The book had me by the title! I feel like it had all the elements I love in books which made it a great read and a palet cleanser from all my mystery reads

Wow! This book is so good! I like Marie Lu's writing (I enjoyed the Legend series) so I was really looking forward to reading Stars and Smoke and I wasn't disappointed!
Sydney and Winter are from two very different worlds but are thrown together in an action packed, gadget-filled spy adventure. They are both likeable characters who work together as if they have been partners for so much longer than a few days. The plot is well thought out and I enjoyed the various twists and turns of the story.
I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I’m sorry but it turned out I’m not the right audience for this book😭

Winter Young is a mega superstar recruited into a spy mission and partnered with the youngest member of the spy company, Sydney Cosette. I felt like this book attempted to be action-packed and romantic but failed at both. Nothing really happened until halfway through the book and Winter & Sydney’s chemistry felt off. No actually everything felt mid. The spy company, the conflict, the mission, the dynamics, nothing stood out.

The writing was unbearably descriptive, with lots of flashbacks, thus overshadowing the action scenes. Both of the main characters didn’t have solid personalities. The dialogues felt so juvenile and mediocre, if their age wasn’t mentioned I’d guess that it’s around 12-15 y.o.

This is my first Marie Lu’s book and TBH I couldn’t believe that she wrote something like this, after all her experience writing multiple books. I had such high expectations so I guess that’s on me.

[Actual rating - 3.5/5]

(Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

As with all Marie Lu books, the characters in Stars and Smoke were fantastic. Our main characters were fun and worked really well together whilst also having depth and being loveable characters.

The plot was tense and mysterious in places but was lacking a little as there weren’t many twists or stereotypical spy activities that I was expecting. The world-building was decent and could have done with a bit more background but I loved all the spy agency stuff and how cool all the gadgets were.

It was a quick and intense but still fun read that was a great start to the series.

The overall feel to the story was different from Marie Lu's typical book style, but I personally loved it and thought it was fresh and original. This is being marketed as new adult, but the reading experience still felt very similar to young adult, asides from the main characters being 19, I wouldn't have known if I didn't check.

I have always loved the character's that Marie Lu creates and was again easily invested in Winter and Sydney, they had great chemistry and tension, but were also very real, and fun to follow. There were times where it felt they were written younger, but I overlooked it and didn't detract from my enjoyment. I disagree that this is enemies to lovers though, as Sydney simply prejudges Winter due to him being a pop star, not a secret agent, and feels more like dislike to lovers.

Despite the YA themes, this was still a page turner. The balance of plot and action was perfectly handled and the pacing was easy to follow, so I didn't feel bored at any point during the story. There were a lot of twists that kept me guessing, even though some of them were quite obvious, and felt like they were being handed to you, which dampened the foreboding and anticipation.

A brilliant first book in a YA, James Bond esque, spy series. The book can be read as a stand alone, but I’m immediately hankering for the next book. This is a new direction for Marie Lu, away from Sc-fi. But she has nailed it once more. Here I found her trade mark, for me, fast paced twisty character driven story plot, with humour and banter between the characters, a villain or two to add perilous spice and a little bit of romance. Her central characters have that undeniable snarky strength but also realistic self-doubt. Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Global phenomenon Winter Young is the pop star of a generation. With sell-out tours and smash-hit records, everyone wants him, or wants to be him.
That's why a top-secret government organisation think he'll make the perfect spy.
His target is infamous business tycoon, and all-round bad guy, Eli Morrison. Because Morrison's daughter has just one birthday wish: a private concert with Winter Young.

Words cannot express how much I adore this book. Winter and Sydney are so precious to me, and the knowledge that we'll be getting more of their adventures in the future has me overjoyed. This is an absolute blast of fun from start to finish, with just the right amounts of adventure, intrigue, and romance. Highly recommended!