I had massive doubts about this book. In fact, one fourth of the way in, I almost gave up because I kept reading a chapter or two and then losing interest. I didn't just dislike Lilac, I couldn't stand her character, and the love story was every bit as cringeworthy and appalling as your worst expectations of YA literature. My eyeballs were just about to roll right out of my head if I read another description of just how amazingly hot she was or just how amazingly hot he was, not to mention Titanic was never a favorite of mine and the book was giving me flashbacks galore. 
 So how did I end up giving this book a four star review? This is the second time recently that this has happened to me with a YA book, which just reaffirms my decision to never DNF unless as last resort. So somewhere about halfway through the book, it was almost like I was reading a whole different novel. Did one author write the first half and the other writer finish off the book? Ok, I joke, obviously that's not how a collaboration project works. But still, all of a sudden the characters that I found so unrealistic and downright stupid - such an experienced, amazing war hero at the tender age of 18! - actually got some depth and well, character, to them. Stuck on an alien planet trying to survive after 50,000 other people died in a massive crash? Let me bust out my trusty private notebook so I can write some poetry about her beautiful eyes! Don't get me wrong, I'm usually all about the young prodigy/leader but the war hero part really bugged me, especially since it was hardly ever developed as part of Tarver's actual character. The writing didn't make him sound masculine, let alone a veteran. 
 Without giving away any significant spoilers and because I don't feel like writing huge paragraphs under a spoiler cut, the turning point came when Tarver got sick. For the first time, Lilac could be more than the annoying, childish idiot who'd rather die in a fancy dress and shoes than, like, survive wearing (the horrors of it!) a engineer's jumpsuit. Let's put it this way, Lilac was like Effie Trinket right up until she did a 180 and became Katniss Everdeen. Ok, so the turnaround wasn't too realistic, but since I'd just about to DNF the book at that point, I didn't care so much about why a miracle happened, only that it did. Normally I'm not forgiving enough to accept past transgressions from people or characters, but all I can say was that I was so relieved, I accepted that Lilac had hidden depths all along and had been so worried about her father showing up ASAP that she was just continuing to play along and keep up the bitchy-idiot facade that was totally not her true courageous, sacrificing, determined self. The explanations and justifications that came with her tragic history with Simon and whatever were totally forced, but I'll buy it, because hallelujah, there's suspense, a story, and it's more than just about survival in the wilderness! 
 Personally, the romance still never really worked for me in that I know they're supposed to be in love, I even like them as a couple, but it just left me feeling very meh. I don't know whether it's just because I was reading this book on and off while studying for a very important licensing test in my life, but I was more shocked than sad when the love story fell apart. (view spoiler)[You know, when Lilac actually died. But honestly, that's how the book climbed its way back up from one star purgatory to an aspirational four stars (in reality more like 3 1/2). Because ok, not since Barrons actually died in Karen Marie Moning's Fever series in what was The Worst Cliffhanger Of All Time was I so surprised when a dead and mourned and even buried person just showed back up all shiny and intact. Somehow, I was only invested in their romance when it was in danger of...well, literally disintegrating. lol, too soon? (hide spoiler)] 
 The point is, I really surprised myself with how much I enjoyed this book, given that I reluctantly read it. So basically I borrowed these hardback books with attractive covers from the library called This Shattered World and Their Fractured Light - I often check out two books of a series at a time, in case I fall in love with it and want the next book ASAP - but it wasn't until I got home that I realized I grabbed the wrong two books, because they were book 2 & 3. So the next week, I'm at the library again and I figure that I might as well get Book 1 and go all in, because I'll just read the whole trilogy. Except I still wasn't paying attention because I knew the title of the first book was something about stars, so I ended up grabbing Inherit the Stars...the cover didn't match but I figured that was because it was an older paperback edition. Nope, it's by another author. So another week rolls around and I finally get These Broken Stars, at which point I'd already developed basement low expectations. 
 I'm a little miffed to realize that the next two books focus on two other couples though, since I'd rather the story concentrate on Tarver and Lilac. I'm invested more in the story and what's going on with LaRoux Industries than the romance, but sadly I'm pretty sure the authors are writing for the romance first, so hopefully I won't have to power through another 1/2 of a book before finding myself engaged and impressed.