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star's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was so good until it wasn’t.
TL;DR I really enjoyed this book for the most part. Lost love and second chances are both huge soft spots for me. Also, I really also loved that Apple Music literally has some of the songs mentioned in the book as being sung by the Lillys (the band in the book).
Overall, I think I’d read the sequel mentioned in the back if that book didn’t have specific things. Ultimately, I can’t be too mad about some of this stuff — I bought it for $1 at a thrift shop that benefits a hospital.
As for the spoilers, let’s get one thing out of the way first: the godawful, unnecessary, cishet sex scenes were NOT it for me and genuinely are why I didn’t give this book a higher rating. I was enraptured with this book — it’s the first time I’ve finished a book this quickly in ages. I really, really liked Toni. But the sex scenes seemed extremely random and poorly written. They also happened so late in the book that I was caught off guard. They were written like a pretty laughable first time writer attempt at being sexy — definitely not published book material. I’d expect that sort of shit on Literotica. I personally wouldn’t spend full price on the book for that alone.
Also, I was extremely bothered with Lilly’s portrayal in this book. “Ice queen” aside, they constantly flirted with the idea of her being queer/possibly having feelings for Candi, but nothing came of her being queer and it just felt very forced, especially since they also just threw a random nonbinary character (who I did not feel represented me well as a nonbinary/agender person! Especially since they just got randomly written off/used for diversity brownie points!) I would’ve appreciated even a mention toward a confirmation of Lilly or Candis sexualities, especially after that scene with Seb at the end. (Are they both bi or what? And Jordan too?)
Speaking of Seb, his entire character oscillated quickly between being okay and being absolutely insufferable for me. At no point was it okay that he was using her childhood nickname or bringing up their past during sex. But also, in some of those childhood scenes he had already become an adult! It doesn’t always seem like that much of an age difference, but it can definitely have some maturity level issues. And despite me loving the entire genre of childhood love being given a second chance, Seb absolutely did not deserve Toni’s time. (And despite him knowing that, he kept pushing and hurting her anyway!) That, and his inability to set boundaries with Candi, made his chapters a bit more of a slog.
Where the book had so much unsung (lol) potential was the relationships between the Lillys (Tiff, Kayla, Lilly, Toni, and Candi). I loved the parts that were just the band members enjoying their time. I loved the way that the author slowly peeled back the layers to show their motivations and feelings toward each other. I only wish those parts were longer and more detailed — it would’ve been such amazing character development, especially after Candi was kicked out.
Toni was the best part. The things she had to overcome (Mo and Mary, breaking out of her shitty town, breaking into the industry, the bias against her, etc) genuinely made her into a strong character. Her ability to overcome her aversion to the spotlight as well as heal from her wounds genuinely was refreshing to read, though I wish more time was spent on it.
Also, Mo showing up toward the end made me cry.
I just wish that the Seb and Toni sex scenes were better, or less forced, or just weren’t there entirely (even if it was a cut). I felt like they had been overcoming their past really well prior to that, and it was frustrating.
TL;DR I really enjoyed this book for the most part. Lost love and second chances are both huge soft spots for me. Also, I really also loved that Apple Music literally has some of the songs mentioned in the book as being sung by the Lillys (the band in the book).
Overall, I think I’d read the sequel mentioned in the back if that book didn’t have specific things. Ultimately, I can’t be too mad about some of this stuff — I bought it for $1 at a thrift shop that benefits a hospital.
Also, I was extremely bothered with Lilly’s portrayal in this book. “Ice queen” aside, they constantly flirted with the idea of her being queer/possibly having feelings for Candi, but nothing came of her being queer and it just felt very forced, especially since they also just threw a random nonbinary character (who I did not feel represented me well as a nonbinary/agender person! Especially since they just got randomly written off/used for diversity brownie points!) I would’ve appreciated even a mention toward a confirmation of Lilly or Candis sexualities, especially after that scene with Seb at the end. (Are they both bi or what? And Jordan too?)
Speaking of Seb, his entire character oscillated quickly between being okay and being absolutely insufferable for me. At no point was it okay that he was using her childhood nickname or bringing up their past during sex. But also, in some of those childhood scenes he had already become an adult! It doesn’t always seem like that much of an age difference, but it can definitely have some maturity level issues. And despite me loving the entire genre of childhood love being given a second chance, Seb absolutely did not deserve Toni’s time. (And despite him knowing that, he kept pushing and hurting her anyway!) That, and his inability to set boundaries with Candi, made his chapters a bit more of a slog.
Where the book had so much unsung (lol) potential was the relationships between the Lillys (Tiff, Kayla, Lilly, Toni, and Candi). I loved the parts that were just the band members enjoying their time. I loved the way that the author slowly peeled back the layers to show their motivations and feelings toward each other. I only wish those parts were longer and more detailed — it would’ve been such amazing character development, especially after Candi was kicked out.
Toni was the best part. The things she had to overcome (Mo and Mary, breaking out of her shitty town, breaking into the industry, the bias against her, etc) genuinely made her into a strong character. Her ability to overcome her aversion to the spotlight as well as heal from her wounds genuinely was refreshing to read, though I wish more time was spent on it.
Also, Mo showing up toward the end made me cry.
I just wish that the Seb and Toni sex scenes were better, or less forced, or just weren’t there entirely (even if it was a cut). I felt like they had been overcoming their past really well prior to that, and it was frustrating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Alcohol, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Abandonment, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Grief, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Racism, and Misogyny
Minor: Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Mental illness
alomie's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.5
A romance book, set around a woman with a lot of talent called Toni who does not seek fame and a boy from her past called Sebastian who manages a band who are about to hit the big time but their lead guitarist Candi is a uncommitted party girl and addict.
I really enjoyed this I felt the pacing was good and it was an enjoyable read.
Also very much a slow burn on the romance side of things, also quite smutty once we finally get there, but it does take a while for our characters to get their shit together.
It was easy to follow and the world building was excellent, I believe there will be other books to follow in the series and I am keen to read them, which, is quite unusual for me as I much prefer standalone novels.
I really enjoyed this I felt the pacing was good and it was an enjoyable read.
Also very much a slow burn on the romance side of things, also quite smutty once we finally get there, but it does take a while for our characters to get their shit together.
It was easy to follow and the world building was excellent, I believe there will be other books to follow in the series and I am keen to read them, which, is quite unusual for me as I much prefer standalone novels.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Vomit, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Cursing
teddieplaysbass's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
4.25
The fluff is definitely nice if you're looking for something to read in between stressful situations, but if you're looking for something that focuses more on the music stuff/goes deeper into people, reread Daisy Jones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism
sarahholliday's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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? No
4.25
An all-girl rock band, a second chance at love, and a young woman determined to stay true to herself as she enters the spotlight...
What more could you want out of a modern romance?
Toni is my favorite type of heroine: she has her insecurities, but she doesn't let them hold her back. She gives people second chances, but refuses to be dragged down by others' nonsense. It was such a pleasure to watch as she blossomed into the superstar she was meant to become.
The romance between Toni and Seb was the perfect blend of sweet & sexy. And I LOVED the lack of highly orchestrated drama as they fell back in love.
I do wish that there had been fewer meaningful glances and veiled comments, and more explicit discussion of the dynamics between the lead band members. But overall, The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes is a delightful, not-to-sweet romance that I heartily recommend!
What more could you want out of a modern romance?
Toni is my favorite type of heroine: she has her insecurities, but she doesn't let them hold her back. She gives people second chances, but refuses to be dragged down by others' nonsense. It was such a pleasure to watch as she blossomed into the superstar she was meant to become.
The romance between Toni and Seb was the perfect blend of sweet & sexy. And I LOVED the lack of highly orchestrated drama as they fell back in love.
I do wish that there had been fewer meaningful glances and veiled comments, and more explicit discussion of the dynamics between the lead band members. But overall, The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes is a delightful, not-to-sweet romance that I heartily recommend!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexism
annalisaely's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. This is kind of billed as a romance but I would say is more of a contemporary with a heavy romance subplot. It is about the lady main character is a guitarist has been kind of struggling going from gig to gig, having difficulty because the music world is very sexist and racist, and her former childhood friend who ghosted her and left town who is the manager of a about to be very successful girl band, and how they run into each other after a lot of years. And a lot about the running of this band, and how they kick out a member, add a new member the politics and the money and the
managing of an image that goes on around that. And then the romance between these two characters was a big part but there was a lot of band business that took up a lot of it. And I didn't mind because it was a really interesting band and really enjoyable, more found family dynamics. It was an audiobook with two narrators, one for each perspective, and the male narrator, or the narrator for the male character's part, did the women's voices weirdly. It wasn't just a normal falsetto. He made the voices very nasal and gave them a super LA accent, and it made them all sound that stereotype of the shallow caddy woman. Whenever it was his portion he read the main character's voice in a totally different way from the way the her perspective's narrator did it. And I don't know why he was so bad at doing women's voices, and there was no differentiation between the way he did all the voices. Like for one of the characters that voice would have worked but he did it for all of the characters. It kind of pulled me out of it and also made me confused about who was talking. So for this one maybe go for the physical or ebook versions.
managing of an image that goes on around that. And then the romance between these two characters was a big part but there was a lot of band business that took up a lot of it. And I didn't mind because it was a really interesting band and really enjoyable, more found family dynamics. It was an audiobook with two narrators, one for each perspective, and the male narrator, or the narrator for the male character's part, did the women's voices weirdly. It wasn't just a normal falsetto. He made the voices very nasal and gave them a super LA accent, and it made them all sound that stereotype of the shallow caddy woman. Whenever it was his portion he read the main character's voice in a totally different way from the way the her perspective's narrator did it. And I don't know why he was so bad at doing women's voices, and there was no differentiation between the way he did all the voices. Like for one of the characters that voice would have worked but he did it for all of the characters. It kind of pulled me out of it and also made me confused about who was talking. So for this one maybe go for the physical or ebook versions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
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