Of all the books I've loved before...: Review: Stars Collide

Stars Collide (Written in the Stars, #1)

Stars Collide by Mia Monroe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Do you know what I love more than anything? Nerdy heroes. And not just like average nerds, but ones who are super intelligent, a little awkward, and if they have a past that needs me to wrap them in blankets? PERFECT!

... Bonus points when the man of their dreams is a sweet, sensitive jock who had as epically awful of an upbringing!

“What if instead of a shooting star, I’m just a plain old star, minding my business and floating through space, when all of a sudden I get sucked into your orbit. You’re a bigger, brighter star than me, and I can’t stay away. Slowly, we move toward each other, until we’re touching, merging…” I pull him a little closer. “Colliding. Then what are we?”

Jeremiah’s eyes turn glassy. “A blue straggler.”

“Exactly. Now we’re both better than we were. Now we’re bigger, brighter, and so brilliant. It took both of us to make this new star.” I shrug. “I think that sounds amazing.”

“It does.” A surprising tear slides down his cheek. “You listen to me, don’t you?”

“Every word. Even the words you never speak.”

That's exactly what you get from Stars Collide, the first in Mia Monroe's new Written in the Stars series. If you've read any of my previous reviews, you know that I'm a huge fan of Mia's books. I love Mia doesn't shy away from issues that are important - climate change even makes an appearance in this book! Mind you, this is a science and astronomy nerd's dream read so I would expect nothing less! If you're looking for a story that will touch your heart, make you laugh and make you swoon at just how much love can be shared between Gabriel and Jeremiah.

Gabriel Parlati was born into a wealthy family, never needing for anything monetarily but behind closed doors what he needed was true affection and love. Some family secrets should stay buried but the ones in Gabriel's family closet need to be revealed because that boy needs freedom! He needs to break away from a father who's controlling and all about appearances and a mother who doesn't seem to care about him at all. He luckily has his uncle Richard who finds a way to bring him onto the staff at the planetarium when he returns from his life as a soccer star in Italy. He's been chasing love and approval from his parents for so long at the expense of who he is, but it never seems to come to fruition. He's sacrificed his wants and needs and now he's thrown into the impossible situation of being placed in direct competition with the man of his dreams for said man's dream job as Director of the planetarium. Oh Gabriel! That Jeremiah was your kryptonite is probably one of the sweetest things I've ever read and made my geeky heart soar!

Jeremiah's childhood was a roller coaster of tragedy, but in that he knew two things to be certain: he had his twin brother Samuel to love, protect and support, and he loved space. He's built so many walls around his heart because of how he grew up. He knows what it's like to fight for the things he wants and when this beautiful man is dropped into his path and he has to train him on all things involved in the running of the planetarium before the board meeting where he could potentially steal his dream job? Oh J, I get why you held him at arms length. You tried so damn hard not to let him in, not to be taken in by Gabriel's charms but you know what? You were meant to be! He's your lobster.

There were sparks from the first moment but it took a little forced proximity when locked together in the planetarium overnight to have them break down each other's walls and find a path to happiness. And it was worth every single minute!!!

Just like Tattoos and Temptation (which you should go read if you haven't! GO!!! NOW!!!!!), the Written in the Stars universe is filled with adorable side characters and hinted at relationships. I have to admit that my personal favourite side character (so far) is Julien and ( spoiler alert!!! ) he's up next!!! The ensemble cast of characters just make Mia's books so much stronger and easier to connect with in my opinion. And I can't wait to see every single one of them find their happiness!

Let me leave you with some of my...

Favourite Lines -

"What are you gonna do about Jeremiah?"

"Try to learn. I kind of have to. Oh, did I mention he's my kryptonite?"

Nate's eyes widen. "Oh no. He's a cute nerd?"

"The cutest. Like ever."

“Gabesy?” I shake my head. “Come on, Julien, he hasn’t even worked here a week and he has a nickname?”

“That’s why he gets Gabesy. I don’t know him well enough yet to give him a personality nickname. I would think you figured that one out, Doctor Space.”

“What is your usual?” Gabriel asks after a moment.

“Hazelnut latte.” Gabriel mumbles something under his breath that sounds strangely like “like your eyes,” but that couldn’t be it.

Being close to him feels like being sucked into a black hole. Or what I imagine it to feel like. There’s an invisible pull, as strong as gravity, drawing me closer, luring me to explore, but then my senses kick in and I resist, knowing that giving in would only lead to my demise. You can’t survive a black hole. And romance? Same.

“What is this?”

“Coffee.” He lifts one of the cups, checks the side, then takes a sip. “Got hazelnut for you and black for Samuel. That’s what Easton said he likes.”

“Thank you.” That was thoughtful. Stop being nice, job stealer.

His eyes shift up suddenly, meeting mine. They’re beautiful, soulful and soft with long, thick lashes. His expression doesn’t change, but the tension seems to fade just slightly.

“Thanks for asking,” he says quietly.

“You’re welcome.”

Note to self: Avoid gazing directly into Gabriel’s eyes. It’s about as safe as staring at the sun.

If I’m not careful, I’m going to get burned.

“Yeah. Okay, so Star Wars. Fan?”

“I like it enough.”

“All of them?”

“No. I grew up on the original trilogy, so it’s my favorite. I literally get chills when I hear the Darth Vader music.”

“I’ll be honest, kids. I love space. I think it’s very cool, but I really like the planet we already live on. Instead of spending billions of dollars to convert Mars to a habitable planet, we could spend a lot less to take care of this one, so we don’t have to move to Mars.”

“How?” the girl up front asks.

“We can do a lot to halt climate change. That would help. We can recycle, be careful with water, and take care of what we have.”

The kids shout out several questions all at once, until the room erupts in chaos. I stand back watching Gabriel panic. Am I being an asshole right now? Yes, yes, I am. But Pluto is not being promoted to a planet as long as I have air left in my lungs.

“I looked him up. I was curious. His whole life is detailed in sports article after sports article. He had sponsorships and even a calendar.”

“Oh shit,” Samuel whispers. “He’s in a calendar?”

“Yeah. A couple years back.”

“Is he naked?”

“Focus,” I scold, even though that was my first thought too.

Will either side win, or am I doomed to feel so much internal conflict every time he graces me with one of his sweet smiles?

Tune in next week for more As the Planetarium Turns.