The premise of this book is exciting and new taking on a popular genre and creating a new view. I thought it was a fun whodunit with a unique cast of characters. The author takes you on a fun ride and the twist is everything!

I did enjoy Carinn Jade's The Astrology House, with its many twists and interesting relationship dynamics. I thought it was quite clever to include the astrology backgrounds of each character. The setting of an astrology house retreat was quite creative and interesting to me.

It was the use of too many character points of view that drew me out of the story unfortunately. In addition, I had been expecting much more excitement in the murder department! I wish there had been some kind of crescendo to occur part way through as well, rather than just at the very end of the novel.

This is a fast read, I think my students will like it and enjoy the astrology mixed in. For an adult, it was a fairly predictable story of a group of mainly unlikeable people, some growth and resolution

Rini is one of many characters who share their points of view throughout this well paced effort, but she stands at the center as a good host should. She owns what sounds like a unique property, and this is where she holds Stars Harbor Astrological Retreats. If this retreat were real and I could attend with, well, NOT any of these people, I'd sign up. For this particular retreat, Rini has a group of connected friends, family, and acquaintances attending. There are siblings, old friends, couples, and so. many. secrets. SO MANY. Oh, and there are astrological charts and explanations and tarot cards, too.

To be blunt, I was bored. There was no real plot to speak of save for a few mentions of an incident having happened 10 years prior being dangled like a carrot by multiple characters, but I didn't care enough to be intrigued by anything.
The characters were probably the most insufferable people I've ever read about. There wasn't a single one among them that I liked, it was just varying degrees of tolerance. I think they were supposed to come across as "flawed" but ended up reading more like caricatures of their careers and not real, fleshed out people. They were all horrible and I didn't care about any of them.
There were a few other things that bothered me throughout or that just didn't sit well.
Overall, I'm disappointed. I had wanted to like this book, and there were just too many variables that prevented that from happening. The only reason this book is getting 2 stars is because the writing style was very readable.

TW: abortion/miscarriage, potentially triggering discussion about difficulties conceiving.

I liked this a lot! Not a 5 star for more but a solid 4. A cool idea for a plot, and a good twist at the end.

Read If you like...

1. Closed Door Mysteries
2. Rich People Misbehaving
3. Novels that Place over a Single Weekend
4. Astrology
5. Examinations of Relationships Via Multiple Points of View

Happy Reading!

This was a great read reminiscent of Nine Perfect Strangers. It was well-paced and had a few surprises along the way.
I really enjoyed this!

Thank you NetGalley & Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.

Carinn Jade's debut novel is sure to be a hit! I was initially drawn to this novel by the color and title, but I stayed for the intriguing characters and fun twists.

A group of 8 slightly dysfunctional friends escape to an Astrology themed weekend retreat. Their host Rini tailors astrology readings and activities to help the group better understand themselves and each other. Along with these self realizations come shocking secrets and tension that lead up to a finale with a big bang.

Jade crafts a unique storyline with complex characters and plots that keep you guessing until the end. I thought I had it figured out a few times, but my jaw dropped when the truth was revealed. I loved this read and can't wait for whatever she writes next!

🔍A Domestic Thriler
🏠 Hotel Background
🖤 Lots of POV
✨ Unraveling Pasts
👀 Closed Door Mysteries

This book was SO GOOD! I sat down on a freezing weekend and bundled up with a cozy blanket, a warm drink and this book and read it straight through. This book had me from cover to cover. I am a massive sucker for closed door mysteries and this book was just that.

The authors writing was fantastic and you felt as though you were front and enter with our characters here. The storyline was so good—the setting that this book was written in was so well fitting and these characters you could feel felt real. I loved their development and dialogue and the multiple POV was my JAM!

This book was just all around so fun—you tried to solve the goingson’s along with the characters within the book and you never did figure it out until that very last page did you….The twists and turns in this book will keep you on your toes. This is absolutely one that I will be recommending to my book loving friends who love a good who-done-it mystery!

Good book with a solid storyline in the pages. I liked the characters in this one and how well they played off each other.

I absolutely LOVE thrillers that are set either on vacation or at some sort of retreat so I knew this would be the book for me. It didn't disappoint at all! I know many readers are going to devour this one just like I did this summer!

Read if you like: domestic thrillers, hotel settings, multiple POVs, shady pasts, debut authors

Four couples arrive at their astrological retreat for their annual trip together, but not all is as it seems. So many secrets are just waiting to come out.

I really really enjoyed this one. The setting is vivid and beautiful. I liked the astrological touches even though I’m not too into that type of thing. All the characters felt complex and I enjoyed every storyline in this book. Nothing felt contrived while is key for me in terms of book enjoyment. It’s a quick paced read with multiple POVs and an ending that was satisfying. I was interested from start to finish and consumed this over 2 days. There’s really not a lot I can criticize. I am actually shocked this is a debut from this author. I will be looking forward to anything she writes next!

4.5 stars

ASTROLOGY GIRLIES! this one’s for us! (and everybody else, too — but if you’re into astrology i think you’ll enjoy this a little more than joe schmo, the astrology skeptic)

if you’re in the mood for a quick, easy, multi-POV thriller with an ensemble cast of rich people behaving badly at an astrological, spiritual retreat, add this to your TBR right away.

as an astrologer, i loved the astrological elements of this book. it’s clearly well-researched (where so many books with astrological themes just…aren’t!) and pays homage to the study without cheapening it or making snide implications about its value. the elements i didn’t love were the fundamentally unlikable characters and the vast array of POVs, both of which kept me from investing wholeheartedly in any character’s story. while the plot was interesting enough to see it through to the end, i wish the characters had been a little more fleshed out.

the plot of the astrology house focuses on rini, an astrologer who hosts regular astrological retreats for the wealthy and privileged, and her guests for the weekend, who are all connected in various romantic, familial, and platonic ways. the women are there for the weekend to seek clarity and insight into their own life paths (relatable), and the men are there to…be supportive partners, brothers, and friends...among a few other things. the core mystery of this book centers around rini’s scheming to bring them all to the retreat for an unclear purpose — one that’s made increasingly clearer over the course of the book.

the ending was exciting and unpredictable, which makes for a fun ride despite my lukewarm feelings for the characters. pick this up if you’re in the mood for something fast, easy, astrological, and with some shocking twists that’ll more than likely surprise you. unless you’re a scorpio, of course. y’all probably saw the whole thing coming.

thanks so much to atria books and netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy! all opinions are my own.

CW/TWs: infidelity, fertility struggles, forced abortion

The Astrology House had a title that made me want to read it immediately! Described like a Lianne Morarity book? Yes and no. There were some definite predictable twists, and one very shocking twist. Although it is a very quick read, there were too many characters with not enough character development. I was able to read in one sitting, but I did not particularly connect or like any of the characters. The story is also told from multiple different character views, which is normally something I enjoy. For some reason, this one just didn't hit home.

Fate vs free-will is a very interesting concept - and I did like the premise! I think a lot of readers will truly enjoy learning more about the stars and astrology in general. Although I don't know much about astrology, I feel like the book did a good job for us "newbies" For that, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Wow! This is one of those books you read through and go on a wild ride all while trying to piece the puzzle together and then the ending absolutely blows you away, so you go back and reread it and see everything connect in total awe.

Stars Harbor was a treasure trove of mystery and each character had their own secrets, grudges, intentions. Absolutely loved this. Such a unique and refreshing thriller.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This book took by complete surprise. It was a bit different for the genre but the author knocked it out of the park!! Twisty with a WHAT??? ending!! Highly recommend

WOW this was good. Very twisty, and although I picked up hints of what was going on along the way, I definitely could not have predicted how it ended. The ending was so satisfying and I literally said “oh my GOD” when we got to the last reveal. I’m not super into astrology, like I think it’s fun to read about, but the whole like woo aspect of it, I don’t believe. Still, I thought it was super well researched, and incorporated really well into the storyline.

The men in this book…woof. What a range from bad to worse! I guess there’s one (1) good man, Eric, but he didn’t show up that much. But I really fucking hated Adam and he made me swear out loud multiple times. A man writing romance novels under a female pseudonym? I feel like that’s a red flag on his own, and then the fact that he’s a blatant unrepentant cheater who literally wants his cake and to eat it too…tbh I wanted him to be the one who died but the way things played out, I was not disappointed.

I will say, initially it took me aback that for a book set at an astrology based/themed retreat, all of the characters appeared to be straight (or at least in straight relationships), but it was nice to see that that’s not the case, and, although nothing substantive came [redacted’s] feelings, I really liked that subplot. Also I have to admit, the fact that the retreat is called "Stars Harbor" really threw me because 100% every time I read it as "Stars Hollow" 😂

I don’t have anything really bad to say about it but for some reason it doesn’t feel like a five star book to me (although maybe I’ll change my mind later) but for now I’ll say 4.5 stars rounded down to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I thought this was a well written story and I like how it’s outside of the norm for its genre. Once I started, it kept my interest fast and I found myself caught up in the story and excited to find out what’s happening next.

What do you get when you combine accomplished-but-neurotic women, the Terrible Men they're married to, a big ol' fancy house in the Hamptons, and your local Astrology Bitch with the soul of a hustler and a fistful of grudges? Well, a bit of a mess, but sometimes in the way that a tasty multi-ingredient dessert is called a mess, and sometimes in the way where you're like damn this just looks sloppy. Can we tidy this narrative up a lil'? Some of the twists deserve points for the Audacity, but overall there was simultaneously too much going on (why the deer dreams?) and not enough going on (weird pacing). Still, it was a diverting page-turner. Also made me want to look into my birth chart.

My thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.