35. Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu

listened on Libby
370 pgs.

2023
YA Romance
Finished 4/13/24
Goodreads rating: 3.70
My rating: 1

My comments: The story should have been told in about the half the pages that it took.  It really, really dragged.  I almost DNF at about 30% but kept pushing and pushing to finish it.  Winter Young is the male version of Taylor Swift and Sydney Cossette is a brilliant spy.  They are both 19 and have the savvy of at least 30-somethings.  Totally unbelievable.  At some point you just have to suspend belief about everything that's happening.  Descriptions are over-the-top and much too lengthy.  Boring.  I can't believe I stuck it out and finished it.  Blech. 

Goodreads synopsis:  Meet Winter Young―Global pop sensation, with a voice like velvet and looks that could kill. His star power has smashed records, selling out stadiums from LA to London. His rabid fans would move heaven and earth for even a glimpse of him―just imagine what they’d do to become his latest fling.

Meet Sydney Cossette―Part of an elite covert ops group, Sydney joined their ranks as their youngest spy with plans to become the best agent they’ve ever had. An ice queen with moves as dangerous as her comebacks, Sydney picks up languages just as quickly as she breaks hearts. She's fiery, no-nonsense, and has zero time for romance―especially with a shameless flirt more used to serving sass than taking orders.

When a major crime boss gifts his daughter a private concert with Winter for her birthday, Sydney and Winter's lives suddenly collide. Tasked with infiltrating the crime organization’s inner circle, Sydney is assigned as Winter's bodyguard with Winter tapped to join her on the mission of a lifetime as a new spy recruit. Sydney may be the only person alive impervious to Winter's charms, but as their mission brings them closer, she’s forced to admit that there's more to Winter Young than just a handsome face . . .