Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett Published by Simon and Schuster on April 3rd 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Social Themes, Dating & Sex, Sports & Recreation, Camping & Outdoor Activities
Pages: 432
Format: eARC
Source: Netgalley
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In this romantic dramedy from the author of Alex, Approximately, a teen girl’s way-too-ordinary life is driven off the beaten path when she’s abandoned in the wilderness with her worst adversary—the boy who broke her heart.
Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.
But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.
What could go wrong?
With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.
And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Why Did I Read?
The great outdoors! Hiking! It’s my thing! Plus I loved Jenn Bennett’s YA contemporary last year too!
My Thoughts:
I could not have picked a more perfect time to read Starry Eyes. I was on a multi day backpacking hiking trip in New Zealand when I read it! I was literally out in the forest and the great outdoors as I read about Zorie and Lennon hacking it out there. Firstly, a little bit of background: I love hiking! I also love overnight backpacking trips! So many of the things they talked about or went through, I related to! (Minus the bears. No bears in my experience, whew.) So I’d just like to take a quick moment to commend Jenn Bennett on her accuracy and her attention to detail, particularly her mention of “leave no trace” and other hiking etiquitte!! It’s a big pet peeve of mine when I see terrible camping and/or hiking behavior because it’s nature that suffers. I was practically applauding out loud at the emphasis of leave no trace and other hiking etiquette details! (I also found it quite funny that as I was reading this, I had a beef stroganoff dehydrated meal and Zorie did too. I was like this is so amazing! Like I said, perfect timing to read this!)
Anyway, in Starry Eyes, our main character Zorie finds herself out of her element. She winds up on a trip with friends out camping which is not her usual thing and who else should be there but her former best friend Lennon. They used to be best friends and then more than friends until an incident the year before blew things up. But now that they’re forced to spend some time together, things start to change.
I loved Zorie and Lennon’s relationship so much. You can just tell how much they miss the other, the gap they each leave in the other’s lives. They have so much chemistry together that you root for them right off the bat. You need them to figure things out! And what better setting to do that than in the beautiful outdoors?
I also loved Zorie’s relationship with her step mother. They are so close and I always love reading a good mother-daughter relationship. Not to mention, Lennon’s moms. They are just fantastic. All of the amazing family feels in this book. Loved the dynamic so much.
In short…
This was such a fantastic contemporary featuring amazing characters, romance and family dynamics. It had the fluttery romance feels I enjoy in my contemporaries as well as delving down on a deeper level with family relationships and hardships. I just felt like this one had a good balance of everything I enjoy. Me loving hiking and camping was the frosting on the cake because I related to so many of the things. However, even if you don’t like nature, you will still love reading Zorie and Lennon’s adventure out there.
1/2
I thought of you the whole time I was reading this! Chris has been into researching hiking/backpacking/camping lately, so I have a feeling we’ll be doing (a much lesser version of) this soon.
Ahh I am excited that you guys are looking into it!! Of course feel free to shoot any gear questions my way if you have any! Honestly I never thought I’d be a backpacker person because of how little I enjoy car camping but it’s totally different and much more fun and the views are so worth it.