Stars and Smoke had all of Marie Lu's charm and wit but lacked the plot and worldbuilding that drew me into her other books.

Summary of the book: When a mob boss invites Winter, a rising pop star, to perform a private concert for his daughter, a secret organization sees the chance. They approach Winter with an offer: help uncover evidence of the boss's crimes and Winter will gain information about his brother. Sydney, a loner agent well known for her skills with languages, is sent to pose as Winter's bodyguard and help expose the crime ring. Nothing goes to plan, and they both end up getting a lot more than they bargained for.

Winter and Sydney were both likable on their own, but the enemies-to-lovers felt forced. Syndey judged Winter unfairly and he naturally was defensive after that. Since there was no reason for their tension, the "enemies" part was corny and superficial for what were two great characters. They were starting to form mutual respect and trust for each other when we jumped into a make-out scene. A slow burn or friends-to-lovers would have been more natural in the plot line.

The plot really shows that this is Lu's first time in the thriller genre. The story was very average, and all of the betrayals and twists I could have seen coming blindfolded. I did love her creativity with the different spy gadgets she made, but that was all in terms of worldbuilding. In her fantasy novels, her extremely detailed world-building lent itself to crazier plot lines, and without that combination, everything was exceedingly average.

It was not a bad read, I just can't connect that the same author who wrote Kingdom of Back wrote this as well.

As always, a huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan's publishing group for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun, fast paced read featuring a rivals to lovers romance between a pop star and his undercover spy bodyguard. Winter Young is asked to help with a mission to bring down the crime boss father of one his biggest fans, and Sydney is his assigned partner in super secret spying. Overall, a cute story with some tender moments and a surprising twist. Excited to see where the series leads!

I loved this sexy, silly, thriller. Not quite a enemies to lovers romance, and not quite an action packed adventure, this story of secret spy meets lovelorn superstar was a fun romp for a good weekend adventure read.

Not quite my cup of tea, but I could totally see it being someone else's.

Despite the fact that the main characters are both 19, this book definitely leans far more YA than NA in terms of tone and maturity of the characters. As you can imagine, it has an inherently Wattpad-y feel to it, and you definitely need to be prepared to suspend a lot of disbelief in regards to the overall premise and its execution. However, it has plenty of fun moments, and clearly gave Marie Lu liberty to write out her wildest dreams of what could be achieved with unlimited money and next generation spy technology.

Admittedly, I think the plot itself was stronger than the romance was. To me, I just couldn't see what was supposedly drawing Winter and Sydney to one another outside of a mutual admiration for the other's competence. Considering they've both had lives that have led them to meet a lot of other interesting and successful people, I just wasn't convinced there was anything between them that made the other so unlike anyone else they'd ever met— no matter how many times it was stated that they couldn't stop thinking about one another.

I did appreciate the various diversity rep we got in this book, though! We got to have Winter just casually be bi (or pan) without anyone making a big deal of it, there were several queer side characters, and most of the named characters were BIPOC.

I was mainly interested in reading this book solely on the basis of my undying loyalty to Marie Lu. I think that if the premise sounds interesting to you, and you're prepared for some Wattpad-ish levels of absurdity, you should give it a try!

*4.25 stars*
First and foremost, this was a really fun book! The characters were fun and easy to root for, and were well fleshed out. The plot was exciting and full of action and delightfully twisty and turny. I found myself holding my breath at several moments wondering what would happen next.
I also think this book would make a really good action movie!
My biggest issues and the reason it didn't get a full five stars were that the romance was a little too insta-love for my liking, and some of the gadgets/ technologies were a bit too convenient. However, these things are easy to overlook and are really a matter of personal taste. The characters are so well developed and the things they go through make sense for their arcs and for their romance. And the gadgets are a bit unbelievable, but they make the plot more fun (and I think would translate well on the screen).
All in all, I definitely recommend this book if you're a fan of action movies and romances!

I love Marie Lu and was so excited to see that she had come out with a romance novel! Especially since we all know her for her Sci-Fi!

Fun concept of a pop star becoming a spy and him falling for his body guard. All of the characters were so snarky while still being relatable. This was a quick read and fast paced. I was able to read it all in one sitting!

I hope she writes more romance novels because this was such a treat!

I didn’t like the writing style and I find it slow and I didn’t like the characters . I will try and read more of her works ,I’m sure there are best books of hers !

Winter Young is an international pop sensation. Everyone across the world knows his name. But then why does he always feel so lonely? He thought star power was the answer, but it doesn't seem to be combating the loneliess. On the opposite end, Sydney Cossette is a Panacea agent, a covert spy unit. Someone who's comfortable being on her own.

When the two are paired together to take down a major crime boss, at first, it doesn't seem like they'll get along. In order to infiltrate a private concert, Sydney acts as his bodyguard. And maybe, just maybe, there's more to Winter Young than meets the eye. And even Sydney isn't immune to his charms.

Thanks to Macmillan Children's and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu to review! It's Marie Lu, so I knew that I was in for a treat. I always know I can expect action with a side of romance with any of her books!

This is being advertised as enemies to lovers, which I wouldn't quite say fits the central romance. Since Winter and Sydney aren't exactly enemies. And they're not really rivals? More like--unwilling co-workers turned lovers. Is that a thing? Either way, I loved their evolving romance and the chemistry between them was well done. I also can't think of that many spy novels written specifically for older teens, so this is a great addition!

The pacing of this book was spot on. With Marie Lu, you can always expect something fast-paced that is going to keep you on your toes the whole time. This book is no different! Perhaps it isn't my favorite book of hers, but I can see it bringing a lot of new fans her way. Especially with all of the comp titles this one is given. There are a lot of big names there, too!

I think this is the start of a new series, so be on the lookout for more adventures from Sydney and Winter in the future!

Stars and Smoke is an absolute whirlwind of an adventure! I’ve always loved Marie Lu’s innovative concepts and Stars and Smoke is no exception. Lu does an exceptional job fusing multiple genres (spy thriller, action-adventure, bodyguard romance) to create a breath of fresh air in the upper-YA cannon, a space I’ve begun to feel is demanding increasingly unique concepts amidst the threat of over-saturation. The writing style is very fluid and streamlined, making the book wildly bingeable and the entire reading experience very exciting; this entire book read very much like a cinematic spy movie à-la Mission: Impossible.

Marie Lu’s characters and their relationships have always been her strength and Winter and Sydney are no exception. Their chemistry was palpable, but Lu did a great job of developing their emotional bond following their initial physical attraction. Their romance was well-paced and developed naturally, especially as they learned to trust and open up to each other. Lu deftly handles both MC’s traumas, providing nuance I rarely see given genre conventions. I was glad to see the way she subverts traditional family troubles and childhood trauma—Lu sheds some much-needed light on various types of relationships and disorders I rarely see represented. I also really enjoyed the supporting cast and their easy diversity, especially the relationship between Sauda and Niall. None of the characters fall into archetypes even though it’s easy to since spy thrillers are choked with them.

The only thing that made this a 4.5 star read is the third act. The pacing was good for a majority of the story, but the third act and denouement felt a bit rushed, especially once the hidden antagonist’s identity crystallized. The final battle was well-paced as the emotional arcs climaxed, but the fallout and resolution fell slightly short of my expectations. Everything wrapped up a bit too nicely, including how easily the ramifications that came from Sydney and Winter’s mission concluded. I did, however, appreciate that Lu chose to conclude the book the way she did, hinting at further adventures while maintaining the feeling of a standalone.

Overall, Stars and Smoke was a fantastic escapist read. Marie Lu continues to reach new heights, and I’m looking forward to reading more about Winter and Sydney’s adventures!

4.5 stars

I love Marie Lu and this was an interesting foray for her! It's got her signature amazing action scenes and she does a good job developing the characters. I didn't even look to see what it was about (I saw "Marie Lu" and was like YES PLEASE) so I was surprised when it was a cheesy/campy spy novel of sorts with a BIG romantic thread. And the thing is, spy novels aren't generally my thing. In this one, it kind of felt like nothing happened until the last fifth of the book and then the action hit and it was awesome, but way too short. And the romance didn't do it for me, but that's pretty standard. So yeah, it wasn't for me, but I think it's probably a good next step for folks ready to graduate from the Spy School series to YA.

This was a really solid YA romance/enemies to lovers novel! The premise is really fun and cool. Marie Lu is an amazing storyteller and it shows with how well she can write different tropes and genres.
This novel was a little too YA for my taste, however I will absolutely be purchasing this for my high school library.
Can’t wait for the rest of the series!!

One is never too old to read the Lu’s books. And I can’t ever seem to be egging tired of them. This was such a marvellous read. It had me engaged throughout, I loved the MCs and more than that the elements that were used. Although, it was a low in the beginning, but the pacing picks up pretty well, and the word building was top notch too. Overall i really enjoyed it

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the copy of Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu. I love YA books and Marie Lu is one of my favorite YA authors. If you think you don’t like YA books, try hers, I think Lu’s appeal to all ages because of her crisp writing and her fascinating characters. Winter Young is a superstar! A billionaire hires him to perform at Penelope’s birthday and Sydney, an undercover spy, is hired to be Winter’s bodyguard. Sydney’s real job is to infiltrate the billionaire's criminal organization. I really loved the insight into Winter's life, both professional and personal. His backstory was really well thought out and made him feel realistic. The story was well-paced and if you love action the end was action-packed! I’m not a fan of romance, but there wasn’t an annoying amount so I didn't mind.
I am already anticipating the next book about Winter and Sydney. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This was such an interesting concept, but I found the execution to be rather “meh”. The story DRAGGED and took a while to get through, but as I reflect on it at the end, it doesn’t seem as though much happened. I generally just wanted MORE.

I was given a ARC from NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

Stars and Smoke is a young adult spy/thriller/romance by best selling author Marie Lu. This book is a departure from her usual storylines, and I wish she'd done it sooner! The story follows superstar Winter Young and covert spy Sydney Cossette as they take on one of the world's biggest international criime bosses, Eli Morrison. Morrison's daughter is one of Winter's biggest fans and when he invites Winter to perform at her birthday party, it gives Winter and Sydney a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather the evidence needed to take Morrison and his operations down.
Stars and Smoke delivers on so many fronts. The plot is character-driven with Lu giving dimension to even the side characters. Most enjoyable is the development of Winter and Sydney's relationship which does not begin well. The romantic sub-plot pulls the reader more fully into the plot and adds depth to the storyline. I would be loathe not to mention that Lu also includes one of the best action scenes I've read in a long time. My only criticism is that it felt like the beginning of the story dragged; however, once it got going, I couldn't put it down.
I give Stars and Smoke a solid 4.5 stars, and I can't wait for the sequel!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

Marie Lu has done it again! I could not put this book down. The pacing was perfect and I loved all the twists and turns the story took. The characters are also lovely but what really shines is their chemistry. Sydney and Winter have such incredible banter and I loved following their adventure. It wouldn't be a Marie Lu book without some emotional turmoil so be prepared for that. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast-paced, high-stakes story with characters you can't help but root for.

After loving Marie Lu's Skyhunter duology, I was very excited to read her latest novel. Though I knew Stars and Smoke was out of my usual reading taste, I was optimistic. Unfortunately, this was not for me.

It as very, very young YA which—in a contemporary setting—made it kind of painful to read. Obviously Skyhunter and Legend were also YA so I was shocked by how much younger the writing was in Stars and Smoke. The characters were old enough to be more in the New Adult genre but they acted like children. The character descriptions were over-long and a bit tacky. Winter's angsty attitude and random serious lines were cringe and a bit painful to read.

Stars and Smoke is a fast and fun read but I struggled to take any part of it seriously. The story was predictable and simple which left me wanting a bit more. That being said, I am definitely not the target demographic for this book so I think younger readers will enjoy this a lot!

I thoroughly enjoyed Stars and Smoke! This is exactly what I had hoped for. This is such a fun read and with the added mystery, I literally didn't want to put it down. When I read the synopsis, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Pop Star, Secret Agents, Romance, Enemy to Friends, mystery, the list goes on. But what isn't listed are the deeper issues the characters have and face throughout the story, and I liked seeing their growth along the way.

Sydney Cossette works for Panacea Group (they do special missions that perhaps the CIA would have too much red tape to work around, so the PG takes on cases) and she isn't thrilled when she's told she will be working alongside the superstar, Winter Young. The banter between the two had me laughing at times. This mission packs a whole lot of action and suspense, a few swoon worthy moments, and some twists you won't see coming.

I can easily see myself buying a copy for my bookshelf, as I would read this again.

I enjoyed reading this novel by Marie Lu. The main characters are well rounded; and the dialogue between them is so energetic, it flows. The tension between Winter and Sydney make you feel it thrum through your body. Winter goes undercover for the group Panacea to stop a criminal, with Sydney as the experienced undercover agent. Sydney and Winter have to work hard to fix their differences, so they can solve the case.

Romance! Romance! Romance! A great romcom. It made me happy, and it made me sad. Mostly made me sad when I finished it because I didn’t want it to end