I’m so torn about this book, which I think I’ve developed a love-hate relationship with. The prose - particularly at the beginning - reads very YA-y, all conveniences and developments that are hard to believe. Then it turns into a psychological examination of a friendship that is so intense it quickly burns out (which is relatable), but between two supremely unlikeable characters; although in my opinion, Diana is clearly the biggest psychopath from the start. My issue is that the reveal of her true nature - which runs alongside Aurelle’s deep-dive into addiction (warning: it heavily glamourises drugs) - drags on a bit too long. Petrou repeats tropes that we have heard numerous times already, in the setting up of the novel. Some even then go on to contradict themselves: for example, I don’t need to know, at 85% into the book, that Diana doesn’t have any friends on her course, because they all find her intimidating and cold - this has been clearly established already. Although I was compelled to keep reading in the first half, by the time the plot started wrapping up I wasn’t too bothered about picking it up - and therefore the ending lost a lot of its impact.

Thank you to NetGalley and Verve Books for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so deliciously circular, I'm absolutely obsessed with it.

Diana and Aurelle are best friends, kindred spirits, and they're in their freshman year of university together at the elite and secluded Rocky Barrens University. Diana has always lived in the shadow of her brother, and Aurelle of her famous fashion designer mother but at RBU the two girls set themselves apart from the rest of the campus.

I loved the way that this story unfolded in a very purposeful and deliberate way. Although the novel is relatively short the story didn't feel rushed, more it unfurled a little like a flower. Whilst I wouldn't dispute that this is a thriller, or at least thriller-esque, most of the thrill came from knowing what was going to happen before it did and then watching it happen anyway.

This reminded me of Genuine Fraud and a little of The Secret History, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes that sense of spiralling tragedy.

A book as dark as it is glamorous. Set at an isolated, small university in the northern regions of Ontario in the late 90s, Stargazer sets out to explore the darker sides of female friendship, rage and obsession. This is a masterfully written literary thriller that can easily find its place next to dark academia favourites such as The Secret History and If We Were Villains.

Ooh, this book really got me. There was an atmosphere throughout which made you feel we were building to something big. Excellent for 90s nostalgia and intense friendships, I thought it was great. Plus, Taylor Jenkins-Reid recommended it on Instagram, so it's clearly a winner!

Thank you to Netgalley and Verve Books for the advanced copy

✨I so wish this had been a buddy read, as I'm desperate to discuss it with someone....particularly about the ending.

✨I was totally drawn to this book by its cover. There was something about the whole tone of this book that was so fly and cool. I loved the 1990s era it was set in, it was very much of my time!

🌠This was a very quick read for me, my attention never wavered. I wasn't particularly drawn to favour any character. I think my sympathy lay with Diana initially but that soon dwindled. Aurelle was a much sweeter character but I had nothing in common with either girl so I struggled to form fondness for either...

🌠I'd describe this as a sort of cooler, grittier, shorter version of Firefly Lane.

I like to thank @oldcastlebooks and @netgalley for the ARC of this novel, but especially the Author @lauriepetrou who also added a Spotify playlist to listen along to while reading....omg I can tell she's of my era...some AMAZING tracks.

Again, I liked the idea of this plot however it didn't turn out to be as good as it was hyped up to be. This novel is about obsession, envy and friendship and beyond creepy at times. Claiming that Diana and Aurelle are the same person, sleeping and cuddling each other I was confused at if this was an obsession or lesbian attraction. I did feel like it dragged out a lot at times with the descriptions and so forth.
Why compare this to The Secret History? All the characters did was complain a lot and seemed to unhealthy need each other too much.

Although in this novel it has a dream style vibe- with the drugs and the highly privileged thing going on, like a female version of Bret Easton Ellis in my opinion if you are going to make any comparisons.

Stargazer is an enjoyable read that uses a dark vibes to explore the darker sides of female friendship and how such bonds can be toxic. Fans of this type of feeling will enjoy this kind of book more.

I'd describe this as a commute/beach read: it's a pretty familiar story of toxic friendship between young women and any comparisons with The Secret History are wishful thinking. The writing is very 'told' and distanced with clichés like a broken limb 'smashing with a sickening crack... her left arm screaming with pain' - don't they always crack sickeningly and scream in books?

Some of the developments are unconvincing - a mother not able to recognise her own daughter on the phone and having a whole conversation with an imposter? The final lurid and predictable scene in the lake...

This may not be doing anything original but it's a fun downtime read.

Stargazer almost read like a tragic love story, but it's a great, unrequited love of female friendship.

As I said at the start of my post, this tale didn't instantly pull me in.

A slow burner.

But by the time I'd got a third of the way through, I didn't want to put it down.

Toxic is how I'd describe it.

We see the the bond of apparent best friends Diana and Aurelle.

Going from past to present, there is a real insight into just how their friendship came to be and also how it began to break. Told from both girls' points of view, I got the sense that one was more dominant and perhaps the least expected.

They do say watch out for the quiet ones!

An exceptional glance at just how fragile female friendship can be.

The complexities of navigating growing up and the complications when best laid plans don't come to pass.

I felt a real tortured emotion when reading this and what was refreshing was the fact that I actually didn't like either of the main characters.

Both experienced major highs and lows but even with what they had to go through, there was an underlying dark tone that made me feel like they almost bought on their circumstances by themselves. Neither of them satisfied with their lot, jealous of what the other had. And it becomes apparent just what that green-eyed envy can make someone do.

I was transfixed, even when the subject matter being read became more problematic.

With mention off abuse and drug use, this isn't for the faint hearted.

Quietly powerful prose.

With quite the thrilling twist, I felt the need to go back and re-read certain chapters to look for clues of telling moments that I might have missed.

Stargazer is a tale of love, loss and loathing. It's both intense and haunting.

A story that will stay with me for a while.

The intense friendship of two girls from teenagers to beyond is depicted beautifully and the building tensions keep you reading. A very unique writing style and wonderfully flawed characters makes this a must read this summer.

An entertaining and interesting exploration of the complexities of female friendship that takes readers back to the '90s (and allows some to revisit their misspent youth!). Love that the author also provided a Spotify playlist to accompany this which really added to the reading experience.

Stargazer is a novel about obsession, envy, and friendship, as two girls are drawn closely together only to find that things might not be so perfect between them. Diana has always lived next door to famous fashion designer Marianne Taylor and her family, including her daughter Aurelle, but Diana has stayed away, hiding from her bully older brother. When finally Diana and Aurelle get to know each other, they quickly become close friends, and in the summer of 1995, they set off to the same college, a small place for art and athletics in the woods. There, they're known by their bond and for their liking for drug-fuelled adventures, but as Diana's artistic prowess becomes well-known, a wedge starts to be driven between them.

This is a classic set-up for a book, with a close friendship between two girls finding themselves, built not only on each other's company but also on envy and a desire for something else. Early on, it is clear that Diana and Aurelle want elements of each other's life, and the book explores the issues of this being the basis for a friendship, with an underlying toxic resentment that the characters don't discuss. The book doesn't have a huge amount of plot and the pace for much of the book is quite slow. I spent quite a lot of the book trying to guess when something actually dramatic was going to happen, picking up clues from the vibe and genre that it was likely to, but I did like the ending, which is quite quick in comparison to the rest of the book but leaves you with a sense that the unnerving underlying elements have come out.

The comparison between The Secret History in the blurb will draw people in (it's why I wanted to read it), and at the end of the book that author gives thanks to Tartt's book, making it clear this one was very much inspired by it. In fact, Stargazer felt to me like The Secret History crossed with The Talented Mr Ripley, particularly as the two protagonists used each other's name occasionally (and with other elements that it would be spoilers to go into). A key difference between these other books, especially The Secret History, and Stargazer is that the latter is told using third person narration to see both of their perspectives (and, infrequently, a couple of other characters' perspectives) so you don't get as much of an unreliable narrator-created sense of the situation. Stargazer also focuses a lot more on the backstory and build-up to more dramatic events, rather than the aftermath.

The world of the book is dreamlike, echoing the amount of drugs that the characters take, and highly privileged, with another notable element of the book as opposed to others in the same kind of sub-genre being that both protagonists are rich and, despite what they respectively might think, belong in the same world. This means it tells a different kind of story to one about envy or obsession from a place of lesser power or position: rather, Stargazer explores not seeing what you've got and building versions of reality that suit what you see. It also looks at ideas of art and what can or should be used in art, which is an interesting thread, though feels less important in the book than the interpersonal relationships.

Stargazer is an enjoyable read that uses a "dark academia" type vibe to explore, as quite a look of books have recently, the darker sides of female friendship and how such bonds can be toxic. It does feel quite predictable, a homage to The Secret History that doesn't have similar narration or plot twists (but does have a 90s setting), and there's more it could've explored, but fans of the atmosphere will probably like it.

Diana and Aurelle are best friends living together at Rocky Barrens university. Two rich girls living staying in Diana’s parents holiday home rather than with all the other freshmen. Aurelle and Diana have only grown close in the last twelve months even though they have been neighbours their whole lives. Diana has watched Aurelle’s life from her bedroom window and longer to be on the inside of a loving creative family. Aurelle in turn feels trapped by the celebrity of her fashion designer mother. After being unexpectedly thrown together the girls begin an obsessive friendship built on secrets that starts to unravel when the girls are left without any steadying influence.

A fabulous book with fully drawn flawed characters and a sense of place. The envy and misery is beautifully portrayed and we follow the journey of the characters feeling the strength of the obsessions. Highly recommended.

A cracker of a book, reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith and Donna Tartt. Slow starter (about first 1/3) and then absorbed me. Great characters and loved their development as the story progressed. First book I read by this author but will be keeping an eye out for her future offerings. 4 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

It's 1995, and best friends Diana and Aurelle are off to college together and ready to lose themselves i party, art and finding themselves. Despite being neighbours for years, the girls only recently connected and found a bond through Diana's experience of being bullied by her older brother her entire life, and Aurelle's experience being swallowed and shadowed by her famous family. But as Diana grows in college, Aurelle becomes smaller and will Diana turn her back on her best friend?

This is such an interesting deep dive into the complexities of female friendship and the type of up an down/weak and strong dynamics there are in many types of relationships from friendships to romantic ones.

I loved the build up of who Diana and Aurelle are going into their first semester, and the almost contradiction of who they should be as character. Diana, who her whole life has been second best to her bully of her brother, should be meek and shy whereas she is strong, confident and opinionated - and then Aurelle, who has been surrounded by love in a family that opened their doors to everyone, is the weaker one, never able to truly find herself because of her connection to her fashion designer mother.

This was a slightly soul torturing book to read as we see all facets of who the girls are, what drives their decision making - their highs and their lows, and how Diana began to climb up the ladder but used Aurelle as a stepping stone, crushing her on their way. So many times I wanted to reach out to Aurelle and hold her close to me, to get her away. A really good example of how abusive, controlling relationships can come in so many different forms and they're not always romantic.

I loved the insight into artists and their muses in this book too, and the conversation it provoked about what was ethical versus borderline problematic/abusive when it comes to muses and consent, and using images or inspiration in ways that could embarrass or hurt. Honestly, Diana became one of the cruelest people through her selfishness and how she looked at Aurelle slipping into the shadows and thought it was okay to continue. Just so hard to read yet so realistic at the same time.

Definitely recommend this one!

Petrou's beautiful writing contrasts with a lingering darkness than overhangs this novel. So atmospheric I felt transported to rural Canada, Stargazer is an exploration of female friendships, family, wealth, loneliness, coming of age, and fame. With a vibe reminiscent of Tartt's The Secret History, Petrou has created a fascinating, character driven novel that I've no doubt will keep friends and book groups in discussion for years to come. My first experience of Patrou's work and it won't be my last.

Very assured writing in this semi-homage to The Secret History. Compellingly written, and highly styled. Will be a hit with readers of those drawn to campus novels and more aspirational stories, no doubt

This book is about the female bond, obsession, insecurity and loneliness.

Gripping compelling and short it’s a real winner.

An addictive book that I couldn't put down!

The characters were both well thought out and explored, each with their own pains and difficulties. As the book progressed I saw how twisted and destructive their relationship had become and was intrigued until the end.

5/5!

Diana grew up next door to a celebrity family, wishing she could be a part of that world, rather than her own unhappy experiences. This is a story of rivalry and envy, success and feeling second best, wishing to be in the limelight or shrinking from it, an experience of youthful friendship and social failures. The writing hits the right note, family expectations and also dysfunctional families, where both leave an unhappy longing to escape.
You can picture yourself there it is so beautifully described and keeps you guessing as to where it’s headed. Well worth the read.

Lots to love! The author's explicit acknowledgement of the influence of The Secret History makes me feel quite fond of this novel - wouldn't all of us TSH devotees write an homage if we could? - and I particularly enjoyed the focus on female friendship. Having said that, it's a little predictable in its 'darkness', a little overwritten at times and altogether just a little bit much - perhaps, after all, Dark Academia is best left behind with teenage me.

My thanks to Verve Books and NetGalley for the ARC.