Viktoria Hale, called Vika, lives on the planet Philomenus, which is controlled by its nearby sister planet Ploutos. The Philomenis barely get by, mostly by working as menials for the wealthy people of Ploutos who pay for their daily travel by ferry between the two planets. The trip each way is less than an hour thanks to the invention of the hydrino fission reactor by Rigel Chapin, now the richest man on Ploutos.

As the story begins, Rigel Chapin has just been found dead, and his will shockingly specified that his son Leo would get all of his billions only if he married Vika. Vika had never met Leo, and only had encountered Rigel once when she was a child. Something about her appealed to Rigel back then, and he studied her over the years, deciding that she was the one he wanted for Leo’s wife.

Vika’s life suddenly turns upside down, not once, but twice. It turned out that Leo Chapin, on his way back to Ploutos from abroad, was traveling on an airship that exploded mid-journey, killing all aboard.

Vika thought her inheritance was lost before it was even realized. As outraged as she had been over the manipulation by Chapin, she couldn’t deny the idea of money had been overwhelmingly appealing. Then Vika was summoned to Ploutos to learn that the next inheritors in line, a married couple who acted as Chapin’s former housekeeper and handyman, invited Vika to come live with them in the Chapin penthouse and share in their good fortune. She accepted, and began to live the life of luxury she always dreamed about. Moreover, there were several men who found her appealing, for various reasons, and wanted to marry her.

But being rich, which had great advantages in terms of comfort, was not as wonderful as she thought it would be. She saw lots of shallow and greedy behavior, and didn’t know whom around her she could trust. Moreover, whoever wanted Leo Chapin dead was not done trying to get rid of the benefactors of his fortune.

Evaluation: This sci-fi/romance/thriller is directed at the young adult market, but I think it has broader appeal. It’s not too complex (a plus) and somewhat predictable (not necessarily a minus) and has an outcome that will please most readers.

A YA sci fi standalone novel. Vika is very poor living with her parents on a dystopian planet but there is a secret in her background that provides her an opportunity to live among the rich as one of them on a beautiful planet. Much of Vika's story is formulaic, although kudos to the author for creating an original world, until a mystery emerges over who is killing the heirs to a tremendous fortune. There are some unexpected twists in this part of the story which redeems much of the book. Vika is a bit self righteous and I didn't like her character until she started to realize money isn't everything, and don't ignore the character Ariel who deserves a book all of her own. This was an enjoyable story and I recommend reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Stars Between Us is a delightful blend of genres. There is the sci-fi setting on new planets, but there is a dystopian flavor to pair of worlds - one poverty stricken and the other wealthy beyond belief. Add in mysterious murders and attempted murders to solve and a simmering romance, and you have The Stars Between Us.

From the first page, I was pulled into Vika's world and the intrigue that followed her change of fortunes and the dangers that followed in its wake. The characters were so engaging and relatable. The mystery about what was going on on the mysterious murders and supposed accidents kept me on the edge of my seat until the final reveal. The deeper exploration of what wealth does and doesn't provide for people as well as how wealth changes people made reading the book and even richer experience.

Cristin Terrill's writing is beautiful as always! I highly recommend this book; there is something for every reader to enjoy.

I did like this book- it was good to read a SciFi that was contained in one book instead of a series. In this stand alone, the author was able to develop characters who struggle with themselves and others and make bad choices and then grow through those mistakes.
The characters were pretty likable, and I even liked the supporting character of Ariel who really just wanted to help people and didn’t have selfish motives for being a good friend. I also loved Mira and hated that her husband, Hal, was such a poop and loved money more than her.
There were holes in the story like why Vika’s mom and sister hated her so much & I don’t know why Hal had to have an affair, but otherwise the story flowed well and kept me engaged the whole time.

This book left me wanting more in all the best ways. A gripping novel from start to finish I am excited to see more from this author in the future!

Fun Sci-Fi book with some "whodunnit" vibes. I really enjoyed the mystery and the concept was interesting involving two planets and the way one world was posh upperclass while the other struggled with poverty. Fun twists as well. Definitely worth a read!

God, I love dystopian books! This was my first Cristin Terrill book and I'll definitely be back for more!

What I liked about this book:
1. The worldbuilding was interesting, but not overly complex. I liked the idea of Vika living on a dystopian planet, that she also lived on back when it was thriving. I was interested in this idea that Vika was essentially being groomed her whole life. I also loved this idea of traveling between planets and Ariel essentially being a space cowgirl! I love that kind of stuff.

2. I loved the overarching mystery and getting to have little snippets into the eyes of the person behind all the treachery, while not finding out his/her identity until the end. I loved thinking through who could have been involved and wondering who the hell those groups in the will were!!! (Of course Ariel would solve the mystery, right???)

3. Ariel was hands down the best character in this book! Her little schemes to get Sky and Vika closer together were so great! I love her and I want to see more of her!!!

4. Besides the romantic part (which I'll get to below), I loved the ending. How the money is ultimately used is such a great message, Mira's ending made me so happy for her, Hal's ending was just in my opinion, and I loved how Vika and Ariel grew close. These points were fantastic wrap ups!

5. That cover is gorgeous. FACT: 9 times out of 10, if you hook me at the cover, I'm going to read your book.
FACT

Why it didn't get 5 stars:
1. It was a bit predictable. I felt like the two big spoilers in the book were fairly easy to see coming, which made it a little less delicious when they happened. Still a great plot though.

2. I DID NOT LIKE VIKA! I get that we're supposed to see her as a poor girl who then becomes spoiled only to be brought back down to earth again, but this third part did not happen in my eyes. I felt she spent too much time in the length of the book being money obsessed and she wasn't really redeemed in a satisfying way. Honestly, I wanted Sky and Ariel to end up together in the future. That to me would have worked so much better and Ariel would have deserved it more!!!

3. The romantic ending was very blah. I loved everything about the ending, EXCEPT this. I get why they reintroduce themselves, but I can't be the only one who wanted a satisfying kiss?!?!?!

4 Ariel-is-my-heroine stars!!!

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! The book will be published August 2, 2022, so pick it up!

I really enjoyed this one. The writing style was absolutely beautiful and the pace was just so perfect to keep me engaged and hooked thorough out the whole time I was reading. Along with that the the plot was just exceptionally interesting and the characters were great and entertaining.

How does it sound: Bridgerton series take place in futuristic world! Action packed sci-fi meets romcom! The author perfectly mixed different genres. The world building is unique and creative. The pacing is also keeping your attention intact. It’s wild jet ride to another planet!

Even though I mostly had hard time to connect with MC, the writing style was riveting and action packed chapters were well- constructed. I jumped up and down in my seat! It was best kind of riding roller coaster at your own living room.

Plot is also intriguing. Vika Hale: poor bartender, is given cold shoulder by her own mother and sister, raised with the help of gold hearted benefactor. Now she’s summoned to sister planet Ploutos ( different kind of Pluto) to hear the will of the same benefactor who died under very suspicious circumstances ( she finds out he’s billionaire) She cannot believe her luck because she’s been included to his will. Even though the way of his dying rings alarm bells but Vika’s only focus is adapting to her new lifestyle as a member of high society. Now she should do everything to keep her wealth and powerful position that means she has to find proper candidate to marry.

Interestingly Sky Foster who is working for her benefactor attracts her even though there’s high tension between them from their past unresolved issues which creates a nice enemies to lovers trope situation.

When Vika finds her life is in danger because somebody targets the will’s heirs, she reluctantly teams you with Sky to find the perpetrator.

Overall: even though I didn’t like Vika, the story telling style, entire world building and pacing was great enough for my four blazing, planetary stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

“The Stars Between Us” by Cristin Terrill. Mild spoilers ahead.

🪐 YA Science Fiction 🪐

“An Unforgiving Planet. An Unforgettable Love”

📚 Vika lives on a poor, dying planet working hard everyday just to scrape enough together for her and her family to survive. With the exception of a mysterious benefactor who anonymously pays for her to get private tutors, her life is woefully unexceptional. Until one day her benefactors identity is revealed: a newly deceased billionaire who has left her his entire fortune. With a catch: she just marry his son within two years to claim the inheritance. There’s also the problem of a Sky Foster, who just won’t seem to leave her alone… 📚

👍🏻 The Good: The writing in this novel is really snappy! There’s great descriptive scenes and good dialogue. Sky was a bright spot for me, I throughly enjoyed his character! He had depth, motivations, failings, and was honestly more of a main character to me than Vika! I think a whole book from his perspective would’ve been great.

I furthermore really enjoyed the descriptions of the upper echelons of society. The glittering gowns, giant parties, etc. It was lavish and lush and made me wish I was rich.

The cover is 10/10 phenomenal.

👎🏻 The Meh: I felt a bit misled with the premise! I assumed the book would heavily feature Vika and her fiancé learning to tolerate/love/be with each other and if it would be worth it for the inheritance. Well in one of the very first few chapters…the fiancé dies before they even meet. Obviously there’s some twists and turns to this story that I don’t want to spoil, and two other love interests to learn about, but I was kind of deflated when that happened — I was so ready to dive into that relationship!

I also didn’t connect with Vika. She’s kind of a selfish brat, and I just wish she was nicer? She doesn’t want people to look at her like a one dimensional person but she sure doesn’t make any moves to dispel that lol. I honestly don’t know why anyone would like her or want to be with her because she has such few redeeming qualities — and those she does have are spoken about and rarely shown.

One final nitpick: I couldn’t get a sense of the economy of this world. Is it a 1$ to 1$ relationship? I had a hard time telling what things were worth.

Overall: This was an okay read. Definitely firmly YA in its characters and plot, but that’s not a bad thing. It was just a tad predictable by the end. I wish that this book was either longer or had another installment because some things were quite glossed over. More world building could’ve been nice, and more relationship building towards the end.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot:⭐️⭐️.5
World Building: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really quite enjoyed it. I was quite intrigued with the pacing, the characters and the word building was just absolutely top notch. However, I felt it was a little slow in the beginning, but with MC being so strong and authentic that it made up for it. Overall, it was quite an enjoyable for me.

Cristin Terrill's writing was beautiful, and as usual with her books, she hooked me from page one. I instantly connected with Vika, which isn't common for me. She felt very raw and authentic, and I loved that her character spoke her true thoughts, even if they happened to be a little ugly at times. While I did see some of the twists coming, the ride in getting to them was an absolute thrill. There were many times where my heart was in my throat and my stomach dropped out, just waiting for something bad to happen. I often struggle with grasping the world-building in sci-fi/fantasy novels, but Terrill made it very easy to picture this world and insert myself into it. There was never a moment where I found myself trying to figure out what was going, which was a huge feat in my opinion. And the romance! That slow burn is my absolute favorite, and I enjoyed every minute, even if I wanted to slap both of the characters at times.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (rounded up)

If you’re looking for a Pride and Prejudice and Bridgerton meets My Fair Lady rom-com set in a celestial Hunger Games like society then look no further than this absolutely charming story!!

Vika is a girl who has lived an ordinary life with very extraordinary circumstances. Working as a barmaid on the poor, repressed planet of Philomenus at the age of 18 she is approached by the estate of Rigel Chapin (the wealthiest man on their sister planet of Ploutos) and informed that she captured his interest during a chance meeting at a young age and was written into his will. The catch? She is required to marry his son in order for either of them to receive the inheritance.

Struggling with what she truly wants versus what she feels is her responsibility as a daughter to bring life changing wealth to her family, Vika begins to accept being “bought” into her arranged marriage…as the news reaches her that her husband-to-be has been killed in an airship explosion. One that was not accidental.

With her world now truly upside down Vika, shunned by the people in her hometown as well as by her own mother and sister, is summoned to Chapin Tower in Ploutos by the remaining benefactors of Chapin’s estate: two of his former staff members, Hal and Mira Gardner. Recognizing how fate has twisted all their lives they welcome Vika as their ward into their home and the upscale, lavish world of the Ploutosians.

Vika’s story unfolds against a singular question: Is money worth the poison it brings with it? This is explored in many different ways throughout the story. From Vika’s point of view she struggles greatly with her new found wealth and slowly loses herself in the affluent yet superficial high-class world of social events and parties, while trying to determine what the “right thing” to do is: stay true to herself or marry in order to secure her place and her family’s place in this society once and for all. Driven by her greed and desperation not to lose the life she’s grown accustomed to she sets herself on a crash course to find a wealthy husband and is only derailed by two men who have caught her attention, each for wildly different reasons.

The first is Archer Sheratan. A dashingly attractive solicitor from the law firm managing the Chapin will and estate, he caught Vika’s eye and found his way into her heart as she adjusted to life on Ploutos with no family or friends around her. However also climbing the social ladder himself, he cannot give her the financial security she requires. The second is the Gardner’s assistant named Sky Foster, who Vika rented a flat to in her father’s building on Philomenus before the world knew her name. The same Sky Foster that Vika is now convinced exists only as a reminder of who she truly is and not the girl she’s masquerading as in high society. The question is, is that reminder truly a bad thing?

The only word I keep coming back to for this book is charming. It gave me all of the cozy feelings that a good Valentine’s Day released rom-com, or a Hallmark Channel movie would. It was highly predictable and the mystery woven through it fell very flat for me, but what it lacked in suspense it made up for in sweetness.

Overall this was a perfectly appropriate YA romance set in a very original, beautiful intergalactic world with the classic cast of characters and tropes: rags to riches, Pride and Prejudice/Bridgerton style social circles, dashing young men, blundering suitors, scrappy headstrong sidekick, mistaken identity, friends to lovers, an assassination plot, a hidden villain pulling the strings, and a heartwarming ending. If you’re looking for a unique twist on a classically familiar love story then do NOT skip this book!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy of this book for free in exchange for my honest review!

This is the first book I've read by Cristin Terrill and I have to say that I fancied it. The world she creates is illustrative. You can picture every location as though you there and imagine the scene as though you are a part of the story.
The plot is a mix of romance and mystery in a scifi setting. You wonder who is out to destroy the Chapin heirs and who can really be trusted. Although it is easy to foresee where the plot is headed, it is an enjoyable adventure that takes you there.
Leo and Ariel are fun characters and their brotherly/sisterly bond makes for an interesting pair. Vika is a difficult character to pigeonhole because she is complex. She is both humble and yet sees herself to be better than her peers. She is selfish, yet caring and empathic. Vika's relationships are also a bit complex as she struggles with some large decisions.
I recommend you read this book if you are a fan of YA, scifi, or romance. It will not leave you disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Marin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

I was given this ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review! Thank you publisher!

Vika grew up on Philomenus, a poor and decrepit planet where she has had to struggle most of her life to survive, until she finds out that she was chosen out of millions of girls to wed the wealthiest heir in the galaxy in order for him to collect his fortune. When she finds out that Leo Chapin, her intended, was involved in a shipwreck and did not survive, the maid and handyman that have inherited the billions she was supposed to take her in. She’s suddenly surrounded by everything she’s ever wanted and she’s determined to keep it, but will she play all the ruthless games required of her to live like the rich?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! I LOVED that it took place in a sci-fi setting but it wasn’t overtly a sci-fi book. It was a loving mixture of sci-fi, mystery, romance, and thriller. I did guess who the mysterious bomber was from the beginning but I did not guess the fact he was who he ended up being at the end. I loved how most of the characters morally grey and how we saw how people changed after receiving a large amount of money. I wanted to hate Vika and for a few chapters I did, but I felt like that was intended and she was just blinded by the wealth and eventually came around to who she truly was. I loved Ariel and was happy we had her as a character. Overall I really enjoyed this one! 3.75 stars!!

I went into this book not really sure what I was expecting but I was so pleasantly surprised. The way Terrill explains this world had me intrigued and gripped on my seat. I was constantly flipping the pages because I wanted to find out more!

I started reading The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill and even though I usually love YA novels like this, I just couldn't get into it. The characters didn't appeal to me, the start was very slow and after awhile I just couldn't keep going. It was not a book for me. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. I hope this novel finds its audience.

I really enjoyed this book because it was full of action and suspense! The main characters were unique and interesting as was the plot. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend readers try it.

A fun book with the glitz and Hollywood glam of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and the intrigue of The Inheritance Games set against an intergalactic backdrop. This is certainly a book you wont want to put down.

Having lived the majority of your life at below poverty, what would you do if you found out that an extremely wealthy man you have only met once, has stipulated in his will that his son could only inherit his immense fortune if he married you? Would you allow yourself to 'be sold off' like a possession to a man you have never met knowing the wealth will support your family in a way you could never imagine? Would your understanding of your self worth and true value prevent you from being treated no better than an inanimate object? Eighteen year old Viktoria Hale found herself asking those very questions.

Early in Vika Hale's life her father had a good job that provided well for his wife and two daughters. The fall of the local mining production on their planet of Philomenus, and the loss of his job, changed their whole existence. The Hale's could no longer afford to live their luxurious lifestyle, let alone eat. At young ages, Vika and her sister were forced to work backbreaking, demeaning jobs to help their family barely survive. Vika and her sister were more fortunate then some. A personal teacher was provided by an unknown, wealthy benefactor Vika met once when she was a very little girl. The education came at a cheap price, Vika was required to provide blood for DNA testing, undergo psychological and mental tests, as well as provide a yearly photo.

Over the years Regis Chapin had vetted many young girls to become the wife of his only son Leo. Upon Regis' death it became clear by a stipulation in his will that Vika was Regis' choice. Leo must return home from school abroad and marry Vika in order to inherit his father's vast wealth. During his trip home his freighter explodes killing everyone on board, including Leo. What does this mean for Vika? Where does this leave her?

Cristin Terrill's story had me engaged from the very first page. 'The Stars Between Us' tells the story of life on two very different planets. One filled with wealth, parties, and prestige and the other poverty, desperation, and struggles. On occasion I did find myself struggling to understand Vika Hale. At times she came across as self-absorbed and shallow, but then I would contemplate the extreme life choices an eighteen year old was being forced to make and better understand her plight. Not just any eighteen year old, but a young woman who was forced to live most of her life struggling to survive. Wouldn't anyone in her situation revel in the wealth and sophisticated lifestyle they were suddenly thrust into? Throughout the story we get to see Vika grow and mature into a deeper character.