This wasn't terrible, but the ending left me feeling very put off. I wasn't really a fan of the ending. I did love the SF part of it, I'm such a sucker for science fiction, especially something that feels kind of dystopian. And with the juxtaposition between the two planets being so prevalent, I was interested. All that being said, I did feel like I'd read this book before, and overall was just kind of underwhelmed.

The Stars Between Us is appropriately described as "Dickensian." Multiple themes were immediately apparent as soon as I started reading, including those of poverty and urban squalor. I was also immediately reminded of Great Expectations. Unlike Pip, Vika is not very likeable. It was difficult for me to root for her because of her personality. Once she becomes rich, she forgets about her family and is immediately taken by this new upper class society that opens up to her. As the story progresses, thankfully she exhibits character growth. My opinion of her began to shift, but her indecisiveness over her potential romantic feelings remained frustrating.

The world was not particularly interesting to me. There was not much about it that grabbed my attention. Throughout the book, I kept feeling as though the story could have been set anywhere and at any time and nothing about the story would have been affected at all.

While the premise of the book is interesting, I did not like it as much as I hoped I would. There were different parts of the story I did enjoy, but they were overshadowed by an inability to connect with many of the characters and the setting. (3.5 stars rounded to 4 stars)

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions contained within are my own.

We all know that I love SFF books, but I often neglect the ‘SF’ part of that acronym. Whenever I pick up science fiction, I tend to enjoy it, so I’m not sure why I don’t read it more. Another genre I’ve been attempting to read more of lately is romance. Though I am still very much a newbie, I’ve found myself enjoying the genre more and more. So, when I was sent an email promoting this novel as ‘Bridgerton meets Illuminae‘ with a pre-approved Netgalley link attached, I jumped all over it!

The Stars Between Us follows a young woman named Vika Hale. Vika has lived her entire life on the struggling planet of Philomenus. She barely gets by living in a cramped flat with her family and working at a job she hates. But Vika Hale also has a strange aspect to her life. She has a mysterious benefactor that has providing things that no ordinary citizen of Philomenus would ever be able to afford. Her life gets even stranger when that benefactor dies and Vika finds herself included in his will in the strangest of ways. Throw into the mix the mysterious Sky, a young man who appears in her life right around the same time, and Vika’s world is about to turn upside down.

I love when I find myself completely immersed in a story as soon as I open it up and that definitely happened here! The author does a great job of building this world and settling you into it. I loved learning about this interesting society and the juxtaposition of the poverty of Philomenus and the luxury of Plutos. This book brings up a lot of issues when it comes to money and what it can do to a person and I thought they were all handled rather well. I will say that the plot is pretty straightforward, to the point that I guessed pretty much all of the major plot points almost immediately. But the journey to get to those points was still a compelling ride!

Now, we gotta talk about our main character, Vika. Oh, Vika… I don’t think I’ve been this frustrated with a character in a long time! Vika is a hardworker who would do pretty much anything for the people she loves. She’s also vain, selfish, pushy, and generally kind of obnoxious. This isn’t why she frustrated me, though. In fact, I think we need more books where the main female lead isn’t likeable! No, the reason Vika was frustrating was because she was so dense! For someone who is constantly touted as clever throughout the novel, there were so many moments where I was genuinely flabbergasted by the decisions she makes with the information she has. Like… girl! What is you doin’?! Sigh… Still, to evoke so much emotion from me is a mark that I was truly invested in her character. So that’s a good thing!

I will say that the romance left me feeling a little ‘meh’, though, because the love interest was like the physical embodiment of a doormat.

Overall, though, this was a quick, easy, and fun sci-fi read that pulled me in very quickly. It’s like a popcorn book that is just fun to snack on! It has great worldbuilding that settles you firmly in this universe. I loved that it tackles some tougher issues as we follow the main plot of the book. And, though the main character made me want to shake her and the mystery was pretty easy to figure out, I ended up having a good time with this one.

Great book and enjoyed the characters . loved the slight romance and the how well the group worked together. Overall a great book . I would read this author again.

I enjoyed this book! The world was very cool and I really enjoyed how the author built the world. The writing was easy to read and easy to follow, and I thought the characters were also pretty well-written and distinct from each other. As a side note, I also absolutely love the cover!

I’d describe ‘The Stars Between Us’ by Cristin Terrill as sci-fi romp-meets-rom-com. It was full of action, so much fun, but so emotional, too. This book was engaging, entertaining, and full of unique world building. I really enjoyed it. Recommend!

I lone this take on Charles Dickens, talk about meshing past and future. I loved the world building in this and the contrary between planets. I loved how Vika is a flawed MC that annoys you but you have to love and root for her. I love that Vikas character growth was a long burn and really loved the subtle ways she came into her own. I love the glimpses into the villan and trying to figure out who that was. I mean overall this has been my favorite ARC in a while.

The beginning of the book has such an intense scene of Treasure Planet with the future setting with old vibes; then suddenly, it felt like we switched to just a victoria setting vibe as Vika entered society.

While this was a good strong start, I felt that the freedom fighter plot was introduced for nothing. That plot worked itself out and worked behind the scenes without us seeing. It was a love story, but I wanted so much more.
This book did a great job of showing how power and wealth corrupt with the shift in Vika and Hal in their values and personality, that was heartbreaking to watch as they changed.

I loved the author's previous book All Our Yesterdays so I jumped at the chance to read her newest book. I didn't even read the synopsis to be honest, the author's name and the cover alone were enough motivators for me to pick up The Stars Between Us. Unfortunately, I found myself disappointed. The plot was ok, a dark dystopian world with a mystery to solve and a hint of romance, sure I am here for that. I knew the answer to the mystery pretty early on, but that is normal for me to know how a plot will play out but never a deterrent to my enjoyment of the story.

What was a deterrent to my enjoyment was the main character, Vika. She was pretty awful, mean and selfish, using everyone in her path to get a better life. Sure, her previous life was pretty dismal, but she threw away everything and everyone when she had the opportunity to better herself. She went out of her way to be mean to people and I just could root for her in any way. The story had no personal growth of her as a character, where she redeemed herself or anything, it was basically "take me as I am cause I am awesome just like this" approach. Well, I did not take her and she ruined my book.

All that being said I am sure someone else will really enjoy this standalone story, so if you like dystopian romance mysteries here you go.

This one is a bit tricky for me to review, as there were things I liked, but it also had several things that just didn't work for me.

I really liked the overall setting and atmosphere of the book. I also thought the concept behind the story was very cool.

However, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. I liked Sky a bit more than the rest, but I never liked nor connected with Vika as a character. I also never bought into the romance between Sky and Vika- it felt a bit forced to me.

Even though I liked the setting, the worldbuilding was not as great as it could have been, especially combined with the pacing. There's a lot of slang and lingo used that's not really explained, particularly towards the beginning, which I found a bit off-putting.

Great book for fans of Charles Dickens and The Expanse!

Vika Hale is a poor barmaid living on a struggling planet. They only thing she has going for her is that she’s been educated paid for by an unnamed benefactor.

Her benefactor turns out to be a billionaire magnate who died and included Vika in his will. Vika is brought into a lavish new lifestyle paid for by new benefactors that became their heir to the fortune once Vika was no longer eligible to receive her inheritance.

Vika is almost killed in an explosion and soon figures out that someone is targeting the heirs to the fortune. She teams up with Sky Foster, who works for her benefactors, to try to figure out who is behind the explosion. Of course, their relationship has its own complications.

Love story with a mystery and set in space….can’t get any better. I really enjoyed the characters and getting a glimpse into how the different classes of people lived.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill is a book I was looking forward to ever since I learned it was going to be released. The premise of this one is what caught my attention and of course I've enjoyed Terrill's previous books so I was excited to be able to read this one.

The main character is Vika and her story was interesting. She's grown up on a struggling planet but has always had a benefactor making sure she received the best education and when he dies mysteriously, she finds out she was also included in his will. Because of this, she has the opportunity to live on a better neighbor planet. I have to admit there were times early on where I didn't really care for Vika. She was willing to do whatever it took to separate herself from her family and her past where she didn't have a disposable income, fancy house, and anything she really wanted.

The other character I will mention here is Sky. I loved him and thought he was a great add to this story.

I thought the story was well written and the varying characters kept things interesting. The mystery behind who did it had a bit of a twist as well and once I got to the middle of the book, I found myself more invested. I think the beginning felt rough only because I didn't really connect with Vika...she was a tough character to get behind in my opinion.

This book was very intriguing. I did not really know what to expect going in, which I think ended up serving me well because I did not have any expectations. Great writing and an interesting plot-line had me hooked! Would definitely recommend.

I picked this one up as I was intrigued with secrets, murder, and underground rebellion...unfortunately, that is really only the last 25% of the book. Most of the book is following Vika and her self-absorbed ego as she adjusts to the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Then all of the action is packed into the last 25%. I found Vika to be one of the most miserable main characters that I have ever read so I really had a tough time with this book. There wasn't much that was redeeming about Sky either. If more of the plot would've been sprinkled through the book, I think I would've enjoyed it much more.

This has to be one of my favorite YA books that I've read in awhile. I really loved that this story felt like a familiar YA Sci-Fi book, but it had so many twists and turns and pushed against some of the tropes we see all the time. The world building felt rich without being overdone. And I love how complicated the characters were, while still being relatable. Definitely a book I'll be recommending to friends!

This was a good read, kept me engaged though it wasn't a sit and read through in one go like I usually want. I enjoyed the character dynamics and the plot kept it moving.

The first couple of chapters were confusing and I struggled to connect with the main character. Fortunately, the rest of the book made up for the slow start. I did still struggle to like Vika, I understood her actions but didn’t feel she truly delivered in proving she was entirely shallow and selfish.
The setting was descriptive and detailed and I loved the plot. There was romance but it didn’t take over the story like so many young adult novels these days. The characters developed beautifully the plot was tense and fast moving. A great Sunday afternoon read,
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5 Stars.

I wouldn't classify this book as a science fiction novel. It is more of a light 'sci-fi romance'. Our main heroine Vika starts out as a selfish person that basically just feels the need to get light years ahead financially when she is given the chance. The author makes it relatable for someone that is in poverty, but Vika doesn't seem to remember to help anyone in her family as her life is turned upside down. However, there is significant character growth which I thought was well written.

There was a small love triangle situation/instalove. Instalove is not my favorite trope, but the author didn't go over the top which was refreshing.

As I was reading this I was reminded of a quote that I heard, 'Money doesn't change who you are, it shows the kind of person that you are'. And I think that this is quite fitting for this story. I feel like the politics in the story could've been amped up more. I guess I felt overall that this story just needed more....more politics, more of Vika's family, more intrigue, even a bit more romance. It didn't need any further descriptions of materialism that accompanies extreme wealth, but it was just lacking something.

Overall I did enjoy this book. After the first 25% of the story I started really getting into it. I truly went into this story blind and I'm glad that I did. I feel like it added to more of the mystery of what was going to happen and the cast of characters.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy of The Stars Between Us. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed All Our Yesterdays and this one sounded like it would be a good read but it didn't work for me. I really disliked the main character and her attitude, the story really dragged and lacked the tension to keep me reading and the story felt predictable.

Fun story about a girl who had nothing and was suddenly whisked away to a new world of luxuries !
This is the first book i've read by this author but have been wanting to read her books. So I was excited when this opportunity came up. Late to the game, I read other reviews and was disappointed to see not great reviews, so I dragged my feet again.
Finally getting to this book, I was pleasantly surprised! This was a fun Cinderella sort of a tale which was fast and easy to read... I was drawn in from the first page and felt like I was on a bucking bronco througout. We follow Vika Hale on her adventure to another planet when is chosen by a billionaire to marry his son. The excitement continues and as we watch Vika evolve into a young lady, she is forced to make some very grown up decisions.
I really enjoyed this story and was happy with the ending. I think fans of YA, fantasy and romance will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.