I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this book. I don't normally like Pride and Prejudice retellings, but this one definitely stood out among the others I've heard of. The little nod to place names in the UK were really cute. I loved how Sundberg modified the plot points for this futuristic setting and yet still kept a lot of the feelings and ideas behind them the same. I especially liked how Lizzie maintained her autonomy throughout the story, even when it might have been easier to let someone else take the reins. Overall, it was a thoroughly fun and enjoyable book and I would love to read even more about the characters and see where they go next.

To Travel the Stars by Amy Sundberg is a sci-fi romance with an interesting take on Pride and Prejudice.

I had trouble getting into this book, and honestly staying until the end. I feel like the start of the book could have used some more world building, especially for a sci-fi book, as I had trouble with the terminology, technology, and just plain understanding the world. There were also a few times throughout the book where I was left feeling confused as some things just weren't explained well enough. The romance was just okay to me to.

Even though this book won't go down as one of my favorites, I think the story was good. It just wasn't the story for me.

I found this a very enjoyable re-imagined pride and prejudice. The world was interesting and I liked this Lizzie and Darcy and also the way the author changed the original story to fit within modern day society. I would have preferred a bit more world building given the fantasy element and a bit more of a slow burn between Lizzie and Darcy as it felt a bit forced there sudden makeout session at the beginning.

Unfortunately I had to dnf this one :( and it breaks my heart because I love Pride and Prejudice adaptations but this one was so different and I was just not vibing with it.

OMG this is a space fantasy retelling of Pride and Prejudice and YES, I Loved every word of it!! This was so awesome, a totally new way for this retelling. Loved it!
I just reviewed To Travel the Stars by Amy Sundberg. #ToTraveltheStars #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

To Travel the Stars is a fun blend of SciFi and Pride and Prejudice!
In a wonderful and well. build new world this retelling of a classic take a fresh look at a well-loved plot. While the plot is familiar Amy Sundberg has taken the setting so far out of this world that even though you know what happened next you can't wait to read how she writes to fit the setting.
Told from the viewpoint of Lisette Bennet, you follow the 17-year-old as she tries to achieve her dream of becoming a pilot even with the odds stacked against her. But when newcomers come to the Space station, will one have a high enough interface rating to be a partner? Or will the prideful Will Darcy ruin everything?

To Travel the Stars is a retelling of the classic Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice -- the caveat? The setting is in SPACE! Instead of the typical historical romance of the Austen novel, this retelling sci-fi themes and the characters are in search of an "interface compatibility" in order to advance into society.

This book is pretty much Pride and Prejudice in verbatim. There are the Bingleys or the Bings, I should say. We get the Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham. We have Octavia and we have Lottie. Honestly, there really isn't much difference between this and the classic aside from the setting. I do like how instead of pursuing marriage, the characters are in pursuit of higher education and professional advancement. This was definitely a nice change of pace. I also enjoyed the LGBTQIA+ representation of the novel. The sci-fi themes were quite smart because it was enough to make it a unique and interesting.

to travel the stars is a retelling of the famous pride and prejudice novel but takes place in space, in a more futuristic universe.

the story follows lisette bennett, who lives on a small (and poor) space station called meryton v. lisette lives with her parents and her three siblings. lizzie meets a group of planetside folks, one of which being will darcy, who is rich and infuriating from the moment they meet. will is constantly undermining lizzie and believes her to be less than suitable from his impressions of her.

throughout the story, will refuses to interface with lizzie, which is essentially a way of bringing 2 people together mind-to-mind to test their compatibilities in a work-related setting; how well they can solve problems together. when the two finally are forced to interface with one another, they receive a 99% rating, which is about the best you can get.

the two both wish to become FTL pilots and attend the same university. when unfortunate circumstances fall upon lisette’s family, she seemingly has to give up her opportunities to pursue her dream career…

i love how this story is pretty fast-paced and shows the struggles amongst the poor when it comes to trying to be accepted by more fortunate members of society.

however, i think there a few too many characters and therefore, they all lack depth as to who they are as people. like, i cannot really remember anything about a lot of the characters in terms of appearances or other details of description. i did end up liking some of the characters after getting farther into the book, despite thinking most were pretty terrible people at the start.

i love how this book makes us all as readers dislike will darcy at first like lizzie did, and feel the struggles she goes through as she tries to make a life for herself and decipher fact from fiction.

there’s a lot of unanswered questions for me in this book which i feel like could’ve been answered if there wasn’t as many characters as i said before. i also feel like the relationship we see growing between will and lizzie could’ve been developed a little bit more since their only main true shows of affection were around 25% in, and 95% in but nonetheless, i enjoyed them as a pair.

i would recommend this book as it was a pretty enjoyable one and a quick read!! despite my small preferences that i would change. i loved the main characters and some of the side ones as well!!

Pride and Prejudice in space? Yes, please.

This book was solid. I gobbled it up in a couple of days honestly. It was fun to read and I reeeaalllly loved the sci-fi setting. Plus, Lizzie wanting to be a space pilot is just really cool.

Things I loved:
- the sci-fi:
being a huge fan of sci-fi, I absolutely loved the spin of making meryton into a small space station and putting Pemberly on a fancy-pants planet.

Also, INTERFACING. This was so interesting to read about and I feel like it worked SO WELL to connect the p+p fiasco of needing to find a partner to reach success and a good career with the techy space age vibes because we know in today's day and age the whole 'you need to find a partner to marry and be successful' is pretty outdated and irrelevant so I think this was a smart way to update that.

- the characters:
for a fun read, this had some good characters that had some juice to them ya know? Like, main characters were great (tho don't hate me but Will might be been a bit bland for me, maybe we just didn't get enough writing for him) but Florian (Kitty in the og storyline) was great. I loved the way the author expanded on his character and motives and whatnot it was great.
Also some good diverse characters, like FINALLY we get a Darcy that's a poc (but it's kinda weird bc I feel like that doesn't translate through the cover art, he just looks more tan there, maybe I just drew up a different picture of him than the author intended but he was described as having brown skin)

- some good Lizzie/Will arguments

things that were just eh:

- the cover:
I'm sorry but honestly I almost didn't read this book bc of the cover 😬 yes, I'm prejudiced against book covers...
but seriously I just feel like Lizzie and Will look so funky on the cover like I didn't picture them looking like that at all. And it looks like both their hair is grey?? They both have brown hair so that's kind of weird...

- more buildup:
Don't get me wrong, it was still super solid but I could've used MORE Will + Lizzie build up, ya know? more banter, more bonding, more WILL character...


Overall super fun read, don't wait just read it guys

This is a brilliant adaptation of Pride and Prejudice but make it sci-fi. The clever modifications from Elizabeth from original P&P to Lizzie Bennett who wamts to be an FTL pilot was fun to read. The settings were built up around sci-fi elements which was very new to me and it was very exciting. I think Lizzie and Darcy were executed well and the chemistry was on point. I was giddy when it comes to these two.

The advanced technology in the book includes implants which is a device that helps people to interface with each other amd also to survive their life, and the huge differences between people who are rich and poor was clearly depicted by the ability or disability to afford the implants. Lizzie came from the poor side while Will Darcy from the rich sides, but both of them made one of the highest score of compability when it comes to compability test, with a percentage of 99.

At first I was a bit surprised by how quick the stort progressed, but then the development of the story grew more plausible. The chemistry was not forced and I can feel the connection between the two. There are also additional characters which as bit hard for me to keep track with the new elements that I need to remember, but it was worth it. There are things that didn't get explained well but somehow I just continue reading it until I eventually adapted to the settings.

Overall, it was a good retelling of P&P with scifi as it's genre.

<i>*I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review*</i>

When I first saw that this was a retelling of Pride and Prejudice, I was immediately interested. Pride & Prejudice 2005 is one of my favorite movies and I love the book as well so I had to read this one..

Well... Hmm. The retelling is done in a weird way. The author chose to change some names and keep some names of the original characters which felt odd to me. I feel like all new names or all original names would have been a better choice.

Second point is that while some character did remind me a lot of the ones they were based off, there were also a couple characters that didn't feel like the original ones, especially "Elizabeth Bennett" or in this chase "Lisette Bennett".

I do have to give some points for the lgbtq+ rep. However, here comes the biggest thing. The sc-fi aspect was really confusing. Towards the end you get a slightly better idea how it works but in the beginning it's just like "here you have it and you understand, don't you?" At some point I gave up trying to understand the world and just compared this book to the original P&P.

I'm going to admit that I skim read through some parts. It couldn't capture my attention. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for sci-fi but in the end this retelling didn't do it for me sadly.

4.8/5.0 This story is a clever adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The are careful considerations to the original story modified just enough to fit the space/sci-fi setting but without losing any of the entertainment. I enjoyed figuring out how these characters would fit into this world and where the plot of P&P would take them.

I also appreciate the androgynous nature of the pairing system in this world and the revelation that it could be manipulated, since it opens the way for some characters to really enact plot lines from P&P in an original way. I found it really engaging and easy to read, plus the twists and turns keep you interested. This could easily be the first of s library of book adaptations from other Austen novels set into this world.

I recommend this for anyone looking for a P&P story that is different from everything else out there.

Until Next Time
MC

I read an advanced reader copy of this ebook for my honest review on NetGalley.

I liked this book and enjoyed the changes that were made to the original Pride & Prejudice novel. The romance was done well, which was the main aspect I was reading for. I did think the world itself could have used a little more explanation - I couldn't quite picture a lot of the setting and there were aspects of the implants I didn't really understand. But like I said, I was reading for the romance and that didn't disappoint.

There were two characters who used they/them pronouns. This is the first book I've read with characters that use pronouns like that, and honestly it was a little confusing and hard to read. Not to mention the characters never introduced the pronouns, so at first I thought I was missing something. Didn't really enjoy that, but still liked the book itself.

The book started strong - I loved the idea of getting a compatibility rating after playing a game through an interface that's implanted from a young age. Right away, we find out that implants are costly, and with a big family such as Lisette's, who is our MC - they do what they can to make ends meet. The compatibility rating is important for work, especially for those who want to be an FTL pilot (our MC). But aside from that, it's not explained HOW this rating affects others. It would be better if it was elaborated - why is being compatible great for work? How is it great?

The world is also slowly introduced. They are onboard a floating community, Meryton V, with limited resources and they have known the people living there all their lives. This presents two problems:

1. The number of people they can check their compatibility with is limited, given that you barely have visitors from other floating communities/planets
2. People don't visit unless its "official business" (which seemed so redundant - its either a symposium or seminar or interview or whatever because the family cannot afford to travel outside of Meryton V).

We're also presented with the plot - Lisette wants to be an FTL pilot - her family is not well off, she has to fight her way to get scholarships and schmooze with the right people. To emphasize their financial issues, there are four siblings and one is a 15-year-old male, Florian, who happens to be gay. It's good to have diverse characters but it seems to me that he is written to be so stereotypical that his lines include, "Whatever," most of the time. He goes to bars to flirt with the military docking in their community and dresses everyone flamboyantly. Aside from that, he has no other personality traits present, just Carpe Diem. Another diverse character is Lisette's older sister, who happens to like females - but at least we see more personality from Jayne than Florian.

Everything goes downhill after Will Darcy's crew arrives for the seminar. There is no build-up whatsoever between him and Lisette so when he decides to kiss her (out of nowhere) I felt awkward and ashamed about the scene. I didn't feel butterflies or a sense of rightness - I wish there were more - small stolen glances, blushing, staring - describe to me how you would know if someone likes you. We get it. Will Darcy is all brooding and big and handsome - but I want to grasp a slither of emotion from him so it won't be awkward when he asks to kiss Lisette.

Also, two more males are introduced and of course, they want Lisette.

I just wanted to dnf the book after this.

But things get a bit better when Lisette gets a chance to visit Paladium. PS: This book should be divided into parts. Part I should be Meryton V and then Part II should be Paladium. And part III should be Londinium.

Paladium is another floating community where Lisette gets to meet and greet prominent people in the hopes of gaining a scholarship. Of course, she bumps into Will, again.

The only good thing about this part is that we are given an in-depth explanation of the class system in this world - the rich vs the poor. But suddenly, the tone of the characters changes. From dialogues that seem normal, they suddenly talk like they are from a Bridgerton novel. And of course, Lisette meets another male. We also discover that she has a 99% compatibility rating with Will - who asks her to be his partner but she turns him down - WHY?

Because Will is rich, that's why. But her reasoning doesn't seem to be at par with what we read. We get to know Will as a reasonable and level-headed person. And Lisette, who is ambitious denies this guy the chance to follow her dreams based on principle alone (which is weird because she wants George as he is one of the masses - and that's her only reason). She knows very little of George to begin with.

We know this is a retelling, but it doesn't have to tick off all the boxes. The world was awesome and I wish she showed us more of Meryton V - how is it like growing up in such a confined space? What other places are there in the community? We were thrown in a lecture hall and a party and everything else was forgotten.

As the novel progresses, Lisettes goes to Londinium for a university interview and she gets in! Yay. But more difficulties are thrown at Lisette, and she has to decide between getting her scholarship or helping her brother. And of course, she chooses the latter.

And with each problem thrown her way, Will is silently helping her (because he has the money). I felt like everything is repetitive.

The ending is quite predictable - just like everything in the story. Yes, I understand it's a retelling - but it also seems like the author didn't make her flow of things. There are way better retellings that utilized just the crux of the original story and let their imaginations grow wild.

I really really wanted to like this. It just wasn’t for me. The writing is great, the idea is great. I just could not get into it. One thing about me is I am obsessed with Pride and Prejudice. I think I had too high of expectations for this going into it because of that. I hardly ever like any P&P spin offs. I think the author really wrote this well, the world building was well thought out and detailed. The characters were well rounded for the most part, and the plot was good.

Thank you for this ARC from NetGalley and Amy Sundberg

Oh, how a delight. I am such a Jane Austen lover, and this piece just totally thrilled me. I had such a joyful moment, I'll reread it for sure. I love all the gender swaps, te LGBT rep and the scifi setting is such a nice add-on to the story. I also love how Lisette is way more proactive at the end, that was a very good move. Can't stress enough how I loved it, that's a 6 stars for me!

3.5 Stars

If you adore Jane Austen and binge every iteration of Pride and Prejudice on repeat the second they’re released, read this.

I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. Period pieces are my go-to. I also enjoy retellings. The comfort of knowing the base plot, recognizing the characters in their new worlds despite change in genre, time frame, and even name, is welcoming. Sometimes, it’s relaxing to have something familiar and not worry about unexpected outcomes. I appreciated how Amy Sundberg managed to create a very Austen-like feeling when almost everything about this setting is the opposite of traditional Austen.

To Travel the Stars is set in space, between different stations and planets. There is advanced technology through implants that allow people to interface with each other and survive their unique way of life. Full of robots, printed clothes, and mental communication via implants, this world is a far cry from traditional Austen and yet, somehow, Sundberg made it fit. There is a huge disparity is class and those who cannot afford an implant, which of course are exorbitantly expensive, are pushed to the wayside and discarded by society. Lisette Bennett’s family is swimming in debt because they provided implants for all of their children to give them a better shot at life.

So what’s with the implants? The implant is what allows the characters to interface with each other and complete simulated missions. These missions, when completed, show a compatibility rating. This compatibility with another person is essential to complete future jobs together in harmony and with success. However, this does not always go hand-in-hand with a love match. So you can be compatible and not feel an ounce of love or even attraction, but you will have success in your future career. The concept itself is awesome and was a genius move to really create an Austen-like society. This took a lot of getting used to.

Initially, I was thrown into this world Sundberg created with no real explanation of how it worked. I almost DNF’d in the first couple pages because I was frustrated. There was a lot of terminology and technology that was just there and not really explained. I still feel like I don’t know exactly what an FTL pilot is-the career choice of our two main characters. In the story, there’s a difference between these pilots and military commissioned pilots but how they are different is unclear. Eventually, you can piece together how interfacing works, what the programs are for, and understand why the characters have safeties up to prevent people from having full access to their minds, but nothing is explicitly explained and it takes a bit to wrap your head around.

But I pushed through because I could tell that this story would be something special and it was.

Lisette “Lizzie” Bennett is so much like Elizabeth Bennett; she’s headstrong, determined, full of assumptions with a chip on her shoulder about the injustices of society and class. I loved her. The way she cared for her siblings but was also judgmental and was quick to jump to conclusions added a level of complexity to her character. She did make a couple questionable choices that the OG Elizabeth Bennett would have NEVER made and a few of those choices felt forced for her character. Some of those choices were full of heat and excitement that added a splash of romance and self-discovery that the OG Lizzie never experienced. To me, this more modern push for Lisette’s emotions and physical exploration of them was PERFECT. For traditional Jane Austen fans, this is probably an unpopular opinion but the tension and build up helped really flesh out Lisette’s character and helped her reflect on her underlying prejudice as much as her pride.

Another impressive aspect of this book was how easily LGBTQIA characters, relationships, and a huge variety of pronouns flowed throughout the story. Everything felt seamless. Unfortunately, sometimes when authors try to be inclusive it feels like an add on to the story that doesn’t fit. This is probably the first book I’ve read that showcased so many inclusive relationships and it felt like it belonged in the story.

I would have liked to have seen more relationship building between Lisette, her siblings, and her best friend Lottie. Some of the characters felt way less developed than others. Jayne was one of them. Lisette’s favorite sister and great friend was kind of just there. Yes, we know she’s sweet and kind and caring, but her interests and any real, relationship-centered conversations were missing. The connection between the siblings was still there, but it could have been deeper. The same with Lottie, Lisette’s best friend. She never bothered to even ask Lottie’s opinions about her future and it seemed like despite years of growing up together, she didn’t know the meaningful aspects of Lottie’s mind and heart.

Darcy. Where to begin. Darcy is cold and reserved at first. He has put up high walls that are coated in prejudice and classist assumptions. Darcy makes harsh comments and judgements that cut like a knife with little though. As the story progresses, he begins to change. There are so many layers to who Darcy is and why he pushes people away. At the same time, Darcy is romantic. Not in an openly flirty way or because he’s attractive; it’s subtle and easy.

I loved the banter between Darcy and Lisette. They clashed and argued, and wanted to tear each other’s heads off as much as they wanted to be with each other (though they didn’t want to admit it).

The first time Darcy and Lisette interface is magical. Lisette’s true emotions are finally front and center and so is her confusion. I almost wish we could have gotten a Darcy POV of this scene.

Overall, To Travel the Stars is the perfect read for any Austen fan who wants a fresh take on a classic story.

3.5/5 stars
A really interesting YA sci-fi retelling of “Pride and Prejudice”.
I love a good retelling and this one didn’t disappoint.
Honestly, this is probably the most unique P&P retelling I’ve read.

The story is set in a futuristic space world where “Lizzie” wants to be a pilot and needs Mr. Darcy to help her.
This book was enjoyable and fast-paced and I was able to read it all in one sitting.
The world building was very interesting.
However, other than our main station, Meryton V, we didn’t get much more information other than names.
The romance was a sweet hate-to-love romance, with great banter and no spice.
A few of the characters are gender swapped from the original, and there are some unique name changes.
Overall, a fun retelling that follows the main plot points pretty close, all the while changing just enough to make the story seem fresh and new.

Thank you NetGalley and Amy Sundberg for this ARC.

Pride & Prejudice meets Sci-Fi in this incredible book. You'll read about the courageous Lizzie Bennett who struggles in making her dream of becoming an FTL pilot come true. Growing up in a poor and big family Lizzie had always wanted to travel through space, but first she needs an interface partner with a compatibility rating of at least 95%. Then Lizzie meets Will Darcy, a handsome and infuriating young man who comes from a more privileged family.
I loved the stories of the various characters, the family bond of the Bennett's and their relations to the Darcy family. The world-building sounded magical. Each family member had a flaw, some worse than others, but they still had each others back. It was beautiful to read about that. At some points it was a bit too detailed, but overall I'd give it a 3.75 stars.

What an awesome and creative reimagining of Pride and Prejudice! Full disclosure, I am a fan of Jane Austen reimagined, but that also makes me able to differentiate a great one from a poor one. To Travel the Stars is a wonderful one! Full of enough of the original to satisfy fans while different enough to help it feel fresh. I love the futuristic space setting with its imagined tech and future prejudices. I thought the writing flowed easily and the story kept me invested from page one until the end. I like that the author gives the reader a futuristic s if I feel without bogging it down with when-where-how the setting is what it is. The time and the relationship to “Earth” is irrelevant as the story is timeless. I also truly loved and appreciate that same gender pairings and nonbinary pronoun usage was just a given in the story, woven in as an understood part of the universe created here. I sincerely hope the author considers reimagining other Austen classics in this world and I look forward to reading more by them in the future. Well Done and thank you.