Very YA, I think 13-16 me would have really enjoyed this book (not that adult me didn't also enjoy this book too).

Future meets past in The Stars Between us. This book didn't need to be based in space, it wasn't vital to the plot, but it made it fun! Think historical romance with some mystery, but instead of journeys across the Atlantic Ocean, travelling through space. Neat concept, but don't go in expecting a lot of Sci-fi, everyone in this story is a human or a Mec (minor part).

My biggest eh was the Mc. The MC was vain, but was intentionally written that way. It just seemed so conflicting between her loving her family (especially her dad) and being a brat towards them after she is better off.

I also didn't really like the way the chapters were written in the beginning, I understand it was to emphasize the differences between the two planet's cultures, but it was only written a particular way for the first 15% of the book, then it got left behind. To me I think it'd make more sense to have her 'code switch', especially with her private tutor that's mentioned in the beginning than immediately know how to adapt to a new culture.

Overall though, I really did enjoy the book. I was little on the fence in the beginning but it really came around. Was it predictable, yes. Was it still an enjoyable read? 100%. The romance was good, the character growth was great, the characters in general were written really well. Honestly a spin off about Ariel I'd read in a heartbeat!

I was given a free ARC through netgalley, but everything in this review is my own honest opinion. Thank you, for allowing me to review this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise when I first requested it but was nervous because mixing sci-fi with a Bridgerton would not be an easy thing to do successfully. I was glad I gave it a chance, I really enjoyed it. And while I did not like Vika as a person I loved her as a character because she made me feel something towards her. I rather have a character that is frustrating over one who is just blah. The world was well explained and done in a way that was believable and easy to imagine myself in.

Thank you, NetGalley for the chance to read this book!

For starters, the cover art for this book grabbed me the minute I saw it. It’s GORGEOUS. This story was very much regency romance meets space with a dash of mystery and I really did enjoy it. I wish the love story would have been a little more developed but other than that it was a fun read. Thanks for the ARC, Netgalley!

I really wanted to love this book but I couldn’t. The story line is interesting and moves quickly. I struggled with the main character and her brashness. Given that I’ve never been a big fan of Dickens, Austen or Bridgerton it’s not a shock I didn’t love this book. If those are areas of interest for you then I’d recommend this book.

The Stars Between Us is the story of Vika, young barmaid from the poverty-stricken planet of Philomenus, and the fortuitous turn of events that catapult her into high society on the planet of Ploutos. Something is rotten on the planet of Ploutos, however—Vika must team up with her benefactor’s mysterious assistant, Sky Foster, in order to uncover a conspiracy that puts all of their lives in danger.

I really enjoyed this story! The concept of high society in a space-setting was imaginative; it was almost as if Jane Austen wrote a Star Wars novel.

All of the characters were interesting, though I struggled with liking Vika. At times, she seemed spoiled and entitled. However, I ultimately found her character arc satisfying. I absolutely loved Sky Foster. My only feedback here is that I wish Terrill had taken more time to develop the relationship between Vika and Sky.

The mystery kept me on the edge of my seat. Terrill did an excellent job of placing red herrings, and though I solved it about halfway through, I was never entirely sure that I was correct. Additionally, I was so focused on solving the mystery that I never saw the book’s final twist coming.

The Stars Between Us is a creative, fascinating story that makes themes of poverty and class distinctions interesting and accessible for young readers. I would recommend this to fans of science-fantasy, romance, and Bridgerton. Young fans of Charles Dickens and Jane Austen might also enjoy this book.

A rags to riches story set in space with a splash of mystery.

Vika Hale grew up on the impoverished planet of Philomenus, which is in the shadow of the far wealthier planet of Ploutos with a colony-empire relationship. Her fortunes literally seem to change for the better when a mysterious, wealthy benefactor names her as an heir in his will - with the stipulation that she marry his son, Leo. At first, it seems that Leo has died in a regular accident. But as Vika tries to survive her new star-studded life in Ploutos, she realizes that someone seems to be targeting their heirs to the Chapin fortune.

Overall, this was a YA dystopian sci-fi that was an easy and quick read. There is some world building done, but it's fairly light and not high fantasy. There were times when I wished the author took more advantage of the space setting - I loved the start of explaining the collapse of the mining industry and its economic impacts. However, I can also respect that this is written as YA, so it's also not necessarily something that has to be included. The tropes of class warfare and inequality are easy to connect with, as well as the theme of power corrupting and money not solving everything.

It was hard at times to root for Vika - she could come off a little brash and rude. At the same time, I did appreciate her ruthless, cutthroat attitude. I do wish that Sky, one of the love interests, had stood up to her a little more - it wouldn't have killed her to be given a little bit of a reality check! Another example is that she forgets to send money home to her family once she's rich - yes, she had a slightly rocky relationship with them, but also... ouch.

I do love a good rags to riches story - it was fun to lose myself in the lush descriptions of Vika's new surroundings and clothes and see our prickly hero balance fitting in while staying true to herself. I think I would have loved this in high school! It's got all the right elements to draw me in. This is a fantastic book if you're looking for a YA sci-fi/fantasy to lose yourself in, or a light thriller without gore.

this was an interesting sci-fi story with a pretty cover but i felt the story was just okay.
i found Vika to be kind of blah and overall lack compassion. she left her family the first opportunity she got and forgot about them as soon as she was spoiled in nice things.
i just wish there was more to the mystery part of the story.

This book has a lot going for it. A gorgeous cover, an interesting mystery, a budding romance. It's at times extravagant in its descriptions of fashion and interior design. The class warfare and descriptions of the divide between the ri h and poor were well done. Everything felt like a cross between bridgerton and the Great Gatsby some how.

The mystery was predictable to me, but I don't read a lot of mystery because it's not my preferred genre so you can make your own decisions there. The writing made it feel edge of your seat even though I figured most things out.

What it didn't have was relatable characters or much science fiction.

Let's start with Vika. What a brat. Now, I grew up poor so I feel appropriately able to say that she let the money and status go to her head in a big way. And it was annoying. Sky was a coward. Archer was boring. The only characters I loved were Ariel and Mira.

And for anyone who is a tough critic of Sci-fi, just don't read this. This is science light.

Overall it was an entertaining read that I liked but will quickly forget. I would read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Vika is SPUNKY and I love it. She is the typical good daughter, working late jobs at a bar in order to support her family. Her planet is dingy place to live, and the atmosphere is fogged with pollution. Until she gets the chance to go to a wealthy planet.

Vika meets main character Sky, and I ship the two of them instantly, even though Vika being sassy as she is, consistently gets into quarrels with Sky. I absolutely adore Sky, and with a plot twist that happened before the the middle of the book, I adore him even more. His growth and rise to the ranks was admirable, and the feelings that he harbors for Vika is adorable. In the book, Vika and Sky are tasked with a mystery they need to solve, and it’s so apparent how their relationship develops while they try to uncover this mystery.

I will say, I hope this book has a second one being written to follow up on the somewhat of a cliffhanger. While it is a HEA, it’s a weak one which left me disappointed but also wanting for more. Here’s to hoping. 🥂

PS. If you like books filled with mystery and a bit of action, as well as a “I can’t let him/her know that I’ve fallen for him/her” then you’ll adore this book too.

I haven't been on a YA kick in a while, but boy did The Stars Between Us bring me right back to the genre with a gorgeous setting and unforgettable characters. I will read anything Cristin Terrill writes!

I want to thank #Netgalley for letting me read an eArc of #TheStarsBetweenUs

This book was pretty good, it wasn't quite up my alley but I did my best to read it all the way through anyways.
The main character is not very likeable most of the supporting characters are though. It was just hard for me to follow but like I said it was out of my comfort zone by a lot. However it was still a pretty good book.

Had a lot of fun reading this book, some twists took me by surprise and I saw some coming, but it was still an enjoyable quick read. I liked the pacing of the mystery portion but of the romance not so much — it felt one sided for too long. Despite having some issues with the main character where I often found her unlikable, she grew on me by the end.

The Stars Between Us by Christin Terrill is an upcoming YA sci fi that I looked forward to reading but fell short in the end for me. It was slightly difficult to get through unfortunately. Not because it was a terrible book but some points of the book that were a struggle for me.

What I liked:

Well, I do like the premise of the plot. An arranged marriage to a person you never met that will give you a better life? Then suddenly it is stripped away due to murder? What do you do? A rags to riches type story. I found it promising.

You get to read the bad guys POV in this story which gives this story an air of mystery. Something that I don’t read too often and I found it driving me to wonder who was the murderer.

What I didn’t like:

First off, the characters.

For me the life and the attitudes of the characters didn’t make sense. You have Vika who in this book is extremely unlikable. She was raised in a world where her family were doing well off and then misfortune happened which caused them to live in poverty. You would think she is humbled in those circumstances and would cling to her family for support. Nope. She despises her family (except her dad), acts entitled once she suddenly gets access to money and mistreats people.

Here is Sky Foster, love interest, who was raised with money and was more humble and kind than Vika will ever be. Even though Vika was extremely rude and mean to him, she was beautiful and fell head over heels in love with her. Essence of insta love that didn’t appeal to me.

Feeling like an imbalance of characters is what threw me off. Vika came across as an entitled person and Sky came across as a very flat character. I understand that having unlikable characters can be great but for this story, it just didn’t flow right.

Second, the plot.

The plot of the story moved so slowly. Nothing was happening 45% of the book and it made the book unappealing to read. Just read on how Vika spends money and how she is suddenly acclimated in the rich society. By the time it got to the 60% mark and action started happening, I was already struggling and lost interest.

The ending was okay. The speech that Sky gives on why he gave up his fortune and how Vika found out about how Sky still loves her. Why would you tell a judge all that? Super cringey.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a YA fantasy/sci Fi novel about two people destined to marry. Vika and Leo are great characters and the cast of secondary characters, Ariel, Mira, and Archer were also excellent. I loved the twist at the end and how the author crafted the story. The book was a little slow in some places and I felt like the writing was forcing the action along instead of naturally propelling it at times. Overall a good read.

I am not someone who generally gravitates to fantasy, or futuristic space stories, but this book pulled me in, and it was so much more than that. The world this author creates is relatable, even though it is often far different from our own. The drama, the mystery, the romance…it is all woven together in a way that keeps reeling you in, page after page. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of her work.

This was my first Cristin Terrill book and I’ll definitely be checking out more of her books.

We follow Vika Hale who is a poor barmaid on a struggling planet. Ever since she’s was a little girl, she knew something about her life just wasn’t right. After the surprising death of a billionaire, Vika is shocked when she finds out that she was put into his will. The only way for her to benefit from the lifestyle she’s always dreamed of is to marry his son Leo. And that’s when things start to get interesting..

I really really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters and I adored the friendships throughout the story. The atmosphere was amazing as well. I liked the different planets and seeing how they both operated. The only issue I had which wasn’t even a big deal was Vika’s attitude towards Sky. The ending made up for it though.

Overall, I loved this book. I highly recommend this one if you love space and slow-burn romance with some mystery involved! Book releases on August 2nd.


Thank you so much to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-arc!

This was very similar to the Inheritance Games except for the fact that it took place in space. Overall the plot was decent and the story building was effective, but the character development was lacking. Vika was hard to like as a character, which was even mentioned by Sky as Vika stepped into the glitz and glamour of a world with money. I thought the sci-fyi aspect was well done and not overwhelmingly confusing.

Rating: 3/5 🌟
Characters: 2.5/5🌟
Cover: 3/5 🌟
Story: 2/5 🌟
Writing: 3/5 🌟
Type: Novel
Worth?: on the fence

Young Adult Sci-Fi
Unique “who did it” story flow
It was hard to get into the book but I do not like DNFing novels. Writing style was inconsistent. The characters is also what made it hard for me to finish the novel. Never cared enough to root for the MC

Despite not reading much YA these days, I feel like I must be choosing my reads quite well! I loved The Stars Between Us. It was a science fiction, but a lot of it had to do with the richer society, so it felt kind of like court in fantasy novel mixed with the setting of sci-fi, which I enjoyed.

Although I had a feeling things would unfold the way that they did, there were a few surprises and I enjoyed the adventure overall. I quite liked Vika and her bold nature. I loved the cast of characters and her complicated relationship with her family.

I have to admit, I am a huge fan of sci-fi stories where I’m kind of thrown into a world and forced to figure it out, but I think if you’re not really into that and you’d prefer more detailed world building, you may not like this at first. I loved the politics and Vicki’s role in it all. I was rooting for the romance, too. Although everything was YA, I did feel like it could have easily been an adult book with just a few more details and a little more in terms of romance, but I’m always happy with I’m reading a YA that doesn’t make me feel like I’m too old for it.

I definitely recommend this one and thought it was fun and engrossing.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.