This is a great book for music lovers. “The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes” takes us behind-the-scenes of what it takes to “make it.” From writing and producing to dealing with the drama that comes with creating a successful girl band.

This is dubbed a romance novel, but that’s not really the main theme. It’s more about Antonia "Toni" Bennette who has a rough upbringing. Then, because she has immense talent, gets a life-changing opportunity to join the up-and-coming girl band, the Lillys.

This is the first book in a new series by the bestselling author Xio Axelrod who grew up in the music industry. So she knows what she’s talking about. According to Google, “When [Xio] isn't writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages.”

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrators, Tamika Simone and Alexander Cendese. Thanks to Dreamscape Media for the advanced listener copy, via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

I enjoyed this book but for me, it was a very traditional romance. Boy and girl meet as kids, lose touch, run into each other later in life and connect again. The side story about Toni was my favorite, she was able to learn that in addition to playing music she loved performing. I loved her personal transition in the storyline!

Thanks so much to NetGalley for this audiobook arc!

I’m a huge music fan & live outside of Philadelphia, PA so the description of this book instantly sold me.

It took me a little while to get into the story. The main character, Toni Bennett, had a difficult childhood and we follow her journey as an up & coming musician. She’s a talented musician and has the chance to part own her favorite studio. She ends up replacing “Candy” is a very popular girl band. Twist is that the band is managed by Seb, aka Sebastian, who was her best friend up until he disappeared from her life. Candy is a bit of a mess so she has no trouble causing drama throughout the story. Deep down Toni loves Sebastian, and always has. He feels the same way, even though the band has rules against this. We learn about Toni & Sebs childhood throughout the story and how they really feel for each other. Will they act on it? How will things play out for Toni being in Candy’s place in the band?

I enjoyed the dual narration. I love when a story is told from two different characters going back and forth. I loved that this was narrated by a woman and man (makes listening much more enjoyable!) the narrators also gave the other characters different voices which was entertaining. I didn’t enjoy the male narrator’s voice for Candy. It was whiney (which I’m sure was the point) but it drove me nuts.

I had no idea there was a romance element in this book but it just wasn’t enough for me. I read another romance right before this so I may be biased. The characters lacked a little passion. I enjoyed learning of the ins & outs of a band. I love the idea of a rekindled childhood friendship turned love story. There was just something missing for me.

“Don't be pushed around by the fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart.” -Roy T. Bennett

A romance of second chances and two people succeeding in there dreams with or without each other. This was light and fun with some steamy parts. I sometimes wanted a lot more background on their past and somethings were hard to believe. But overall I enjoyed it.
The narrators were good and I’d definitely listen to them again.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley for this audiobook. I’m voluntarily leaving my review.

This book was fabulous! Written by a musician and it shows. I loved the music, the romance, cover songs, stage performances and description of the waves of sound and process of writing music. A book for music and concert lovers, these characters were amazing and the storyline was fast and fun to follow. Thanks, Netgalley for this copy!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for both ALC and ARC for this book. This was a great second chance romance focused on the music industry. I love the music aspect and how it shows women still struggles in the Industry and facing sexism. The history between Seb and Toni - I was vested in hearing what happened with them. I enjoyed the dual narration of Seb and Toni and seeing their perspectives.

This was a surprise for me. I had no expectations on this book, and when i got the ARC of the audiobook, i started without knowing where it was going to go. It was a very positive surprise. The story was deep, characters had a strong backstory and i really enjoyed the musical aspect of it. It sounds weird to say but i felt the musical energy, I was totally engaged, unlike some other books about musical acts that i've just not felt the passion. This is the type of book that I feel would be perfectly adaptable to TV.
Only thing i really didnt get is the title. For me, Toni was the girl with no stars in her eyes, the title i felt was the complete opposite of how i interpreted the character. Also I would have liked more high school rememberances, a little bit more about what made Seb and Toni so connected.
Thouhts on the audiobook per se, although i really enjoyed that the toni narration was done by a woman and seb's ny a man, the males other voices whilst reading were a bit weird. However the dual narrator helps much more with the storyline than when two narrators are read by the same person.

I loved this book! I could see this being a book club pick. I wanted Toni to happy, I wanted her to keep that guitar and find love. I will being suggestion this book to a book group and anyone who loved daisy jones and the six.
Loved that there was 2 narrators. I just dont like when men try to do a female voice in audiobooks. But I know they need to so it follows the book.

O.M.G. This book just blew me away! I had no idea what to expect, but if I had any expectations, it exceeded them! This book is a romcom, but is so intertwined wit the music and story of the band, it's perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and The Six, Twice in a Blue Moon, and romcoms alike!

Toni and Seb had been best friends as kids, after Toni's mom dumped her in small town PA to chase her dreams of stardom. But when Seb left town without a word, despite their promises they would escape and makes names for themselves in music together, Toni was shell-shocked. Now, nearly a decade later, Toni is working as a session musician when Seb reenters her life. Toni has the opportunity of a lifetime--to play guitar for a girl group with amazing potential--and it's unclear whether Seb will be an asset or a hinderance.

I listened to this book on audio, and I especially enjoyed the female narrator. I actually didn't realize the book was dual POV until I got to the third chapter and heard a male voice, startling me. The male narrator does a pretty poor job with women's voices (especially Candy's), but it's not the worst I've heard, and I still think the audio was pretty stellar overall. It was a little awkward when lyrics/singing was done, because the narrator reads it a little bit like spoken word, but it's unavoidable.

I think this book has everything you could ask for--second chance romance, girl rock band power, crazy antics, lovable characters, and characters with depth and history. There's a sub-issue of a non-fraternization clause included in some of the character's contracts, which I think could have been dropped from the storyline and not really changed anything, but I overall loved this book. Would definitely recommend, especially for music lovers!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casa and Dreamscape Media for my eARC and ALC of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This was an interesting listen. I enjoyed the female narration more than the male one who kind of droned on at times especially if listening to this at regular speed. I spent a lot of this story simple confused about my thoughts on this book. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't a must listen story that I was fully engaged throughout. At times I just felt like I was along for the journey.

CW: child abuse, drug/alcohol addiction and abuse

If I hadn’t committed to writing this review, I likely wouldn’t have finished this book. I was really intrigued by the cover, by the tropes - second chance! childhood best friends! - and by the fact that the author of this book is herself a musician, so I could trust that the industry as portrayed in the book would be accurate and exciting.

However, I felt like the romance got muddled down in the plot of the book and was ultimately underdeveloped, leaving me unsatisfied. The romance didn't read as central to the plot - we didn't even really get to see the characters interact substantively until over 25% of the way through the book. And even then, the characters weren't particularly likeable. Now, I understand the virtue of an "unlikeable" heroine/hero, however there was nothing particularly endearing, relatable, or even interestingly flawed about these characters.

As far as the audio is concerned, I love a dual narration. However, I had a few issues with both sides of this narration. I had to listen on 2x speed t0 get the pacing that worked best for me (which isn't raree for me). There were times when her audio had a tinny quality to it, and his narration felt overperformed at points. All things being equal for you, I'd recommend reading the book over listening to it.

I did find the ultimate climax of the plot compelling, cinematic, and gripping, and the resolution of the external conflict to be oh so satisfying.

It is clear that Xio Axelrod knows what she’s talking about (even if I don’t!). This book is perfect for music lovers with a sneak peak into the inside of the music industry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.