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azdesert_bookworm's review
5.0
Please, add this to your TBR this right now. Stars Like Gasoline has a little bit of everything - it’s a ghost story, a mystery, a romance, a thriller, and a contemporary adult fiction. It’s a book about the strength of family and of self; about finding love and what it means to sacrifice; about tragedy and grief and finding the strength to start over; about art - beautiful art and the power that art has in our lives.
Quick synopsis: Celia has moved home to be closer to her brother, Oscar, in the aftermath of Oscoar’s fiance’s (Nate) sudden death. Celia moves into a haunted house that was once part of Nate’s family. She takes on the position of an art curator and then the fun begins. She discovers a journal of a French artist and while fending off a stalker, she must figure out what the journal, the missing Japanese artist, the ghosts, and the stalker all have in common.
This book was beautifully written.There is a maturity and flow to the writing that hooks you from the beginning. Characters are developed to be complex and authentic. I fell in love with Oscar, through the depth of his love for Nate, but to see his growth from beginning to end showed how powerful love and grief are in equal measure.
The plot itself is more complex than you may think. There are numerous sub plots that are moving fluidly in parallel movement, until the end when they begin to come together and all the pieces fall into place.
I promise you won’t be disappointed in giving this book a chance. Celia and Oscar are some of my favorite fiction siblings and will always have a place in my heart. This book truly showcases Jessika’s talent at setting a tone, developing a complex plot line with multiple moving parts, and crafting characters with such depth and emotion that they truly seem to be in the room with you. I loved this book, and have already found myself recommending it to others!
Full Review: https://thebookshelf.substack.com/p/book-review-stars-like-gasoline-by
Quick synopsis: Celia has moved home to be closer to her brother, Oscar, in the aftermath of Oscoar’s fiance’s (Nate) sudden death. Celia moves into a haunted house that was once part of Nate’s family. She takes on the position of an art curator and then the fun begins. She discovers a journal of a French artist and while fending off a stalker, she must figure out what the journal, the missing Japanese artist, the ghosts, and the stalker all have in common.
This book was beautifully written.There is a maturity and flow to the writing that hooks you from the beginning. Characters are developed to be complex and authentic. I fell in love with Oscar, through the depth of his love for Nate, but to see his growth from beginning to end showed how powerful love and grief are in equal measure.
The plot itself is more complex than you may think. There are numerous sub plots that are moving fluidly in parallel movement, until the end when they begin to come together and all the pieces fall into place.
I promise you won’t be disappointed in giving this book a chance. Celia and Oscar are some of my favorite fiction siblings and will always have a place in my heart. This book truly showcases Jessika’s talent at setting a tone, developing a complex plot line with multiple moving parts, and crafting characters with such depth and emotion that they truly seem to be in the room with you. I loved this book, and have already found myself recommending it to others!
Full Review: https://thebookshelf.substack.com/p/book-review-stars-like-gasoline-by
bostonduchess's review
5.0
Ms. Grewe Glover has crafted an exceptional piece of fiction in Stars Like Gasoline that had me quickly turning the pages, pausing only to Google the various designer brands adorned by our leading lady, Celia. I adored Celia, and even more, I cherished her relationship with her brother, Oscar. Ms. Grewe Glover's depiction of sibling/familial love is raw, emotional, and everything I imagined it would be had I a sibling, myself. The fantastical elements and the hauntings were cleaver, and how it was all woven together was expertly done. I, as a reader, am a true novice in the world of paintings and art, and Ms. Grewe Glover's knowledge seeped into every written line pertaining to museum curation as though the author herself could be hired by Celia. If you haven't read this novel yet, please do yourself a favor, and make this your next read. You won't be disappointed!
bilberrysweet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Nothing good happens after midnight, except in Stars Like Gasoline. I was hooked from the first chapter and had to keep reading to find out what was going on! There is plenty of mystery, a little bit of romance, tension and a little bit of the paranormal thrown into the mix. I enjoyed the plot of Stars Like Gasoline and you will too!
duckygal's review
5.0
This was the first book that I read from this author and found it to be enjoyable. This paranormal mystery has it all – ghosts, romance, danger and more!
The plot was intriguing and the author balanced suspense and humour well to create a great story. This alongside a collection of well-developed characters made the story really stand out to me. I loved it!
Events and characters are woven together so well in a way that isn’t always obvious. The ghost element drew me in at first, but the connections in mystery elements blew me away.
I was very invested and couldn’t put the book down. I’ll be looking out for more from this author!
shannlynn's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed reading Stars Like Gasoline! This was the first book I’ve read by this author, so I was pleasantly surprised by the complex characters and incredibly detailed world-building. The author expertly combines past and present creating a magnificent flow of the story, as well as a very realistic experience for the reader. I find that most stories only dive deep into one character and the rest support that one, but this book really developed each character incredibly well! I plan on following this author closely because their writing style is nothing short of amazing. I highly recommend picking this one up, especially if you enjoy romantic suspense with a major paranormal theme.
faithfulgirl4's review
mysterious
slow-paced
3.0
I had really high hopes for this book as they synopsis looked like something I'd be interested in. However, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get into this book. For starters, it switched back and forth a lot, something that I struggle in keeping up with the storyline. The story took forever to really pick up for me and by then, I was pretty much done. I did want to enjoy this book, and many others have, I just couldn't get into it.
tarajohnson's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Stars Like Gasoline had me riveted from the first few pages and it was impossible to put down. I love a good ghost story and this one had it all with haunted houses, paranormal happenings, ghosts, apparitions, mystery, suspense, drama, and danger. The storyline immediately intrigued me and captured my attention because it was full of ghostly apparitions and hauntings right at the start. Although the book immediately captured my attention because of the phantoms in the museum, that was not all there was to the story.
The story is centered around Celia, an art curator, and has an air of mystery and suspense when an art heist takes place. This book is superbly written with vivid scenes that pull you into the story alongside the characters. Each scene is described in so much detail that you are immersed in that time and place, seeing the same things as the MC, Celia. The apparitions appear before your very eyes. The artwork magically appears before you. It is all very surreal to experience and magical in its feel. You will surely feel the goosebumps start popping out on your arms and feel the tingling as the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when the ghostly apparitions come at you. The characters were well crafted, and the storyline was multi-faceted with interwoven elements of romance, poetic prose, family relationships, love, secrets, loss, and hidden agendas. I look forward to reading more from this new to me author.
bookworm1909's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first third of the book, in my opinion, I had a hard time differentiating between the stories of the French artist and Japanese artists' stories. Once I had the story lines straight, I loved how the author intertwines past histories and current relationships to make you keep reading to find out what happens next. I will warn you- there are some tough scenes (physical abuse, kidnapping, etc), but overall, I fell in love with Celia's story as she navigates a new friendship.
Not usually reading book with ghosts, I liked how I stepped out of my comfort zone and reading a book where a spirit ends up playing a large part of the plot line. I appreciated the French and Spanish phrases being either explained or paraphrased, because they were a nice touch to the story yet I am unfortunately monolinguistic. Overall, the plot moved fast enough, I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Not usually reading book with ghosts, I liked how I stepped out of my comfort zone and reading a book where a spirit ends up playing a large part of the plot line. I appreciated the French and Spanish phrases being either explained or paraphrased, because they were a nice touch to the story yet I am unfortunately monolinguistic. Overall, the plot moved fast enough, I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
arthistorygirl's review
5.0
Stars Like Gasoline is an interesting mystery read. I was drawn in by the blurb and got so much more than I expected. Not only is there an art link but a Hitchcockian-style mystery. Celia, an art curator, gets drawn into so many events after buying the house of her brother's dead fiance. I enjoyed the characters and how they all played a part in the story. This was well-written and kept me reading. I got drawn into the story and everything going on and did not want to put the book down. This was my first read by this author, and now I will look forward to reading more by her in the future. I highly recommend this if you like intriguing stories with mystery, art, and more.