With Stars in Her Eyes

Books and music: two of my favorite things to read about in a novel! This drew me to With Stars in Her Eyes by Andie Burke. It starts with Courtney Starling, stage name Kestrel, at a live event to launch her solo career and debut album. But it goes horribly wrong due to a bad migraine attack, so she spends months hiding out in Kansas, unrecognizable and working at her friend’s bookstore. There she meets Thea Quinn, a newcomer to town who works as a piercer by day and a hobby photographer by night. They can’t deny their mutual interest in each other, but Courtney also can’t keep her secret identity from Thea forever…

What I Liked:

• Love letter to books and the romance genre. With a historical romance book club and lots of discussions about romance tropes and sapphic love stories, this whole novel feels like an ode to anyone who enjoys the genre. It gets meta towards the end, with them declaring they’re not in a third-act breakup, and I just loved seeing these two women gush over romance while embarking on their own journey to an HEA.
• Music, a personal debut album, and release drama. My adoration of music goes deep, and I enjoyed seeing Courtney’s dichotomy between loving music and feeling fear about her own solo career. She has some PTSD from the live event gone wrong, as well as her whole childhood performing with her uncompromising parents; she’s also facing some blackmail from her ex-husband. And yet, she poured her soul into the songs that will make up her debut album. How can she go back to the thing she loves when it’s turned into something so hard for her?
• Migraine attacks. Courtney suffers from frequent migraines, the kind that make it nearly impossible for her to function. They even seem to affect her like a stroke, so they’re serious. While my own situation is very different from hers, I related on some level to Courtney. I had a stroke two years ago, and it was only after that that I learned I’d been having aura migraines. Seeing this representation and her struggle to find a way forward impacted me and made me connect to Courtney a lot.
• Thea’s balance between passions and sticking with things. Thea has studied a lot but never found a career path that her mom approves of. But she loves astronomy and photography, and this hobby of taking nighttime photos is something she is devoted to, if only she can keep it true to her vision. I loved seeing her passion for art, as well as her interest in things like astrology and tarot.
• Leaving the Evangelical church and religious hypocrisy. Courtney grew up with a very religious family, but it’s only after leaving them—and abuse in the name of religion—that she’s been able to truly be herself. I liked seeing her experience with religion and how she’s striven to move forward from it.

Audiobook:

With Stars in Her Eyes is narrated by Natalie Naudus, Chelsea Stephens, and Andie Burke. The former two narrate the story, while the author herself reads the author’s note and acknowledgments.

Natalie Naudus is one of my favorite narrators, and this is my first time hearing her do a contemporary romance; normally I hear her on (historical) fantasy novels. Her voice works so well in this context! She breathes life into Courtney and all her social awkwardness and insecurity.

Chelsea Stephens narrates as Thea, and she was excellent, too! She captures Thea’s sass and humor, and I enjoyed hearing her Alabama accent.

Final Thoughts

There is so much I loved about With Stars in Her Eyes, from books and music to a sense of small town community and Thea and Courtney’s choice to claim their happily ever after. I only wish I could hear Kestrel’s debut album, too. This was my first time reading Andie Burke and I’m excited to dive into more of her books.

Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy With Stars in Her Eyes here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

With Stars in Her Eyes by Andie Burke
Audiobook Narrator	Natalie Naudus, Chelsea Stephens, and Andie Burke
Audience	Adult
Genre	Contemporary Romance
Setting	Kansas
Number of Pages	368
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	September 16, 2025
Publisher	St. Martin’s Griffin

Official Summary

A sapphic bookstore romanceabout fresh starts and finding that one person who feels like home.

“Snappy, smart, and endlessly swoon-worthy, With Stars In Her Eyes is a front-row ticket to a love story that’s impossible to put down.” – Karelia Stetz-Waters, author of Behind the Scenes

Seconds from a meteoric career launch, cellist Courtney Starling suffers a frightening migraine attack during a key performance. While harmful rumors fly, she escapes to her happy place—her best friend’s Kansas bookshop. Courtney’s working incognito when a scream sends her leaping off a shelving ladder to find the woman who screamed cowering near the register.

When Thea Quinn dropped in for a misdelivered package, she did not expect a mortifying encounter with a bearded dragon in front of an inconveniently attractive bookseller. Clutching an upcoming book club flyer and the tattered shreds of her dignity, she heads back to her new piercing job at the tattoo shop next door. She moved to this quirky place for a fresh start. But maybe the meet-disaster was a sign? Maybe Thea needs to branch out beyond her photography hobby and connect with new people…like at a historical romance book club run by a particularly mysterious and sexy bookseller with a pixie cut?

Friendly lunches become stolen moments between the bookshelves. Courtney and Thea’s old problems feel ages away. But just as their chemistry heats to a combustion point, consequences from Courtney’s past arrive literally on her doorstep at exactly the wrong moment. New revelations and surprising connections take the pair from feeling joyfully lovestruck to confusingly star-crossed. Both women must decide what they’re willing to give up for happily ever after.

“Dreamy, charming, and full of vividly beautiful moments, Andie Burke’s latest novel is a triumph. From witty banter to revelations about moving forward after trauma, it’s a powerful story about self-love and finding your voice. I’m head-over-heels for With Stars in Her Eyes.” – Susie Dumond, author of Looking for a Sign

“From the moment of their winged-reptile-prompted, innuendo-filled bookshop meet cute (you’ll have to read it to find out!), Courtney and Thea’s chemistry was off the charts. Andie Burke’s With Stars in Her Eyes delivers all the swoony moments together with heartfelt explorations of living with chronic illness, healing after trauma, and pursuing your creative dreams. Andie Burke’s books are always special and singularly her own!” – Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Never Been Shipped