These Broken Stars

by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Rating: 5/5

Why did I wait so long to read this book?! I loved the cover the first time I saw it and said I NEED THIS but then I read the description and I wasn’t hooked. I thought it was going to be a whiny Romeo and Juliet style love story, like Twilight love (gag) or Taylor Swift’s Love Story song. (Okay I am in love with Taylor Swift so maybe that was a bad reference but for real that song is just a tad bit over the top.) I am not going to lie this was a straight up romance, there are only two characters in the majority of the book but holy freaking hell this was not the love story I expected at all! It was beyond any expectation I held, I devoured it in almost an entire day and it left me curled up in a ball at 2am with a box of tissues bawling my eyes out for over an hour. This is how you write a love story. It needs to be funny and ugly and terrifying and nail-biting and infuriating and passionate. It was an all encompassing novel that wrapped my heart in warmth and then ripped it out and stomped on it. But somehow I made it out still breathing and satisfied.

Lilac LaRoux is the daughter of the wealthiest man in the universe who is accustomed to sleeping in and late night soirees wearing the prettiest fashions. Major Tarver Merendsen is a soldier awaiting his next deployment in the field rather than being stuck on a ship full of rich people. The ship they are sailing on crash lands into a unknown planet, with only the two of them as survivors. They must learn to survive together in order to find help and rescue from the strange planet they landed on. But not everything is as it seems and some truths can destroy everything.

First off I loved both of these characters. The banter between them had me laughing out loud and it made them so real in my mind. It let you believe that it truly was an 18 year old boy and a 16 year old girl falling in love despite their desire to admit it all while they fight for survival alone on a alien planet. This book was written in dual POV which can sometimes be a challenge to some writers when they try to separate voice. Kaufman and Spooner succeeded tremendously. Both voices were so true to themselves. There was never a question of whose mind you were in. I think the dual POV worked well with this book, it showed both characters grow and develop so much, it made there weakness apparent and gave them the strength when it was needed.

The plot was absolutely fantastic. It never felt rushed or overwhelming. It did however, get a bit weird in the middle. I loved the fact it got weird. It was almost a bit like Lost, the TV show. I think this turned a few people away from the book but it made me love it more. There was a mystery there that caused tension between Lilac and Tarver and added so much more to their personal story. And then that one thing happens three quarters of the way in and you, as a reader, feel lost and don’t know how to register feelings and you cry and cry and want to hurtle the book across the room. But just like these strong characters you gain hope that all will turn out okay.

Did I mention the writing? The writing is lyrical, poetic, stunning. It makes this book 5 stars. It captures the souls of the characters and then captures your own soul so you feel like you are part of the book. I never get emotional over a book unless the story is fantastic. But when a book has an amazing story and the writing is beautiful enough to bring you to tears on its own, then you have a masterpiece that is worthy of every tear and every tissue.

Overall, this novel was better than I hoped it would be. It is definitely in my top favorite reads of the year. I really do recommend this to anyone, even if you do not like Sci-Fi. You will realize there is so much more to the story then two people lost in space. It is a story of survival, hope, trust, and love. It will be worth every second of your time, just don’t forget the tissues!

Favorite Quotes

*Note: I have a lot here. Sorry. Not nearly as many as I could add, so be grateful. Also, there are small clips at the beginning of each chapter from Tarver’s interrogation and they are all fantastic. He just has great sarcasm with his distaste for certain authority.

“Her eyes narrow, and if looks could kill, then toxic atmospheres would be the least of my problems.”

“And there it is, against all hope, like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. The smallest hint of a smile.”

“Where will I sit?” Sit? Why, on this comfortable chaise lounge I’ve carried here for you in my pocket, Your Highness, so glad you asked. I clamp my mouth shut, struggling not to say it aloud.”

“She rolls over with a little protesting noise, reaching sleepily after me. Then she begins to register the raindrops as they connect with her skin, and she sits up with straight with a gasp. I’m busy sitting up too, because when you go to sleep wrapped around a pretty girl, there are some things going on first thing in the morning that you don’t exactly want making headline news.”

“You don’t mention death when it’s hovering near someone you love. You don’t want to attract the reaper’s attention.”

“I choose her. I choose whatever world has her in it.”

“When you have so little left to lose, even the tiniest loss feels like a body blow.”

“How do you live again, knowing what waits for you in the end?”

“You’re you,’ he repeats, his eyes full of grief. ‘You’re the same girl who crashed on this planet with me, who I dragged through forests and over mountains, who climbed through a shipwreck full of bodies to save my life. You’re the same girl I loved, and I love you now.”

“For a moment the image before us is frozen: our world, our lives, reduced to a handful of broken stars half lost in uncharted space. Then it’s gone, the view swallowed by the hyperspace winds streaming past, blue-green auroras wiping the after-images away. Until all that’s left is us.”