Editor’s Pick: Chasing Stars by Helen Douglas

A love story that spans generations and time continues in this captivating tale that's perfect for fans of A Thousand Pieces of You.

Hunted down by a ruthless "cleaner" from the future, star-crossed lovers Eden and Ryan have been forced to travel a hundred years forward to 2123. Ryan has broken fundamental laws of time for them to be together, and now they face his trial and permanent imprisonment . . . and a life without each other.

Eden knows that she must save Ryan, but he's under tight security--and getting caught would mean life imprisonment for the both of them. All Eden wants is Ryan, but is it possible to be together when it seems the whole universe is against them?

Fans of Claudia Gray, Amie Kaufman, and Meagan Spooner will be captivated by this epic cross-century romance where love bends the laws of time and reason.

I’ll start with a confession: I haven’t read After Eden, the book that precedes Chasing Stars. As far as world building and plot goes, that doesn’t really matter. Despite the sometimes clunky dialogue, Douglas did a bang up job getting us newbies into the loop. Even though the story can get bogged down in the quotidian, I was invested in the characters and their adventures. Eden is a relatable, likeable girl who you want to root for—especially as she fights valiantly before she is killed in the first few pages. It’s her murder, in fact, that sets all the rest of the events in motion. Primarily Ryan Westlake’s 2123 theft of a time travel ship, so he can return to 2012 and prevent Eden’s death.

It’s not giving anything away to tell you that he succeeds. But a crime of that magnitude comes with a high penalty—one that, despite his best attempts, Ryan can’t avoid. Ryan and Eden are taken to 2123 where Ryan spends the bulk of the story in prison. Eden, however, between adjusting to her futuristic environment, partying with his friends, and avoiding the paparazzi, plots his escape. And this is where my having missed After Eden becomes a problem. It’s pretty clear that Ryan and Eden are meant to be a Romeo and Juliet: both cheerfully give up their friends, families, and futures for the other. But because Ryan is the damsel in distress we don’t see him much. I almost find myself rooting for Eden to take up with Ryan’s bestie, Pegasus. It feels like New Moon, the second Twilight book, where my definite preference for Jacob is set during Edward’s long absence. Although a love triangle is clearly not Douglas’ intent, it’s hard when your main love interest is not there.

In the end, if you read and enjoyed After Eden, there’s a solid chance you’ll like Chasing Stars. And if you didn’t? Your chances are still pretty good. It will be interesting to see if there’s a follow-up and where their romance goes once Eden and Ryan are actually together.

Quotes:

He was in the kitchen, cutting a slice of bread, when I walked in.

‘Hey,’ he said, smiling.

‘Ryan,’ I said. ‘I’m sorry.’

He looked confused for a millisecond. Then, when the knife clattered to the counter and he raised his hands above his head, I knew she’d come in as well.

Why?’ he asked Lauren. ‘Why do I matter? Why can’ you just let me run? I won’t affect the timeline. You know that. You’re from the future.’

‘There’s a bounty on your head, Westland. Three million credits. Can you match that?’

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