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Author: Hamilton, Emily

Science fiction

Published on 11 June 2024 by Orion Publishing Co (Gollancz) in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 336 pages
242 x 164 x 30 | 540g

Part space odyssey, part Sapphic romcom and all spaceship-stealing fun, Emily Hamilton’s breathtaking debut is a wild tale of galaxy-spanning friendship, improbable love, and wonder as vast as the universe itself.

‘I love the way the relationship between Cleo and Billie developed. I fell in love with them, with their relationship. And they made me cry a lot. AND THE LONGING !!!!!!!!’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’Absolutely gut-wrenching and gorgeously written. This book sucked me in instantly’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?So, here’s the thing: Cleo and her friends really, truly didn’t mean to steal this spaceship. They just wanted to know why, twenty years ago, the entire Providence crew vanished without a trace. But then the stupid dark matter engine started all on its own, and now these four twenty-somethings are en route to Proxima Centauri, unable to turn around, and being harangued by a snarky hologram that has the face and attitude of the ship’s missing captain, Billie.

Cleo has dreamt of being an astronaut all her life, and Earth is kind of a lost cause at this point, so this should be one of those blessings in disguise people talk about. But as the ship gets deeper into space, the laws of physics start twisting, old mysteries start crawling back to life, and Cleo’s initially combative relationship with Billie turns into something deeper and more desperate than either woman is prepared for.

Lying somewhere in the subspace between science fantasy and sapphic rom-com, The Stars Too Fondly is a soaring near-future adventure about dark matter and alternate dimensions, leaving home and finding family, and the galaxy-saving power of letting yourself love and be loved.

‘I’m a huge fan of that bombastic, earnest, interdimensional aspect that 80’s sci-fi had, so seeing it here, just as earnest and openly Queer, was a real treat’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’The vibes of this book are seriously so great. It had some of my favorite bookish elements – found family, great banter, forced proximity, and women in STEM’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’QUEER ROMANCE. IN SPACE. ROMANTASY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The number of times I silent screamed while reading this cannot even be counted on one hand. This novel is so, so, SO funny and heartfelt’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’Space? Check. Sapphic? Check. Rom-com? Check. . . . I loved it from the first page’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’I loved this book. It was soft and loving and bright and adventurous and surprised me in a wonderful way’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’Wow, this book was such a fun surprise. It was a bit like an episode of Doctor Who. There are big universe ending stakes and yet it’s still funny and light-hearted’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’I adored literally everything about this. I am a huge Trekkie and also a huge Star Trek Voyager fan and a queer woman, so it did feel like this book might have been made in a lab for me’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?’I adored this book. The science, the found family, the relationship between Billie and Cleo- it was absolute perfection’ Reader review, ? ? ? ? ?