These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Hyperion
Publication Date: December 10th, 2013
Pages: 374
Song I Played While Reading: We're All We Need by Above & Beyond
Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis-
It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 
Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they're worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.
Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other's arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder-would they be better off staying here forever?
Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this plant. But they won't be the same people who landed on it. 

I loved this book. From its gorgeous cover to the stunning writing, this book completely took me be surprise. I knew it was a love story, but it was so much more than that. This was about survival, about shedding societies ideals and learning to think and live on your own. I loved both characters, though in the beginning I wanted to smack their heads together. The banter was light and funny and made me chuckle at some points, which was a nice reprieve from some of the darker aspects of the novel.
The plot line and mystery were strong, leaving me scratching my head and wondering what the hell was going to happen next. I had no idea what to expect. 
I had only one complaint, which was what didn't make it a full 5 stars for me. But besides that I absolutely adored this book. Don't freak out if you never can wrap your head around space travel terminology; Kaufman and Spooner break it down enough so that its easily understood (or at least it is once you go over it a couple times).
This is a trilogy, each novel told from a different couples pov, and each dealing with different obstacles, but all in the same world, with one common enemy. I can't wait to see how they all come together in the end! 
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Alright, who would've thought that by "the chilling whispers that haunt their every step", literally means INVISIBLE PEOPLE ARE WHISPERING TO THEM? I had no theories. I only had ones on why the ship crashed, which all spanned along the lines of rebels infiltrating the ship and wanting to kill everyone to prove some point to Lilacs dad. But nope. Kaufman and Spooner threw me for a loop when we got freakin ALIENS. I always figured the you couldn't use the idea of extra terrestrial beings when you're writing a book set far into the future. Planets are habitable, surely they would've found things years and years ago and either killed them or introduced them to society. Roderick LaRoux made a big mistake by just letting the planet sit there and thinking nothing would come of it. 
The interview we see between Tarver and the Interrogator between chapters was extremely cool. It's an added boost of mystery because you know they were found, but under what condition? Is Tarver in trouble? Did Lilac survive? Does her father suspect something? It's a tease.
My only issue with this book was the beginning tension between Tarver and Lilac. I know they both had their reasons, but the hatred between them just seemed completely blown out of proportion. They were both making everything extra complicated and annoying, and I wanted to scream at them to get the hell over their problems. It's not that I didn't understand why they had their issues, cause I do; Lilac was a bitch and rejected him because she didn't want him getting demoted, and he just thought she was snobby princess because of it. But for christ sake, if they just talked it out everything would have been much smoother for them. All this unnecessary drama just gives me a headache.
But once they became friends everything was dandy. And I just fell in love with this story and was sucked into it. I love, love, love how the story didnt surround entirely on the romance. I mean, obviously it did near the end, but for the first half we were just trying to figure out what the hell these whisperings were. They eased into the relationship, and it was so beautiful. 
Lilac's character development was flawless. She was strong and sassy to begin with (I love the banter between the two lovers when they first meet), but she became more sure of herself and realized she didn't need all the fancy dresses and fine dining. She learned to live for the moment and to appreciate the natural beauty around her. 
So thats why I was completely shocked when she died. Like, I freakin BROKE DOWN. I was blowing my nose and could barely read the pages where Tarver was alone with his grief. It's all a blur. But I accepted it and thought "Well, thats a twist I never saw coming. Kudos to you, Kaufman and Spooner." Stuff like that doesn't happen often, you know? 
And then she reappeared and I started crying even harder because her chapters during those days as an half dead alien thing were so heartbreaking. She was lost and didn't understand anything, yet she pushed through just to get Tarver home to his family. That was her only goal. And of course his goal was to figure out how to get his girl back, and my god. I wasn't completely sure how this was going to end. Those aliens were the sweetest things and I'm so glad they were able to free them. We got our happy ending, and for that I'm so glad. They went through so much and I'm so proud of Lilac for standing up to her father. 

Quotes
"You don't mention death when it's hovering near someone you love. You don't want to attract the reapers attention." (pg. 97)

"I step close to him and slip my hand into his. His fingers tighten around mine with a strength born of desperation. Which of us is shaking more, I cant tell, but where are our hands are joined, we're steadier.
He's drowning. And I'll drown with him." (pg. 183)

"There are dirty smudges mingling with the freckles all over her face, and that bruise on her cheek. Even in sleep, her mouth is pulled into a straight, determined line.
There are purple half circles underneath her eyes, and she's sweaty, beat up, and utterly exhausted.
She's never looked so beautiful." (pg. 224)

"I can't help but wonder which is worse: loosing the girl you love suddenly or being unable to touch her while she wastes away." (pg. 352) 

"What do we do now?" I let my head lean back, looking up at the sky.
"Hell if I know," he replies cheerfully. "Start building a house, I guess."
I laugh again, startling myself with how easy it is. I didn't think I remembered how. "Can it have a garden?"
"A dozen gardens."
"And a bathtub?"
"Big enough for the both of us."
"Can I help?"
"I'm certainly not doing it all on my own." (pg. 353)