How I wish GoodReads allowed half stars in their ratings system - I want to give this 3.5 stars! A good love story with the backdrop of the music industry - the pair were close friends as teens and secretly in love with each other and are unexpectedly reunited when she is hired to play with the band he manages. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies but it is a nice romantic escape in these weird times we live in!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Toni B is a brilliant guitarist in the Philly music scene with a lot of childhood abandonment issues. She gets an opportunity to fill in for an all woman’s band—The Lillys—as a guitarist but the band’s manager is her teenage BFF who left town without a goodbye eight years ago.

The narrators did an excellent job.

Much to the frustration of my family, I am not into music but I love audiobooks. The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes does a great job of telling the background of what it takes to be a professional musicians and all of the hard work behind the scenes. I found it all very interesting.

I can’t wait for the next book in the series and I hope future books go into each of the other band members.

I loved this story! Toni and Seb had an amazing relationship. I love how they both come with baggage but can see the best in each other. I loved the other relationships developed in the book too. Kayla, Tiff, Lily and Toni created their own bond. I’d love to see all of the band members get their own books!

This book was everything that I needed and love in a book! It had a strong female lead, a trope that I loved, the perfect amount of romance, multiple points of view, and really really did give me Daisy Jones vibes.

The thing that I loved the most about this book though was that Toni stayed true to herself. It was refreshing to see a main character stand firm and still have everything fall in place.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Xio Axelrod, for the advanced listening copy in return for an honest review. I cannot wait for the release next month!!

This book is very cute - it does two things which can be tricky to do well - alternating POVs and flashbacks, but the author balances it well enough that I didn’t have a huge preference for one character. The flashbacks are rare enough that they feel unnecessary though, and ultimately the plots with Toni’s parents just feel unresolved.

I did listen to the audiobook version - the reader for Toni is very good! The reader for Seb is good but not on the same level.

*I received a galley of this audiobook for free in exchange for an honest review

Toni knows cute, curvy girls are a dime a dozen in the music industry. Cute, curvy Black women like her who can play the guitar like Prince and know the difference between Matchbox 20 and 21 Pilots aren’t. Despite her talent, Toni wants to remain in the background; she fears seeking fame after what it did to her mother. But she can’t pass up the opportunity when The Lillys ask her to audition to replace one of its members temporarily. Could this be the start of something that changes Toni’s life?

With Toni joining the band, she reconnects with her childhood friend, Seb, who manages the band. The two ease back into their old familiarity. The pull between them is reignited. Theirs is a story of healing from troubled childhoods and forgiveness. I liked the romance between Toni and Seb but would have liked to see it developed more. Their romance takes a backseat to the story of the band.

The Lillys are on the verge of becoming big. However, the band has a lot of complicated relationships that are holding it back. While this book is definitely Toni's story, it is heavy on the band's backstory. I'm curious to see what's next for this all-girl rock band!

I listened to The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes. Narrator Tamika Simone voices Toni's perspective and narrator
Alexander Cendese takes the chapters from Seb's point of view. Simone brings Toni's mix of desire to achieve big dreams and her hesitancy to seek fame to life. I enjoyed the parts that she narrated. Cendese is best when portraying emotionally wounded Seb, but he struggles with the female voices. I found his high-pitched (and sometimes whiny) voices for the women annoying to listen to at times. Thankfully, most of the story is told from Toni's point of view, so Simone handles the bulk of the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the early listening copy. This voluntary review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.

I received an audio ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Toni Bennette and Sebastian Quigley grew up in the same small Pennsylvania town. Best friends, they dreams of getting out of that town as soon as they could. When Seb left town without her, Toni had to move on without him. Now, Toni is grown and working in Philadelphia as a gig artist. When Toni gets the chance to audition with the up and coming girl rock group the Lillies, she jumps at the chance. Toni is offered a temporarly contract with the band, but there is just one problem. Seb is now serving as the Lillies' manager. She can handle being around him again to live her dream, though, right?

Toni was definitely the star of this book! She is an incredible woman, and I am so happy to hear this book is the first in a series about the Lillies. I can't wait to see where the band goes from here as they truly break out into stardom. Tamika Simone did a great job with her half of the narration. Alexander Cendese was OK, but I did not like how whiny he made Candy's voice. I am not sure how much my opinions of the narrators swayed my opinions of the characters, but I definitely felt Toni's parts were stronger than Seb's. Nonetheless, this was overall a great book!

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Rating: 9/10
Steam:🔥🔥🔥

The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes was a musical love letter, and I loved every moment. The narration switches between the POV of Toni and Seb. They were best friends growing up, but that all ends when Seb leaves Toni behind in their small town in Pennsylvania. Toni and Seb’s paths cross again in the future for this second-chance trope. This romcom contained depth and authentic characters who aim for their dreams no matter what life dissonance they are given. I laughed so many times at the witty banter between the characters and band members. I loved Daisy Jones & The Six, and now Toni B is one of my favorite rockstar characters!

Thank you, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Once she was under the lights, it was too easy to get caught up in it, too easy to accept the adoration"

Growing up Antonia has only her guitar until she meets Sebastian. They had a plan to escape their small town together but when Seb turned eighteen he left her behind without looking back. Now all grown up they reunite when she gets the opportunity to join the indie rock scene.

I didn't like this as much as I wanted to but did think this book did a good job at touching on serious topics like trauma and abuse, and how that was able to bring Seb and Toni closer. Sadly I didn't really like Seb's character or the romance. I felt like their relationship was moving too fast since most of their connection was made in the past, which you see a few time through flashbacks. What kept me interested in this book was Toni and her complicated life and relationships. Overall think this book was okay, it was a quick and unique listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book.. But I listened to the audiobook version and I did finish it, but one of the audiobook readers is just terrible,Alexander Cendese sounds like he swallowed a bunch of glass and is trying to talk.. I have listened to other things that he has done and I can barely stand it, I don't understand how anyone with ears hire this man.. yuck!

Now, On to the book.. This is heartfelt, real tear jerker, poignant story of Antonia Bennett: a musical prodigy.. She is just astonishing, I loved her so much.

The issue is she's also insecure, Her mother abandoned her. Her father mistreated her and her love of her life left her without explanation! You really feel her pain and I just loved it.

I enjoyed this book. The beginning moved a little slowly and almost lost me for a bit but then it picked up and I was hooked. Tony is a great character who is strong although a few times she was annoying. Seb is a bit ridiculous in his waffling back and forth and blaming himself for things he had no control over. Overall a good and fun read!

The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod follows Antonia "Toni" Bennett who is making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Sebastian who grew up with her and left her heartbroken years ago.

While I loved the music aspect of this book I just couldn't get into the romance. The biggest problem of this romance was Seb. I could never find him likable even after revealing his reasons for leaving Toni. I also think that Candy's portrayal was extremely over the top and cartoonish. If the book focused more on Toni or the Lillies I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

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

I really enjoyed this one! I had read a couple of heavy ones so this was a good escape. You can't help but root for Toni and Seb to make it, and a glimpse into what the music industry might really be like was interesting. I recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks, and Dreamscape for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: parental abandonment, addiction, parental abuse (physical)

I am honestly struggling with how to rate this one. First this is not a romance, but a great fiction read with a romance subplot. It ends ambiguously, at best a happy for now.

This was a book you could just feel the passion for music in. It was so beautifully written. As a story about women struggling in music and their own identities, this was a beautiful story. Honestly this was truly Toni's story and I honestly wish it had been single POV to bring that point home. The flashbacks were about her childhood, her abandonment issues. Her journey from dreading the spotting to finding a found family.

But the romance, I struggled. I just did not like Seb. His abandonment (with all of the freaking money). His POV had no backstory, and I understood for plot, but to understood him it was hard. He was a pushover, but also trying to save someone. His intense loyalty to Candy frustrated me. I love a hero gone on his love interest, here he was trying to save everyone else and Toni was a second thought. I just never felt that he cared about her. She forgave him too quickly, suddenly forgetting her abandonment issues. We barely saw them together until more than 50% through the book. I love second chance romances, but this one missed the mark for me.

I enjoyed both audio voices however it got frustrating that the male voice kept doing a valley girl impression anytime he tried to do a woman's voice. For a book about music I honestly wanted more musical undertones in the audiobook or at least singing rather than saying the musical lines. I would recommend reading this one rather than listening.

Rating: 3
Steam: 3

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Toni B has lived anything but a charmed life. Immersed in the music scene literally since birth, she grew up in clubs and bars while her mother performed. But Toni wanted nothing to do with the spotlight. At 12, Toni is sent to live with her father and meets Seb. The two become fast friends and make plans to run away together. They never get the chance when Seb disappears with half the money they've been saving up.

Fast-forward 8 years and Toni is still in the music scene, but has aims to produce. When Toni nails an audition for an up and coming band, not only is she unexpectedly thrusted into the spotlight, she's also placed back into Seb's orbit and he holds the key to her future.

The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes is a love letter to music. You can hear and feel the music through the pages. You can tell that the author has spent significant time in the music industry, because every scene feels so real. I also loved the then and now time that slowly reveals the intricacies of Seb and Toni's tangled past. And some of the twists blew me away. There are complicated connections between characters and events that I did not see coming.

Both characters are deeply flawed and dealing with the remnants of the painful childhoods. But still, Seb and Toni how to help each other heal and their easy chemistry lept off the page. I loved the slow burn romance and I enjoyed seeing their childhood crush develop into a more adult relationship as the book progressed.

My only complaint about the book is that I felt it was a tad slow at the beginning and I had a hard time getting into the story quickly. The middle plot really pulled me in, but by the time we got to the ending, it felt a tad rushed. I still really enjoyed the book! This was just my small sticking point.

Audiobook wise, the app was difficult to navigate. If you speed up the sound, there is a terrible echo that takes some time to get used to. The app would also crash constantly or stop playing when heading into a new chapter. I would have to exit out of the app completely to get the sound to work again. It did not make the listening experience the most smooth or enjoyable at times.

I did, however, love the dual narrators. This is my first audiobook that has done that and I thought it added to the story, hearing different voices.

4.5 stars

The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

A modern music romance!

Synopsis:
Antonia "Toni" Bennette grew up with a mother as an aspiring musician who shipped her off to live with her dad to chase her music dreams. This is when she met Sebastian Quick. The two made plans to leave their small town together and never look back when they turned of age. However, Seb left without her.

Now, Toni is a grown-up, aspiring musician herself. She doesn't want to chase the spotlight like her mother, but when she is given the chance to play in a popular band, she decided to take the opportunity to make a name for herself! This is when she ran back into adult Sebastian. Even though Toni holds resentment for Seb, she realizes he could be the key to her career, and love life.

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this story and the lost friend/enemy to love troupe.
I loved the music scene plot as well!

I think I should have read the book because I think I would have enjoyed it more!
I don't listen to a lot of fictional audiobooks, For this book, there was both a male and female narrator for Seb and Antonia. While they narrated the thoughts of that character, they altered their voice when reading quotes from the other character not currently talking. I'm not sure why, but I didn't love it...

Botton Line: I really enjoyed the story, and I think I would have liked it more if I had read it instead of listened to it!

Thank you to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: May 4, 2021

Thank you Net Galley for a chance to listen to The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes.

This was a second chance romance centered around music. This one fell a little flat for me. I didn't get into the romance. The other story line was okay though. 3 stars.

Thank you, Net Galley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to listen to this ARC on audio book.
The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes was a very cute and fun book to listen to. Knowing almost nothing about the dynamics of being a musician or being in a band, I absolutely enjoyed all of the technical details that were included throughout the story. I feel like they helped me to connect even more to the characters and the plot, while also instilling a whole new appreciation for bands. Many times while listening, I found myself googling different songs and artists, and I must say that within it self was fun as heck! Lol
Though the story is a romance novel, for me, it was so much more. The story was told from the POV of 2 different character, Antonia and Seb, however, however the supporting characters also had a place and a bit of character development that helped to breathe more life and depth to the story. It wasn’t just about love or the loss of love. The story is about family, both biological and chosen. It’s about loss. And, It’s about dealing with past traumas.
I noticed that the author has a few books listed as #1 but no follow ups yet, while I think this makes a good stand alone, I would not be disappointed in book 2, as I would love to see how all of the characters are doing and how some unresolved plot lines re appear.

Reviewing
The Girl With The Stars In Her Eyes
By Xio Axelrod
Narrated by Kathleen MaInerney

Honestly, LOVE is not strong enough to express my feeling for this radiant 2021 romantic release from the author of “When Frankie Meets Johnny,” Xio Axelrod.

This unique, second chance, childhood romance takes place in the cutthroat world of the music industry. Axelrod utilizes her firsthand knowledge to add depth to the The Lillys, and all female band, journey to stardom.

Every character is dramatically intriguing but the powerful connection between Toni and Seb takes center stage in The Girl With The Stars In Her Eyes. Toni and sent forged a bond years ago as they struggled through similar circumstances. They share a love of music, abusive fathers, unreliable living circumstances, and a need to break free. Will these two finally get a chance at happiness?!?

I think I’ve made it pretty obvious that you all HAVE to read this one to find out!!! Publication date is May 4th but preorders are open now!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 shiny stars to Xio Axelrod the this absolute gift to book and music lovers alike.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story, as it follows Toni Bennett from displaced young girl to budding musical talent. Toni has had a lot of people walk out on her, including her own mother and her best friend, Seb. However her talent and tenacity earns her a 6-week trial run with The Lily’s, the hottest all female band of the moment. This story is full of many strong young female voices and a budding romance. Also, I loved the narrator of the audiobook. So engaging and dynamic.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.