HTS: Enjoyed much more than I expected

[Fresno Bob]

I was a little terrified once I realized I was reading a science fiction romance. I've been bored with most of the SF YA I've read, and was worried this would be the same, but I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It was a perfect vacation read for me

[Chris K.]

Fresno Bob wrote: "I was a little terrified once I realized I was reading a science fiction romance. I've been bored with most of the SF YA I've read, and was worried this would be the same, but I was very pleasantly..."

I agree. After finishing two rather dark books this was the perfect book to pick up next.

While the plot was pretty predictable, I really liked the characters. Looking forward to reading the sequel. I'm already on my library's waiting list for it.

[Iain]

Vacation read is a good description of this book. Turn off brain and enjoy. The plot makes no sense and calling the characters one dimensional is generous. Could have done with some additional tension in the rescue side of the book as it was obvious where romance was going (view spoiler)[squeaking bed springs (hide spoiler)]

[Oaken]

I'm halfway through but so far I would concur. The characters were engaging and the plot was interesting. Not tackling any big issues like how robotics and AI will impact the future of humanity, just a good space yarn.

At times though I questioned whether I was reading a laser pick or a GQ cover story. I mean everybody is just so damned good looking. Torran with his smoldering face and chiselled bod, Eli who is too handsome for his own good, Lexi the blonde bombshell who can go from pretty to stunning depending on how she wants to influence the people around her, Nilo who is so gorgeous he can even make Lexi drop her defenses.

[Calvey]

I think I said this somewhere else, but I had just read Sorrowland so this fit the bill as a nice change. Veronica did mention the Vaginal Fantasy Book Club in the podcast so that clued me in. I do feel like need a few more looks like this. SciFi Cozy. :)

[Dana]

I really enjoyed this book. Prior to this book I read two historical romances that were highly recommended. I thought they were really dumb. This book was not dumb and was easy to read. I didn’t need to know a bunch of details about something intricate which I found refreshing. I plan on reading the next book which was just published. Great pick! On to Will Wight’s Dreadgod which requires knowledge of a lot of details in order to make sense of it all.

[Daz]

I have enjoyed the story thus far but, Alexa reading out the sexy times to me whilst in the kitchen did make me a little nervous my OH would burst in and ask questions.

I seem to remember listening to Hyperion on audiobook in the car once and she thought it was erotica!

[Ruth]

Unfortunately I've had the opposite experience with this book, ie I've enjoyed it much less than I expected. Ragtag band of misfits in SPACE is totally my jam, and sexytimes in SPACE sounds good to me too, but the prose is just so... plonking. For example, the bit I've reached (page 99) reads 'By the time I was done slicing the two pans of lasagna, the table was set. I put the salad in the center of the table and a pan of lasagna on either side of it.' I really don't need a plodding description of laying the table in SPACE.

So I've decided to Lem this one, which is a shame as I was expecting to enjoy it. Oh well, can't win them all.

< moan mode >
At least in my experience, it's very difficult to find books that have really good quality prose, but with 'fluffy' content. Becky Chambers is a notable exception, which is why I think her books have become so well-loved. So many books seem to fall either into Serious Literary Fiction, where the prose is good but the subject matter is miserable, or Unserious Fluff, where the subject matter is fun but the prose is lacking subtlety and grace.
< /moan mode >

[Iain]

Ruth wrote: "Unfortunately I've had the opposite experience with this book, ie I've enjoyed it much less than I expected. Ragtag band of misfits in SPACE is totally my jam, and sexytimes in SPACE sounds good to..."

The narrator did very good job with some of the clunky prose.

[Seth]

I think I'm with you Ruth, though I came to that conclusion late enough that I'm going to finish the book. The writing is definitely more workmanlike than artistic, which would work for me if I enjoyed the rest of the content a bit more. I was really struck that there was so much un-sci-fi-like content - I can't think of a better way to say it. The action could have taken place in a house rather than a space-ship. Most of the drama is about who is nice to who and what's for dinner - there aren't really any concessions in the plot to being on a spaceship. And there were admittedly some complaints that were personal to me. The idea of someone reading my mind creeps me out, and I think I'm learning that I prefer my romance to come with comedy rather than suspense.

[T.T.]

We should have a whole thread on lasagna in space!! (The Expanse, cough cough) :-D

[Rick]

I can't comment on this book because trope-y *hate to lovers* plots annoy the hell out of me, but an example of a good book that has some romance but where it's worked more naturally into the story is A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. Same basic kind of story - salvagers in space etc - but being set in space is central to the story and the attraction between two characters feels more natural.

[John (Taloni)]

I can the Lasagna ad now! "Space tested. Garfield approved."

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

I loved it, and I liked the descriptions of her laying out the food - I guess a bit of the mundane works for me, and I felt very warmly towards our captain. It might have helped that real food is my enemy right now, so the thought of sitting down with a bunch of folk I get along with and eating a tasty lasagna, consequence free, was lovely.

The book was definitely sci-fi lite. You could strip all the sci-fi away and the story wouldn’t change. It was a romance told around a mystery story that just happened to take place partly in space. I was okay with that.

[Mark]

An enjoyable food and romance sci-fi read. I bought the Kindle edition and now Amazon is recommending all the other food and romance sci-fi novels on the planet ;-)

[Isak]

Overall it was good and refreshing because it felt like something I'm not reading all that often, my one criticism would be that at times it felt a bit repetitive (hot, trust, don't trust, hot, trust, hot.....)

[Melissa]

I read stacks of romance novels in my early teens, and I eventually grew bored with the tropes. When I started Hunt the Stars, I did not know it was a romance. At first I was happy to get get a Firefly inspired novel, but then I recognized the romance beats. I decided to forge on - perhaps it was time to try romance again. Alas, this was not the book to win me back to the genre. It did not incorporate enough science fiction, and it could have been set in a little bistro somewhere. The many scenes in the kitchen ( and even a grocery shopping scene!) were not what I wanted in a science fiction novel. Unfortunately the prose was lackluster and repetitive. By the end of the novel I was counting how many times characters “murmured.”
This would be a fun read for romance fans. I can understand how the romance tropes can be familiar and comforting to those who enjoy them, but it wasn’t for me.

[Tassie Dave, S&L Historian]

On our Discord I described it as "Mills and Boon does Sci-Fi" with too much emphasis on the "Mills and Boon" and not enough on the Sci-Fi.

Apparently "Mills and Boon" is known as Harlequin in the US.

It was a fine book. The romance parts were a bit clunky and the story was "ok", but I won't be reading any more by this author.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Oh, THAT'S what a Harlequin romance is! I remember reading a few Mills and Boon books in my early teens. Truely terrible! Lol I do think Hunt the Stars is a step above those.

[[deleted user]]

I definitely fell into the liked it more than I expected category. But that might be because I'm not a big reader of romance so I'm not so familiar with what seem to be some well worn tropes.

Or maybe I lowered my expectations a little bit when I started picking up on the romance vibes. Dont mean to be a book snob but my first exposure to the genre was 50 shades and it did not inspire me to dig deeper. I've enjoyed romance as a side dish but havent sought it out as a main course.

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Oh gosh, 50 Shades! Of all the books! Ignoring the content entirely (which I am aware plenty folk have enjoyed) that book is objectively terrible. By which I mean it is often held up as an example of really bad writing. I’ve only read excerpts, and am not a huge reader of romance in general, but I think it’s safe to say 50 Shades is not representative of the whole genre.

[Oaken]

Wasn't 50 shades a popular Twilight fan-fiction that was rewritten to remove the Twilight background so that it could be published?

[Ruth (tilltab) Ashworth]

Yep. And it was not particularly good fan fiction either. And yet the author was incredibly successful, which just goes to show that you can never guess what will make it big.

[Cody]

I was skeptical after the introduction, but I have to say I am about 60% into it and have really enjoyed it. Maybe romance in a sci-fi/fantasy scene is in my wheelhouse. It sort of feels like a milder ACOTAR in space. And I have to say I did really enjoy the ACOTAR series.

[Tina]

I guess I agree with Melissa about the romance tropes. I lemmed it about 30% in because I found it boring.

[Peter]

I absolutely agree with Melissa about the tropes. I felt them exhaustingly repetitive after a time. There were so many of them by the end that it almost made me abandon the book altogether. Otherwise I liked some parts of the book, but mainly the everything-but-the-romance parts. I don't regret reading this, because it was more than OK as a a light summer read, but I probably won't go on reading from this author.

[Buzz]

I did enjoy this book: Firefly + Shards of Honor (Vorkosigan Saga) + Castle (TV show). However I thought the sexy-times felt a little forced. I found myself being more embarrassed than titillated