Stars in Their Eyes by Jess Walton and Aśka: I Adored It

What: Stars in Their Eyes by Jess Walton and Aśka (illustrator)

Who: Fremantle Press

When: October 1st 2021

How: A copy of this novel was provided by Fremantle Press for review.

Maisie and her mum are heading to Maisie’s first ever fan convention.

Maisie has always dreamed of meeting her hero, Kara Bufano, an amputee actor who plays a kick-arse amputee character in her favourite show, and now she will.

Fancon is big and exciting and exhausting – Maisie feels like she has finally found her crowd.

Then to make things even more perfect, she meets Ollie. They have an instant connection.

Could this be the start of something great or will her mum terminally embarrass her before she and Ollie have a chance?

How do I even begin to talk about how much I adored Stars in Their Eyes? I know I say it a lot, but I was excited for Stars in Their Eyes from the moment I heard about it. I loved the short story version that was in Meet Me at the Intersection (which is a must-read!) so an elongated, illustrated version went straight to the top of my list of books I needed. So many grateful thankyous to Fremantle Press for giving me the opportunity to review it!

Stars in Their Eyes is one of the best books I have read this year. It has all the elements of an adorable YA romance, and also includes important themes and experiences in the story, as well. Maisie is 14 years old, bisexual, disabled, and lives with chronic pain and anxiety. To see this rep on page and stated explicitly (I still live for moments when the words are used – I screeched internally when I saw ‘bisexual’) is so exciting because teens who share identities and experiences with Maisie can finally see that on page. Disability rep is still far too rare in YA, and I am just so glad that Stars in Their Eyes exists for teens (and adults!) who still haven’t been able to see themselves and their experiences in the media they consume.

While this book is first and foremost for queer and disabled readers, there is a lot for non-queer and abled readers to gain from reading this. Throughout the course of Maisie’s weekend away with her mum she experiences ableism, and is also outed against her will. The conversations Maisie has around these instances will hopefully influence readers who may not have thought about their impact before. For example, when Maisie is swimming in her hotel’s pool a woman comes up and tells her how inspiring she is. Maisie tells her that she’s just swimming like everyone else, and she’s not there to inspire anyone. This is such an important interaction because it sheds light on how it feels for Maisie to be told by some random abled woman that her swimming in a pool to relax after a long drive is inspiring.

When Maisie is outed by her mum, even though her mum wasn’t doing it maliciously, she explains how important it is for queer people to do this themselves, and how non-queer people shouldn’t share this information, no matter the intentions. This is important for parents like Maisie’s mum to know because even though you could be excited and supportive about your teen’s queerness and their journey, it’s never anyone else’s place to share their personal information that way.

These are just two scenes that really stood out for me, but there is a wealth of important discussions in the pages of Stars in Their Eyes, and I think there are many readers who can and will benefit from reading them.

Okay now on to the adorableness!! At the fan convention Maisie meets Ollie, who is non-binary. The two teens have an instant connection, and they spend the better part of the day together. Seeing their friendship blossom over shared love for diverse characters in media was so adorable and relatable because this is how so many people find each other! The sweet romance between the two had me pulling that “aw” face when something is just too adorable. They are smol baby queers and I am here for that rep!! So many queer books are about older teens but there are baby queers out here too, and they need to see themselves, as well.

Honestly, I could go on and on about Stars in Their Eyes but then I’d probably cover the entire book. So honestly all I have left to say is that you need to read this book because everything inside the pages is incredible.

© 2021, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

trigger warning