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? Synopsis from Goodreads PERSONAL REVIEW I loved Alex, Approximately so I was really excited for this new Jenn Bennett book, which would hopefully give us another great love story to enjoy. And Starry Eyes was definitely a cute story, and I really liked reading about Zorie and Lennon, but I didn’t have the same connection with it as I did Alex. Regardless, it definitely made me want to go camping! Cool Story Setting As a very non-outdoors person (seriously, I break out if I spend too much time in parks, let alone forests), I thought the setting for this book was really cool. I liked that Zorie was forced to learn about herself and confront her fears, both emotional and physical — it’s a very obvious, but believable, character development and it was great to read about. She just didn’t give up, on either her goal to get to the star party or on figuring out what happened with Lennon. Plus, it was great that Lennon — the stereotypical “Mr. Goth Rocker” — was also Mr. Nature. He’s more then his clothing suggests, and that’s the kind of character I like to read about. A Little “Lighter" Then I Was Expecting This is not to say that the problems that Zorie and Lennon face are not real or difficult, but I felt like they were handled very lightly instead of really digging into the issues they face. Zorie father is quite clearly homophobic, racist, and flat-out an awful person...but it's just briefly mentioned with a shrug that it's just always been the way he was and there was never a confrontation about it. The best moment was definitely meeting Zorie's grandparents (specifically her grandmother) who is completely amazing!! But most of the problems each of them face are treated as singular issues and never discussed further then when they are first brought up; there were a lot of missed opportunities to bring this book to a deeper level. Took a Bit Too Long to Get to the Truth I was definitely holding my breath for the first half of the book waiting to find out what had happened between Zorie and Lennon -- and man was it intense when we did find out -- but it definitely took to long to get there. I would have liked more hints along the way instead of simply dropping it on us all at once. It's clear there was a deeper reason to why Lennon just didn't show, so I thought it was weird that Zorie just accepted this and cut him out of her life. I felt like yelling at them many times in the book that they should JUST SAY WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY. But I also get that it's easier to say that as a bystander than to actually do it in the moment; it was just also super clear that Lennon was in love with Zorie, so it was annoying that it took her so long to figure it out. They could've been happy for so much longer!! I definitely still thought this was a fun book (and I actually have agreed to go camping this summer because I want to see the stars!) and a really easy read. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a light read and a happy ending. I do think some growth moments were missed, but this was still a very cute love store. FINAL RATING: 3.5/5 
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About MeHi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband. Follow Me on Instagram@AllCharactersWanted
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