Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan

Carys and Max are citizens of a utopian/dystopian post-war world. A world where individualism is the only value upheld, and all laws are crafted around allowing everyone to act only in their own name. But when Carys and Max fall in love, they begin to question the true value of these rules. How utopian can a civilization really be if you blindly follow the rules without questioning if they are enhancing your life and well-being? Deciding that they are willing to fight for their right to be together, the couple end up on a mission: a mission to cross through the asteroid belt that surrounds Earth. A freak accident leaves them stranded from their spacecraft and drifting helplessly without a tether. As they fall, they can't help but look back at the world they left behind: a world whose rules they couldn't submit to, a place where they never really belonged; a home they're determined to get back to because they've come too far to lose each other now.

Freefalling through space is literally my worst nightmare. But what intrigued me about this story was the race-against-time cinematic feel of it. Hold Back the Stars is a story about a couple who are stranded in space with only 90 minutes of air left. The plot takes us from past to present so we can see how they came to be where they are and how their love unfolded in a society that forbade it. The beginning started out great. The clever ways they were trying to figure out how to get back to the ship was really entertaining to read. But then the whole second part of the book was just the two of them talking about the past. It was important for them to say what they needed to say and for us to get the full picture of their love story, but it definitely slowed the pace. It picked back up in the third part and finished in a really unique way (that I will not spoil). I only wish we could have found out how they were able to have the reflections they did. I'm assuming it was just a "life flash before your eyes" kind of thing but having a little more explanation around that would have been cool. Overall, I did enjoy it. It proposed some fascinating concepts for the mind to chew on and was a genuine picture of first love.

I love supporting local, independent, women-owned, and BIPOC bookstores. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Hold Back the Stars, may I encourage you to consider buying here? Bookshop (dot) org ensures that every purchase supports local and independent bookstores. Thank you!