I didn't actually know anything about this book going in despite having seen it for so long I just never paid attention to the synopsis and so I was very very excited when I realized this was about a pop star ( I had a very good time imagining Tae as Winter, truly) who goes on a spy mission and his partner is pretending to be his bodyguard like... PERFECTION.

I always love Marie Lu's villains and this was no different. They're scary in a very real, threatening way rather than a big bad that only exists in books. The action sequences and mission were very fun mission impossible style And the narration was really fun.

With the audiobook specifically, I do wish there were two narrators for the POVs. I did enjoy the 2-3 moments of transcripts, though I feel like for audiobook narration purposes, those can be a bit harder to follow when just trying to get into the book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this especially because it was pretty different from Lu's other works. This had more hopeful and happier tones despite having pretty sad moments. The only reason it's not a total 5 stars is because I figured out the classic Marie Lu big gasp moment very early on. I kept thinking that the main characters should be able to figure it out earlier, and so I was a bit let down when I figured it out faster than the MCs. However, I loved the banter between the two characters. The chemistry and character development and backstories were really lovely and I loved the overall experience!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an Arc of this book.

Im am honestly conflicted... giving it 3 stars is me being nice but I honestly think it would be fair since I am not the correct age range for this novel.

It's quite predictable, and the plot twists weren't really shocking at all... and the romance is a bit unbelievable.

Also, there is so much telling and a lack of showing. The action scenes in her Legends Trilogy was written so much better than in this book... I couldn't visualize anything that was happening.

The audiobook was nice to help speed the book along... yet listening it to it at 3x speed just tells me more how I wanted the book to be over.

I really enjoyed the parts of this story that were told from Winter's perspective. His character is very complex and interesting. I found Sydney to be really annoying. I wish that we were never inside of her head at all. I also wish that the characters had been aged up a bit. There is no way to make Sydney's backstory believable at such a young age. If you told me she was in her early 20s at least, but 19? Really? Even Winter seems like he would likely be more like 21/22 given the history he has. They don't give young teenagers gigs as professional back up dancers. He would have had to have been 16 at a minimum and 5 years of stardom would put him at least in his 20s.

Publishers need to stop trying to make everything for teens when it wasn't meant to be. Let the early 20s kids have something too. People live well into their 80s and 90s these days, 20 is still a very Young Adult... trust me.

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
This was adorable and I can't wait for the next book!

Marie Lu strikes again with the first book in a new adult adventure / thriller / mystery / romance series with lovable characters, swoon-worthy slow-burn romances & exciting twists & adventure scenes!

I typically go into books not knowing much about them (I don't read premises unless I'm reading it out loud for book mail videos on social media) and this was an absolute delight! As 19-year-old Winter was recruited to Panacea, I thought, 'OMG HE IS GOING TO BE AN INTERNATIONAL SUPER SPYYYYY!' (TikTok trending audio if you don't get the reference haha).

I loved the reveals, from [Spoiler!!!!] Winter's brother Artie's involvement with the organization before his untimely death, to a fake relationship (not in the way that I love in romance books, but in a sneaky way!!), to the big final reveal (which I guessed, but also I am a Virgo sun/Capricorn rising and pride myself on accurately predicting plot twists lol).

Sydney was great -- I love a badass FMC & she continued to give "oh yeah? watch me!!!" energy. Her dynamic with Winter was entertaining & when she started to really try to convince herself that Winter was the worst, that's when I knew romance was stirring! In the beginning of the book, I actually originally thought Winter & Penelope (big bad billionaire's daughter) would find sparks flying because I thought the whole hidden identity/forbidden romance would play into the plot. However, I was pleasantly surprised & loved the connection between Winter & Sydney instead. There's no steam; they just make out a bit but I wouldn't be surprised if there was steam in the next book?

Even though I guessed the major plot twist, this was such a treat! I will be patiently waiting for book two hehe.

Winter Young is a pop superstar beloved globally. When he gets an invitation to perform for a very wealthy man's daughter, he is approached by a covert organization to help them gather information on his criminal activities. He is paired with Sydney, a young operative who has ambitions in the organization and distain for the idea of using a pop star. This story had just the right amount of romance sprinkled into the action. It definitely had the feel of an action movie. Both main characters are well written although Winter does come off being too good to be real. The twist at the end would not be surprising for fans of action movies or thrillers, but I don't think that detracted from the story in any way. This is a highly enjoyable read.

Although I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for a review, all opinions remain my own. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel!

When a young spy is forced to team up with a global pop superstar to take down an infamous criminal, all bets are off on if this duo can pull it off. Both of them have a vial of "death" in their pockets, "just in case" it goes wrong, they can't be caught alive after all. Will they be able to pull it off against the odds and keep a new biological weapon off the market?

This book was so fun! Interesting characters, the story just kept you going, left me wondering what the heck was going to happen. I also LOVE that there is the opportunity for a sequel, but it wasn't left with a totally open ending. I'm ready to re-listen to this book all over again, just to see what details I might have missed. Seriously a great read!

Marie Lu’s most recent novel, Stars and Smoke was a very action packed read. At times it reminded me of Partners In Crime by Alisha Rai with how much happens.

Sydney and Winter couldn’t be more different from one another. Sydney is spy and Winter is a global music sensation. Their worlds are so vastly different, but when Panacea needs Winter’s help to take down a crime organization the two are forced to work together.

Sydney instantly doubts this man’s potential to help them infiltrate the crime organization, but she’s soon forced to eat her words. Winter is a quick learn and most of his role requires him to be himself and play for the daughter of the crime boss.

I really enjoyed the layers that existed in this novel about both Winter and Sydney’s family backgrounds and how they ended up where they are today. I also appreciated that this story was a combination of tense and light moments that made it a quick read while also making me want to keep reading.

Lastly, I am excited at the notion that this could be a series and has potential for a sequel!

A huge thank you to @macmillanaudio for granting me access to the audiobook!

One thing to note, this is not an enemies to lovers. I would comp this to the Night Agent - and I know my booktok girlies ate that show up so, may I present to you: Stars & Smoke by Marie Lu to hold you over until season 2.

Anyways, to my review! The book did start off a little slow and I did almost DNF but I’m really glad I didn’t! When the “mission” starts is when the story really picks up and get interesting. I’m one of those people that has seen way too many movies, shows and books so I’m rarely surprised by plot twists and I was able to predict pretty much this whole plot. But it was fun nonetheless being right.

I have a hate love relationship with Winter & Sydney’s romance progression because a part of me feels like there wasn’t enough build up to it, but I also loved how angsty they end.

The big fight/climax/reveal scene was my favorite part because I really felt like I was watching a spy action movie and was on the edge of my seat. The way it ended and left off also felt like how a movie with end - cut off but hinting at more. I saw this was the first in a series so I will absolutely be continuing this series.

This was my first Marie Lu book since Warcross and I have yet to be disappointed!!

A fun adventure that young people will devour. It was perfect for reluctant readers and had diversity intertwined in such a natural way. I always love Marie’s writing and am excited for what is to come next for Winter and Sydney.

When a mob boss invites Winter, a rising pop star, to perform a private concert for his daughter, a secret organization sees the chance. They approach Winter with an offer: help uncover evidence of the boss's crimes and Winter will gain information about his brother. Sydney, a loner agent well known for her skills with languages, is sent to pose as Winter's bodyguard and help expose the crime ring. Nothing goes to plan, and they both end up getting a lot more than they bargained for.Winter and Sydney were both likable on their own, but the enemies-to-lovers felt forced. Syndey judged Winter unfairly and he naturally was defensive after that. Since there was no reason for their tension, the "enemies" part was corny and superficial for what were two great characters. They were starting to form mutual respect and trust for each other when we jumped into a make-out scene. A slow burn or friends-to-lovers would have been more natural in the plot line.

The plot really shows that this is Lu's first time in the thriller genre. The story was very average, and all of the betrayals and twists I could have seen coming blindfolded. I did love her creativity with the different spy gadgets she made, but that was all in terms of worldbuilding. In her fantasy novels, her extremely detailed world-building lent itself to crazier plot lines, and without that combination, everything was exceedingly average.

It was not a bad read, it's just not great.

AMAZING!! OBSESSED! SO FUN!! I absolutely LOVED this! I’ve read the Legend series so I wasn’t sure how this would go, but I was not disappointed! Marie just has such great writing! I had so much fun reading! I was never bored!! The narrator did a great job! Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to to read in exchange for a review!

Marie Lu always has a way of making me fall so in love with her characters. Overall I thought the book was entertaining, it had fun characters, and a fun plot. I loved the audiobook for this, the narrator is perfect!

I just did not love the overall story. It was fast paced, which is nice, but it was just an ok story. It didn’t captivate me like Warcross did, which completely stole my heart.

Book - 3.5 stars
Audiobook - 5 stars

The story follows Winter Young, a pop star sensation recruited by a secret organization to become a spy and take down a criminal mogul. He is partnered with Sydney Cossette, a young agent who will pose as his bodyguard during a private concert for the criminal's daughter. At first, they can't stand each other, but as they work together, sparks fly between them. The book is packed with action, twists and turns, and well-developed characters to keep you on the edge of your seat. Although there were some predictable moments, the surprising twists made up for it. The audiobook narration by Becca Q Co was fantastic, adding to the chemistry between the two main characters. Overall, this is a thrilling romantic suspense with elements of espionage and action that I highly recommend. If you're looking for a fast-paced, exciting read, this book is definitely for you!

This was disappointing and I wanted to like it so much! The narrator was great and I was so excited about the premise but I just found myself having to suspend my disbelief way too many times for me to take what was happening seriously or to be caring about what was happening. Just not for me.

I’m normally a fan of Marie Lu’s writing, but unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me.

The premise sounds like goofy fun: Winter Young is a pop star who is recruited to be a secret agent, and has to work with experienced young agent Sydney Cossette.

Unfortunately, the book just bored me. I didn’t feel any real sparkle between Sydney and Winter, and Winter in particular just seemed too perfect to be interesting.

The mission wasn’t that interesting. The two of them infiltrate a crime lord’s daughter’s birthday party. There are a lot of the usual cliches in this kind of book, but they feel more motivated by the author trying to hit typical plot points, and don’t seem character-driven to me. For example, Sydney and Winter decide to go rogue and continue after being pulled from a mission—but I didn’t understand why they were so passionate about this particular mission.

I was hoping for a lot more fun, banter, and cheesy action. It was fine, and not badly written, but not that interesting.

The narration is good, and doesn’t take me out of the story, but it also didn’t really suck me in. I’d have DNFed this one if it wasn’t my only audiobook while on a long hike.

I think younger readers who are more into pop music might enjoy this more than me. I’ve seen reviews by BTS fans who have said Winter reminds them of their favourite stars, so I’m probably not the target audience here.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy of this audiobook.

Author Marie Lu breaks out of her traditional science fiction genre into the mystery thriller realm in her latest novel. Despite his superstar status, pop music sensation Winter Young has been recruited by the spy agency Panacea, in order to infiltrate a mega crime ring. He is paired with a young spy in training, Sydney Cossette, who hates him on instinct, but who is determined to ace this mission in order to get a promotion. Thus begins a Romeo/Juliet relationship between the two 19 year olds, full of twists and turns, near deaths (and actual deaths), and an ending that hints at a sequel. Told in dual voices, this will be sure to keep you reading until the end.

Stars and Smoke was such a wild ride and impossible to put down!

Winter is a pop star that ends up being recruited to help with a spy mission run by the Panacea group to thwart an international sell to the highest bidder plan.

Sydney is one of the operatives for Panacea and becomes Winter's bodyguard so they can schmooze their way in to get the info needed.

Winter and Sydney made a great pair. Lots of tension between them, but also a lot of respect. They're able to get into their roles and begin to infiltrate the Morrison family, through the daughter, Penelope. I thought the story and action were great and even though I was pretty sure who the mastermind was (and I was right) it didn't take away from the enjoyment of the journey.

#StarsAndSmoke:⁣
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I was shocked when I saw the low rating on Goodreads. I was overly cautious, but it was such a fun read! An undercover popstar saving the world one snake ring at a time!⁣
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Winter and Sydney were perfect. I loved their banter and how they really got to see each other in a light no one else did. I enjoyed their dynamic and watching them fall into their mission. ⁣
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I definitely figured out the bad guy as soon as possible, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t enjoyable to watch the reveal. ⁣
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The audio was so dang good y’all. Becca Q. Co made this a must read on audio. The logs from the agents were perfectly read on audio and had me cackling. I highly recommend audio if you’re going to check out Stars & Smoke.⁣
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A smash to me. I’m surprised it’s rated so low. This was such a fun time and I can’t wait to see what these two get into next. Thank you @macmillan.audio for my gifted copy! Stars and Smoke is out now! ⁣
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QOTD: What’s a book you loved that a lot of people didn’t like?

Winter is the number one pop star in the entire world. He is brought in by a mysterious group to me go undercover and try to take down a notorious cream lord. Just one problem… the young woman is assigned to be his bodyguard/case handler. These two have chemistry from the get go, and understand no circumstances are they allowed to be together. When things go crazy and they are both in danger, will they make it out alive? And if so, will they find each other again? I would recommend this book for high school readers or older. I characters are out of high school so this might possibly be classified as a new adult although this author usually writes young adult.

I loved this book, Danger, forbidden romance (to an extent), and even more! The characters are not overly dramatic, like in most YA books. The premise of the book is that a secret agency is trying to take down a crime lord and enlists an unexpected person for help with the mission, superstar Winter Young. Sydney, the agencies spy is not pleased to be teamed up with an unprofessional, but he may just prove himself useful. Slowly her aggravation turns into fascination, and Winter is interested in her as well. I loved the twists and turns of the book and it wasn't too predictable.

The starting chapters were a little slower than I cared for but it was setting up the story so I didn't mind too much. The ending few chapters were equally as slow. I wish it would have wrapped up quicker after the big climax.

Overall, I would recommend if you like adventure and slow burn romances that are also kind of forbidden.