BOOK REVIEW: Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennet

We’re a rocket ship filled with potential. Either we die in a fiery blaze before we leave the Earth’s atmosphere, or we make it through and orbit the moon.

My synopsis: Zorie is an extreme planner – she’s aspiring to be a NASA astrophysicist, so she’s got to be, right? Trying to be a supportive friend but also trying to escape the truth about her home life temporarily, she agrees to go “glamping” with a group of friends. But she did not plan for the drama that ensues, which just happened to involve her best-friend-turned-lover-now-turned-enemy, Lennon. And she definitely did not plan on digging up old issues…. and lingering feelings.

Published April 3, 2018 by Simon Pulse

e-ARC provided by Simon & Schuster through Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review

Genre: YA Contemporary, YA Romance

Themes: dating, sex, camping, outdoor activities, planning, ambition, stars, astronomy, science, space, maps

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository

Starry Eyes definitely qualifies as your next cute and quick summer read – enjoyable for extreme planners and camping lovers (or simply contemporary readers!) alike! There is some drama, plenty of romance (kisses in the rain, or some other version of that 😉 ), space-related pick-up lines, cool maps, lots of handy outdoor tips, and just a little bit of stargazing.

Although I still liked Alex, Approximately more (I’m more of a movie/film person than a planner/camping/outdoor person) – I definitely don’t regret picking this up, and I know that any future releases by Jenn Bennet will automatically be added to my TBR!

I always appreciate a good love-hate relationship, and this one even takes it up a notch. It was so easy to connect with Bennet’s characters, even in a very short amount of time. She builds these characters that aren’t just names on pages, but has their quirks, unique personalities, and interesting backstories.

Bennet also cultivates such healthy relationships in her novels. This time, I really enjoyed seeing a very nontraditional representation of a stepmother-stepdaughter relationship – I love how it doesn’t come off as fake or simply a side story and there’s a lot of invested pages/ink/time to make it so.

And it feels as if he’s drawing a map on my body, following a path of landmarks that he’s plotted in his head.

I’m sure this isn’t technically a spoiler, because everyone knows that 90% of the time, the characters get together, right? The build-up of the romance is definitely worth it. I’ve already said enough.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this – I surprisingly enjoyed the camping/outdoor tidbits! If you’re a contemporary lover or you’ve read any Jenn Bennet works before, I’m sure Starry Eyes does not disappoint!

***Thank you Simon & Schuster for my review copy!

And thank you, for reading my review!

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