While "The Stars Between Us" is not quite as strong as Terrill's debut "All Our Yesterdays", it is still a very solid novel that perfectly blends science fiction, romance, and murder.

When one of the richest men in the universe dies, he leaves behind a startling will: he will only give his son Leo his inheritance if Leo agrees to marry a mysterious girl named Vika.

The story is told through Vika's perspective, and she is rather unlikable in the beginning. Clearly the enactment of the will turns Vika's life upside down. She goes from living in poverty to having more money than she could have ever dreamed possible. Yet she is so busy being swept up in the newfound glitz, glamor, and money that she forgets all about the family she left behind. She barely spares them any thought. However, Vika does undergo some well-written character growth; as the novel progresses she starts becomes less selfish and more attentive to the world around her.

The romance here borders on instalove. Leo becomes enamored with Vika the moment he meets her, and goes out of his way to win her affections thereafter. Their relationship is sweet, but it would have been stronger if there was more interaction between the two before they fell in love.

Ultimately, "The Stars Between Us" is an entertaining read that will appeal to fans of "These Broken Stars" or "Illuminae". It proves again that Cristin Terrill knows how to write incredibly entertaining science fiction.

Life on Philomenus is anything but luxurious; under a pollution-darkened sky, people do their best to eke out a living from one day to the next, and Vika Hale is determined to find a way out. When Vika is notified that she is to become the wife of the wealthy Leo Chapin and escape to Pluotos and the reality she has always known, she feels the stars have aligned for her. But Leo’s starship is destroyed en route to Pluotos, leaving Vika stranded and aimless as the future she had begun imagining is stripped unceremoniously from her. And in the days and weeks that follow, Vika begins creating a new life as she observes the intensity with which money can control more than she ever believed possible.

This young adult novel is quite slow to start, introducing readers to characters and a setting that has little drive or momentum. By the midway point, however, the pacing begins to pick up and continues to engage readers until the end. Vika is the primary protagonist of the novel, but occasional additional perspectives are included that, while they are not immediately obvious, provide clues about motive as the mystery unfolds. Beginning as something of a dystopian novel, the story turns midway through to something more of a sci-fi based romance novel for new adults that focuses on how the main characters will ultimately come together.

The resolve of this book is satisfying, but it does take some tenacity to get there. It is difficult to become invested in most of the characters, especially as there is not a significant amount of character development within the story. However, the delivery of the narrative is intriguing, and the seemingly disparate pieces at the beginning make sense as everything comes together at the end. Told using phrasing and terminology found in colloquial British jargon, the dialogue places readers more in a future English colony than any other. Occasional moments of romance and strong language are found within the story, but it is primarily focused on the interpersonal relationships within it and the lies and deception that abound. This story is well-designed for a young adult audience and it is worth sticking through to the end.

Thank you Wednesday books for the eARC.

Unfortunately, I made it through the first 70 or so pages on my kindle before I gave up and DNFed it.

I think the main thing that really turned me off from this book was the writing style. It was, to say the least, definitely an experience. A very chaotic one. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the author seemed very wordy and there would be many paragraphs of information that felt irrelevant and I found myself skimming through a lot. It took away way too much from the plot and the characters, which could really explain why i had a hard time understanding what was going on. Moreover, some of the use of different word replacements were…weird. The one that really bothered me was the word “fecking” meant to replace an F-bomb. There were a bunch of other weird word replacements I didn’t like, and I cringed every time it was used.

I also wasn’t a huge fan of the worldbuilding. Something about it felt off, and I really didn’t know many of the new terms or places, and quite frankly, it just felt like a plain ol’ sci-fi dystopia. I felt like a lot of information was dumped onto us and overall I didn’t like the feel of it.

The multiple POVs was another thing that turned me off. Don’t get me wrong, I love multiple POVs but it felt very unnecessary and didn’t add much to the book at all.

The plot also felt very slow, and it felt like nothing was really happening, or that there was no goal in mind. To be fair though, I did skim a lot of it so I didn’t always understand what was going on, but it didn’t keep me hooked.

The one thing I did like was the main character, Vika. I think her character did have a lot of potential, and I liked hearing about her struggles, and I did connect with her motives. However, in ways, she also felt very flat and passive, and I wish she had more of an active role in the community.

Overall, I don’t think this was the book for me. Thank you again to Wednesday books for the eARC, and all opinions are mine. 1.5/5 stars.

space is all anyone can talk about right now so why not add a little murder mystery to it!

I love the dark cinderella-esque story where girl wants more, gets m0re, and ultimately realizes its not what she thought it would be.

A lot of the characters were interesting, the MCs being Vika and Sky-- Vika is kind of relatable in that we all wish we were millionaires and go through an annoying phase while Sky is probably the most spineless love interest i've ever read. I'm glad they found each other tho bc she walks all over him and he likes it, I guess.

At face value the story was really interesting-- the space aspect was fun and the world building was very well done! But while some of the reveals were actually surprises, I did feel like the "who did it" was kind of underwhelming and a bit obvious.

3.5/5 thanks Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

The cover: beautiful. The premise: Intriguing. Unfortunately, in my personal opinion, this book missed the mark in execution. I found the main character to be selfish and vain, and I was put off by how the love interest simply fell in love for her the moment he saw her, because of her oft-mentioned beauty as well as her stubborn attitude, despite seeing her selfishness and vanity. Many readers may enjoy this sci-fi Dicken-inspired novel, but it was not for me.

I am just starting this audiobook listen but OMG the story so far pulls readers and listeners in. I love the narrator and cannot wait to finish the listen

I enjoyed this book and the story. The writing was well done and I did not want to put it down. The characters were easy to fall in love with.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book! I overall enjoyed this book but it was extremely predictable and I didn’t really like any of the characters. The main character was insufferable and the romance made little sense to me.

I was expecting this to be an easier read and I was correct. The idea of the story is super interesting and I genuinely enjoyed the world building of this book. I have missed dystopian style novels and the addition of galaxies and space really added to it. in terms of the plot itself I found it fell flat for me and was a bit predictable. I also couldn't really connect with Vika as I found I couldn't connect with her personality. So personally the book was not for me but I do have friends who would enjoy this style of book and I will be recommending it to them.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to review this eARC

The premise of the story is what drawn me in but the story was just okay to me.

The writing style was amazing and how she wrote in accents was chefs kiss. My favorite character of the book was Ariel by far. She is who keep me reading the book.

I love the world building but at times, I felt some connecting details were missing. I like the contrast of the worlds on the two planets with wealth distribution but I was not aware the extent of the disparity until closer to the end of the book.

I really wanted to like the MC, Vika. At the beginning, I was enjoying her portrayal but as the book progressed, I found her to be selfish, spoiled, and unnecessarily rude. She somewhat redeemed herself at the end of the story, but not enough to love her.

I found Sky/Leo to be a more compelling character than Vika and his arc was the one I enjoyed in this book.

I was here for the mystery whodunit aspect of the book, until the climax. I feel like the whole build up was wasted on a Scooby Doo style reveal.

I think this book could have been and deserves to be more than it is. I am giving the book a 3/5.

Thank you Netgalley and SMP for the arc!

Overall The Stars Between Us is well written and executed wonderfully, but it is just not for me. I struggled to like Vika, and just wasn't hooked into the story as I hoped I would be.

An absolutely beautiful and imaginative book - enchanting, really! The word choices were supreme, I really adored Cristin Terrill's writing in The Stars Between Us.

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone! Can't wait to read this one!

I really enjoyed reading this book! I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the mystery and sci-fi qualities. I don't read many sci-fi books, in fact this is the first one I've read in years, and I loved it! I recommend it if you like books where you have to keep flipping the page to find out what happens next!

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was fun and exciting. I liked how this Ya book blended dystopian with almost murder mystery and fancy ball gowns. It wasn’t too deep or anything and characters were kinda flat, but all-in-all it was a fun brain candy quick read.

I know there are some reviews that don’t like that the main character is rude and abrasive, but honestly that’s what made the book refreshing to read. She wasn’t a boring and perfect character. She was mean and selfish and knew it about herself.

Yes there were tropes and things were predictable, but that’s half the fun. Sitting there guessing who actually did what. And sometimes being wrong or second guessing and realizing ah you were right.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!

Vika Hale knows what it is like to have nothing. Slinging drinks on a backwater planet barely keeps the lights on, but everything changes when the mysterious benefactor who bankrolled her education dies and names Vika in his will. Whisked away to a prosperous planet, Vika is thrust into a glittering new world where secrets are weapons and the gloss of high society is only skin deep. Afraid to lose her new life Vika quickly sets about changing herself to fit in with high society, but a narrow escape from an attempt on her life sends Vika on the trail of a would be assassin.

To find out who tried to kill her, Vika must rely on Sky Foster, her benefactor's assistant with secrets of his own. As Vika and Sky's investigation uncovers a trail of secrets and murders that lead to an underground resistance, they must risk everything in order to stop the killer and keep the people of her home planet from being caught in the crossfire.

My Review:

I instantly snagged this book based off of the first three words in the description: Bridgerton meets Illuminae. My favorite netflix show mixed with my favorite YA science fiction series? Sign me up! The only issue is... the only thing this novel had in common with Illuminae is the varying POV's in a science fiction setting. Despite the mis-marketing I absolutely enjoyed this novel. it was very regency-esque but with less corsets and more explosions! The divide between the classes and exploitation of the lower class made the perfect backdrop for the plot. I loved the underlying message regarding how expensive it is to be poor. The pacing matched the plot perfectly, and the writing style was very engaging. I was able to sink right into this book after the first two chapters, and the only reason it took me so long was because of a grammatical error/stylistic choice regarding the shortening of the word 'because'. The word was written without the apostrophe, (cause vs 'cause) which are two very different words, and it kept pulling me out of my immersion.

One of the things I loved most about this novel was the characterization of Vika. I must confess I did not like her for the middle section of the book when she started being judgmental and trying to change herself. I think that's what makes her so likable in the long run. You get to see her grow as a person and come to a decision about what really matters. Her partner in crime Sky starts off as someone calculating and secretive but the more time he spends with Vika the more he opens up.

The only thing I would have changed about the characters at all would have to be with the villain. The novel starts out with an inside look into their psyche as they set the stage for the plot to begin. It was dark and twisted, but conflicted all at once. It held a promise that every other instance of the villain's POV failed to deliver on. Every further instance of their POV deteriorates into the stereotypical mustache twirling villain. It sort of unbalanced the story for me, and I wish more time had been spent in their mind to develop them further.

All in all this novel was fun, thrilling, and a great way to get over my recent reading slump.

I give this novel a total of 3.5 stars

I want to preface this review with while this book wasn’t for me, I know it will be for someone! The book wasn’t bad.

I didn't find I connected to the main character and I found that the storyline was lacking for me. I think the concept is very enjoyable and interesting though. Maybe it wasn’t the time for me to read this book. I will be adding it to my list to pick up at a later time to reread.

I went through a lot of emotions with this one.

Vika Hale comes from the wrong side of the tracks (or the wrong planet, in this case), and is forever dreaming of something more. When she's finally able to live her dream, is it actually what she wanted?

Look, I'm a sucker for Cinderella stories. This has a lot of elements of that! And it's wrapped up in a neat little well developed sci-fi package. It has so many things I love. A fun mystery, too!

But I found it terribly difficult for me to connect with Vika for about half the book. She just became so wildly unlikable. And while I recognize that this was probably the point, I just wanted to be out of her POV as soon as possible so I could get back to Sky. He was a delight. More Sky. And more Ariel! A whole book on Ariel, please!

I had a lot of fun reading this. I was kept guessing (which I love), and got completely swept away when the action picked up near the end.

I hope there are more in this series, and I can't wait to read more by Cristin Terrill. Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Stars Between Us is a tale of two cities, planets rather, with the Haves living on the eco-healthy, rich one and the Havenots living on the smogfilled, ex-mine, depressed planet.

This is ultimately a love story, with hidden identities a la the Prince and the Pauper, but it's also a cautionary tale about economic inequity, post-industrialization ecologic hazards, smugglers, the 1% , and many other delicious things.

I'll recommend it to be purchased for middle school library acquisition

3.4/5