While the premise is amazing, the book had too much going on. It seemed a little all over the place. I wanted to love and connect to the characters but it just seemed like it didn’t fit. This book took me ages to get through because I never wanted to pick it up. There was so much potential but it just fell flat and left me with a lot of questions.

This sci-fi romance with copious pop culture references will please a wide variety of readers. Ellie and Morris are delightful in their fast-paced, engaging story with a pleasing twist at the end. Highly recommended.

Don’t miss this spectacular debut novel… Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity? This road trip is truly out of this world! A beautiful and thrilling read for fans of Marie Lu and Veronica Roth.

Really, really wonderful sci-fi debut. Some solid twists and turns, this was more of a road-trip adventure than I expected and I didn't see the end coming at all! I think what I love best about this is the way that Ellie talks about her favorite books. In the Sci-Fi genre, especially in this kind of dystopian subgenre, the books that survive the apocalypse are the narratives the heroes take with them to build a better future. I loved that in this story, it included books that teenaged Black girls would be reading right now- forget this Catcher in the Rye, To Kill A Mockingbird, Huck Finn stuff. Ellie's reading The Hate U Give, When Dimple Met Rishi, Six of Crows, Simon and the Homo Sapiens Agenda. The stories she tells Morris to pass the time keep them alive and connect them. It's solidifying a canon for a future generation, one that feels relevant, personal, and diverse. I didn't realize that this was going to be a series, so I'm really excited to see more from this world and Alechia Dow!

There was so much to love in this book.

First and foremost this is a story about star-crossed lovers. A bookworm and the music-obsessed alien who loves her. That alone was enough to make me pick this book up, but it is so much more than that.

Dow creates a startling look at what the world would look like if we were invaded by aliens. The punches here aren't just about humanity being failed by a system beyond ours, but the failings of our own system leading us down a path of destruction. It explores themes and identities not typically represented in YA romance, but in a way that it doesn't feel forced or thrown in as an afterthought.

What an absolutely fabulous debut. I loved this book and can not wait to see what else this author comes up with.

The Sound of Stars is about a girl named Janelle (Ellie), who loves books. Her problem, though, is that the world was invaded by aliens called Ilori, and one-third of the world’s population was killed, and the Ilori hate music and books. If Janelle is caught with any of these books in the Ilori controlled community, she would be severely punished. Morris is an Ilori who loves music. Problem is, he was raised to be emotionless and to not indulge in any of the humans music or art, and to enforce the Ilori’s rules.
This book had me falling in love immediately. Ellie is a black girl who struggles with self-image and racism, and learns to love herself throughout the book. Morris is innocent and curious, and I loved seeing him interact and grow with Ellie over the course of the book. I enjoyed that the two go on a road-trip to save the world with books and music in the back of their car. I cannot wait for the sequel!

I fell head-over-heels in love with The Sound of Stars from the very beginning! The characters were fantastic and so incredibly well-written, I was rooting for them throughout the entire story! I can't wait to see what else this author has in store for them.

I was excited to read this book based on the premise. We have an alien who loves music and a girl who loves books who fall in love with each other. I loved the references to different songs and books throughout the story. I just felt that parts of the story dragged on a bit. Other parts weren't developed enough. Other times, I thought the author tried to make too much happen in the book. Still, I think this is a strong debut from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the book for an honest review.

'I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.'

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Overall rating: 3.5stars
A debut sci-fi novel about a human girl who breaks alien rules by secretly distributing books to others in her compound, teaming up with an alien who is supposed to have no humanity, but loves music, going on a road trip to save humanity.

Positives:
I like the world building. It's contemporary, so easy to follow along and relate to. Pop culture is used throughout, which I enjoyed. Examples: Harry Potter, Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Beyonce, etc.

I like that Janelle chapters begin with book quotes and Morris' chapters begin with music quotes. A good representation of each character. I loved their relationship and watch it build through out their journey.

Discusses current, real life issues throughout the book. Equality and justice. Good representation of LGBTQ community. The way music and literature give us a reason to keep living, helps us get through the darkest parts of our lives.

I love how the band ties into the main story, but I wish I had more time with them.

Negatives:
Kind of a slow start. There was a lot of over - explaining where I felt like I was constantly rereading the same thing.

There were also parts I wish I had more time with, like the compound in Texas. It was almost unnecessary, unless we will visit them again as allies to a rebellion. The things that happened along the way, happened so fast made the events lack depth. I understand the road trip had to be quick because they were on a time crunch. So, I think maybe 2 things should've happened and be stretched out, than many things happening. However, I did like the quick stops to dance and build the relationship between the two characters.

I didn't love the ending. I liked meeting certain characters, but it felt rushed. Will there be a second book? I hope. Nothing was resolved except that love can save the world, but that didn't happen yet. Only the love was established.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It kept me wanting to read further. To make sure they made it safely to their final destination and watch their love grow.

A unique new scifi novel, The Sound of Stars follows Ellie and Morris - star crossed lovers, literally. The novel as an interesting first contact premise, but I had a difficult time becoming involved in the main characters romance and the Ilori spelled their names (Morris is M0Rr1S) became old very quickly. Still, I enjoyed the novel and would look forward to reading more from the imagination of the author!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I chose not to finish this book as I have limited time to read right now and it’s heavy-handed tone rather irked me.

This book was received as an ARC from Harlequin TEEN (US & Canada) - Inkyard Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I completely loved the execution of this book in the beginning setting it up like a podcast style and explaining the purpose of Morris and the point he made through this earth. While I was reading this book, I could not help but think of Beautiful Creatures and Warm Bodies, teen romance novels with supernatural beings learning our lifestyle but this one really caught my interest because it was different. Ellie is holding an illegal library of recordings that might land her into exile in communication with another planet and then she meets Morris who is trained to be emotionless but when he is assigned Ellie's case, he can't help but be fascinated with Ellie almost completely forgetting that he is emotionless and she is a criminal. An invigorating story that will leave you speechless and breathless. Our teen book club will enjoy this very much.

We will consider adding this title to our YFiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.