Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan (Review by Taylor Bridgeforth)

Rating: 3.9/5*

Hold Back the Stars by Katie Khan is a love story told between past and present with Max and Cary.

They both live in Europia where young adults get to travel the world in three-year rotations to different places to fully experience their youth and discover themselves individually.

Where do I sign up?

Max has been living his best life learning how to cook different cuisines in hopes of becoming a chef. He wasn’t missing anything in life until he met Carys, a shuttle pilot.

A meet-cute is usually the blissful beginning of a relationship, except in Europia the Couple Rule insist long-term relationships to begin once they’re 35—not 25.

Still, where do I sign? #singlepringle

Max and Cary’s all-encompassing love leads them to repeal the Couple Rule at Grand Central Hall. The Representatives listen but still insist they’re too young and under experienced at their age for a lifetime commitment. Max and Carys attempt to prove themselves when asked to travel to space and discover space-based research to bring back to the Representatives.

YAY! LOVE WINS—

A meteor hits their space shuttle and Max and Carys scramble for survival leaving them floating in space with 90 minutes of oxygen. They attempt ways of survival with no prevail until they have six minutes left. However, only one is able to survive—and yet there are still 80 pages left!!!!!!! Panic. Agony.

We see Max’s life without Carys and Cary’s life without Max, its heart wrenching—no one showers, it takes a year to barely attempt to move on, and sadness is their shadow. Not a life to live once you’ve lived your best life with your first love.

In the name of everlasting love, WHAT DO YOU DO TO LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE WHEN ONLY ONE CAN SURVIVE?