2.5/5

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS:
Charlotte is an astronomical archivist who accepts a job in Somerset village of Lower Brambleton archiving an old observatory before its demolition. Tristan is the project manager overseeing the development of the new homes being built to replace the observatory. Tristan is eager for the observatory's demolition due to its connection to traumatic family memories. As Charlotte sorts through the astronomical research in the observatory, she uncovers breakthrough research tied to Tristan's complex family history.

The cover, book title, and the premise surrounding astronomy really drew me to this book and I was excited when I was approved for the ARC! Unfortunately, I feel like this one fell short. The pacing was slow and the story really felt like it dragged while the romance felt really rushed. There was also some lying by omission (not a fan of miscommunication in a book) that drove me crazy. I also felt like there was no chemistry between Charlotte and Tristan and it was really just outside forces (Lorelai and Thea) trying to bring them together. I had thoughts to DNF, but I was curious enough about the family research plot to see it through.

Review: ⭐⭐💫
Genre: romance, women's fiction
Tropes: slow burn, small town

This was a pretty good read, although it took me a full week to finish it. That’s a long time for me, especially given the number of pages. It’s well-written, and sounds as though Keenan did her research into the aspects of astronomy necessary for her storyline. I would absolutely recommend this book!

CONTINUITY ERROR:
- If the twins were born in April 1990, their mother would’ve been pregnant December 1989, not December 1990!

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

“A Sky Full of Stars” by Fay Keenan is the definition of a warm, gentle and sweet romance.

Both protagonists were likeable. Furthermore, the setting was portrayed vividly, so much so that one would love to visit it there.

The only drawback was that, at times, the general timeline dragged a little, while the romance part felt a bit rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the e-ARC of this novel.

A sweet romance around two introverts, and the closing and demo of an old abandoned observatory. Tris needs to remove this reminder of his parents death and Charlotte is sent to organize and remove old documents for permanent archival. Love and healing commense. I enjoyed the story very much.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was an easy, enjoyable read. While I liked Charlotte and Tristan, I was fairly ambivalent about their love story, but I still liked the book. The setting was lovely, I enjoyed the descriptions of Charlotte's work (a bit different from the usual jobs of teacher / marketing assistant in this genre!) and the supporting characters were great.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. I wanted to love this book. The premise was interesting, and the writing was pleasant. I loved the setting, and the side characters had a lot of potential. But, unfortunately, I just felt like the story was repetitive and dragged, while the romance plot, itself, was rushed. The main characters felt authentic to themselves until they didn't (around the 2/3 mark). There were lovely glimpses of romantic tension between them, but it just did not build in a compelling way. For me, the climax was a bit nonsensical (and I will forgive a lot of in a romance story!). It is definitely a cozy romance with some beautiful moments. I just hoped for a bit more oomph.

Thank you so much to Fay Keenan, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an eARC of this book.

‘A Sky Full of Stars’ is a heartfelt, captivating story about a whirlwind romance, a beloved observatory, and an uncovered mystery.

Charlotte is an astronomical archivist, recruited to a project of archiving an observatory that is scheduled for demolition in the quaint English village of Lower Brambleton. When Charlotte meets her landlady for the summer, Lorelai, and begins to learn more about the history of the town, Charlotte begins to wonder if she bit off more than she could chew with this project.

I really enjoyed both protagonists, Charlotte and Tristan, and felt that they were both complex and very likeable. Charlotte’s adorable dog, Comet, needs to be mentioned as well, as he brought so much comedic relief (and cuteness!) to the story.

This is a very layered story about love, family, grief, astronomy, and well-kept ancestral secrets. Charlotte’s job was so interesting to me, and made for a very unique plot. I couldn’t put the book down as she began to uncover more clues to solve this mystery, while exploring her budding romance with Tristan. They fall fast, but that definitely doesn’t mean it’s smooth-sailing for them.

This book really touches on how a single tragedy can impact an entire village.

By the end of this heartfelt book, I found myself longing to spend a summer in Lower Brambleton, and to visit the local pub with Charlotte, Tristan, and their friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

A Sky Full of Stars by Fay Kennan was a fun read. This one publishes soon so be on the lookout. It’ll have you engrossed.

This was the definition of a soft and sweet and gentle romance.
I absolutely loved the setting and found the story to be utterly swoony.

Charlotte and Tristan is a tale set around a new theme for me: astromology. I found Charlotte to be likeable and Tristian the same. It's a gorgeously written book, unputdownable that you kind of expect from a Boldwood book. My first Fay book but it certainly won't be my last. Thank you for letting me have an advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

This is an excellent read. It's a love story with something else. The main character Charlotte has that bit of something when she’s felt something. A lot more than the sky full of stars.

I really enjoyed this gentle romance. The setting of the English countryside sounded idealic and the astronomy spin was unique. I love that the FMC, Charlotte, was an archivist. I can't say I've ever read a book including that occupation. The MMC, Tristan, clearly had some things to work through from the get go, but it was handled with grace.
The development of the romance was very believable and satisfying without being too in your face. I really enjoyed the resolution and would be happy to read more by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

An excellent feel good book but with a different setting which made it very readable for me. Will definitely read more
By this author.

"A Sky Full of Stars" sounded like the kind of book I usually enjoy, but I didn't know the author and no one had rated it on Goodreads yet (as I had access to an advanced copy), so I had no idea what to expect. I ended up very pleasantly surprised!

This book is a lovely romance, with a hint of mystery, a bit of drama, and a well-rounded story that isn't only about love, but also about friendship, family, grief, and so much more. The two protagonists, Charlotte and Tristan, are very well developed, and endearing despite (or thanks to) their flaws. Charlotte's an astronomical archivist, and she has to archive the documents from a rural observatory that is going to be destroyed. The two characters definitely didn't have a meet-cute, and I wondered how Tristan would redeem himself after his first appearance in the story, but as we get to know him, we get to understand his complex character and the scars he hides. We also get to know his family and friends, who are also well developed, which is what we like to see in secondary characters!

Lastly, and I must really applaud this, because it is so rare in a romance (yet so relatable): Charlotte and Tristan, while attracted to each other, were still a bit nervous and hesitant every time they had to cross a new step in their relationship. Tristan would pepper his sentences with "er..." or would stumble on his words. This felt a lot more realistic than characters who jump into each others' arms without hesitation.

Finally, two big bonus points for me were the setting, which had a strong presence and really added to the story, and the very well researched topic of astronomy — the author seemed to have done an excellent and thorough research of this subject. Oh, and I also loved that it took place in rural England and was written by a Brit, it's a nice change from the American rom-coms I usually read.

I read this book in one sitting during a long, long flight/bus/train journey, and it got my head off the nightmarish journey, so it's high praise indeed! I will definitely be reading more books from this author.

This is quite different from my usual book choices. I’m not usually in to mystery vibes. But I enjoyed this one quite a bit. There’s a lot of emotion tied into the mystery of the scenario that the characters find themselves in and a lot of of hurt for many of the characters.
So much so that the majority of the characters see it as a cut and dry means to an end for our FMC to come in and clean out what is essentially an old observatory.
However, as with most small towns, she soon finds she’s fitting off quite a lot more than she can chew. And at this archiving is anything but cut and dry.
In its heart this book is about romance but it’s also about family, love, betrayal and what people are capable of.

I loved the astronomy aspect of this story. Rather than it just being about a budding romance, the story of the observatory took centre stage and made this a much more rounded read. It was poignant at times, but also amusing, and had you dreaming of summer in the English countryside. A real feel good book.

What a fascinating read. In addition to a beautifully written love story, set in an idyllic location, the author wove in so much information about a world I'd never read about. A superb read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Dr Charlotte James is a historical astronomical archivist. She works in the Astronomy Department of the fictional North West Wessex University in Bristol and lives on campus, except for the summer holidays where she usually stays with her friend Gemma. This year, however, she has bagged herself a five week job archiving the records of the Observatory in small town Lower Brambleton in Somerset before it is being torn down to make way for a housing development. It pays well and even offers free accommodation for her and her spaniel Comet.

Her first reaction is to want to preserve the old building but her landlady, elderly Lorelai, and many community members are surprisingly very much in favour of the destruction of the old tumbledown observatory and the construction of new homes on the land. When Charlotte meets Tristan Ashcombe, Lorelai's grumpy grandson, she learns of the tragic events that befell the community 30 years earlier. And then she makes a surprising discovery that could change things but push some people over the edge.

I really liked that this isn't simply a romance but also teaches you interesting things about astronomy. I've learnt of the existence of eclipsing binary stars, and even though Im still not quite sure what they are and why they are a big thing, I loved the enthusiasm. The story also expertly deals with grief and mental health issues.

I loved most of the characters (except for the villain), even Todd the ex wasn't so bad. I also liked that there was barely any miscommunication, and the tour of Bristol really made me want to visit it.
Great book, great cover, and apparently the first in a brand new series. Can't wait for the next one!

4.5 stars

Cute and cozy romance with down to Earth characters who have real histories and emotions - and let's not forget a spaniel that steals the show.