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The Imperial Broadcasts #1
Love Galaxy
Not yet published
Expected 5 May 26A romantic science fiction thriller in which a young woman from a dead-end planet gets cast on a reality TV show to compete for the hand of the prince—or princess. But not everyone is there for the right reasons…
Smart, sexy, compulsively readable and fun, this is for fans of Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit and Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire
Temmi, a young trash collector stuck in a dead-end job on a garbage planet, finds herself with a golden ticket she never expected: an opportunity to compete in an intergalactic dating show starring the brother and sister heirs to the galactic empire. Twenty-four women will compete on a televised program to marry the prince and princess—and future emperors—and to win the dynasty’s favor for their home planet.
Temmi may have been hand-picked to date the quiet, bookish prince, who is immediately taken by her brash personality and their shared passion for the sciences. But she can’t seem to keep away from the princess—and even though it couldn’t be a worse idea, their chemistry is undeniable.
But when contestants start turning up dead, and conspiracies begin to swirl around anti-imperial motivations of several contestants, Temmi among them, so much more than feelings are at stake.
In fact, very few of the participants of Love Galaxy have come on the show to find love. Sexy, snarky, and revolutionary, this fast-paced thrill ride will hook lovers of reality TV, fans of thoughtful sci-fi, and anyone who lives for drama.
Smart, sexy, compulsively readable and fun, this is for fans of Everina Maxwell's Winter's Orbit and Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire
Temmi, a young trash collector stuck in a dead-end job on a garbage planet, finds herself with a golden ticket she never expected: an opportunity to compete in an intergalactic dating show starring the brother and sister heirs to the galactic empire. Twenty-four women will compete on a televised program to marry the prince and princess—and future emperors—and to win the dynasty’s favor for their home planet.
Temmi may have been hand-picked to date the quiet, bookish prince, who is immediately taken by her brash personality and their shared passion for the sciences. But she can’t seem to keep away from the princess—and even though it couldn’t be a worse idea, their chemistry is undeniable.
But when contestants start turning up dead, and conspiracies begin to swirl around anti-imperial motivations of several contestants, Temmi among them, so much more than feelings are at stake.
In fact, very few of the participants of Love Galaxy have come on the show to find love. Sexy, snarky, and revolutionary, this fast-paced thrill ride will hook lovers of reality TV, fans of thoughtful sci-fi, and anyone who lives for drama.
416 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 5, 2026
10 people are currently reading
4869 people want to read
About the author
Sierra Branham
3 books30 followersSierra Branham originally hails from the mountains of Alaska but now calls the lower 48 home. Her debut science fiction novel, Love Galaxy, is releasing in May 2026 and her short fiction has been published in Apex Magazine, Small Wonders, and The Dread Machine. When not spinning words into stories, she’s often hiking with her goats, skiing, or juggling knives. Find her on Instagram @authorsierrabranham or sign up for her newsletter at www.sierrabranham.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
September 29, 2025
I had to pull myself together to write up this review because I think this one’s going to stick with me for a while.
Every time you thought you knew what was going to happen next was spun in a way you would have never guessed, there’s wasn’t a second I was bored and I was incredibly wrong with my guesses every time.
All of the characters were wrote brilliantly, and I became attached to Temmi and Spie to the point where I was nervous for them and the next chapters.
What the two had most in common was wanting to take care of their brothers, and it really made the connections in the book that much stronger.
Without giving too much away, I was getting a lot of Hunger Game vibes throughout when it came to the set up and purpose of the show, and it was quite an interesting twist that I enjoyed and have never experienced within a book before.
The politics within the story definitely can relate to some of the things in current society, and the way corruption can be deep within the system.
I seriously didn’t want this to end, and I hope that this isn’t the end because I desperately need more of Temmi and Spie.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy and to the author Sierra Branham, I kind of want to cuss you out and thank you at the same time for this book that has a death grip on my heart.
Every time you thought you knew what was going to happen next was spun in a way you would have never guessed, there’s wasn’t a second I was bored and I was incredibly wrong with my guesses every time.
All of the characters were wrote brilliantly, and I became attached to Temmi and Spie to the point where I was nervous for them and the next chapters.
What the two had most in common was wanting to take care of their brothers, and it really made the connections in the book that much stronger.
Without giving too much away, I was getting a lot of Hunger Game vibes throughout when it came to the set up and purpose of the show, and it was quite an interesting twist that I enjoyed and have never experienced within a book before.
The politics within the story definitely can relate to some of the things in current society, and the way corruption can be deep within the system.
I seriously didn’t want this to end, and I hope that this isn’t the end because I desperately need more of Temmi and Spie.
Thank you NetGalley for a copy and to the author Sierra Branham, I kind of want to cuss you out and thank you at the same time for this book that has a death grip on my heart.
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December 11, 2025gay bachelor in space? for fans of everina maxwell and arkady martine?? say less omg
November 19, 2025
I like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me this interesting book.
I like how this book combines sci-fi / fantasy / romance / murder mystery, and sets up for a sequel (conclusion or part two in a series).
You have our brash, trash picker Artemis who lives in the slums of a planet not known for being high on the desirable list. Her brother is handicapped, her mother requires new lungs, and she is just scrimping by on her job. Her previous and only boyfriend stole her invention and now has access to a university path that should have been hers. Lets say she is not ever having a good day.
Our prince and princess are twins, and their mother is the ruler of the galaxy. Because the sister is a rebel (and eldest), she has been demoted from taking the mother's place when she retires. So, they are put in tv-show bachelor game. 24 contestants, two winners, all female. It's Artemis' planet that is last. However, Artemis gets into a thrown down with the princess and out of spite (and because her brother develops feelings) she enlists Artemis into the dating game.
For a while, the book was following the path of a simple dating game, until the murders start happening. Artemis isn't dumb, she sees this going on and wants to do something - alert people. Yet it is hard when you're labeled as a trouble maker and the least liked.
At first I wanted Artemis with the prince, but as the story progressed I wanted her with the princess. The last 20% of the book threw me for a loop because that's when the story absolutely deviated from the dating game and I had no idea where the story was headed and how it ends. The book does set up part two and the paths all three of the characters are on. We also meet some new characters who may be friends or foe.
All in all, a creative debut that totally kicks the rug out from under you and makes you excited to see where it heads next.
I like how this book combines sci-fi / fantasy / romance / murder mystery, and sets up for a sequel (conclusion or part two in a series).
You have our brash, trash picker Artemis who lives in the slums of a planet not known for being high on the desirable list. Her brother is handicapped, her mother requires new lungs, and she is just scrimping by on her job. Her previous and only boyfriend stole her invention and now has access to a university path that should have been hers. Lets say she is not ever having a good day.
Our prince and princess are twins, and their mother is the ruler of the galaxy. Because the sister is a rebel (and eldest), she has been demoted from taking the mother's place when she retires. So, they are put in tv-show bachelor game. 24 contestants, two winners, all female. It's Artemis' planet that is last. However, Artemis gets into a thrown down with the princess and out of spite (and because her brother develops feelings) she enlists Artemis into the dating game.
For a while, the book was following the path of a simple dating game, until the murders start happening. Artemis isn't dumb, she sees this going on and wants to do something - alert people. Yet it is hard when you're labeled as a trouble maker and the least liked.
At first I wanted Artemis with the prince, but as the story progressed I wanted her with the princess. The last 20% of the book threw me for a loop because that's when the story absolutely deviated from the dating game and I had no idea where the story was headed and how it ends. The book does set up part two and the paths all three of the characters are on. We also meet some new characters who may be friends or foe.
All in all, a creative debut that totally kicks the rug out from under you and makes you excited to see where it heads next.
August 12, 2025
I was lucky enough to read an early copy of Love Galaxy and it was everything I’ve ever wanted and more. It was beautifully written, it had so much intrigue, and top notch world-building, I couldn’t set it down. The two main characters Temmi and Spie were absolutely the best. Their chemistry, their banter, they had me rooting for them from the moment they met. But the main characters weren’t the only ones I loved. Branham creates characters that feel real, nuanced, and makes you care for each and every one of them. But that’s not all, Branham’s storyline was SO good. A sci-fi murder mystery on a dating show? Yes please. Branham is a masterful storyteller, from her perfect pacing to plot twists you never saw coming, I was glued to the pages. I could go on and on about how much I love this book but suffice it to say, Love Galaxy is amazing and you should be racing to order your copy. It’s an absolute must read.
August 12, 2025
I had the pleasure of reading an early copy of this and when I say the plot twists in it were jaw dropping - I mean set it down and stare into the abyss jaw dropping. SUCH a fun premise & romance, overall a wonderful wonderful read!
October 31, 2025
A sci-fi murder mystery taking place on a reality dating show where contestants are completing to win the hand of the prince or a princess of the galaxy to win favor for their home planet, is a book plot I never thought would I would ever say lol. It’s a big mishmash of a bunch of genres, tied together in a sci-fi genre. It’s very sci-fi Hunger Games meets The Selection.
Temmi lives on planet X72, called the “trash bin” of the Expan Empire. Life is tough and each year, the empire distracts people from the reality of their shitty lives by doing Love Galaxy, a glorified dating show. And of hundreds of eligible territories, somehow, planet X72 was chosen by lottery to be the one to send a contestant this year. On top of that, this year’s season happens to be a once in a generation year, where rather than some lesser royal, the twin imperial heirs are the ones up for grabs. Both will be dating the same pool of women at the same time, which I can see the sibling rivalry drama already.
The highest point of this book is the worldbuilding. It’s exceptionally visual, starting on a trash planet with dense gray fog covering crumbling buildings as toxins are shot into the air. Nearly everyone on planet X72 eventually dies of some sort of pulmonary disease and the planet no longer has wildlife. This is all due to the greed of Expan Empire who discovered the planet was rich in a toxic rock called orrist basalt that could be purified to protect ships. So of course, the reason why the planet is the way that it is and why so many are dying from orrist basalt poisoning is due to capitalist greed in order to mine this toxic rock. Reality is bleak on this planet, and it’s kind of giving district 12, sci-fi edition.
The biggest drawback is, this book just doesn’t have the readability factor. With a concept like that, I thought this would be a tense, unputdownable murder mystery. Instead, I was bored for most of it and it took me forever to finish, because I just didn’t want to pick it back up. I’ve read murder mysteries executed far better than this. It just wasn’t interesting or readable enough for me to want to pick it back up. An author who does this well is Frieda McFadden and I think that’s why she’s so popular. I don’t know how she does it but her books, even the not as great ones, are always compulsively readable. Every single one. I don’t even know what about them makes it that way, but they always are quick and easy reads. This book just didn’t have that. The reading process was not enjoyable and I kind of just wanted to finish it already.
3/5 because the worldbuilding was fantastic. The writing was great. But it was just not engaging enough, nor entertaining enough for me to say I enjoyed reading it until I got to the last 80%.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
Temmi lives on planet X72, called the “trash bin” of the Expan Empire. Life is tough and each year, the empire distracts people from the reality of their shitty lives by doing Love Galaxy, a glorified dating show. And of hundreds of eligible territories, somehow, planet X72 was chosen by lottery to be the one to send a contestant this year. On top of that, this year’s season happens to be a once in a generation year, where rather than some lesser royal, the twin imperial heirs are the ones up for grabs. Both will be dating the same pool of women at the same time, which I can see the sibling rivalry drama already.
The highest point of this book is the worldbuilding. It’s exceptionally visual, starting on a trash planet with dense gray fog covering crumbling buildings as toxins are shot into the air. Nearly everyone on planet X72 eventually dies of some sort of pulmonary disease and the planet no longer has wildlife. This is all due to the greed of Expan Empire who discovered the planet was rich in a toxic rock called orrist basalt that could be purified to protect ships. So of course, the reason why the planet is the way that it is and why so many are dying from orrist basalt poisoning is due to capitalist greed in order to mine this toxic rock. Reality is bleak on this planet, and it’s kind of giving district 12, sci-fi edition.
The biggest drawback is, this book just doesn’t have the readability factor. With a concept like that, I thought this would be a tense, unputdownable murder mystery. Instead, I was bored for most of it and it took me forever to finish, because I just didn’t want to pick it back up. I’ve read murder mysteries executed far better than this. It just wasn’t interesting or readable enough for me to want to pick it back up. An author who does this well is Frieda McFadden and I think that’s why she’s so popular. I don’t know how she does it but her books, even the not as great ones, are always compulsively readable. Every single one. I don’t even know what about them makes it that way, but they always are quick and easy reads. This book just didn’t have that. The reading process was not enjoyable and I kind of just wanted to finish it already.
3/5 because the worldbuilding was fantastic. The writing was great. But it was just not engaging enough, nor entertaining enough for me to say I enjoyed reading it until I got to the last 80%.
Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
February 1, 2026
This book wrecked me. I spent the last 15% of it bawling my eyes out. I went into this expecting a fun sapphic sci-fi adventure, not a story that would rip my heart out and stomp on it. Repeatedly. 6 out of 5 stars. Best book I’ve ever read.
This is 'The Selection' but sapphic and good, and also the politics and societal dynamics weren't an afterthought but are an integral and well done part of the story. I don't know how or why but obviously it hit me like a ton of bricks. Like it actually hurt to read because I loved Temmi and Spie so much and past a certain point I knew this wasn't gonna have a 'happy' end and it fcking hurt. I don't know why my brain is like this.
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Many, many thanks to DAW for the ARC!!
This is 'The Selection' but sapphic and good, and also the politics and societal dynamics weren't an afterthought but are an integral and well done part of the story. I don't know how or why but obviously it hit me like a ton of bricks. Like it actually hurt to read because I loved Temmi and Spie so much and past a certain point I knew this wasn't gonna have a 'happy' end and it fcking hurt. I don't know why my brain is like this.
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Many, many thanks to DAW for the ARC!!
arc-tbr
February 7, 2026August 10, 2025
I read an early copy and it was so much fun! Absolutely loved it!
October 16, 2025
I received a free copy from DAW Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Release date May 5th, 2026.
I requested this book because I was intrigued by this sci-fi romance's comparisons to Winter's Orbit and A Memory Called Empire, two of my particular favorite novels. In Love Galaxy, Temmie is barely scraping a living supporting her disabled mother and brother on a heavily industrialized planet when a chance antagonistic encounter with her empire's crown princess goes viral. Viral enough that the imperial family's publicity team drafts her for the bread and circuses reality dating show Love Galaxy, the extravagant spectacle where members of the imperial family choose who they'll marry...
I liked Temmi's background--she and her family live on a planet where the poisonous air is slowly killing them, she's scrabbled enough knowledge to be a good engineer despite dropping out of school at 14, and despite all of that, her minor criminal record means that she can only barely keep her family afloat. And not very afloat, as the book opens with her discovering the latest eviction note. But while I did like Temmi, she's incredibly unsuited as the protagonist of an invasive reality TV show, let alone a murder investigation or a political drama. Her complete lack of filter and inability to shut up means she's easy prey for imperial producers eager to set the criminal hick up as the villain. And the less said about her political acumen, the better. I admit I'm biased towards hypercompentent characters, but Temmie's traits make her passively bumble through the genre on a string of mistakes, rather than actively drive the plot.
Love Galaxy, as the name suggests, is primarily a romance novel. Which is unfortunate, since I wasn't entirely sold on the romance. The love interest, imperial princess Spie, is the same swaggering, aggressive jerk who's frequently spotted in painfully heterosexual romance novels. Unfortunately, being a lesbian does not salvage her personality. She spends the first hundred pages baiting Temmi into reacting in order to mock her, has way too much angst for someone whose tragic background is that her mother the emperor is a bit distant, and seems to see people as a sort of inconvenient obstacle to conquer on the way to sex. An unpleasant package. Like Spie's cruelty, the novel doesn't do much to reckon with the space empire thing either, except a few vague references to occupying troops.
Unfortunately, romance books succeed or fail based on the strength of their relationships, and this one didn't do it for me. The very shallow engagement with the brutality of imperialism didn't help, either. Love Galaxy had an interesting premise, but sadly I wouldn't recommend it unless you find the concept of a sapphic Bachelor TV show in space extremely appealing.
I requested this book because I was intrigued by this sci-fi romance's comparisons to Winter's Orbit and A Memory Called Empire, two of my particular favorite novels. In Love Galaxy, Temmie is barely scraping a living supporting her disabled mother and brother on a heavily industrialized planet when a chance antagonistic encounter with her empire's crown princess goes viral. Viral enough that the imperial family's publicity team drafts her for the bread and circuses reality dating show Love Galaxy, the extravagant spectacle where members of the imperial family choose who they'll marry...
I liked Temmi's background--she and her family live on a planet where the poisonous air is slowly killing them, she's scrabbled enough knowledge to be a good engineer despite dropping out of school at 14, and despite all of that, her minor criminal record means that she can only barely keep her family afloat. And not very afloat, as the book opens with her discovering the latest eviction note. But while I did like Temmi, she's incredibly unsuited as the protagonist of an invasive reality TV show, let alone a murder investigation or a political drama. Her complete lack of filter and inability to shut up means she's easy prey for imperial producers eager to set the criminal hick up as the villain. And the less said about her political acumen, the better. I admit I'm biased towards hypercompentent characters, but Temmie's traits make her passively bumble through the genre on a string of mistakes, rather than actively drive the plot.
Love Galaxy, as the name suggests, is primarily a romance novel. Which is unfortunate, since I wasn't entirely sold on the romance. The love interest, imperial princess Spie, is the same swaggering, aggressive jerk who's frequently spotted in painfully heterosexual romance novels. Unfortunately, being a lesbian does not salvage her personality. She spends the first hundred pages baiting Temmi into reacting in order to mock her, has way too much angst for someone whose tragic background is that her mother the emperor is a bit distant, and seems to see people as a sort of inconvenient obstacle to conquer on the way to sex. An unpleasant package. Like Spie's cruelty, the novel doesn't do much to reckon with the space empire thing either, except a few vague references to occupying troops.
Unfortunately, romance books succeed or fail based on the strength of their relationships, and this one didn't do it for me. The very shallow engagement with the brutality of imperialism didn't help, either. Love Galaxy had an interesting premise, but sadly I wouldn't recommend it unless you find the concept of a sapphic Bachelor TV show in space extremely appealing.
October 6, 2025
4.25⭐️
It’s been a while since I’ve read a sci-fi book and I have to say that this one was amazing!
Thrash collector Temmi gets the opportunity of participating on a reality TV show to compete for the hand of the prince or princess of the galactic empire but that’s not all because when contestants start to turn up dead and conspiracies against the empire take place the show stops being just a reality and becomes so much more.
This book is incredible, I love the idea of a galactic empire where the emperors have to participate on a reality show to chose their consort because in this case it’s used as a way of distracting the population from the real problems the empire has and it kind of reminded me of the hunger games.
But now talking about characters I really liked Temmi, she was such a resilient person who has gone through a lot and would do anything for her family, especially her brother and that’s something she has in common with Spie Expani, the princess who would also do anything for her brother Nix. The relationship between Temmi and Spie was one of my favorite things of the book, they really where star crossed lovers and I need to see more of their relationship.
On the other hand I didn’t like Nix that much but I want to see where his character and relationship with Spie is heading after that ending.
The ending left me wanting more and I really hope there is a sequel because there is so much to explore in this world!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC
It’s been a while since I’ve read a sci-fi book and I have to say that this one was amazing!
Thrash collector Temmi gets the opportunity of participating on a reality TV show to compete for the hand of the prince or princess of the galactic empire but that’s not all because when contestants start to turn up dead and conspiracies against the empire take place the show stops being just a reality and becomes so much more.
This book is incredible, I love the idea of a galactic empire where the emperors have to participate on a reality show to chose their consort because in this case it’s used as a way of distracting the population from the real problems the empire has and it kind of reminded me of the hunger games.
But now talking about characters I really liked Temmi, she was such a resilient person who has gone through a lot and would do anything for her family, especially her brother and that’s something she has in common with Spie Expani, the princess who would also do anything for her brother Nix. The relationship between Temmi and Spie was one of my favorite things of the book, they really where star crossed lovers and I need to see more of their relationship.
On the other hand I didn’t like Nix that much but I want to see where his character and relationship with Spie is heading after that ending.
The ending left me wanting more and I really hope there is a sequel because there is so much to explore in this world!
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC
October 3, 2025
This book was soooo good. If you like reality tv, royalty, space, tortured love, divided loyalty, literal star-crossed lovers…I could go on. The author took the Bachelor and made it so much deeper- class, politics, family loyalty, love- she went there and then some. Just when I thought I knew what was coming, I didn’t. I was obsessively turning pages to the end and gosh I hope there’s more coming from Sierra Branham.
Short summary: Temmi is just doing what she can to get by and keep her family housed. She doesn’t have time for reality tv, let alone to watch the heir apparents- twin siblings- find their wives. Until she’s cast on Love Galaxy and her world tilts off its axis and spirals in more directions than she thought possible.
Thanks to Netgalley and DAW. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
Short summary: Temmi is just doing what she can to get by and keep her family housed. She doesn’t have time for reality tv, let alone to watch the heir apparents- twin siblings- find their wives. Until she’s cast on Love Galaxy and her world tilts off its axis and spirals in more directions than she thought possible.
Thanks to Netgalley and DAW. ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2025
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I need more of this immediately.
I loved absolutely everything about this book! The characters, the plot, the romance...it was all perfection.
Temmi and Spie are such an awesome duo, I love them together and the developing romance they have. Their chemistry is intense and the connection between them builds slowly and believably, I was hooked on their every interaction from the get-go. I desperately want to see more of them together in a second book, and I think their story is far from finished.
I was also incredibly drawn in by the plot. This is so much more than a book about a sci-fi version of "The Bachelor". There is an entire world built in this book with several different storylines taking place at once from dating show, to murder, to politics, to potential inter-galactic war. Some twists are easy to guess but others not so much, and there's still so much to know. It's been about five minutes since I finished this, and I am so ready for a book two.
If you like queer enemies to lovers, messy plotlines, murder intrigue, sci-fi stories, and badass characters, you will love this book as much as I did. 5/5 stars!
I need more of this immediately.
I loved absolutely everything about this book! The characters, the plot, the romance...it was all perfection.
Temmi and Spie are such an awesome duo, I love them together and the developing romance they have. Their chemistry is intense and the connection between them builds slowly and believably, I was hooked on their every interaction from the get-go. I desperately want to see more of them together in a second book, and I think their story is far from finished.
I was also incredibly drawn in by the plot. This is so much more than a book about a sci-fi version of "The Bachelor". There is an entire world built in this book with several different storylines taking place at once from dating show, to murder, to politics, to potential inter-galactic war. Some twists are easy to guess but others not so much, and there's still so much to know. It's been about five minutes since I finished this, and I am so ready for a book two.
If you like queer enemies to lovers, messy plotlines, murder intrigue, sci-fi stories, and badass characters, you will love this book as much as I did. 5/5 stars!
October 9, 2025
was a fun and new concept! really loved the relationships and bonds between characters and how they changed, and how spie & temmi individually grew on their journeys through the book, the concept of an outer space dating show that turned into something completely different (i didn’t expect the twist) so that was a great surprise!
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December 19, 2025Thank you to Netgalley who provided me with an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
RTC
RTC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Dutch below
The “thriller” label initially threw me off a bit. I expected a book full of tension and possibly mystery, but the first approximately 40% focused on building the romance, the setting, and establishing the characters. Now that I’ve finished the book, I understand why these choices were made, but it took a long time before anything really happened, which caused me to lose focus at times. Fortunately, the plot picked up after that and I became hooked. Still, I found it unfortunate that the book is marketed as a thriller. It would be better positioned as sci-fi with romance and a good amount of tension and mystery. I think that would suit the book better.
The main character, Temmi, is portrayed in a likeable and realistic way. However, at certain moments I wondered whether it was truly realistic for her to swear so much. I understand that it’s a character trait, but constantly, in every situation? Aside from that, she is a clearly developed character whose strengths and weaknesses are easy to follow.
The other main characters are also well developed, each with their own personalities and flaws. That said, I did feel there were a lot of characters. This is understandable given that there are twenty-three other participants, as well as many people involved in running the TV program, but it did make it difficult at times to keep track of who was who.
What I found disappointing was that with some of the characters where it really mattered, it was hard to build a strong emotional connection. As a result, certain situations that were meant to be impactful didn’t fully land for me as a reader. One of them did, but the other two did not. The main character was clearly affected and the trauma was portrayed well, but I still couldn’t fully empathize because of this.
That said, I was able to strongly relate to the romantic feelings of the main character and two other important characters in the story. These emotions are well developed, and as you read, you can tell that the characters are layered and thoughtfully written.
I think the world-building and the execution of the program are well thought out and feel realistic. I especially appreciated that time was taken to include interlude scenes in which characters reflect more deeply on situations and events. The author clearly paid close attention to detail when writing the story.
The plot is constructed with the same care and attention to detail. It takes a long time before the reader is given a clear puzzle piece, but once the story gets going, it doesn’t stop, and you begin to understand why the first 40% was structured the way it was. In my opinion, the foreshadowing is excellently done.
All in all, I found it to be a story with a few minor points for improvement, but with an exceptionally strong plot that grabs you and pulls you along. I’m disappointed that the book is over and that I’ll have to wait quite a while for the sequel. While the ending is fairly self-contained, it is clearly the beginning of more to come. I therefore expect even more tension in the sequel.
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Het deel thriller had mij een beetje op het verkeerde been gezet. Ik had een boek verwacht vol spanning en mogelijk mysterie, maar de eerste +/- 40% draaide om de opbouw rond de romantiek, de setting en het neerzetten van de personages. Nu ik het boek uit heb begrijp ik waarom de keuzes gemaakt zijn zoals die er in zitten, maar ik vond het erg lang duren voordat er daadwerkelijk wat gebeurde en verloor daardoor regelmatig mijn aandacht. Gelukkig ging het plot daarna lopen en was ik verslaafd. Al vond ik het wel jammer dat het boek als thriller gepromoot wordt. Het kan beter als scifi met romantiek en de nodige spanning en mysterie worden neergezet. Ik denk dat dat dat voor het boek beter is.
De hoofdpersoon Temmi wordt leuk en realistisch neergezet. Al vroeg ik mij op sommige momenten af of het echt realistisch is dat ze zou schelden. Ik begrijp dat het een personagetrekje is, maar constant in alle situaties? Buiten dat is ze een duidelijk uitgewerkt personage waarvan ik goed kan volgen wat haar sterke en minder sterke punten zijn.
Ook de belangrijkste personages zijn duidelijk uitgewerkt en hebben ze allemaal hun eigen persoonlijkheden en zwakheden. Wel vond ik dat er erg veel personages waren. Dat was begrijpelijk doordat er drieëntwintig andere deelnemers waren en daaromheen nog allemaal mensen die het TV programma in goede banen moesten leiden, maar dat maakte het voor mij af en toe lastig om te volgen wie wie was.
Wat ik jammer vond was dat er bij personages waarbij het belangrijk was, niet echt een band kon worden opgebouwd. Ik denk dat bepaalde situaties die impactvol hoorden te zijn bij mij als lezer daardoor niet helemaal tot hun recht kwamen. Bij eentje wel, maar bij de andere twee niet. De hoofdpersoon had er wel last van en de trauma’s waren goed neergezet, maar toch kon ik daardoor niet helemaal meeleven.
Wel kon ik mij goed inleven in de romantische gevoelens van de hoofdpersoon en twee andere personages die belangrijk zijn in het verhaal. Die zijn goed uitgewerkt qua gevoelens en je merkt tijdens het lezen dat de personages gelaagd zijn en goed uitgewerkt.
Ik vind de wereld en de uitwerking van het programma goed en realistisch in elkaar zitten. Het is leuk dat er ook tijd vrijgemaakt is om de tussendoor scenes van personages waarin ze dieper ingaan op situaties en dergelijke te beschrijven. De auteur heeft veel oog voor detail gehad in het schrijven van het verhaal.
Ook het plot is met dezelfde zorg en aandacht voor detail neergezet. Het duurt lang voordat je als lezer een duidelijk puzzelstukje krijgt, maar als hij dan eenmaal aan het rollen is, dan stopt het niet meer en kom je erachter waarom de eerste 40% opgebouwd is zoals het opgebouwd is. De forshadowing is naar mijn mening fantastisch gedaan.
Al met al vond ik het een verhaal met hier en daar nog een aandachtspuntje, maar een onwijs goed neergezet plot wat grijpt en je meesleurt. Ik baal dat het boek uit is en ik nog een tijd zal moeten wachten op het vervolg. Het boek had wel een redelijk afgerond einde, maar het is een duidelijk begin van meer. Ik verwacht dan ook meer spanning in het vervolg.
The “thriller” label initially threw me off a bit. I expected a book full of tension and possibly mystery, but the first approximately 40% focused on building the romance, the setting, and establishing the characters. Now that I’ve finished the book, I understand why these choices were made, but it took a long time before anything really happened, which caused me to lose focus at times. Fortunately, the plot picked up after that and I became hooked. Still, I found it unfortunate that the book is marketed as a thriller. It would be better positioned as sci-fi with romance and a good amount of tension and mystery. I think that would suit the book better.
The main character, Temmi, is portrayed in a likeable and realistic way. However, at certain moments I wondered whether it was truly realistic for her to swear so much. I understand that it’s a character trait, but constantly, in every situation? Aside from that, she is a clearly developed character whose strengths and weaknesses are easy to follow.
The other main characters are also well developed, each with their own personalities and flaws. That said, I did feel there were a lot of characters. This is understandable given that there are twenty-three other participants, as well as many people involved in running the TV program, but it did make it difficult at times to keep track of who was who.
What I found disappointing was that with some of the characters where it really mattered, it was hard to build a strong emotional connection. As a result, certain situations that were meant to be impactful didn’t fully land for me as a reader. One of them did, but the other two did not. The main character was clearly affected and the trauma was portrayed well, but I still couldn’t fully empathize because of this.
That said, I was able to strongly relate to the romantic feelings of the main character and two other important characters in the story. These emotions are well developed, and as you read, you can tell that the characters are layered and thoughtfully written.
I think the world-building and the execution of the program are well thought out and feel realistic. I especially appreciated that time was taken to include interlude scenes in which characters reflect more deeply on situations and events. The author clearly paid close attention to detail when writing the story.
The plot is constructed with the same care and attention to detail. It takes a long time before the reader is given a clear puzzle piece, but once the story gets going, it doesn’t stop, and you begin to understand why the first 40% was structured the way it was. In my opinion, the foreshadowing is excellently done.
All in all, I found it to be a story with a few minor points for improvement, but with an exceptionally strong plot that grabs you and pulls you along. I’m disappointed that the book is over and that I’ll have to wait quite a while for the sequel. While the ending is fairly self-contained, it is clearly the beginning of more to come. I therefore expect even more tension in the sequel.
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Het deel thriller had mij een beetje op het verkeerde been gezet. Ik had een boek verwacht vol spanning en mogelijk mysterie, maar de eerste +/- 40% draaide om de opbouw rond de romantiek, de setting en het neerzetten van de personages. Nu ik het boek uit heb begrijp ik waarom de keuzes gemaakt zijn zoals die er in zitten, maar ik vond het erg lang duren voordat er daadwerkelijk wat gebeurde en verloor daardoor regelmatig mijn aandacht. Gelukkig ging het plot daarna lopen en was ik verslaafd. Al vond ik het wel jammer dat het boek als thriller gepromoot wordt. Het kan beter als scifi met romantiek en de nodige spanning en mysterie worden neergezet. Ik denk dat dat dat voor het boek beter is.
De hoofdpersoon Temmi wordt leuk en realistisch neergezet. Al vroeg ik mij op sommige momenten af of het echt realistisch is dat ze zou schelden. Ik begrijp dat het een personagetrekje is, maar constant in alle situaties? Buiten dat is ze een duidelijk uitgewerkt personage waarvan ik goed kan volgen wat haar sterke en minder sterke punten zijn.
Ook de belangrijkste personages zijn duidelijk uitgewerkt en hebben ze allemaal hun eigen persoonlijkheden en zwakheden. Wel vond ik dat er erg veel personages waren. Dat was begrijpelijk doordat er drieëntwintig andere deelnemers waren en daaromheen nog allemaal mensen die het TV programma in goede banen moesten leiden, maar dat maakte het voor mij af en toe lastig om te volgen wie wie was.
Wat ik jammer vond was dat er bij personages waarbij het belangrijk was, niet echt een band kon worden opgebouwd. Ik denk dat bepaalde situaties die impactvol hoorden te zijn bij mij als lezer daardoor niet helemaal tot hun recht kwamen. Bij eentje wel, maar bij de andere twee niet. De hoofdpersoon had er wel last van en de trauma’s waren goed neergezet, maar toch kon ik daardoor niet helemaal meeleven.
Wel kon ik mij goed inleven in de romantische gevoelens van de hoofdpersoon en twee andere personages die belangrijk zijn in het verhaal. Die zijn goed uitgewerkt qua gevoelens en je merkt tijdens het lezen dat de personages gelaagd zijn en goed uitgewerkt.
Ik vind de wereld en de uitwerking van het programma goed en realistisch in elkaar zitten. Het is leuk dat er ook tijd vrijgemaakt is om de tussendoor scenes van personages waarin ze dieper ingaan op situaties en dergelijke te beschrijven. De auteur heeft veel oog voor detail gehad in het schrijven van het verhaal.
Ook het plot is met dezelfde zorg en aandacht voor detail neergezet. Het duurt lang voordat je als lezer een duidelijk puzzelstukje krijgt, maar als hij dan eenmaal aan het rollen is, dan stopt het niet meer en kom je erachter waarom de eerste 40% opgebouwd is zoals het opgebouwd is. De forshadowing is naar mijn mening fantastisch gedaan.
Al met al vond ik het een verhaal met hier en daar nog een aandachtspuntje, maar een onwijs goed neergezet plot wat grijpt en je meesleurt. Ik baal dat het boek uit is en ik nog een tijd zal moeten wachten op het vervolg. Het boek had wel een redelijk afgerond einde, maar het is een duidelijk begin van meer. Ik verwacht dan ook meer spanning in het vervolg.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Love Galaxy, by Sierra Branham, offers a unique mashup of things I love in fiction: A reality-show backstab-fest crossed with layered galactic diplomacy.
Trash collector Artemis is working a double shift when she tells some spoiled rich kids to move away from the dumpster she’s trying to empty. Those rich kids, though, are the twin heirs to the galactic empire, sneaking out for a smoke on their boring publicity tour of the backwater outer belt planets before their season of Love Galaxy, the imperial-consort search/dating show, begins, and after a shouting match and a PR smoothover, Artemis — Temmi — suddenly finds herself one of the 24 contestants vying for the two imperial marriages.
This is very much The Hunger Games in space, and Temmi’s home of X72 is very much District 12 in space. It works because we all love The Hunger Games, and because in Love Galaxy, there’s an explanation for life in the poor backwater planets. The dangerous, backbreaking mines of X72 provide a substance needed for essential jumpgates throughout the empire. There are references to the shared galactic history that developed the other different cultures, as well. But, unlike The Hunger Games, the reality-show contestants aren’t supposed to be dying off.
The purpose of this season’s Love Galaxy dating show is to find consorts, but also to show viewers across the empire beautiful women from different subcultures, and show everyone getting along. This part of the world is so well-developed. Love Galaxy gives us ancient grudges and regional accents to hint at generations of imperial history. The contestants joined the shows for a wide variety of public and private reasons, which develops intriguing characters and drama. Mostly, I wanted to hang out in Petra and Rosina’s room.
Sections with weird pacing dragged this down. I mean, we get it, Spie is horny, Nix is secretive, and Temmi doesn’t want to be here, except if it goes well, she could bring home plenty of money for her family. There were endless chapters with dramatic events in the well-developed spaceworld with complex secondary characters, and in the aftermath of *latest plot event* Temmi dramatically realizes (again) that this show is her one chance to help her family. Spie is horny again, Nix still has a secret, probably a Dark Secret. We readers don’t need quite so many examples to develop characters, let’s get on with the murders and galactic secrets!
I found this same repetition of character development and slow advance of the overall conflict in another scifi romp, Kitty Cat Kill Sat. Later, I found out it was originally published as a serial, so maybe Love Galaxy was also episodic at one point and the repetition is part of that. Wildly different stories, but similar vibes for me.
The romance is perfectly fine, although it suffers from the same repetition. Yes, yes, we get it, you live for your secret moments of texting. I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I don’t much care about ���banter” between love interests. It usually feels forced, and we readers lose character development for witty exchanges. Plus, I don’t think insult-banter is particularly compelling when there’s a real power differential between the two. So, the whole secret texting relationship was kind of an eyeroll for me, and unfortunately, that’s a big part of the sapphic love story.
I just can’t overstate how much is going on in this world, and how fun it is to explore it. It’s often hard to develop a full world in scifi without info-dumping, but it worked well here. As I read, I completely believed that some outposters are tough, hardy loners, while other distant worlds built strong community ties out of the hardship and isolation. I believed that there were Empire luxuries that Temmi and other outer belts contestants had never experienced, and that other contestants had trained in diplomacy for years for the spot on the show.
Since there’s so much going on in Love Galaxy, I started to wonder how so many plotlines could possibly get resolved, but the short answer is just that they don’t. The ending isn’t really a resolution, as much as a setup for a series. It’s fine because I’d read another book set in this world, but I felt a bit cheated when we never find out about some of the intriguing secondary characters and their goals. (Petra forever)
Trash collector Artemis is working a double shift when she tells some spoiled rich kids to move away from the dumpster she’s trying to empty. Those rich kids, though, are the twin heirs to the galactic empire, sneaking out for a smoke on their boring publicity tour of the backwater outer belt planets before their season of Love Galaxy, the imperial-consort search/dating show, begins, and after a shouting match and a PR smoothover, Artemis — Temmi — suddenly finds herself one of the 24 contestants vying for the two imperial marriages.
This is very much The Hunger Games in space, and Temmi’s home of X72 is very much District 12 in space. It works because we all love The Hunger Games, and because in Love Galaxy, there’s an explanation for life in the poor backwater planets. The dangerous, backbreaking mines of X72 provide a substance needed for essential jumpgates throughout the empire. There are references to the shared galactic history that developed the other different cultures, as well. But, unlike The Hunger Games, the reality-show contestants aren’t supposed to be dying off.
The purpose of this season’s Love Galaxy dating show is to find consorts, but also to show viewers across the empire beautiful women from different subcultures, and show everyone getting along. This part of the world is so well-developed. Love Galaxy gives us ancient grudges and regional accents to hint at generations of imperial history. The contestants joined the shows for a wide variety of public and private reasons, which develops intriguing characters and drama. Mostly, I wanted to hang out in Petra and Rosina’s room.
Sections with weird pacing dragged this down. I mean, we get it, Spie is horny, Nix is secretive, and Temmi doesn’t want to be here, except if it goes well, she could bring home plenty of money for her family. There were endless chapters with dramatic events in the well-developed spaceworld with complex secondary characters, and in the aftermath of *latest plot event* Temmi dramatically realizes (again) that this show is her one chance to help her family. Spie is horny again, Nix still has a secret, probably a Dark Secret. We readers don’t need quite so many examples to develop characters, let’s get on with the murders and galactic secrets!
I found this same repetition of character development and slow advance of the overall conflict in another scifi romp, Kitty Cat Kill Sat. Later, I found out it was originally published as a serial, so maybe Love Galaxy was also episodic at one point and the repetition is part of that. Wildly different stories, but similar vibes for me.
The romance is perfectly fine, although it suffers from the same repetition. Yes, yes, we get it, you live for your secret moments of texting. I know I’m in the minority on this one, but I don’t much care about ���banter” between love interests. It usually feels forced, and we readers lose character development for witty exchanges. Plus, I don’t think insult-banter is particularly compelling when there’s a real power differential between the two. So, the whole secret texting relationship was kind of an eyeroll for me, and unfortunately, that’s a big part of the sapphic love story.
I just can’t overstate how much is going on in this world, and how fun it is to explore it. It’s often hard to develop a full world in scifi without info-dumping, but it worked well here. As I read, I completely believed that some outposters are tough, hardy loners, while other distant worlds built strong community ties out of the hardship and isolation. I believed that there were Empire luxuries that Temmi and other outer belts contestants had never experienced, and that other contestants had trained in diplomacy for years for the spot on the show.
Since there’s so much going on in Love Galaxy, I started to wonder how so many plotlines could possibly get resolved, but the short answer is just that they don’t. The ending isn’t really a resolution, as much as a setup for a series. It’s fine because I’d read another book set in this world, but I felt a bit cheated when we never find out about some of the intriguing secondary characters and their goals. (Petra forever)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4/5
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC.
When I first heard that Love Galaxy was about a main character who ends up on a dating show starring the prince and princess of a galactic empire, I thought: Oh my god, that is such a fun premise. I loved it so much that I honestly wouldn’t have minded if Love Galaxy had played it straight the whole way through. Tragically, it doesn’t. But fortunately, it’s still a really great book anyway. If you’re expecting a fun and wholesome romance about falling in love on reality TV, this is not that book. But if you love space politics, political intrigue, and scalding critiques of empire, you’re going to eat what this book has to offer up.
Love Galaxy uses its dating show premise to its full advantage, demonstrating how corrupt governments use entertainment and propaganda to keep their civilians complacent and docile. The galactic empire’s politics were chillingly familiar, along with Temmi’s struggles as an impoverished person who had only ever been exploited by powers she could only imagine. It also had one of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while. The twist at the end made so much sense, but I never came close to predicting it while I was reading. It was brilliant.
Yet despite the strong writing, the novel’s narrative sometimes felt like it was cobbled together from other stories and tropes. I don’t remember the last time I’ve read a book that I felt like had so much potential but was just lacking that extra spark to make it absolutely brilliant. As it stands, Love Galaxy reminds me a little too strongly of stories I’ve read about evil empires before, and I’m worried about how the setting and narrative are going to stand out now that we’re done with the dating show premise that kept it original for so much of the novel.
Temmi’s signature brashness was cute in the beginning, but I’m not sure if I was ever convinced that her lack of manners and media training was all that it would take to endear her to both the galactic prince and princess. I wish that the story had emphasized her engineering brilliance more, rather than constantly portraying her as a fish out of water. I also wished that Spie felt more unique as a love interest. While I understood who she was as a character, I also couldn’t help but feel like I’ve seen the “more than a pretty face” schtick before.
Finally, I’m unsure about Love Galaxy's future as a series. In truth, I might have a bit of a personal bias against (minor spoilers here) first books with super interesting premises that devolve into yet another story about rebellion/revolution that pulls the main characters apart. So while I would still recommend Love Galaxy in a heartbeat—the writing is good and the mystery is genuinely brilliant—I’m not sure if I would pick up its sequel, just like how I’m not sure if the worldbuilding or characters were interesting enough for me to stick around for the long-term.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this ARC.
When I first heard that Love Galaxy was about a main character who ends up on a dating show starring the prince and princess of a galactic empire, I thought: Oh my god, that is such a fun premise. I loved it so much that I honestly wouldn’t have minded if Love Galaxy had played it straight the whole way through. Tragically, it doesn’t. But fortunately, it’s still a really great book anyway. If you’re expecting a fun and wholesome romance about falling in love on reality TV, this is not that book. But if you love space politics, political intrigue, and scalding critiques of empire, you’re going to eat what this book has to offer up.
Love Galaxy uses its dating show premise to its full advantage, demonstrating how corrupt governments use entertainment and propaganda to keep their civilians complacent and docile. The galactic empire’s politics were chillingly familiar, along with Temmi’s struggles as an impoverished person who had only ever been exploited by powers she could only imagine. It also had one of the best mysteries I’ve read in a while. The twist at the end made so much sense, but I never came close to predicting it while I was reading. It was brilliant.
Yet despite the strong writing, the novel’s narrative sometimes felt like it was cobbled together from other stories and tropes. I don’t remember the last time I’ve read a book that I felt like had so much potential but was just lacking that extra spark to make it absolutely brilliant. As it stands, Love Galaxy reminds me a little too strongly of stories I’ve read about evil empires before, and I’m worried about how the setting and narrative are going to stand out now that we’re done with the dating show premise that kept it original for so much of the novel.
Temmi’s signature brashness was cute in the beginning, but I’m not sure if I was ever convinced that her lack of manners and media training was all that it would take to endear her to both the galactic prince and princess. I wish that the story had emphasized her engineering brilliance more, rather than constantly portraying her as a fish out of water. I also wished that Spie felt more unique as a love interest. While I understood who she was as a character, I also couldn’t help but feel like I’ve seen the “more than a pretty face” schtick before.
Finally, I’m unsure about Love Galaxy's future as a series. In truth, I might have a bit of a personal bias against (minor spoilers here) first books with super interesting premises that devolve into yet another story about rebellion/revolution that pulls the main characters apart. So while I would still recommend Love Galaxy in a heartbeat—the writing is good and the mystery is genuinely brilliant—I’m not sure if I would pick up its sequel, just like how I’m not sure if the worldbuilding or characters were interesting enough for me to stick around for the long-term.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks Netgalley and DAW for the ARC!
I loved this book, and can't wait for the next part. I think it was an interesting combination of dystopian sci fi about an oppressive empire and a reality romance show aka the Bachelor. A somehwat similar concept to the Selection, but while the Selection didn't really know if it wanted to be dystopian or not, this books leans fully into the dystopian aspect of the world building.
Temmi grew up on an exploited planet where a rare mineral is mined that is necessary for long distance space travel. As a result, the planet is heavily polluted to the point people become sick from breathing its air, poverty is rampant, many become disabled from the hard work and then can't support themselves. People here hate the empire, but don't really have any ability to oppose them. The setting at the start was vivid, and it reminded me of Zaun from Arcane.
Temmi was delightful as a character. She swears a lot, and takes no shit, and is not in the least bit diplomatic, which makes for a fun contrast with all the other Love Galaxy contestant. Technically, Temmi wasn't even supposed to be here, but an alternation with the empire's prince and princess while they visit her planet leads to her being chosen as the contestant to represent her planet.
I really liked Temmi's determination to protect her family, as well as her anger and her interest in science. I thought it was pretty cool that she was developing a mechanic lung transplant for the sick people on her planet with next to no resources. I also loved that she calls the project "Have a lung, bitch"
Spie, the imperial princess, took me a moment to warm up to. When the first taste of the book is this horrible living situation Temmi and countless others are stuck in, it makes it difficult to be sympathetic to the princess of the empire who caused all of this, and Spie came across as quite rude early on. But she warmed up to me quickly enough, and I think she was an interesting character who has her opinions about her empire and rebelled by not doing what her mother wants, but none of that rebellion has been actually meaningful so far. I loved Spie having to face herself and the complicity of her position, and actually having to change.
The romance in this was really good, and I could feel the sexual tension early on. The problem is, Temmi was chosen as a contestant for Spie's brother Nicky. While both siblings are attracted to women, and there's 24 contestants for the two of them, some are exlusively for one sibling, and Temmi was for Nicky. And Nicky actually likes Temmi, and Spie loves her brother. Meaning there's plenty of drama keeping the romance from happening.
At the same time, there's also a murder investigation happening. Several contestants turn up dead, and Temmi finds them. Then people around her try to convince her nothing's actually happening and these women were just eliminated, not dead, and Temmi's left alone to find out what happened.
The twist to this was really good, and really not something I expected, and it really shifts the tone of the book.
The build up, eventually, is more towards rebellion against this empire, and I can't wait to say what book 2 does with this, while I'm also rooting for Spie and Temmi to get together against all odds.
Would recommend this to fans of Arcane and people who wanted the Selection to be more dystopian
I loved this book, and can't wait for the next part. I think it was an interesting combination of dystopian sci fi about an oppressive empire and a reality romance show aka the Bachelor. A somehwat similar concept to the Selection, but while the Selection didn't really know if it wanted to be dystopian or not, this books leans fully into the dystopian aspect of the world building.
Temmi grew up on an exploited planet where a rare mineral is mined that is necessary for long distance space travel. As a result, the planet is heavily polluted to the point people become sick from breathing its air, poverty is rampant, many become disabled from the hard work and then can't support themselves. People here hate the empire, but don't really have any ability to oppose them. The setting at the start was vivid, and it reminded me of Zaun from Arcane.
Temmi was delightful as a character. She swears a lot, and takes no shit, and is not in the least bit diplomatic, which makes for a fun contrast with all the other Love Galaxy contestant. Technically, Temmi wasn't even supposed to be here, but an alternation with the empire's prince and princess while they visit her planet leads to her being chosen as the contestant to represent her planet.
I really liked Temmi's determination to protect her family, as well as her anger and her interest in science. I thought it was pretty cool that she was developing a mechanic lung transplant for the sick people on her planet with next to no resources. I also loved that she calls the project "Have a lung, bitch"
Spie, the imperial princess, took me a moment to warm up to. When the first taste of the book is this horrible living situation Temmi and countless others are stuck in, it makes it difficult to be sympathetic to the princess of the empire who caused all of this, and Spie came across as quite rude early on. But she warmed up to me quickly enough, and I think she was an interesting character who has her opinions about her empire and rebelled by not doing what her mother wants, but none of that rebellion has been actually meaningful so far. I loved Spie having to face herself and the complicity of her position, and actually having to change.
The romance in this was really good, and I could feel the sexual tension early on. The problem is, Temmi was chosen as a contestant for Spie's brother Nicky. While both siblings are attracted to women, and there's 24 contestants for the two of them, some are exlusively for one sibling, and Temmi was for Nicky. And Nicky actually likes Temmi, and Spie loves her brother. Meaning there's plenty of drama keeping the romance from happening.
At the same time, there's also a murder investigation happening. Several contestants turn up dead, and Temmi finds them. Then people around her try to convince her nothing's actually happening and these women were just eliminated, not dead, and Temmi's left alone to find out what happened.
The twist to this was really good, and really not something I expected, and it really shifts the tone of the book.
The build up, eventually, is more towards rebellion against this empire, and I can't wait to say what book 2 does with this, while I'm also rooting for Spie and Temmi to get together against all odds.
Would recommend this to fans of Arcane and people who wanted the Selection to be more dystopian
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received a free copy from DAW Publishing via Netgalley, and I cannot even begin to express my gratitude. This book was exactly what I felt like reading and it is definitely one that will stay with me. I am definitely going to be at the front of the line for anything else Sierra Branham writes.
The description of the book got me hooked instantly, and it did not disappoint. It absolutely delivers on the expectations set and then expands even further from there. What I expected was a fun, playful romance in an unconventional setting, and I got that as well as deep feelings, philosophical questions and a second half that was un-put-downable. I am in awe of Sierra Branham for having such a well-written and compelling debut.
The romance and game show aspect is handled incredibly well; it is believable in its pageantry and scheming. Despite juggling a large group of characters, the author does an expert job of selecting a handful of characters to highlight, making it easy to follow. However, this is just the setting for a far bigger story. At the forefront of this novel is the question of agency and power. Who has the ability to act on their desires and how class, politics and inequality impact individual life choices. The book was far deeper than I anticipated, but unfurled gradually and beautifully, using the characters as mechanisms to explore the greater themes in a way that feels grounded and sincere. I think the dual POV was used deftly to not just build the romantic tension, but to explore these ideas really well too. If you like political machinations mixing with romance (think high fantasy more than other sci fi actually), this will hit the spot.
A note for other LGBT readers, none of the tension or drama is due to sexual preference, which somehow in the year 2025 is still refreshing. As someone who tends to jump on anything sapphic, I was so filled with warmth reading a quality relationship that felt this deep and beautiful. We are shown how the chemistry develops between the two characters through actual connection and communication rather than just relying on superficial attraction - an impressive achievement given the pacing and limited interactions between the characters.
Overall, if the book sounds like something you will enjoy, I strongly recommend picking it up. There is definitely some loose ends left with a clear direction for the next entry (okay, maybe a bit of a cliffhanger), but the conclusion was satisfying and well-considered. Sierra Branham knows how to write a great story.
The description of the book got me hooked instantly, and it did not disappoint. It absolutely delivers on the expectations set and then expands even further from there. What I expected was a fun, playful romance in an unconventional setting, and I got that as well as deep feelings, philosophical questions and a second half that was un-put-downable. I am in awe of Sierra Branham for having such a well-written and compelling debut.
The romance and game show aspect is handled incredibly well; it is believable in its pageantry and scheming. Despite juggling a large group of characters, the author does an expert job of selecting a handful of characters to highlight, making it easy to follow. However, this is just the setting for a far bigger story. At the forefront of this novel is the question of agency and power. Who has the ability to act on their desires and how class, politics and inequality impact individual life choices. The book was far deeper than I anticipated, but unfurled gradually and beautifully, using the characters as mechanisms to explore the greater themes in a way that feels grounded and sincere. I think the dual POV was used deftly to not just build the romantic tension, but to explore these ideas really well too. If you like political machinations mixing with romance (think high fantasy more than other sci fi actually), this will hit the spot.
A note for other LGBT readers, none of the tension or drama is due to sexual preference, which somehow in the year 2025 is still refreshing. As someone who tends to jump on anything sapphic, I was so filled with warmth reading a quality relationship that felt this deep and beautiful. We are shown how the chemistry develops between the two characters through actual connection and communication rather than just relying on superficial attraction - an impressive achievement given the pacing and limited interactions between the characters.
Overall, if the book sounds like something you will enjoy, I strongly recommend picking it up. There is definitely some loose ends left with a clear direction for the next entry (okay, maybe a bit of a cliffhanger), but the conclusion was satisfying and well-considered. Sierra Branham knows how to write a great story.
December 28, 2025
I liked a lot of this book. The setup of Temmi, her family, and her world (a toxic, deadly factory planet where people are only of worth if they’re of use) melded beautifully with her entrance into the reality show. Why, after all, would someone like Temmie want to put herself out there for everyone to see and judge and mock when she wasn’t interested in marrying either Prince or Princess? The answer was simple: Money. Money for her family, medical assistance for her family. It was logical, and it spoke well to Temmi as a character.
She doesn’t want attention. She doesn’t want to be noble, to be the “Chosen One” or the most beautiful one at the ball. She wants her mother to be healthy, her brother to have a good, safe life with a roof over his head and food in his stomach. It also makes the romance feel more real because both Spie and Temmi know exactly what’s going on and why they’ve each been assigned their roles.
The slow burn gives room for longing looks, innuendo laden conversations, fraught gatherings where each of them have to pretend to be playing their parts while all they want to do is look at each other. It’s so nice to see a romance that is willing to take its time, to build up the emotions as well as the lust, and is willing to let the physical attraction simmer in the background while two characters get to know one another.
However … the pacing and the plot. There are roughly eight main threads going on in this 400 page book, alongside the romance, and it doesn’t feel like anything’s being given much time to breathe or much time for a reader to pay overly much attention for them before the next one is being dangled out, before the next chapter moves things on. The pace is fast, much like a producer pushing their contestant with a relentless “go, go, go!”
Even so, the plots are well set up, but … not so well knocked down. The murder mystery in particular. I don’t think the big reveal of the mystery needed to be revealed so quickly or so early; personally I think that could have waited for the second book, giving both Temmi and Spie more time to doubt and question and wonder. But that’s just my two cents.
Overall this is a really good story that looks at colonization, a totalitarian government, propaganda, reality TV, and characters willing to sacrifice themselves for the ones they love. I like Temmi, I like Spie, and I like them as a couple. I can’t wait to see what the next book has to offer, and to see where certain plot threads lead.
Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!
She doesn’t want attention. She doesn’t want to be noble, to be the “Chosen One” or the most beautiful one at the ball. She wants her mother to be healthy, her brother to have a good, safe life with a roof over his head and food in his stomach. It also makes the romance feel more real because both Spie and Temmi know exactly what’s going on and why they’ve each been assigned their roles.
The slow burn gives room for longing looks, innuendo laden conversations, fraught gatherings where each of them have to pretend to be playing their parts while all they want to do is look at each other. It’s so nice to see a romance that is willing to take its time, to build up the emotions as well as the lust, and is willing to let the physical attraction simmer in the background while two characters get to know one another.
However … the pacing and the plot. There are roughly eight main threads going on in this 400 page book, alongside the romance, and it doesn’t feel like anything’s being given much time to breathe or much time for a reader to pay overly much attention for them before the next one is being dangled out, before the next chapter moves things on. The pace is fast, much like a producer pushing their contestant with a relentless “go, go, go!”
Even so, the plots are well set up, but … not so well knocked down. The murder mystery in particular. I don’t think the big reveal of the mystery needed to be revealed so quickly or so early; personally I think that could have waited for the second book, giving both Temmi and Spie more time to doubt and question and wonder. But that’s just my two cents.
Overall this is a really good story that looks at colonization, a totalitarian government, propaganda, reality TV, and characters willing to sacrifice themselves for the ones they love. I like Temmi, I like Spie, and I like them as a couple. I can’t wait to see what the next book has to offer, and to see where certain plot threads lead.
Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Came for the underdog sci-fi romance, stayed for the intergalactic drama.
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️(2️/5)
Temmi, a trash collector on a dead-end planet, has just sold her life's work to afford her family a measly two months' worth of rent. Safe to say when two people are blocking her overtime garbage route, she is thoroughly upset and, perhaps, a little confrontational. But, what she doesn't know is that she has just called the prince and princess of the human galaxy a narcissist and jackass. Temmi's day goes from terrible to dreadful as she is forced to choose between staying a public humiliation or entering the limelight for a chance to redeem herself and save her family. Oh, and she must compete with contestants for the hand of the prince or princess, but they might be harboring malicious intentions...
First of all, I can relate to Temmi's disinterest in reality television. When I do turn on the television, enduring the televised drama of a set of obnoxious individuals that are pitted to bring out the worst in each other is not how I would like to spend my time.
However, as Temmi was encouraged to watch the previous season of Love Galaxy and found it impossible to look away, so was my experience of reading this novel. I could not tear myself away from the slow-moving car crash of unresolved drama boiling over.
The delivery of this novel reminded me of the joy of reading Throne of Glass for the first time all those years ago. It is clear Branham intends to continue this series, as there is so much tension that is about to burst forth.
But, while other novels struggle to balance world-building (or, in this case, entire galaxy-building) while staying engaging, Branham beautifully delivered hidden morsels of politics and hidden motives.
And the characters! Each character, no matter how small their role, was oozing with personality! This led to such vivid interactions between a large set of cast members. And, since the characters are so memorable, small tells were visible to the keen eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed (read: devoured) this book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment!
Thank you, NetGalley and DAW Books, for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this novel for an honest review. Also, thanks to Sierra Branham for crafting this wonderful adventure.
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️(2️/5)
Temmi, a trash collector on a dead-end planet, has just sold her life's work to afford her family a measly two months' worth of rent. Safe to say when two people are blocking her overtime garbage route, she is thoroughly upset and, perhaps, a little confrontational. But, what she doesn't know is that she has just called the prince and princess of the human galaxy a narcissist and jackass. Temmi's day goes from terrible to dreadful as she is forced to choose between staying a public humiliation or entering the limelight for a chance to redeem herself and save her family. Oh, and she must compete with contestants for the hand of the prince or princess, but they might be harboring malicious intentions...
First of all, I can relate to Temmi's disinterest in reality television. When I do turn on the television, enduring the televised drama of a set of obnoxious individuals that are pitted to bring out the worst in each other is not how I would like to spend my time.
However, as Temmi was encouraged to watch the previous season of Love Galaxy and found it impossible to look away, so was my experience of reading this novel. I could not tear myself away from the slow-moving car crash of unresolved drama boiling over.
The delivery of this novel reminded me of the joy of reading Throne of Glass for the first time all those years ago. It is clear Branham intends to continue this series, as there is so much tension that is about to burst forth.
But, while other novels struggle to balance world-building (or, in this case, entire galaxy-building) while staying engaging, Branham beautifully delivered hidden morsels of politics and hidden motives.
And the characters! Each character, no matter how small their role, was oozing with personality! This led to such vivid interactions between a large set of cast members. And, since the characters are so memorable, small tells were visible to the keen eye.
I thoroughly enjoyed (read: devoured) this book, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment!
Thank you, NetGalley and DAW Books, for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this novel for an honest review. Also, thanks to Sierra Branham for crafting this wonderful adventure.
November 12, 2025
A vibrant, addictive galactic dystopia, think The Selection meets interstellar politics, with a queer romance that’s equal parts tension and tenderness. I devoured this book from start to finish.
🗺️ Summary & Worldbuilding
Set in a distant future where Earth is just one planet among many under the Expan Empire, Love Galaxy follows Artemis (Temmi), who’s unwillingly thrust into a reality show meant to help the imperial twins find love. Torn from her family and sent across the galaxy, she soon faces murders among the contestants and a dangerous attraction, not to Prince Nix, the suitor she’s supposed to win over, but to his twin sister, Princess Spie.
The worldbuilding is well done: immersive, clear, and easy to follow. I only wish there had been a small connection to our present world to bridge how humanity got from here to the Expan Empire.
👩🏻🧔🏻♂️Characters
Temmi: A fantastic protagonist. She’s sharp, loyal, and grounded in her values. Her sensory sensitivity to noise adds depth and realism that makes her instantly relatable.
Spie: Confident yet deeply human beneath the façade. I loved how her strength hides a longing to be seen for who she truly is. Her dynamic with Temmi is beautiful, intense, emotional, and full of quiet power.
Nix: Unfortunately, the weakest of the main trio. We rarely see him, and without his POV, he feels underdeveloped. His relationship with Temmi lacks spark, especially compared to the layered tension between Temmi and Spie.
❤️🔥Romance & Tension
The Temmi–Nix romance fell flat for me: little chemistry, few meaningful interactions, and no real emotional build-up. On the other hand, the Temmi–Spie relationship was phenomenal, full of slow-burn tension, internal conflict, and undeniable chemistry. That “yearning but forbidden” energy was everything.
Side Characters & Plot:
The side characters (Arbora, Petra, Rosalia, Cailin…) could’ve used more development or stronger connections to Temmi. But the plot twists were excellent, sharp, surprising, and perfectly timed. The murder mystery and political undertones give the story real depth.
Love Galaxy is a stellar blend of sci-fi dystopia, queer romance, and political intrigue. The characters are compelling, the twists are smart, and the tension is addictive. With a bit more focus on the Empire’s politics and side characters, this series could easily become a new favorite in the romantasy-futurist genre.
Thank you so much Net Galley and DAW for providing me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
🗺️ Summary & Worldbuilding
Set in a distant future where Earth is just one planet among many under the Expan Empire, Love Galaxy follows Artemis (Temmi), who’s unwillingly thrust into a reality show meant to help the imperial twins find love. Torn from her family and sent across the galaxy, she soon faces murders among the contestants and a dangerous attraction, not to Prince Nix, the suitor she’s supposed to win over, but to his twin sister, Princess Spie.
The worldbuilding is well done: immersive, clear, and easy to follow. I only wish there had been a small connection to our present world to bridge how humanity got from here to the Expan Empire.
👩🏻🧔🏻♂️Characters
Temmi: A fantastic protagonist. She’s sharp, loyal, and grounded in her values. Her sensory sensitivity to noise adds depth and realism that makes her instantly relatable.
Spie: Confident yet deeply human beneath the façade. I loved how her strength hides a longing to be seen for who she truly is. Her dynamic with Temmi is beautiful, intense, emotional, and full of quiet power.
Nix: Unfortunately, the weakest of the main trio. We rarely see him, and without his POV, he feels underdeveloped. His relationship with Temmi lacks spark, especially compared to the layered tension between Temmi and Spie.
❤️🔥Romance & Tension
The Temmi–Nix romance fell flat for me: little chemistry, few meaningful interactions, and no real emotional build-up. On the other hand, the Temmi–Spie relationship was phenomenal, full of slow-burn tension, internal conflict, and undeniable chemistry. That “yearning but forbidden” energy was everything.
Side Characters & Plot:
The side characters (Arbora, Petra, Rosalia, Cailin…) could’ve used more development or stronger connections to Temmi. But the plot twists were excellent, sharp, surprising, and perfectly timed. The murder mystery and political undertones give the story real depth.
Love Galaxy is a stellar blend of sci-fi dystopia, queer romance, and political intrigue. The characters are compelling, the twists are smart, and the tension is addictive. With a bit more focus on the Empire’s politics and side characters, this series could easily become a new favorite in the romantasy-futurist genre.
Thank you so much Net Galley and DAW for providing me an ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Space opera, for Young Adults, with lots of drama and intrigue, Sign me up!
Without any spoilers- Our protagonist is Artemis, or Temmi- who's a whip-smart and "world weary" young lady working as a trash collector on a poisoned planet. She's got a plan but that plan isn't exactly working. A chance encounter lands her on an intergalactic dating show where royals and other political personages from their empire find matches. This year, contestants are dating the twin Prince and Princess. Artemis is brought on as a personality, and she's not sure about this, but feels she could leverage this opportunity. She soon learns that there's a lot more going on than just sailing dates on the beach. Everyone has an angle, and she's not sure she will survive.
There's a lot to love in this Sci-Fi Fantasy thriller with murder, and mayhem, angst and yearning among contestants, and loads of reality show style drama.
As a debut for Young adults, this is a stunner. Branham captures the things that capture the imagination of the young adult reader without teetering into the "adultier" adult issues which would be less accessible or appropriate. This is a fine line to walk and she's really nailed it.
The ending, is a BRUTAL cliffhanger.
Will I read the next book- YES yes and YES. I am actually very excited and hopeful and can't wait to see what happens next for Temmi and her crew. Like any good reality show- I have THEORIES. Lots of theories.
SO... I'm going to need you all to read this one so we can make those predictions.
PRH notes that this book will be perfect for readers who enjoy Everina Maxwell, and as a reader who loves Maxwell's novels, I agree.
I was attracted to this amazing cover, and I am a sucker for Space Opera. This is a book for young adults, and I think it will be most meaningful for those aged 15-18. As an old adult, I enjoyed this read.
Many Many Thanks to DAW Astra House publishing for the Advanced E copy.
Without any spoilers- Our protagonist is Artemis, or Temmi- who's a whip-smart and "world weary" young lady working as a trash collector on a poisoned planet. She's got a plan but that plan isn't exactly working. A chance encounter lands her on an intergalactic dating show where royals and other political personages from their empire find matches. This year, contestants are dating the twin Prince and Princess. Artemis is brought on as a personality, and she's not sure about this, but feels she could leverage this opportunity. She soon learns that there's a lot more going on than just sailing dates on the beach. Everyone has an angle, and she's not sure she will survive.
There's a lot to love in this Sci-Fi Fantasy thriller with murder, and mayhem, angst and yearning among contestants, and loads of reality show style drama.
As a debut for Young adults, this is a stunner. Branham captures the things that capture the imagination of the young adult reader without teetering into the "adultier" adult issues which would be less accessible or appropriate. This is a fine line to walk and she's really nailed it.
The ending, is a BRUTAL cliffhanger.
Will I read the next book- YES yes and YES. I am actually very excited and hopeful and can't wait to see what happens next for Temmi and her crew. Like any good reality show- I have THEORIES. Lots of theories.
SO... I'm going to need you all to read this one so we can make those predictions.
PRH notes that this book will be perfect for readers who enjoy Everina Maxwell, and as a reader who loves Maxwell's novels, I agree.
I was attracted to this amazing cover, and I am a sucker for Space Opera. This is a book for young adults, and I think it will be most meaningful for those aged 15-18. As an old adult, I enjoyed this read.
Many Many Thanks to DAW Astra House publishing for the Advanced E copy.
December 10, 2025
A sapphic, sci-fi, romance with humour, and a little murder? Secrets, politics, and twin heirs to the Expanese empire? A reality dating show!? So much yes for this.
Think Miss Congeniality meets Hunger Games, in an intergalactic dating reality show, with sapphic love, bisexual panic, secrets, and a lot more at stake than you first thought..
WHAT THE F WAS THAT ENDING!? En serio? Amazing. Not at all what I expected, and definitely big emotions evoked over the last 20% of the book. Laughter, fun, real world issues cloaked in sci fi politics, shock, and tears. I absolutely loved every page. It’s going to take a while to get over this! I NEED more of Artemis and Spie.
Plot summary
Artemis, trash collector on planet X72 (very low income, lung disease ridden forgotten planet) accidentally runs into the prince and princess to the Expanese empire, and runs her mouth because they’re in her trash collecting way. The heirs rather enjoy the interaction and cast her on their upcoming reality dating show for the chance to win one of their hands in marriage. However, power and politics run deep. Scheming from different angles behind the scenes and an unhealthy dose of murder being swept under the galactic carpet make this a very dangerous game..
Things I loved
- Artemis. Every second. From swallowing her pride for her family, to actually having hope for influencing change, and obviously her attitude!
- Princess Spielen for obvious reasons, and the depth you get to discover.
- The reality dating show humour and orchestration
- Murder mystery
- Portrayal of poverty and privilege
- THE TWIST!!
- Not guessing who the murderer is
- Some disability, chronic illness, and pain representation
- I hate that I love the ending. I always enjoy being surprised, even if I have mixed feelings.
Overall, a fun yet deep, sapphic sci fi romance with some humour and snarky sass, stakes much higher than you might think, and some casual murder!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for honest review.
Think Miss Congeniality meets Hunger Games, in an intergalactic dating reality show, with sapphic love, bisexual panic, secrets, and a lot more at stake than you first thought..
WHAT THE F WAS THAT ENDING!? En serio? Amazing. Not at all what I expected, and definitely big emotions evoked over the last 20% of the book. Laughter, fun, real world issues cloaked in sci fi politics, shock, and tears. I absolutely loved every page. It’s going to take a while to get over this! I NEED more of Artemis and Spie.
Plot summary
Artemis, trash collector on planet X72 (very low income, lung disease ridden forgotten planet) accidentally runs into the prince and princess to the Expanese empire, and runs her mouth because they’re in her trash collecting way. The heirs rather enjoy the interaction and cast her on their upcoming reality dating show for the chance to win one of their hands in marriage. However, power and politics run deep. Scheming from different angles behind the scenes and an unhealthy dose of murder being swept under the galactic carpet make this a very dangerous game..
Things I loved
- Artemis. Every second. From swallowing her pride for her family, to actually having hope for influencing change, and obviously her attitude!
- Princess Spielen for obvious reasons, and the depth you get to discover.
- The reality dating show humour and orchestration
- Murder mystery
- Portrayal of poverty and privilege
- THE TWIST!!
- Not guessing who the murderer is
- Some disability, chronic illness, and pain representation
- I hate that I love the ending. I always enjoy being surprised, even if I have mixed feelings.
Overall, a fun yet deep, sapphic sci fi romance with some humour and snarky sass, stakes much higher than you might think, and some casual murder!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
this book was a journey that culminated in me whispering to my cat, “what do you *mean* though?” as i coped with running out of pages to read.
a spectacular, wild ride with a genuinely unexpected ending that sets us up for even more emotional and political chaos. i had an absolute blast reading this. it’s a surprisingly layered book that touches on issues of family loyalty, obligation and duty, public perception and sense of self, manifestations and consequences of imperialism, and of course, the reality of love.
the characters felt grounded in their story— the royals weren’t the only ones whose actions and relationships were tangibly affected by the wider politics. even characters’ contradicting choices were still understandable to me. i’m interested to see how this shakes out for our crew moving forward, especially since one person in particular has set themself up for a shaky (and in my opinion, unobtainable) new mission.
i think our main relationship blossomed beautifully. they share increasingly authentic moments with each other that make their bond believable. and even when their love is finally being realized, they hold onto the personal motivations established in the beginning, creating realistic and compelling conflicts.
i also really enjoyed our side characters, especially arbora. even when we don’t see her for a while, she leaves an impression that lingers. i’m looking forward to seeing her role expand as this drama unfolds.
one thing i wished for more of was temmi’s time with nix during the dating show. i think a few more scenes directly exploring their relationship would have helped temmi’s feelings about him later on hit harder.
overall, this was an incredible read and i can’t wait to experience more from this author. what a debut!!
many thanks to sierra branham, daw, and netgalley for sharing this arc with me <3
a spectacular, wild ride with a genuinely unexpected ending that sets us up for even more emotional and political chaos. i had an absolute blast reading this. it’s a surprisingly layered book that touches on issues of family loyalty, obligation and duty, public perception and sense of self, manifestations and consequences of imperialism, and of course, the reality of love.
the characters felt grounded in their story— the royals weren’t the only ones whose actions and relationships were tangibly affected by the wider politics. even characters’ contradicting choices were still understandable to me. i’m interested to see how this shakes out for our crew moving forward, especially since one person in particular has set themself up for a shaky (and in my opinion, unobtainable) new mission.
i think our main relationship blossomed beautifully. they share increasingly authentic moments with each other that make their bond believable. and even when their love is finally being realized, they hold onto the personal motivations established in the beginning, creating realistic and compelling conflicts.
i also really enjoyed our side characters, especially arbora. even when we don’t see her for a while, she leaves an impression that lingers. i’m looking forward to seeing her role expand as this drama unfolds.
one thing i wished for more of was temmi’s time with nix during the dating show. i think a few more scenes directly exploring their relationship would have helped temmi’s feelings about him later on hit harder.
overall, this was an incredible read and i can’t wait to experience more from this author. what a debut!!
many thanks to sierra branham, daw, and netgalley for sharing this arc with me <3
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.75 rounded up
This book has a whole lot going on and I understand now why it’s split into 2 books (and even with another book, I feel parts were neglected unfortunately). There’s sci fi, romance, murder mystery, political intrigue, sounds like the perfect book!
Immediately intrigued by the idea of a sci fi romance (they need a cool name like romantasy lol) but not all aspects of the book got to shine which is a worry when there’s so much packed in. Our FMC Temmie is from a poor planet and she’s struggling to make ends meet with an ailing mother and younger brother as dependents. She’s actually quite smart and develops technology to solve her mother’s (and a lot of other people on her planet) problem with the toxic air but no one takes her seriously because she hasn’t gone to school. This is not mentioned really for the rest of the book. This is where the sci fi part of the book kind of taps out in favor of the romance/mystery aspect but I truly hope this comes in to play in the next book because smart, capable women in literature dont come by too often.
I think the mystery aspect is wrapped up fairly quickly and little unbelievably but it does lead in to other aspects of the story. Suspend a little disbelief for this part of the story. The game show aspect was also a little silly. It was a cool idea for a backdrop but the thought of becoming an emperor’s consort by completing the daily physical challenge was kind of funny.
I think the romance was actually really well done in this. It’s all stolen glances and secret meetings due to their social standings, just as a heads up for anyone expecting something more blatant.
This was a decent length and never felt too long or difficult to get through. I will definitely be continuing this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this book in exhange for an honest review.
This book has a whole lot going on and I understand now why it’s split into 2 books (and even with another book, I feel parts were neglected unfortunately). There’s sci fi, romance, murder mystery, political intrigue, sounds like the perfect book!
Immediately intrigued by the idea of a sci fi romance (they need a cool name like romantasy lol) but not all aspects of the book got to shine which is a worry when there’s so much packed in. Our FMC Temmie is from a poor planet and she’s struggling to make ends meet with an ailing mother and younger brother as dependents. She’s actually quite smart and develops technology to solve her mother’s (and a lot of other people on her planet) problem with the toxic air but no one takes her seriously because she hasn’t gone to school. This is not mentioned really for the rest of the book. This is where the sci fi part of the book kind of taps out in favor of the romance/mystery aspect but I truly hope this comes in to play in the next book because smart, capable women in literature dont come by too often.
I think the mystery aspect is wrapped up fairly quickly and little unbelievably but it does lead in to other aspects of the story. Suspend a little disbelief for this part of the story. The game show aspect was also a little silly. It was a cool idea for a backdrop but the thought of becoming an emperor’s consort by completing the daily physical challenge was kind of funny.
I think the romance was actually really well done in this. It’s all stolen glances and secret meetings due to their social standings, just as a heads up for anyone expecting something more blatant.
This was a decent length and never felt too long or difficult to get through. I will definitely be continuing this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for an early copy of this book in exhange for an honest review.
November 29, 2025
*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review*
I've got mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, this is an absolutely WILD book, conceptually. It's a sci-fi meets reality TV dating show meets murder mystery meets political drama(?). My problem, I think, is that I actually wanted more from the sci-fi portion. I kind of wanted it to be weirder and more tech-y. Because the dating show aspect of it all felt ultimately too current and kind of took me out of the larger story. I think there were certain reveals that were interesting.
Artemis ('Temmi'), one of the main characters, felt a bit like Sandra Bullock's character in Miss Congeniality without being an undercover cop. Just very fish out of water and occasionally charming. The problem is that I think she started off TOO rough around the edges, so having her on the show sort of felt too convenient, though the author did try to explain it away. Her relationships with the siblings also felt uneven because you could immediately tell that the princess was the one that Temmi would end up falling for (namely because she got a POV and the prince didn't).
The ending was wild enough that I could be tempted into picking up the second book. And I will admit that there were some emotional moments that stood out to me. But I also feel like there were too many things trying to be done at once and I'm not sure any of them were done in a way that hooked me. It's definitely unique, if anything else.
I've got mixed feelings on this one. On the one hand, this is an absolutely WILD book, conceptually. It's a sci-fi meets reality TV dating show meets murder mystery meets political drama(?). My problem, I think, is that I actually wanted more from the sci-fi portion. I kind of wanted it to be weirder and more tech-y. Because the dating show aspect of it all felt ultimately too current and kind of took me out of the larger story. I think there were certain reveals that were interesting.
Artemis ('Temmi'), one of the main characters, felt a bit like Sandra Bullock's character in Miss Congeniality without being an undercover cop. Just very fish out of water and occasionally charming. The problem is that I think she started off TOO rough around the edges, so having her on the show sort of felt too convenient, though the author did try to explain it away. Her relationships with the siblings also felt uneven because you could immediately tell that the princess was the one that Temmi would end up falling for (namely because she got a POV and the prince didn't).
The ending was wild enough that I could be tempted into picking up the second book. And I will admit that there were some emotional moments that stood out to me. But I also feel like there were too many things trying to be done at once and I'm not sure any of them were done in a way that hooked me. It's definitely unique, if anything else.
January 26, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Sierra Branham for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was excited about this book—reality TV dating show, sci-fi setting, snarky queer female protagonist—and it sure did not disappoint.
Temmi is a trash collector on a planet that's dead or dying. Her family is struggling to make ends meet. But when she's swept into a dating show starring the twin heirs to the empire, everything changes. Suddenly Temmi is competing to win the hand of Nix, the bookish but sweet prince, while fighting her attraction for the strictly off-limits princess, Spie. And something's off about the show. When contestants start turning up dead, Temmi realizes that the stakes are much, much higher than she could've ever known.
This book was like Hunger Games had an affair with The Selection and then married The Ones We Burn and this is the bastard child. The plot was exciting, twisty, and alluring; I couldn't put the book down. The writing kept pace with the plot and I loved Temmi's voice, although she did sometimes fall into a cliched sci-fi and/or romance protagonist who is the only "real" one that shows the sheltered royalty what's wrong with the world. I didn't mind the tropes, though, because they worked in this book. Also, the fact that the romance was sapphic helped a lot, and I definitely was rooting for Spie and Temmi. I am super excited for the rest of this series and am definitely feeling some imperial overthrow and galactic revolutionary war in our future.
I was excited about this book—reality TV dating show, sci-fi setting, snarky queer female protagonist—and it sure did not disappoint.
Temmi is a trash collector on a planet that's dead or dying. Her family is struggling to make ends meet. But when she's swept into a dating show starring the twin heirs to the empire, everything changes. Suddenly Temmi is competing to win the hand of Nix, the bookish but sweet prince, while fighting her attraction for the strictly off-limits princess, Spie. And something's off about the show. When contestants start turning up dead, Temmi realizes that the stakes are much, much higher than she could've ever known.
This book was like Hunger Games had an affair with The Selection and then married The Ones We Burn and this is the bastard child. The plot was exciting, twisty, and alluring; I couldn't put the book down. The writing kept pace with the plot and I loved Temmi's voice, although she did sometimes fall into a cliched sci-fi and/or romance protagonist who is the only "real" one that shows the sheltered royalty what's wrong with the world. I didn't mind the tropes, though, because they worked in this book. Also, the fact that the romance was sapphic helped a lot, and I definitely was rooting for Spie and Temmi. I am super excited for the rest of this series and am definitely feeling some imperial overthrow and galactic revolutionary war in our future.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'm unusually stumped for how to review this book. I received an ARC, with a pink cover, a rom-com blurb, and an Ali Hazelwood comp. But I was rather angry by the time I finished -- not necessarily in a bad way, but because that setup doesn't follow through -- it starts simple and romance-genre-typical, but then heads off into politics, colonialism, betrayal, a little murder mystery, and some really thorny relationship building. So the marketing on this is a challenge for sure, because it is genre-blending, but what I saw did the book no favours in setting my expectations. That said, I was emotionally engaged throughout! I love that we have two wildly different stone-cold bitch FMCs, setting each other off, but also trying to connect. And how their loyalty to their respective brothers motivates, but also causes a heap of drama.
In terms of recommending this, I'd suggest that you don't go into it hoping for A Romance or A Murder Mystery or A Space Opera, but if you're open to a mish-mash of all of those, you'll probably have a good time like I did. (Rated 16/20, rounded to 5 stars in my GR ratings, see my profile for an explanation.)
Must admit, I'm also angry because I need the next book in the Worst Way and this one isn't even out yet! But I need to know that this resolves fully, and doesn't fluff the landing. (There's a risk of that. A really big risk. But I will 100% take that risk when the time comes, because once this book got going, it really went.)
This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.
In terms of recommending this, I'd suggest that you don't go into it hoping for A Romance or A Murder Mystery or A Space Opera, but if you're open to a mish-mash of all of those, you'll probably have a good time like I did. (Rated 16/20, rounded to 5 stars in my GR ratings, see my profile for an explanation.)
Must admit, I'm also angry because I need the next book in the Worst Way and this one isn't even out yet! But I need to know that this resolves fully, and doesn't fluff the landing. (There's a risk of that. A really big risk. But I will 100% take that risk when the time comes, because once this book got going, it really went.)
This review is based upon a complimentary advance reading copy provided by the publisher.
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