Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a widget to honestly review,

I grabbed this one back when book 2 released and Sourcebooks was nice enough to send me widgets for both and I keep starting this and putting it down. I didn't really enjoy book 2 and I can't get into this one so I am accepting defeat. I did give it 2 stars as I think this could be a great book and work for some but I just don't seem to vibe with Xio Axelrod's writing personally.

Toni B never wanted to be in the spotlight, she just wanted to produce and write good music. When she has the opportunity to fill in for a member of The Lily's she is excited but also terrified. Is this something she will be able to do as well as continue to do what she loves?

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this title.

This story covers quite a period of time. From the time Toni(Antonia) is a young girl, sitting in lounges watching her mother sing, then being made to go and live with her dad whom she had never met. Then she meets Sebastian and they make music together until he disappears from her life. Then as an adult, playing in local bars and lending her hand when needed to add something to a recording. When the opportunity to be a part of an all girls band, the Lily's, she's not sure if this is something she wants.

I enjoyed this book and I think all music lovers will enjoy this book as well.

This book was really a great time. I was hoping the band would see through Candi's bull much sooner, but they definitely are entitled to their mixed feelings. I look forward to seeing where the author takes the series, as the characters for the rest of the band were beautifully fleshed out.

Toni is a musician in Philly, she plays gigs at a local bar but her real goal is to buy into the local recording studio. Toni is very talented by isn’t comfortable with the fame that comes with performing.

The Lillys is a band on the verge of their big break and they are looking for a temporary replacement guitarist. Toni is invited to audition and she gets the gig. And in the process is reunited with her childhood friend, Seb - who she hasn’t seen in 8 years when he left town without her. Turns out he works for the Lillys!

The story is told primarily in the present but we get some glimpses of Toni and Seb from when they were teens. Both of them had it tough when they were younger and you can see how their experiences led them to some of the choices they made.

The romance was a slow burn. We could see they loved each other but it took a while for Toni and Seb to see it. Plus, they both had a non-fraternizing clauses in their contracts and there was a lot of external drama to deal with. And I am ready to jump in to the next book in the series, Girls with Bad Reputations!

Read this if you enjoy:
🎸 Childhood friends to lovers
🎸 Second chance romance
🎸 Slow burn romance
🎸 Strong female characters
🎸 Music industry and Rockstars

Thank-you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-galley! I loved Toni and Sebs story. Childhood friends to lovers and second chance romance is sooo underrated

Y’all, I am kicking myself for not reading this book sooner.

After years of following her mother from gig to gig, Antonia (Toni) Bennette moved to a tiny town to live with her father. It wasn’t the best situation, but the shining light of the backwater town was her friend—and crush—Sebastian. Together they played guitar and made plans for their future—a future that Seb upended when he left town without her.

Years later, Toni is working the Philadelphia music scene when she gets the chance to audition for a temporary gig with an up-and-coming band in New York, but, as it turns out, working with that band will throw Seb back into her life.

There are years of hurt and a no fraternization policy to keep them apart, but are those obstacles really enough to separate these once-childhood-friends?

I don’t really have anything earth-shattering to say here, only this: “Read it. It’s that good.”

Both characters have growth arcs. There’s a found family dynamic with the band. There are even song lyrics included.

And this is the beginning of a series based around The Lillys. Read it and get hooked on their story.

I received a copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

A rock and roll romance, childhood friends, a second chance at love, found family, and a dream add to this magical world of stardom. This gritty, slow burn tale of one woman's journey to make her way in the music industry in spite of her upbringing. Will she find a way to make it before she has to get rid of the one thing she swore she never would sell?

Sometimes in life you get a second chance to fix a mistake, will Seb finally find the courage to tell Toni how he feels?
It's been a long time since Toni was sent to live with her father and she had to figure out a way to leave before she's settled into her new home. It will take years before Toni realizes the impact her time with Mo had on her future, and he just might be the one to help her find her way towards a dream.

Antonia “Toni” Bennett lives and breathes music. Ever since she was young she was surrounded by music. She has an ear for music and has a passion for producing. On top of that, she can play the guitar and sing like no one else. Although Toni doesn’t want the fame that comes with performing.

When someone from her childhood who she thought she’d never see again pops back into her life, she is unsure what she’ll do next. When Toni signs a contract to fill in for an all girl band, she begins to question what she wants. It doesn’t help that Sebastian “Seb” is there for the ride as well.

Read if you like:
• Music
• Second chance romance
• Childhood friends to strangers to friends to lovers
• Found Family

This was a cute read but I was a bit disappointed in the chemistry between the characters. This felt more like Women's Fiction than a romance as the band was more the focus. This may account for the lack of chemistry between the protagonists. I am excited for the spin off with the new band though.

The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod is not a typical book I would pick up and read but I actually enjoyed it. Lovely story about the power of music and love and the mess that fame can cause. A second chance romance with the story of a girl who finds out what she thought she wanted with her life.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved this! It was fantastic and I can not wait to see what's next! The character development, plot, and story were so well developed. I loved it.

This is the first Xio Axelrod book I've ever read and I really enjoyed it! If you love novels about musicians, you will love this one! It didn't feel unnecessarily long and I really enjoyed the way all the characters interacted with one another. I can't wait to read Xio's upcoming release: Girls With Bad Reputations!

I really enjoyed this rock-centric romance with a friends-to-lovers/rekindled love trope at the center. Antonia "Toni" Bennett was surrounded by music for most of her life so it's no surprise that she becomes a musician when she grows up. When a stop in the female group, The Lillys, opens up Toni is given the chance to join the band. There she sets eyes on her old friend and flame, Seb, who left town without a word to her. As the Lillys deal with their big break, Toni and Seb deal with their old feelings of friendship and love for each other.

This is my first book by Xio Axelrod, but I know I'll be reading more from her in the future. I really enjoyed the looks back into the past between Seb and Toni. It helps to explain their characters more and the motivation for their actions with each other and separately. I loved the female friendship that was also at the core of the story. I'm glad to see there will be another story from another member of The Lillys out in 2024 so I can go back to the band too.

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the AR

I’ve been in the Daisy Jones & the Six mood and this fit that perfectly!
I loved an all girl rock band. It was different and interesting. I found the drama between the band and the members to be exciting. The second chance romance was filled with angst which is my bread and butter.
This was a lot of fun!

Toni is a talented musician with a drive to succeed. When her older, wiser friend Sebastian leaves their small town, Toni must go it alone. Years later, as an adult making a name for herself, she meets Sebastian again and needs to collaborate with him, which would be easier if she didn’t still care for him. An interesting, diverse, contemporary romance that is infused with music. 3.5 stars

I can't believe I blew through this book in two days. There was a lot of me reading and walking into things because I simply couldn't put it down.

Toni Bennette is the daughter of a gorgeous, ambitious singer who sent her to live with her father so she could pursue her music dreams. She ends up in a small town with a man who barely knows her and merely tolerates her existence. Lucky for her, she has a raw musical talent that sustains her through a rough childhood, as well as Sebastian, her best friend. They dream of escaping their respective lives - Toni from her neglectful father and Seb from an abusive family. But when Seb turns 18, he takes his money and abandons Toni. It isn't until years later that they meet up unexpectedly. This triggers old feelings and untended wounds as they try to navigate a treacherous music industry and their own emotional baggage.

This book definitely belongs to Toni and her efforts to find success and self-realization all the while maneuvering through her relationship with Seb. There's a generosity of spirit towards the characters in this novel - they are allowed to be messy and imperfect and yet, the reader can't help but buy in to the idea of Toni and Seb. The writer clearly knows what she's talking about when it comes to music, and shows a real love for music and song which shows up on the page, adding depth to the story. Prepare for a slow burn, but the payoff is worth it.

Beautiful book!

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Love when a story shows realistic situations and the start truths. The music and setting were amazing as was the story. Love the reluctant stardom and the second chance aspect. Overall I would recommend this one.

Antonia "Toni" Bennett is a smart strong African American young female who is determined to achieve her goals and her guitar was her only connection to the mom who abandoned her, the only means of making a living, the bridge between her and her father, and she cherished it. Toni was fierce on the guitar thanks to her family's talent and love for music and from what she could remember before being sent away to live above her fathers' bar, her mother's small-time fame. And then she met Sebastian (Seb) Quick who befriended her at a time when she needed a friend only for him to also abandoned her. Until they meet again! I loved the Philadephia rock scene, the realism about the music industry, and all the bad that go with it. It had a good amount of moving parts and characters that helped to fill in the gaps and of course who doesn’t like a young love story. This was a sweet, fun, and heartwarming book to read.

This was a good quick read. I really liked the first half and enjoyed the second chance romance. I actually felt like it was a well done second chance romance which can be a hit or miss trope for me. I really liked Toni and the Lilly’s. I wished we got a bit more of the band. I felt like there were a lot of different strings pulled together for the story, it felt a smidge cluttered. I would definitely read more books about the Lilly’s.