Chasing Starlight
Author: Teri Bailey Black
Genre: YA Historical/Mystery
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ /5
Reviewed: Maya

Set in 1938, Kate Hildebrand has moved to Hollywood to stay with her grandfather, Ollie Hildebrand, silent-film moviestar. I thought the premise for this book was excellent, and I was hoping to finally read something again that would ‘wow’ me, but the whole book was just average. I found the beginning to be very slow and dull, and it wasn’t until around 30% that somebody got murdered. The characters were just okay for me; I didn’t love them but I didn’t hate them. The world-building was adequate and I didn’t really enjoy the historical elements. The time period was much more focused on the Golden Age of Hollywood, which I don’t usually find super fascinating. This book did not grow my interest in the time period, which left me feeling somewhat disappointed. The plot … it was a good idea, but the slow execution didn’t have me constantly wanting more. Every time I would read this book, I felt like it was more of a middle-grade read, not YA. I’m used to quick-paced, grizzly descriptions in my thriller mysteries, so this slow-burn, Hollywood-focused book couldn’t satisfy me. The reason there are three stars is because the book was not terrible. I am sure that many readers would really enjoy this book if they are interested in Hollywood’s history, slow-burns and middle-grade reads - I am just not that kind of reader. Please don’t let this review put this book off your TBR, unless you prefer more thriller-types of mysteries.

This review will be posted on Goodreads and Instagram on the 16th of May, 2020. The links will be added on these dates.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I received this book. Yes, I read the description, but as any avid reader can attest, sometimes descriptions are deceiving. Luckily though, the description for Chasing Starlight was spot on and I loved it!

This novel had me intrigued from the start. Why was Kate moving? Who is her grandfather? Why are there boarders living in the house? What happened to Kate four years ago? The questions just kept on coming because next thing I know, we are thrown into a murder investigation! Who the heck is the murderer?!

We all know that a good murder mystery can be difficult to write, but Black did a phenomenal job. At first I had absolutely no idea who did it. Then I had my suspicions, but second guessed myself all the way up until the killer was actually revealed!! I mean, I was trying to talk it through with my husband and he was like “Abby, I haven’t read the book, stop talking to me!” Okay, understandable, BUT STILL! I love a good mystery that has me feeling like I’m Sherlock Holmes.

I enjoyed how throughout the novel we get to find out more about Kate and Hugo, the love interests in the story. Kate had a traumatic experience and Hugo wants to be more. More than a plumber. More than what he was born into. Just more. I feel like a lot of the book’s audience can relate to either or both characters and that is a reason why I will be recommending this novel to my students and the school librarians. When we find out about Kate’s past, we get to see how through her own determination and with a little help from her new friends, she overcomes. That is a great lesson for young adults to see and read, truly inspiring.

I love that the novel is set in 1938 Hollywood. Not only because it was a refreshing change of scenery for me as a reader, but also because I am a history teacher. From a historical standpoint we get to see the change from silent movies to “talkies” and how that affected a silent movie actor, Kate’s grandfather. It just made me happy that in a novel that I did not think would include a historical reference, I found one. I guess that just makes the history nerd in me giddy!

Oh! Let’s talk about the love interest, Hugo! I did not immediately fall in love with him, but man, when I did, I fell hard! I mean, who wouldn’t swoon over an attractive man who says…

“Maybe I want to fall. Maybe I want to kiss you and never feel solid ground again.”

Ah! Take me now! I would say that the first time we meet Hugo is unconventional for Kate and a little off putting, but he makes large strides very quickly. I just overall like his character, even if he is a murder suspect.

Remember that this is a Young Adult novel. No worries about inappropriate content outside of the murder. Even the murder is chill. One second there isn’t a dead body and the next there is.

And lastly, not only is this novel a murder mystery and young love story, it is a very enlightening book that can teach young people about letting go. Don’t try to control everything. Make choices that are healthy and live in the moment. I think that is a great thing to learn, especially for young people today who get stressed because of family, friends, school, work, etc.

Kate, the main character, says this to Hugo at the very end of the book,

“I’m going to step into the dark and see where life takes me. It’s a little scary, not having my course mapped out, but it’s a big world out there, and I don’t want to be afraid of it.”

That is a great line to live by.

Read this book! You will not regret it. I am definitely recommending to my students and others.

Chasing Starlight releases August 2020.

historical fiction is not something that i normally pick up but i’m SO glad i did in this case. i loved so much about this book from the old hollywood setting to the ragtag side characters to the murder mystery. kate was such a gem, i honestly can’t remember the last time i liked a protagonist this much. and not to be dramatic, but the romance between kate and hugo was everything to me. there was no insta-love and their banter was A++. i was rooting for them since day 1 ok 🥺🥺🥺 in all, this was a fun and light-hearted read that i recommend to everyone. thank you to macmillan-tor/forge and netgalley for the e-arc. ♡

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a digital ARC of this novel.

I don't really care for celebrities and their dramas, but i think I have a soft spot for fictional stories set in old Hollywood, and this novel was just another proof of it.
This was a very pleasant experience. It had an interesting plot, an interesting setting and interesting characters. I don't really have much to say other than it was a nice and quick read. If I have to name a fault, I must admit that for me this novel didn't have that ~spark~ that could have made this iconic, you know, that little indeciphrable thing that makes you go from "hey I'm liking this" to "hey I am absolutely love this". Maybe if the characters and the setting were developed and described in a way a bit more flowery that would have this novel one of my favourite. (I also guessed who the killer was, but I don't know if it was the book that made it easy or it was just me, lol).
Overall this, as I said before, was a pleasant read and I would definitely reccomend it to someone who's looking for a light and nice read.

This book has a super fun premise: YA historical thriller set in the Golden Age of Hollywood + murder mystery. And I'll admit it, I love the splash of pink hair on the cover!

I did enjoy the juxtaposition of glamorous Hollywood and the realities of struggling actors boarding together in a run-down house quite a bit. And I appreciated that the story pointed out inequities in Hollywood that are still largely true today. Unfortunately, the rest of the story was a case of it's not you, it's me. I typically read thrillers, and this reminded me why I should probably stick to them (over lighter mysteries). I tend to like my stories dark. This one was pretty light. It just didn't resonate with me emotionally. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, and the romance element was a larger focus than I would've liked.

I do think a lot of people will enjoy this one, so don't let me deter you from reading if you're up for a sweet, lighthearted mystery! Advanced copy received from Tor Teen via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ending was not a good fit for this book, Hugo would have died from blood loss, and Reuben could not have left his boss unless he either testified against him or the boss was killed.

This was good. I enjoyed the characters and the story but it didn’t stand out to me so I gave it 3 stars. It was a fun quick read though so I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for that!

Chasing Starlight is a thrilling murder mystery set against the glamorous backdrop of 1930s Hollywood. Kate Hildebrand moves across country to stay with her estranged Grandfather, a reclusive former movie star, and his house of misfit lodgers. Although initially swept up in the excitement of the movies, things soon turn sinister as a man is found dead in her Grandfather's home...

To begin with, I wasn't sure about the book - I loved Kate and how completely unapologetic she was about her own intelligence and capabilities, but a lot of the other characters were introduced in a mad rush and I struggled to connect with any of them. However, this improved significantly as the book went on and I got to know the boys better as individuals.

This story is full of secrets, making for some really brilliant twists. The suspense builds slowly as the book unfolds, and I was impressed by the ending!

The relationship between Kate and her Grandfather was one of my favourite parts. Initially strangers, it was beautiful to see the trust and love develop between them, and I wasn't far off tears by the end!

This review will be posted to Goodreads and Amazon closer to the release date.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!

Chasing Starlight was definitely a step outside of my comfort zone. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but a lot of what I’ve read has skewed older – usually Regency era, some Victorian – and those time periods don’t really work for me, so I thought I’d try out something a bit more recent. I definitely found it more enjoyable than a lot of the historical fiction I’ve read before, and I think the setting was the highlight of this book. It had some slight Evelyn Hugo vibes with the golden age of Hollywood going on, and it made for an excellent backdrop to the events that unfold.

The book is also a mystery, which again I wouldn’t consider a favourite of mine, and that aspect of the story didn’t work so well for me. There was nothing wrong with it per se, I just wasn’t hugely invested in finding out who the killer was. I’m very easy to please when it comes to mysteries; I’ll point my finger at every red herring and go “Aha! It was him! No wait, it was her! Hang on – it was definitely them!” I’m definitely not hard to trick, and I didn’t suss out the twist at all. That being said, I just wasn’t that invested in the murder mystery plot as a whole.

I didn’t feel much of an attachment to any of the characters, aside from aging actor Ollie, who’s been hiding in his house suffering from intense agoraphobia for many years. Ollie was a sweetheart and I loved him, but nobody else really stood out to me. They don’t feel hugely developed, and a lot of the character work feels flimsy Kate, for example, is a budding astronomer – hence the title – but this doesn’t really play into the plot and is quickly forgotten about, aside from the odd throwaway mention of moons and stars. This might explain why I also felt that the romantic subplot was a bit lacklustre; the love interest wasn’t massively developed either, and his main personality trait was ‘hot.’

The book has an interesting premise, plenty of twists, a colourful cast of characters and, as mentioned, a setting to die for – but overall I felt very neutral about it. 3/5 stars.

Fun setting, terrific mystery, engaging writing, and meh romance. I liked it! Longer RTC near release date.

Chasing Starlight was a gem of a book – what drew me in first was the cover and that hot pink hair, not going to lie, but when I read the description of this taking place on Hollywood in the 1930’s I was sold.

Kate Hildebrand is the main character with a traumatic childhood past that made her unfortunately famous in a way she doesn’t enjoy. Her grandfather is Oliver Banks, a former silent movie star, and Kate is cast away from her god awful aunt and sent to live with her grandfather thanks to her new uncle. Seriously, her aunt is the worst. Kate doesn’t know her grandfather when she arrives and she certainly didn’t know that her grandfather is housing 4 different men as boarders. One of those boarders ends up murdered and Kate decides to try and figure out who did it and make sure her grandfather isn’t blamed.

What I loved about this novel is that each character has their own personality that you really enjoy. The boarders (Hugo, Reuben, Aurelio, and Lemmy) are all really enjoyable even if some are a little smary, her neighbor Bonnie (fledgling actress) and her mother are definitely like Judy Garland and her stage mother, her grandfather Ollie has a lot of layers and discovering what drives him was interesting, and Kate is a great Nancy Drew feminist who wants to be an Astronomer and is working on making herself a better person.

A lot of the novel takes place on the Falcon Pictures back lot and as someone who is endlessly fascinated with Hollywood these scenes were some of my favorites. I loved Kate taking charge and talking about how there needs to be more women in Hollywood and there’s some fun interactions with people working on the set.

The who-dun-it aspect of the novel was also fun and I enjoyed the process of getting to the big reveal and the subsequent action revealing everything. The only complaint I had was some of the story was a little slow, but the mystery was a lot of fun to explore.

4.5/5 stars – this book comes out in August and you should definitely check it out!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This one was a real page turner and I loved the old Hollywood setting! Kate is an interesting character with a pretty awful backstory. But she doesn’t let it destroy her, even though it can haunt her at times. I also really loved Hugo. He was my favorite character of the story along with Ollie. I just wanted to see a little more sparkly stars in the buildup if the relationship between Hugo and Kate. However, there were some super cute moments but I wanted more, deeper. The mystery aspect was good! I liked trying to guess who might have done the murders then wondering if I was wrong. Overall, a fun story and the perfect distraction!

To start loved the cover. I found this book a little slow, but I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it. It is not the usual sort of book I go for and I am going to read it again . So yes 4 stars a good read, worth spending your time on.

Chasing Starlight is an amazing mystery and coming of age story. Kate makes it very clear that no matter what she is in charge and she will make everything better. The story is centered around her relationships with her grandfather and the guys he lives with as much as the mystery. Bringing in the film aspects made for an amazing change of pace and sometimes made me forget about the mystery all together. I think that speaks volumes because you are never sure what is really going on because you are always following Kate. It's been a very long time since I've gotten through a mystery novel and not known who had done it by the end. Kate and Hugo along with the other boys make for a good laugh and the way Kate starts off in the house makes for a good laugh at the beginning. I have to say I will read anything else from Teri Black because of how well she writes her characters and brings them to life on the page.

Please note: I received a digital ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Chasing Starlight by Teri Bailey Black is crime noir chic goodness! Lets start with the cover...Beautiful! I really like the black and white color scheme with the pop of bright hot pink hair and gilded gold lettering. The imagery invokes the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Chasing Starlight is the story of Kate, a young woman with a traumatic past on a journey to find her way in the world. A turn of events forces Kate to leave her plush socialite lifestyle and move to Hollywood with her former mega movie star grandfather Ollie. When she arrives, Kate finds Ollie living in a dilapidated mansion with a motley crew of house boarders. This eclectic bunch find themselves thrust in the middle of a murder investigation, and need to try and solve the crime before they take the blame or worse become the next victim.

These characters should not work together but they do! I was rooting for each of them to succeed. Kate is smart and resourceful and Ollie is kooky but lovable. Each character brings their own unique flavor to this wonderful nostalgic world Teri Bailey Black has created. I could really imagine the clothing, homes, and movie sound stages.

If you are a fan of film noir, clean murder mysteries, old hollywood, and plot twists... then go read this book! This gem published by Tor Teen is set to release on June 9 th, and is available for pre-order from all major booksellers. I give Chasing Starlight 4 out of 5 gems. I cannot wait to read more stories by this author.

This was a well written book, that was intriguing at first, but I ended up getting a little bored. I liked the characters okay, the mystery was pretty good, everything wrapped up nicely, the romance was just okay. This was a very middle of the road, good enough book for me. I could just never get to the place where I was really loving it for some reason. It was easy to pick up and enjoy for a little while but also easy to walk away from without wondering what would happen next. I like the cover, but I don't think it really fits the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Teen for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings are my own.

Okay, first. This cover. I love the black and white, with gold writing, and the red hair. Omg. I saw it and immediately wanted to know what it was about. It just popped!

I did a twitter thread of my thoughts while reading! You can see it here! It was my first one, but I’m hoping to continue. It was fun to live react to the book!

Okay, let’s get into this review! The book had sort of a slow start for me. I was excited about an old Hollywood murder, but the first 30% was Kate moving in with her silent movie star granddad and his “unsavory borders”. Her granddad isn’t so famous anymore, and it shows. Kate eventually comes around, but man it takes a while.

At 30% the murder happens. I think it’s about to pick up! Which it did, but it was still a little slow. Also I found it weird the guy was murdered in their house, and they just cleaned up and kept living there like it was no big thing? Like, I would move. I would have to. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

The investigation was a little slow going, and at one point it felt like there was more than one mystery. I kept up fine, but it was just a lot happening, but not a lot happening at the same time? I don’t know how else to explain it.

Chasing Starlight is set in the 1930s. I know at that point in time, women were supposed to look pretty and be homemakers. But multiple things were said by men AND women that just made me cringe. Like, don’t talk about your astrology. You’re only as important as your husband. Like I said, I KNOW this is typical for that time, and Kate does fight against it, but it still just made me mad!

The characters were all okay. None of them really stuck out to me except Ollie, the granddad. He was super fun! I would love to hang out with him one day. There was romance, but it didn’t really stick out to me either. I would say it was like a slow burn, enemies to lovers, but like, it’s SUPER SLOW.

I did honestly enjoy this book. If I hadn’t been playing Overcooked 2 all weekend, I’m sure I could have finished it in a day. It’s a quick read that’s a standalone with a nice, wrapped up ending. I loved that I knew who dunnit, why they did it, and where everyone ended up! It’s a super easy mystery to read, and I think it’s worth a try, especially if you like old school Hollywood!

Chasing Starlight Review

WOW. I loved this book! And now I want everyone to read it! I didn’t want to stop reading it whenever I needed to do something, because the story was so compelling and well-written that it was hard to put down.

The setting is Hollywood in the 1930s, which was a really fun and unique setting! I’m not sure, but I don’t think I’ve read another book set in that time and location. The details were engrossing, and I felt as though I were really there with Kate and Hugo and all the other characters!

Speaking of characters, what an awesome cast! There is a wide range of people, some eccentric, all interesting, and the characters are all unique enough that I never forgot who was who. I really loved Kate especially; it was so fun to experience Hollywood and to try to solve the mystery with Kate as the main character.

The mystery was very well done! I love mysteries and have read a lot, so usually I’m able to make pretty good guesses about the villain. But when I was about 3/4 of the way through, I told my husband that I had no idea who the murderer was, nor did I know what the motivation could be! The author did an excellent job of laying red herrings, and the ending was great!

I also really loved the romance. It took a little time for them to start to care about each other, and it progressed naturally through the book. I’m not a huge fan of instant-love, so I liked the pacing of this romance. I appreciated that it was clean, and I really enjoyed the scenes where the characters were falling in love.

I’m going to be telling all my friends and family about this book because I want everyone to read it! This is my favorite book that I’ve read so far this year, and I can’t wait to read other books by this author!

Content:
Swearing: mild, infrequent swearing
Romance: sweet, some kissing

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story is a set in the golden age of Hollywood and is a beautifully written noir type mystery. Kate, our main character, is intelligent, resourceful, and was extremely well written. I loved how she was just trying to find her place in the world while escaping the shadows of her grandfather's fame and the traumatic kidnapping that happened to her. The boarders honestly made the book for me, especially in the first quarter. I loved the quirky humor and the characters' dynamic; reminded me quite a bit of old 80's sitcoms in parts. If there is one thing this author does amazing it is her characters. Only have a couple of negatives. The queer representation was lacking, but I suppose not every book needs everyone represented to still be a good story. I also really didn't find myself invested in the romance. I loved the love interest to bits but I just didn't care about if Kate ended up with him. The cover is also a bit unfortunate. It's not really representative of the awesome story inside and almost turned me away from it. All in all a solid mystery and a nice little romp. 4/5

4.25/5 stars

Yes.

Also, please tell me I'm not the only one who actually likes the cover?? I'm usually not a fan of covers like these, but I actually like this one! Gives me a sort of modern-day Jessica Rabbit/Marilyn Monroe feel to it. I dunno, might be me.

Anyways, this was a really well done mystery! It's set against an Old Hollywood backdrop, which I am all on board for. Maybe not the best comparison, but I get some Who Framed Roger Rabbit? vibes. (Well, the film's mystery I mean. Not the book. The book is so different than it's movie adaptation [[book:Who Censored Roger Rabbit?|765430]]). I found myself sucked into this book, but I did find a few things to be more predictable than it should've been. Characters are also well done, but some of the side characters we focus on could've been more fleshed out. Despite that, it was a really well done YA murder mystery, and I'll definitely be getting my hands on a physical copy.