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jonezzzing's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Violence
hannahkiwi's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
alexsanch25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Misogyny
elizabethjn195's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I would say the main romance of the story would be Toni falling in love with the band and secondary would be the love between Toni and Seb. The Toni and Seb romance was a slow burn and I wish we got more of it. I will defiantly be buying each book in this series as they come out. I highly recommend this book and wouldn’t be surprised if this got adapted to the screen in some way one day.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use and Emotional abuse
sarahholliday's review against another edition
- 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
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!
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Sexism
madeline's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use
Minor: Child abuse
readclever's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Antonia "Toni" Bennette is a woman on a mission. Make enough of a name to get steady temp gigs, gain some traction to help create a solid music rep, and avoid the spotlight. Sounds easy, right? Not so much when music industry trauma seeps into every corner of childhood, especially parental abandonment and addiction to fame. I really appreciated that Toni had goals, saved for a future, and wanted to walk that dangerous line. Her arc was pretty captivating.
Sebastian "Quick" Quigley is another character all together. As a love interest, he left a lot to be desired. In the eight years since he abandoned Toni, he began to build an industry name and worked as co-creator of the Lillys. Unfortunately, constant refrains of self-loathing didn't really match up to the clear arc that Toni needed him to be on. I couldn't buy him in the romance.
The book is slow to get into with a lot of backstory in the beginning. Yet the power of an all-woman rock band was very, very intriguing. Most well-known leader singers like Debbie Harry front a band with men. The Runaways with Joan Jett are an exception full of issues and traumas of its own. Riot grrl music of the 90s featured a lot more all-women bands but it's been a minute. And Xio Axelrod knows all this when you read the book. Her knowledge and capital power of the industry and genre are extremely helpful in navigating how the Lillys work together.
Overall, I really enjoyed the parts with the band the most. Felt more organic and genuine than the romance. A better genre fit may have been women's fiction with romance elements. Will I read more in the series? Of course! I enjoyed Axelrod's knowledge and skill. The book just needed more tweaking and some removing/reworking of plot points.
Three stars from me. Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casabalanca for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.
Moderate: Addiction and Child abuse
rynstagram's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I know half the purpose of this book was to be a romance, but I wish that there had been less of Seb and Toni figuring out their relationship and more with the Lillys. With more focus, there would have been better character development, less 2D side characters, and a more interesting dynamic. I would have loved to see more scenes during the time that Toni and the Lillys were getting to know each other.
Also, I just found Seb really annoying. He was very self-centered and only ever commented on how good Toni looked, even when he admired her guitar-playing. He would say her fingers looked good, not that it sounded great.
All that being said, by the end of the book I came to really love Toni and the three girls in the Lillys! Even though Candi was horrible, I wish she had showed up more, especially in scenes with Lilly. I would have loved more with Seb, Lilly, and Candi together as a unit. I think this book just didn't quite meet my expectations, but there were definitely chunks I enjoyed a lot.
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse