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The Stars Between Us
There’s always been a mystery to Vika Hale’s life. Ever since she was a child, she’s had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family, making sure that Vika and her sister received the best education they could. Now, Vika longs for a bigger life than one as a poor barmaid on a struggling planet, but those dreams feel out of reach. Until one day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire magnate who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. Invited to live on a glittering neighboring planet, Vika steps into a world she can hardly believe is real.
The only blight on Vika's lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika's past who works for her benefactors. She doesn't like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will's heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they've been looking for. But Sky isn't who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.
In The Stars Between Us, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.
The only blight on Vika's lavish new life is the constant presence of Sky Foster, a mysterious young man from Vika's past who works for her benefactors. She doesn't like or trust Sky, but when she narrowly escapes an explosion and realizes someone is targeting the will's heirs, Vika knows Sky is the only one who can help her discover the identity of the bomber before she becomes their next victim. As Vika and Sky delve into the truth of the attacks, they uncover a web of secrets, murder, and an underground rebellion who may hold the answers they've been looking for. But Sky isn't who he seems to be, and Vika may not escape this new life unscathed.
In The Stars Between Us, Cristin Terrill sweeps readers away to a Dickensian-inspired world where secrets are currency and love is the most dangerous risk of all.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2022
23 people are currently reading
11193 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 492 reviews
June 5, 2022
How does it sound: Bridgerton series take place in futuristic world! Action packed sci-fi meets romcom! The author perfectly mixed different genres. The world building is unique and creative. The pacing is also keeping your attention intact. It’s wild jet ride to another planet!
Even though I mostly had hard time to connect with MC, the writing style was riveting and action packed chapters were well- constructed. I jumped up and down in my seat! It was best kind of riding roller coaster at your own living room.
Plot is also intriguing. Vika Hale: poor bartender, is given cold shoulder by her own mother and sister, raised with the help of gold hearted benefactor. Now she’s summoned to sister planet Ploutos ( different kind of Pluto) to hear the will of the same benefactor who died under very suspicious circumstances ( she finds out he’s billionaire) She cannot believe her luck because she’s been included to his will. Even though the way of his dying rings alarm bells but Vika’s only focus is adapting to her new lifestyle as a member of high society. Now she should do everything to keep her wealth and powerful position that means she has to find proper candidate to marry.
Interestingly Sky Foster who is working for her benefactor attracts her even though there’s high tension between them from their past unresolved issues which creates a nice enemies to lovers trope situation.
When Vika finds her life is in danger because somebody targets the will’s heirs, she reluctantly teams you with Sky to find the perpetrator.
Overall: even though I didn’t like Vika, the story telling style, entire world building and pacing was great enough for my four blazing, planetary stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Even though I mostly had hard time to connect with MC, the writing style was riveting and action packed chapters were well- constructed. I jumped up and down in my seat! It was best kind of riding roller coaster at your own living room.
Plot is also intriguing. Vika Hale: poor bartender, is given cold shoulder by her own mother and sister, raised with the help of gold hearted benefactor. Now she’s summoned to sister planet Ploutos ( different kind of Pluto) to hear the will of the same benefactor who died under very suspicious circumstances ( she finds out he’s billionaire) She cannot believe her luck because she’s been included to his will. Even though the way of his dying rings alarm bells but Vika’s only focus is adapting to her new lifestyle as a member of high society. Now she should do everything to keep her wealth and powerful position that means she has to find proper candidate to marry.
Interestingly Sky Foster who is working for her benefactor attracts her even though there’s high tension between them from their past unresolved issues which creates a nice enemies to lovers trope situation.
When Vika finds her life is in danger because somebody targets the will’s heirs, she reluctantly teams you with Sky to find the perpetrator.
Overall: even though I didn’t like Vika, the story telling style, entire world building and pacing was great enough for my four blazing, planetary stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
February 28, 2022
both of CTs previous books were 5 stars reads for me so, even though this third novel sounded different from her previous ones, i still had high hopes. but this is unfortunately missing everything i loved about CTs other stories. its lacking the twists, the turns, the engaging plot, the fast pacing, and just the overall wild adventure that her books tend to be.
this is pretty much only about a spoiled, selfish brat. gosh, i cant stand vika. there is a loose mystery happening, but the predictability and shallow nature of it all made my focus predominately be on how much i hated vika, which is never something you want to happen when reading a book. i actually think all of the characters are pretty one dimensional, so its such a shame that the story also suffered because of the lack of in-depth characterisation.
i dont want to be completely negative, so i will say that because of the accessible writing, basic nature of the plot, and minimal world-building, this is a really great book for young readers who are looking to dip their toes into the sci-fi genre. there are some interesting elements when it comes of the planets and dystopian feel of it, so i think that might excite some readers.
so there are some positives here, but this story just wasnt enough for me personally.
thanks st. martins press/wednesday books for the ARC.
↠ 2.5 stars
this is pretty much only about a spoiled, selfish brat. gosh, i cant stand vika. there is a loose mystery happening, but the predictability and shallow nature of it all made my focus predominately be on how much i hated vika, which is never something you want to happen when reading a book. i actually think all of the characters are pretty one dimensional, so its such a shame that the story also suffered because of the lack of in-depth characterisation.
i dont want to be completely negative, so i will say that because of the accessible writing, basic nature of the plot, and minimal world-building, this is a really great book for young readers who are looking to dip their toes into the sci-fi genre. there are some interesting elements when it comes of the planets and dystopian feel of it, so i think that might excite some readers.
so there are some positives here, but this story just wasnt enough for me personally.
thanks st. martins press/wednesday books for the ARC.
↠ 2.5 stars
February 20, 2023
Vika Hale lives on a struggling planet with her parents and little sister. She works as a barmaid even though she doesn't necessarily need to.
You see, there's a secret-side to Vika's life, a mysterious benefactor who has been watching her since she was a child and providing in certain ways for her and her sister.
As she nears adulthood, Vika suddenly gets summoned to the wealthy nearby planet of Ploutos. It's requested she attend the reading of the will of her benefactor, who as it turns out was a billionaire.
Lucky Miss Vika is included in his will. We love an inheritance story!
It's at the reading of the will that Vika first learns that she had been hand-picked by the dead billionaire to marry his son, Leo Chapin, the largest beneficiary of the will. I can hear the wedding bells now!
But then in an incredibly ill-timed twist of fate, Leo Chapin is killed in a spaceship explosion, cause unknown. Can you even believe that terrible luck?
Vika is allowed to stay on Ploutos thanks to the kindness of Leo's one-time caregivers. They have been loyal employees to the Chapin family for years and now it seems their loyalty has paid off. They've inherited a huge sum of money.
Mira and Hal, the couple in question, take Vika in, provide her with a healthy allowance and allow her to ingratiate herself into the upper echelons of Ploutos society.
Perhaps she can find a suitable ((read: rich)) husband, thus ensuring that her family will continue to be cared for. With a little sparkle and glamour, she's sure she'll be able to do it.
There are still questions surrounding Leo's death though, especially after another ship carrying Chapin heirs is attacked. Vika vows to get to the bottom of it.
This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Terrill's writing and like the world she created here. I found the tone of the novel especially interesting.
I read in another review that this felt like a retelling, original source material unspecified, and I absolutely agree with that. It does feel like a retelling. It carries similar themes to a lot of Victorian literature. I was personally channeling a bit of futuristic Great Expectations, or Vanity Fair vibes.
The whole idea of a have-not plucked from their dire existence and place into the sphere of the wealthiest families in their society; that entire dynamic is fascinating and watching Vika navigate it, the choices she made and the motivations behind her choices, I found to be completely engaging.
This novel is told as a dual-POV. You mainly follow Vika, but you also get the perspective of Sky Foster, a rather mysterious young man who she met just prior to leaving her home planet. He actually is a lodger at her parent's home.
Sky does work on Ploutos though, for Hal, the man who has taken Vika in. The pair have a relationship fraught with tension, but when Vika fears her life may be in danger by whoever is coming after the Chapin heirs, she turns to Sky for help.
I really liked the relationship between Vika and Sky. Make no mistake, Vika is not a perfect character. She struggles with making choices that feel right to her.
After moving to Ploutos, she sort of cuts herself off from her family. She feels like she is doing things for them, but to them, it doesn't seem that way. It's a really tough position for her to be in.
I felt for her, I really did. Some may see her as selfish, but I felt like she was doing the best she could. She's young, torn between two worlds, trying to figure out what would be best for her future. There were a lot of people willing to take advantage of her, but she had to learn how to be cunning enough to prevent that from happening.
It's all a game. It's chess pieces moving around a board. Eat or be eaten; extremely engaging content.
With this being said, I'm not sure how long this one will stay in my memory, but I'm happy for the time I spent with this story. I loved the futuristic world with the classic themes woven throughout.
Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
I am definitely interested in reading more from Cristin Terrill!!
You see, there's a secret-side to Vika's life, a mysterious benefactor who has been watching her since she was a child and providing in certain ways for her and her sister.
As she nears adulthood, Vika suddenly gets summoned to the wealthy nearby planet of Ploutos. It's requested she attend the reading of the will of her benefactor, who as it turns out was a billionaire.
Lucky Miss Vika is included in his will. We love an inheritance story!
It's at the reading of the will that Vika first learns that she had been hand-picked by the dead billionaire to marry his son, Leo Chapin, the largest beneficiary of the will. I can hear the wedding bells now!
But then in an incredibly ill-timed twist of fate, Leo Chapin is killed in a spaceship explosion, cause unknown. Can you even believe that terrible luck?
Vika is allowed to stay on Ploutos thanks to the kindness of Leo's one-time caregivers. They have been loyal employees to the Chapin family for years and now it seems their loyalty has paid off. They've inherited a huge sum of money.
Mira and Hal, the couple in question, take Vika in, provide her with a healthy allowance and allow her to ingratiate herself into the upper echelons of Ploutos society.
Perhaps she can find a suitable ((read: rich)) husband, thus ensuring that her family will continue to be cared for. With a little sparkle and glamour, she's sure she'll be able to do it.
There are still questions surrounding Leo's death though, especially after another ship carrying Chapin heirs is attacked. Vika vows to get to the bottom of it.
This book was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Terrill's writing and like the world she created here. I found the tone of the novel especially interesting.
I read in another review that this felt like a retelling, original source material unspecified, and I absolutely agree with that. It does feel like a retelling. It carries similar themes to a lot of Victorian literature. I was personally channeling a bit of futuristic Great Expectations, or Vanity Fair vibes.
The whole idea of a have-not plucked from their dire existence and place into the sphere of the wealthiest families in their society; that entire dynamic is fascinating and watching Vika navigate it, the choices she made and the motivations behind her choices, I found to be completely engaging.
This novel is told as a dual-POV. You mainly follow Vika, but you also get the perspective of Sky Foster, a rather mysterious young man who she met just prior to leaving her home planet. He actually is a lodger at her parent's home.
Sky does work on Ploutos though, for Hal, the man who has taken Vika in. The pair have a relationship fraught with tension, but when Vika fears her life may be in danger by whoever is coming after the Chapin heirs, she turns to Sky for help.
I really liked the relationship between Vika and Sky. Make no mistake, Vika is not a perfect character. She struggles with making choices that feel right to her.
After moving to Ploutos, she sort of cuts herself off from her family. She feels like she is doing things for them, but to them, it doesn't seem that way. It's a really tough position for her to be in.
I felt for her, I really did. Some may see her as selfish, but I felt like she was doing the best she could. She's young, torn between two worlds, trying to figure out what would be best for her future. There were a lot of people willing to take advantage of her, but she had to learn how to be cunning enough to prevent that from happening.
It's all a game. It's chess pieces moving around a board. Eat or be eaten; extremely engaging content.
With this being said, I'm not sure how long this one will stay in my memory, but I'm happy for the time I spent with this story. I loved the futuristic world with the classic themes woven throughout.
Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.
I am definitely interested in reading more from Cristin Terrill!!
July 17, 2022
3.5 starsWhile The Stars Between Us is not quite as strong as Terrill's debut All Our Yesterdays, it is still a very solid novel that perfectly blends science fiction, romance, and murder.
When one of the richest men in the universe dies, he leaves behind a startling will: he will only give his son Leo his inheritance if Leo agrees to marry a mysterious girl named Vika.
The story is told through Vika's perspective, and she is rather unlikable in the beginning. Clearly the enactment of the will turns Vika's life upside down. She goes from living in poverty to having more money than she could have ever dreamed possible. Yet she is so busy being swept up in the newfound glitz, glamor, and money that she forgets all about the family she left behind. She barely spares them any thought. However, Vika does undergo some well-written character growth; as the novel progresses she starts becomes less selfish and more attentive to the world around her.
The romance here borders on instalove. Leo becomes enamored with Vika the moment he meets her, and goes out of his way to win her affections thereafter. Their relationship is sweet, but it would have been stronger if there was more interaction between the two before they fell in love.
Ultimately, The Stars Between Us is an entertaining read that will appeal to fans of These Broken Stars or Illuminae. It proves again that Cristin Terrill knows how to write incredibly entertaining science fiction.
July 24, 2022
Vika works in a bar on a struggling planet and does her best to help her family make ends meet. She’s always felt that she’s destined for more, and one day finds out that she was included in a millionaire’s will with one caveat – she must marry his son. Vika struggles to find a balance between the desire for comfort and the desire for happiness, thinking that being rich may just be the key to happiness after all.
I never thought I would read a take on one of Charles Dickens’ works set in space – this was an interesting choice, and I think the author successfully executed it. However, the book blurb says this is Dickensian-inspired, but it should say that this is a retelling of Our Mutual Friend. If you’ve read this Dickens book, there aren’t many surprises for you with this work. This is definitely a simplified version of the Dickens work, dropping most of the secondary plots, but it borrows much from the original work, including some direct quotes, character names, etc. That being said, Our Mutual Friend is one of my favorite Dickens’ books, and I believe that Terrill did an excellent job at reimagining this story and making its plot accessible to Young Adult readers.
I’ve seen some comments where people disliked Vika because she was spoiled even into the second half of the work, but that’s the point of this character. Her character growth is slow but it’s there, and I think that it was handled well in this work. Her character isn’t likeable, but she is relatable, and I do love a flawed protagonist. The characters overall were well written while not being the most memorable, but it was still easy to become immersed in this story. The plot was fantastic because most of Dickens’ plots are.
The worldbuilding is what gave this work its uniqueness and made it distinct from the original work. I really enjoyed the vocabulary that the author used for the uneducated/poorer people’s vernacular – this breathed life into the characters and the setting. There wasn’t a lot of exploration of the greater planets and society, but that’s acceptable since this story focused on one girl’s life and she didn’t travel all that much. The inclusion of a rebellion was different from Dickens’ work, and I think that added new and interesting tension to the plot.
I enjoyed this audiobook (the narrator did an excellent job) and recommend it to fans of Our Mutual Friend, fans of Young Adult works, and people who like soft science fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a review copy of this work, which will be published on August 2, 2022. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I never thought I would read a take on one of Charles Dickens’ works set in space – this was an interesting choice, and I think the author successfully executed it. However, the book blurb says this is Dickensian-inspired, but it should say that this is a retelling of Our Mutual Friend. If you’ve read this Dickens book, there aren’t many surprises for you with this work. This is definitely a simplified version of the Dickens work, dropping most of the secondary plots, but it borrows much from the original work, including some direct quotes, character names, etc. That being said, Our Mutual Friend is one of my favorite Dickens’ books, and I believe that Terrill did an excellent job at reimagining this story and making its plot accessible to Young Adult readers.
I’ve seen some comments where people disliked Vika because she was spoiled even into the second half of the work, but that’s the point of this character. Her character growth is slow but it’s there, and I think that it was handled well in this work. Her character isn’t likeable, but she is relatable, and I do love a flawed protagonist. The characters overall were well written while not being the most memorable, but it was still easy to become immersed in this story. The plot was fantastic because most of Dickens’ plots are.
The worldbuilding is what gave this work its uniqueness and made it distinct from the original work. I really enjoyed the vocabulary that the author used for the uneducated/poorer people’s vernacular – this breathed life into the characters and the setting. There wasn’t a lot of exploration of the greater planets and society, but that’s acceptable since this story focused on one girl’s life and she didn’t travel all that much. The inclusion of a rebellion was different from Dickens’ work, and I think that added new and interesting tension to the plot.
I enjoyed this audiobook (the narrator did an excellent job) and recommend it to fans of Our Mutual Friend, fans of Young Adult works, and people who like soft science fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a review copy of this work, which will be published on August 2, 2022. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
April 3, 2022
pre-read: listen… i am tired of being traumatized. i just want to read a little murder space story. is that a crime.
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read: thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC! giving this 3.7 stars- i enjoyed this a lot more than i thought i was going to, honestly. in ARC fashion, here are my positives and negatives:
(+) accents. i like when the accents are written out, sorry! adds more flavor. if this is a peeve of yours, note that the accents don’t take up a majority of the dialogue. but i liked them, so i’m putting it up as a positive.
(+) vika. she’s a refreshing main character to follow. “i would never (insert super minor spoiler from the beginning), i have morals” okay well vika would! and i respect that! i just love when we go unconventional routes and the mc ends up being a bad person.
but also (-) vika. i can only handle so much snobbish disrespect coming from a single person and still root for them. by the time we hit 50% this revolutionary attitude got old.
(?) planets. not something i liked or disliked, but i just wanted to comment that the movement between planets is less interstellar and more fresh prince of bel-air. vika goes from her broke planet to a super rich one, but you could have just switched the planets’ names out with places in new york and changed nothing else and i would have read this book the exact same. now that i think about it, (-) world building was lacking.
(?) sky. legitimately the most spineless character i’ve ever met. not a spine in sight. at all. i can respect it, but vika needed to be put in her place with her horrible attitude and it never happened. no further comments. i do, however, appreciate that we got his POV.
(-) the insta-love? romance. is it enemies to lovers if one of them has always been in love with the other and the other jumps immediately to love after realizing they no longer dislike the other? is it really?
(-) murder. was lacking.
(+) this is super minor, but: the immediate reveal of the reasoning for the mysterious old man benefactor. honestly, i’m just glad we didn’t hold this information in until the end as a “surprise! here’s why the rich old man put you in his will!” moment. mentioning it at the beginning made the plot a bit more interesting, and i can also just imagine myself rolling my eyes to the ground if this information was held as a plot twist.
-
recommend: mmm, sure. was it predictable? yes. were the space and murder parts underwhelming? yes. but was it easy to read and enjoyable? also yes.
-
read: thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ARC! giving this 3.7 stars- i enjoyed this a lot more than i thought i was going to, honestly. in ARC fashion, here are my positives and negatives:
(+) accents. i like when the accents are written out, sorry! adds more flavor. if this is a peeve of yours, note that the accents don’t take up a majority of the dialogue. but i liked them, so i’m putting it up as a positive.
(+) vika. she’s a refreshing main character to follow. “i would never (insert super minor spoiler from the beginning), i have morals” okay well vika would! and i respect that! i just love when we go unconventional routes and the mc ends up being a bad person.
but also (-) vika. i can only handle so much snobbish disrespect coming from a single person and still root for them. by the time we hit 50% this revolutionary attitude got old.
(?) planets. not something i liked or disliked, but i just wanted to comment that the movement between planets is less interstellar and more fresh prince of bel-air. vika goes from her broke planet to a super rich one, but you could have just switched the planets’ names out with places in new york and changed nothing else and i would have read this book the exact same. now that i think about it, (-) world building was lacking.
(?) sky. legitimately the most spineless character i’ve ever met. not a spine in sight. at all. i can respect it, but vika needed to be put in her place with her horrible attitude and it never happened. no further comments. i do, however, appreciate that we got his POV.
(-) the insta-love? romance. is it enemies to lovers if one of them has always been in love with the other and the other jumps immediately to love after realizing they no longer dislike the other? is it really?
(-) murder. was lacking.
(+) this is super minor, but: the immediate reveal of the reasoning for the mysterious old man benefactor. honestly, i’m just glad we didn’t hold this information in until the end as a “surprise! here’s why the rich old man put you in his will!” moment. mentioning it at the beginning made the plot a bit more interesting, and i can also just imagine myself rolling my eyes to the ground if this information was held as a plot twist.
-
recommend: mmm, sure. was it predictable? yes. were the space and murder parts underwhelming? yes. but was it easy to read and enjoyable? also yes.
March 22, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
make sure to check out my blog!
rating: 5 stars!
I did not start reading this book with my expectations too high but now I'm obsessed with it and I need more. I wish this wasn't a standalone but I have to admit that the story was wrapped up really nicely by the end and nothing was left unresolved.
„The Stars Between Us“ follows Vika Hale, a poor girl living on a struggling planet. Since she was little she had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family. One day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. After moving to a glittering neighboring planet she realizes that someone is targeting the heirs to the will. Together with Sky Foster, a handsome but mysterious young man, she must find out who is behind the attacks on their lives before it's too late.
This book was honestly so easy to read and I finished it in less than two days even with my busy schedule.
First of all, I will talk mostly about the characters because that is what interested me the most while reading this book. The main character Vika was maybe the most frustrating character I've read about in a while. In the beginning of the book she is extremely greedy, selfish and self-centered. She gets so extremely corrupted by money and privilege that she even forgets about her family and the fact that they're struggling while she's enjoying herself. Vika thankfully does realize that her actions were disgusting and returns to the person she was before the money ruined her. The same can't be said about a certain side character who also went from being loving and kind to a emotionless monster who cares only about being rich and everything that comes with that. The book perfectly portrays what happens to most people when they become money obsessed.
My favorite character was definitely Sky cause he's the absolute sunshine of a person. He is kind and compassionate and not your typical male lead. I loved how he was shy and nervous around Vika and always saw the best in her even during her lowest moments.
I also have to mention Ariel because she made this book so much better with her presence.
Next, the plot of the book was full of mystery and even though some of the plot twists were obvious it was still satisfying and enjoyable. In my opinion this book had the potential to be a duology or trilogy and then some of the aspects of the story could have been explored more thoroughly like for example the PLF rebelion.
All in all, The Stars Between Us is perfect for fans of sci-fi and mystery and I highly recommend it!
make sure to check out my blog!
rating: 5 stars!
I did not start reading this book with my expectations too high but now I'm obsessed with it and I need more. I wish this wasn't a standalone but I have to admit that the story was wrapped up really nicely by the end and nothing was left unresolved.
„The Stars Between Us“ follows Vika Hale, a poor girl living on a struggling planet. Since she was little she had an unknown benefactor providing for her and her family. One day Vika learns that her benefactor was a billionaire who recently died under suspicious circumstances, and Vika has shockingly been included in his will. After moving to a glittering neighboring planet she realizes that someone is targeting the heirs to the will. Together with Sky Foster, a handsome but mysterious young man, she must find out who is behind the attacks on their lives before it's too late.
This book was honestly so easy to read and I finished it in less than two days even with my busy schedule.
First of all, I will talk mostly about the characters because that is what interested me the most while reading this book. The main character Vika was maybe the most frustrating character I've read about in a while. In the beginning of the book she is extremely greedy, selfish and self-centered. She gets so extremely corrupted by money and privilege that she even forgets about her family and the fact that they're struggling while she's enjoying herself. Vika thankfully does realize that her actions were disgusting and returns to the person she was before the money ruined her. The same can't be said about a certain side character who also went from being loving and kind to a emotionless monster who cares only about being rich and everything that comes with that. The book perfectly portrays what happens to most people when they become money obsessed.
My favorite character was definitely Sky cause he's the absolute sunshine of a person. He is kind and compassionate and not your typical male lead. I loved how he was shy and nervous around Vika and always saw the best in her even during her lowest moments.
I also have to mention Ariel because she made this book so much better with her presence.
Next, the plot of the book was full of mystery and even though some of the plot twists were obvious it was still satisfying and enjoyable. In my opinion this book had the potential to be a duology or trilogy and then some of the aspects of the story could have been explored more thoroughly like for example the PLF rebelion.
All in all, The Stars Between Us is perfect for fans of sci-fi and mystery and I highly recommend it!
Want to read
May 12, 2020OHMYGOD
I don’t even know if this is too sciencey for me (girl gets the chance to leave her planet behind but realizes things are not what they seem) BUT it’s CRISTIN TERRILL and SCI-FI THRILLER and after the PERFECTION that All Our Yesterdays is, I don’t really care.
I waited so long for this to happen!
I don’t even know if this is too sciencey for me (girl gets the chance to leave her planet behind but realizes things are not what they seem) BUT it’s CRISTIN TERRILL and SCI-FI THRILLER and after the PERFECTION that All Our Yesterdays is, I don’t really care.
I waited so long for this to happen!
April 5, 2022
I loved this book!!!! Thank you so much Wednesday Books for sending me a beautiful arc. I will cherish it forever.
This story was super atmospheric, full of sparkles, and packed with alluring intrigue. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, the execution, the pacing, ALL OF IT.
I did have one problem which I will address at the end after the spoilery section.
Viktoria was an interesting protagonist. She had a lot of traits that I wouldn’t have expected considering her upbringing. Most notably she was selfish, completely self absorbed but not in a way that was distasteful. That stood out to me as we progressed through the book because of how she battles that fact about herself, and how she feels so guilty for allowing her “selfishness” to overcome her when it reality she is just enjoying the one time she allows herself some sort of happiness. Besides that, she was stubborn and caring and she fixated a lot. I feel like this combo is something I haven’t seen before, which I liked. Also, she wasn’t perfect by any means, and I respect the author for writing her like that because it just added dimension to her character.
S P O I L E R S 🛑 PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
I was very ecstatic with how Cristin revealed to us the true identity of Sky Foster. To me, it wasn’t extremely obvious, but, I’m sure other readers would disagree. It just that I’m easy to trick since I’m so god damned gullible. (Jokes on you because I get more out of books that way). Anyways, I liked how this was executed because once we did find out who Leo was, it was cool to watch his character develop. Overall, I appreciated his softness and his politeness too, he was such a sweetheart and a gentleman.
Second surprise was finding out the identify of the villain. I was so blindly set on Hal because of course. Of course, it’s the nice-guy-turned-scumbag who cheated on precious Mira. Why wouldn’t it be? He grew to be a bitter, distant asshole; going as far as to treat Sky like absolute garbage and as I mentioned before, he cheated on Mira. Also, Cristin literally threw evidence of him being the culprit in our face— and no I’m not that stupid, THAT is when I started to doubt that he was the villain. LOL.
Anyways, learning that it was actually Archer was both shocking and blatantly obvious once you get to a certain part of the book, but all in all Cristin managed to get me. I enjoyed how it all unfolded at the end and how we are given yet another plot twist within the twist. I was just truly entertained the whole way through.
My only gripe is the ending itself. It sort of reminds me of Jade Legacy where we are given this beautiful and lush world, but then we’re left with such a short, simple, and furthermore, vague ending.
Right after the reveal of Archer as the villain takes place, the book just speed runs the rest of the way through. There is a brief meeting between Sky and Archer in which Sky barley asks any questions. There’s no real conclusion between them—not one that satisfied me anyway. After that there is a brief period of our two protagonists being apart, and then brought back together by none other than their number one supporter Ariel. After they come face to face? Book over.
This is, of course, NOT Jade Legacy so I didn’t expect some grand extravagant finale, buuuuuuut I do wish that we were given a concrete ending; one that left me complete and whole rather than wanting more (unless there’s gonna be more 👀). Anyways, that is what brought my review down one star. Other than that? Extremely enjoyable and I highly recommend this one!
This story was super atmospheric, full of sparkles, and packed with alluring intrigue. I loved the characters, I loved the plot, the execution, the pacing, ALL OF IT.
I did have one problem which I will address at the end after the spoilery section.
Viktoria was an interesting protagonist. She had a lot of traits that I wouldn’t have expected considering her upbringing. Most notably she was selfish, completely self absorbed but not in a way that was distasteful. That stood out to me as we progressed through the book because of how she battles that fact about herself, and how she feels so guilty for allowing her “selfishness” to overcome her when it reality she is just enjoying the one time she allows herself some sort of happiness. Besides that, she was stubborn and caring and she fixated a lot. I feel like this combo is something I haven’t seen before, which I liked. Also, she wasn’t perfect by any means, and I respect the author for writing her like that because it just added dimension to her character.
S P O I L E R S 🛑 PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
I was very ecstatic with how Cristin revealed to us the true identity of Sky Foster. To me, it wasn’t extremely obvious, but, I’m sure other readers would disagree. It just that I’m easy to trick since I’m so god damned gullible. (Jokes on you because I get more out of books that way). Anyways, I liked how this was executed because once we did find out who Leo was, it was cool to watch his character develop. Overall, I appreciated his softness and his politeness too, he was such a sweetheart and a gentleman.
Second surprise was finding out the identify of the villain. I was so blindly set on Hal because of course. Of course, it’s the nice-guy-turned-scumbag who cheated on precious Mira. Why wouldn’t it be? He grew to be a bitter, distant asshole; going as far as to treat Sky like absolute garbage and as I mentioned before, he cheated on Mira. Also, Cristin literally threw evidence of him being the culprit in our face— and no I’m not that stupid, THAT is when I started to doubt that he was the villain. LOL.
Anyways, learning that it was actually Archer was both shocking and blatantly obvious once you get to a certain part of the book, but all in all Cristin managed to get me. I enjoyed how it all unfolded at the end and how we are given yet another plot twist within the twist. I was just truly entertained the whole way through.
My only gripe is the ending itself. It sort of reminds me of Jade Legacy where we are given this beautiful and lush world, but then we’re left with such a short, simple, and furthermore, vague ending.
Right after the reveal of Archer as the villain takes place, the book just speed runs the rest of the way through. There is a brief meeting between Sky and Archer in which Sky barley asks any questions. There’s no real conclusion between them—not one that satisfied me anyway. After that there is a brief period of our two protagonists being apart, and then brought back together by none other than their number one supporter Ariel. After they come face to face? Book over.
This is, of course, NOT Jade Legacy so I didn’t expect some grand extravagant finale, buuuuuuut I do wish that we were given a concrete ending; one that left me complete and whole rather than wanting more (unless there’s gonna be more 👀). Anyways, that is what brought my review down one star. Other than that? Extremely enjoyable and I highly recommend this one!
August 19, 2022
That cover drew me in and I wanted to be in love with this so much!!! So I’m disappointed that I don’t. To start, Vika was cool for a hot minute in the beginning, but then she morphs into this super mega B that I just can’t stand. A little bit of bristling and snapping is understandable, but hot dang she really goes off the mean girl edge. And that, to me, was very off putting.
Sky, oh Sky… let’s discuss Sky for a moment. He had such potential!!! He could have been anyone he wanted to be, but it seems he couldn’t help being a simpering, timid, scared boy. Which is also fine for a hot minute, but gets annoying real quick.
I wish I could have overlooked the fact that I wasn’t into the characters, but they’re the main part of the story!! The plot was fine and I was fairly interested throughout, but the main characters!!!! They just rubbed me the wrong way and honestly brought the quality of this read down for me. So I settled on 2 1/2 stars rounded up.
Thanks so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Cristin Terrill for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.
Sky, oh Sky… let’s discuss Sky for a moment. He had such potential!!! He could have been anyone he wanted to be, but it seems he couldn’t help being a simpering, timid, scared boy. Which is also fine for a hot minute, but gets annoying real quick.
I wish I could have overlooked the fact that I wasn’t into the characters, but they’re the main part of the story!! The plot was fine and I was fairly interested throughout, but the main characters!!!! They just rubbed me the wrong way and honestly brought the quality of this read down for me. So I settled on 2 1/2 stars rounded up.
Thanks so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Cristin Terrill for the opportunity to read this for my honest and unbiased opinion.
March 10, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This was a case of pretty cover, okay story.
The Stars Between Us follows Vika Hale, a poor worker who is suddenly elevated to wealthy status when it's revealed she's to marry Leo Chapin, heir to a billion dollar fortune/company. Then Leo dies in a spaceship explosion and all Vika's chances of escaping are crushed. Or so she thinks. Then the Gardeners, the new will benefactors, come to meet her and offer to take her in. Vika jumps at the chance, but what she doesn't expect is to meet Sky Foster again, a mysterious young man she met briefly before leaving her home planet. Sky works for her benefactors and the two begin to suspect outside forces are trying to shape who receives the Chapin fortune.
There were times this felt like a retelling of something. I don't know what exactly, but the vibes were there? Times I did enjoy the story, but a majority of the time I was just meh. I did really like Sky, he's such a cinnamon roll. I'm kind of surprised I didn't like Vika, but she read so shallow to me and it really did not ingratiate her to me.
Vika basically ditches her family and forgets about them when she's showered in nice things. Like she only starts sending them money after Sky suggests it to her. And she hardly talks to them after leaving, unless Sky mentions something or asks how her family is. I get she wanted to distance herself from them, but she completely shuts them out and like damn that was harsh. Especially since neither of her parents are particularly mean. Her dad is a huge softie but he gets nothing. Idk it made me sad for her family.
The mystery part was interesting, but it was shoved to the back of the story for a good part so we could see Vika living it up, blowing money on things and trying to find a rich husband. I wish there was more to the mystery and that instead of completely ignoring him at every turn, Vika gave Sky a chance at first to even be her friend. But nah this bitch is too busy looking down her nose at him.
I wanted to like this but the focus on ridiculously wealthy people is just not for me. I did like the space stuff!
Rep: All white cishet cast, majority of characters are wealthy.
CWs: Fire/fire injury, explosion of spaceship, attempted murder/murder, classism. Moderate: abandonment, parental emotional abuse, grief, infidelity (of side character), injury/injury detail, alcoholism (side character), colonisation.
This was a case of pretty cover, okay story.
The Stars Between Us follows Vika Hale, a poor worker who is suddenly elevated to wealthy status when it's revealed she's to marry Leo Chapin, heir to a billion dollar fortune/company. Then Leo dies in a spaceship explosion and all Vika's chances of escaping are crushed. Or so she thinks. Then the Gardeners, the new will benefactors, come to meet her and offer to take her in. Vika jumps at the chance, but what she doesn't expect is to meet Sky Foster again, a mysterious young man she met briefly before leaving her home planet. Sky works for her benefactors and the two begin to suspect outside forces are trying to shape who receives the Chapin fortune.
There were times this felt like a retelling of something. I don't know what exactly, but the vibes were there? Times I did enjoy the story, but a majority of the time I was just meh. I did really like Sky, he's such a cinnamon roll. I'm kind of surprised I didn't like Vika, but she read so shallow to me and it really did not ingratiate her to me.
Vika basically ditches her family and forgets about them when she's showered in nice things. Like she only starts sending them money after Sky suggests it to her. And she hardly talks to them after leaving, unless Sky mentions something or asks how her family is. I get she wanted to distance herself from them, but she completely shuts them out and like damn that was harsh. Especially since neither of her parents are particularly mean. Her dad is a huge softie but he gets nothing. Idk it made me sad for her family.
The mystery part was interesting, but it was shoved to the back of the story for a good part so we could see Vika living it up, blowing money on things and trying to find a rich husband. I wish there was more to the mystery and that instead of completely ignoring him at every turn, Vika gave Sky a chance at first to even be her friend. But nah this bitch is too busy looking down her nose at him.
I wanted to like this but the focus on ridiculously wealthy people is just not for me. I did like the space stuff!
Rep: All white cishet cast, majority of characters are wealthy.
CWs: Fire/fire injury, explosion of spaceship, attempted murder/murder, classism. Moderate: abandonment, parental emotional abuse, grief, infidelity (of side character), injury/injury detail, alcoholism (side character), colonisation.
February 2, 2022
Interesting young adult science fiction novel! Vika was an aggressive teen stuck on an impoverished planet. At the first opportunity to leave, she ran without looking back. But I found her character to be flat and predictable, lacking kindness and compassion.
There were a few surprises in this “who did it”, with enough uniqueness to keep the story flowing. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. Overall, 3.5 ⭐️ stars.
There were a few surprises in this “who did it”, with enough uniqueness to keep the story flowing. Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. Overall, 3.5 ⭐️ stars.
June 16, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC!
I have to be honest, I couldn’t get into this book. I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the mood or if I didn’t actually like the plot/characters, but something was stopping me from actually caring about this.
First of all, the writing style felt pretty inconsistent. I could get over the grammar and the slang, even though they felt kind of awkward, because at least they went with the world-building. It bothered me at first, but I could adjust.
But sometimes the writing was really nice and descriptive and it flowed well, and sometimes it was pretty clunky and annoying, and that made my reading experience just kind of rough. And what was worse, the slang and adapted grammar that I mentioned earlier was also patchy.
It came up mainly in the beginning but then petered out. I guess it was a reflection of Vika’s adaptation to high society rather than the slums, but it’s not that easy to change your thought styles and preferred phrases.
The world-building was actually really good. I loved the whole galaxy theme and the dystopian setting and how fleshed out all of society was. The economy of Philomenus and the corruption on Ploutos felt very realistic and well-thought-out. Not to mention the aesthetic this provided.
My one complaint is that the world-building within the book is mainly centered on the sister planets of Ploutos and Philomenus, and nothing outside of it - though it’s heavily implied that there’s much more in the galaxy beyond. I would have been interested in seeing more of this system of planets and how it all fit together.
The plot of this book was something I expected to be much more exciting. I kind of knew from the synopsis vibe of “poor girl with a mysteriously charmed life transforms into a fancy lady” that this was going to include some cliches, but it just didn’t feel that intriguing to me.
It took me a long time to understand what was going on and how relevant those things were to the plot, and by the time I was near the ending, I still hadn’t formed any connections to the story. I just found it hard to care.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have always and will always be a guilty bitch for the rags-to-riches trope, no matter how trashy it is. This was no different. When an unsuspecting girl has to navigate the bloodthirsty, glittering society she’s been sucked into?? Pure gold.
And Vika’s character did that a little too well. The second she went from Philomenus to Ploutos, she became this selfish, spoiled brat who refused to let herself feel anything but contempt.
I loved how scrappy and bitter she was in the beginning, because I thought it was setting up for actually good character development. It didn’t. It just made her ~ambitious~ and ~ruthless~ within the ranks of Ploutousian upper society. She became this self-absorbed pick me girl with no remorse and no emotions other than anger, scorn and stupidity.
I might be exaggerating. She certainly had the redeeming quality of being aware of everything around her. But the way she settled from poverty into wealth without even caring that much about the corruption of that wealthy (until it started affecting here) was just not it.
I love bitter protagonists. I love angry protagonists. I don’t like protagonists who acknowledge that “oh I should probably send my starving family money because I’m not working and providing money for them anymore” and then saying in the same breath “but they’re fine because I’m not taking up space and they never loved me so why should I care”
Like…girl??? Your sister and mother might be absolute bitches but they’re STARVING bitches, meanwhile you get yourself drunk every day and spend thousands on jewelry just so you can make friends with fake girls married to rich men twice their age.
Oh wait, you plan to be one of them too.
Then there was Sky Foster, who had as much personality as he did brain cells. That is to say, almost none. His entire narrative was pining after Vika or his ~awakening~ in finally seeing the ~bad things~ in the world.
He was so passive, it was pretty obvious his only role was to awaken sympathy in the audience for his horrible plight and to give Vika a love interest. Because no one else was going to fall in love with someone like her.
Speaking of which, the romance? Was literally not romance. It was Vika being a bitch and Sky being bland as hell, to the point that neither of them knew what to do in the same room except make eye contact and have ~internal monologues~. Vika looked down on Sky so much, and for what? Because he was creepy?
That didn’t stop her from going after an old divorced guy just because he owned a business.
The love triangle was just not even a love triangle because there was no relationship. Archer (who I didn’t talk about simply because he only appeared when it was necessary to lend more ~tension~) was just sooooo fascinating and handsome to Vika. Sky scared her because he made her feel guilty about being a spoiled bitch.
And Sky? He found Vika so perfect no matter how selfish she was. Because he just had no room in that brain of his for any other thoughts.
My main problem with this book was that everything felt so useless. Things happened to the characters, but were they actually doing anything? No. The story was driven by outside forces only, and they were just along for the ride, which gave the audience literally no interest in anything they actually did within the story.
The one climactic scene near the end was the only time I really actively read what was going on, and while that was actually really good, it wasn’t enough to carry the remnants of the plot for me.
I liked the messages this book carried about poverty and rebellion, but it honestly felt like such a constant dystopian trope that it was easy not to pay attention to. Nothing excited me, and nothing made me want to pay attention to what was happening.
Overall, this book was not my kind of thing. It’s probably correct to describe it as a “intergalactic Bridgerton” type of set, but I haven’t seen Bridgerton so don’t quote me on that. I just know it gives me very futuristic-Victorian-romance vibes with a little rebellion thrown in.
Maybe this book would be perfect for someone else, but to me it just wasn’t that great of a read. The characters were unlikeable, the story didn’t feel compelling, and the romance was just not really there. It would be a fun trash read in my opinion, but I couldn’t get myself to care past that.
August 22, 2022
I so wanted to love this one, but unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite read. It has a great premise, and I love the cover. However, the story fell a bit flat for me. I wanted more world-building, and I didn’t love the protagonist Vika or the romance.
The setting of the story is fascinating, and I liked how the two contrasting worlds were presented, but I wanted more. I feel like there was so much more to explore. That being said, there were some major disparities between social classes and planets, which I found interesting, and I like how the author created such a unique dystopian society. There are some strong social messages throughout the story specifically connected to the setting that I appreciated.
Vika wasn’t my favorite character, which is disappointing since she’s the protagonist. She comes across as very selfish, vain, and judgmental, though she does change as the story progresses. I think making her unlikable was purposeful, so that you could see how much she learned and grew, but I never really got past her poor behavior and words.
The love story was just ok for me too, which surprised me because it’s usually my favorite part of the story. I feel like Vika could do no wrong in Sky’s eyes, and she walked all over him. Personally, I think he’s too good for her. I think some readers who enjoy sci-fi or dystopias with mystery and an enemies-to-lovers romance will enjoy the book. It just wasn’t the book for me. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
The setting of the story is fascinating, and I liked how the two contrasting worlds were presented, but I wanted more. I feel like there was so much more to explore. That being said, there were some major disparities between social classes and planets, which I found interesting, and I like how the author created such a unique dystopian society. There are some strong social messages throughout the story specifically connected to the setting that I appreciated.
Vika wasn’t my favorite character, which is disappointing since she’s the protagonist. She comes across as very selfish, vain, and judgmental, though she does change as the story progresses. I think making her unlikable was purposeful, so that you could see how much she learned and grew, but I never really got past her poor behavior and words.
The love story was just ok for me too, which surprised me because it’s usually my favorite part of the story. I feel like Vika could do no wrong in Sky’s eyes, and she walked all over him. Personally, I think he’s too good for her. I think some readers who enjoy sci-fi or dystopias with mystery and an enemies-to-lovers romance will enjoy the book. It just wasn’t the book for me. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
January 11, 2023
I received an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway.
Pros: It's got a pretty cover and the description sounded interesting
Cons: Pretty much everything else. It didn't live up to the description at all. The plot, world building and character development lacked tremendously. Vika wasn't a likable or relatable character at all, sometimes this works but not here. The "romance" was rushed and not believable. The book overall was much longer than it needed to be especially considering all that it lacked.
Pros: It's got a pretty cover and the description sounded interesting
Cons: Pretty much everything else. It didn't live up to the description at all. The plot, world building and character development lacked tremendously. Vika wasn't a likable or relatable character at all, sometimes this works but not here. The "romance" was rushed and not believable. The book overall was much longer than it needed to be especially considering all that it lacked.
May 14, 2022
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!
the stars between us promises a sweeping sci-fi mystery starring a main character with a rags to riches arc. ultimately, the reason that the book falls flat is because you never care enough about the main character to cheer for her.
vika is a working class girl who’s informed that she will get a huge part of a dead billionaire’s inheritance if and only if she marries his grandson. however, when the grandson is killed in a spaceship crash, vika inherits the fortune anyway and goes to live with the former caretakers (who have also inherited part of the fortune) on the billionaire’s grounds. here, she meets a young man, sky, who works for the caretakers. despite initially distrusting sky, after vika is targeted in another spaceship explosion the two end up working together to unravel the mystery of who’s targeting the heirs of the billionaire’s will.
keep in mind that this is a paraphrased summary from the back of the book, and it’s already confusing. though you do get to know characters and their motivations over time (especially through the dual pov) it’s hard to keep track of who the characters are, what they want, and why.
this is perhaps most true for the main character, vika. at the beginning of the book, vika is a working class barmaid who understandably resents the rich for their wealth and their reluctance to help the impoverished. but when she does luck into a fortune, she seems to have forgotten her past. because her money is new, vika isn’t taken seriously in high society, and to solidify her position among the upper circle, she devotes herself to finding an old-money husband, completely forgetting about her past in the process—she literally forgets to send money back to her family (who are still poor) because of this. this is the perfect example of the ultimately lacking characterization in the book. it becomes impossible to sympathize with vika when we see how weakly principled she is. throughout the book, we are left questioning how much vika really cares about solving the mystery and why she’s trying to solve it— is it because she cares for her caretakers’ safety, as they are potential targets? or is it just because she wants this inconvenience in her new, shiny life to be pushed aside as soon as possible, so that she can solidify her place as a woman who belongs in high society?
what’s more, the book fails to deliver on key components of its pitch: the dickensian space opera worldbuilding and the romance.
to be considered dickensian, a book must be characterized by honest representations of poverty, exaggerated characters, and/or plot contrivances; all of which the stars between us fails to deliver on. the majority of the book occurs when vika has lucked into a fortune and revolves around high society, the characters are not interesting enough to be considered over-the-top, and the plot is not unbelievable more than it is simply unengaging. the space setting has almost no bearing on the actual plot— aside from the fact that characters have to travel in spaceships in between planets every once in a while, this book could have been taking place on earth. a setting should be more than just the backdrop of a story; it should mold the plot in a way that makes the two inseparable.
the romance was pitched on the author’s twitter as an enemies-to-lovers, but the two leads aren’t actually enemies. sky never hates vika, and falls for her almost as soon as he meets her. vika doesn’t hate sky either, she just doesn’t trust him because she suspects that he’s hiding something. if anything, the romance should be considered boy falls first. aside from the tropes, the romance subplot feels like it was thrown in last minute, as though the author couldn’t think of how else to change the dynamic between sky and vika. there was very little romantic buildup from vika’s side, and i genuinely thought it would make more sense for them to stay friends rather than actually get together.
however, i feel that it’s important to point out that i didn’t find this book actively bad, it was just underwhelming. in fact, i was shocked to find out that this wasn’t terrill’s debut, because the book has potential and ultimately lacks in execution that i would chalk up to inexperience. the book does have aspects that i enjoyed. sky was an interesting character that i would have loved to learn more about, and the descriptions throughout the book were vivid and detailed.
the stars between us promises a sweeping sci-fi mystery starring a main character with a rags to riches arc. ultimately, the reason that the book falls flat is because you never care enough about the main character to cheer for her.
vika is a working class girl who’s informed that she will get a huge part of a dead billionaire’s inheritance if and only if she marries his grandson. however, when the grandson is killed in a spaceship crash, vika inherits the fortune anyway and goes to live with the former caretakers (who have also inherited part of the fortune) on the billionaire’s grounds. here, she meets a young man, sky, who works for the caretakers. despite initially distrusting sky, after vika is targeted in another spaceship explosion the two end up working together to unravel the mystery of who’s targeting the heirs of the billionaire’s will.
keep in mind that this is a paraphrased summary from the back of the book, and it’s already confusing. though you do get to know characters and their motivations over time (especially through the dual pov) it’s hard to keep track of who the characters are, what they want, and why.
this is perhaps most true for the main character, vika. at the beginning of the book, vika is a working class barmaid who understandably resents the rich for their wealth and their reluctance to help the impoverished. but when she does luck into a fortune, she seems to have forgotten her past. because her money is new, vika isn’t taken seriously in high society, and to solidify her position among the upper circle, she devotes herself to finding an old-money husband, completely forgetting about her past in the process—she literally forgets to send money back to her family (who are still poor) because of this. this is the perfect example of the ultimately lacking characterization in the book. it becomes impossible to sympathize with vika when we see how weakly principled she is. throughout the book, we are left questioning how much vika really cares about solving the mystery and why she’s trying to solve it— is it because she cares for her caretakers’ safety, as they are potential targets? or is it just because she wants this inconvenience in her new, shiny life to be pushed aside as soon as possible, so that she can solidify her place as a woman who belongs in high society?
what’s more, the book fails to deliver on key components of its pitch: the dickensian space opera worldbuilding and the romance.
to be considered dickensian, a book must be characterized by honest representations of poverty, exaggerated characters, and/or plot contrivances; all of which the stars between us fails to deliver on. the majority of the book occurs when vika has lucked into a fortune and revolves around high society, the characters are not interesting enough to be considered over-the-top, and the plot is not unbelievable more than it is simply unengaging. the space setting has almost no bearing on the actual plot— aside from the fact that characters have to travel in spaceships in between planets every once in a while, this book could have been taking place on earth. a setting should be more than just the backdrop of a story; it should mold the plot in a way that makes the two inseparable.
the romance was pitched on the author’s twitter as an enemies-to-lovers, but the two leads aren’t actually enemies. sky never hates vika, and falls for her almost as soon as he meets her. vika doesn’t hate sky either, she just doesn’t trust him because she suspects that he’s hiding something. if anything, the romance should be considered boy falls first. aside from the tropes, the romance subplot feels like it was thrown in last minute, as though the author couldn’t think of how else to change the dynamic between sky and vika. there was very little romantic buildup from vika’s side, and i genuinely thought it would make more sense for them to stay friends rather than actually get together.
however, i feel that it’s important to point out that i didn’t find this book actively bad, it was just underwhelming. in fact, i was shocked to find out that this wasn’t terrill’s debut, because the book has potential and ultimately lacks in execution that i would chalk up to inexperience. the book does have aspects that i enjoyed. sky was an interesting character that i would have loved to learn more about, and the descriptions throughout the book were vivid and detailed.
July 24, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review! The Stars Between Us will be published on August 2nd, 2022!
I have so many notes on what I read and my reactions to it all for this review that it's not even funny.
I guess we can start with how the book was pitched in the description section of my NetGalley ARC: "Bridgerton meets Illuminae in this explosive, romantic space opera where danger and deception lurk behind glamour and wealth." I want to make it transparent that I have never read the Illuminae series, but I have a general idea of what it's about and after reading The Stars Between Us, I can say that the part of two people with the enemies-to-lovers trope working together to find out who's behind a series of attacks is accurate enough to describe the book. However, the Bridgerton part? I didn't personally see the Bridgerton aspects in this story aside from the high society parties, gossip, expensive clothing, and Vika, our main character, and her friends occasionally pointing out single, rich, (much older) men at said parties.
Vika finding love and a potential suitor was a part of the storyline, yes, but it wasn't a MAJOR part of the storyline like it would've been in Bridgerton. It was not her top priority for the majority of the book, or at least it didn't feel that way to me. The majority of the story was her complaining about how Sky was always watching her and it made her feel uncomfortable, but more on this a little later.
As for Vika's character, she was an absolutely unbearable character to read about. She's 18 and she's so full of herself. There are multiple times in the book in her POV where it states that she KNOWS how pretty she is and how she doesn't care how conceited it makes her sound. She's also very hypocritical- she's continuously self-conscious about how she knows she comes from Philomenus, a very poor planet, and suddenly being thrown onto Ploutous, a very wealthy planet, into the upper echelons of society- and constantly gets defensive and says the equivalent of "I know my roots, I know where I came from" but then proceeds to boss servants around and talks to Sky like he's dirt on her shoe even though she was in the same position as those servants mere weeks ago on Philomenus as a bartender. I needed one of the characters to put her in her place and knock her ego down a few notches and NO ONE DID! She needed a GIANT slice of humble pie.
The majority of the book is Vika going around shopping for clothes and jewelry, going to fancy restaurants with her friends, and going to parties and meeting the high society members of Ploutous. With all of this spending, she's constantly feeling guilty for not sending money to her family back home so they can get by, yet she constantly has to defend herself when people ask her if she's sent any money back yet by saying she's here "for fun" (which yes, is technically true) and she always starts off her sentences in situations like this like, "I know you think I'm selfish but I swear I'm not." She doesn't even think about sending money back until her dad comes to visit her and is like, "Oh yeah I should probably do that now."
Going into the romance, I didn't feel any chemistry between Sky and Vika. Sky is so down bad from the moment he lays eyes on her and does everything he can to be within a 3-foot radius of her which is a little creepy and I honestly don't blame Vika for being weirded out by it all. However, Vika spends almost the entire book hating on Sky and treating him like dirt so it made their romance come out of nowhere in my opinion.
If there were two things The Stars Between Us did pretty decently, it was about how having money can change a person and the commentary between the upper (Ploutous) and lower (Philomenus) classes. However, Vika's character and personality ruined the book for me. I enjoyed the action towards the end when they find out who's behind all of the attacks, but I have to admit that I was bored and rolling my eyes whenever Vika was out shopping and flaunting her new wealth.
(If you want to see other things I didn't like that went into the rating of this book, scroll past the trigger warnings for the spoiler section. I never do this in my reviews but the things I'm talking about didn't necessarily fit anywhere else in the review so I made these points into its own section this time.)
2 stars
--
Trigger warnings: attempted assassinations, death of a parent, blood, alcoholism, descriptions of injuries
---
(Leaving some space here to separate the spoiler section)
~Spoiler section~
1. I totally knew Sky was Leo. There was no way Cristin Terrill would just introduce Leo in one of the interludes and then kill him off 2 pages later lol. I will give it to her though and say I didn't put two and two together and realize that Archer and Sky were actually siblings.
2. About the scene where Sky reveals himself to be Leo- that whole scene with Vika's reaction felt extremely rushed. She basically teared up because he lied to her, then walks out of the penthouse and doesn't speak to him. This was in chapter 37...out of 38. I think it felt rushed because it was so close towards the end of the book and Terrill wanted to give them a happy ending somehow so Chapter 38 was set a few weeks/months into the future and Leo and Vika magically make up on literally THE LAST PAGE (at least it was the last page on the ARC I got). Even them making up felt rushed.
3. On an unrelated note, the plotline with Hal cheating on Mira never fully resolved? That was a whole mini-subplot on its own with Vika overhearing Hal talking to someone over the phone and Vika and Archer catch Hal cheating on Mira (no, not in THAT way, more like them making out in a dark corner at a party) but Hal never gets called out for it? I feel like Vika using that information against him as a form of blackmail to let Sky/Leo keep his job at the penthouse would've made for a juicier storyline but oh well. Mira and Hal end up divorcing but I don't think it was ever mentioned that Mira finds out he was cheating on her and that was why they divorced so it sort of felt like a loose end.
I have so many notes on what I read and my reactions to it all for this review that it's not even funny.
I guess we can start with how the book was pitched in the description section of my NetGalley ARC: "Bridgerton meets Illuminae in this explosive, romantic space opera where danger and deception lurk behind glamour and wealth." I want to make it transparent that I have never read the Illuminae series, but I have a general idea of what it's about and after reading The Stars Between Us, I can say that the part of two people with the enemies-to-lovers trope working together to find out who's behind a series of attacks is accurate enough to describe the book. However, the Bridgerton part? I didn't personally see the Bridgerton aspects in this story aside from the high society parties, gossip, expensive clothing, and Vika, our main character, and her friends occasionally pointing out single, rich, (much older) men at said parties.
Vika finding love and a potential suitor was a part of the storyline, yes, but it wasn't a MAJOR part of the storyline like it would've been in Bridgerton. It was not her top priority for the majority of the book, or at least it didn't feel that way to me. The majority of the story was her complaining about how Sky was always watching her and it made her feel uncomfortable, but more on this a little later.
As for Vika's character, she was an absolutely unbearable character to read about. She's 18 and she's so full of herself. There are multiple times in the book in her POV where it states that she KNOWS how pretty she is and how she doesn't care how conceited it makes her sound. She's also very hypocritical- she's continuously self-conscious about how she knows she comes from Philomenus, a very poor planet, and suddenly being thrown onto Ploutous, a very wealthy planet, into the upper echelons of society- and constantly gets defensive and says the equivalent of "I know my roots, I know where I came from" but then proceeds to boss servants around and talks to Sky like he's dirt on her shoe even though she was in the same position as those servants mere weeks ago on Philomenus as a bartender. I needed one of the characters to put her in her place and knock her ego down a few notches and NO ONE DID! She needed a GIANT slice of humble pie.
The majority of the book is Vika going around shopping for clothes and jewelry, going to fancy restaurants with her friends, and going to parties and meeting the high society members of Ploutous. With all of this spending, she's constantly feeling guilty for not sending money to her family back home so they can get by, yet she constantly has to defend herself when people ask her if she's sent any money back yet by saying she's here "for fun" (which yes, is technically true) and she always starts off her sentences in situations like this like, "I know you think I'm selfish but I swear I'm not." She doesn't even think about sending money back until her dad comes to visit her and is like, "Oh yeah I should probably do that now."
Going into the romance, I didn't feel any chemistry between Sky and Vika. Sky is so down bad from the moment he lays eyes on her and does everything he can to be within a 3-foot radius of her which is a little creepy and I honestly don't blame Vika for being weirded out by it all. However, Vika spends almost the entire book hating on Sky and treating him like dirt so it made their romance come out of nowhere in my opinion.
If there were two things The Stars Between Us did pretty decently, it was about how having money can change a person and the commentary between the upper (Ploutous) and lower (Philomenus) classes. However, Vika's character and personality ruined the book for me. I enjoyed the action towards the end when they find out who's behind all of the attacks, but I have to admit that I was bored and rolling my eyes whenever Vika was out shopping and flaunting her new wealth.
(If you want to see other things I didn't like that went into the rating of this book, scroll past the trigger warnings for the spoiler section. I never do this in my reviews but the things I'm talking about didn't necessarily fit anywhere else in the review so I made these points into its own section this time.)
2 stars
--
Trigger warnings: attempted assassinations, death of a parent, blood, alcoholism, descriptions of injuries
---
(Leaving some space here to separate the spoiler section)
~Spoiler section~
1. I totally knew Sky was Leo. There was no way Cristin Terrill would just introduce Leo in one of the interludes and then kill him off 2 pages later lol. I will give it to her though and say I didn't put two and two together and realize that Archer and Sky were actually siblings.
2. About the scene where Sky reveals himself to be Leo- that whole scene with Vika's reaction felt extremely rushed. She basically teared up because he lied to her, then walks out of the penthouse and doesn't speak to him. This was in chapter 37...out of 38. I think it felt rushed because it was so close towards the end of the book and Terrill wanted to give them a happy ending somehow so Chapter 38 was set a few weeks/months into the future and Leo and Vika magically make up on literally THE LAST PAGE (at least it was the last page on the ARC I got). Even them making up felt rushed.
3. On an unrelated note, the plotline with Hal cheating on Mira never fully resolved? That was a whole mini-subplot on its own with Vika overhearing Hal talking to someone over the phone and Vika and Archer catch Hal cheating on Mira (no, not in THAT way, more like them making out in a dark corner at a party) but Hal never gets called out for it? I feel like Vika using that information against him as a form of blackmail to let Sky/Leo keep his job at the penthouse would've made for a juicier storyline but oh well. Mira and Hal end up divorcing but I don't think it was ever mentioned that Mira finds out he was cheating on her and that was why they divorced so it sort of felt like a loose end.
August 25, 2024
The Stars Between Us is a Young Adult romantic space opera. It is a retelling of Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens.
The heroine is 18 year old Viktoria/Vika. She is a barmaid living on the poor planet of Philomenus. She gets the opportunity to move to the richer planet Ploutos.
There is romance. There is a mystery. I was fascinated by it all. I love books set in space. And I really enjoyed seeing the glamorous lives of people on Ploutos.
When a very rich man from Ploutos dies Vika is named in his will. I really enjoyed all of the drama with the will. It made the book so much fun.
There are multiple possible love interests in this book, including Sky Foster who works for the husband that Vika is staying with. I thought that the romance was fun and the mystery was really good. And I absolutely loved the travel back and forth between the two planets. Overall this was an enjoyable read. Such a good YA book for those who love stories set in space.
August 14, 2022
The Stars Between Us was A novel by Cristin Terrill and narrated by Stephanie Willing. I listened and read this one. I thought the audiobook was better because Stephanie Willing was really good and perfect for this story.
Sooooo, I thought this was to long for what it was. It all could of been done with less stuff. I felt like it took forever for the romance and I struggled to care about most of the book. I also didn’t like the protagonist. She wasn’t very likable and these are my honest thoughts. I’m only going to give it 3 ⭐️.
Thanks Macmillan Audio St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
Sooooo, I thought this was to long for what it was. It all could of been done with less stuff. I felt like it took forever for the romance and I struggled to care about most of the book. I also didn’t like the protagonist. She wasn’t very likable and these are my honest thoughts. I’m only going to give it 3 ⭐️.
Thanks Macmillan Audio St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley.
June 14, 2022
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Stars Between Us started off on an interesting note. In it, you will meet Vika. Now she was a character that gave me whiplash. Constantly. For most of this book, she rubbed me the wrong way. Especially after finding out the truth behind her family's "wealth". For the most part, she was pretty selfish and entitled. I also didn't really like how she treated Leo/Sky and thought he deserved way better than her.
Speaking of Leo/Sky, I really liked the guy. Felt horrible for him because he basically chased Vika like a little lost puppy. Don't even get me started on the romance between these two because I have no idea what he saw in her to begin with. Eventually she became a decent and more likable person, but I still think he deserves better.
Other than those two, we do get some mystery and drama throughout. I'll admit that I was a little disappointed with the ending/reveal. For some reason, I was expecting something completely different than what we got. Maybe I'm a little hopeful that these two will work things out and become a stronger couple. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm hoping Leo runs away and finds love elsewhere.
In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely be on the lookout for another book written by Cristin!
The Stars Between Us started off on an interesting note. In it, you will meet Vika. Now she was a character that gave me whiplash. Constantly. For most of this book, she rubbed me the wrong way. Especially after finding out the truth behind her family's "wealth". For the most part, she was pretty selfish and entitled. I also didn't really like how she treated Leo/Sky and thought he deserved way better than her.
Speaking of Leo/Sky, I really liked the guy. Felt horrible for him because he basically chased Vika like a little lost puppy. Don't even get me started on the romance between these two because I have no idea what he saw in her to begin with. Eventually she became a decent and more likable person, but I still think he deserves better.
Other than those two, we do get some mystery and drama throughout. I'll admit that I was a little disappointed with the ending/reveal. For some reason, I was expecting something completely different than what we got. Maybe I'm a little hopeful that these two will work things out and become a stronger couple. Or maybe, just maybe, I'm hoping Leo runs away and finds love elsewhere.
In the end, I'm really happy that I got the chance to jump into this. Will definitely be on the lookout for another book written by Cristin!
dnf-d
September 4, 2022**Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changed my opinion**
DNF'd 20% in. Vika is not a great protagonist. I didn't like her or really care about her story. She was terrible to her family and neighbors and had a kind of stuck up attitude. The plot was also pretty boring. It wasn't so much Bridgerton in space as it was probably more like Great Expectations.
DNF'd 20% in. Vika is not a great protagonist. I didn't like her or really care about her story. She was terrible to her family and neighbors and had a kind of stuck up attitude. The plot was also pretty boring. It wasn't so much Bridgerton in space as it was probably more like Great Expectations.
October 24, 2023
Review coming soon.
August 2, 2022
While this wasn’t my favorite book of Terrill’s, it was still an enjoyable right with incredible and unique worldbuilding.
I have to start with the worldbuilding because it is just so good! If everything else in this book stunk (which it didn’t), I’d still recommend this book just because the imagery and uniqueness of the settings are so wonderful. Terrill has created this world with multiple planets, unique foods, animals, and even vocabulary. I was so impressed by how different and intriguing it all was. Even still, it was easy to grasp and understand as the story progressed. I didn’t find myself getting negatively lost in the new world and its vocabulary.
There was a common theme of being and feeling used. Many of the characters were either being used, feeling used, or were using. I thought this was interesting, especially considering so much of this book talked about money and the lows and highs that come with it.
This book is told in a dual pov (sorta) and Terrill really makes use of it. She even pulls a sleight of hand with them similar to The Kiss of Deception. I won’t say too much on that since it’s important to the story.
Now onto the characters. Vika, one of our main characters, is interesting because she’s almost a morally gray character. She’s not quite all good, but definitely not quite bad. She’s a little selfish and rude, but also mindful and strong. There are a lot of facets to her that are so intriguing. Just when you think you have her figured out, she does something to surprise you. She kept me on my toes throughout the book even if the plot didn’t.
Sky, our other main character, was just the sweetest creature alive. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of him, especially with all of Vika’s negative thoughts about him floating around, but I ended up loving him so much. He’s thoughtful, a bit reserved, and cares so much for those around him. He deserves all the planets in this world!
Hal, a major side character, was also quite interesting to me. We watch him change gradually throughout the book into a completely different guy than who he started as. And, of course, he has his own secrets which make him a little more interesting. I didn’t expect to become so invested in him.
Mira and Ariel are also just the best. Mira is so sweet. And Ariel is the best matchmaker around. Plus, she has a cool name wink wink
The romance…I feel like we don’t really get into the romance of this book until the second half? Sky is adorable and has all these adorable feelings for Vika, but we really don’t see anything romantic happen until the second half of the book. While I wish something more would have happened towards the beginning, I loved what we got at the end. As I said before, Sky deserves all the planets and stars and suns in the world.
Unfortunately, the big mystery of the book was really quite obvious. I wouldn’t have minded so much if it hadn’t been such an important revelation for the plot. There were a couple of small plot twists that I really enjoyed which almost made up of the obvious reveal, but not quite.
Another big negative for me is that this book had little to no action. It was very strange and unexpected for Terrill. I usually expect sci-fi books, especially ones that have rebel groups and murder plots, to have an action-filled plot, but this one didn’t. There were a couple of fast-paced moments, but they would barely last a chapter if that. Instead, the book tried to take on a more Gossip-Girl/Bridgerton feel that didn’t quite come through. Many parts were still dull or seemed to be filler chapters for the ‘real’ plot of the book.
Overall, this was a good book. I will admit I was disappointed as this is not what I’ve come to expect from Terrill, however, this was still an enjoyable book.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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I have to start with the worldbuilding because it is just so good! If everything else in this book stunk (which it didn’t), I’d still recommend this book just because the imagery and uniqueness of the settings are so wonderful. Terrill has created this world with multiple planets, unique foods, animals, and even vocabulary. I was so impressed by how different and intriguing it all was. Even still, it was easy to grasp and understand as the story progressed. I didn’t find myself getting negatively lost in the new world and its vocabulary.
There was a common theme of being and feeling used. Many of the characters were either being used, feeling used, or were using. I thought this was interesting, especially considering so much of this book talked about money and the lows and highs that come with it.
This book is told in a dual pov (sorta) and Terrill really makes use of it. She even pulls a sleight of hand with them similar to The Kiss of Deception. I won’t say too much on that since it’s important to the story.
Now onto the characters. Vika, one of our main characters, is interesting because she’s almost a morally gray character. She’s not quite all good, but definitely not quite bad. She’s a little selfish and rude, but also mindful and strong. There are a lot of facets to her that are so intriguing. Just when you think you have her figured out, she does something to surprise you. She kept me on my toes throughout the book even if the plot didn’t.
Sky, our other main character, was just the sweetest creature alive. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of him, especially with all of Vika’s negative thoughts about him floating around, but I ended up loving him so much. He’s thoughtful, a bit reserved, and cares so much for those around him. He deserves all the planets in this world!
Hal, a major side character, was also quite interesting to me. We watch him change gradually throughout the book into a completely different guy than who he started as. And, of course, he has his own secrets which make him a little more interesting. I didn’t expect to become so invested in him.
Mira and Ariel are also just the best. Mira is so sweet. And Ariel is the best matchmaker around. Plus, she has a cool name wink wink
The romance…I feel like we don’t really get into the romance of this book until the second half? Sky is adorable and has all these adorable feelings for Vika, but we really don’t see anything romantic happen until the second half of the book. While I wish something more would have happened towards the beginning, I loved what we got at the end. As I said before, Sky deserves all the planets and stars and suns in the world.
Unfortunately, the big mystery of the book was really quite obvious. I wouldn’t have minded so much if it hadn’t been such an important revelation for the plot. There were a couple of small plot twists that I really enjoyed which almost made up of the obvious reveal, but not quite.
Another big negative for me is that this book had little to no action. It was very strange and unexpected for Terrill. I usually expect sci-fi books, especially ones that have rebel groups and murder plots, to have an action-filled plot, but this one didn’t. There were a couple of fast-paced moments, but they would barely last a chapter if that. Instead, the book tried to take on a more Gossip-Girl/Bridgerton feel that didn’t quite come through. Many parts were still dull or seemed to be filler chapters for the ‘real’ plot of the book.
Overall, this was a good book. I will admit I was disappointed as this is not what I’ve come to expect from Terrill, however, this was still an enjoyable book.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed a gifted and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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January 19, 2022
God, I love dystopian books! This was my first Cristin Terrill book and I'll definitely be back for more!
What I liked about this book:
1. The worldbuilding was interesting, but not overly complex. I liked the idea of Vika living on a dystopian planet, that she also lived on back when it was thriving. I was interested in this idea that Vika was essentially being groomed her whole life. I also loved this idea of traveling between planets and Ariel essentially being a space cowgirl! I love that kind of sh*t.
2. I loved the overarching mystery and getting to have little snippets into the eyes of the person behind all the treachery, while not finding out his/her identity until the end. I loved thinking through who could have been involved and wondering who the hell those groups in the will were!!! (Of course Ariel would solve the mystery, right???)
3. Ariel was hands down the best character in this book! Her little schemes to get Sky and Vika closer together were so great! I love her and I want to see more of her!!!
4. Besides the romantic part (which I'll get to below), I loved the ending. How the money is ultimately used is such a great message, Mira's ending made me so happy for her, Hal's ending was just in my opinion, and I loved how Vika and Ariel grew close. These points were fantastic wrap ups!
5. That cover is gorgeous. FACT: 9 times out of 10, if you hook me at the cover, I'm going to read your book.
Why it didn't get 5 stars:
1. It was a bit predictable. I felt like the two big spoilers in the book were fairly easy to see coming, which made it a little less delicious when they happened. Still a great plot though.
2. I DID NOT LIKE VIKA! I get that we're supposed to see her as a poor girl who then becomes spoiled only to be brought back down to earth again, but this third part did not happen in my eyes. I felt she spent too much time in the length of the book being money obsessed and she wasn't really redeemed in a satisfying way. Honestly, I wanted Sky and Ariel to end up together in the future. That to me would have worked so much better and Ariel would have deserved it more!!!
3. The romantic ending was very blah. I loved everything about the ending, EXCEPT this. I get why they reintroduce themselves, but I can't be the only one who wanted a satisfying kiss?!?!?!
4 Ariel-is-my-heroine stars!!!
Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! The book will be published August 2, 2022, so pick it up!
What I liked about this book:
1. The worldbuilding was interesting, but not overly complex. I liked the idea of Vika living on a dystopian planet, that she also lived on back when it was thriving. I was interested in this idea that Vika was essentially being groomed her whole life. I also loved this idea of traveling between planets and Ariel essentially being a space cowgirl! I love that kind of sh*t.
2. I loved the overarching mystery and getting to have little snippets into the eyes of the person behind all the treachery, while not finding out his/her identity until the end. I loved thinking through who could have been involved and wondering who the hell those groups in the will were!!! (Of course Ariel would solve the mystery, right???)
3. Ariel was hands down the best character in this book! Her little schemes to get Sky and Vika closer together were so great! I love her and I want to see more of her!!!
4. Besides the romantic part (which I'll get to below), I loved the ending. How the money is ultimately used is such a great message, Mira's ending made me so happy for her, Hal's ending was just in my opinion, and I loved how Vika and Ariel grew close. These points were fantastic wrap ups!
5. That cover is gorgeous. FACT: 9 times out of 10, if you hook me at the cover, I'm going to read your book.
Why it didn't get 5 stars:
1. It was a bit predictable. I felt like the two big spoilers in the book were fairly easy to see coming, which made it a little less delicious when they happened. Still a great plot though.
2. I DID NOT LIKE VIKA! I get that we're supposed to see her as a poor girl who then becomes spoiled only to be brought back down to earth again, but this third part did not happen in my eyes. I felt she spent too much time in the length of the book being money obsessed and she wasn't really redeemed in a satisfying way. Honestly, I wanted Sky and Ariel to end up together in the future. That to me would have worked so much better and Ariel would have deserved it more!!!
3. The romantic ending was very blah. I loved everything about the ending, EXCEPT this. I get why they reintroduce themselves, but I can't be the only one who wanted a satisfying kiss?!?!?!
4 Ariel-is-my-heroine stars!!!
Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review! The book will be published August 2, 2022, so pick it up!
August 15, 2022
I was 100% drawn to this YA fantasy mystery/romance for the gorgeous cover but was pleasantly surprised by just how much I really enjoyed the story too! Set in space, this was a rags to riches type story featuring Vika, a poor barmaid who was betrothed to a rich heir. When its assumed he dies in a spacecraft crash his family reaches out and offers Vika a place among their household, introducing her to a life of wealth and riches she's only ever dreamt of before.
I loved what a relatable character Vika is! She owns how selfish and avaricious she is and isn't afraid to marry for money if it means helping change her family's circumstances. What she doesn't realize is Sky, the servant boy who turned up mysteriously out of nowhere is hiding a secret identity. While the storyline was a bit predictable I still really enjoyed both the romance and the mystery and thought this was great on audio too! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!
I loved what a relatable character Vika is! She owns how selfish and avaricious she is and isn't afraid to marry for money if it means helping change her family's circumstances. What she doesn't realize is Sky, the servant boy who turned up mysteriously out of nowhere is hiding a secret identity. While the storyline was a bit predictable I still really enjoyed both the romance and the mystery and thought this was great on audio too! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!
February 3, 2022
The Stars Between Us may just be one of those books that are hard to describe and review about. I'm not even sure if I could write a decent introductory paragraph, but let's just put it this way: young adult fantasy with vibes of dystopia.
There're a lot to like in this book, but what captivated me the most was the narration and the characters were also really well-rounded.
I especially recommend it to readers who don't read Science Fiction but would love to try it out.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
There're a lot to like in this book, but what captivated me the most was the narration and the characters were also really well-rounded.
I especially recommend it to readers who don't read Science Fiction but would love to try it out.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 7, 2023
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Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
The Stars Between Us by Christin Terrill is an upcoming YA sci fi that I looked forward to reading but fell short in the end for me. It was slightly difficult to get through unfortunately. Not because it was a terrible book but some points of the book that were a struggle for me.
What I liked:
Well, I do like the premise of the plot. An arranged marriage to a person you never met that will give you a better life? Then suddenly it is stripped away due to murder? What do you do? A rags to riches type story. I found it promising.
You get to read the bad guys POV in this story which gives this story an air of mystery. Something that I don’t read too often and I found it driving me to wonder who was the murderer.
What I didn’t like:
First off, the characters.
For me the life and the attitudes of the characters didn’t make sense. You have Vika who in this book is extremely unlikable. She was raised in a world where her family were doing well off and then misfortune happened which caused them to live in poverty. You would think she is humbled in those circumstances and would cling to her family for support. Nope. She despises her family (except her dad), acts entitled once she suddenly gets access to money and mistreats people.
Here is Sky Foster, love interest, who was raised with money and was more humble and kind than Vika will ever be. Even though Vika was extremely rude and mean to him, she was beautiful and fell head over heels in love with her. Essence of insta love that didn’t appeal to me.
Feeling like an imbalance of characters is what threw me off. Vika came across as an entitled person and Sky came across as a very flat character. I understand that having unlikable characters can be great but for this story, it just didn’t flow right.
Second, the plot.
The plot of the story moved so slowly. Nothing was happening 45% of the book and it made the book unappealing to read. Just read on how Vika spends money and how she is suddenly acclimated in the rich society. By the time it got to the 60% mark and action started happening, I was already struggling and lost interest.
December 15, 2022
5 April 2022
I think I’m gonna go with 3.5 stars.
It was definitely pretty good, but Vika could be pretty annoying, and the mystery, though captivating, was kind of predictable.
I’ll discuss more in my full review.
RTC!
Major thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the free eARC, in exchange for an honest review
#TheStarsBetweenUs #Netgalley
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28 March 2022
*Currently Reading*
Okay, so I have both an e–copy and a physical copy, who cares?! I'm looking forward to starting this. Fingers crossed for something really good! :)
I was provided a free eARC from Netgalley on behalf of St. Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review. I also received a physical ARC via a GR Giveaway
#TheStarsBetweenUs #Netgalley
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18 March 2022
*To Read*
Oops.
I was provided a free eARC from Netgalley on behalf of St. Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review
#TheStarsBetweenUs #Netgalley
--------------------------------------------------
11 March 2022
*To Read*
I actually won a GR Giveaway!!!!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
~~~~~
Want more bookish stuff?
・ Comment below to discuss this book more. I'd love to hear what you think!
・ Send me a private message on Goodreads to discuss this book and other books!
・ Join Book Nerds Unite to get involved in all things bookish with fellow book nerds!
・ Like this review, and follow me for more book reviews.
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Happy Reading!
I think I’m gonna go with 3.5 stars.
It was definitely pretty good, but Vika could be pretty annoying, and the mystery, though captivating, was kind of predictable.
I’ll discuss more in my full review.
RTC!
Major thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the free eARC, in exchange for an honest review
#TheStarsBetweenUs #Netgalley
--------------------------------------------------
28 March 2022
*Currently Reading*
Okay, so I have both an e–copy and a physical copy, who cares?! I'm looking forward to starting this. Fingers crossed for something really good! :)
I was provided a free eARC from Netgalley on behalf of St. Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review. I also received a physical ARC via a GR Giveaway
#TheStarsBetweenUs #Netgalley
--------------------------------------------------
18 March 2022
*To Read*
Oops.
I was provided a free eARC from Netgalley on behalf of St. Martin's Press, in exchange for an honest review
#TheStarsBetweenUs #Netgalley
--------------------------------------------------
11 March 2022
*To Read*
I actually won a GR Giveaway!!!!
Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the ARC!
~~~~~
Want more bookish stuff?
・ Comment below to discuss this book more. I'd love to hear what you think!
・ Send me a private message on Goodreads to discuss this book and other books!
・ Join Book Nerds Unite to get involved in all things bookish with fellow book nerds!
・ Like this review, and follow me for more book reviews.
・ Subscribe to my blog, Adventures with Asia Minor! https://www.adventureswithasiaminor.com/
Happy Reading!
August 4, 2022
This is a futuristic mystery set on two planets with vastly different living conditions. On one, most people are barely scraping by, living in squalor without much electricity or technology. The other is wealthy and people live in excess, throwing lavish parties. Vika dreams of moving up in the world, so when the chance presents itself, she throws herself into it.
I liked guessing who was behind the bombings and following one character as they hide their identity. There weren't too many people to suspect, but it was fun watching things unfold as we put together more clues. What I didn't love was the main character Vika. She's unnecessarily mean at times, especially to Sky. She also basically forgets her family once she leaves the planet and starts changing herself to be a spoiled rich girl. If she were more likeable, I probably would have bumped up the rating.
Sky is a cutie and I rooted for him to find happiness after he grew up in an abusive household. He just wants to help people and has a crush on Vika for some reason. He's been mistreated a lot and still maintained a sweet personality, so I'm glad for how his story turned out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy
I liked guessing who was behind the bombings and following one character as they hide their identity. There weren't too many people to suspect, but it was fun watching things unfold as we put together more clues. What I didn't love was the main character Vika. She's unnecessarily mean at times, especially to Sky. She also basically forgets her family once she leaves the planet and starts changing herself to be a spoiled rich girl. If she were more likeable, I probably would have bumped up the rating.
Sky is a cutie and I rooted for him to find happiness after he grew up in an abusive household. He just wants to help people and has a crush on Vika for some reason. He's been mistreated a lot and still maintained a sweet personality, so I'm glad for how his story turned out.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy
November 25, 2022
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
This was such a weird book for me, because I almost DNFed it several times but then I did enjoy certain parts of it a lot. Vika annoyed me for most of the book because she became so spoiled and selfish, and it was literally so cringeworthy to read. I also felt that so much of the book was shallow. The main plot of the book didn't come into play until almost 65% in. And yet, I kept reading because I was curious. I did enjoy Sky's character, and I did like some of the twists. It was enjoyable enough that I raised my rating (because it was almost a very low rating when I almost DNFed). I also wish there was more world building - I like that the world was futuristic but there was basically no reason to put it on a different planet because literally, that wasn't explored at all. This could have been put in any city and wouldn't have changed the story in the slightest. Overall, I did still enjoy, but it was kind of a weird book in how my enjoyment fluctuated. I also liked the dual POV, and might have DNFed if not for that because at least the whole book was not in Vika's POV.
Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for review.
This was such a weird book for me, because I almost DNFed it several times but then I did enjoy certain parts of it a lot. Vika annoyed me for most of the book because she became so spoiled and selfish, and it was literally so cringeworthy to read. I also felt that so much of the book was shallow. The main plot of the book didn't come into play until almost 65% in. And yet, I kept reading because I was curious. I did enjoy Sky's character, and I did like some of the twists. It was enjoyable enough that I raised my rating (because it was almost a very low rating when I almost DNFed). I also wish there was more world building - I like that the world was futuristic but there was basically no reason to put it on a different planet because literally, that wasn't explored at all. This could have been put in any city and wouldn't have changed the story in the slightest. Overall, I did still enjoy, but it was kind of a weird book in how my enjoyment fluctuated. I also liked the dual POV, and might have DNFed if not for that because at least the whole book was not in Vika's POV.
Thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for review.
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