Today’s review is about THE STARS TOO FONDLY by Emily Hamilton. It’s a standalone sci-fi romance set in the near future of Earth. Cleo and her friends creep onto the abandoned Providence ship and accidentally end up on a space journey. Along the way they figure out what happened to the crew that vanished 20 years prior.

Author: Emily Hamilton
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Publish Date: June 11, 2024
Print Length: 336

Want to support local bookstores? Buy a copy of The Stars Too Fondly on Bookshop.org!*

*These are not affiliate links and I do not make a commission from any purchase made using these links.

The Stars Too Fondly Synopsis

The Stars Too Fondly Review

THE STARS TOO FONDLY is a sci-fi sapphic romantic comedy that takes place in 2061. Cleo and her three best friends grew up idolizing the Providence I mission, until the whole crew disappeared without a trace. They decide to visit the resting place of the ship to try and find out why the crew vanished. Unexpectedly, the engine turns on by itself and they find themselves hurtling through space to Proxima Centauri B. Their only guide is a hologram that looks like the missing ship captain, Wilhelmina “Billie” Lucas.

This book is an excellent choice for someone who doesn’t read a lot of sci-fi (like myself). I found it very easy to follow and the pace was excellent. THE STARS TOO FONDLY falls into the category of “soft” sci-fi, or sci-fi that doesn’t get too deep into the weeds of science or tech. There is a little bit of theory discussion. But because Cleo’s friends aren’t engineers like her, scenes where she discusses theory become snarky question and answer sessions with her friends. So her friends serve as the digestifs, so to speak, for any seemingly opaque science explanations.

Cleo and her friends are amazing and are a diverse bunch. For those seeking diversity in their reading, here’s the breakdown. Cleo is a lesbian. Her best friend Kaleisha is a Black transwoman, or that is the implication since there are several mentions of her needing estrogen. Ros is aroace, nonbinary, and has anxiety. And Abe is a Chinese American, (seemingly) cisgender male who is also Kaleisha’s boyfriend. The found family they are together is so sweet. It’s very obvious how much they care about each other and know when to pursue or give each other space.

Then there’s the hologram, Billie, who is bisexual. Behind the outgoing public persona she presented leading up to the Providence I launch in 2041, she is somewhat prickly and dealing with past personal heartache. Right off the bat she doesn’t seem like a normal hologram, almost lifelike. But what else could she be since she is not a physical presence like Cleo and her friends.

The point of view is mostly from Cleo. As the story progresses the reader gets pieces from historical chat logs and from Billie’s POV. Though mostly told linearly, I rather liked the addition of the historical logs. They outlined the mystery Cleo and her friends face: namely why did the crew disappear and can they get back home? I don’t want to get into the mystery since even hinting at it, I think, is a soft spoiler. But overall the mystery is a commentary on does the end justify the means? And if humans can’t fix their own planet, are they really responsible enough to start again on another planet in the hopes they won’t destroy it, too?

Lastly, there are a few elements that didn’t quite make sense to me. But in the grand scheme of things, I really enjoyed this book. As someone who doesn’t naturally gravitate toward sci-fi, the accessibility of this one kept me reading. The characters are great, too, and I really liked the diversity of the cast and their relationships with each other. I definitely recommend this to those who want to try sci-fi, but don’t want too much tech or long-winded explanations in the story.

Rating: 4
Content warnings: abandonment (historical), sexual content, anxiety, death (historical), cancer (historical)
Reading format: Paperback