Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks

Steam rating: 🍆🍆 /5

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Media for gifting me review copies of The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod.

This New Adult contemporary fiction gripped me from start to finish and I felt like I was there with Toni, navigating her hardships, her joy, and finding her dreams.

Toni grew up following her mom around from gig to gig, waiting back-stage or being babysat by a bar owner until her mom decided to ship her off to live with her father. Her dad didn’t really give her the time of day and so she befriended a local boy who shared her love of music. They were inseparable until he ran off on her too, without a word. Years later, and much more grown-up, Toni runs into Seb again and those sparks are still there, but can she forgive him for abandoning her?

I really liked all the characters, and because of that I wanted to know more about them, particularly the leads. I actually wouldn’t have minded if this book was a little longer than its 464 pages if we got to go a little deeper into both Toni and Seb. I wanted to hear more about their time growing up and the years in between. But I loved their chemistry and the way they supported each other in a way that only someone with that much shared history really can.

I read part, and listened to part of this on audio, and loved the narration by Alexander Cendese and Tamika Simone. It’s just over 13 hours long, and you can grab a copy here.

It looks like this will be the first book in the Lilly’s series, so stay tuned! I can’t wait to read more!

Synopsis:

They say the road to stardom is paved with broken dreams.

Growing up, Antonia "Toni" Bennett's guitar was her only companion...until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and he became Toni's way out, promising they'd escape their small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.

Now, Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene. When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country, she decides to take a chance. She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart, not to mention the key to her future.