Stargazer
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- Create Date：2022-08-15 09:51:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Laurie Petrou
- ISBN：085730822X
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Summary
IT'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN ADMIRATION AND ENVY。
Diana Martin has lived her life in the shadow of her sadistic older brother。 She quietly watches the family next door， enthralled by celebrity fashion designer Marianne Taylor and her feted daughter， Aurelle。
She wishes she were a 'Taylor girl'。
By the summer of 1995， the two girls are at university together， bonded by a mutual desire to escape their wealthy families and personal tragedies and forge new identities。
They are closer than lovers， intoxicated by their own bond， falling into the hedonistic seduction of the woods and the water at a remote university that is more summer camp than campus。
But when burgeoning artist Diana has a chance at fame， cracks start to appear in their friendship。 To what lengths is Diana willing to go to secure her own stardom？
Diana Martin has lived her life in the shadow of her sadistic older brother。 She quietly watches the family next door， enthralled by celebrity fashion designer Marianne Taylor and her feted daughter， Aurelle。
She wishes she were a 'Taylor girl'。
By the summer of 1995， the two girls are at university together， bonded by a mutual desire to escape their wealthy families and personal tragedies and forge new identities。
They are closer than lovers， intoxicated by their own bond， falling into the hedonistic seduction of the woods and the water at a remote university that is more summer camp than campus。
But when burgeoning artist Diana has a chance at fame， cracks start to appear in their friendship。 To what lengths is Diana willing to go to secure her own stardom？
Reviews
Claresa
，
2。75 starsI suffered greatly
Dakota Bossard
，
toxic female friendship， family drama， and campus life during the 90’s， all set in a sort of old money summer camp liberal arts school fever dream？ what more could you possibly need？
meg
，
i really enjoyed this one！ a well written tale of obsession， fame and toxic friendships， with interesting characters and a vivid background of a remote college in the 1990s。 a very solid four stars！ <3
Abbie Toria
，
An utterly captivating and immersive listening experience with ominous undercurrents。 Wow。 Just wow。 You all need to go and read this now。 Set in the mid 90s， teenagers Diana and Aurelle rapidly become close following tragic events。 But as they start college together， how close is too close？Stargazer intensely explores themes of toxic relationships， whether friendship， romantic or family。 When does close become enmeshed？ Ambition turn to obsession？ Envy to hate？ When are you being used？ Petrou e An utterly captivating and immersive listening experience with ominous undercurrents。 Wow。 Just wow。 You all need to go and read this now。 Set in the mid 90s， teenagers Diana and Aurelle rapidly become close following tragic events。 But as they start college together， how close is too close？Stargazer intensely explores themes of toxic relationships， whether friendship， romantic or family。 When does close become enmeshed？ Ambition turn to obsession？ Envy to hate？ When are you being used？ Petrou expertly portrays Aurelle as an unwilling icon of the 90s， amongst fame， celebrity， drugs， alcohol， college， fashion， art and poetry。 I admired Diana's drive and decisiveness， whilst empathising with Aurelle and her wish to be unknown， or disappear。 Between Laurie Petrou's darkly compelling writing and Stephanie Cannons' immersive narration， I could have happily listened to the 8 hour audiobook in one go。 The unsettling undertones that began to resurface more frequently throughout the book kept me on tenterhooks from the beginning and made me want to listen to "just one more chapter，" again and again。 Stephanie Cannon gives an impeccable voice performance， it felt like I was right there， just listening to friends。 Laurie Petrou is certainly an author to watch and I will be eagerly looking out for what she writes next。 *Thank you to Verve Books， Ulverscroft Ltd and Laurie Petrou for the gifted audiobook in return for an honest review。Favourite quotes:-t“Something else could have happened that day; a different version of events。 She had steered it in this way。 There were so many ways a story could go， like a painting; so many different ways they could be finished。 You could even let someone else have a go at it， but eventually you had to take control of it yourself。 You just had to choose a version， and then， it became yours。”-t“Disappearing was her favourite state of being。” 。。。more
Noémie
，
a little bit disappointed : I didn't feel like a read a thriller nor a depiction of obsession or a twisted friendship or anything like that （until the very end of the book）I just read the story of two young girls / students， very lonely and sad， navigating the world with very little consideration for their true selfmaybe I am the twisted one I guess， I don't know。。。 a little bit disappointed : I didn't feel like a read a thriller nor a depiction of obsession or a twisted friendship or anything like that （until the very end of the book）I just read the story of two young girls / students， very lonely and sad， navigating the world with very little consideration for their true selfmaybe I am the twisted one I guess， I don't know。。。 。。。more
Tayler
，
So I didn’t get to read the arc due to it being archived as I was approved for it but I did end up reading a finished copy and this didn’t stand out for me。 It’s the classic tale of two best friends with one a little more unhinged than the other and nothing really stood out to me versus the other books I have read。
Clare Hilsz
，
I wanted to love this book purely because it had a cool cover and the premise was awesome！ Set in the 90s。。 one wealthy heiress and her bestie in an exclusive Canadian university setting。 A tense coming of age thriller examining the push pull dynamic of an intoxicating obsessive friendship。 Nope。 It fell flat。 I still devoured it because it was an easy read and I was curious if it was going to morph into an absolute rip snorter。 Spoiler alert: it didn’t。 🫠Some people will love it for its great p I wanted to love this book purely because it had a cool cover and the premise was awesome！ Set in the 90s。。 one wealthy heiress and her bestie in an exclusive Canadian university setting。 A tense coming of age thriller examining the push pull dynamic of an intoxicating obsessive friendship。 Nope。 It fell flat。 I still devoured it because it was an easy read and I was curious if it was going to morph into an absolute rip snorter。 Spoiler alert: it didn’t。 🫠Some people will love it for its great premise but。。 I’m going to chalk it up as a great light palate cleanser after a few hectic full on novels。 I nearly gave this an extra star because it came with a specially curated Spotify playlist to complement the book。 WTAF！ 🤯👊🏼❤️Amazing ！ All 90s university bangers ！！！ So Thankyou to Laurie Petrou for the playlist ！ 。。。more
Nins
，
3。5 - 4， still need to gather thoughts about this
damjan
，
it wasn't anything crazy but it was entertaining and really easy to read， the relationship between diana and aurelle kept getting more interesting as the book progressed and diana's character especially was very fun。 overall cutesy sad book i loved it wasn't anything crazy but it was entertaining and really easy to read， the relationship between diana and aurelle kept getting more interesting as the book progressed and diana's character especially was very fun。 overall cutesy sad book i loved 。。。more
Holly Lygo
，
The writing is very lush and emotional and you can never once loose the image of the friends in your head but I found that the middle of the book was very repetitive and hard to get through but the beginning and end where tremendous fun to read
Amy [adleilareads]
，
From an early age， Diana has watched her neighbours with great interest and admiration， becoming infatuated with Marianne Taylor - the famous fashion designer。 One day when Marianne notices Diana mourning the premature death of her brother， she introduces her to her daughter Aurelle。 Diana jumps at the chance to be a part of this close knit family， something she has always lacked。 Now Diana and Aurelle are inseparable。 They have just started college and are living together in Diana’s family cabi From an early age， Diana has watched her neighbours with great interest and admiration， becoming infatuated with Marianne Taylor - the famous fashion designer。 One day when Marianne notices Diana mourning the premature death of her brother， she introduces her to her daughter Aurelle。 Diana jumps at the chance to be a part of this close knit family， something she has always lacked。 Now Diana and Aurelle are inseparable。 They have just started college and are living together in Diana’s family cabin on the edge of campus。 Diana， a very ambitious art student whilst Aurelle is a quiet literature student， aiming to pass by unnoticed in stark contrast to her public upbringing。This is a coming of age story and how two girl’s loneliness can both draw them together yet set them far apart。 Despite not particularly liking the two main characters， I was intrigued by Diana’s character and became more engrossed as her actions turned darker。The dark， twisted ending really turned this one around for me as I found the first half a little slow。 The writing was tense at times and left me feeling that heartbreak or tragedy was coming - but I did not expect the ending。 It made for a thrilling read and enjoyable read。CW: drug use， manipulation， abortionThanks to Verve Books for my advanced copy 。。。more
Tara S
，
Earnestly waiting for the movie version of this！ Hauntingly beautiful。
Lisa Quinn
，
Ever felt like your life was hurtling towards an inevitability that you could see but just couldn't stop？ That's what this book felt like。 The story follows Aurelle and Diana - two rich girls who meet as teenagers as their family's summer houses are next to each other。 Brought together in difficult circumstances， they very quickly fall into an intense friendship to the exclusion of all others。 They decide to attend college together， staying in the cottages across the lake from the college campus Ever felt like your life was hurtling towards an inevitability that you could see but just couldn't stop？ That's what this book felt like。 The story follows Aurelle and Diana - two rich girls who meet as teenagers as their family's summer houses are next to each other。 Brought together in difficult circumstances， they very quickly fall into an intense friendship to the exclusion of all others。 They decide to attend college together， staying in the cottages across the lake from the college campus。 They each throw themselves into different elements of college life - Diana into her work as an artist， and Aurelle into her reputation as a party girl。 Over their first year at college， their differences start to cause a rift between them and they hurtle towards the end of the year， and towards their different destinies。 The book started slowly and is very character driven， letting the reader into insights in the history and characters of each of the girls and their developing relationship and motivations。 It is astute， showing loneliness in a crowd of people and how money does not buy stability and a sense of belonging。 I found the relationship between the two girls very interesting - although never fully described as a romantic relationship， there is an interdependency and an element of controlling and coercive behaviour which set my teeth on edge and is almost minimised by those around them as they are friends。 Had this been a male - female relationship， I feel like their friends and family would have picked up on this sooner。 There are questions raised about art vs real life - is it justified to use a friendship with a person for art？ I felt like this had echoes of A Little Life with Jude and JB 。 Can a friendship survive seeing yourself echoed back in how you are perceived through the eyes of a loved one？ And is this then exacerbated if the person becomes successful and these images are disseminated further？ What role does the media play in this， and the art world？ Surely at some point someone should be brave enough to stand up and say that enough is enough。 The ending of the book felt shocking， and yet also inevitable。 I felt like I couldn't imagine this ending in any other way。 For such a short book， it certainly packed an emotional punch。 Three stars given as the writing was beautiful and the ending was perfect， but the book felt slow to start and I almost lost interest a number of times when repeatedly reading about the differences between the two families and how this formed their friendship。 。。。more
lauren
，
4。5 *so SO SO good。 giving virgin suicides meets the secret history meets something else。 i am on my hands and knees begging for sofia coppola to direct this if it ever gets adapted to film。
gannah
，
4。5
Monika Armet
，
This book follows two young women， Diana and Aurelle。 It’s mainly set in 1995 where the women attend Rocky Barrens University （shortened to RBU）， but the timeline goes back to 1994， when they became best friends。Both girls come from wealth and privilege， Aurelle being the daughter of Marianne Taylor， a famous fashion designer。 Aurelle craved the normalcy of Diana’s family， and Diana wanted the special relationship Aurelle shared with her mother， Marianne。 Diana’s parents were grieving over the d This book follows two young women， Diana and Aurelle。 It’s mainly set in 1995 where the women attend Rocky Barrens University （shortened to RBU）， but the timeline goes back to 1994， when they became best friends。Both girls come from wealth and privilege， Aurelle being the daughter of Marianne Taylor， a famous fashion designer。 Aurelle craved the normalcy of Diana’s family， and Diana wanted the special relationship Aurelle shared with her mother， Marianne。 Diana’s parents were grieving over the death of their son， Keith and had no time for their daughter。 Diana started spending more time at the Taylors’ house and felt like a part of their family， another daughter， and Marianne her second mother。When the young women start university， Diana studying art and Aurelle literature， they quickly enter the world of parties， alcohol and drugs。However， things begin to change when Diana starts painting for the upcoming exhibition and becomes so engrossed in her artwork， neglecting her friendship with Aurelle。Aurelle loses herself in drugs and booze， and doesn’t perform as well academically as her friend。When the night of the exhibition arrives， Aurelle’s and Diana’s lives will never be same again。 Both are unaware of the devastating consequences looming ahead…I loved this dark and twisty tale， especially the darker nature of Diana’s character。 She was a person who wanted to love and be loved， but at the slightest hint of betrayal， she would turn her love into hate。Aurelle was a sweet natured girl who didn’t want the life of fame， and being constantly compared to her mother。 She thought that going to the RBU would change things， that she could reinvent herself。I was very shocked to read the chapter about the art exhibition and what Diana did。 I felt that she stooped very low， but to her it was the ultimate act of revenge。Overall， it’s a great page turner， I couldn’t put it down。 。。。more
Kori Potenzone
，
I just put this book down about 10 minutes ago， it took me a few minutes to organize my thoughts。。。。 The first thing I can tell you is this was a captivating thriller that will leave you gasping often。 The amount of obsession written between the pages had me in constant disbelief and questioning "does this really happen？" 。 Stargazer is a dark read that shows just how far people will go for revenge。 This is a character driven novel that outlines the complicated dynamics of female friendships。 Th I just put this book down about 10 minutes ago， it took me a few minutes to organize my thoughts。。。。 The first thing I can tell you is this was a captivating thriller that will leave you gasping often。 The amount of obsession written between the pages had me in constant disbelief and questioning "does this really happen？" 。 Stargazer is a dark read that shows just how far people will go for revenge。 This is a character driven novel that outlines the complicated dynamics of female friendships。 This book is under 300 pages and I literally flew right through it。 I was left a bit numb at how far someone would take revenge BUT I do want to go into too much detail and spoil anything for everyone else。 I will say this， I loved how this was short and to the punch， there was no dragging or repetitiveness and it held a lot of shock factor。 I highly recommend Stargazer！ 。。。more
erin
，
love an all-encompassing/obsessive female friendship
AndiReads
，
Great story！ Aurelle and Diana are neighbors of two ultra wealthy families。 Both， however， are overlooked by their parents and eventually find solace with each other。 Their friendship turns to obsession however， and they plot to attend the same small university and share a family cottage。 As each explore college life， the tugging to their entangled relationship causes power struggles which come to a head。 It was a bit hard to believe in the sad stories of very rich girls， but when I put that por Great story！ Aurelle and Diana are neighbors of two ultra wealthy families。 Both， however， are overlooked by their parents and eventually find solace with each other。 Their friendship turns to obsession however， and they plot to attend the same small university and share a family cottage。 As each explore college life， the tugging to their entangled relationship causes power struggles which come to a head。 It was a bit hard to believe in the sad stories of very rich girls， but when I put that portion aside， I absolutely loved this story。 The writing drew me in and I was there with them in college and their enchanted cottage！ The end was shocking and I love the book more for it。 If you like a 90's story， obsessive friendships and college settings， Stargazer is for you！ 。。。more
Tracy Hollen
，
3。75 stars
Linda Hill
，
Diana needs an identity of her own。My word。 Stargazer is an absolute treat of a book。 It’s beautifully written， perfectly crafted and affords an insight into a world of both the prosaic and the unusual so that all life feels present in this wonderful book。In essence， with a couple of exceptions， very little happens and yet the plot is absolutely gripping because Laurie Petrou lays bare the human psyche with such dexterity that reading Stargazer becomes a mesmerising activity。 Stargazer felt to m Diana needs an identity of her own。My word。 Stargazer is an absolute treat of a book。 It’s beautifully written， perfectly crafted and affords an insight into a world of both the prosaic and the unusual so that all life feels present in this wonderful book。In essence， with a couple of exceptions， very little happens and yet the plot is absolutely gripping because Laurie Petrou lays bare the human psyche with such dexterity that reading Stargazer becomes a mesmerising activity。 Stargazer felt to me like a literary equivalent to viewing Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical drawings except that here we are discovering Diana and Aurelle’s emotions layered beneath the narrative。 They are both so vivid， so real and so disturbing that I think they will resonate with me for a very long time。The theme of belonging is the catalyst for so much of Stargazer， but that is just one element underpinning how humanity takes what it wants from others before discarding them。 Stargazer is profound as well as engrossing。 The title is perfect。 There are moments of literal stargazing where the majesty of nature is displayed， but in addition， so many of the characters are stargazing metaphorically。 Diana watches the famous Taylor family next door at the same time as orbiting her brother’s place as her family’s shining star。 Minor characters （like Grace） and the media are obsessed with the success and trappings of those stars they gaze upon and Diana’s sole aim is to be a star in her own right。I’m aware I haven’t really reviewed Stargazer but it really is a book to absorb， to experience viscerally and to reflect upon rather than one that can be conveyed easily to someone who hasn’t read it。I found Stargazer intense， affecting and dramatic。 It vibrates with sexual and emotional tension， with longing and loneliness， jealousy， passions， love and hate so that reading it heightens every emotion in the reader。 Stargazer is， in my opinion， an absolute masterpiece。 I thought it was wonderful。 。。。more
Jennifer Li
，
’𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩。 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜。’Stargazer is a fascinating exploration of deep friendship between two young women， Diana and Aurelle， who are brought up in wealthy and privileged backgrounds yet suffer from their own complicated family dynamics that ends up defining who these women are; Aurelle forever in the shadow of her mother’s fame and Diana forever in the shadow of her brother， who bullied her and tragically dies。At uni in the summer of 1995， Diana and Aurel ’𝙄 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩。 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜。’Stargazer is a fascinating exploration of deep friendship between two young women， Diana and Aurelle， who are brought up in wealthy and privileged backgrounds yet suffer from their own complicated family dynamics that ends up defining who these women are; Aurelle forever in the shadow of her mother’s fame and Diana forever in the shadow of her brother， who bullied her and tragically dies。At uni in the summer of 1995， Diana and Aurelle are drawn together by their vulnerabilities and mutual desire to seek love and attention。 Their friendship is intense and they show deep loyalty and love towards each other。 But it’s quickly consumed by the darker elements of a toxic dysfunctional friendship; one that is filled with jealousy， obsession， deception and eventually betrayal。 Diana has a talent in art and painting。 When she realises she has a chance to make a name for herself， she has to decide whether to pursue it even if it will sacrifice her friendship with Aurelle。 It is this journey that slowly unravels in this narrative， building pace to the inevitable dark ending。 It is an intoxicating and at times chilling read （the reveal of Diana’s paintings were haunting and shocking， I kept thinking of The Picture of Dorian Gray with the paintings memorialising the ugliness of humanity）。 Overall I really enjoyed it。 I do wish the friendship at the early stages was explored in more detail which would have made the read even more compelling。Perfect read for this summer （particularly now during this heatwave！）。 It is out now so add to your summer reading pile 🤗 。。。more
Kayleigh
，
This was a beautiful yet haunting read， of obsession and self destruction。It started out quite slow， with before Diana and Aurelle had met， setting the scene of two privileged yet entirely different upbringings， despite the two being next door neighbours。 Aurelle， whose famous mother meant her family were always on display， when she wanted to blend into the shadows， and Diana whose family idolised her brother， who taunted her relentlessly， and who wished to be part of a loving family。The friends This was a beautiful yet haunting read， of obsession and self destruction。It started out quite slow， with before Diana and Aurelle had met， setting the scene of two privileged yet entirely different upbringings， despite the two being next door neighbours。 Aurelle， whose famous mother meant her family were always on display， when she wanted to blend into the shadows， and Diana whose family idolised her brother， who taunted her relentlessly， and who wished to be part of a loving family。The friendship that is struck between them quickly becomes incredibly intense， and later takes a much darker turn。I found I could more relate to Aurelle， in terms of not wanting to be centre of attention， of striving to drive in and not being very ambitious， rather than like Diana who was incredibly driven and forthright。There are hints throughout as to what actually happened to Diana's brother， and it segways well into the ultimate ending。I found Diana hard to take at times， and felt a lot of sympathy toward Aurelle as her life was ruthlessly laid out on display for all the campus to see。 The final third of the book was incredibly dark and intense and thoroughly gripping。I liked Noah as a character and wished he'd been more of a feature in the girls lives。A short very well written book that really packs a punch， I definitely recommend giving this one a try- stick with it， I'd say it's worth it。 。。。more
Helen Precious
，
Stargazer is an exploration of female friendship， following the intertwined lives of Diana and Aurelle as they grow into young women。 The all consuming relationship between female friends is perhaps unique and often one of adoration/replication。 In this novel， Diana begins as the less accomplished， less 'seen' of the two girls as she becomes consumed by Aurelle and her family's glimmering world of fame。 Secrets are exposed and hierarchies switched as the girls move into college life。 Now Diana h Stargazer is an exploration of female friendship， following the intertwined lives of Diana and Aurelle as they grow into young women。 The all consuming relationship between female friends is perhaps unique and often one of adoration/replication。 In this novel， Diana begins as the less accomplished， less 'seen' of the two girls as she becomes consumed by Aurelle and her family's glimmering world of fame。 Secrets are exposed and hierarchies switched as the girls move into college life。 Now Diana has the 'fame' where does the balance stand and can their friendship survive。 Primarily about female insecurities this book is an interesting if slightly predictable read with an echo of Gatsby excess。 。。。more
Lily Beatrice
，
4。5 stars！
Alexia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5 stars。 The author did create a story about young female friendship， secrets， and obsession that we have already read in many versions， yes。 Both characters were either not likeable at all or not particularly likeable， yes。 But these facts are not the reasons I was disappointed in this book。 Let me just simply say: “Stargazers” should have either been a powerful， intriguing， shocking and intense short-story on the Hemingwayan “iceberg” principle OR a 300-400 page long book （it’s 249 pages lon 2。5 stars。 The author did create a story about young female friendship， secrets， and obsession that we have already read in many versions， yes。 Both characters were either not likeable at all or not particularly likeable， yes。 But these facts are not the reasons I was disappointed in this book。 Let me just simply say: “Stargazers” should have either been a powerful， intriguing， shocking and intense short-story on the Hemingwayan “iceberg” principle OR a 300-400 page long book （it’s 249 pages long） that actually explores these characters in a more three-dimensional way。 Because this book somehow succeeds in struggling with both not examining the main characters’ full thought processes to a T by presenting us a so-called “inner dialogue” AND being extremely repetitive about their feelings and states of minds。 The amount of times we are told about how Diana is jealous of Aurelle’s family - straightup TOLD， not even just shown - is so humongous that I feel tired even repeating that half-sentence in this review。 Same goes for the 4-5 other main storylines or relationship dynamics。 And these were not the only repetitive aspects of this book。 Now that I think about it， there is no reason to give examples - literally EVERYTHING is repeated again and again throughout the book， from home decor to descriptions of relationships， it doesn’t even matter if something was really driven home in the first 20%， it will still be mentioned at around 80%。 It drove me crazy。 I must say though， other than that I didn’t mind that the ending was predictable， I still found myself wondering if Diana would actually try and take on Aurelle’s life after killing her， like in “Social Creature” （which has been poignantly called “The Talented Mr Rip-Off” by a fellow reviewer on here so you get the idea） or if she’ll be caught and punished etc。 I was also surprised that when the moment of Keith’s death is finally discussed， it’s not revealed that Diana actually killed him， as I had suspected all along， but that it was， indeed， an accident。 So， you can see that I didn’t mind anything plot-wise！ I also didn’t dislike the fact that both were rich; I liked the choice to have one of them be the “heiress” to a famous parent and family-business and the other one “just” rich， instead of the driving plot point merely being a simple difference in class and financial background。 Additionally， I loved the setting and the atmosphere， so all in all I really had higher expectations than what this book turned out to be。 It is a pity， since I do believe that the author got the portrayal of an abuser and their gradually escalating behavior in a friendship right， which is always refreshing to read about in non-romantic storylines。 。。。more
Zoe Woodend
，
Stargazer is very dark atmospheric literary thriller 。 I wasn't sure what i was expecting but I felt it was lacking something for me。 I cannot fault the writing and character development but it just wasn't a book that had me gripped until the last quarter and i did like the ending 。 Stargazer is very dark atmospheric literary thriller 。 I wasn't sure what i was expecting but I felt it was lacking something for me。 I cannot fault the writing and character development but it just wasn't a book that had me gripped until the last quarter and i did like the ending 。 。。。more
Rachel
，
firstly， a huge thank you to verve books for having me as part of the blog tour for stargazer！ aptly， i could hardly contain my envy when prior to receiving my copy i saw so many others get hold of their own。 stargazer is the perfect kind of whirlwind novel; the messy reality of the upper-classes brought to light as their house of cards caves in。 coupled with a teenage friendship that straddles the border of salacious obsession culminating in bitter jealousy and tragedy。 it's the kind of literar firstly， a huge thank you to verve books for having me as part of the blog tour for stargazer！ aptly， i could hardly contain my envy when prior to receiving my copy i saw so many others get hold of their own。 stargazer is the perfect kind of whirlwind novel; the messy reality of the upper-classes brought to light as their house of cards caves in。 coupled with a teenage friendship that straddles the border of salacious obsession culminating in bitter jealousy and tragedy。 it's the kind of literary thriller structure and conclusion you can see coming from a mile away， but that doesn't mean that laurie petrou has taken the most obvious path to reach it。 fun， vivid and full of twists， stargazer examines how far some will go for fame and notoriety and the kind of society that will lap up a scandal。diana has always watched her neighbours with desire。 her own loveless family is rocked in the wake of her cruel older brother's premature death。 a keen observer of her more powerful， famous neighbours， diana has been documenting their lives through her art for a long time。 when by chance she is invited into the luxurious world surrounding the taylor's， her and youngest daughter， aurelle become firm friends。 as they travel through the nineties together - attending the same remote， lakeside college， their world becomes an endless eclipse of drugs， raves and notoriety。 whilst aurelle cringes， shying away from her family's famous reputation， diana will do anything to mark her territory and forge her way into the art world， even if it comes at aurelle's expense。 i adored petrou's characterisation of two girls who could not be more similar， yet so far removed from one another。 the relationship between diana and aurelle reminded me somewhat of Bunny and how these upper-society party girls are almost indistinguishable from each other。 at first， it was aurelle's quiet disposition that engrossed me in the story。 that classic trope of her running away from her family name is crafted well and fun to see develop。 but it is diana's ruthless ambition within her characterisation where much of the story shines。 the plot never felt too laboured and retained just the right amount of intrigue as the story bore on。 petrou's language and references to the nineties party scene is playful， with an undercurrent of subjects that were never broached out loud; abortion， drug abuse and violence to name a few。 stargazer is the secret history for the contemporary generation， minus the pretensions and detail of donna tartt's writing。 the mystery and scandal surrounding diana and aurelle is captivating， difficult to avoid becoming sucked into。 petrou has clearly spent a lot of time observing society and boy has it paid off。 a rapid fire， social commentary with characters that will stand out。 stargazer is everything i expected and so much more。 。。。more
Georgie
，
The Talented Mr Ripley， but make it 90’s art girls in Canada。
izzy
，
4。5 stars really because oh my god this is so good 😭 i am always rooting for a happy ending but this shocked me in a welcome way of how twisted it ended up being
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Stargazer
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Stargazer&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Stargazer&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0