The book was trying too hard to please me. It wasn't for me, I struggled to finish it. The words were confusing and long. The characters didn't make any sense. I'm really displeased with this book.

Heartwarming and cozy romance set in the Somerset countryside of Southwest England with touches of academia, star gazing, and family intrigue. A Sky Full of Stars is full of warm fuzzies, and is certainly a nice way to spend a long weekend.

Sweet and pastoral romance blooms when an historical/astronomical archivist meets an estate developer with family ties to the local observatory schedule for demolition. The grumpy meet cute slowly simmers into a darling closed door romance. All while you are rooting for the cantankerous and handsome 30 something fella, Tristan, to open his heart to the smart and slightly damaged academic, Charlotte, scientific discoveries are afoot that may shed some light on the untimely death of Tristen’s parents years before.

This book is lovely: closed door romance with darn near ZERO spice (so that’s nice if you aren’t a spicy person), and yet the romance has a sweet build up, so you still get all that lovely anticipation. There is a cocker spaniel named Comet, here’s a quirky gramma, and lovely walks in the woods. There is also an underlying mystery that adds an element of intrigue that doesn’t exist in many romance novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable read but to me this was more of 'filler' book for when I'm in-between series. It's clear the author did her research on astronomy which drew me in to reading this book. I felt the chemistry wasn't really there with the two main love interests but I did like all the characters. Nice, simple and easy read for when you are on holiday or just want to escape reality for a few hours.

Thank you netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise of this story and found the characters to be adorable, but it was a bit too slow for my liking and had a lot of description.

A Sky Full of Stars didn't hit a lot of good notes for me. Mainly, the romance was a bit off for me. The chemistry I love to read in romance books just wasn't present here and it felt sort of rushed alongside a slower burning plot unraveling. There were aspects I didn't agree with and overall I just felt it was a bit stale. The cover, title, and summary of the book really drew me in and even through the first quarter of the story I was excited about it but eventually it became dragging and long.

This was overall an enjoyable read but wasn't really something I'd write home about. To me this was more of a palette cleanser book. If you love astronomy, you'll like this book as it's clear the author did her research.

2.5/5

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS:
Charlotte is an astronomical archivist who accepts a job in Somerset village of Lower Brambleton archiving an old observatory before its demolition. Tristan is the project manager overseeing the development of the new homes being built to replace the observatory. Tristan is eager for the observatory's demolition due to its connection to traumatic family memories. As Charlotte sorts through the astronomical research in the observatory, she uncovers breakthrough research tied to Tristan's complex family history.

The cover, book title, and the premise surrounding astronomy really drew me to this book and I was excited when I was approved for the ARC! Unfortunately, I feel like this one fell short. The pacing was slow and the story really felt like it dragged while the romance felt really rushed. There was also some lying by omission (not a fan of miscommunication in a book) that drove me crazy. I also felt like there was no chemistry between Charlotte and Tristan and it was really just outside forces (Lorelai and Thea) trying to bring them together. I had thoughts to DNF, but I was curious enough about the family research plot to see it through.

Review: ⭐⭐💫
Genre: romance, women's fiction
Tropes: slow burn, small town

This was a pretty good read, although it took me a full week to finish it. That’s a long time for me, especially given the number of pages. It’s well-written, and sounds as though Keenan did her research into the aspects of astronomy necessary for her storyline. I would absolutely recommend this book!

CONTINUITY ERROR:
- If the twins were born in April 1990, their mother would’ve been pregnant December 1989, not December 1990!

•𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.•

“A Sky Full of Stars” by Fay Keenan is the definition of a warm, gentle and sweet romance.

Both protagonists were likeable. Furthermore, the setting was portrayed vividly, so much so that one would love to visit it there.

The only drawback was that, at times, the general timeline dragged a little, while the romance part felt a bit rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the e-ARC of this novel.

A sweet romance around two introverts, and the closing and demo of an old abandoned observatory. Tris needs to remove this reminder of his parents death and Charlotte is sent to organize and remove old documents for permanent archival. Love and healing commense. I enjoyed the story very much.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from Netgalley. This was an easy, enjoyable read. While I liked Charlotte and Tristan, I was fairly ambivalent about their love story, but I still liked the book. The setting was lovely, I enjoyed the descriptions of Charlotte's work (a bit different from the usual jobs of teacher / marketing assistant in this genre!) and the supporting characters were great.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. I wanted to love this book. The premise was interesting, and the writing was pleasant. I loved the setting, and the side characters had a lot of potential. But, unfortunately, I just felt like the story was repetitive and dragged, while the romance plot, itself, was rushed. The main characters felt authentic to themselves until they didn't (around the 2/3 mark). There were lovely glimpses of romantic tension between them, but it just did not build in a compelling way. For me, the climax was a bit nonsensical (and I will forgive a lot of in a romance story!). It is definitely a cozy romance with some beautiful moments. I just hoped for a bit more oomph.

Thank you so much to Fay Keenan, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review an eARC of this book.

‘A Sky Full of Stars’ is a heartfelt, captivating story about a whirlwind romance, a beloved observatory, and an uncovered mystery.

Charlotte is an astronomical archivist, recruited to a project of archiving an observatory that is scheduled for demolition in the quaint English village of Lower Brambleton. When Charlotte meets her landlady for the summer, Lorelai, and begins to learn more about the history of the town, Charlotte begins to wonder if she bit off more than she could chew with this project.

I really enjoyed both protagonists, Charlotte and Tristan, and felt that they were both complex and very likeable. Charlotte’s adorable dog, Comet, needs to be mentioned as well, as he brought so much comedic relief (and cuteness!) to the story.

This is a very layered story about love, family, grief, astronomy, and well-kept ancestral secrets. Charlotte’s job was so interesting to me, and made for a very unique plot. I couldn’t put the book down as she began to uncover more clues to solve this mystery, while exploring her budding romance with Tristan. They fall fast, but that definitely doesn’t mean it’s smooth-sailing for them.

This book really touches on how a single tragedy can impact an entire village.

By the end of this heartfelt book, I found myself longing to spend a summer in Lower Brambleton, and to visit the local pub with Charlotte, Tristan, and their friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

A Sky Full of Stars by Fay Kennan was a fun read. This one publishes soon so be on the lookout. It’ll have you engrossed.

This was the definition of a soft and sweet and gentle romance.
I absolutely loved the setting and found the story to be utterly swoony.

Charlotte and Tristan is a tale set around a new theme for me: astromology. I found Charlotte to be likeable and Tristian the same. It's a gorgeously written book, unputdownable that you kind of expect from a Boldwood book. My first Fay book but it certainly won't be my last. Thank you for letting me have an advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

This is an excellent read. It's a love story with something else. The main character Charlotte has that bit of something when she’s felt something. A lot more than the sky full of stars.

I really enjoyed this gentle romance. The setting of the English countryside sounded idealic and the astronomy spin was unique. I love that the FMC, Charlotte, was an archivist. I can't say I've ever read a book including that occupation. The MMC, Tristan, clearly had some things to work through from the get go, but it was handled with grace.
The development of the romance was very believable and satisfying without being too in your face. I really enjoyed the resolution and would be happy to read more by this author.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

An excellent feel good book but with a different setting which made it very readable for me. Will definitely read more
By this author.