Shooting Star

By: Michelle Mankin

Many thanks to Grey’s Promotions for the gifted copy of this book!

Peace Jinkins, twin sister to Harmony, is a shy girl who prefers books to people. Her parents are famous and Harmony is outgoing. Peace is easily picked on at school and in her life. Then she meets Robert “Bo” Jackson, the son of her father’s bandmate. Everyone else thinks Bo is nothing but trouble, except Peace. Everyone tells Bo to stay away from Peace, that he’ll ruin her. But they are drawn to each other and form a friendship. Even when they are far apart, they talk. They understand each other in a way that no one else understands them. Then they take a break. And after years apart, they find themselves working together – him as a musician, her as an intern. But what happens when there’s outside forces? Are they able to admit to each other how they really feel? Or will something traumatic break them apart?

Wow – what a book! It’s taken a bit to wrap my thoughts and feelings around this one because I have so many of them. I’ll start with this: there is something so relatable about Peace Jinkins, and I think she may be relatable to a lot of us readers. I too prefer books over people most of the time. On top of that, both her and Bo use music to express themselves and it’s one of the things that I’ve always said and always believed: music is the greatest form of expression (at least for me). I feel and hear music differently than a lot of other people, and Bo and Peace do as well. So while I related to her on that level, I was also a bit jealous of her that she found someone who understanded her.

The level of chemistry and understanding between Bo and Peace was amazing. They brought out the best in each other. But they each got into their own heads. Yes, it was frustrating at times. But it was important to remember the ages of the characters to put yourself in their shoes and remember when you were that age too. Are you really mature enough at 19 to have a sit down conversation about feelings? Or did you keep some of them inside? The way the situations were handled were appropriate for their ages.

There were some also very complicated familial relationships in this book as well. For me, those were also relatable. While I have different reasons, not be accepted by family is a very real feeling. I think Mankin did a great job handling these situations. They were messy and sometimes trying failed – just like in real life.

Then there is the spice! And lots of it! My ONLY wish is that I wish that Peace’s first time was a little sweeter. Otherwise, nothing wrong with the spice here.

Romance readers are going to love this one!

Publish date: January 18, 2025
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