Great book for fans of Charles Dickens and The Expanse!

Vika Hale is a poor barmaid living on a struggling planet. They only thing she has going for her is that she’s been educated paid for by an unnamed benefactor.

Her benefactor turns out to be a billionaire magnate who died and included Vika in his will. Vika is brought into a lavish new lifestyle paid for by new benefactors that became their heir to the fortune once Vika was no longer eligible to receive her inheritance.

Vika is almost killed in an explosion and soon figures out that someone is targeting the heirs to the fortune. She teams up with Sky Foster, who works for her benefactors, to try to figure out who is behind the explosion. Of course, their relationship has its own complications.

Love story with a mystery and set in space….can’t get any better. I really enjoyed the characters and getting a glimpse into how the different classes of people lived.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Stars Between Us by Cristin Terrill is a book I was looking forward to ever since I learned it was going to be released. The premise of this one is what caught my attention and of course I've enjoyed Terrill's previous books so I was excited to be able to read this one.

The main character is Vika and her story was interesting. She's grown up on a struggling planet but has always had a benefactor making sure she received the best education and when he dies mysteriously, she finds out she was also included in his will. Because of this, she has the opportunity to live on a better neighbor planet. I have to admit there were times early on where I didn't really care for Vika. She was willing to do whatever it took to separate herself from her family and her past where she didn't have a disposable income, fancy house, and anything she really wanted.

The other character I will mention here is Sky. I loved him and thought he was a great add to this story.

I thought the story was well written and the varying characters kept things interesting. The mystery behind who did it had a bit of a twist as well and once I got to the middle of the book, I found myself more invested. I think the beginning felt rough only because I didn't really connect with Vika...she was a tough character to get behind in my opinion.

This book was very intriguing. I did not really know what to expect going in, which I think ended up serving me well because I did not have any expectations. Great writing and an interesting plot-line had me hooked! Would definitely recommend.

I picked this one up as I was intrigued with secrets, murder, and underground rebellion...unfortunately, that is really only the last 25% of the book. Most of the book is following Vika and her self-absorbed ego as she adjusts to the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Then all of the action is packed into the last 25%. I found Vika to be one of the most miserable main characters that I have ever read so I really had a tough time with this book. There wasn't much that was redeeming about Sky either. If more of the plot would've been sprinkled through the book, I think I would've enjoyed it much more.

This has to be one of my favorite YA books that I've read in awhile. I really loved that this story felt like a familiar YA Sci-Fi book, but it had so many twists and turns and pushed against some of the tropes we see all the time. The world building felt rich without being overdone. And I love how complicated the characters were, while still being relatable. Definitely a book I'll be recommending to friends!

This was a good read, kept me engaged though it wasn't a sit and read through in one go like I usually want. I enjoyed the character dynamics and the plot kept it moving.

The first couple of chapters were confusing and I struggled to connect with the main character. Fortunately, the rest of the book made up for the slow start. I did still struggle to like Vika, I understood her actions but didn’t feel she truly delivered in proving she was entirely shallow and selfish.
The setting was descriptive and detailed and I loved the plot. There was romance but it didn’t take over the story like so many young adult novels these days. The characters developed beautifully the plot was tense and fast moving. A great Sunday afternoon read,
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

3.5 Stars.

I wouldn't classify this book as a science fiction novel. It is more of a light 'sci-fi romance'. Our main heroine Vika starts out as a selfish person that basically just feels the need to get light years ahead financially when she is given the chance. The author makes it relatable for someone that is in poverty, but Vika doesn't seem to remember to help anyone in her family as her life is turned upside down. However, there is significant character growth which I thought was well written.

There was a small love triangle situation/instalove. Instalove is not my favorite trope, but the author didn't go over the top which was refreshing.

As I was reading this I was reminded of a quote that I heard, 'Money doesn't change who you are, it shows the kind of person that you are'. And I think that this is quite fitting for this story. I feel like the politics in the story could've been amped up more. I guess I felt overall that this story just needed more....more politics, more of Vika's family, more intrigue, even a bit more romance. It didn't need any further descriptions of materialism that accompanies extreme wealth, but it was just lacking something.

Overall I did enjoy this book. After the first 25% of the story I started really getting into it. I truly went into this story blind and I'm glad that I did. I feel like it added to more of the mystery of what was going to happen and the cast of characters.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this advanced reader's copy of The Stars Between Us. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed All Our Yesterdays and this one sounded like it would be a good read but it didn't work for me. I really disliked the main character and her attitude, the story really dragged and lacked the tension to keep me reading and the story felt predictable.

It is such a quick and easy read, in which I devoured. It was fast paced and very easy to get a grip around on the setting and characters. I did find the main character Vika annoying, and I did not really enjoy her as a character. I nearly stopped reading. It wasn't until the mystery came to the forefront that I became engaged in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Fun story about a girl who had nothing and was suddenly whisked away to a new world of luxuries !
This is the first book i've read by this author but have been wanting to read her books. So I was excited when this opportunity came up. Late to the game, I read other reviews and was disappointed to see not great reviews, so I dragged my feet again.
Finally getting to this book, I was pleasantly surprised! This was a fun Cinderella sort of a tale which was fast and easy to read... I was drawn in from the first page and felt like I was on a bucking bronco througout. We follow Vika Hale on her adventure to another planet when is chosen by a billionaire to marry his son. The excitement continues and as we watch Vika evolve into a young lady, she is forced to make some very grown up decisions.
I really enjoyed this story and was happy with the ending. I think fans of YA, fantasy and romance will enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Vika is a struggling barmaid that just wants to get off the planet and live a better life. She has grown up with a secret benefactor that has put her through school. When she finds that she has been included in the mega-wealthy benefactor's will after his surprise death, life seems to be on the upswing. That is until she narrowly escapes death and comes to realize that all the people in the will are being targeted. People are not who they seem in this sci-fi romcom/murder mystery. I enjoyed this story and the characters. This is the first book by Terrill that I have read, so I am looking forward to reading more of her work. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC. 4 stars.

A fun, different, and unique space romance in a dystopian world/setting. This was not my usual read, but it was pretty good. If you like enemies to lovers, dystopian societies, conspiracies, independent and strong-willed women, cinnamon roll boys, mystery, thrills, drama, and twists, then you'll love this book.
Vika is a girl that's grown up making ends meet by chipping in her earnings from being a barmaid. It wasn't always that way, though. She and her family used to be in the more elite class before things went badly for them and they fell down the totem pole in society. Sky is another interesting character and Ariel is too. How all of them meet and what happens with them and their dynamics are another interesting part of everything. It was a quick read that kept my interest and I enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for letting me read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At first glance, this is a rags-to-riches story, almost a Cinderella rewrite - but it has a nice twist that makes it more unique than that. Viktoria Hale - Vika to her friends - is a poor girl from a poor family, a family that had been middle class until her father's job was lost due to a technology upgrade. She lives with her sister and parents, and - unlike many of those around her - she has a tutor, provided by a mysterious man who met her by chance and offered the opportunity of a better education, and allowed the tutor to include her sister too. But one day, the mysterious man, Rigel Chapin, died - and his will revealed that for his son, Leo, to inherit, he has to marry a woman of his father's choosing, who happens to be Vika. But before Rigel's will can be executed, the space transport that Leo is on explodes, and is presumed to have no survivors. This is the point at which the story begins.

Vika is a strong, determined young woman, who is temporarily distracted from what she knows is right by the lifestyle bestowed upon her by the next heirs in line, Hal and Mira Gardner, who bring Vika into their home, recognizing that, had the marriage occurred, she would have inherited in their place. As Vika becomes more certain that Leo was murdered, and searches for his murderer, she is also introduced to the society of the ultra-rich to which she now belongs, and meets several men who would like to marry her. She must decide which one, if any, wants her for herself, and which ones only want her for the money the Gardners have promised to leave her in their own will. This story explores what happens when a person's circumstances change suddenly, and the importance of being true to one origins. The twist at the end made it a much better story than I expected from the somewhat pedestrian beginning, so stick with it all the way through.

Wanted something so much more from this book. Pretty upset with how this one read. Never wanted to actually pick it up and continue. Felt like a chore to read

I had high hopes for this book but ultimately it fell flat for me. The characters were hard to relate with. I did enjoy the word building.

Vika grows up as a poor barmaid on a horrible plant, and before she knows it, she's bethrothed to a rich man after his father dies. BAM - he's dead and suddenly she's living with the new inheritors of the fortune.

Honestly as hard as it was for me to connect with the main character, the story and world building was so great that I felt like I breezed through this book once I had time to sit down and read it. I actually got upset when my kobo died while I was halfway through the book.

Just something in the way Cristin wrote the world that it was so easy to picture, without having all the wording like some adult fiction can have.

<i> Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book definitely had way more sci-fi vibes than I expected rather than fantasy, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, just unexpected. However, I unfortunately just didn't like the main character. She is full of herself, arrogant, and pretty selfish even when she does something mildly decent, half of the time it isn't even remotely close to all she could be doing to help the people she claims to care about. I understand that she doesn't have to be perfectly selfless and kind, I myself like a strong female protagonist, but she was just not a fun person to be stuck with for most of the book. Meanwhile, I don't understand why her love interest is even interested in her even when he tries to explain it. I do think the book had a lot of potential, but I just found it to be trope-y and almost none of the plot twists were surprising. Overall, there were good aspects to it but many things were not fully fleshed out as they could be and I found the main characters to be a bit irritating.

This was a cute book, but overall just not my thing. I liked the main characters and thought they had good chemistry but I just didn't love the school setting, which is my bad since I decided to read it knowing that. I think i would've really enjoyed it back when I was younger and in school though, since it would feel more relatable. However, if you like young adult academic romances, this is definitely a charming one.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2.5 ⭐️⭐️✨

I was really excited to read this book as I loved “All Our Yesterdays” by Cristin Terrill. The sci-fi murder mystery premise drew me in, but the overall story fell flat to me. The tone of the book felt very shallow, as did a lot of the characters, including Hal and Vika. Vika is a poor barmaid who is chosen by a billionaire to marry his son, Leo. When Leo dies she is disappointed at missing an opportunity to get out of her current life of poverty. While not terrible, I felt the whole story was lacking in substance and fell flat in many areas. It is an simple novel that one can read to dip their toes into the sci-fi/romance genre.

This book was okay. From the beginning of it I wasn't immediately hooked. It felt a bit long and the pacing was a bit slow at times and didn't have that fast paced action feel. I did think the premise of this story was intriguing. There is a mysterious benefactor and someone is targeting the will's recipients in an interstellar setting. I just didn't feel like I connected with the actual story. The world building was simplistic and easy to follow. But I struggled most with the characters. Vika and Sky were an odd paring. Sky felt a bit bland and the enemies to lovers was non existent. Sky was a bit naive at times and Vika was really abrasive. Their characters felt really underdeveloped and on dimensional. I don't think its comparable to Illuminae files by any means and it shouldn't be compared to it.I also didn't feel any sort of Bridgerton connection. Overall this book was okay I think personally it might appeal to a younger audience that just wants to start getting into sci-fi stories.

Thank you Wednesday Books/ St. Martin's Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.