The Door at the End of the Stars

by K.J. Sutton

Verónica Torres has heard about Hosting along with the rest of the world. In the city of L.A., you can rent your body out for a steep price. During the guest’s “stay”, Hosts will be blissfully unaware of whatever transpires in that time, and there are strict rules in place to protect their body’s well-being.

Or that’s how it was supposed to be.

When Verónica becomes a Host, something goes wrong. Although she has no control over what she says and does, she’s still aware of every moment that passes while someone else is wearing her body. She watches herself fall for a man that is unavailable in every sense of the word. She experiences every hushed conversation, every forbidden glance… and every intoxicating touch.

Soon, though, it becomes apparent that Verónica can’t let the affair continue. There’s more at stake than shattered hearts and broken families. Does she have the strength to say goodbye forever? Or will the lies and the love prove stronger than her sense of survival?

For fans of Black Mirror and Colleen Hoover, The Door at the End of the Stars is a standalone novel suitable for ages 18+

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Contemporary

420 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2022

About the author

K.J. Sutton is the Amazon bestselling author of the Fortuna Sworn Saga. Her writing has reached readers around the world and earned recognition from Kirkus Reviews.

She grew up in Minnesota and earned her master’s degree in Creative Writing from Hamline University. She now makes her home there in a plant-filled house with floor-to-ceiling windows, a piano in the corner, and a collection of bird feeders on the porch. When she isn’t writing in her favorite coffee shop, she’s likely walking her dogs with an audiobook in her ears or hunting for thrifted treasures.

She also writes young adult novels as Kelsey Sutton.

Reviews

[Becca & The Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating blend of futuristic technology & romantic suspense that will keep you hooked until the last page and leave you questioning if you truly know the difference between what is right and wrong.

I went into The Door At The End of The Stars knowing that I loved K.J. Sutton, but not much else. This is set in a pretty near future, where you can rent out your body for others to inhabit for 24 hours. Verónica Torres agrees to do this in exchange for a large amount of money that will change her family's life. However, Verónica is completely aware of everything that happens when her body is under somebody else's control and she is concerned when it becomes clear that the person in control of her body, is repeatedly targeting a married man.

This one kept me hooked to the very end, wanting to find out how Verónica was going to get herself out of this tangled web that she had been dragged into.

This book is very much a romantic suspense on the a sci-fi backdrop, perfect for fans of Verity by Colleen Hoover, and reminiscent of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse and Stephanie Meyer's The Host.

[❁ lilyreadsromance ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

This is a love story between a married man and his nanny. Except his nanny is two people inhabiting the same body. And no, this is not a demon possession story.

How's that for a damn unique plot?

This book is actually sets in the future, where there is this establishment called The Hotel, where people can rent out their bodies a la Airbnb. Veronica Torres is in need of immediate financial support, hence why she applied to be a Host and lent out her body. Except the person who rented her body has this ulterior motive and trying to seduce Gen Le Raye, the married man in this weird relationship.

Honestly, despite the cheating theme, I really enjoyed this story. I've never read a romance book with this type of plot, hence kudos to the author for the originality. There is also a mystery/suspense vibe to this romance, of which I hugely appreciated as it made the story much entertaining for me. You can feel this sense of dread and the author really excels in writing the main protagonist. She created a relatable and sometimes frustrating character without overdoing it.

All in all, definitely recommended just for the plot alone.

P.s. cw on suicide and cheating.

[Courtney ✩ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so torn.

On the one hand, I couldn't put this book down. I kept needing to know what would happen next, and if a spark of originality would show its face.

But, come on K.J. If you're going to rip off Stephanie Meyer's The Host, but with a smuttier storyline, at least give me some originality in its romance! The futuristic host concept is so cool, but why ruin it with such a cliché relationship??

That being said, at least it was more promising than Fortuna Sworn. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Grisette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

The beautiful title and cover reeled me in and the blurb convinced me. But did I end in enjoying the read? Half yes and no. The story was very, very original and overall, the writing supported it well. I almost suspect that the book was imagined and written with a movie in mind. It is certainly the perfect script for a neo-thriller movie that's been so trendy in the past few years. My main contention is probably a very me thing. For most of the read, I felt claustrophobic and anxious. Which is probably a good thing for a thriller, moreso a futuristic one, but disarming for what I had hoped to be an epic romance. There was a romance of course, but the twisted feeling over the plot and the sad (even horrifying from my pov) future depicted overwhelmed me so much that I was reading with my heart clogged in my throat. As I said, it is a me thing.

Honestly, I am impressed that the plot was so very original. But there were some plotholes, as I deem them to be, that still bothered me a lot:

🚪 The h, Verónica, being hacked for a reservation right from her kitchen, in front of her family, but then the event is not explained at all later. Even Verónica doesn't ask for explanations. The way her mum and sister did not seem worried or even just puzzled when they next meet her makes me think that I missed a scene somewhere. All interactions between the h and others made as if it was a normal reservation turned bad in the end i.e. like Verónica showed up at the Hotel as usual, did her hosting, but the bug happenned only at the end when Chloe attempted the 'awakening' remotely. Which is plain wrong! Did Verónica walk like a zombie out of her flat to the Hotel? Was she kidnapped to go there? Why did Hotel staff not prevent her going from front door to her room, hack notwithstanding, when she already said she was hosting no more? Or did the transfer happen in her apartment directly? If yes, then, how were Hotel security aware? All this could have logical explanations if the author had explained. But no, we are left with the blank spaces.

🚪 Yvette called Verónica by her real name twice in the club, while the H, Gen was right next to her. Later, we learned that Yvette had investigated and knew her real name. Gen only discovered her real name in the confrontation scene with Sophia. Therefore, the scene in the club is logically either huge typos, or Gen is very hard of hearing!

🚪 Gen being a huge Tv show star, with dancing role, while also being a pro bono lawyer in real life (second career that no one knows about on top of that!). If that is not faintly ridiculous I ask you... And him being such a dancer is so obviously a contrived plot because Verónica used to do ballet... and to have them have some Dirty Dancing scenes... *huge eyeroll* Definitely, some elements trimming could have been useful here to strengthen the book's standing.

🚪 At most Verónica only did half the contract (which is very generous accounting on my part if I believe the book's timeline), which would mean she got around 120k saved. Things are so expensive that Fernanda's hospital bill took a big dint in Verónica's savings to the point that she rages that she can't stop hosting now. Soon after she terminates her contract and refuses the "first bribe" (huge money). Yet, she can afford to give 20k to her neighbour, buy her studio, fly first class and traipse in at least Spain and Brazil. Maybe 120k was enough for all that but the way the world building is described, it makes little sense that this sum would be enough.

🚪 Details on how the Hotel failed, on multiple times, to properly vet its guests/hosts, contain news of the hack to spread, have proper NDAs in place to prevent talking on the whole thing etc makes the whole business a very flimsy business model to start with. Which weakens a lot the plot. For example, Verónica alerted them on Chloe's behaviour (even if she skimmed the main issue and reported only a side issue) should have prevented her to contract another host later! But no, the Hotel seemed well bent on being exposed to faults!

About the main characters themselves: I sided with Verónica for most of her coward/ lack of moral scrupules decisions because her fear of poverty appeared to be a good reason for her. Sure it was irritating the way she could not tell the truth to her family or even the Hotel when she really sensed how dangerous Chloe was. I was still trying to emphatise with her. But when she actually decided to warn Gen, went to meet him... only to allow herself to fall on his d!ck almost immediately... I was like, Girl you are such a waste of space if the gravity of the situation was not enough for you to forget about lust!! Worse, in the days that follow, she is totally concerned by the media backlash about the affair exposure and not in one second she thinks to warn Gen, even by text!! And no remorse on page at all that she could have changed things at that point. Even when all is done and she asks Gen to meet her, she did not have any plan on what to tell him. No explanations, apologies, justifications on why and how... she contented herself with letting him talk, answering in short phrases, expecting a kiss and being mute when he storms away. She appeared so weak a character in these last chapters! The only sign of growth in her character was when she actually recognised in the last chapter that she and Gen always got things wrong when they jump into physical lust before actually talking things out.

About Gen, well, he was a coward too. Seven years to divorce his wife and even when he knew he needed 'Chloe', he was still thinking he could not leave Yvette. That said, his character being more accessory in the plot has not enabled deeper assessment of his actual character, so I cannot criticise or appreciate him better based on the relatively little he did. The sex scenes were on paper hot, but again the clogging atmosphere robbed me much on enjoying them.

One thing I appreciated with the plot, is that actual interactions (including sex) between Gen and Chloe/Sophia were in fact very limited. Through the plot arrangement, Gen in fact spent much more intimate time with Verónica (granted under false ID), than Chloe. Reason why I don't understand how Verónica could minimise her response to a 'I don't know' when Gen asked how much of it was true. But then, it is clear that Verónica is not one to give deep answers or ask deep questions. *sigh* The book would have been better without the last chapter imho. Romantic me of course liked the scraps of possible HEA in the last chapter, but philosophically speaking, the book would have been that much stronger if at the end Verónica really lost Gen and the book ended with her exploring a new uncertain future.

Obviously, I have mixed feelings about this book. I did not hate it, I did not love it. Overall, the plot was very good in its originality, even with the holes detailed above. From my first read of her works, the author clearly has a bright creativity. The plot could certainly have been better and more rounded, with less story blanks and a deeper focus on the ethical conundrums faced by the characters and the world around them.

[Casie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

This is like the adult version of The Host by Stephanie Myers without the aliens. Definitely keeps you hooked till the last page.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love this book! A romance, with some tragedy and some science fiction. Something different from the norm, which kept me hooked throughout the whole book. Also a very relatable book. The author put her heart and soul into this one ❤️❤️

[Ethella]

dnf at 65%

I honestly couldn't get into it and gave up. The only reason I got even this far was because I love the Fortuna Sworn series. The main character felt weak and the whole plot felt immature despite a rather interesting world. I feel like so many different directions would have been better than a mediocre love story.

[CATastrophe]

DNF at 25%

I started getting a bad vibe after the last time I picked up this book. Mostly because I started to wonder what content this book was going to explore.

Basically the main character gives her body up to this business for someone to use. Like hiring a car.

And during the MC’s first day. She realises she’s conscious, which the opposite was specifically supposed to happen. So now for hours she is not in control of her own body, but she’s conscious and can see, hear and feel everything that is happening. And on this day, her body is used for sex with this dude more than once.
And this scene is never elaborated on. The character does not acknowledge it later. Even though she was put in a sexual encounter with no control. And this is an important subject to explore, because it counts as sexual assault.

What is Consent?
➖ freely given she’s literally not in control of anything. The contract does not count, because not only did she agree to anything and everything that can be done in life, the entire agreement with the contract is that you’re not conscious while your body is being used. But also she’s in a desperate position in her life.

➖ reversible impossible with the position she was in

➖ informed “When the guest is staying with me, they can d-do whatever they w-w-want? Like… h-have sex?” “The guest may engage in any activity that does not put the host in physical danger, Miss Torres,” I guess you could say this is a grey area. But this isn’t informing. What’s their definition of physical danger? Just being harmed in general? Or death? There was a specific question about sex, and it was tiptoed around. They didn’t even explain how the danger would even be stopped.

➖ enthusiast If you read this book, you know the answer to this.
It was also a weird scene. Because you could tell the person controlling her body was enjoying it, and their emotions seemed to weirdly interlock out of their control together at points.

➖ specific She had to “consent” to every possible sexual thing even if she didn’t know every possible sexual thing. So this links back to the informed category.

And you’re probably wondering why I just wrote all that. And it’s because I was waiting for the book to start building up this topic and conversation.
Because not only is the main character in a position where consent can’t be reversed. She’s in a position where she feels like she has to give up consent and have no choice in the experiment.
Because her personal life is full of debt and an overworked mother and a deceased father that died because of the pressure of money, in a city that is full of unemployment, where her current job was full of abuse and low pay. And what’s her feelings toward this lack of consent? I don’t know.
And yet this book seems more focused on the drama with the affair.


Which is fine, it’s good when a book can follow multiple topics. So I went through reviews for this book to see if it balances out these topics. Because we’re literally following a character that scoety does not care about, as her body is used to be with a rich man, so surely they follow up on these topics, right?

And what I’ve gathered is that it’s an interesting world, with a weird infidelity plotline being the main focus.
So the actual politics and topics I’m interested in are just not there. Or at least they’re just subtext.

Basically just imagine Don’t worry darling, but Alice is just dealing with Bunny having an affair, and the fact that they’re in a simulation just doesn’t matter.

So after discovering this, I just don’t have any interest in this book.

[Labwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is very interesting. But I think it was not executed really well. The romance was so insta lovey. Gen was such a flat character. He was uninteresting and unimpressive. I didnt like Veronica either. She knew how wrong the situation was, especially when a child was involved. Yet she was selfish and let it happen. This story had the potential to be a nice angsty read but failed.

[Trey U · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️

This rating was a massive struggle, because I cried/teared up several times which gives it an automatic five for me, but also I had to trudge through the beginning. Could it be 4.5? Probably. Will it be? No. As I said already, you’re gonna have to push through the beginning though. There was promise but I got a bit bored, but the totality of the book is just raw and something I’ll re-read again—something that rarely happens.

Simply said, this book is beautiful, poetic, cathartic, and unique. From the start, I was intrigued due to the futuristic twist using Hosts, while curious of how the author would make her readers fall in love with the characters because of the situation. This is also more than a book about love. So much more, and I love it.

Here’s what I loved:
- A main character with a stutter.
- For a book with a futuristic spin on it, this book was relatable and real. It didn’t have the rose-colored glasses on, instantly falling in love, or tension being instantly resolved.
- This is easily written as something that could be adapted to a movie. Repeatedly, I had the lens of this being a romantic chick-flick, even though it’s not mushy at all. Just real and beautiful.
- This was basically therapy for anyone who’s ever thought they were “not enough” for whatever reason it might be or if they lost someone close to them.
- Indecision. So many characters are written without counterproductive actions. They rarely question themselves or it’s a quick resolution. This was indecision constantly, which was so nice because things aren’t always black and white.
- Addressing poverty and the actions people take out of survival vs. because they’re “bad” people.
- ALL THE BEAUTIFULLY POETIC QUOTES IN THIS BOOK!
- The way the author handled Veronica vs Chloe. Chloe was both irrelevant and completely necessary all at the same time.
- Although this is a steamy-ish book, I loved that there were small things that made you fall in love with the character and their love vs just the typical lust that’s portrayed in many books. You actually experience them getting to know one another, opening up, having cute little moments together, etc.
- “Learning what I like from the sounds I make”…THANK YOU for making sex realistic for once. Yes, they’re still banging a good amount. And there’s definitely lust-driven good sex, but also Gen explores and learns her body vs. just being a sex god that instantly knows everything about what turns her on.
- Again, the therapy of it all. Veronica gets closure repeatedly in this book. With Julian, with her sister, with her dad, with Gen…it’s just endless and so validating. It’s what we all yearn for at one point or another.
- Gen & Veronica’s “conflict” scene absolutely gutted me. It needed to happen exactly as it did, but wow 😭

Favorite quotes:
- What would happen, I wonder, if we were taught the art of transparency? If it were considered admirable to be a real person, instead of the plastic, pretty ones we transform into? Maybe things would get better for so many of us.
- You m-make me forget the sad parts of b-being alive 😍😭
- So much of being alive just feels like reaching into the dark and hoping someone reaches back.

What I didn’t like/was confused about:
- Gen’s name. I’m assuming it’s pronounced like Jen and I just kept being bothered by it lol.
- Actor turned lawyer. Privacy but also not. I didn’t hate it but it did add some confusion to my thoughts at times.
- The AI or cleaner that turned and looked at Veronica. It was a weird passage, and I never felt like it had relevance. It created a situation where I thought the plot was going to take a more “AI is bad” approach.
- For loving him, Veronica’s general disregard after what I’m calling “the event” (you’ll know when reading the book) seemed really weird. Like she almost didn’t care or worry about him?

[Rebecca Konyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise of this book. Being trapped within your own body, with another person who is in control. K.J. Sutton wrote in the issues I would imagine would happen between 2 personalities sharing the same space. Plus more! The romantic feelings that both women felt for the main male lead was an interesting twist. A bit graphic regarding sexual content for young readers, but mild compared to other romantacy books I have read. The second half was so tense, I almost finished it in one night. (darn the fact that I had to work the next day) It will hook you and you won't expect all the twists and turns of the story. Content warnings are in the back of the book, so check those out to see if it is a good fit for you.

[Kathryn Bloor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know where to start about this book! I couldn't put it down and was racing to find the ending. But at the same time, I never wanted it to end.
It's like a futuristic, psychological thriller, romance. There's the whole futuristic world with the Hosting and advanced technology. And then there's a great mystery tangled up in a blooming romance. But there's plenty of hard and completely relatable real-life topics woven in as well.
This is definitely a book I'll read again, knowing the end so I can unravel the story more. I absolutely loved it!

[Caty Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d say more of a 3.5 star than a 3 or 4 but goodreads doesn’t allow for half points.
I enjoyed the premise of this book a whole lot, but I think there was a disconnect with me and the story. There were some elements that seemed repetitive and some elements that didn’t seem necessary at all. Overall, a cool story with some good moments! My review might change after I have some time to digest a bit.

[Jordan Fischer | julietfoxreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading K. J. Sutton's Fortuna Sworn series, I was expecting a dark, character-driven story, and this book totally delivered. I had no idea it was science fiction before I started, but I loved the gritty near-future Los Angeles setting. The premise kind of reminded me of Altered Carbon, but with a much more relatable protagonist. Some of Veronica's choices were odd, but overall I liked figuring out what was going on along with her. While theoretically I liked the satisfying epilogue, in my mind I sort of hated that she ended up still trying to get with a man who cheated on his wife, even if it was justified.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is grossly underrated. It's such an original book. The characters are so human in this futuristic world where raw humanity is hidden behind technology and filters. I know the cheating aspect will turn off a lot of people and admittedly it did give me pause but it demonstrates how fallible we are and that our mistakes don't have to define us. I will be thinking about this book for a long time it will definitely be one for a reread.

[Emmeline Everdeen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING. WOW. it is like so many genres rolled into one incredible book. Twists and turns, betrayal, lust, adventure, romance, hint of dystopian and Spice. Amazing. The writing is phenomenal. The characters are incredibly. The ending perfect. Absolutely a must read.
Highly recommend to anyone who loves an fully engrossing experience perfectly spiced. Read this now and then be sure to grab my other favorite by this author, straight on ‘TIL morning.

[Sarah Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think anyone knows how to stop my heart, shread it apart, and precariously glue it together as well as KJ Sutton. I went into it blind after binging Fortuna Sworn twice in two weeks and was not expecting sci-fi but it was pretty easy to get invested in the new world. Even easier to fall for Veronica. It was messy and suspenseful and beautifully written and I absolutely loved it.

[Hayley Tiller-Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this!

I couldn't read this fast enough, I was so sucked in. Such a great concept and I felt anxious about what was coming next. Crushing, and will stick with me for a long time.

[Lisbeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting world building. The heroine is a bit wish washy, wants to come clean, but doesn’t etcetera.

[JessiBookSage · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wtf was this?

No wonder barely anyone has read this.....

[Indi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn’t what I expected; for some reason I anticipated it being completely different given the book’s title. I do agree that it’s reminiscent of a Black Mirror episode, and being a lover of KJ Sutton’s ‘Fortuna Sworn’ series, that likely contributed to me giving it such a high rating. Overall, it’s a decent read with some interesting concepts.

[Casey Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has definitely made it's way into my top 5 reads this year (so far)
Yes, some could say the plot is similar to the Host, but this was just overall a really neat book. Interesting story line, believable interactions with peers.

[Charity Beacock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so different from what I usually read!! I loved the sci/fi element of it. It was settle in the book until you got into the parts about the Hosts. The one book this reminded me of is The Host I might be wrong and this could be time for a re read of this book. I did not like the cheating in this book but still enjoyed the story as a whole. I really enjoyed the concepts of Hosts where they can rent their bodies out for a limited number of hours and have no memory afterwards of what was done to them. There are specific rules regarding a hosts body that the renter has to follow or the body will be recalled by their handler. Things start to wrong the second Veronica has her first booking. Instead of no memory of what is happening she is aware of everything her host is doing to her with no control over her body. She is present in her mind but unable to do anything about it.
I don't want to go into to much and spoil the book for those that have read it. But if you enjoy sci/fi with a twist and a bit of a mystery bent to it I would pick it up and give it a go.

[Natalia Monzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! There was so much going on I loved the futuristic world she built up and then the MC dealing with her morals in a world built for the Elite to prosper and the poor to suffer. I love that our MC is a Latina and that the characters are diverse in this book. The drama in this book is perfection! Veronica is struggling to help her family pay the bills after her dad off’s himself so she needs to help out more to pay the bills or they have no way of supporting their family. She decides to sign up for this new program called Hosting where people can borrow her body for the day and she gets paid $10,000 a day. It sounds perfect, she’s supposed to be unconscious the whole 24 hrs while her body is being borrowed by someone else but that’s not the case for Veronica.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, cheating, manipulation, & toxic relationship.

[Kyia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome idea, written very well!