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Celestial Lights
‘Magnificent … melds sharp insight with great heart’ NICOLE DINAN
‘A thoughtful and beautifully compelling exploration of human ambition’ ALICE WINN
‘Truly lovely … the scope of an epic’ JO HAMYA
A beautiful, heartbreaking novel about ambition, love and space from the award-winning author of the Women’s Prize longlisted Wandering Souls.
January 28, 1986: moments after launch, the Challenger shuttle falls from the sky. At the same time, in a small English village, Oliver Ines is born.
Ollie spends his childhood in a bedroom covered in glow-in-the-dark wallpaper, bearing the planets and stars. Decades later, he has become one of the most renowned astronauts of his time. When an enterprising billionaire approaches him to lead a landmark, ten-year mission to the distant moon, Europa, Ollie cannot resist the call of history.
As the mission advances deeper into uncharted territory, Ollie finds himself retreating into the his school days and years in the navy, relationships found and lost, becoming a husband and father. But will the world he remembers still be waiting for him when he returns?
Celestial Lights is a breathtaking story of fate, love, and sacrifice, that questions what we owe ourselves and our loved ones, when our ambitions and loyalties collide.
‘Incredibly beautiful … deeply moving’ ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of The Three of Us
‘I found myself unable to put it down or look away. A wonderful and singular reading experience’ JENNY MUSTARD, author of What A Time To Be Alive
‘Atmospheric, original, and beautiful … has you captivated long after the last page’ ELA LEE, author of Minbak
‘A masterful study of ambition, loyalty and love. I was totally absorbed from start to finish’ JYOTI PATEL, author of The Things That We Lost
‘This stunning, exhilarating and unforgettable journey through time and space will stay with me always’ ELIANA RAMAGE, author of To the Moon and Back
‘A thoughtful and beautifully compelling exploration of human ambition’ ALICE WINN
‘Truly lovely … the scope of an epic’ JO HAMYA
A beautiful, heartbreaking novel about ambition, love and space from the award-winning author of the Women’s Prize longlisted Wandering Souls.
January 28, 1986: moments after launch, the Challenger shuttle falls from the sky. At the same time, in a small English village, Oliver Ines is born.
Ollie spends his childhood in a bedroom covered in glow-in-the-dark wallpaper, bearing the planets and stars. Decades later, he has become one of the most renowned astronauts of his time. When an enterprising billionaire approaches him to lead a landmark, ten-year mission to the distant moon, Europa, Ollie cannot resist the call of history.
As the mission advances deeper into uncharted territory, Ollie finds himself retreating into the his school days and years in the navy, relationships found and lost, becoming a husband and father. But will the world he remembers still be waiting for him when he returns?
Celestial Lights is a breathtaking story of fate, love, and sacrifice, that questions what we owe ourselves and our loved ones, when our ambitions and loyalties collide.
‘Incredibly beautiful … deeply moving’ ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of The Three of Us
‘I found myself unable to put it down or look away. A wonderful and singular reading experience’ JENNY MUSTARD, author of What A Time To Be Alive
‘Atmospheric, original, and beautiful … has you captivated long after the last page’ ELA LEE, author of Minbak
‘A masterful study of ambition, loyalty and love. I was totally absorbed from start to finish’ JYOTI PATEL, author of The Things That We Lost
‘This stunning, exhilarating and unforgettable journey through time and space will stay with me always’ ELIANA RAMAGE, author of To the Moon and Back
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 24, 2026
220 people are currently reading
26839 people want to read
About the author
Cecile Pin
3 books337 followersCecile Pin grew up in Paris and New York City. She moved to London at eighteen to study philosophy at University College London and received an MA at King’s College London. She writes for Bad Form Review, was long-listed for their Young Writers’ Prize, and is a 2021 London Writers Award winner. Wandering Souls is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 466 reviews
April 13, 2026
Celestial Lights is a poignant novel following our protagonist's ambition to become an astronaut and the sacrifices, devastation and vulnerability that pair with it. I absolutely ADORE the way Cecile Pin writes, she is an author who I will without a doubt be reading everything from in future. Her prose is so eloquent, thorough and raw in a way that makes each character jump off of the page.
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2026 and as much as I enjoyed it in its entirety I simultaneously feel slightly conflicted. Our narrative follows several timelines, often jumping back and forth between past, present and future and whilst this allows a bingeable / fast paced experience, I do think it led to a slight disconnect. As the novel progressed it felt slightly fragmented and I truly would've loved the book to be even 100 pages longer to fill in the gaps. With that being said I loved the characterisation and following a protagonist who was driven by ambition was fascinating, particularly seeing the morally grey corruption that led from it.
A book PERFECT for fans of Atmosphere and Project Hail Mary!
This was one of my most anticipated books of 2026 and as much as I enjoyed it in its entirety I simultaneously feel slightly conflicted. Our narrative follows several timelines, often jumping back and forth between past, present and future and whilst this allows a bingeable / fast paced experience, I do think it led to a slight disconnect. As the novel progressed it felt slightly fragmented and I truly would've loved the book to be even 100 pages longer to fill in the gaps. With that being said I loved the characterisation and following a protagonist who was driven by ambition was fascinating, particularly seeing the morally grey corruption that led from it.
A book PERFECT for fans of Atmosphere and Project Hail Mary!
March 27, 2026
“I suspect that the answer lies partly in feelings: in an urge I had to push the boundaries of what I thought would be available to me. An insatiable curiosity to see how far I could go, how much I could achieve.”
Commander Oliver Ines’ personal log while on the spaceship Talos around 2032 on the way to Europa, Jupiter’s moon alternates with reflections on his past years on earth. Born on the day of The Challenger crash, an obsession for the stars - was it fate that he would become an astronaut and take this ten year mission? The heart of the story is not about space exploration, but about self exploration. The novel raises thought provoking questions about ambition, desire to become something bigger, better than where you came from, but for whom and at what cost?
“Perhaps our whole lives were just a series of letting go-of certain values and beliefs, of people and memories. We let go of certain things, quietly or with a thud, in the hope of reaching greater, better ones, while the rest wilts away.”
Ollie is a complex character and I can’t say that I liked him nor can I say that I totally disliked him . At times I understood why he made the decisions that he did but I wondered how he could leave behind a loving wife, a young son and a dying mother . Ultimately a well written and sad story reflecting on the choices people make.
I received a copy of this book from Henry Holt/Macmillan through Edelweiss
Commander Oliver Ines’ personal log while on the spaceship Talos around 2032 on the way to Europa, Jupiter’s moon alternates with reflections on his past years on earth. Born on the day of The Challenger crash, an obsession for the stars - was it fate that he would become an astronaut and take this ten year mission? The heart of the story is not about space exploration, but about self exploration. The novel raises thought provoking questions about ambition, desire to become something bigger, better than where you came from, but for whom and at what cost?
“Perhaps our whole lives were just a series of letting go-of certain values and beliefs, of people and memories. We let go of certain things, quietly or with a thud, in the hope of reaching greater, better ones, while the rest wilts away.”
Ollie is a complex character and I can’t say that I liked him nor can I say that I totally disliked him . At times I understood why he made the decisions that he did but I wondered how he could leave behind a loving wife, a young son and a dying mother . Ultimately a well written and sad story reflecting on the choices people make.
I received a copy of this book from Henry Holt/Macmillan through Edelweiss
March 24, 2026
A stellar, quietly breathtaking novel about ambition, responsibility, and the cost of reaching for the stars.
Happy publication day to this absolutely stellar novel!🪐 💫 🌙
"Sometimes, when I've done my tasks for the day and Talos is quiet, I try and imagine my life had I followed her path. But then, I look out of the viewing port. I see the crescent moon and the faint shimmers of Venus and Mars. I see the deepest dark that surrounds us infinitely, awash with stars and the misty hues of nebulas, their rich purples, their vibrant reds. I see the Milky Way in all its glory, untainted by city lights, and the sun rising over Earth's atmosphere. I see them all, those celestial lights, and I know that no other path would have shown them to me."
In a slightly varied timeline, mankind has already gone to Mars and is planning to build the first colonies on the moon when, sometime around the year 2030, Oliver Ines is leading a mission aboard the Talos, a spaceship making a ten-year journey to Jupiter's moon, Europa. Born on the day of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - a symbolic beginning for a life shaped by the pull of the stars - and raised in an English village with a bedroom lit by glow-in-the-dark constellations, Ollie has grown into one of the world's most renowned astronauts. By the time we meet him aboard the Talos, he is reflecting on his journey to space while facing the realities of life onboard.
Even though Oliver is traveling through space, Celestial Lights is not, at its core, a story about space exploration. Instead, Cecile Pin has written an eloquent and elegant novel filled with lyrical prose and thoughtful observations about responsibility and duty, dreams and ambition, and the weight of the paths we choose.
Interspersed with logbook entries from the Talos, the novel unfolds through Oliver's memories - his university years, his time in the navy, the relationships that shaped him, and the family he built along the way. It becomes a deeply introspective portrait of a man reckoning with the choices that led him here, and what those choices have cost him.
There is, obviously, a sci-fi aspect to the story, but it takes a backseat to Oliver's reflections, focusing less on the mechanics of space and more on the emotional cost of getting there. Like Orbital (which I also loved!), the novel is far more concerned with the emotional and philosophical gravity of space travel than the technical details.
This is also a fairly short novel, and I personally would have loved spending more time in Oliver's orbit - so gorgeous is the prose. That said, the length works beautifully. It keeps the story poignant and impactful without becoming overextended, reflective without losing momentum.
There is an undercurrent of heartbreak running throughout. Ollie is a complicated man - driven and thoughtful, yet marked by a quiet emotional distance. His story is not just about reaching for the stars, but about what that pursuit asks of him in return. The novel gently but persistently asks what we are willing to sacrifice for our ambitions - and whether those sacrifices are ever truly worth it.
The audiobook, narrated by Dane Williams and Leah Marks, is a beautiful companion to the text. Both narrators capture the introspective tone of the novel, bringing warmth and emotional nuance to Oliver and Philly's reflections and enhancing the story without overpowering it.
Heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and deeply immersive, Celestial Lights is a marvel - a story about a man drawn to the furthest reaches of the universe, and the life he leaves behind in the process. Quite simply, unforgettable.
One of the best books of the year.
Many thanks to Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co. and Macmillan Audio for providing me with ARCs of the book and the audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Celestial Lights" published today, March 24, 2026, and is available now.
Happy publication day to this absolutely stellar novel!🪐 💫 🌙
"Sometimes, when I've done my tasks for the day and Talos is quiet, I try and imagine my life had I followed her path. But then, I look out of the viewing port. I see the crescent moon and the faint shimmers of Venus and Mars. I see the deepest dark that surrounds us infinitely, awash with stars and the misty hues of nebulas, their rich purples, their vibrant reds. I see the Milky Way in all its glory, untainted by city lights, and the sun rising over Earth's atmosphere. I see them all, those celestial lights, and I know that no other path would have shown them to me."
In a slightly varied timeline, mankind has already gone to Mars and is planning to build the first colonies on the moon when, sometime around the year 2030, Oliver Ines is leading a mission aboard the Talos, a spaceship making a ten-year journey to Jupiter's moon, Europa. Born on the day of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - a symbolic beginning for a life shaped by the pull of the stars - and raised in an English village with a bedroom lit by glow-in-the-dark constellations, Ollie has grown into one of the world's most renowned astronauts. By the time we meet him aboard the Talos, he is reflecting on his journey to space while facing the realities of life onboard.
Even though Oliver is traveling through space, Celestial Lights is not, at its core, a story about space exploration. Instead, Cecile Pin has written an eloquent and elegant novel filled with lyrical prose and thoughtful observations about responsibility and duty, dreams and ambition, and the weight of the paths we choose.
Interspersed with logbook entries from the Talos, the novel unfolds through Oliver's memories - his university years, his time in the navy, the relationships that shaped him, and the family he built along the way. It becomes a deeply introspective portrait of a man reckoning with the choices that led him here, and what those choices have cost him.
There is, obviously, a sci-fi aspect to the story, but it takes a backseat to Oliver's reflections, focusing less on the mechanics of space and more on the emotional cost of getting there. Like Orbital (which I also loved!), the novel is far more concerned with the emotional and philosophical gravity of space travel than the technical details.
This is also a fairly short novel, and I personally would have loved spending more time in Oliver's orbit - so gorgeous is the prose. That said, the length works beautifully. It keeps the story poignant and impactful without becoming overextended, reflective without losing momentum.
There is an undercurrent of heartbreak running throughout. Ollie is a complicated man - driven and thoughtful, yet marked by a quiet emotional distance. His story is not just about reaching for the stars, but about what that pursuit asks of him in return. The novel gently but persistently asks what we are willing to sacrifice for our ambitions - and whether those sacrifices are ever truly worth it.
The audiobook, narrated by Dane Williams and Leah Marks, is a beautiful companion to the text. Both narrators capture the introspective tone of the novel, bringing warmth and emotional nuance to Oliver and Philly's reflections and enhancing the story without overpowering it.
Heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and deeply immersive, Celestial Lights is a marvel - a story about a man drawn to the furthest reaches of the universe, and the life he leaves behind in the process. Quite simply, unforgettable.
One of the best books of the year.
Many thanks to Henry Holt & Company | Henry Holt and Co. and Macmillan Audio for providing me with ARCs of the book and the audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
"Celestial Lights" published today, March 24, 2026, and is available now.
Did Not Finish
March 24, 2026I was deeply moved by Cecile Pin's debut, Wandering Souls, so I had high hopes for Celestial Lights. However, 50 pages in, I find that I'm not invested in the characters. Further, the story (which doesn't focus on Ollie's four-year journey to Europa as much as anticipated) is too quiet for my needs at this time, so I'm setting this book aside.
April 8, 2026
Celestial Lights feels like a surprising shift from Cecile Pin’s debut, Wandering Souls, which explored migration and displacement after the fall of Saigon. Here she moves into something closer to semi-science-fiction. The novel follows Ollie, an astronaut on a ten-year mission to explore Europa, one of the satellites orbiting Jupiter. Yet despite the cosmic setting, the story feels deeply personal. The novel is less about space exploration itself and more about the emotional cost of pursuing such a mission.
At the centre of the story is Ollie’s constant need to prove himself. Through a series of flashbacks we see how he moves from being an unremarkable boy in a rural village to studying engineering at Imperial College London. Later he joins the Royal Navy and serves on submarines, spending months underwater. In a way, the transition from submarines to spacecraft feels natural. Both involve isolation, discipline, and the willingness to endure long stretches away from ordinary life.
But Ollie is never entirely certain that the journey is worth it. The mission requires him to leave almost everything behind. His wife Philly grows to resent him. He misses the chance to see his son Tommy growing up. Even more painfully, he cannot be present when his mother dies during the third year of the mission. The dream of reaching the stars slowly becomes intertwined with a growing sense of loss.
The mission itself is also marked by tragedy. One of Ollie’s fellow crew members, Shane, dies during the journey. In front of the media, Ollie insists that Shane did not die in vain. Yet there are moments where it becomes clear that he is not entirely convinced by his own words. At times he even lies to others about whether Shane had been happy during the mission, perhaps because admitting doubt would undermine the entire narrative of sacrifice.
Throughout the story, the narrative keeps returning to the same tension: the desire to accomplish something extraordinary and the cost of leaving ordinary life behind. In that sense, it feels less like a story about space travel and more like a meditation on the choices people make when they pursue their dreams, and the people they inevitably leave behind in the process.
At the centre of the story is Ollie’s constant need to prove himself. Through a series of flashbacks we see how he moves from being an unremarkable boy in a rural village to studying engineering at Imperial College London. Later he joins the Royal Navy and serves on submarines, spending months underwater. In a way, the transition from submarines to spacecraft feels natural. Both involve isolation, discipline, and the willingness to endure long stretches away from ordinary life.
But Ollie is never entirely certain that the journey is worth it. The mission requires him to leave almost everything behind. His wife Philly grows to resent him. He misses the chance to see his son Tommy growing up. Even more painfully, he cannot be present when his mother dies during the third year of the mission. The dream of reaching the stars slowly becomes intertwined with a growing sense of loss.
The mission itself is also marked by tragedy. One of Ollie’s fellow crew members, Shane, dies during the journey. In front of the media, Ollie insists that Shane did not die in vain. Yet there are moments where it becomes clear that he is not entirely convinced by his own words. At times he even lies to others about whether Shane had been happy during the mission, perhaps because admitting doubt would undermine the entire narrative of sacrifice.
Throughout the story, the narrative keeps returning to the same tension: the desire to accomplish something extraordinary and the cost of leaving ordinary life behind. In that sense, it feels less like a story about space travel and more like a meditation on the choices people make when they pursue their dreams, and the people they inevitably leave behind in the process.
April 2, 2026
so different from wandering stars but just as beautiful! cecile pin has become an auto read author for me.
December 15, 2025
Having adored Cecile Pin's debut Wandering Souls, I was surprised and delighted to be sent an advance copy of this follow-up. It's even better than its predecessor and confirms her status as one of my favourite authors working today.
Celestial Lights tells the story of Ollie, an astronaut on a decade-long mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. It intersperses his mission logs with reminiscences on his life as he ponders what led him to leave behind his wife, child and family to embark on a dangerous and isolating journey through the cosmos. While there's plenty of sci-fi goodness, the novel's beating heart is the genius way in which Pin captures our personalities and relationships. I don't tend to be interested in family stories or romances, but I was gripped by this side of Celestial Lights just as much as the spacefaring, if not even more so. The tale of Ollie and Philly's childhood, how they drifted apart before being reunited and finally falling for each other, is one of the most compelling and realistic depictions of love I've ever encountered. It also makes Ollie's inevitable departure even more tragically moving.
Each of the minor characters is also expertly drawn (Shane being my favourite) and they all add something to the story as well as being a joy to spend time with. The novel's deeper themes are also wonderfully developed, ranging from the ethics of space exploration to the role of chance in our lives and the dichotomy between what you are and what you do with yourself and which is more important in shaping you as an individual. This is all delivered in Pin's spare but masterful writing style; she distils each line of description or dialogue down to its bare essence and ensures the reader connects with every character on an almost spiritual level.
After the astoundingly accomplished debut that was Wandering Souls, it's such a joy to see Cecile Pin delivering another brilliant work. Celestial Lights stands as a humane and immersive masterpiece. Pin may have only written two books so far but given the consistently high standard of her oeuvre I can only eagerly await many more. She's a unique talent and joins the fabled ranks of authors whose every word I will obsess over.
Celestial Lights tells the story of Ollie, an astronaut on a decade-long mission to Jupiter's moon Europa. It intersperses his mission logs with reminiscences on his life as he ponders what led him to leave behind his wife, child and family to embark on a dangerous and isolating journey through the cosmos. While there's plenty of sci-fi goodness, the novel's beating heart is the genius way in which Pin captures our personalities and relationships. I don't tend to be interested in family stories or romances, but I was gripped by this side of Celestial Lights just as much as the spacefaring, if not even more so. The tale of Ollie and Philly's childhood, how they drifted apart before being reunited and finally falling for each other, is one of the most compelling and realistic depictions of love I've ever encountered. It also makes Ollie's inevitable departure even more tragically moving.
Each of the minor characters is also expertly drawn (Shane being my favourite) and they all add something to the story as well as being a joy to spend time with. The novel's deeper themes are also wonderfully developed, ranging from the ethics of space exploration to the role of chance in our lives and the dichotomy between what you are and what you do with yourself and which is more important in shaping you as an individual. This is all delivered in Pin's spare but masterful writing style; she distils each line of description or dialogue down to its bare essence and ensures the reader connects with every character on an almost spiritual level.
After the astoundingly accomplished debut that was Wandering Souls, it's such a joy to see Cecile Pin delivering another brilliant work. Celestial Lights stands as a humane and immersive masterpiece. Pin may have only written two books so far but given the consistently high standard of her oeuvre I can only eagerly await many more. She's a unique talent and joins the fabled ranks of authors whose every word I will obsess over.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Got an ARC of this through the bookshop where I work!
Between experiential descriptions and tangible senses, Celestial Lights explores the cost of hubris, even when acted upon under the guise of “best intentions.” How could someone expect to land among the stars in their infinitude when that's where they came from in the first place? Reconciling what's important to us with what we feel our life’s work is for is a sisyphean task and evolves alongside us; this book questions what we recall and what we choose to remember when faced with the questions “Was everything I did in my life worth it?” and “Am I enough?” This book feels like a modern classic to me, and I imagine it'll make me cry for different reasons each time I revisit it.
Between experiential descriptions and tangible senses, Celestial Lights explores the cost of hubris, even when acted upon under the guise of “best intentions.” How could someone expect to land among the stars in their infinitude when that's where they came from in the first place? Reconciling what's important to us with what we feel our life’s work is for is a sisyphean task and evolves alongside us; this book questions what we recall and what we choose to remember when faced with the questions “Was everything I did in my life worth it?” and “Am I enough?” This book feels like a modern classic to me, and I imagine it'll make me cry for different reasons each time I revisit it.
January 5, 2026
Pin’s Celestial Lights was well written and had an interesting story and characters, but I never grew attached to any of them. I was left feeling slightly bored, and while there was nothing wrong with the work, I can’t imagine picking it up or recommending it to a friend.
April 3, 2026
Really enjoyed this one. It was an easy read while still being complex and heartbreaking. I enjoyed the prose from the main character's time on earth mixed with his commander's log while on the spaceship.
March 29, 2026
I really enjoyed this story about an astronaut who travels to Europa. It’s a ten year journey so you can only imagine all the social and emotional repercussions. Additionally, it touches on the benefits and consequences of private support relative to government leadership. It was fascinating and compelling and I am grateful to the author for writing it and to NetGalley for providing a complementary copy.
March 28, 2026
Cecile Pin can do what few writers can do, similar to Lily King, which is write an epic novel, in less than 300 pages.
My main issue: I need more Cecile Pin books.
My main issue: I need more Cecile Pin books.
December 26, 2025
This book was not as I expected, but in this case that's a good thing. First and foremost: the bulk of this book is not actually about space, but rather the life story of Ollie Ines recounted in the large volume of time he has available during a long journey in space.
While I did enjoy the chronicling of the space travel, and the impact it had on the greater story, my favorite part was undoubtedly the narrator's life outside of the mission. The author, Cecile Pin, does a really nice job telling a cozy and calm story that manages to retain interest, and it was easy to return to multiple times a day to read. Especially closer to the end of the book, I found myself upset with the main character for the decisions he made — but these decisions enabled Pin to explore some highly emotional and complicated interactions between characters which not only allow for Ollie's reflection but for the reader as well. It definitely forced me to think through aspects of my own life, and how I believe I'd act if placed into the same circumstances he was.
Philly, who you're introduced to early in the story, is my favorite character. She reminds me of several friends of mine growing up, none of which I'm in contact with anymore but nevertheless recall for the same "strange" mannerisms they had. She would definitely have been made fun of at the schools I attended, but she could easily have been a great friend. Ollie and Philly interacting with one another was the source of the most emotion for me in reading this, and that contains both pleasant and difficult feelings. I know they aren't real, of course, but I feel for Philly nonetheless.
On the flipside, Mark is my least favorite character. He's written well — well enough to instantly make me think of irritating tech billionaires indulging themselves throughout their lives by throwing money around to get whatever (and whomever) they want - and he reminds me a lot of a specific billionaire who is particularly infuriating and owns a very similar start-up to Mark's. (Hint: his last name is the same length, and both starts and ends with the same letters, as the fictional character's first name. Was that intentional?)
While it's not particularly lengthy, Celestial Lights is a worthwhile read and I can easily recommend it to other readers. Think of this as a "realistic fiction — science fiction hybrid" title, if you will.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this book's ARC ahead of release. My review is my honest opinion of the book and is not affected by my selection to receive an early copy. All opinions expressed herein are my own. I will likely purchase a print copy of Celestial Lights when it officially releases.
While I did enjoy the chronicling of the space travel, and the impact it had on the greater story, my favorite part was undoubtedly the narrator's life outside of the mission. The author, Cecile Pin, does a really nice job telling a cozy and calm story that manages to retain interest, and it was easy to return to multiple times a day to read. Especially closer to the end of the book, I found myself upset with the main character for the decisions he made — but these decisions enabled Pin to explore some highly emotional and complicated interactions between characters which not only allow for Ollie's reflection but for the reader as well. It definitely forced me to think through aspects of my own life, and how I believe I'd act if placed into the same circumstances he was.
Philly, who you're introduced to early in the story, is my favorite character. She reminds me of several friends of mine growing up, none of which I'm in contact with anymore but nevertheless recall for the same "strange" mannerisms they had. She would definitely have been made fun of at the schools I attended, but she could easily have been a great friend. Ollie and Philly interacting with one another was the source of the most emotion for me in reading this, and that contains both pleasant and difficult feelings. I know they aren't real, of course, but I feel for Philly nonetheless.
On the flipside, Mark is my least favorite character. He's written well — well enough to instantly make me think of irritating tech billionaires indulging themselves throughout their lives by throwing money around to get whatever (and whomever) they want - and he reminds me a lot of a specific billionaire who is particularly infuriating and owns a very similar start-up to Mark's. (Hint: his last name is the same length, and both starts and ends with the same letters, as the fictional character's first name. Was that intentional?)
While it's not particularly lengthy, Celestial Lights is a worthwhile read and I can easily recommend it to other readers. Think of this as a "realistic fiction — science fiction hybrid" title, if you will.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this book's ARC ahead of release. My review is my honest opinion of the book and is not affected by my selection to receive an early copy. All opinions expressed herein are my own. I will likely purchase a print copy of Celestial Lights when it officially releases.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was beautiful. With the backdrop of Commander Oliver Ines on his mission to Europa, we absorb his life, the relationships formed and lost, the selfish coldness required to be deemed 'special' to the world, the sacrifices both forced on him and chosen by him. Rather than a sci-fi with human relationships, this is a story about human relationships with a sci-fi backdrop. This book beautifully evoked being a child in the UK, it also captured the coldness and warmth of humanity. I just ate this up!
March 26, 2026
Someone put the ARC in my neighborhood free library and I am so glad I picked it up. I was drawn to the approachable length and the way the cover art made me feel and luckily what was on the pages exceeded expectations. This book about space is really about Earth - the people we love, the choices we make, and the quiet costs that come with them. By the end, I felt nostalgic for a life I never actually lived—beautifully sad and subtly moving. 5⭐️
March 28, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt and Company (eARC) and Macmillan Audio (ALC) for providing me with advanced copies.
This was a very well written book with beautiful prose. It took me a while to get into it. I didn't care too much for Oliver's childhood but it started getting interesting from his university days. I really liked the chapters with his personal log from space. Those felt so deep and I wish it could have been longer. It had very little about the actual space exploration and a lot about relationships, obligations, ambition and regret. It was a depiction of how family is affected by choices made purely due to ambition or what makes one feel good overall. I loved the way the author linked everything Oliver was feeling to the loneliness of outer space. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a slow paced, coming of age character study with some space travel.
The audiobook was narrated well. It took me a while to get used to the voice but after that it was quite smooth sailing.
This was a very well written book with beautiful prose. It took me a while to get into it. I didn't care too much for Oliver's childhood but it started getting interesting from his university days. I really liked the chapters with his personal log from space. Those felt so deep and I wish it could have been longer. It had very little about the actual space exploration and a lot about relationships, obligations, ambition and regret. It was a depiction of how family is affected by choices made purely due to ambition or what makes one feel good overall. I loved the way the author linked everything Oliver was feeling to the loneliness of outer space. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a slow paced, coming of age character study with some space travel.
The audiobook was narrated well. It took me a while to get used to the voice but after that it was quite smooth sailing.
Did Not Finish
March 22, 2026DNF @ 15%. It’s time to admit this book hasn’t gripped me. I suspect it’s more me than the book itself, which isn’t *bad* - I’m just not invested. I kept hoping I would find the will to finish but I haven’t yet. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy!
March 26, 2026
A fine story, whatever, but I have to know, does anyone know how to tell a linear story anymore? I'm just so damn tired of alternating chapters between NOW and WHAT LED TO NOW. Pin wasn't more egregious than others but for some reason it just pissed me off to the point of distraction. Yet another story where we have to stop the progress of the story to jump back months/years, for crying out loud. Just TELL a STORY, for the love of God.
April 5, 2026
4.5 stars & rounding up! What a beautiful read! 👏
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Fourth Estate and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Oliver Ines is born the day of the Challenger shuttle disaster, and spends his childhood fascinated by the stars. As he grows up, having spent time in the navy on a submarine, he is headhunted by a billionaire with the ambition to send people into space.
While navigating relationships on the ground, Ollie prepares for a ten year mission to Europa on the first manned crew.
The story is told in both real time in space, and then in flashbacks to Ollie's life growing up. It focuses on the difficult decisions astronauts or anyone working away for a long time face, rather than the actual space travel.
I found it hard to get to grips with Ollie as a character, as he always feels fairly distant, and perhaps this was a deliberate decision in the part of the author, but I would have loved a deeper dive of his psyche.
This was a very readable book and I definitely enjoyed it, I just would have liked a little more.
Oliver Ines is born the day of the Challenger shuttle disaster, and spends his childhood fascinated by the stars. As he grows up, having spent time in the navy on a submarine, he is headhunted by a billionaire with the ambition to send people into space.
While navigating relationships on the ground, Ollie prepares for a ten year mission to Europa on the first manned crew.
The story is told in both real time in space, and then in flashbacks to Ollie's life growing up. It focuses on the difficult decisions astronauts or anyone working away for a long time face, rather than the actual space travel.
I found it hard to get to grips with Ollie as a character, as he always feels fairly distant, and perhaps this was a deliberate decision in the part of the author, but I would have loved a deeper dive of his psyche.
This was a very readable book and I definitely enjoyed it, I just would have liked a little more.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I read this author's previous title, Wandering Souls when it was long listed for the Women's Prize for fiction in 2023. I found it thoughtful and I liked what she was interrogating about the human response to other humans. I knew I wanted to read more of her work so I'm thrilled to have been given a copy of this for review purposes. Thanks to Eidelweiss and the publisher.
Europa, the pearlescent moon of Jupiter that has caught the attention of space agencies for it's seawater ocean and the potential for extraterrestrial life. A 10 year mission to boldly go, where no man has gone before.
This is the story of Oliver Ines, quiet and studious village boy and future commander, his childhood sweetheart, and the people who have made them.
If you ever wondered what kind of person would sign up for an ultra long range mission to space, a trip where return is not guaranteed, you may expand that thought to wonder about the type of person who could leave friends and family behind, for years, maybe forever. What motivates that person? Is it drive, ambition, curiosity? Is it heroic? Intrepid? Or does it lean into something a bit more self serving or vain?
Another exploration of the human condition by this compelling storyteller who manages to pack the emotional load of a tome into a slim novel, and somehow to make it feel both meditative and fast paced.
Europa, the pearlescent moon of Jupiter that has caught the attention of space agencies for it's seawater ocean and the potential for extraterrestrial life. A 10 year mission to boldly go, where no man has gone before.
This is the story of Oliver Ines, quiet and studious village boy and future commander, his childhood sweetheart, and the people who have made them.
If you ever wondered what kind of person would sign up for an ultra long range mission to space, a trip where return is not guaranteed, you may expand that thought to wonder about the type of person who could leave friends and family behind, for years, maybe forever. What motivates that person? Is it drive, ambition, curiosity? Is it heroic? Intrepid? Or does it lean into something a bit more self serving or vain?
Another exploration of the human condition by this compelling storyteller who manages to pack the emotional load of a tome into a slim novel, and somehow to make it feel both meditative and fast paced.
February 17, 2026
Unfortunately all I can really think of to say about this book is that it is a giant nothing burger. It is not particularly well written, and it has nothing novel to say about any of its themes. I was very frustrated and bored.
November 17, 2025
beautifully written with so much character and warmth 🧡 I flew through this one - I just couldn’t put it down
‘celestial lights’ is about childhood friends who reunite and a marriage torn apart by a ten-year space mission. what it means to leave your family behind whilst searching for answers about this world.
it’s about how ambition and family collide and how seeking externally for a greater purpose sometimes means you forget all the wonderful things that lie right in front of you - something universally profound.
it’s one of those books that’s quite hard to put into words, but it’s like a slow tear to the heart - knowing that the magic of space is never going to be enough, and the magic was on earth all along 😥💔
‘celestial lights’ is about childhood friends who reunite and a marriage torn apart by a ten-year space mission. what it means to leave your family behind whilst searching for answers about this world.
it’s about how ambition and family collide and how seeking externally for a greater purpose sometimes means you forget all the wonderful things that lie right in front of you - something universally profound.
it’s one of those books that’s quite hard to put into words, but it’s like a slow tear to the heart - knowing that the magic of space is never going to be enough, and the magic was on earth all along 😥💔
April 17, 2026
✨️3.5
🪐 soundtrack 🪐
enter shikari - the sights
the flaming lips - do you realize??
the national - space invader
blink-182 - asthenia
the smashing pumpkins - tonight, tonight
fall out boy - homesick at space camp
harry styles - sign of the times
owl city - meteor shower
david bowie - space oddity
samia - dream song
the national - light years
adrianne lenker - half return
bon iver - second nature
thursday - white bikes
enter shikari - undercover agents
hayley williams - i won't quit on you
the cure - to wish impossible things
the national - i am easy to find
phoebe bridgers - chinese satellite
david bowie - life on mars?
alvvays - red planet
🪐 my thoughts 🪐
yet another book that leaves me unsure how to feel about it. i was fully expecting to love it and to be deeply moved by it, and while some parts did in fact move me, it as a whole didn't have the impact on me that i was hoping for.
this story follows oliver ines, an astronaut away on a 10-year mission, reflecting on the life he's left behind and the choices that led him to this point. his character is the focal point of the book, and we get a glimpse into his life through his own highly subjective memories and perceptions. a lot of his internal struggles really resonated with me, as he grapples with loneliness, finding his purpose, forming and maintaining connections with the people around him. he isn't the best at letting other people get close to him and always seems to perceive others from a distance, even his family, his supposed best friend, or his wife, as well as even his own actions and the thought process behind them.
this sense of alienation (pun kind of intended lol) is brought across exceptionally well through the writing, but i think it is also what ultimately hindered me from being more invested in this story. because ollie is incapable of fully forming connections to the people around him and the story is told entirely through his fragmented, detached memories, i as a reader couldn't ever fully connect to it as well. i was interested in ollie's character, and fascinated by the sci-fi elements, but i never really formed a strong attachment to him or any of the other characters. this is why the ending, in all its potential emotional weight, left me feeling mostly numb and empty. still, i have a feeling that this story will linger within my thoughts and might yet make a bigger impact further down the line after i've let it marinate for a while, so i'm leaving it at a 3.5 for now.
big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts are my own.
🪐 soundtrack 🪐
enter shikari - the sights
the flaming lips - do you realize??
the national - space invader
blink-182 - asthenia
the smashing pumpkins - tonight, tonight
fall out boy - homesick at space camp
harry styles - sign of the times
owl city - meteor shower
david bowie - space oddity
samia - dream song
the national - light years
adrianne lenker - half return
bon iver - second nature
thursday - white bikes
enter shikari - undercover agents
hayley williams - i won't quit on you
the cure - to wish impossible things
the national - i am easy to find
phoebe bridgers - chinese satellite
david bowie - life on mars?
alvvays - red planet
🪐 my thoughts 🪐
yet another book that leaves me unsure how to feel about it. i was fully expecting to love it and to be deeply moved by it, and while some parts did in fact move me, it as a whole didn't have the impact on me that i was hoping for.
this story follows oliver ines, an astronaut away on a 10-year mission, reflecting on the life he's left behind and the choices that led him to this point. his character is the focal point of the book, and we get a glimpse into his life through his own highly subjective memories and perceptions. a lot of his internal struggles really resonated with me, as he grapples with loneliness, finding his purpose, forming and maintaining connections with the people around him. he isn't the best at letting other people get close to him and always seems to perceive others from a distance, even his family, his supposed best friend, or his wife, as well as even his own actions and the thought process behind them.
this sense of alienation (pun kind of intended lol) is brought across exceptionally well through the writing, but i think it is also what ultimately hindered me from being more invested in this story. because ollie is incapable of fully forming connections to the people around him and the story is told entirely through his fragmented, detached memories, i as a reader couldn't ever fully connect to it as well. i was interested in ollie's character, and fascinated by the sci-fi elements, but i never really formed a strong attachment to him or any of the other characters. this is why the ending, in all its potential emotional weight, left me feeling mostly numb and empty. still, i have a feeling that this story will linger within my thoughts and might yet make a bigger impact further down the line after i've let it marinate for a while, so i'm leaving it at a 3.5 for now.
big thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! all thoughts are my own.
March 26, 2026
Celestial Lights was a miss for me. The description and buzz made it sound adventurous, emotional, and dramatic—something that would explore the tension between space exploration and the people left behind. Instead, it read like a quiet, day‑to‑day chronicle of someone’s life, without the momentum or thematic depth I was hoping for.
The narrator was fine, but didn’t elevate the material. Honestly, I’m not sure anything could have, because the story itself never delivered on the premise. I expected more focus on the space mission and its emotional fallout, but most of the book centered on the main character’s upbringing, which wasn’t what I signed up for. It wasn’t bad, just… not compelling, and definitely not the dramatic, high‑stakes narrative I was excpecting.
Maybe this one simply wasn’t for me—but if you’re looking for something introspective and slow‑moving, it might land better for you.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.
The narrator was fine, but didn’t elevate the material. Honestly, I’m not sure anything could have, because the story itself never delivered on the premise. I expected more focus on the space mission and its emotional fallout, but most of the book centered on the main character’s upbringing, which wasn’t what I signed up for. It wasn’t bad, just… not compelling, and definitely not the dramatic, high‑stakes narrative I was excpecting.
Maybe this one simply wasn’t for me—but if you’re looking for something introspective and slow‑moving, it might land better for you.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.
April 1, 2026
This was a book that I think I read at the right time of life and thus loved. I don’t know that this will be a five star for many of my friends, though I do think it’s a fantastic novel and would recommend it to many people. This book is about what ambition costs you. I never spent ten years in space, unable to contact loved ones. I did, however, spend ten years with a fairly single minded focus of earning two doctorates, during a time period when many of my peers were dating, finding partners, and starting families. I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on how much I absolutely love my career, how lucky I am to have landed a dream job, and simultaneously, how I wish my personal life looked a bit different. This is a lovely book that grapples with how hard it is to have it all (for anyone, not just women), how our ambition can hurt those we love, and how we can have regrets while knowing we still wouldn’t do things differently.
April 1, 2026
that was nice
sad yet sweet, lots of pining and conundrums
but i still don't fw space, don't get it. never will.
sad yet sweet, lots of pining and conundrums
but i still don't fw space, don't get it. never will.
May 3, 2026
Wow…. Just, wow!
Devastating book that really opens my eyes to the starry-eyed delusions of grandeur I think all young men have.
Devastating book that really opens my eyes to the starry-eyed delusions of grandeur I think all young men have.
March 30, 2026
i liked this book because of the way that it discusses ambition. we are told from a young age to be ambitious and to chase your goals and dreams but this book discusses who suffers because of that mindset from talking about how children leave parent’s lives and are slowly weaned out to discover their own, how if someone has a goal and a dream in life what they leave behind and they risk, but overall the level of imagery and passion in this book drew me the language was beautiful and the way they discussed the exploration of space and how much in the world there is left to see really drew me highly recommend.
March 31, 2026
cecile pin truly can do no wrong! gorgeous
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