories to be wary of the possible tropes this could lead to. Again, I was pleasantly surprised to have only the good ones! Plus 'Starry Eyes' turned out to be like the YA version of that novel 'Wild' (or movie) which I loved, so this was right down my alley. There's nothing like the wilderness to help discover some truths about yourself!

I need to make a point of congratulating the author for not villainising all the seemingly 'bad' characters. In a lot of YA novels we tend to get this black-and-white view of characters who are either solely good or evil. And the protagonist ends up being this heavenly saint who can do no wrong and is only wronged by others. All the characters in this book that are 'bad' have explanations for their behavioiur and wrong-doings (not that that is an excuse). Essentially what I'm trying to say is that the so-called 'villains' in this book aren't simply place-takers and plot points to show the protagonist as being better than everyone else in the story.

All in all, a great read. Will definitely be getting the rest of Jenn Bennett's books in the near future!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. NetGalley in no ways influences my opinion/review of this book.

I decided to read this book purely because it was by Jenn Bennet and I had enjoyed her novel Night Owls (aka The Anatomical Shape of a Heart) and I knew that there would be a bit of science and a really cheesy love story.
And that’s what I got.
It was similar to Night Owls, the main character had daddy issues, they had an interest in a science topic.
I found the plot to be quite predictable, especially at the start, I could see the next 10 plot twists a mile away and the main character was oblivious. The love story was obvious but it still got me. It’s an all consuming romance that makes them both go crazy but and kind of Romeo-and-Juliette-esque. I loved the romance and I loved the intense emotions but what prevented me from giving it 5 stars was that the parents didn’t think the main character could take care of herself, when she obviously could.
I related to the character of Zorie on spiritual level, she loves plans, journaling and logic. For her things will only go right if there are plans and that was a big theme in the novel and something I really enjoyed and the book just reminds you sometimes you have to go with the flow of things.

I’d like to thank Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, through NetGalley.

Zorie and Lennon were best friends until an incident a year ago turned them away from each other. To make it worse, tension between their families is high, since Lennon’s parents opened a sex shop next door to Zorie’s family’s massage and acupuncture business. Zorie’s dad is convinced they’re driving all of his customers away.

Zorie reluctantly agreed to go on a camping trip with friends from school (the deciding factor being Brett, a popular guy she’s been lusting after for a while) Unbeknown to her, Lennon is coming along for the ride. Zorie likes life to go to plan. She does not like surprises. Things need to follow an itinerary and match up to what’s written in her scheduler. When the entire camping trip throws the plan out the window, Zorie and Lennon are left stranded in the wilderness. All alone, they start to unravel the mysteries of what went wrong in their friendship and how they feel about each other.

I rarely ever read YA contemporary books and I decided I’d like to change that this year. Starry Eyes was one of the first few I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. Before I dive into the rest of my review, I just want to mention this book includes the CUTEST MAPS EVER at the beginning and end! I adore them and will absolutely need a physical copy of the book just to stare at the maps some more!

Zorie is me. Everytime she opened her mouth I related to everything she said. The inbuilt need to plan and control life is as strong in me and it was in her. The mishaps and changes they had to endure didn’t give me hives like they did Zorie, but I suffered plenty of anxiety with her along the way!

I often find myself shying away from YA contemporary because the issues the main characters face are often such non issues from an adult perspective. The relationship and life dramas are relatable when you’re a teenager, but not so much from The late side of 30. But the issues faced by Zorie and Lennon were difficult issues. Their relationship struggles and attempts to understand their feelings were raw and relatable to almost anyone.

This was a beautiful story with so many elements. I was anxious and afraid, I laughed and I might have even had something in my eye towards the end. Ahem.

I am very grateful to Starry Eyes for pulling me out of a reading slump. It was such a cute and fun read, I thoroughly enjoyed every moment.

Oh my, I don't often experience the feeling of "why didn't I read this author before!?!?" - but that is exactly how I felt after I finished this book. I chose to read this book right after reading an epic fantasy novel, and I just wanted a light sweet read. What I got instead was an incredibly intelligent and well written contemporary YA, full of characters I fell in love with, experiences that felt true and emotional, but also exciting. This was indeed an incredibly sweet and fun novel, but it also dealt with hard and trying situations for a kid to deal with, and it handled them truthfully. I was mighty impressed. Also, this book made me simultaneously want to go camping immediately (because everything sounded so lush and exciting and fresh), and also never go camping in my life, because, well, bears. And snakes. And creepy cave tunnel shadows. All in all, Jenn has a new fan in me - this book was impossibly romantic, swoon worthy and fun, well written, full of adventure and hilarity, well developed, strong (and interesting!) characters, and just, IT WAS SO GOOD. MORE please and thank you.

“You can plot a course that will get you to your destination, but you can’t predict what you’ll find along the way.”

After reading the blurb, I was immediately drawn to this book. I liked the idea of warring families and survival in the wilderness. Plus I’m a huge fan of coming-of-age young adult fiction.

I had never heard of the author before coming across this book, so I can’t to compare it to her other work, but I really liked the writing style and the flow. It was engaging and quite atmospheric with regards to the bush land and the astronomy aspects. And it had well written characters, even though some were horrible and loathesome people.

I do have some negatives: first being that there was a lot going on. Each main character and supporting characters had their own conflict and issues (internal or external) and it created a little too much drama, a little too much angst, that detracted from my overall enjoyment of the main story.
The last few chapters also annoyed me. After the build up and suspense of the main story and all the connecting story lines, it just feels like the last bit ran out of steam and petered out.

I would definitely consider looking into some of the author’s other books as this one was quite enjoyable.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh wow, this book was absolutely delightful. I picked it up because I had previously enjoyed Alex, Approximately, and I think I even liked this just a little bit more than that one.

Just like Alex, this was teen romance between two kids who proport to dislike each other at the very start of the novel. Except, in this one, Zorie and Lennon have known each other and been close before the book started.

One thing I think this book did incredibly well was showing us what Zorie thought had happened to stop them being as close, and then only afterwards drop in the hints of what Lennon thought about the same incident. It wasn't a situation where one or the other one was unreasonable so much as a situation where wires were seriously crossed and each of them had every reason to think what they did until things were worked out.

I think my extra enjoyment of this book was because I love this particular trope when it's really well done. There was also the hint of an almost Romeo and Juliet alluding to, especially early in the book, but then it became clear that that was, at best, only from the side of Zorie's father.

And, oh my god, let me also say that I loved all of the narratives relating to both of Lennon and Zorie's family's that didn't strictly have anything to do with the romance plot but contributed so much to the characters and their stories.

Definitely need to get off my butt and read more from this author.