The following review was originally published at Book Probe Reviews. 
 These Broken Stars is a pleasant young adult space opera. However, despite everything about These Broken Stars (cover, synopsis) indicating it as science fiction, contemporary-romance readers will be more drawn to the novel. Readers that enjoy well-crafted science fiction of the space variety, fast pacing, relentless action, and a moving plot that may generate enough energy to keep itself in orbit, might want to look elsewhere--they'll find nothing of the kind in Amie Kaufman's and Meagan Spooner's These Broken Stars. 
 You may recall that These Broken Stars was in the top ten of my most anticipated reads of 2013. I loved Beth Revis's Across the Universe trilogy, and science fiction is a genre I find great pleasure in (alongside fantasy), but These Broken Stars was a lesser story than what I was expecting it to be. If I had known a majority of the book involved survival, endless walking to some Eden--which I have a struggle maintaining interest in if nothing much at all is happening--then I would have lowered my expectations. This is in part because the survival aspect of Spooner's Skylark was what made my ennui amplify tenfold. And the same pretty much happened with These Broken Stars--I was enjoying the book until Lilac and Tarver crash on some unknown planet and for the next 100 pages we saw them trying to survive in this foreign and alien wilderness, trying to find the wreckage of the Icarus. But mind you, it wasn't just 100 pages; rather more like the rest of the freaking book. Even then, if you look at my track for romance-survival books (e.g., Survive by Alex Morel) they just don't work for me. 
 And it looks like they never will. 
 If I'm completely honest, I would have much rather enjoyed reading a book with those dialogues between Tarver and the interviewer than the book in its entirety. 
 These Broken Stars also lacks the incredible world-building I expect from science fiction. The simple mention of a few planets--and the actual word 'planet' to remind readers that they are, indeed, reading a science fiction novel--as well as some character backstory to create depth, will not be sufficient enough for true science fiction readers. However, readers focusing on the romance and the growing bond between Lila and Tarver may not even notice that the book they are reading has a two-dimensional backdrop, the characters walking a treadmill camouflaged in wild terrain, played out in a Hollywood warehouse. What would have made These Broken Stars stand out more was a longer period on the Icarus before it falls out of hyperspace and descends into the stratosphere of the alien planet. Additionally, more backstory or flashbacks to shape the planets mentioned into physical worlds than only the name that we know them by (which would also break up the "walking"). 
 These Broken Stars further fails slightly from serious pacing issues. I suggest this is because there is not a whole lot of action happening while this story remains in its survivalist state--just romance, and verbal conflict, and a wildcat that was rid of too easily. It was truly only the 'voices' that propelled These Broken Stars forward. What also may have hindered the pacing was the thorough, even if beautiful, writing--this was an issue I had with Spooner's Skylark, too. The writing just doesn't match with the type of story. 
 What I did enjoy was the twist - a bit paranormal, a bit technological. I won't saying anything about it, because if you're like me and may get distracted, it is that twist that will make you return to see how the second book, This Shattered World, pans out. Yet, like I said, if it wasn't for a majority of These Broken Stars exerting little excitement then the rating would have been a tad higher. 
 Lilac and Tarver were fun characters too. Of course since I was getting bored with the "walking" I didn't really enjoy their talk and banter. I enjoyed Tarver's POV chapters more than Lilac's, probably because he was more intriguing and Lilac's mechanical engineering talent just came out of the blue and made Tarver seem like the woman in this book. Though I did want to see a lot more character development from these two, and I guess that's going to be very difficult considering the next two books in the trilogy will be told from two other pairs of future lovers, and so won't get to see Lilac and Tarver develop further in first person. 
 I do look forward to the sequel This Shattered World but I'm going to have to perform a plethora of self-convincing therapies before I make any subliminal pre-reading promises.