"Gazing at the Star Next Door" is the perfect new manga read for die-hard shoujo fans! Can't believe I've not heard it recommended (even before getting an official English translation) because it was just that good of a read. Like, I'm going to buy a physical copy for my shelf immediately when it publishes next month. It was so cute and sweet – it had me kicking my feet and giggling for real. The relationship between Chisaki and Subaru is really wholesome and I can't wait to read more. Also, the illustrations were phenomenal. So perfect to the genre.

For fans of manga like "Lovesick Ellie," "In the Clear Moonlit Dusk," "Horimiya," and "Skip and Loafer." (Truly I could name off more but those are some of my favorite shoujos that give me the same feelings that this read did.

Chi is in love with her childhood best friend, the problem is that he's famous! What's a girl to do? Find out in this cute and sweet start to a manga series.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume of this series and plan on continuing it.

I received a free copy of this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

I absolutely loved this first volume of Gazing at the Star Next Door, I loved the pacing of this volume and it left me wanting to read more! The artwork is beautiful whilst giving a modern nod towards the classic shoujo style. I would have like to have seen a little more from Subaru's perspective but I am sure this will progress as the story continues. A solid 4 star highly recommend!

OMG I had no idea this was getting an English publication!! The shoujo genre is very near and dear to my heart, so it’s always nice to see more shoujo manga getting official english translations.

The story follows high school student Chisaki and her celebrity best friend Subaru. I always love a good childhood friends to lovers trope, and the manga has a really cute take on it. 100% recommend to anyone who enjoys shoujo and romance manga!!!

(Thank Netgalley and Kondasha for an ARC in exchange for an honest review)

Thank you NetGalley for providing this eARC! This manga was so adorable. This series has me blushing and gasping. This is a must read series for anyone who loves early 2000s shojo.

Starting off this book was filled with beautiful artwork. It is a cute romance between childhood friends. Chiaki falls in love with her best friend Subaru, who is now a famous actor/model. Chiaki has to work through her insecurities while navigating the attention surrounding Subaru.

Gazing at the Star Next Door is such a sweet and cute love story. I love the friends-to-lovers trope but add in the celebrity aspect creates such a great read! Can’t wait for the next volumes to release!

cute & lighthearted young adult story, beautiful art style, great for a younger audience because it felt very innocent & dorky (in a good way)

This is my first manga in a long time and what a great title to start my manga "rebirth with". I have always loved the childhood friends to lovers trope and making this a celebrity x regular person romance was an excellent decision. Chiari and Subaru were cute and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

Gazing At The Star Next Door is a charming romance story about a girl named Chiaki, who harbours a crush on the boy living next door, Subaru.

Chiaki and Subaru are childhood friends. Chiaki is a normal teenage girl, and Subaru is a famous model and actor. Chiaki is adorable and caring. Subaru is charming and easygoing. Chiaki cares about Subaru, but she also thinks she’s out of his league. Their friendship is adorable. I loved their witty banter and pulling each other’s legs.

This manga is a sweet and light read. The illustrations are beautiful.

I’m looking forward to read the next volume.

‘Gazing at the star next door volume 1’ was cute I liked it 😊 the illustration were cute and well done and overall it was a very good read and I will probably be looking into continuing it

Rating 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is so cute and fun! I’m definitely going to read the others in this series so I gotta get my library to order more.

I do wish she didn’t have the role of being like his mother though.

Super cute! I felt like I was back in my Highschool days. Love the concept but I really hope he likes her back or I’ll hate this book forever! Yep it was that good.

Gazing at the Star Next Door follows 16 year old Chiaki, a girl that has had a crush on her neighbour/childhood friend, Subaru, since forever. The only problem now? He’s began his modeling and acting career and is way too out of her league. Chiaki tries her best fall to out of love with Subaru, but how can she when he’s so nice to her!

From the creator of Ran the Peerless Beauty, Ammitsu continues to show their beautiful art and fun story telling with this new series.

I like how early Chiaki is aware of her “problems” instead of being in denial. She always has a maturity that many shoujo FMCs don’t have. I also hope to have Subaru’s POV in the future. I’d love to see how he feels so I guess I’ll just have to wait.

I’m excited to continue reading this story. I can only guess at what fun twists and turns await our two main characters. Speaking of fun, that ending was a great cliffhanger. Volume 2 please!

This was good first volume. I was a cute, fun, light read. The art is cute and I liked the main characters as well.

This is a great manga for shoujo and romance fans. Whoever liked Ammitsu other manga, Ran the Peerless Beauty, might also like this one.

Oh this is so adorable and sweet I could get cavities ˗ˏˋ ♡ ˎˊ˗ ૮꒰⸝⸝> ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა and I just realised at the ending that this was also from the same mangaka as Ran the Peerless Beauty, one of my most favourite romance shoujo ♡ ♡ ♡

When her childhood bestfriend and longtime crush ends up becoming a popular model and actor, Chiaki feels like Subaru is getting more out of her reach as his popularity skyrockets each day. All she wants is to move on from him but he makes it hard when he keeps being nice to her.

I find it cute how Subaru pretty much makes everyone swoon and adore him, but in reality, he is more messy than that. Chiaki has to wake him up and drag him to school almost every day, which is also one of the reasons why Chiaki can hardly get rid of her feelings for him. Their dynamic is so adorable, and even when she thinks he’s teasing her, I think he genuinely likes her more than a friend too.

We don’t get many POVs from Subaru, but from the few ones that we have, he seems to hint at his feelings for her. As much as I want them to just be in love together, I think it’s nice if they can take it slow and learn about what they mean towards each other first. I wonder how they would navigate their feelings next too, since Subaru’s getting more popular, and when one is too popular, the people around them could end up getting hurt as well.

I’m definitely rooting hard for these two ( ๑ ˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و ♡ can’t wait for more from of their budding romance!

This is exactly the kind of manga that’s going to get you sucked in and addicted. The artwork is cute and filled with emotion. The female lead is extremely relatable while the male lead is the perfect balance of mysterious and sweet.
The plot is strong and the set up is on point. The author jumps right into the story and the reader is immediately immersed in the action. I will be counting down the days until the next installment is released.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Ammitsu for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

"Gazing at the Star Next Door" follows Chiaki and Subaru, friends who met through their single mothers and have been there for each other ever since childhood. When Subaru becomes a model, his life becomes very busy, but Chi is still always there to make sure he is awake on time and fed properly. When Subaru starts acting, he becomes even more famous, causing a potential rift in his and Chi's friendship.

A great manga about the power of friendship and romance, and how fame can try to divide relationships, but people have the power to persevere through. An excellent first installment of a sure-to-be wonderful romance series.

(Thank you to both Netgalley and Kodansha for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.)
This was a very sweet read that I enjoyed and think my teenaged students would enjoy as well. Definitely a light-hearted shoujo that has it's romantic and funny moments well-balanced throughout. The heroine, Chiaki is likable and I can't help but to feel for her predicament; to feel like you are close to someone but still they're out of reach because of gaps in social status must be tough. I also like the male lead, Subaru, and find him to be sweet and understanding of Chiaki's temperament (she's a total tsundere.).
The first volume did a good job of making you care about these two and their relationship with one another, and I loved the artwork. I'm interested in continuing the series to see where they end up!

I love this manga and I'm so happy that it got licensed. It's a childhood friends, one is a star plotline and follows all the tropes that you love but the payoff is satisfying. I think their friendship is done well and they are very much each other's biggest supporters. It's the same mangaka as Ran the Peerless beauty and volume 1 is a lot of fun as the basis of Chiaki and Subaru's relationship is established.