Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett (with a lot of fangirling and screaming)

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Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

Okay, this is one of the easiest favorites that I’ve ever had. It was adorable, feely, and just so much fun. It actually got tears welling up in my eyes (and my cred as a soulless heartless book princess just died in a corner), and I just had so much fun. It was so heartwarming, and now I don’t know what to do with myself because I’m off being a total pile of goo.

Where do I even begin with this? I knew I wanted to read this the moment I heard about. Even though I will never go camping a day in my life (bugs, bugs, and more bugs = nooooooooooooooooooooo for Mandy), I have this weird obsession with outdoorsy camping books. Did I expect that it was going to end up on the favorites shelf so easy and quickly? No, but I’m in such love.

The charactersssssssssssssssssss. I absolutely loved Zorie and Lennon. They had such unique voices and dynamic voices. They were SO easy to root for, and I FELT for them. Omigosh, I felt their pain, joy, and I AM JUST A MESS FOR THEM OKAY. They are so realistic, and they were aognreianerantilewatn. I HAVE NO WORDS OKAY. STILL A PILE OF GOO.

I also LOVED Joy. Joy is Zorie’s stepmom, and they had one of the best parental relationships that I’ve ever seen in YA. There was no dreaded evil stepmom, which was SO refreshing, and the deep way they cared for each other GOT me. MY EMOTIONS ARE IN A BLENDER AND THINKING ABOUT THEM IS JUST LIKE HITTING TRIPLE SPEED. AM I GOING TO END EACH PARAGRAPH WITH ALL CAPS PROCLAMATIONS? PROBABLY BECAUSE FEELS.

And the romanceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. *screaming* I’m a princess of swoon and hearts and feels, but to be honest, YA hasn’t bringing the feels for me lately. I haven’t had many ships that were sailing for me, and I wasn’t sure what was up. Was my King Triton nonsense turning into evil villain status where I couldn’t feel the love tonight? NO. BECAUSE MY HEART WAS SAVING UP ALLLLLLLLLLL THE ROOM FOR THESE TWO. It was hate-to-love, which can go sometimes sideways for me, but it was just the right amount for this one. They progressed so naturally and organically, and I rooted for them the moment they wandered on the page. They were just adorable and feely and I’m just done in for them.

The plot was super interesting as well. At times, I felt like it could have gotten boring, but things just kept being interesting (lol, imagine that, Mandy, books staying interesting the entire time? Isn’t that a book’s job????). Anyway, I loved the adventure and all the little plot twists along the way. I mean, it is focused a lot on characterization, but it still had a lot of action going on.

The writing was fantastic as well. I’m totally going to be reading everything Jenn Bennett writes in the future, since I was so her easy, breezy writing. I liked her descriptions and style and flow.

Overall, this was such a delightful read. I found myself dying internally over how fantastic it was – from the characters, romance, plot, and writing. I just couldn’t stop binge reading it, and I just want to sum up all the feels in words but my brain will not work. Just read it. Please. If you’re looking for something adorable and fluffy and fun and swoony. PLEASE THANK YOU. 5 crowns, and the princess train is finallllllllllllllly back (omg, the first of the year???????): Rapunzel for the swoons and Aurora for it being a contemporary classic for moi!

What do you think? What is the last book that was a favorite for you? Do you like camping books? Have I convinced you to hurry up and read this?? Let’s discuss in the comments below!