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canadian_chaos_gremlin's review against another edition
5.0
I have been in love with Staci Hart and her words. With her raw and unique concepts, Star Bright takes you on a journey of finding love, standing your ground and doing things for yourself. The raw heartache that ensues through this story really resonates with you deep into your bones as we are thrown into the Bright Young Things and the world that they have created. It is lush, lavish and positively brilliant as Hart weaves this tale and leaves you wanting to be there in person. The attention to detail and the concept alone had me fully enthralled with every word. The connection between Stella and Levi is just brilliant to start with. They have a little bit of a cat and mouse game but all bets are off when these two fully collide. They have stunning chemistry even when things implode for them. When things come to a head, I love how much they struggle to fight those feelings and the deep angst that they have.
Overall, I think I have a new favorite by Hart. She wrote something so spellbinding that is one of a kind and it keeps you fully entertained from start to finish. Between the storyline, the parties, the character build and the passion that Stella and Levi have, you never want to leave the world that she has created. The one thing I found was that I felt like I could see the parties play out like a movie because of the detail that is given. To me, that is the sign of a true artist. And Hart is one through and through!
Overall, I think I have a new favorite by Hart. She wrote something so spellbinding that is one of a kind and it keeps you fully entertained from start to finish. Between the storyline, the parties, the character build and the passion that Stella and Levi have, you never want to leave the world that she has created. The one thing I found was that I felt like I could see the parties play out like a movie because of the detail that is given. To me, that is the sign of a true artist. And Hart is one through and through!
lauriereadsrom1's review against another edition
5.0
I think "Star Bright" may be my new favorite book by Staci Hart! With this story, Ms. Hart brilliantly captured the Great Gatsby/Roaring Twenties vibe that the original Bright Young Things exemplified, while also creating a modern cast of incredibly likeable, three-dimensional characters and an engaging plot that kept me turning the pages well past my bedtime. I had all the feels by the time I reached the end, and I absolutely loved it.
I expected the female lead character of "Star Bright," Stella Spencer, to be rather jaded given her wealthy upbringing, but she actually came across as kind and sweet, and there was a vulnerability to her that she wasn't quite able to hide beneath her party girl veneer. She joked about being a "poor little rich girl" and it was true in a way, but I found her to be very relatable because of her obvious yearning for the love and close family connections she lacked while growing up. As an adult, Stella essentially created her own family with her band of "strays," and the Bright Young Things grew out of that because of her desire to be part of something larger than herself.
Family connections were important to the male lead, Levi Hunt, too, whose only relative was his foster dad Billy since his biological parents had abandoned him at the age of eight. His determination to learn more about the Bright Young Things and write a story about the movement was largely motivated by his desire for a promotion to war correspondent, which came with a hefty raise that would allow him to care for Billy in his old age. Given their common yearning for the love of family, it was easy to understand why Stella and Levi were drawn to each other despite their vastly different backgrounds, and I loved watching their relationship develop over the course of the story.
The book's secondary characters were just as wonderful as Levi and Stella, particularly Stella's best friends Betty, Joss, and Zeke/Zelda (aka "Z"). I look forward to learning more about each of them in future stories.
Overall, I loved "Star Bright" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
*ARC provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
I expected the female lead character of "Star Bright," Stella Spencer, to be rather jaded given her wealthy upbringing, but she actually came across as kind and sweet, and there was a vulnerability to her that she wasn't quite able to hide beneath her party girl veneer. She joked about being a "poor little rich girl" and it was true in a way, but I found her to be very relatable because of her obvious yearning for the love and close family connections she lacked while growing up. As an adult, Stella essentially created her own family with her band of "strays," and the Bright Young Things grew out of that because of her desire to be part of something larger than herself.
Family connections were important to the male lead, Levi Hunt, too, whose only relative was his foster dad Billy since his biological parents had abandoned him at the age of eight. His determination to learn more about the Bright Young Things and write a story about the movement was largely motivated by his desire for a promotion to war correspondent, which came with a hefty raise that would allow him to care for Billy in his old age. Given their common yearning for the love of family, it was easy to understand why Stella and Levi were drawn to each other despite their vastly different backgrounds, and I loved watching their relationship develop over the course of the story.
The book's secondary characters were just as wonderful as Levi and Stella, particularly Stella's best friends Betty, Joss, and Zeke/Zelda (aka "Z"). I look forward to learning more about each of them in future stories.
Overall, I loved "Star Bright" and highly recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!
*ARC provided by the author. All opinions expressed are my own.
whatfelreads's review against another edition
5.0
let me start out by saying, first & for most, this book is straight up MAGIC.
like, wow. Staci is the ultimate word craftswoman & i’ll say that until i die. reading her books is like reading elongated poetry that brings to life the joy & heartache of both being alive & falling in love. i’ll forever be envious of the way she puts together words to describe feelings i’ve been trying to explain for my entire life.
Stella & Levi were the ultimate paring. Stella is soft & broken & strong willed. while Levi is hard & curious & always working to prove himself in the spaces he finds himself. together though, they make total sense. this new world is a place of lavish parties & mystery surrounding who throws them & it’s a mystery that levi sets out to solve & stella works to keep hidden.
the drama of this book felt really well spaced out & not at all like it was pushing something unnecessary. there is an overarching mystery surrounding this story & it was sooooo well done. also, let’s talk about my love for cooper & maggie from chasers & their TINY cameo that made me squeal.
okay, that’s all i have to say. if you’re looking for one of the BOOKS OF THE YEAR, please pick this up! you won’t regret it.
Thanks to Staci & Wildfire PR for the ARC! i’m going to be swooning over this one for a long time to come!
like, wow. Staci is the ultimate word craftswoman & i’ll say that until i die. reading her books is like reading elongated poetry that brings to life the joy & heartache of both being alive & falling in love. i’ll forever be envious of the way she puts together words to describe feelings i’ve been trying to explain for my entire life.
Stella & Levi were the ultimate paring. Stella is soft & broken & strong willed. while Levi is hard & curious & always working to prove himself in the spaces he finds himself. together though, they make total sense. this new world is a place of lavish parties & mystery surrounding who throws them & it’s a mystery that levi sets out to solve & stella works to keep hidden.
the drama of this book felt really well spaced out & not at all like it was pushing something unnecessary. there is an overarching mystery surrounding this story & it was sooooo well done. also, let’s talk about my love for cooper & maggie from chasers & their TINY cameo that made me squeal.
okay, that’s all i have to say. if you’re looking for one of the BOOKS OF THE YEAR, please pick this up! you won’t regret it.
Thanks to Staci & Wildfire PR for the ARC! i’m going to be swooning over this one for a long time to come!
arushofemotions's review against another edition
5.0
Bright Young Things indeed. I didn't know much about the original movement from the 1920s, but this modern-day reimagining was something Fresh, enlightening, and hopeful.
First let's start with the love story. Levi and Stella were a dream to read. There was some unspoken magic between them that just leaped off the pages for me. I think this author perfectly wrote their relationship build up - the beginning likes, turned into lust, and eventual love. They were young, and sexy, yet they were so sure of themselves. And I think that was the sexiest part of this book, how these young hopeful characters were made only stronger through their mutual likeness of one another. It brought a feel-good feeling that carried on throughout the whole book.
Let's talk about what it means to be worthy of love. These two characters wholeheartedly thought they were unworthy of the type of love that they were finding themselves in. Levi having been born into a loveless life situation, later found a redemptive love through his adoptive father. And Stella grew up in a similarly loveless situation with her parents. She's the quintessential poor little rich girl, never knowing what undying love looks like. Together these two fought against a truly beautiful love story. They each thought they weren't worthy of the type of love that was building between them. And it was such a beautifully written love story, I applaud this author for bringing me gut-churning angst in the first 30% of the book. I love how she eventually made them both feel worthy of each other.
Finally the SEXINESS. There's a scene where they're riding his motorcycle and he reaches back and rubs her thigh and the imagery was perfect. Their connection was so damn sexy.
It's been a few days since I finished this book, and I'm still lost in this world. This is a Top read of 2020 for me.
First let's start with the love story. Levi and Stella were a dream to read. There was some unspoken magic between them that just leaped off the pages for me. I think this author perfectly wrote their relationship build up - the beginning likes, turned into lust, and eventual love. They were young, and sexy, yet they were so sure of themselves. And I think that was the sexiest part of this book, how these young hopeful characters were made only stronger through their mutual likeness of one another. It brought a feel-good feeling that carried on throughout the whole book.
Let's talk about what it means to be worthy of love. These two characters wholeheartedly thought they were unworthy of the type of love that they were finding themselves in. Levi having been born into a loveless life situation, later found a redemptive love through his adoptive father. And Stella grew up in a similarly loveless situation with her parents. She's the quintessential poor little rich girl, never knowing what undying love looks like. Together these two fought against a truly beautiful love story. They each thought they weren't worthy of the type of love that was building between them. And it was such a beautifully written love story, I applaud this author for bringing me gut-churning angst in the first 30% of the book. I love how she eventually made them both feel worthy of each other.
Finally the SEXINESS. There's a scene where they're riding his motorcycle and he reaches back and rubs her thigh and the imagery was perfect. Their connection was so damn sexy.
It's been a few days since I finished this book, and I'm still lost in this world. This is a Top read of 2020 for me.
brinchen's review against another edition
2.0
2 Stars
Read this and other reviews here: Brina and the Books
**I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.**
Staci Hart is the queen of diversity and original stories. I have yet to read a conventional book by her. Not that unconventional is bad or conventional is boring. I think it’s simply in Hart’s blood to write unique stories, try new angles, and be different.
I’ve read most of Hart’s stories by now. Some of them were amazing and became instant favorites. Others were nicely written stories. And then there were others that couldn’t convince me. Star Bright was the latter for me.
I was beyond excited to start with Star Bright. It promised to be glamorous and lavish, just like the 20s. However, the more parties “I attended”, the more bored I became. It was mostly the same: same party, same drinks, same rich people. The only thing that was ever-changing was the theme.
Toward the end of the book, a thought popped into my mind: What is Stella Spencer’s occupation? Does she have an actual paying job, besides planning and throwing parties? I don’t think she does and that fact really bothers me. At that point, Stella was just another trust fund kid to me. Yes, the book is about celebrating life and celebrating being alive but is a rich kid party the only way to celebrate it? Isn’t there more to it?
Another thing that confused me was the involvement of the police, especially Warren’s role in it. Why would the police be interested in shutting down rich kids’ parties? What’s their goal here? The events that unfolded toward the end of the story and included Warren seemed not appropriate for a romantic comedy. It also wasn’t the right place.
Writing is another of Hart’s talents. Her words are magic and utterly poetic; it’s always a treat for the eyes and the soul. However, in Star Bright she chose words and terms that were not appropriate in the least bit.
Toward the end she wrote “in a blitzkrieg of news breaks.” Blitzkrieg wasn’t invented during the time of WW2, but it is mostly associated with the horrible events of WW2. I am not sure why a military and negatively associated term is used here?
Then I read “[…] in the hopes that I’d fold, keep up the ruse so I wouldn’t Chernobyl the whole operation.” First, why is it OK to compare a deadly nuclear catastrophe to inflicting damage to an article series from a magazine? And why does anyone think it’s OK to transform it into a verb?
As I mentioned, the police is after the Bright Young Things and Stella is not too happy about it. She thinks they are no fun or in other words “They must hate fun. I bet they sit around all night and read Mein Kampf and take notes in a Lisa Frank notebook.” Wow. I actually had to re-read this part to make sure what I read was not a figment of my imagination. This part definitely took the cake. This accusation toward the police is wrong on so many levels. To accuse anyone of this is horrendous!
This is certainly NOT okay and NOT appropriate in any context, not even as sarcasm or fun.
The idea of Star Bright was great. I love reading original stories. Unfortunately, the final result wasn’t satisfying.
***********
Im torn between 2 and 3 stars...
Read this and other reviews here: Brina and the Books
**I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.**
Staci Hart is the queen of diversity and original stories. I have yet to read a conventional book by her. Not that unconventional is bad or conventional is boring. I think it’s simply in Hart’s blood to write unique stories, try new angles, and be different.
I’ve read most of Hart’s stories by now. Some of them were amazing and became instant favorites. Others were nicely written stories. And then there were others that couldn’t convince me. Star Bright was the latter for me.
I was beyond excited to start with Star Bright. It promised to be glamorous and lavish, just like the 20s. However, the more parties “I attended”, the more bored I became. It was mostly the same: same party, same drinks, same rich people. The only thing that was ever-changing was the theme.
Toward the end of the book, a thought popped into my mind: What is Stella Spencer’s occupation? Does she have an actual paying job, besides planning and throwing parties? I don’t think she does and that fact really bothers me. At that point, Stella was just another trust fund kid to me. Yes, the book is about celebrating life and celebrating being alive but is a rich kid party the only way to celebrate it? Isn’t there more to it?
Another thing that confused me was the involvement of the police, especially Warren’s role in it. Why would the police be interested in shutting down rich kids’ parties? What’s their goal here? The events that unfolded toward the end of the story and included Warren seemed not appropriate for a romantic comedy. It also wasn’t the right place.
Writing is another of Hart’s talents. Her words are magic and utterly poetic; it’s always a treat for the eyes and the soul. However, in Star Bright she chose words and terms that were not appropriate in the least bit.
Toward the end she wrote “in a blitzkrieg of news breaks.” Blitzkrieg wasn’t invented during the time of WW2, but it is mostly associated with the horrible events of WW2. I am not sure why a military and negatively associated term is used here?
Then I read “[…] in the hopes that I’d fold, keep up the ruse so I wouldn’t Chernobyl the whole operation.” First, why is it OK to compare a deadly nuclear catastrophe to inflicting damage to an article series from a magazine? And why does anyone think it’s OK to transform it into a verb?
As I mentioned, the police is after the Bright Young Things and Stella is not too happy about it. She thinks they are no fun or in other words “They must hate fun. I bet they sit around all night and read Mein Kampf and take notes in a Lisa Frank notebook.” Wow. I actually had to re-read this part to make sure what I read was not a figment of my imagination. This part definitely took the cake. This accusation toward the police is wrong on so many levels. To accuse anyone of this is horrendous!
This is certainly NOT okay and NOT appropriate in any context, not even as sarcasm or fun.
The idea of Star Bright was great. I love reading original stories. Unfortunately, the final result wasn’t satisfying.
***********
Im torn between 2 and 3 stars...
jessreads333's review against another edition
5.0
The parties, the secrecies, the glam, the chemistry in the air between Stella Spencer and Levi Hunt is drool worthy
lowkeyreader's review against another edition
5.0
The Bright Young Things are a group of young, beautiful, and rich kids in NYC. They throw the best parties that only the elite are invited to. Not just anyone could get in. This group is a family where they feel like they belong. But who is this Cecilia Benton throwing these over the top parties?
Hart always manages to write books that completely and utterly captivate me. This one is no exception, I absolutely cannot put them down. It is definitely one of a kind, unexpected, and an absolute pleasure to read. You will get sucked into the world that is full of glitz and glamour.
This is so much different from Staci's other works, but it is so worth the change. I can't wait for the rest of the books to be released! I highly recommend this book! 5 Glam ⭐️
Hart always manages to write books that completely and utterly captivate me. This one is no exception, I absolutely cannot put them down. It is definitely one of a kind, unexpected, and an absolute pleasure to read. You will get sucked into the world that is full of glitz and glamour.
This is so much different from Staci's other works, but it is so worth the change. I can't wait for the rest of the books to be released! I highly recommend this book! 5 Glam ⭐️
nothingcoherent's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ialwayshaveabook's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
canadian_chaos_gremlin's review
5.0
I have been in love with Staci Hart and her words. With her raw and unique concepts, Star Bright takes you on a journey of finding love, standing your ground and doing things for yourself. The raw heartache that ensues through this story really resonates with you deep into your bones as we are thrown into the Bright Young Things and the world that they have created. It is lush, lavish and positively brilliant as Hart weaves this tale and leaves you wanting to be there in person. The attention to detail and the concept alone had me fully enthralled with every word. The connection between Stella and Levi is just brilliant to start with. They have a little bit of a cat and mouse game but all bets are off when these two fully collide. They have stunning chemistry even when things implode for them. When things come to a head, I love how much they struggle to fight those feelings and the deep angst that they have.
Overall, I think I have a new favorite by Hart. She wrote something so spellbinding that is one of a kind and it keeps you fully entertained from start to finish. Between the storyline, the parties, the character build and the passion that Stella and Levi have, you never want to leave the world that she has created. The one thing I found was that I felt like I could see the parties play out like a movie because of the detail that is given. To me, that is the sign of a true artist. And Hart is one through and through!
Overall, I think I have a new favorite by Hart. She wrote something so spellbinding that is one of a kind and it keeps you fully entertained from start to finish. Between the storyline, the parties, the character build and the passion that Stella and Levi have, you never want to leave the world that she has created. The one thing I found was that I felt like I could see the parties play out like a movie because of the detail that is given. To me, that is the sign of a true artist. And Hart is one through and through!