Review: When the Stars Align by Jeanette Grey

When the Stars Align
by Jeanette Grey
Published: September 1, 2015




Their passion burned hotter than the stars . . .

For Josephine "Jo" Kramer, nothing has ever been easy. When she earns a summer internship in Puerto Rico, working at one of the world's preeminent scientific facilities, she'll let nothing distract her. Not her own insecurities, not the arrogant scientists, and definitely not her tall, chiseled research partner, Adam.

For Adam McCay, physics is simple-it's women who are complicated. Especially brilliant, beautiful ones like Jo. From the moment they meet, he can feel the heat smoldering deep beneath her icy exterior. And Adam knows just what it will take to make Jo melt . . .

Under the endless stars of a tropical sky, Jo and Adam indulge their every desire. But as their internship comes to an end, their perfect island paradise is threatened. Was their time together a summer fling? Or is their passion hot enough to last the long winter nights?

Reasons why When the Stars Align got me so excited:

1. That eye-catching and pretty, pretty cover.
2. A status I saw on Goodreads that said this book is hot, pun intended ;)
3. The summary:

"...a summer internship in Puerto Rico, working at one of the world's preeminent scientific facilities..."

and...

"...as their internship comes to an end, their perfect island paradise is threatened. Was their time together a summer fling? Or is their passion hot enough to last the long winter nights?"

That summary basically makes up the whole story. I expected this book to be a fun-filled and light summer-y read with a bit of adventure. They are in Puerto Rico, after all, and even though it is an internship program it could still be a super fun experience. It should be!

Well, Jo is a really closed off character who has daddy issues and prefers to be alone, and Adam is hung up on his ex-girlfriend back home. It’s fine. So this book has a darker theme than expected. I can roll with that.

What I was disappointed with was how this book revolves around Jo’s issue with her dad but in the end was actually just a kind of misunderstanding between the two of them. Years of hurt and longing and all Jo should have done was to say something to him. And it was resolved in a scene that’s only half a chapter. If there is more in this book that says something about their relationship after that confrontation it would have been great.

Jo, as I already said, is not a friendly person so it was expected that she didn’t interact a lot with the other interns but I would have loved to know more about the other characters. I’m really glad that Jo got her heart to open up, little by little, before summer ended but her prior attitude made the book ‘closed off’ as well. Reading the book in her perspective makes most of it – outings, hangouts, dinner – pretty meh. She’s there but only in the background, an observer. It didn’t put a lot of impact on the setting. Like, the story could have happened in a place that’s not as exotic as Puerto Rico, and in the time of the year that’s not summer.

Adam annoyed me at first but he was cool later on. I really liked how he is with Jo. He is so sweet and knows how to give the girl space. Claps to you, man.

Overall, it was just an okay read for me but still worth checking out.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher and NetGalley.