Highly recommend this space adventure! Enjoyable characters and storyline. The narrator was amazing. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC opportunity.

This was fine. The story was interesting enough but it just didn't grab me the way I wanted. I think lovers of soft space opera will get a kick out of this one though.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed this one for the most part even though I wasn't really feeling the romance. It felt like it needed to be developed more. It ended on a cliffhanger that makes me interested to see what happens so I may read the next one! The narrators did fine overall.

Lt. Selene Genji is a human-alien hybrid and accustomed to the fear and mistrust humans have of her. She is stationed on a ship orbiting the Earth when she witnesses the total annihilation of the planet. The force of the explosion propels her forty years into the past, when humanity is on the cusp of first contact. Genji is desperate to intervene in the first meeting to ensure it goes smoothly, but she finds herself on the run from military forces who have discovered her alien DNA.

I have that enjoyed the premise of the novel and the author's mix of space opera and time travel. However, I'm about 40% through the audiobook and have decided I will not be finishing it. The story itself is fine, but the female narrator's delivery feels wooden and stilted. This is partially due to how the character is written, given that the author is constantly reminding the reader that Genji is not fully human and has suffered discrimination in the past. But I did not find I had similar complaints with the male narrator.

I will not be publishing a starred review to any external sites for this audiobook.

Space Opera, yes please! Jack Campbell's In Our Stars narrated by Andrea Emmes and Tim Fannon was really fun to listen to. It is the first book of The Doomed Earth and ends on a cliffhanger, so be warned if you aren't a fan of cliffhangers.

I love that so many Recorded Books titles use multiple narrators. Andrea Emmes and Tim Fannon did a great job telling this story. I had absolutely no trouble imagining every location and action sequence. They are truly awesome narrators.

In Our Stars has several groups that influence the story: the space military, the time-traveling military member, aliens (!!!), a rebel group and some highly placed family members. The interactions between all of them, produce an easy to follow and easy to listen to narrative. There is a lot of "what do you do when you know the right thing to do is forbidden by the rules" and the solutions to that dilemma that multiple characters experience are really satisfying.

Thank you Recorded Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this Advanced Listener Copy.

thank you for the advanced copy of this book. unfortunately i dnf'ed at avout 40% as the romance part of the plot was too 2D for me and cringey. i liked the concept of this book but the execution fell very flat.

I had a feeling I would enjoy this book, but it succeeded my expectations! It was so much fun, and I thoroughly LOVED the pacing and how much happened, especially within the first fifty pages. I also loved the commentary on out casting someone for being different. My only complaint is the way it ends - Excuse me?! How can you end it like that and not expect me to be up in arms? I need book 2 right now, like literally right now. If you enjoy SciFi especially with first contact and/or time travel you NEED to read this book!

If you enjoy a solidly built traditional SciFi book, this is for you. The story takes its time getting started, but once the action picks up, you’ll be hooked. The ending is a cliffhanger that will leave you looking forward to the next installment, but enough has happened in this first volume that it doesn’t feel like a prelude. No earth-shaking (pun intended) new developments in the genre, but enjoyable and well written.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately this just wasn't for me.
I actually started it over three times (at least) because I just could not take in anything. It felt like as soon as I pressed play, my brain powered off and didn't hear it.
I couldn't tell you what happened, any of the character names, nothing so in the end I DNF'd.

I'm usually quick to say when I think the issue was my attention span or mood etc but i've been trying for weeks now and it doesn't feel like a slump but like there's a forcefield preventing me from connecting with this book.

"In Our Stars," the latest work from the author known for the Lost Fleet series, dives into a world of time travel, romance, and interstellar politics. Thrust back in time by 40 years, Selene teams up with Kayl, a pilot, to prevent the impending destruction of Earth. The narrative centres around their mission to alter the course of history while navigating the complexities of their developing relationship and the constant threat from authorities who inexplicably view them as targets for elimination. The audiobook narration, while serviceable, sometimes clashes with character perceptions, further diminishing the story's impact. Despite its flaws, the book's fast-paced action and intriguing world-building offer some entertainment value, but it ultimately falls short of expectations.

Special thanks to NetGalley, RB Media, Recorded Books, and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.

If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #InOurStars #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning

This just didn’t quite work for me. Without harping too specifically on the negatives, the foundation was there but I feel it needed more rounds of edits and development to make it truly cohesive. I had some issues with the character development and pacing/plotting. As it is, it was just okay for me. It won’t be a series that I’ll continue. I don’t know that everyone will feel as nitpicky or disappointed as me, but I just needed more from it to feel really connected and invested.

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I have greatly enjoyed the Lost Fleet books but admittedly I am finding Campbell's other works formulaic and overly simplistic. With this book, we have one long chase scene without any real resolve and growth. To make matters worse, the emphasis throughout is on a romance that is cringe at best right up until the abrupt and pointless cliffhanger ending.

Story: Selene watches the Earth die in a fireball - only to suddenly find herself thrown back in time 40 years previous. With the help of pilot Kayl who she meets when rescued, the two will try to find a way to save humanity while also falling in love. Unfortunately, the authorities have randomly decided that they have to be eliminated.

The problem I am finding with Campbell's books is that the two main characters are always a) an earnest aw shucks do gooder male clueless about women, and b) a strong, intelligent woman who is cat fights with all other women and can't control her emotions. So while I appreciate a capable female character, I get tired of of the tired rote in Campbell's books that all women are an emotional black hole who hate all other women and see them as rivals. These characterizations and the characters' actions feel rooted in 1950s atomic family values that can be very disaffecting in a novel of the future.

Which leads to the cringe that is a romance. It's constantly brought up, with endless "Oh, I love her, but I don't dare tell her" and "He can't possibly love someone with alien DNA!" I love a good sci fi romance (just look at the Terminator movie to see it done right) but wow you won't find it here. It was hard not to roll my eyes or snort derisively throughout. It was about as swoony and romantic as a doorknob.

The book is essentially one long chase scene where the characters do one of three things; question if they are in love, show they are the good guys by doing the right thing, or muse philosophical about thinly veiled modern day issues in 2024. During this journey they either deus ex machina survive/escape in the form of a) fortuitous chance encounter or b) time travel future tech/knowledge. It feels very disingenuous and more than a bit too lucky. Cue incompetent officials and systems, evil stupid bad guys, and our main characters winning everyone over with their shining halos. Of course, if someone has to be killed, it will be clearly demonstrated that they were eeeevil and deserved it.

There were some strange logic issues: such as everyone immediately recognizing the main character as part alien by her appearance and yet her love interest couldn't tell and had to be told by her (because he lurves her for her and not her looks, natch). Also weird was how the male protagonist, Kayl, kept changing how he referred to himself (sometimes by his first name and sometimes by his last). There were several issues like this that were headscratching at times.

Finally, everything felt very over simplistic. This perhaps makes it 'accessible' sci fi but I can't help but feel that this lack of nuance and depth makes the book feel more like a middle grade read than an adult oriented story. Sci fi/fantasy doesn't have to be overly dumbed down to be enjoyable: just look at Harry Potter or Star Wars.

Of note, I listened to the audio version and admittedly wasn't fond of the narrators. They were fine with what they had but neither voice really fit the characters in my mind. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

"In Our Stars" was a delightful start to a time travel/first contact sci-fi series. I liked the characters, and the plot was really interesting. The ending seemed abrupt, but I'm glad it didn't end in an agonizing cliffhanger. I can't wait to see what book two has in store.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I wanted a good scifi book, and this did not disappoint! It really grips you from the very start, and I love the time travel twist and how this is played out through both the plot and the characters themselves. I love that it throws in so much to learn about both the current world and the future world but also makes things so difficult for the characters to truly wrestle with. It makes everything even more meaningful and impactful from the very beginning.

I do think that some of the romance fell a bit flat for me. It felt almost like insta-love despite the characters having such a rocky start. I wanted more from them learning each other as people and learning to stick together through it all, but it felt like they just....fell in love.

I really loved the depth of this book as far as talking about biases and racism and just how powerful these things can be in both individual lives and in the world at large.

If you need a scifi fix, look no further! I can't wait to see where this series goes!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I'm a big fan of this author's military / political space opera with the Lost Fleet . In Our Stars has some of that feel but is more in the Science Fiction Romance genre which felt weird. The romance was not typical to a romance novel. Other aspects were more similar with politics, aliens, and inexplicable time travel.

Selene is an alloy from about 40 years in the future. Her ship appears and Kayl Owen is part of the team who goes to find any survivors. Both of them are used to others looking down on them or disliking them. They put their personal issues aside to try to save Earth from an attack between now - 2140- and 2180. The catalyst for the attack is prejudice and misunderstanding about aliens or various classes of human, along with the typical greed of politics.

Selene is determined to save Earth by influencing attitudes and events. Kayl joins her in the mission. They knew it would be dangerous but the Earth Guard fleet tries to kill them from the start. As they begin trying to have effects on big events, they become attached and attracted, even though Selene is unwilling to hope. She knows that changing things may mean she might not exist in the future.

I enjoyed the fast paced action and strategy. The relationship seemed a little hokey, a bit immature somehow. That could be that Selene and Kayl both have limited experience with serious relationships. I appreciated the world building of the different places and factions. Aliens are always exciting to me and I love their part here. I am ready for the next book in The Doomed Earth series because the end was a bit of a cliffhanger.

Narration:
Most of the story is from Kayl or Selene's point of view. Both narrators emotional tones felt appropriate. Fannon's voice was comfortable for the various characters. Every time Emmes started narrating a section from Selene's point of view, the voice felt a bit sharp and higher pitched. Perhaps that was intended, to be different as an alloy, but it did jar me a bit out of the story. It was fine once she got going though. I listened at my normal 1.5x speed.

This book had me pretty much hooked from the start! It gave off vibes of Stargate meets Terminator. The way that we constantly see the FMC going through and trying to save a timeline from destruction while also trying to protect herself from falling for someone that shows her a different side to humanity that she's never experienced from before.

The cliffhanger left me a bit stumped, it feels like there happy ending comes to a screeching halt (which im assuming is done on purpose).

I enjoyed this audiobook, and liked how the space and time travel elements were woven together.

There was plenty of action and not too many in-depth descriptions, which kept it a light, easy listen with a good pace.

The narration was good, although I felt the female narrator sounded too young for the character. However, this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment.

A great 3 stars and I'll look out for book 2!

This book was solidly not for me, and I really struggled to finish it. I went in hoping for a fast, fun, spacey, and possibly romantic read. What I found was something about 100 pages too long and extremely repetitive. The plot dragged on and on, continuing to add new, seemingly unnecessary plot points.

The romance was aggressively closed-door, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but it felt awkwardly abrupt when it happened.

Premise-wise, the story is brilliant. I want more stories like this. I just need it to be edited down a bit, and for the dialogue to feel less circuitous and obvious.

Plot - 2
Writing and Editing - 2
Character Development - 2
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 2
Final Score - 2.6

Thank you Jack Campbell, RB Media, and NetGalley for my advanced review audio copy. My opinions are my own.

The book was interesting, but the ending wasn’t an ending. Was it open ended? Yes, but it wasn’t a real cliffhanger. Found the characters interesting, but the ending just ruined it.