Terrill has built a beautiful universe for our characters to live in. Vika was a multifaceted character with so much depth and life to her. I loved being privy to her inner struggles with her new life versus her old one. I can honestly say that the ending caught me slightly off guard, which was refreshing! Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Big thanks to Edelweiss and Wednesday Books for the arc!

Reasons to read: rags to riches, themes of knowing your own worth, seeing people and not money

First off, look at that cover. It is even prettier in person, trust me! Vika is all glitz and glamour and fiercness! She lives in a lower-income area with her family. Ever since she was young, an unknown benefactor has been providing a good education for both Vika and her sister and her family is like, "uh sure, we aren't passing down this opportunity no matter how prideful we are." I give her family huge props, but I digress. After the death of a billionaire, Vika discovers she's been included in his will. She's been being studied all these years, rating her intelligence, mental strength etc and she's been chosen to marry the heir, Leo Chapin. But poor Leo is soon after killed in a sus accident. Seeing her future snatched away, Vika resigns herself to her lowly barmaid life when suddenly she's invited to the rich home of Leo's aunt and uncle (Hal and Mira), now the inheritors of his fortune. They quickly thrust her into the life she'd briefly dreamed of.

Let me cut in and say how much I LOVED Vika's reaction to living in luxury. Not once does she feel bad about enjoying every moment of her new life? Why should she? She sends some of her allowance home to help her family, but the girl is basking in her new digs. But to keep her wealth, she'll have to marry rich. Whatever shall she do??

They're a few hot men to drool over, especially the mysterious Sky whom Vika is quickly suspicious of when he shows up as an assistant to Hal and Mira. Rewind. Vika had met Sky earlier on when he rented a room from her family. Now you're caught up.

But things aren't always what they seem. Vika realizes that Leo's death may have been an inside job and that the same people are also trying to kill Hal, Mira, and herself. I love a good conspiracy, so this tickled me.

This is sci-fi, but it's not bogged down with tech talk. It mostly reminded me of Final Fantasy 7's Mdgar city slums and Vika is very much my Tifa! The worldbuilding is good but contained to two planets, so it's not too confusing.

Overall, I loved the writing, I loved the pacing, and I loved everything. If you're looking for a swoon-worthy story, this is the one for you.

Even though I usually love YA books like this, I just couldn’t get into this one. The start was very slow, but it did pick up in time. I didn’t really connect with the MC either as much as I tried rooting for her. Sky and Vika were cute, but I feel like we didn’t get to see how their relationship really developed. Overall, this was an okay read. It just wasn’t for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had little to no expectations as I went into this book. I didn’t know what to expect or even barely what this story was about. And yet, this book still managed to blow any expectations I could have had aside. I was sucked in early on and eagerly awaiting each next plot devise and twist. It was very exciting and suspenseful.

Let me start off by saying that I did enjoy this book. It was bridgerton in a galaxy far far away. And it did turn out to be a page turner and a beautiful love story.

That being said I do think it fell short. The characters and world were both lacking depth and richness. I kept finding myself trying to remember what the characters looked like or where I was in the world within the book. I think it had so much potential to be truly magic but I was left a little unsatisfied.

But overall an enjoyable read.

This one was solidly meh for me. I was really intrigued by the plot description, but when it came down to reading it, it felt like a slog. Took me a solid two weeks to make it through when usually I could read it in a couple days. The MC wasn’t very likeable, though I appreciated her growth, and I just feel like even the surprises weren’t that interesting. Unfortunate. Cuz I really thought I would like it!

I received this book in exchange for fair review

This plot and story was so unique! I absolutely loved the world building and the characters! As well, how could I not love all of the glitz and glamour!

I was horribly excited for this as I adored a previous book by this author. I had a hard time really getting into this story though and it didn't grab me from the get go.

Thank you for the chance to read early.

This will be a great read for younger readers but it was not meant for adults. The writing and plot were simplistic and it's not a bad thing, just better for a different audience. I couldn't stand the main character unfortunately and that made it difficult for me to finish.

The mystery of the anonymous benefactor paying for Vika up bringing was intriguing, and arranged marriage set up is always a fun idea, but that set up ended quickly when the benefactor died. The plot then lost track a little, Vika is adopted as an adult by new benefactors with a very flimsy reason. Upon leaving her life of poverty and entering the social circle of the upper class, Vika fully embraces it, and the majority of the book is then spent on parties/events.

There is the mysterious Sky Foster character who does have his own POV chapters. He similarly is thrust into a new lifestyle and takes to it unrealistically quickly, no transition period, and does not acknowledge any of the very obvious negatives.

Oh my gosh I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from chapter one and found it difficult to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing an eARC copy of this novel. I am therefore providing an honest review.

Since she was little, Vika has had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family. Soon into the novel, Vika learns that her benefactor has died mysteriously and left her as one of his heirs. After moving to another planet, she soon realizes that someone is targeting all the heirs. Together with the handsome and secretive Sky Foster, she plots to uncover who is behind the attacks before it's too late.

Vika was a troubling fmc. I wanted to root for her, but I found her to be selfish, spoiled and unkind. She leaves her family on an impoverished planet and doesn't really give them much thought after that. I held out hope that perhaps part of the story would include her growth, but sadly I was disappointed. I did enjoy Sky, though. I found his shyness endearing, but did feel like the romance story line was somewhat lacking.

The world building was intriguing, but I think it could have used some further developing. The best part for me was the mystery plot. It kept the story moving at a decent pace and truly had me wondering who was behind it all right until the end.

I give this one 3.5/5

4⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

I love Vika. She is such a refreshing character. She is her main concern and yea, she may seem selfish and vain, but it’s fully justified in my opinion. She won’t put other people’s feelings above herself and her life and I respect that. She’s wonderfully morally grey. Plus, there is nothing selfish and vain about putting your future first. She sees money as a security. She’s not a bad person, which is recognized through out the book multiple times, but has her priorities set. And if you aren’t one of them… sorry you aren’t her problem. And I respect that. Her growth is amazing. She doesn’t give up on herself and her future, but also recognizes that there are others ways to put herself first. She does so without losing her original spark as a character which I absolutely loved.

Sky (whom I will continue to call Sky for the sake of spoilers) is the definition of obsessed. He is so entranced with Vika and is all confused when he continues to fall for her while recognizing her attitude. He is so sweet and I love him so much. While I’m not the biggest fan of the secret identity trope, and very much wish that it was revealed earlier, I can understand why the reveal was so important the way it was done. It added an additional layer to the mystery aspect of the book as well.

The world building was very interesting. The wealth gap was so strong, they were split by planets! While I wish we got more into that aspect of it, I was very happy with the way change was shown as something slow moving. The ending felt like a new beginning.

The reason I give this book a 4⭐️ is because of the pacing in the beginning. I felt as though it was slightly dragged and it took me some time to get into the book. It did the good job of introducing Vika as a character, but plot wise, it felt slow. I did appreciate how it gradually sped up once she went to Ploutos.

Would definitely recommend to someone!!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of The Stars Between Us in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I rarely read science fiction novels and I’m so glad I didn’t pass this one up because it’s not my typical genre. It starts out as a typical fairy tale where the lead female goes from rags to riches with the wealthiest new fiancé, but is it really a fairy tale if against your wishes, you don’t feel as though you fit in and someone is plotting to kill you and those around you.

This dystopian mystery/action/romcom story has something for everyone and I will definitely be recommending it to friends and reading the rest of the authors books. She’s definitely made me a fan with this book!

This book looked like Where Dreams Descend, what was I supposed to do? NOT request?
Hello and welcome to The Stars Between Us, a book about Vika, a girl who gets engaged to a very rich man somewhat unwillingly and then he dies and she's just rich. A true girlboss. Vika could be annoying at times, but she was honestly a fun character. You can tell this author thought about what the actual response to newfound wealth like that would be, which is reflected in Vika completely forgetting about her family and acting like her sister is horrible for disapproving of Vika leaving them behind to cope without her new fortune or old salary. I actually did start that sentence thinking I'd compliment Vika, but I stand by it nonetheless. ANYWAYS, I did really like the other characters. Sky was very earnest in an endearing way (towards the middle and end, at the beginning he was straight up creepy and it was weird), but I thought his attachment to Vika was strange given the side of her he was shown and his own actions toward her. My favorite character was Mira because I think she was the only one that wasn't horrible at one point. I'm being really negative to these characters, but seriously, I didn't hate them.
In terms of relationships, some made so much sense and some made very little. To begin with the most prevalent, I went back and forth on Sky and Vika. In the beginning, maybe Vika was judgemental, but Sky was genuinely being so creepy in the way he was watching over her. I was not a fan! By the end, though, I genuinely thought they worked really well. I think one of the most interesting relationships to watch, though, was Hal and Mira. One changed so much while the other largely stayed the same while receiving what she'd dreamed of, and it was interesting to see how they evolved, both together and individually.
Plot was definitely my least favorite part of this book. Don't get me wrong, the plot wasn't bad at all; it progressed exactly as it should've, but that's the issue with it. It was SO predictable, almost every single element. SPOILERS IN THIS SENTENCE: Of course Leo's alive, of course Hal wasn't in the will, of course Archer is a villain! It's so obvious and that definitely bothered me. Again, it wasn't BAD, it just could've had a lot more that was a lot less predictable. I still enjoyed the book, though.
Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this book, but if you're already planning on reading it, I'd just advise you that it's super predictable and a little annoying to read about in terms of Sky and Vika's actions towards the beginning. I still liked it, though.

Cristin Terrill has been an author on my watch list ever since All of Our Tomorrows came out. She does wonderfully with standalone novels that immediately immerse you in the world. While the story concept is not the most unique, its execution was so well done that I couldn’t help but love it!

3 ⭐

This one I have complicated feelings about. I didn't mind the writing style but the story didn't completely captivate me either. I did really like the futuristic aspect and I think I'll reread this one in the future to give a proper review

Thankyou to Netgalley for allowing me to read this one early.

This book was immediately immersive and a great telling in the borderline sci-fi fantasy genre. The heroine was likeable and the plot was intriguing.

This was a fun read for sure! It's drama and telenovela - but it's in space. The main heroine, Vika, is essentially trying to escape from her impoverished planet and return to a wealthier planet that she used to call home. This is where the wealthy live. If you like morally grey characters Vika is definitely one that you will like. She definitely grows a lot throughout the book. The romance is an enemies-to-lovers sort of thing. Her love interest didn't really seem like he was suited for Vika's personality, but perhaps that's just me. I don't really know how to explain it, beyond people "balancing each other out" when it comes to romance. That was lacking to me, but it doesn't take away from the story too much. It's still a really great book and one I think ALOT of high-school or younger audiences would enjoy, but it could naturally be enjoyed by just about anyone. Overall, I would give this 4/5 stars and would recommend it!

The Stars Between Us was a fantastic read, far more of a thrilling drama with a romantic subplot that intertwines through the main story. The main characters are fantastic and really came to life through the writing. While they followed some pretty basic tropes it never came off as being too much. The romantic pairing in the book certainly has a good bit of chemistry, but they do suffer from their own levels of being prideful to admit that they were wrong. Thankfully it also ends with a HEA which it kinda baits you that it might not, but makes up in the very end.

I found myself unable to put this book down with how well the story unfolded, the pacing was perfection. Makes you think you can just go a few more pages. I literally read it in one 5 hour sitting.