3.5 stars

CW: panic attacks, anxiety, trauma, death, violence

I went into this novel not really knowing what to expect. It started off as a fun sci-fi read but ended up being so much more. The thrilling aspects of this book come after incredible build-up and tension; the lighthearted gradually gives way to darker undertones and then completely started messing with my head. I really enjoyed that.

I also enjoyed the quickness of the story. This is quite the page-turner; I needed only a handful of hours to read it, and multiple times I’d stop reading and realize 50+ pages had passed. In my opinion, that’s one way to prove an author’s skill. I’m very impressed by this.

Romy is a great protagonist with a great character arc. It’s subtle, but I could absolutely tell she’d changed. She’s sweet and clever, if a bit naïve, and I think her perspective made the story all the more interesting. If someone else had narrated or the story had been told in third person, I don’t think it would’ve had the same effect.

I fully believe that this being a thriller made me like it more, and that we need more space thrillers, because wow. I saw a couple of other reviewers eluding to the unbelievable twists and high stakes that come later in the story, but I didn’t believe it until I read it myself. Those twists seriously threw me for a loop. I spent most of the last 30 pages questioning everything, another sign of Lauren’s skill.

So why the 3 star rating, if I liked it so much? Unfortunately, I had two fairly big issues with this novel. First, it took about a third of the story for me to really become interested and think of this as more than merely a simple sci-fi. This wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, except this book is only 300 pages and therefore I feel it didn’t really work. And second, the ending was rather abrupt. I was coming down from the vicarious adrenaline rush of the ending, curious to see how Romy’s story would end, and then it was over. I think an additional 15-20 pages would’ve been beneficial. I wasn’t expecting them to get all the way to Earth II; I just wanted a few more details and a solid resolution.

Also, since it’s getting close to 1 am and I feel like being a smidge petty, I think the antagonist took their revenge a *little* too far given their motives. Or maybe, as time went on, they let themselves get a little *too* focused on said revenge. I’m not sure.

Although this novel has some flaws in my eyes, I enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would. I’d absolutely recommend it if you believe you can handle the content.