DNF. Something about the writing style just didn’t sit well with me, and I found it really hard to connect to the story because of it. I also found it very hard to like the main character at all, a problem I’ve notice many reviews repeating. While I thought the premise of this book had great promise and the cover is beautiful, I don’t think the story itself delivered enough to pull me in.

I didn’t love the story and I wasn’t drawn in because the main character seemed a little too snooty and bratty, but it was still an interesting story, it just wasn’t for me.

2.5/5, rounded up

listen. i am not the type of person who has to like their main character in order to enjoy a book. sometimes characters aren't likable! that's fine! that's fun! but something about vika just was not working for me as a main character, i was just TOO against her for most of the book to really get invested in the story. some of the reveals? twists? explanations? felt contrived and not well backed up, and while some of the universe's setup was really interesting, it didn't get explored enough. especially once we got into bigger picture stuff beyond just vika. and the mystery part was just...fine.

honestly, remembering some of the twists makes it even less whelming but there's a nice aesthetic? i don't know this was so meh to me and i did really want to like it because i think i could've, the execution was lacking for me. that being said it is a quick and easy read so if it sounds intriguing might as well give it a shot

This YA novel is delightful and I would definitely recommend it for younger adult readers with little violence, no inappropriate content, and no "real" language (cuss words are replaced with "local dialect" that emulates our curse words).

The world building was limited, but I had the general sense of these planets' imaginary realm. The rags to riches and secret millionaire tropes were sweet and I rooted for the protagonists to fall for each other.

I struggled with Vika's portrayal once she had a change of status. She suddenly became a shallow, self-agrandizing, inconsiderate girl. The same goes for Sky - he suddenly became this submissive, self-deprecating fool who couldn't stand up to anyone. So, I think that the characters could have retained more of their initial personalities once their situations changed.

I appreciated the ending wrapped up in a nice little bow and I enjoyed the quick-paced, smooth writing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Wednesday Books, and St. Martin's Press for sharing this sweet novel with me!

While this wasn't my favorite read lately, I still found it enjoyable.

THE STARS BETWEEN US is set in a glittering new world, about a girl who discovers that behind the glamor and romance, the world is teeming with conspiracies, secrets and murder.

I listened to the book on audio, and the narrator was a good choice for the story and held my interest. It just came down to pacing for me, but it may have been a case of me not the book.

*many thanks to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copy for review

Vika’s entire life was provided by an unknown benefactor making sure she had the best of educations but as she grows she wants more. The dreams seem so far away but she feels like she can touch them. When her mysterious benefactor turns out to be a billionaire that died she finds she was included in his will. She soon realizes she has a target on her back. There is so much stellar world building in this one and a jam packed story!

Thank you #Wednesdaybooks and #Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The worst feeling is not enjoying a book. Authors pour their hearts and souls into writing. It feels so snobbish for me to sit here and say "well i didn't like it, so."

I don't necessarily think this was a bad book. It was incredibly predictable from page one, but honestly, I think that's just the result of me having read YA books for years upon years.

Vika was rather insufferable, and it was physically painful to read from her point of view. But teenagers are often insufferable, so I have to take that with a grain of salt. In fact, this is probably an excellent example of a teenager in Vika's position. I don't think she was shallow or one-dimensional, but she definitely fell flat as a main character. Not one-dimensional but not an incredible amount of depth either.

But honestly? It was kind of nice reading from someone's perspective that is flawed because that's how people are, truly. Especially teens. Can't hate a girl for enjoying herself, you know?

This is a VERY character based story. If you're looking for a fast-moving plot, look the other way. It's a slow paced book, but it's still enjoyable. This is a nice introduction for anyone wanting to dip their toes into science fiction without the strong science stuff. Just planets, aircrafts and vibes.

Unfortunately, I couldn't really get into this book. I think part of the problem is that it isn't my usual favourite genre, it was a little too sci-fi/dystopia for my tastes. That being said, there were some interesting themes that even I enjoyed, such as the impact money has on our lives and what makes someone inherently good or bad. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and found that I was often procrastinating picking it back up to keep reading, which is usually a sign it isn't the right book for me, but who knows? It might be perfect for someone who enjoys this genre more. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

First off I think that the cover of this book is beautiful., but I will say that I was overall hoping for a bit more. This book definitely had its strengths and its weaknesses but for me personally I think the main weakness was me not exactly caring for the protagonist.

As much as this gorgeous cover enticed me, the story within it’s pages did not. This read more like an fictional economic crisis story than a sci-fi fantasy, with a badly characterized main character. Fortunately, it was fast-paced and quick to read so it was over and done with swiftly.

Vika is a great character who intrigued me. I liked the storyline and enjoyed where this story went.
It has love, romance, family bonds and a great mystery plot.

Bridgerton meets Illuminae? I’m in. When the benefactor who provided for Vika and her sister suddenly passes away, Vika is invited to live on the glittery, luxurious planet as part of his will. But soon the benefactor’s heirs are being targeted and she has to work together with another mysterious heir, a young man named Sky, to uncover the identity of the attacker before her new lavish life is taken from her.

Vika Hale has grown up poor with a mysterious benefactor that has provided for her and her sister's education and her medical care. She doesn't find out why until she is eighteen and the mysterious benefactor dies. She learns she is in his will and will receive a great deal of money if she marries his son. Now she's living among the elite but will she lose who she is.

There are a lot of ethical questions posed throughout this book regarding money and how it can change us. Is money intermittently evil? Is everyone greedy or can some people stay the same despite the way the upper class live? What makes a person good or bad?

I found this to be a fast easy read that kept my attention. I was able to put it down when needed and quickly get back into the story. I enjoyed the world building and the inner conflict for Vika. I also really enjoyed her relationship with her father. He might not be the perfect parent, but there is a lot to be said for the parent that tries. The book felt like a futuristic soap opera. Enjoyable but not really breaking new ground. I've heard good things about this author and am looking forward to reading their other books.

I'm giving feedback because I read over 50% of this book. After reading this much I just couldn't make myself read any more. I kept finding myself having to force myself to read a page of this book and there are too many books in this world to force yourself to read one that doesn't bring you joy. I think the things that bothered me about this book were that I couldn't connect to the characters for some reason. I found Vika to be completely entitled after she came into her fortune and she just just ground my nerves for some reason and I just didn't connect to the story. The fact that Mira and Hal didn't recognize Leo at all after basically raising him annoyed me and I found that to be really weird and there were just small things that I found that just bothered me in the book. I'm not posting this review to Goodreads or any other platforms because I think that this book will be great for some readers, it maybe just wasn't the book for me at the right time. Maybe it was just a timing issue, which was why I rated it a 3 star read because I do think the book has amazing potential, it was just a timing issue for me.

Good but predictable. It's hard when characters and the world(s) building is great but The plot is easy to see even from the beginning. Writing was great and so were the characters!

I was in love with the concept of this book even before it hit the shelf. I adored the idea of a Sci-Fi RomCom, being a huge fan of Ruby Dixon's Ice Planet Barbarians.

Upon hearing it was written to the Young Adult audience, I was so excited I was foaming at the mouth! This would be a great palate cleanser to all the more adult sci-fi romances I read. Those were my thoughts before diving into this novel.

The story was outright amazing and riveting at almost every turn. I can't think of an instance I wasn't absorbed in The Stars Between Us.

As for the world-building, it was perfect for the novel it was. There are times I'm not in the mood to jump into a multi-series Sci-Fi book with heavy lore. It gives enough worldbuilding to keep you satisfied. My initial thought jumping into this novel was right. It was a great palate cleanser in between heavy, lore-filled novels.

Even so, with all of these great points about The Stars Between Us, I disliked a major element of the story. That is the main character. I did not like Vika at all.

The most important thing for me is to have a likable main character. A likable lead may look different to everyone. For me, Vika is not likable at all! I had so many irks with her, although she does go through a bit of character development.

Final thoughts:

Everything else was remarkable about this story except for the main character. I have implored that having a main character I can really resonate with is an absolute must for me. With that being said, everything else in this book is phenomenal.

I cannot rate The Stars Between Us anything below four stars. If Vika was a tad more likable, this would be an easy 5 stars. I really enjoyed reading this.

**I received a copy by NetGalley in exchange for a review**

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I try to never start a book with expectations too high but now I'm obsessed with it and I need more. I love that this was a standalone but at the same time I wish there was more. I do have to admit that the story was wrapped up really nicely by the end and nothing was left unsettled. All in all, The Stars Between Us is perfect for fans of sci-fi and mystery! I will defiantly be recommending this book to every person that I know!!

This is a story about luck lost & found.

What an incredibly enjoyable Sci Fi/Romance romp. The author never seems to judge the choices the character is making in her search to get out of poverty… and the world building is beautiful. If Jane Austen had ever written SciFi, I think it would’ve read something like this.

But I hate the cover 😩.

Thank you so much @netgalley & @wednesdaybooks

This was just the sparkling escape I was looking for. It has full chapters about decorating, a mysterious benefactor and hidden identities, an ongoing debate about whether marrying for money is worth it, and beautiful dresses all wrapped up in a page-turning mystery.

Actual Rating 3.5 Stars

This was such a weird book for me, because I almost DNFed it several times but then I did enjoy certain parts of it a lot. Vika annoyed me for most of the book because she became so spoiled and selfish, and it was literally so cringeworthy to read. I also felt that so much of the book was shallow. The main plot of the book didn't come into play until almost 65% in. And yet, I kept reading because I was curious. I did enjoy Sky's character, and I did like some of the twists. It was enjoyable enough that I raised my rating (because it was almost a very low rating when I almost DNFed). I also wish there was more world building - I like that the world was futuristic but there was basically no reason to put it on a different planet because literally, that wasn't explored at all. This could have been put in any city and wouldn't have changed the story in the slightest. Overall, I did still enjoy, but it was kind of a weird book in how my enjoyment fluctuated. I also liked the dual POV, and might have DNFed if not for that because at least the whole book was not in Vika's POV.