Stargazer, Laurie Petrou

Maybe my hopes were set too high but this was a bit of a disappointment.

I don't deal well with books that don't have much plot, so this was never going to be a book I enjoyed!

Everything felt extremely superficial and just fell a bit flat for me!

Loved the cover but sadly not the story.

Diana Martin didn't have the family life her neighbours, The Taylors had. She would often look into the huge Taylor family home and wish she could be a part of it. Her own parents paid her little attention but Aurelle Taylor, daughter of fashion designer Marianne Taylor had everything.

Following Diana's brother tragic death, Marianne invites Diana to their home and, following the admission of a secret, thus begins Aurelle and Diana's friendship.

Set in the 1990s, Petrou does an amazing job of setting the scene. We can feel their friendship develop slowly then upon moving to Rocky Battens University, it becomes obvious that this is a very intense and toxic relationship.

I felt so immersed in the novel from the parties, drugs and even the art room scenes. This is a short novel but every word has meaning. A great read.

While "Stargazer" is a thoroughly enjoyable read, it occasionally verges on the predictable. Some plot twists may be anticipated by readers.

"Stargazer" by Laurie Petrou is a mesmerizing exploration of the complex relationship between two young women, Diana Martin and Aurelle, who yearn to break free from their wealthy, troubled families and carve out their own identities. Petrou weaves a captivating narrative that delves into the depths of their friendship, a bond so profound it blurs the lines between friendship and obsession.

Diana's lifelong yearning to escape the shadow of her abusive brother and be part of the glamorous world of the Taylor family next door is a compelling backdrop for the story. As they find themselves at the same university, the girls become inseparable, discovering a sense of freedom and hedonism that draws them into the seductive embrace of nature.

The novel beautifully portrays their intoxicating relationship, almost closer than lovers, as they navigate the challenges of forging new identities and pursuing their shared dreams. The vivid descriptions of the remote university, which feels more like a summer camp than a campus, set the stage for their transformation.

As Diana's artistic talent propels her toward the possibility of fame, the narrative takes a dark turn, unraveling the complexities of ambition, rivalry, and the lengths one is willing to go to secure their own stardom. "Stargazer" is a thought-provoking and emotionally charged tale of friendship, ambition, and the price of success. Laurie Petrou's writing is evocative and spellbinding, making this book a must-read for those who enjoy intricately woven character-driven narratives that delve into the human psyche.

This book fits really nicely into the likes of Luster and similar books. It was an enjoyable look and like and society and I enjoyed the process.

I heard a lot of good things about Stargazer and was excited to read it. I did enjoy the character development and learning more about the two girls. However, I found it hard to enjoy the story and I know you're likely to not like the characters but I found it hard to enjoy the story due to it.

Maybe my hopes were set too high but this was a major disappointment.
I'm not 100% convinced that there was an actual plot and everything felt extremely superficial. I was hoping that the characters would salvage it by being interesting or a little edgy, yet they just came across as very boring. Nothing felt new or unique which was disappointing.
The cover is great but the story was lackluster. I wouldn't recommend this one!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This little book doesn’t seem to be receiving the attention it deserves, but if you like contemporary literary fiction, reading about toxic friendships, the lives of the rich and famous, a touch of dark academia or have any interest in Canada, this book has it all.

It’s a story about Aurelle and Diana. Next door neighbours since they were young, but only recently close friends (brought together at a time when they were both going through their own traumas). Now, they’re housemates, sharing a small cottage at Rocky Barrens University, where they’re learning about their courses and themselves and, of course, more than a healthy dabble of sex and drugs along the way.

“Ecstasy, a feeling and a drug, a mood of tenderness and wonder and innocence, rising with the temperature.”

The story moves between their childhood and present day, reflecting on the girls’ past and what brought them to this point. And, as the present builds to a climax, the girls’ friendship twists into a dangerous co-dependency.

“One, with a surge in her chest, felt a yearning for glory, for real significance; the other disappeared into the vast sky, just another star that had burnt out before anyone had notice, lost in the many, unremarkable on her own.”

The setting is perfect. Both the country of Canada is brought to life and the campus of RBU. This atmospheric story is teeming with a combination of gorgeous nature and all the tension and angst of teenagers living away from home for the first time and learning to make their own way, and their own mistakes. I love that it was set in the 90s and not present day. Firstly I think it works as a tool to avoid social media and mobile phones being brought into the mix, but secondly it seems to allows the characters to live a little more wild and free than perhaps teenagers in the 2020s do.

And those characters are wild, complex and vividly imagined. While this is quite a short novel, it never feels rushed. It meanders through the beauty of Canada, and explores every facet of the protagonists’ feelings and motivations. When reading the earlier parts, I wasn’t sure who I preferred and empathised with more but, as the story develops, it’s very clear these girls are heading very different ways in life and both spiral out of control in their own way. It’s a powerful, captivating, compulsive read which draws you into its world completely.

A beautiful and affecting novel of friendship, family, and what happens when you rely too much on one for the other. I found the writing so gripping and gorgeous, and the plot was well paced. Recommended highly.

An incredibly twist read and I just could t put it down. The story was so intense that I couldn’t help but feel so many emotions towards each of the characters in this book

I stupidly started reading this one, forgot to pick it back up again and now the file has expired and been archived.

My own fault entirely and I'm so annoyed with myself!

Will try to get a copy of this one soon!

I do love me some 90s nostalgia! This is really good on toxic friendships. I enjoyed it a lot although I think the Secret History comp isn’t quite right.

Love, Friendship, Obsession and Envy are examined in this hedonistic, evocative coming-of-age story set in Toronto in the 1990s.

Diana Martin has a difficult home life thanks to her abusive older brother, Keith. Keith is well-liked and popular, but he treats Diana horribly. Diana copes by dreaming that she's a "Taylor Girl" - her next door neighbour, Marianne Taylor, is a well-known fashion designer with a beautiful teenage daughter, Aurelle. Aurelle gains notoriety when she's pictured wearing one of Marianne's designs, and Diana is obsessed with both of them.

A family tragedy combined with one of the girls needing help prove to be the catalysts for a firm friendship to develop between Diana and Aurelle, and by 1995, they're college roommates, closer than sisters.

As the girls begin to forge their own identities and realise what they want to do with their lives, one of them is determined that she will succeed. At any cost.

I received this as an ARC via Netgalley, but I couldn't get into it. I then came across it on audio and gave it a go - I was completely drawn in by the narrator, and hooked by Chapter 8. It's dark, it's atmospheric, and it's toxic - but it's highly enjoyable and I'd recommend it for fans of E. Lockhart.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley.

Just to be clear: I really enjoyed this.

BUT, when I looked at it on Goodreads, one of the tags was “historical fiction”. Has it come to this now, that 1995 - the year I graduated from Uni - is seen as historical fiction?!

I’m feeling a bit old.

Anyway, I’ll hobble on to the review…

Diana and Aurelle live next door to one another in a wealthy neighbourhood, but have nothing to do with one another until Diana’s brother unexpectedly dies. Diana has had a poor relationship with her brother, but he was clearly their parent’s favourite. Diana is pushed away by her parents, and she ends up next door with Aurelle.

They become close friends, decide to study at the same college, and live together in Aurelle’s family house near the university campus. It’s an idyllic setting. Classrooms in woodland, near a lake. It sounds beautiful.

Aurelle starts to go off the rails, whilst Diana’s art really takes off.

And then it all goes terribly wrong with misunderstandings, envy and obsession.

I didn’t see the latter half of this book coming at all, and it was a real shock!

The whole book was fascinating, though. A prime example of young adults cut loose from the relative stability of their families and left to do whatever they want. And what these girls want to do, especially Aurelle, just isn’t good for them.

So if you like a ‘good’ toxic relationship in a story, then this will be for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I wanted to love this but sadly I just felt like it was trying too hard. I felt like I had read this book before, and sadly better written

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Verve Books, and the author Laurie Petrou.
The premise and the story was just a bit...basic. Painfully predictable, would be good as a switch-off beach read.
It was gripping at times and had potential but was a bit too drawn out in the end with unconvincing plot points. 2 stars.

Stargazer by Laurie Petrou is such a wonderful literary slash women's fiction read this year! It's so raw and real and kind of poetic in itself. There's nothing more insane than female's friendships.

This is one of those books that I find difficult to review what dropping any spoilers.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. From the start I could foretell what would happen but having said that I did really enjoy it.

Slow in places but I was hooked and ended up reading far too late into the night to finish it.

This was quite a dark campus novel telling the tale between Diana and Aurella. It follows their relationship which is full of obsession, jealousy, love and hate.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #OldcastleBooks for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping read! So well written, with well structured and interesting characters. The storyline itself was beautifully written, and had me binge reading it! So good.

Aurelle and Diana; one the oft-photographed daughter of a famous fashion designer and the other who wished she lived in their limelight too. Neighbours who never had anything to do with each other until the summer before College when they become inseparable.
Their relationship develops at dizzying speed; they don't need anything besides each other and the ensuing first semesters of College are a whirlwind of intense friendship, drugs and loving life.
However, when Diana's art starts getting seriously noticed, she uses her friendship with Aurelle as inspiration for her work, with consequences no one could have foreseen.
The story starts out as an exploration of how two different people can become so inter-connected and develops into a study of obsession and the question of 'how far is too far?'
While the story lagged in the middle a bit for me, once I'd finished it it stayed on my mind for many days after, and even now parts of it still have me thinking.