Synopsis:
Touching, heartfelt and passionate, UNTIL THE LAST STAR FADES blurs the line between slow-burn romance and women’s fiction, and is a must-read for hopeful romantics, devoted daughters, and the moms they cherish.
COULD YOU BE THE ONE WHO CHANGES EVERYTHING?
In her senior year at NYU, Riley Hope appears to be on top of the world. With a loving mother who makes Lorelai Gilmore look like a parenting slacker, ride-or-die friends, and a long-time boyfriend destined for the National Hockey League, she puts on a smile for the world. But behind it, she’s drowning. Racked with fears for the future, she battles to stay afloat amid life in the shadows of a heartbreaking illness.
And then, Ben Fagan comes crashing into her life. Twenty-three-years-old, British, and alone in the Big Apple after a disastrous pilot season in LA, the struggling actor is looking for an escape: booze, mischief, sex—minimum commitment, maximum fun—anything to avoid returning across the pond.
As they form an unlikely bond, Riley keeps her reality from Ben so that he remains a happy refuge. But how long can she hold back the truth…and is Ben keeping his own secrets, too?
From the award-winning author of LONDON BELONGS TO ME and LONDON, CAN YOU WAIT?, comes a bittersweet story about love, loss, sacrifice, and the life-changing decisions we make.
MY REVIEW:
“Sometimes the heart wants what it can’t have.”
Sweet and full of heart! Something about this book really grabbed me and I very much enjoyed this funny, tender and sexy story. Riley Hope is a senior at NYU with a long-distance boyfriend and a lot on her plate. She takes care of her ailing mother who is struggling just to get by but never, ever complains and really has a beautiful, sunny outlook on life. Riley’s bond with her mother is one of the central relationships in this book.
A chance, cute meeting with a sexy Brit named Benjamin Fagan turns her life upside down. Riley begins to question her life choices as she and Ben become very close friends and she really begins to lean on him for support. Been is a wonderful, hard-working, adorable guy who will steal your heart! Anglophiles rejoice becuase you will LOVE Ben.
This book isn’t just about romantic relationships but is also a very heartwarming, emotional and loving story about family relationships and the love between a parent and child. Although it is very funny and breezy in parts, other parts are very serious and the author is not afraid to tackle some very weighty subjects. The story is a long one but is very fast-paced and the supporting characters are all very charming. Riley makes some life-changing decisions all while keeping secrets from Ben and from her own mother. But Ben is keeping some secrets, as well.
”How will I get up each morning knowing it will be a day without you in it?”
This is a slow-burn romance and there are a lot of pop culture references, which I loved. The writing is charming, sweet and very funny. The story for me really came together when Ben, always the optimist and very upbeat, revealed his past to Riley. I also loved the way these two met by chance but fate brought them together. In my opinion though, the romance in this book really took a back seat to the relationship between Riley and her mother Maggie.
”What you see on the outside, never tells the true story of someone’s heart.”
This book is not your typical friends-to-lovers romance but has that something extra that kept me invested in the story until the end. The other aspect of the book that I loved was that the author tackled a subject called “smiling depression” which was dealt with in a very compassionate and realistic way.
I have not read the author’s other books. ‘London Belongs to Me’ and ‘London Can You Wait?’ but this book includes characters spun-off from that series. You do not need to have read those books to follow this story, but now I am intrigued so I can’t wait to read those books as well.
‘Until The Last Star Fades’ is perfect for fans of new adult contemporary romance as well as women’s fiction. The story was a little long in parts but overall I really enjoyed this heartwarming and unexpectedly charming romance.
”If you believe in nothing else, please believe in love. It can make miracles happen.”
(With thanks to the author for a review copy.)