Starcrossed

by Mark Schreiber and Mark Schreiber

Book Overview

How can Christy Marlowe--an impulsive, wisecracking horoscope-junkie--be in love with Ben, a well-mannered college freshman who prefers astronomy over astrology? This comedy of love turns upside down... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0738710016
• ISBN13: 9780738710013
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Flux
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.2" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Teen Love... but not completely absurd

OK, I have to preface this by two things. 1) I read a lot of juvie fic, so I have a high tolerance for it 2) this was shelved in regular fiction at my library... and absolutely SHOULD NOT BE. This will drive anyone who cannot read juvie fic nuts. The hyperbole of emotion, the absurdness of the situations... these are simply not adults and the larger than life reactions they have do not ring at all true for adults. But I think they do ring true for kids. I teach kids, and I see this kind of craziness on a very very regular basis. Our star crossed lovers meet whilst trying to erase - literally - a piece of their past. Tattoos. It is high coincidence that they are each erasing the other's name. Benjamin is open about removing Christy's name, but very closed about who Christy is. Christy doesn't reveal that she's removing Benjamin's name, but, for reasons of necessity, she's forced to reveal just who her Benjamin was, over the course of the book. Both of these kids are mixed up. Both lie... a lot. He seems more mature than she on the outside, but on the inside, she's more balanced. I think that the actions and dialogue are pretty close to real teenage-dom, and the underlying theme- no one is our destiny, relationships take work - is true for everyone. (*)>

Star Quality

This book was certainly not your typical YA, but I did enjoy it. It was quite different. Christy's character reminded me of Juno - the same sarcastic humor. This book was well written. It pointed out that sometimes what we think is helping is really more hurtful than anything. I would recommend it. It's a bit dark, but at the same time comedic. I'm not sure how else to describe it. Go for it!

Different But Not in a Bad Way

I had high hopes picking this book up, and some of them were met. The characters were interesting, the plot different, and the dialouge mostly realistic. The only problem was a few too many exclamation points and I finished it feeling that it could have gone deeper. This book is about a sixteen year old girl whose ex boyfriend is a murderer. While said boyfriend is in jail, Christy meets a boy in a doctor's office that has the same name as her ex. They are immediatly attracted, but he is gone before she returns to the waiting room. By chance they meet again, and from that point on they enter a relationship that is only describable as dramatic. The return of the ex and the emotional problems threaten to ruin their love. It was...ok at best. I really was interested, but the plot really didn't go deep enough for me and the end seems rushed.

A must read for teens

Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (6/07) "Starcrossed" is a book about a teenage girl who must learn to get over her past. Christy undergoes many changes in her life. It all starts when her boyfriend ends up going to jail for murder. After her boyfriend goes to jail, Christy decides to get her boyfriend's name removed from her chest. While at the plastic surgeon's office, Christy meets an older guy who is also there to remove his past. After the visit to the surgeon's office, Christy can't get Ben off her mind. All she thinks about is the man she met in the plastic surgeon's office. But will Christy ever see Ben again? Throughout this story, Christy continues to run into Ben. But she always fails to ask him for a way to contact him. Fate must have been on Christy's side! Before she knows it, Christy and Ben are one. It was love at first sight. Christy loves Ben. But he is older then she is. So Christy lies about her age in hopes of being with Ben. They end up building a relationship off of lies and their past. In my opinion, this book was great! I love the way the author made "Starcrossed" so unpredictable. From the first page to the last, this book kept you wanting to read more. It's impossible to put the book down. It's great how the author taught a lot of lessons throughout this book while also keeping the story line interesting. This book is a must read for everyone! Moms, dads, brothers, and sisters, everyone should read it! "Starcrossed" is a very unique book and is one of a kind. It teaches the lesson that you can't change your past, But you can learn from it.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Christy Marlowe has lived her life through the stars -- it's astrology all the way! Then one fateful day occurs where Christy goes to the surgeon to get her tattoo removed (featuring her ex-boyfriend's name) and meets Ben Penrose, who also wants to get rid of an unwanted tattoo. Turns out Ben, or Benjamin, is the exact name of Christy's ex-boyfriend, who was just sent to prison. The looking-at-each-other part of their encounter goes perfectly fine, but the actual talking between the two isn't so great. Christy can't believe how blunt Ben is, which isn't much of a turn-on. After this first meeting, Christy and Ben don't see each other for quite some time, maybe because they didn't trade any information. Christy seems fine with it at first, but the more she wants to forget about Ben the more she thinks about him and so wants to meet up with him. Then another fateful day happens -- at the bike store, Christy and Ben finally meet up again. With the approval of Christy's psychic, Svetlana, Christy and Ben began a very intense relationship. They have everything in common and Ben actually gets along with Christy's parents, who didn't approve of the other Ben. But then their relationship becomes filled with secrets and a few lies that both do not want the other to know about. And their love for each other just may be tested when Christy's ex-boyfriend is released from prison. Was it fate for Christy and Ben to meet or are the stars playing a wicked game? STARCROSSED may seem a little unusual at first but, as the story progresses, the lives of Christy and Ben become even more intriguing. With a few influences from Shakespeare's well known play Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library), Mark Schreiber creates a tale that isn't only unique but is also absolutely lovely. Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen