THE STARS DUET by AMIE KNIGHT

‘We could have burned the world down. Maybe we did. Maybe we’d burned too bright. Too big. Until we’d just snuffed out.’
“Look at the stars, Liv. If you feel alone. Don’t forget to look up.”

This duet was and is everything we love about reading. It brought us back to how we used to feel reading YA books like this back in the day. It felt old school. Amie Knight brought us back and we loved every minute of this coming of age romance between two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks, or river as it was in this case. The story builds at a wonderful speed until the crescendo at the end of book one. It was pure brilliance. Two kids, as different as can be on paper, but within them both lies a big heart and a penchant for dreaming of stars and a better life.

“Close your eyes Nova.”
“Why?”
“Because you can’t dream with your eyes open.”

We felt every emotion and passion as the years went by and we followed Liv and Adam from young adults into later adulthood, which in the second book is really quite steamy, therefore more mature. The writing was on point – stellar in fact and the power of this first and forever love is really all encompassing. This brilliant duet is the type of story that’s like crack to us, and we literally inhaled it!

‘This girl was too good for me. Too sweet. Too fucking amazing and she was going to end me. And I was starting to be totally okay with that. What I wasn’t okay with was ruining her.’

There’s nothing like that first feeling of love. The butterflies – the excitement. Especially when love comes into your life when you need it the most. When you need your soul mate. The impossible dream when circumstances and life is hell-bent on destroying you, destroying your soul. This is the story of a tattooed bad boy living in meagre circumstances with just his dad, after losing his mum under tragic circumstances. A boy who lives with great sadness in his heart covered by a hard exterior. A boy who dreams of love and the stars. It’s a story of a parentless and innocent rich girl clinging on to her memories of her late father in order to survive her present life living with her stepmother and step brother. A girl who just wants love and give love in return. It’s a heart-breaking story of suffering yet it’s also a story of hope.

‘She wanted me to fight for us, but I couldn’t because I was too busy fighting for her.’
‘Adam Nova had been gorgeous at nineteen. At twenty-nine he was the stuff dreams were made of. And I didn’t dream anymore.’

Adam Nova is our kind of hero. A hero that has all the makings of an anti-hero but really isn’t. His heart and mind is ruled by love and family. He’s the perfect example of why no one should be judged on looks nor money. Where we grow up is a circumstance of life out of our control, it’s what lies within our heart that ultimately matters and determines who we are. What a wonderful hero!

‘I was richer, bigger, wilder than any motherfucker on this island now. I dared them to come after me. I craved it. I was ready for the fight.
‘I didn’t realize quite how broken we were until that very moment. I wondered if I’d ever be able to piece us together again.’

Livingston Rose Montgomery has lost both her parents and is living with her awful stepmother and step brother, on the rich and affluent side of the river. Whilst this girl has all the comforts that money brings, she has none of the vital things we need in life like love, a warm protective embrace and the importance of a family behind her. Yet this girl still embodies hope, dreams and inspiration for change. She’s vulnerable yet feisty. She’s an inspiration who puts her life first no matter the obstacles. She’s Adam’s soulmate and he hers. No matter what!

‘He was back. He was scary. He was gorgeous. I’d never stopped loving him. Not for one moment in ten years.’
‘My Luna was a fucking woman. A beautiful one, And I’d missed it. It almost broke my heart all over again.’

So much time has passed yet every moment counted in this duet. Every moment had its own specific intensity, nothing was superfluous nor unnecessary. As much as there was drama and darkness there was love and light. Everything and everyone was brilliantly written and we felt like we’d lived a lifetime with Adam and Liv which is exactly how you want to feel after reading a story.

“I don’t look at the stars because they make me think of you. I don’t look at the stars because then I wonder if you’re looking at them, too. I don’t look at the stars because they make me wonder where you are and what you’re doing and who you’re loving. I don’t look at the stars because I don’t deserve them, just like I don’t deserve you.”

Again, we absolutely LOVED this stunning duet. Beautiful writing and beautiful characters. A story that grabbed us and kept us riveted from first page to last. A story with a theme we’ve read before but Amie Knight had her own unique story to tell and it felt new and fresh. If you’re a hopeless romantic like us we know you will fall in love with Liv & Adam as much as we did. A romance with a real star-crossed lovers feel that’ll steal your heart. The romance is strong within this duet and as we’re suckers for a great epilogue we left Liv and Adam with a smile on our face and a romantic swoon in our hearts! Now, if you loved The Line by Amie Knight as much as we did, you’ll also have a wonderful surprise too!

“Kiss me bravely. Kiss me like you mean it. Kiss me under the stars.”