I've been trying to love this book, but I can't do it. It's a basic paint-by-numbers spy story - there are a few interesting twists here and there, but not enough to sustain my interest. It is generally well thought out with characters that seem unique on paper, but I think that's the problem. It is such an averagely competent book that does nothing new with all the potential it has.

The characters are fine. The premise is fine. Everything is just fine, but it's not enough. I couldn't get attached to any of the characters, let alone the protagonists. I will say this - if you have never read a YA book with a strong female protagonist, you will love Sydney. If you have, she is entirely forgettable. And I would say that tracks with the rest of the book. If you have never read a book about a celebrity with hidden insecurities, you will love Winter... etc. I really wish there was more done with the main antagonist at least. There were a lot of opportunities to create sympathy for the antagonist (foils!!) or at least complexity, and while I could understand them on some level, it wasn't really enough to get me emotionally invested. For how much I felt like nothing happened, I still felt like we didn't get a proper resolution for half of the plot threads introduced.

It's not a bad book, technically. But I personally was not interested in it at all, and I was expecting a lot more depth than I got. It's an alright spy adventure and it reads like it's for a much younger audience than it seems to be marketed towards, so this could definitely work as a lower-age YA book.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!)

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu is another amazing book from Marie Lu! She always hits it out of the park and the story is amazing!

I was trying to think of which of my March ARCs I should read before I start my April ARCs, and I decided on this book, feeling like I needed something fun and purely escapist as a palate cleanser before I started a pretty thriller-heavy month for me. Plus, I’ve never read a Marie Lu book before (I know, late to the game, right?) and I just wanted to give her writing a try, even though I know this isn’t her usual game.

While not perfect, this book is a ton of fun! Is it absolutely over-the-top ridonkulous? Yes, yes it is! Is it, as described inside, Kingsmen meets The Bodyguard? It totally is! Do I care about how much I had to suspend my disbelief? Heck-to-the-NO!

Marie Lu is an admitted fan of BTS, and when I sent my bestie (who is also a BTS fan) the summary of this book, my bestie said, “OMG I know exactly who she based Winter Young on!”. I could only laugh, because I am an occasional BTS listener and don’t know the difference between any of them. Winter Young, the male protagonist in this book, may be a pop superstar on par with the Taylor Swift’s of the world in this book in terms of stardom, but he’s much poorer in terms of family and the people who truly know him and love him. His brother died when he was a kid, his dad didn’t want him, and his mother hasn’t been able to really look at him or be around him since his brother passed. The three people closest to him, his manager and two main backup dancers, don’t even know about his brother. So really, no one truly knows him completely.

If you know me and have read a good deal of my reviews, then you know how much I love female spies and assassins. Our female protagonist is Sydney Cossette (also known as The Jackal), who works for The Panacea Group, the secret black ops company who recruits Winter for a secret mission to help take down one of the richest men in the world by having him perform at his daughter’s massive, private birthday gala while Sydney does her dirty work behind the scenes. She’s to pose as Winter’s bodyguard while Winter gets to know and distracts the birthday girl. Sydney was recruited by The Panacea Group at 15 when one of their agents was accompanying the CIA on a recruitment mission at her high school. The CIA couldn’t use her, but she was perfect for The Panacea Group. Eager to escape her nightmare life in her small town, Sydney left that day to become an international spy and never looked back. She feels alone too, clinging to her handler almost like he’s her father and keeping a great deal of secrets. (And can I just tell you how tickled I was that the girl from the poor side of the tracks had the last name Cossette? Shout out to Les Mis fans.)

Beyond these two protagonists, this book is like a popcorn movie hyped up on coffee, fandom, BAMF females, pretty boys, shiny toys, and glittering fun. It’s a quick, page-turning read that might actually make a solid movie or animated film. If you just want some escapism in a world less ordinary, pick it up!

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All views, ideas, thoughts, and opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Contemporary Romance/YA Romance/YA Fiction/Book Series/Coming of Age/Espionage Thriller/LGBTQ Friendly/YA Book Series/YA Drama/YA Mystery/YA Suspense/YA Thriller

This was a sweet spy/bodyguard romance. Sydney kind of reminded me of Annie from the show Covert Affairs (especially in the last few seasons when she is hiding a lung condition from her employers). The characters were multidimensional enough to really root for them. I was hesitant to read a "pop star" book, but I liked Winter a lot. It was a little bit confusing how the biochemical weapon worked since they used it in multiple ways, but it didn't detract from the story too much. I don't know that I'll continue the series, but it was a fun action novel for when I wanted something light.

<i> Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. </i>

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Probably 2.5 stars I had a hard time with this one. I requested it because of the author, but I am sure I compared it to books of hers that I like, and that made it fall short. It was a typical teen romance with not much basis to the developing love. The twists and secret weapons and stuff were cool, but it wasn’t enough to pull my rating up. I like the main characters on their own. I like the diversity. I like the strength given to females here. But couldn’t see what all of a sudden brought these two together in strong like. I see there’s possibility for a sequel, but I wont be reading it. That all being said, I can see some teens liking this, and it’s pretty clean other than some kissing and referenced to past love history, which was mild. There’s some violence but nothing crazy graphic, in my opinion. I just wanted more substance. Love the cover as it’s one of the things that sucked me in.

enjoyed it but definitely shouldn’t be marketed as a romance! More of a spy book with a romance sub plot.

I am always a fan of Marie Lu's writing and this delivered as expected! Super fun, mission impossible type vibes, I was very into the mission and the dramatics! The characters were great, Sydney had major June energy which I loved, and Winter definitely read like Jimin/Jungkook (not sure if that was intentional but I was there for it!). Overall, a fantastic read, I just went in expecting a more romance heavy book

TW: betrayal, manipulation, gunfire, injuries

A superstar and a spy go undercover in this action adventure thriller.
✨
When secret agency Panacea taps pop superstar Winter Young for a top secret mission, he’s definitely confused as to why they would choose him, but when he finds out his deceased older brother worked for them too, he’s all in. Although he might change his mind after meeting his snarky partner, Sydney Cossette. She’s been a part of the agency for a while, joining when she was in her teens to escape a dead end town, an absent father and a mother who had just died. She has a gift for languages and is ready for a promotion. This op will get her there if only she can get along with her new partner. As the two go undercover they realize this mission is more complicated and dangerous than they ever knew.
💨
Marie Lu’s Legend series and Warcross duology are my ultimate novels from her, but this is now a close second. I really enjoyed this young adult almost new adult adventure book as it had all the elements of an action movie—something we haven’t seen from Lu before. She normally does dystopian, fantasy and sci-fi so this was such a nice surprise to see something different, but very awesome from her. Can’t wait for the sequel!

CW: violence, kidnapping, guns, death, murder, poisoning, hospitalization, death of a parent, death of a sibling (both recounted), parental abandonment, emotional abuse, depression, blackmail, drug smuggling

Book Review: Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

Stars and Smoke is a young adult spy novel and thriller about a pop star that pairs up with a special ops team to bring down a billionaire arms dealer.

Winter Young is a pop star and world wide phenomenon that is approached by a clandestine group (Panacea) to act as a covert operative when he performs at a private concert for a billionaire’s teenage daughter. Winter is paired up with an experienced spy (Sydney Cossette) and sparks immediately fly. The two will have to navigate a weekend of galas and events in order to find the players involved in a deadly arms deal. But the plan goes sideways and the two will have to depend on each other (and their growing feelings) to save the mission and themselves.

Stars and Smoke is a more at the upper end of YA but I wish Marie Lu took it even further. I think both characters could have been aged up even further with more realistic violence (Sydney was always knocking various goons out with her gun instead of just outright killing them) and romance. There is a lot of heat and tension between the two characters that could have created a love scene or two but it’s actually quite chaste. I also found the two characters overly mature and accomplished for their ages and I think they would have worked on the page even better as 21-24 year olds. I do look forward to more books in the series (mostly to see Winter again) and what their relationship and spy work will look like in the future.

Overall, this was a fast paced and fun teen spy novel.
3.5 stars

Winter Young is an international pop sensation who is still grieving the death of his older brother, Artie, and wondering if something is lacking in his life. Sydney Cossette is a spy for a covert ops group, Panacea, who has learned to rely on nobody but herself. When Panacea approaches Winter about putting on a private concert for the daughter of a major crime boss so that Sydney can obtain incriminating documents while the family is otherwise occupied, Winter sees this as an opportunity to do something important and meaningful. Sydney, on the other hand, is less than thrilled about having a useless pretty boy for a partner, but she soon realizes that there’s more to Winter than meets the eye.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed both of the main characters and their backstories, but I didn’t really buy the whole “enemies-to-lovers” storyline that the publisher is pushing. Winter and Sydney worked well together, and they definitely forged a solid friendship along the way, but I didn’t feel much of the smoldering romance that they were supposed to be developing. Still, I look forward to reading more books in this series.

Recommended for gr. 7-12. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a fun, suspenseful, YA novel with music stars and spies and chemical warfare all rolled into one tumultuous ride! I can see this book being very appealing to anyone from 7th-12th grade and beyond. The ending is perfect and has just enough left unspoken to make you wish you had access to the next book. Marie Lu is good at what she does. I would have loved for a little bit more character development and also more on the blooming romance between Winter and Sydney. That relationship jumped from slight glances to strong desire way too quickly in my opinion. Otherwise, great story!

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu is (so far) a standalone, mildly enemies to lovers YA thriller romance. It is such a fun read that was hard to put down.

I very much enjoyed this break from reality - there is even a delightful twist near the end that was so much fun to see. The story is so easy to read, with story elements that flow together beautifully. There is a second chance at the life she wants for the female main character and the excitement of a new challenge for the male. The climax and resolution were well done and I sincerely hope this will be a series!

- STARS AND SMOKE is a joyride of a book, smashing together genres of YA, romance, thriller, and more. It's a little enemies to lovers, a little forced proximity, a little bodyguard, and a lot of fun.
- The covert mission and all the gadgets for it were ridiculous and awesome. But even aside from the over the top mission, main characters Winter and Sydney shone, feeling like real people with real insecurities and needs.
- Additionally, Winter is bisexual and Sydney has a chronic illness, both of which are part of the story but not the whole story, which I love.

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was such a fun and easy read - definitely a young adult book.

A 19 year old pop sensation is recruited by a super secret spy agency to help take down a notorious crime boss with his body guard. Who just so happens to be a 19 year old world class spy.

While it had plenty of deep and emotional moments, the book as a who was full of cheesy moments, funny scenes, and a few surprise twists.

If you’re looking for romance this isn’t the book you’re looking for, while there is a slow burn element between our main characters, there really isn’t much else than occasional flirting.

Overall it was fast paced and easy to read! I’m also obsessed with the beautiful cover!

Thank you so much to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for me honest opinion!
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Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Roaring Brook Press for an eARC!

Enemies to lovers, pop star turned spy, and a bodyguard with an attitude?! I absolutely adored Stars and Smoke! Marie Lu is one of my favorite authors and she has this innate ability to captivate readers with her writing. I highly recommend adding Stars and Smoke to your TBR!

Another great one from MarieLu. I loved the dynamic between Winter and Sydney. Sydney is all rough around the edges and doesn’t want to let anyone in and Winter is very chill. They make a great pair trying to get into the Crime Boss’s Inner Circle. This book had a lot of twist and turns that I was expecting. Especially the ending. It looked like it was going to go one way but thankfully turned and went the other way.
This book gave off some good Legend vibes. I loved it. I can’t wait to see what more MarieLu has instore for our good friends Winter and Sydney.
Thank you to the author for my review copy. These words are my own.

This was so much fun! It was fast-paced and full of excitement and danger and thrilling spy action. It was also full of popstar concert vibes. I found myself thinking 'BTS' over and over again and having to convince myself that, no, Winter Young is not modeled on BTS. And then lo and behold I find in the author's note that Marie Lu is ARMY too and was thinking of BTS after all. Ha! I knew Winter's extreme charisma and humbleness and ability to connect with people and pick up choreography and training immediately were familiar.

I loved Winter Young as a character. Yes, his resemblance to the various BTS members made me love him more, but he was charismatic and a sympathetic character in his own right and easy to root for.

Sydney was cold and hard and buried her vulnerabilities deep behind her walls, but Winter was able to bring them out and make her a more relatable and sympathetic character. They made a fabulous team and I can't wait to see them team up again.

I did guess the big bad pretty early on, but it was fun seeing how it all played out. That sort of thing doesn't bother me as I'm there for the overall experience of the story, but for people who want to be surprised by the twists it might be frustrating. Then again, Marie Lu did hide it pretty well.

I was glued to the pages the whole time I was reading and there was never a moment where I was bored or frustrated with the story. It all flowed really well and was so fast-paced I never got a chance to breathe and get drawn away from it. I'll definitely be picking up the next one.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Bookishfirst, and Macmillan Children's for providing an early copy for review.

Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu is a well developed and intriguing spy novel where a teen pop idol turned international spy works to bring down dangerous criminals with secret agent Sydney Cosette. Winter and Sydney make the perfect protagonist duo in this novel and the plot is so captivating and intriguing. Though at first they don't get along, eventually they learn to lean on each other and work to their respective strengths and be each other's safe harbor. I really enjoyed this fast faced read and the action/adventure aspects of the story. Even though there were times that the story feels a bit predictable, the plot was still fun and engaging and keeps you hooked and wanting to read more. Stars and Smoke is a bit of a different read than Marie Lu's other works but will still resonate with her fan base. It is jam-packed with action and adventure!

A solid spy novel where a teen pop idol is turned into an international spy to bring down a high level criminal. When the mission gets a curve thrown in him and his co-spy work together to continue fighting. High action with some solid character growth thrown in. A great read for teens looking for something fun and fast with a tad bit of romance.

Fun beginning with interesting characters. I just couldn't get into it. Kept trying. I haven't been reading much YA lately, even though I enjoy it, so it could just be a mood read issue. Recommended -- well written and intriguing high-concept.

Sydney works for a covert ops group that works in the shadows and she is determined to become the best agent while keeping everyone at arm's length. Winter is a global superstar selling out concerts and albums worldwide. The unlikely duo must work together on a mission to infiltrate a crime organization. While at first the don't get along, they discover there's more than meets the eye and their respective strengths help them succeed in their mission. Fans of Joe Shine and Ally Carter will like this one.