Release the Stars

By: Harper Bliss

Narrated by: Alexandra Shawnee

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Can love be measured in percentages? After her girlfriend leaves her for a man, brokenhearted novelist Charlie Cross moves from New York to Los Angeles to work on a TV show based on her books. Charlie vows to never date any woman who isn't a hundred percent certain of being a lesbian. But when she is seduced by gorgeous bisexual cooking show host Ava Castaneda, whom she's had a celebrity crush on for ages, Charlie is forced to review her belief in percentages because true love could very well be on the line. Contains mature themes.

©2015 Harper Bliss (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"With a strong cast of characters and well-paced contemporary love story, Release the Stars is another...winner from Harper Bliss." ( Dog-Eared Daydreams)

Tedious, Beyond Belief

I almost didn't manage to finish this audiobook. I normally love Harper Bliss's work, but this one of hers is among my least favorite, from ANY author.

There were countless violations of the old writing rule: " Don't tell us; SHOW us." Bliss just writes these two characters to be "crazy about" each other, upon initial meeting with no real character development or story arc, to show us how the attraction could grow seemingly instantly.

Add to that, that Charlie nearly loses any chance to grow that relationship, through her numerous, exceedingly unattractive character flaws. She is self-pitying, bitter, childish, and neurotic. And the ending of the book was so extremely unlikely, it not only defies belief, but actually pisses me off. Nobody as whiny, self-absorbed and bitter as Charlie experiences the kind of revelation and personal growth that we are told Charlie finds, without some serious hard work on their psyches. Yet we're told that a single talk with someone after Charlie's disastrous, self-sabotage-induced fall from grace heals her nearly instantly with a single epiphany. This is lazy writing, with a story arc that is little more than a setup for the sex scenes. I love a good love scene, but I want to see them between characters who both honor and deserve each other. Charlie, for most of the book, simply does not deserve the kind of love Ava offers.

DO NOT RECOMMEND.

living in the past.

love the story. at first I was annoyed that she couldn't let go of the past. but when she finally did, the ups and downs. back and forth. definatly intense. I did tell a couple times to stop beating yourself up. but she got the hint....

Rush Job?

The rush job reference was alluded to in one of the Amazon reviews and I can see why it might fit. This story doesn't read like a book, it seems more reminiscent of a play, or a movie script. The author has no backstory for any one of the characters; even the two leads, other than the brief recap of the failed relationship that Charlie is still obsessing over after almost a year.
The next negative is the repetitive, neurotic, narcissistic navel gazing exhibited by Charlie. It went on for far too long, and the 180 degree turn she finally made smacked of desperation on part of the author. Then there was the other lead Ava; it didn't take me long to question why anyone as together, with as many things going for her as Ava would want or put up with a woman Charlie. Her willingness to deal with a brooding, self indulgent woman who is unwilling to accept any responsibility for her emotions would strain credulity if they had already have an established relationship, but for it to happen in the beginning would be a huge, glowing red flag; something difficult for even a lesbian to push through.
By the time the audio ended I was past hoping or caring if Ava and Charlie would get together. It didn't help that not enough different facets of either character were revealed for me to ever buy into the story emotionally. There was never any compelling reason for Ava to fall for Charlie, or to put up with her ridiculous level of insecurity. As for Charlie's conversion; it was way too sudden and the author failed to detail any basis for such an abrupt change. For Ava to be willing to pick up the relationship as if there had been nothing but a minor disagreement struck me as more than a little incongruent.
Finally, the whole "she left me for a man" whine that became nails on the chalkboard for me. I realize that much of Charlie's attitude was a matter of avoidance and an excuse for not dealing with her part in killing her previous relationships. her incessant 'poor me' whining did explain, at least partially her contribution to the end of her previous romances. In closing my take is it's difficult to recommend a romance story in which you can't stand the lead character.

A Recipe For Love

Author Charlie Cross moves to Hollywood to get her novels made into a tv series. She has sworn off women who aren’t 100% lesbian. However bisexual celebrity chef Ava Cassada has other plans for her. Erotic romance and healing story. Magic. Recommend

Excellent Audio!

I loved Release the Stars. Harper Bliss sure knows how to tell a story. Excellent characters. Just when you've had enough of Charlie Cross and her insecurities she gets her s**t together. Alexandra Shawnee does an excellent job on the narration.

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What disappointed you about Release the Stars?

The unrealistic scenes with Jo and Christian. I would be civil, but not all that. I couldn't even .finish.

Has Release the Stars turned you off from other books in this genre?

No.

Which character – as performed by Alexandra Shawnee – was your favorite?

Ava.

What character would you cut from Release the Stars?

Jo.

Any additional comments?

I would just like to listen to a real truthful story and do what real people would do. But I realize its just fiction and just a story.

Horrible narration!!!

The narrators voice was either condescending or chipper. None of the emotion that was shown in the story was reflected through the narrators reading of this book.

Least fave from H. Bliss

I am obsessed with H. Bliss books but this one was really difficult for me to get through. Honestly, the character Charlie annoyed the crap out of me and the characters all lacked development and purpose. The storyline was all too predictable. The reader didn’t have great chapter voices either. Phew. Don’t recommend

Not my favorite narration.

I believe the narrator is an excellent narrator for children's books. That's what this narration sounds like to me, and unfortunately doesn't fit the novel. Disappointing!

Couldn’t finish

Terrible narration, don’t know about the story as I couldn’t listen anymore after fifteen minutes.