disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

Cleo and her friends check out an abandoned space ship, but the dark matter machine starts on its own and is en route to Proxima Centauri, unable to turn the engine off or return back home. They receive confirmation that it will take them 7 years to go to Proxima Centauri and return back home to Earth, but Earth is kind of a mess anyway (this takes place about 4-5 decades into the future), so these four friends (Abe and Kaleisha, who are partners; Rose, and Cleo) are stuck on this spaceship for the long-haul. The good thing is, the ship's former captain Billie's hologram is present with them, and helps guide them in driving the ship and surviving in space. Billie doesn't know what happened to her Providence crew 20 years ago either though, so she first must confront that devastating reality, that 203 people just disappeared into thin air, including herself. Billie and Cleo initially are unimpressed with the other, but as they spend more time together, they piece together crucial clues of what happened to the Providence crew, and soften towards one another too.

This book was an absolute delight and a lovely surprise <3 This story made me so giddy, I adored the characters, and I would totally watch this group of characters in a sitcom hehe. I thought the grumpy x sunshine dynamic between Cleo and Billie was adorable, and delivered all the goofiness and sweetness you expect.

The friendships stood out to me too, because again, I really enjoyed reading about this group of friends. The mystery of the Providence crew was intriguing, and I did enjoy reading the comms and the journal entries from the crew members 20 years ago, but what really stole the show for me was the subplot of the romance and the friendships. I appreciated the way Rose's story with their powers and mental health was weaved in, as that felt authentic to me. I wouldn't expect four friends to be launched into space unexpectedly for seven years without one person deeply struggling.

Overall, this was such a cozy mystery / romance that spotlighted chosen family and finding love/hope after loss and grief. I highly recommend it <3

rep: lesbian main character, bisexual love interest, nonbinary side character, characters managing mental health and anxiety, Asian side character, Black trans-femme side character

steam rating: 2 out of 5 - it's not particularly closed-door, but it's also not graphic if that makes sense

The best way I can think to describe The Stars Too Fondly is that it's like the writers of The Good Place had written Project Hail Mary. This is campy sci-fi for the sci-fi nerds, filled with (what I can only assume are deep-cut) Star Trek episode references, fourth wall breaks that feel self-deprecating and pull the reader in on the joke, and world-building you shouldn't ask a whole lot of questions about. In short, it's exactly as described - a joyful sapphic sci-fi rom-com. Some of the plot twists are fairly predictable - but a few genuinely surprised me - and ultimately, I had a blast spending time with these characters and read this story in one evening.

Also want to note that this fills a GAPING HOLE in the sub-genre of sci-fi and/or fantasy romance: it is an actual stand-alone with a single story arc, clear resolution, and a happily-ever-after. I honestly added a half star just for that alone, because an actually-efficient, sub-350-page tight storyline in sci-fi with a central romance?! Unheard of. Spectacular. Give me more.

If you enjoy overtly silly sci-fi and a romance where one of the main characters is an actual hologram, you're going to love this. I did.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy!