The book sounded interesting with its setting in a diner in New York but unfortunately I didn't like the book that much.

The story is set in 1990 but you could hardly tell that from the setting, so it made hardly any difference in which time the story is playing. The overall story also remained very shallow to me and I couldn't connect with the characters.

I was thinking several times to skip this book but in the end I was flying over the chapters.

Tried and tried but just couldn’t fall in love with this.... I realize I’m probably in the majority here but couldn’t find enough redeeming qualities to this tale to complete it. May try again soon but for now, I’ll say, “No thank you - I’ll not have one now”.
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

Abuse triggers warning.

In reality, I consider this book being a very precise study of how the abused women deal with life and how they are choosing the new partners - only this was probably not the authoress' intent. I appreciate the effort to instigate forgiveness (including the very needed forgiveness to themselves), but really, Esther do not truly deals with her past and her false convictions about herself when jumping into bed with a hot stranger and calling it a love of her life (after just a days of feeling good).
While I appreciate the way the heroine is growing up here, I also find the romance being very repulsive and even dangerous. Jack is not some sexy, brooding Mr. Rochester lookalike, he is someone of the same sort as Esther's first husband was (I mean self-centered, immature, everything is about him and what is making him feel good about himself).
If I know such an Esther in a real life, I would strongly recommend very serious therapy for her to deal with her marriage first, move into a relationship later. To Jack, the same advice. And I am not trying to offend the characters here, I feel strongly about knowing ourselves and to be able to truly forgive ourselves, this is the base for the growth.

I go for 3 stars because of the beautiful scene with Reverend Quinn (truly the best scene in the novel for me).

Interesting Fact: When I first was provided this ARC, it was called Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner. I'm happy to see that the title has changed to Starlight in New York because the original title gave the book a very light and fluffy feel. The subject matter of the book was anything but. Wanting to know everyone's secrets, which I did not guess, and wanting to see how everything panned out kept me turning the pages. I wish I picked this one up sooner!

We first meet Esther, who is a waitress at the Starlight Diner in New York. Originally from London, Esther has a secret she is hiding from. When Esther meets actor Jack Faber, she begins to fall for him, but her past is keeping her from giving herself to Jack. And Jack may have a few secrets of his own.

Warning: this book does have domestic violence triggers. Double warning: cliff hanger ending!

I am intrigued enough to find the second story of the Starlight series.

Easy to read and very nice, it makes you travel back in time. Highly recommended
Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, Avon

Favorite Quotes:

Alan glanced over to the kitchen. There was something adorable about the fact he looked down the barrel of a gun without a second thought but was scared of his wife who was a mere two inches taller than my modest five foot three stature.

Mona was always wise at just the right moment. It was infuriating.

Forgetting was never an option. But it happened. I’ve accepted that. What he did. And that’s a lot harder than forgetting.

I can handle myself in extreme situations… I’ve seen Die Hard. Twice

My Review:

There were more heartaches than milkshakes in this rather angsty tale, although dry British humor was also occasionally on the menu via insightful observations and colorful descriptions. Despite the New York setting of the diner, the writing was distinctly British with both main characters being recent Brit transplants to New York. I enjoyed the quirkiness of the diner patrons as well as the entertaining and interesting twists and turns in the plot lines. I also relished the sweet and supportive interactions of the peculiar and uniquely crusty characters as well as the tender blossoming relationship between the anxious Esther and the sexy and intriguing Jack. However, as I am no fan of angst I had a bit of difficulty appreciating Esther as she was such a brittle and stubborn character and her self-loathing and fretful inner musings grated on my patience and grew increasingly tiresome, but I am happy to report that she snapped out of it in time to deliver that highly desired HEA.

I give this book 4 out of 5 retro-tastic stars! I really enjoyed the unique environment the diner gave me reading this cute story. I have always enjoyed the look of retro diners and different things from the 50’s era! I thought this book was fun, sweet and cute. Overall, I really enjoyed this read. This book made me smile quite a few times. The only thing I didn’t enjoy quite a bit was I didn’t like the cliffhanger. I’m just not a leave me at the cliff until the next book comes out kind of girl. I also felt that Esther got a bit too dramatic at times. All in all, I would recommend this book and it was quite enjoyable.
I received this title via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
You can find more of this review and others at www.touchmyspinebookreviews.com

I love this book. It was such an easy read. It was also very easy to relate to the main character Esther. Esther is what made this book for me. It was mysterious enough that I didn't want to put it down, but funny enough that it did not reach the thriller aspect. I am currently reading the second book in this series as well. I intend on following the author Helen Cox to see what other surprises she may have up her sleeve.

Super good! Such good descriptions that I could feel the New York vibes and the 59's in the diner! I would definitely recommend to friends!

I did actually read Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner last Summer but for one reason or another the review never got written up so I owe a massive apology to Helen Cox and her publishers for the delay in reviewing. There is one upside to the delay though in that I got the chance to re-read this fab story and immediately have the chance to read the follow up story Secrets & Fries at the Starlight Diner.

From the moment we first meet waitress Esther it's clear that she's been deeply affected by an incident in her past so although she has moved to New York for a fresh start she hasn't exactly immersed herself into her new life. Instead her life revolves mainly around her job at the Starlight Diner working alongside Mona and Lucia and serving the quirky regulars who frequent the diner. Even handsome English film star Jack Faber struggles to crack the wall that she's put up but when a local reporter tries to do an expose on her to uncover her story, Esther soon finds that Jack and her friends at the Starlight Diner are there for her when she needs them the most.

I will admit that this was a lot darker of a story than I first expected, I knew there was a mysterious back story behind Esther's appearance in America, but fortunately this dramatic storyline was interspersed with some lighter moments too. I've never been to New York and even though I know the Starlight Diner is not real, Helen Cox's descriptions of New York and a retro diner made me want to visit New York to see the city for myself and perhaps stumble across a 50s diner somewhere.

Normally when we get an epilogue it's to wrap up the story nicely to bring us up to date with the characters but that's definitely not the case here as we're left wanting to know what's going on in Secrets & Fries at the Starlight Diner so that the questions I was left wondering would be answered!

This book was so much more than I was expecting. Yes this is a book about a diner in 1990s New Hork, which is cool in itself, but it is also a book with an element of mystery to it. It is also a book with a little bit of crime thrown in. But I would say that the overarching theme of this book is relationships.

I really liked the character of Esther, and not just because she is a former teacher. She is a fab waitress who has come to the states to get away from everything she left back in the UK. She is incredibly brave and tough with it. She doesn't let that toughness stop her from persuading a lov,e interest, however and I really liked that about her. The other characters in the diner too, what a group of people. Bernie, the owner is a man of mystery himself and I really hope to find out more about him in future books! I loved meeting Mona, she is just fabulous and so are her family. Walt is a real character and the type of person who you know will always be there propping up the character. And then there are Jimmy and Jack, two very interesting men indeed.

Of course I loved the setting of this novel, I loved the fact that it was set in New York but a New York which is not yet the kind of family friendly tourist attraction that it is today. Not the glamorous Sex And The City New York, and one cannot get in touch with ones family in the UK via Skye of Whatsapp, long distance phone calls still cost a bomb. I loved the description of the neighbourhood and couple picture it entirely, and the diner itself fits in so well with the setting too. It is like this is just another aspect of this storyline.

Overall, although this book wasn't what I expected it to be it was really enjoyable. I got really swept up in the storyline right from the word go and just devoured the pages from then on in. I loved meeting the characters, I really liked that the storyline was different to what I was expecting and I a really liked that there was tension to be had right up until the last page! If you're looking for a rom com with. Bit of a darker edge then this is definitely the one for you!