Thank you to St, Martin’s press & Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title before publishing!

I really wanted to like this more than I did. The premise is fun, and it’s a very light approach to sci-fi, which I was excited about as someone who feels intimidated by the genre. There’s a fun mystery to uncover pretty much right out the gate. After this, I mostly feel a lot of… meh.

First and foremost, I found the characters to be very one dimensional and bland. Vika, our MC, had some good potential at first, but she veers from strong-minded and sharp tongues into a territory that is more superficial, self-centered and just overall difficult to like. I think this was an attempt to show character development, as her priorities do change through the book. The problem is… we don’t really have context for why or any sort of journey to get her there.

This brings me to the romance. There were entirely too many unbelievable confessions of love in this book, and none of which felt genuine or moving. Sky decides internally that he is in love with Vika very early on, and he goes on to describe her as a lot of pleasant qualities that quite frankly, the reader has never seen from her.

I’m not a hater of love triangles, unlike a lot of readers nowadays. Our other member of this triangle, Archer, was the most interesting for me to read. But we also got so little of him too. Come the end, I really wanted to have had more understanding of who he was, what his life was like, why he cares about he things he cares about.

Which brings me to the ultimate end, which felt wildly rushed and emotionally stunted. I was ready for this book to be over, but I was hoping for some sort of reveal, which one could say that we got. However, it felt like a let down and was easy to see coming from a mile away.

I’m ultimately glad that I read this as a bit of a light foray into sci fi, and it was easy to get through. Unfortunately, it left me wanting in a big way overall. This is a 2.75 star read for me

3.5*

The Stars Between Us was entertaining. The Stars Between Us was also wildly predictable. These things can coexist at the same time; they are not mutually exclusive. And as such, I did end up liking the book even though I kind of knew what was going down. So I'll break down what worked for me versus what I struggled with, as one does.

What I Liked:

►Like I said, it was just entertaining. You have a girl plucked from obscurity to be a princess. That is cool right there! Then, it's set on some random planet that is a mess, and I am sold! Then the girl goes to the Fancy Planet™? Um YES please! There is a lot of stuff that this book does have going for it, just in the synopsis alone basically.

►Character growth. Okay, we'll get into this a bit more below, but I kind of hated the characters at the start? But! There is a really good amount of growth, so I can get behind some degree of unlikability if characters can become... you know, less shitty.

►The world itself was really cool- and quite relevant. Obviously, it is clear to see the inequalities mirrored in our own society. While people have clearly expanded to space in this story, they still haven't given up on classist crap, which is super evident. I also really loved the idea of being able to take a quick space shuttle to a different planet- how fun is that? I maybe would have liked a bit more world backstory, but what we did have I enjoyed.

What I Struggled With:

►Seriously, so predictable. Like- my Kindle notes were all my predictions, followed several chapters later by "knew it!" So suffice it to say, I was not exactly shocked by this story. Even when I wasn't totally right about something... I was still mostly right. I can deal with some predictability, obviously, but this was a little much for me to overlook.

►Wow did I loathe the characters at the start! I almost called it quits early on, if I am being totally honest. I really did not like Vika. She was incredibly vapid, and just unlikable. When a love interest stated his feelings for her, I was so lost, because why? She certainly fancied herself lovely, so maybe it was her looks, but then my dude, how shallow are you? She was treating this guy like absolute trash, and he keeps coming back for more! I couldn't understand his motivations, and I certainly couldn't understand why she was the way she was. She did grow as the book continued, which helped. She was never my favorite, but at least she was tolerable by the end.

Bottom Line: I was absolutely entertained, but it was still lacking some excitement in its predictability.

In The Stars Between Us readers follow the story of Vika as she finds out who her mysterious benefactor is and why she was supported to begin with.

The story follows Vika as she attempts to make a new life for herself even when it seems someone is out to murder her. Along with the help of the mysterious Sky Foster, Vika must acclimate to a new world and new social standing while fighting for her life and a future she wants. Terrill's work covers sci-fi, mystery (though a bit predictable), coming of age, mild YA romance, and examines what some would do to step outside of their designated class order to be more and have more in the world.

The characters are believable, if at times frustrating, as is the world building, while minor. The plot kept me turning the pages and anxiously waiting for the murder to get what was coming to them. Add in a few supporting characters with struggles and stories of their own, and this made for a really good read. Fast paced without a major lag at the beginning or middle, a rapid and a satisfying resolution.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars. I absolutely despised Vika for the first half of this book, which made it kind of difficult to continue. But she grew on me as she softened up and started caring more. I loved Sky - and I'm happy that the author didn't try too hard to conceal his secrets. The world and the characters remind me a lot of the Starbound Trilogy, so if you liked that, you'll probably like The Stars Between Us.

Vika Hale used to live a privileged life, until it all came crashing down. Since then, she's felt she deserved more from life. And a mysterious benefactor helping her family over the years did nothing to sway her sense of self-worth. But then the benefactor dies, and he leaves an unusual will- for his son to marry, he must marry Vika. Becoming accustomed to the glittering life of opulence and privilege, Vika is regularly annoyed by the presence of a man from her past who reminds of her daily of where she came from. Then it becomes apparent someone is after the heirs listed on the will, and Vika is the only one who sees the connection.

I won't lie, this was a very difficult book to get through. The world building was fabulous, the mystery engaging, and every side character was well constructed. But Vika was the literal worst. Even at 50% she was still a spoiled, self-entitled, rude menace that had such an over-inflated sense of self that she was insufferable. When other characters proclaimed themselves in love with her I could only ever pause reading out of confusion as I sat in my disbelief. She had done nothing to deserve her wealth, but constantly felt entitled to it, to the point that when another character implied she was sending money home to her still poor family (she wasn't) she berates him and acts even more high and mighty, thinking to herself that she deserves her riches, while they don't. It's maddening. I kept waiting for SOMETHING to trigger her change in character, but it never comes. All we have instead is forced proximity for two weeks that we aren't even shown. We see a small handful of scenes and then its magically two weeks later and I'm supposed to believe she's a vastly different person? A single lunch chat and she sees the worth of a character she's been berating and insulting the entire book? For no reason, I might add?

So many things, especially toward the end, were told to the reader that it made the last 15% or so really difficult. Once Vika, as a character, became bearable, it was like the story lost all value and needed to just end. I found the entire book tedious and frustrating, let alone disappointing. The mystery had me guessing until the reveal itself, but that was the only thing that kept me going.

Every since Vika was a child, she had a mysterious benefactor who paid for her education and ensured her family was provided for on the impoverished planet, Philomenus. Until one day, when she learns that her mysterious benefactor was a billionaire and his will gives his entire fortune to his son, Leo, but only if he marries Vika. It seems like all of her dreams are coming true, financial security, a way off of her planet to the rich sister planet of Ploutos, and a way to provide for her family. But as soon as Vika gets her hopes up, they are crushed when Leo dies in a suspicious accident. The new heirs to the fortune kindly take Vika in as a guest, and she is desperate to make herself a more permanent member of high society. But suspicious accidents surround the family, and she starts to wonder whether Leo's death was an accident after all. And then there's Sky, a new acquaintance from her time on Philomenus who suddenly works for the new heirs. Sky isn't who he says he is, but is he part of the plot to take out the billionaire's heirs, or is he the only one who can help her uncover the mysterious plots surrounding her new life? I really wanted to love this book. The plot and world-building were excellent! It had a Dickensian feel, with members of the lower class being thrust into the world of the elite, and I really enjoyed it! The mysterious plot was also very enjoyable, with characters that Vika couldn't quite trust and a web of intrigue surrounding her at every moment. But I really disliked Vika as a character. I understood her drive to escape poverty and her desire to join the elite, but she was really unlikeable and came across as spoiled and rude most of the book. Several times, she became insulted if the staff was too familiar with her, thinking she was a higher class than them when she would have been a lower status than them only a few weeks before. It was hard to enjoy some of the book just because of how unlikeable she was, ruining a lot of the book for me. Overall, I enjoyed the read, but I wish I liked Vika and could have loved the book.

This book takes place in a dystopian/futuristic/sci-fi setting which is little bit different than my normal and was really intriguing. I was pretty much interested from the get go -- like okay whats the button do!? It takes place in a place where there are several planets inhabited by people of different socioeconomic class/status. It's third person dual pov narrative follows a girl from one of the poor planets and a boy from, well I can't exactly say with out spoiling. It begins with an arranged marriage, but not necessarily between the main characters -- and follows how their relationship develops through out the aftermath of a few big events.

At first everything happening was a bit confusing for me. I could really figure out the setting, but as time goes on it does become more clear. Sometimes the chapter just kind of changes POVs without warning. Along with my confusion in the beginning of the book, I found I wasn't really connecting with the characters, which made it hard for me to stay interested in the story. There's a big plot twist in the middle that rekindled my interest in the book and then honestly, I just got kind of bored again. Because of all this the book kind of dragged for me. I hate saying that, but I do want to be honest. However, just because I didn't find it very exciting to read doesn't mean someone else won't!

This book was incredible. I haven't read science fiction in such a while, and this was just what I needed at the time! The worldbuilding is wondourous- the galactic and futuristic elements were really fascinating. I loved the twists and turns in this story; it made it feel way more exciting! I fell in love with the characters as soon as I met them. Vika was so raw and real- her character was really well written. She is not flawless, she makes many mistakes but she always learns from them. Her famial love is admirable, and the choices she makes in the end were meaningful. The main love interest and the other side characters were also written really well! I loved how this had the love interests POV>>> not many books have it! This is arranged marriage (in a special, twisted way), and it's one of my fav tropes too! My only problems with this book is that it took a while for me to get through the first few chapters, and I thought the love interests personality was a little unfinished?? I'm not sure, I just think some parts of this book are just not my cup of tea. But the worldbuilding and the strong-willed MC made up for it. I would definitely recommend this for science-fiction lovers, people who like a little sprinkle of the mystery element and those who are fans of the rags to riches trope.

If I wanted to sum this up in a paragraph or less it would be this. A reverse sort of beauty and the beast where our Beauty is shallow and vain on the outside but has a real heart if she can ever get our of her own way and find it, and where our Beast is kind and good and willing to give up everything for those he loves.

Vika Hale is in a no win situation, trying to just survive, keep herself and her family fed, keep everything from falling apart more than it already has when her life is turned upside down and not only is she now engaged but she's going to be one of the richest women in the world.

Leo has no idea what his father was thinking when he chose a bride for him without talking to him about it and made it a condition in his will that he marry this woman he's never met and take over a company he knows little to nothing about,

One rebellion blamed incident and everything is blown to bits (pun sort of intended) and Vika has no idea who she can trust, who is rea, who is just using her for her new found wealth and who will be there for her in the end.

Will Vika ever grow up? Will Leo ever be the man he was meant to be? Will the money be the thing that destroys them all? There are so many questions this book poses and it gives you all of the answers, some of them you just have to get to the last chapters for.

The world building in this one is beautifully written, with details that allowed your mind to wander, to see what's being described and be able to imagine you're there, that alone makes me want to read more by Cristin Terrill, some of the descriptions were almost mesmerizing, I could almost feel the fabrics, see the colors, it really is fabulously written.

I'm normally not a fan of books set in space, or with a space theme, or with different worlds, but this one kind of hooked me, opened my eyes and made me want to read more of this genre.

If I could give this one 3.5 stars I would, I just can't get past the first 20ish chapters of Vika being vapid, I know that's how she was supposed to be seen so that her transformation could be "amazing" I just didn't see enough good in her until the very end to get totally invested in her as character.

How do I even begin? I absolutely loved this book. So many twists and turns. The sci-fi world built by Terrill is amazing. The romance was such a slow burn and amazing. Vijay is a strong and incredibly stubborn person who is willing to give up her own happiness to make sure there’s money to help her family in the long run. Sky seems like he’s hiding something from the start, but it’s not what you might think. These two will learn they need each other in more ways than one. I’m honored to have been able to read this book early and can’t wait to have a physical copy!

An interesting topic and enjoyable plot, but the pace was too slow for my liking.
This is a sad story about greed,

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

#NetGalley
#TheStarsBetweenUs

I liked this one, but the main problem I had was with the writing style. The grammar was odd but I still managed to get through the book. I could never understand the plot while reading but the characters I liked. I also enjoyed the love triangle, even though it's something I usually don't like.

I really liked the concept of this book. A lot of cool storylines could take place with ‘twin’ planets of very different inhabitants. This story is really good, but some of the characters were so off putting it took away from the reading experience. It’s addressed in the book how vain and selfish Vika is and I definitely agree. As a main character it was hard to connect to the plot because it was so hard to root for her. Sky’s character is interesting, but I do not understand or believe his love interest at all. The romance doesn’t work. That being said, there were some really great secondary characters and amazing world building. I saw the ending coming very early on but it was interesting to see played out. I was entertained yet frustrated. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

This book was such a fun quick read and I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed the plot and all the characters so much it was one of my favorite reads of the month.

A great blend of sci-fi and romantic vibes meets murder! The main character starts off quite unlikable but quickly that opinion and judgement of her changes as you get more in depth to the story! The romance aspect struck me as very quickly paced-which isn't a problem just something to keep in mind for readers who don't fancy that sort of thing.

well, I hated Vika. I gotta stop reading books that describe themselves as "Bridgerton" because when I read that I think "full of gossip!" but when publishers write that, they mean "Latitude specifically will hate all of the characters". there's some fantastic imagery here but it doesn't make up for the fact that I hated Vika, even as she grew and changed over the course of the story. Also, I found the ending, Vague and Disappointing. I like the cover though! Three stars.

Summary:

Despite the painful monotony of living on a poor planet, Vika's life has always held a spice of mystery: an unknown benefactor periodically popping up, offering gifts from ice cream in first-grade to a first-class education. But lately those gifts have stopped coming, and Vika has almost resigned herself to a dreamless life.

Until the benefactor suddenly returns--dead. But his will holds a proposition that could change her life forever: if she agrees to marry his son, she will receive a fortune and could finally live the life of her dreams. The catch: others in the billionaire's will are being targeted, and if Vika can't discover the culprit, she may not escape her old life alive.


What I Loved:

My favorite parts of this book were the mystery and the romance. I’ve read one other one by this author and the suspenseful parts of her mysteries are always so strong. Even though I had a pretty good guess of the whodunit and why early on in the story, I was still invested and intrigued enough to keep reading – speed reading sometimes 😉 – to reach the end and know for sure. And I did turn out to be right. So. Proud of that 😉

The other part I loved was the ROMANCE! The bulk of the story is less about the mystery and more about getting to understand Vika and her love interest. It’s not that most of the story is a romance, perse, but that it delves deeply into each character individually, which allows the reader to understand more clearly how and why they can come together as a couple. The more I got to know them, the more I could see that their strengths really did compliment the other’s weaknesses. And when they were on the same page? (literally and figuratively) It was just… chef’s kiss. As one character put it, they were “inevitable as gravity,” and watching them grow individually and then gravitate toward each other was a thing of beauty.


What I Learned:

One of the really interesting things about Vika is that she’s actually not a loveable character. She’s self-centered and angry, manipulative and quick to judge. Especially when compared with her love interest’s unique charm, she doesn’t seem like that great of a person or an at all loveable character. And yet… I still loved her.

As I mentioned above, the book spends a lot of time exploring who the characters are and how they became that way. I know exactly what repeated struggles and stressful events caused Vika to become as ambitious as she is and hardened as she acts. As said in one of my favorite book quotes, “When I truly understand my enemy,... then I also love them,”* and this definitely holds true for Vika and characters like her. Because I know her, because I understand what past struggles, pains, and unrequited desires have caused her to act and react as she does, I also love her even though she isn’t very loveable.

So in this book I learned: that it is fully possible to write a character who is neither a loveable main nor an antihero/villain, and yet is still an incredible protagonist.


What I Thought Was Lacking:

I mentioned above that I loved the mystery – and that’s true. But there was a certain reveal that I felt happened too early in the story. For me, it was the most shocking reveal of the whole thing, but because it happened some 20-30% in, and I had already guessed most of the remaining mystery, there was a brief period in the book that felt a tad tedious. I was still enjoying the characters, but with that portion solved, it began to feel like… “Okay, shouldn’t we be wrapping up now?” The pacing did eventually pick back up, such that being in on the secret made the scenes with those characters that much richer. But since it’s a longer book, there were moments of, “Are we there yet?” and I think that wouldn’t have happened if that reveal had been pushed to the 40% or 50% mark instead.


Still gonna say a solid 5 stars out of 5 though. The Stars Between Us was a remarkable read, with gorgeous descriptions and brilliant explorations of character. Favorite of the summer so far, and will probably stay in my top 5 for the year. I really can’t see anything being that much better.

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, I just didn't. I liked all the elements in theory: Bridgerton in space, a rags to riches story, a 'murder' mystery, and a romance full of secrets but... none of these elements were executed in a way I enjoyed. I found the romance often sacrificed the actual personalities of the characters to make romantic tension happen and the romance went so quickly from I hate you to I love you. I also found the mystery aspect to be not very thrilling and was able to guess who did it because there are so few relevant characters introduced that could be suspects. I also could not stand Vika for the first half of the book- she is deeply unlikeable and not in a fun way. She grew on me by the end, but the plot needed me to start rooting for her long before I actually did.

My biggest complaint was that the story took too long to hit its stride and, even once it did, there were a lot of lulls where the pacing just did not work for me. HOWEVER, even though I was disappointed in this book, I will say I read through it quickly and found the writing style really enjoyable.

The Stars Between Us is the story of Vika, a barmaid who has always had a difficult life. A mysterious benefactor names her in a will and her life has the potential to change forever. On one condition…she must marry. However, a tragic accident occurs before she can meet her groom-to-be. Vika finds herself swept up in with the elites as the Gardeners, the next in line to inherit, take her into their circle. Vika must navigate high society while attempting to find out whether the accident was truly an accident…

The Stars Between Us had so much potential! In execution though, things felt a little uneven. Vika is a difficult character to like, particularly because of how she initially changes for the worse after being elevated to the elite. At the same time, she is a very stubborn and aggressive character because that is how the world has taught her to be. The romance felt flat and I didn’t have a good sense of his personality, due to Vika being very snobby around him and always reminding him of his “place.” I think most readers will begin to put together the clues surrounding the mystery before the characters, which can feel a little frustrating. I think this could be a great entry point into YA sci-fi for readers who do not have much experience with it.

Thank you to Cristin Terrill, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I so wanted to love this one, but unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite read. It has a great premise, and I love the cover. However, the story fell a bit flat for me. I wanted more world-building, and I didn’t love the protagonist Vika or the romance.

The setting of the story is fascinating, and I liked how the two contrasting worlds were presented, but I wanted more. I feel like there was so much more to explore. That being said, there were some major disparities between social classes and planets, which I found interesting, and I like how the author created such a unique dystopian society. There are some strong social messages throughout the story specifically connected to the setting that I appreciated.

Vika wasn’t my favorite character, which is disappointing since she’s the protagonist. She comes across as very selfish, vain, and judgmental, though she does change as the story progresses. I think making her unlikable was purposeful, so that you could see how much she learned and grew, but I never really got past her poor behavior and words.

The love story was just ok for me too, which surprised me because it’s usually my favorite part of the story. I feel like Vika could do no wrong in Sky’s eyes, and she walked all over him. Personally, I think he’s too good for her. I think some readers who enjoy sci-fi or dystopias with mystery and an enemies-to-lovers romance will enjoy the book. It just wasn’t the book for me. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.