Jen Comfort is a space goddess. ​I was going to say that she was out of this world but I just felt that was really cheesy. I loved this book so much. The 7 year old me who also wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up related to so many aspects of this book: Jon who wanted to be an astronaut, Reggie who was an astronaut, Reggie, the hardass, show no emotion, doesn't relate well to others, Jon the one who never quite feels put together, Katya who secretly loves pop culture but will also unalive you if you mention it--just so much good in this book. Jon was such a sweetheart and I loved how Reggie could not resist him even from the beginning. They both just felt such intense feelings--or lust--from their initial meeting--that you knew it would only be a matter of time. However, Jen made us wait for it. What felt like a million light years was more like a week or so but it felt sooo much longer because forced proximity (YES!) and the tension between these two was thick as plasma. Rather than try to fix each other, they accept the other for who they are, flaws and all, and instead the other person feels safe and is able to be themselves or a version of themselves they want to be. The relationship and the development of each of them together and as individuals just felt right. It felt natural and real. In the hands of another author, I can see both becoming very cliche and losing the genuineness. My only complaint is that I would like an epilogue, please and thank you. Feel free to message me with that when it's written. HA!

Adorable sweet grumpy sunshine romance with interesting characters and backstories. I was smiling in a lot of places and overall it was a sweet funny joyous read. Highly recommend will put you in a good mood.

This was such a fun read! I loved the dynamic between Reggie and Jon, and this book was quite the ride!

What a delightful contemporary romance! Reggie is an antisocial prickly, grump of a Goth Ice Queen. Those are generally magic words for me but I’ll admit I really wasn’t sure if Reggie would stay on the right side of unlikable at first. Luckily, she did. She was an utter badass and…utterly unable to resist Jon’s charms. This made me downright giddy!

Jon was an absolute golden retriever of an MMC. He was so enthusiastic and endearing and wore his heart on his sleeve. And his heart very much wants Reggie, even if she can’t offer more than a fling. These two had chemistry for days and I was amazed by how long they were able to hold off on doing anything about it. This made for some super hot scenes, including secret mutual masturbation where they were sleeping in separate beds in the same room and hoping the other person couldn’t hear what they were getting up to. Whew!

Jon’s undiagnosed ADHD provided an interesting arc, whereas Reggie is working through her control issues and inability to ask for help or collaborate with colleagues. There were a few loose threads—I really wanted Reggie to cut off her parents, for instance, but I was relieved she’s in therapy at the end so hopefully that will come with time. However, the conspiracy theorist plot was contrived and unnecessary.

This story showed me that giving someone a rock can be romantic as hell. It was such an enjoyable debut. I’m crossing my fingers that Katya will get a book next!

Jen Comfort’s THE ASTRONAUT AND THE STAR (Montlake Romance, 332 pp., paper, $12.95) is about two people whose futures depend on the careful curation of their image. Regina Hayes, an astronaut, is determined to be the first woman to walk on the moon — but NASA thinks she’s too much of a lone wolf. So, to show the necessary team spirit (ugh), she volunteers to train a himbo Hollywood star for a role as an astronaut in an edgy director’s new project.

The actor, Jon Leo, is hoping this new movie will nab him an Oscar and a spot on the A-list, so he can prove he’s more than a pretty face from a cult action comedy. That is, if he doesn’t destroy NASA’s pricey equipment or get murdered by his hot astronaut trainer first.
The grumpy/sunny dynamic is my favorite when the heroine gets to be the grumpy one, and Reggie is grumpier than most. (She’s also bisexual, which makes this a welcome queer romance.) Jon describes her as a comic-book villainess: She’s stern and demanding and a little bit mean, and he thinks it makes her the sexiest woman in the world. Jon’s easygoing persona is both a cover for untreated A.D.H.D. and a protection against rejection — he puts up walls just as much as Reggie does, only with jokes instead of withering scorn. He’s fighting to change, and she is fighting not to: It’s an elegant balance of similarity and difference.

The combination of actor and astronaut shows there’s only a shade of difference between pretending and rehearsing — or training. You don’t just pack your bags and flit off to the moon, you practice moving and working in lowered gravity, in artificial settings that simulate space’s grueling environments.

That’s why fake dating in a romance is never really fake. It’s a sneak peek at the future. Because it’s not just that we are what we pretend to be, as Kurt Vonnegut says. It’s also that by pretending, we’re practicing for what we could become.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley, thanks to the author - I’m sorry it took me so long to read it! We are mutuals on social media.

I initially thought Jen Comfort’s debut was going to be an sf romance about an astronaut who fell for an actual star-star (think: Clare Danes in Stardust), so I was kind of bummed when I realised it was a contemporary about an astronaut and a movie star set on boring old Earth. But. I honestly loved this book. It won me over quickly and completely, as evidenced by the way I gobbled it up during one of the busiest weeks of the academic year for me.

Reggie Hayes, our FMC, is a prickly ice-queen with control issues, and her top priority is being chosen for NASA’s Artemis mission. She *is* going to be the first woman to walk on the moon or else. Unfortunately she has a PR problem - she’s rubbish at human contact of any kind, in fact. She doesn’t do social media, she doesn’t do interviews, she doesn’t do relationships. So, in an attempt to rehabilitate her reputation after a particularly foul mouthed encounter with a space conspiracy theorist, she agrees to spend a month in the Arizona desert training an actor in preparation for a blockbuster space movie.

Enter Jon Leo, a golden retriever in man form, with the energy of a supernova and the charm of a big-eyed puppy. He’s taken with Reggie straightaway - the goth science witch of his dreams - and he’s determined to impress her. Except it’s like his personality was calibrated to unimpress her. Cue opposites attract on steroids, with added forced proximity and chemistry for daaaays. Because, man, these two are hot for each other - hormones and pheromones of teenage proportions are heating up that fake moon base in the desert.

The Astronaut and the Star is a wonderful and kind of odd (read: wonderfully odd) mix of high heat, fun banter, adorable mishaps and difficult emotions. It deals with some big issues in the form of Reggie’s horrible, loveless childhood; Jon’s struggles with undiagnosed ADHD; and the coping mechanisms they’ve both developed to manage them. But at the same time it leans into some completely bananas scenarios - one of which, at the very end, I could have done without. What I liked most is that it’s a kind, big hearted book, about two people learning to understand and care themselves and each other. It’s a great antidote to these times we live in, and to the spate of kind-of-mean-pretending-to-be-soft contemporaries I’ve read in the last 12 months.

I’ve got to say I’m a bit stumped as to why more people haven’t been talking about it, and why so many of the reviews here are critical. Is it because Reggie is a tough FMC to warm to? Believe me, she rewards the investment in the long run. If she was the m in this mf I can’t help but feel everyone would be madly into her cold crushing emotion-denying ways. Anyway, people are missing out! For my own part I’m looking forward to Jen’s next book, which is a Phantom of the Opera retelling and sounds completely awesome.

I recommend this book when you're in the mood for a cute, fluffy, humorous, sexy romance. This is not a book that dives deep into social issues, or even the characters really. And sometimes that's just the kind of story you want!

Reggie is a badass astronaut in need of an image boost to help her chances of being selected for a moon mission. She's been single-mindedly striving for this, desperate to be the first woman who walks on the moon. Her people skills are lacking, and her emotional intelligence is rather non-existent. She begrudgingly offers to take part in a publicity stunt where she'll train an actor for his upcoming role.

Jon is the actor about to play an astronaut in a film that could win him an Oscar, catapulting him into stardom and giving him the gravitas he wants. He is super friendly and all heart - basically a big puppy, wanting to please, easily distracted, and always knocking into things.

These two are the ultimate grumpy/sunshine, and it's fun to see them get together!

I received an advanced ebook through Bonkers Romance book club, delivered via NetGalley.

I loved the dynamic between a slightly-dumb/himbo-esque (actually, he has undiagnosed ADHD) hero and the smart goth NASA astronaut. They had great chemistry together and made each other better. The audio was fun too!

This was an OK if mostly annoying romance. I liked the premise - a movie star and a real-life female! astronaut getting together. The execution didn't fully work for me though. I didn't like the writing (it's a matter of personal taste rather than a fault of the author), the characters felt too juvenile to me. The tone of the story reminded me very much of the NA from a couple of years ago. I strongly disliked the sex scenes - too much focus on the physical side, it seemed the characters thought about sex all the time, it really didn't feel authentic to me.
Whole side plot with the conspiracy stalker - too much, too unbelievable, not fitting with the rest of the story.
On the plus side, I mostly liked the portrayal of Jon's ADHD - he appeared messy and scattered, struggling to keep some order in his life. but never stupid or acting in bad faith.
Overall, this was not the book for me despite the interesting premise, there were only a few things I really liked in it.

All I really want it more ice queens and the adorable himbos who love them. This book hits so many great bells. You have a whip-smart hyper-competent astronaut who is saddled with training a happy-go-lucky actor for a (ridiculous) movie set on the moon. The beginning was a bit slow to start, but the chemistry and tension was delightfully built, and the banter was excellent. I need more grumpy / sunshine pairings like this one. Intelligent and thoughtful, and you can tell the author really put a lot into it. Shoutout for queer rep (MC is bisexual) and neurodivergent rep (MC and side character have ADHD).

This was so good. The romance was sweet and there was lots of awesome steam. John was such a cinnamon roll! I loved Reggie. She is determined and smart. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an Ebook arc in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't love this as much as I thought I would. It was okay. I don't think this was the books fault but more of mine. I am still interested in future books from Jen though.

Reggie needs to improve her image with NASA. She volunteers to work with the movie star learning to be an astronaut for a movie. Jon is a movie star and is excited to learn to be an astronaut. When the chemistry between the two of them is off the charts, can they still help each other out?

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. I just think it could have been executed better. I thought the characters were fun and well thought out. I did want more development from Reggie, though. I also got a little confused about the timeline. I felt like the book was trying to do too many things. It would have been better if it had focused on one or two romance themes and not all of them at once. I look forward to reading more from Jen Comfort.

Thank you to Bonkers Romance, NetGalley, and Montlake for free copy of this book.

This reverse grumpy/sunshine pairing (because let's be honest, the grumps are usually men) was a fun read. I enjoyed the banter between the MCs, the aura of nerdiness that surrounded the entire story, and Jon's dirty talk (so full of promise!). I also liked that both characters were in their 30s - Reggie is actually 35 (gasp!).

Overall, campy romantic fun featuring a grumpy, unlikable heroine and a sweet, charming hero.

I didn't know what to expect from this book but I'm pleasantly surprised! Enemies-to-lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this book fits the bill. Reggie and Jon are definitely opposites which just makes the development of their relationship that much more entertaining to read! I was initially a little turned off by Reggie's assumptions about Jon, but she quickly realizes he has more going for him than she thought and that he's more than just a pretty face and a Hollywood star. I love when the characters realize their assumptions are incorrect, and it's one of the main reasons I adore the enemies-to-lovers trope. Although this book contained chemistry it was too much of a slow burn for me and I wanted more steam. Overall this was a solid book and I was well entertained.

Thank you Bonkers Romance Podcast for providing this eARC via NetGalley.

*Received copy for review*.
I loved the premise of this book. Any book where some Star needs either education fir a part or babysitting because they can’t be trusted is part of my catnip.
Reggie is an astronaut who is not good with the public or with working with others. She knows her job but trusts no one and believes her decisions are always right. She’s on thin ice in her training and if she wants to get to space, she has to do better.
Jon has a popular sho but wants to make a movie to advance his career. Jon does not like conflict and has difficulty focusing.
I have to say that the writing is good. However, I didn’t like either of the main characters. Reggie was unnecessarily mean. Jon was dangerous in his inability to focus. I understand that he has ADHD but he does so many things that could have gotten someone hurt. His lack of self awareness was distracting.
I will read more from this author but this book did not work for me.

I could barely get through this book because the two leads felt so incredibly young to me. And by young I mean too young to even be doing the complex jobs they are meant to be doing. The female MC is meant to be an astronaut but she throws a fit in the opening which is impossible for me to imagine a disciplined astronaut doing.

The male MC is constantly talking to himself, hyping him up, and acting like he's never seen a woman before even though he's a successful actor. The combination of those two things made me give up because it felt like they should be like in their teens and not full grown adults.

I loved so much about this concept (prickly NASA scientist astronaut, golden retriever Hollywood actor) and the writing is both witty and emotional. But for me, there is a pacing issue that kept it from being a homerun. Slight Spoiler: during the time that Reggie and Jon are at the habitat together, I needed both of them to make a little more personal progress. I wanted to see Reggie start down the path of recognizing how her parents messed her up and I wanted Jon to do more baby steps into understanding his potential ADHD. As it was written, both of those arcs felt a little too rushed into the last few chapters.

Grumpy heroine, sunshine hero match up. Reggie is the heroine, astronaut with a goal to be the first woman on the moon. But she's got a PR problem, known as the 'goth astronaut', she recently unleased on a conspiracy theory guy and got a bunch of negative media coverage. Also known as a bad team worker, she prefers to work alone. She gets assigned to coach a movie star, Jon Leo (our hero), on astronaut experience for a movie he's working on. They will spend 6 weeks at a 'fake' lunar colony thing pretending to be on the moon.

Jon is super sunshine. He has undiagnosed ADHD, which seems pretty obvious from the way the author (who also has ADHD) describes his feelings/through processes. Jon is used to deflecting anything negative with jokes, often at himself. He's kind of a himbo. Jon is immediately attracted to Reggie and VERY interested in her.

They end up doing the 'we can't be in a relationship but we can fool around' thing. but oh no - feelings!

There's an unexpected villan and fight scene at the end that brings about the 'breakup' moment.

I don't know exactly what didn't work for me. It was cute and I liked both characters. The setting and science parts were interesting. The chemistry was hot. But I put this down for 3 days after I started and read some other books before finishing. I felt a little like I have read similar books before and wasn't super invested in finding out what happens our hero and heroine. Slow pace maybe?

I loved this book. Reggie was a compelling character, ambitious and driven in her own personal space race (to be the first woman on the moon), and Jon was just a delight to read, with his almost golden retriever-like enthusiasm and eagerness to learn and to please. I loved the way Jon saw Reggie; reading about her through his eyes helped me fall in love with her because he just thought she was the best person he had ever met. That kind of attraction was very appealing to read and I appreciated his own journey within his fledgeling Hollywood career, which did not go where I expected it to (so refreshing!).

Reading Jon's exploration of his way of interacting with the world, how he started to wonder about himself and eventually learn about ADHD was equally great. Equally, Reggies realisations of how cold her parents are and how she grew to implement boundaries with them was wonderful and so gratifying to read.

The secondary characters were all just as compelling as the main couple, with plenty of representation of women in such a competitive field and the diversity within the book was good. I really appreciated the growth seen in Reggie and Jon throughout.

I'm intrigued to read more by Jen Comfort -- if this debut is anything to go by I can't wait to see where she goes next.