Vika is a struggling barmaid that just wants to get off the planet and live a better life. She has grown up with a secret benefactor that has put her through school. When she finds that she has been included in the mega-wealthy benefactor's will after his surprise death, life seems to be on the upswing. That is until she narrowly escapes death and comes to realize that all the people in the will are being targeted. People are not who they seem in this sci-fi romcom/murder mystery. I enjoyed this story and the characters. This is the first book by Terrill that I have read, so I am looking forward to reading more of her work. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. 4 stars.

A fun, different, and unique space romance in a dystopian world/setting. This was not my usual read, but it was pretty good. If you like enemies to lovers, dystopian societies, conspiracies, independent and strong-willed women, cinnamon roll boys, mystery, thrills, drama, and twists, then you'll love this book.
Vika is a girl that's grown up making ends meet by chipping in her earnings from being a barmaid. It wasn't always that way, though. She and her family used to be in the more elite class before things went badly for them and they fell down the totem pole in society. Sky is another interesting character and Ariel is too. How all of them meet and what happens with them and their dynamics are another interesting part of everything. It was a quick read that kept my interest and I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At first glance, this is a rags-to-riches story, almost a Cinderella rewrite - but it has a nice twist that makes it more unique than that. Viktoria Hale - Vika to her friends - is a poor girl from a poor family, a family that had been middle class until her father's job was lost due to a technology upgrade. She lives with her sister and parents, and - unlike many of those around her - she has a tutor, provided by a mysterious man who met her by chance and offered the opportunity of a better education, and allowed the tutor to include her sister too. But one day, the mysterious man, Rigel Chapin, died - and his will revealed that for his son, Leo, to inherit, he has to marry a woman of his father's choosing, who happens to be Vika. But before Rigel's will can be executed, the space transport that Leo is on explodes, and is presumed to have no survivors. This is the point at which the story begins.

Vika is a strong, determined young woman, who is temporarily distracted from what she knows is right by the lifestyle bestowed upon her by the next heirs in line, Hal and Mira Gardner, who bring Vika into their home, recognizing that, had the marriage occurred, she would have inherited in their place. As Vika becomes more certain that Leo was murdered, and searches for his murderer, she is also introduced to the society of the ultra-rich to which she now belongs, and meets several men who would like to marry her. She must decide which one, if any, wants her for herself, and which ones only want her for the money the Gardners have promised to leave her in their own will. This story explores what happens when a person's circumstances change suddenly, and the importance of being true to one origins. The twist at the end made it a much better story than I expected from the somewhat pedestrian beginning, so stick with it all the way through.

Wanted something so much more from this book. Pretty upset with how this one read. Never wanted to actually pick it up and continue. Felt like a chore to read

I had high hopes for this book but ultimately it fell flat for me. The characters were hard to relate with. I did enjoy the word building.

Vika grows up as a poor barmaid on a horrible plant, and before she knows it, she's bethrothed to a rich man after his father dies. BAM - he's dead and suddenly she's living with the new inheritors of the fortune.

Honestly as hard as it was for me to connect with the main character, the story and world building was so great that I felt like I breezed through this book once I had time to sit down and read it. I actually got upset when my kobo died while I was halfway through the book.

Just something in the way Cristin wrote the world that it was so easy to picture, without having all the wording like some adult fiction can have.

<i> Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book definitely had way more sci-fi vibes than I expected rather than fantasy, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected. However, I unfortunately just didn't like the main character. She is full of herself, arrogant, and pretty selfish even when she does something mildly decent, half of the time it isn't even remotely close to all she could be doing to help the people she claims to care about. I understand that she doesn't have to be perfectly selfless and kind, I myself like a strong female protagonist, but she was just not a fun person to be stuck with for most of the book. Meanwhile, I don't understand why her love interest is even interested in her even when he tries to explain it. I do think the book had a lot of potential, but I just found it to be trope-y and almost none of the plot twists were surprising. Overall, there were good aspects to it but many things were not fully fleshed out as they could be and I found the main characters to be a bit irritating.

This was a cute book, but overall just not my thing. I liked the main characters and thought they had good chemistry but I just didn't love the school setting, which is my bad since I decided to read it knowing that. I think i would've really enjoyed it back when I was younger and in school though, since it would feel more relatable. However, if you like young adult academic romances, this is definitely a charming one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5 ⭐️⭐️✨

I was really excited to read this book as I loved “All Our Yesterdays” by Cristin Terrill. The sci-fi murder mystery premise drew me in, but the overall story fell flat to me. The tone of the book felt very shallow, as did a lot of the characters, including Hal and Vika. Vika is a poor barmaid who is chosen by a billionaire to marry his son, Leo. When Leo dies she is disappointed at missing an opportunity to get out of her current life of poverty. While not terrible, I felt the whole story was lacking in substance and fell flat in many areas. It is an simple novel that one can read to dip their toes into the sci-fi/romance genre.

This book was okay. From the beginning of it I wasn't immediately hooked. It felt a bit long and the pacing was a bit slow at times and didn't have that fast paced action feel. I did think the premise of this story was intriguing. There is a mysterious benefactor and someone is targeting the will's recipients in an interstellar setting. I just didn't feel like I connected with the actual story. The world building was simplistic and easy to follow. But I struggled most with the characters. Vika and Sky were an odd paring. Sky felt a bit bland and the enemies to lovers was non existent. Sky was a bit naive at times and Vika was really abrasive. Their characters felt really underdeveloped and on dimensional. I don't think its comparable to Illuminae files by any means and it shouldn't be compared to it.I also didn't feel any sort of Bridgerton connection. Overall this book was okay I think personally it might appeal to a younger audience that just wants to start getting into sci-fi stories.

Thank you Wednesday Books/ St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gotta be honest, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book but it did not disappoint!

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers but then again who isn't? It's a great trope that gives us the fire and ice before our couple becomes something powerful enough to shake the world and this book did just that!

Thank You Wednesday Books for the eARC!!!

Cristin Terrill does an amazing job world building in The Stars Between Us. Set in a world where people live on different planets based on class, we are introduced to Vika. Working to make ends meet alongside her parents and sister after losing their minor status, she is suddenly swept up into the dazzling world of the rich. When the famous and extremely wealthy Mr. Chapin is announced dead, she is declared as the betrothed of his heir per a clause in Mr. Chapin's will. In the following days her world is again turned upside down after her betrothed is announced dead in a travel accident on his way to meet her. Soon new inheritors are declared and games of intrigue and survival began as she is moved to a new planet to live as the protegee of the new inheritors. Vika proves to be an honest and good-hearted person and learns a lot about herself in the process of being moved and pushed through the various situations that having met Mr. Chapin as a child put her in. Overall, Terrill writes a captivating story set in a vivid landscape that one transports to when you pick up this book.

This one turned out to be the epitome of stereotypical YA romance in that it's very obvious where the story is headed and who the characters are. But I'm happy to say that despite the very cliched story, or maybe even because of it, it's a very entertaining read.
Terrill is a good writer, so she brings the characters to life on the page to a degree where readers can easily identify with them. I was hooked on finding out how Vika was going to navigate the strange world she got shoved into, and Sky is a delight that was just too good to be real but perfect for the story.
I also really liked the hard topics of the haves vs have-nots and the dangers of money and greed that drive most of the story. They're difficult topics to handle, but the plot plays into both sides of the coin with both and manages to give a solid understanding and development to them.
Overall, it's not very original but it certainly is entertaining.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the entertaining read!

The Stars Between Us follows Vika, a bartender in a poor area that has long had the advantage of a mysterious benefactor who provided for her and her sisters education. Upon the benefactors death, Vika learns that she was incorporated into his will. Now Vika is joining high society, but not everything is as it seems and she begins to still doesn’t have true control over her life.

I really wanted to like this. The cover is gorgeous and the plot sounded interesting. Very inheritance games but in space. Unfortunately I found Vika to be kind of annoying. She was typically very selfish and self centered. Basically forgetting about her family and friends as soon as she becomes rich. And her investigative skills were a bit lacking. I also found the plot a bit bland.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC!

I think the premise of this book is really cool (almost regency in space which I loved), however, it just wasn't for me. I tried really hard to get into it, but just wasn't feeling it. Will maybe reread at a later date!

The plot was interesting, but that was pretty much the only thing I liked about it. The main character didn't have much of a personality and the world building didn't make much sense.

DNF'd 20% in. Vika is not a great protagonist. I didn't like her or really care about her story. She was terrible to her family and neighbors and had a kind of stuck up attitude. The plot was also pretty boring. It wasn't so much Bridgerton in space as it was probably more like Great Expectations.

The planet of Philomenus, always covered in a haze that blocks out the sun, was once known for its coltane mines, providing power to several of the surrounding planets. But when Rigel Chapin created the hydrino reactor, the coltane economy collapsed and the neighboring planet of Ploutos saw an opportunity, unofficially annexing the planet and creating a desperate labor market willing to work for low wages. Vika Hale has seen these changes first hand. Her father was once a mine operator, but her family now lives in substandard housing, each member working jobs they dislike just to try and make ends meet. Vika’s life seems to change overnight when Rigel Chapin leaves his fortune to his son Leo; however, there is one condition: Leo must marry Vika to inherit. Vika can’t believe her good fortune, but on the brink of moving to the glitzy planet of Ploutos, the passenger transport of the Leander is attacked and all passengers are declared dead, including Leo. As her hopes at a better life disappear, Sky Foster, a mysterious young man, enters Vika’s life. How will Vika cope with her shifting fortune? And will she be able to hold onto her heart?

I really wanted to like The Stars Between Us. The premise promised an interesting journey and the characters sounded unique. However, I had some trouble getting through this novel. The story was a merger of regency romance, science fiction, and mystery genres. Enter a blender full of tropes: mistaken identity, rags to riches, protagonist as outsider, dystopian world, forced romance, enemies to lovers, and beneath suspicion. Finding a way to successfully blend three genres and a full set of tropes is a lot to ask of any author. As a reader, I did not find this mix successful.

In addition, I wasn’t a particular fan of the protagonist, Vika. As a character, she seemed inconsistent. Granted, she has a lot of changes occurring in her life, but overall, she seemed to be a whiny, selfish individual. Though Vika chooses love over money near the end of the novel, this revelation and change of heart did not feel earned, given that she had spent the rest of the novel obsessed with securing a wealthy husband and ensuring her own safety and comfort. When her fortunes do change, she even forgets to send money home to her family who she knows is struggling to make ends meet! With the loss of her income, it’s likely they were barely scraping by.

The more interesting choice of protagonist may have been Sky. Readers are treated to a few chapters from his perspective, which felt like a relief from Vika. Sky seems well balanced and has a backstory that provides more depth. Being able to see Vika’s changes through his eyes might have offered the reader the ability to fully empathize with her. I also found the mystery to be a strange digression and the culmination of this plot line to be somewhat unsatisfying. But this may also have been better told from Sky’s perspective given that he unknowingly played a central role.

Overall, this might have been an example of a book that just wasn’t designed for me, though I’m sure I will read other novels by Cristin Terrill in the future.

A sci-fi YA romance dealing with with the real question of life: is life truly better on the other side? Vika lives a struggling life. She helps support her parents, works in a run down bar, and dreams of a better life. When she is presented an opportunity to marry Leo Chapin who is the son of a deceased billionaire. Vika sees this as an opportunity to not only get off her planet, but a way to take care of her family til Leo is killed as well. When she is offered the chance again to go to Ploutos she reveals in the fancy lifestyle she nearly missed out on. Paired with Sky Foster she slowly realizes (very slowly) that maybe this ploutos life isn't all that great and there are bigger things to worry about. Sky and Vika work to figure out the mystery behind who is after the Chapin money, and maybe Vika finds out some other things about Sky along the way.

'Vika took a while to connect to, her inner monologue was rather selfish at first. She is very young age wise and truly this is probably on par with the attitude someone her age would have. While I love YA I did have some trouble connecting fully to her til th end. I did like how everything went down and how the book ended. I would recommend this to those that like YA sci-fi for a fun read. It was well paced, but the romance was on the very light side so it didn't seem like a typical YA romance to me. I really enjoyed Sky's POV.

Thank you to St. Martin's and Wednesday books of the opportunity to read this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Viktoria Hale, known as 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. The wealthy of Philomenis ride a ferry between two planet. It takes lss than an hour to reach the planet Ploutos due to hydrino fission reactor by Rigel Chapin. He is now the richest man on Ploutos. Chapin has been found dead. In his will, it states that his son Leo would get all his money only if he marries Vika. Vika only met Rigel Chapin when she was very young. She had never met Leo. Vika’s life turns upside down when Leo going back home on a ship explodes. Leo is no more. Then Vika is requested to meet the inheritors in line to Chapin. She is invited by a married couple who worked for Chapin. The wife was a housekeeper and the husband a handyman for Chapin. She accepts and finds how shallow and greedy people can be. She didn’t know who to trust. The benefactors of Chapin’s fortune are in danger of being killed. What willVika do?

The author has written a science fiction thriller with romance. I was carried away by the thought that this world’s currency was secrets and love the most dangerous risk.

“The Stars Between Us” by: Cristin Terrill tells the tale of a once impoverished teen who is suddenly thrust into a life of luxury. I went into this book with very high hopes as I had been promised a “Bridgerton” but in space sort of tale. I did not get this vibe at all.

The world building was very well done and it was interesting to see the differences between planets and their class system. I would have liked to have more backstory about the world we were in since it was science fiction.

Our main protagonist Vika starts off as a strong and witty main character but she quickly devolves into a shallow and selfish brat. It was very hard to see this great character take such a downward spiral.

The romance was rather non existent and the mystery was not much of a mystery at all. This book really missed the mark for me.