Marsha, "M" to her few friends, is an orphaned astronomy geek being raised by a strict aunt in a tiny Indiana town, which is standard-issue YA setup material right up until her acne clears, her eyesight suddenly improves enough to ditch her glasses, and sparks literally fly the first time she touches the new star quarterback who has inexplicably taken an interest in her. This audiobook opens the Starstruck series by treating those changes as a mystery M has to solve rather than a coincidence to wave away, and the five attached reviews suggest that mystery pays off for most listeners.
Reviewer poltroon gives the fullest character portrait in the set, describing Marsha as "a strong young woman, sturdy in her convictions and in herself," someone who has built real friendships and a plan for her future despite an aunt who, in this reviewer's words, "always seems to find the worst in her." That grounding matters because the plot asks a lot of Marsha once Rigel enters the picture: the same review notes that when sparks literally fly between them, she starts having real questions about what is actually happening to her body and her life, which keeps the romance tied directly to the book's central mystery rather than running as a separate track alongside it.
PMSteve's review, the most measured in the set at three stars, still lays out the setup clearly: Rigel, described as a handsome new football quarterback, has the most popular girls in school swarming around him, but "he only has eyes for Marsha the geek," a detail specific enough to signal real narrative intention rather than a generic love-triangle setup borrowed from elsewhere. That imbalance, popular new boy choosing the unpopular girl for reasons neither of them initially understands, is the kind of hook a series opener is built around, and the same review adds that the shift throws at least one established cheerleader into open frustration once it becomes obvious Rigel is not interested in the usual popular crowd.
At twelve hours and forty-six minutes, the audiobook runs long for a genre often built around shorter, breezier entries, which suggests Hiatt is using the extra room to develop both the mystery mechanics and the small-town setting rather than rushing straight to the romance payoff. That length lines up with a series clearly built for multiple volumes rather than a stand-alone romance wrapped up quickly.
What Stands Out
Anon's review praises the quick pace and imaginative twists directly, and specifically notes that the story's spice level stays appropriate for both young and mature readers without needing to be graphic to land emotionally, a useful data point for anyone weighing this against edgier YA romance on the same shelf. Kindle Customer, writing a shorter but enthusiastic review, calls it unlike anything previously read and says the whole story and its characters were easy to love without qualification.
Michael McFarren's review makes the strongest claim in the set, calling this the best romance, science fiction, and action-adventure read in decades, and backs it up with a detail worth taking seriously: writing from north central Indiana, this reviewer specifically recognizes many of the towns and references used throughout the book, adding that this recognition adds real richness to the reading experience. That level of grounded regional detail suggests Hiatt built the fictional town of Jewel out of a real, specific sense of place rather than a generic Midwest backdrop assembled from stereotypes. The same reviewer had already picked up the next volume before finishing this review, which is about as direct a vote of confidence as a listener can give a series opener.
What to Watch For in Starstruck
The rating badge here is one of the few in this catalog that can actually be double-checked with real precision: five votes combine to a total of 21 out of a possible 25, meaning the book sits just four stars short of a perfect sweep across its rated reviews, largely thanks to PMSteve's more measured three-star take pulling the average down from what would otherwise read as near-unanimous enthusiasm.
Genre expectations matter going in: this is a blend of contemporary small-town romance layered over a science-fiction-adjacent mystery about what is actually happening to Marsha's body, and readers expecting a purely grounded, realistic YA romance without any speculative element should know that upfront. One small discrepancy is worth flagging too: the description mentions only a strict aunt raising Marsha, while PMSteve's review describes an aunt and uncle both, a minor point either way but worth knowing if household details factor into how closely you expect the audiobook to match its own description.
Best Suited For
YA readers who want romance and a genuine mystery running together rather than romance alone, especially anyone who enjoys an underdog-meets-golden-boy setup with real stakes attached to the "why me" question at its center, are the clear audience here. Michael McFarren's specific praise for the book's grounded regional detail also suggests Midwest readers in particular, and Indiana readers most of all, may get an extra layer of recognition out of the setting that other listeners will simply read as well-drawn fiction.
Speculative or science-fiction elements feeling out of place in your YA romance is reason enough to pass, since the sparks-flying, eyesight-improving mystery is central rather than incidental to the plot here, and PMSteve's more measured three-star take on pacing and execution is worth weighing before committing to a nearly thirteen-hour first volume of a longer series. Anyone drawn to the premise gets five reviews' worth of enthusiasm to lean on, Michael McFarren among them already moving on to book two, which makes a reasonably strong case for starting here.
Quick Take
- Narration: Bethany Barber narrates the audiobook, credited without further reviewer comment across all five attached reviews.
- Themes: small-town outsider transformed, an unexplained bond with a golden-boy quarterback, identity as mystery to solve.
- Mood: Quick-paced and romantic, with a science-fiction mystery running underneath the teen romance.
- Verdict: A well-liked series opener whose genuine mystery hook sets it apart from straightforward contemporary YA romance.
Questions Listeners Ask
Is this audiobook a straightforward contemporary romance or does it have speculative elements?
It blends both. The romance between Marsha and Rigel drives the plot, but unexplained physical changes, cleared skin, sudden clear eyesight, and sparks that fly on contact, turn the story into a genuine science-fiction-adjacent mystery, not just a small-town teen romance with a metaphorical hook.
How does the audiobook's rating actually break down among the five reviews?
The five rated reviews total 21 points out of a possible 25, landing just four stars short of a perfect sweep. Reviewer PMSteve's more measured three-star take is the main outlier pulling the average down from the otherwise near-unanimous five-star enthusiasm.
Is the romance in this audiobook appropriate for younger teen listeners?
Reviewer anon specifically addresses this, noting the spice level stays appropriate for both young and mature readers and that the story does not need to be graphic to land emotionally, which suggests the romance stays age-appropriate without sacrificing genuine emotional stakes.
Does this audiobook stand alone or is it part of a larger series?
It opens the Starstruck series and runs nearly thirteen hours on its own. Reviewer Michael McFarren had already started the next volume before finishing this review, and the central mystery around Marsha's changing abilities is set up to continue rather than resolve completely within this first book.
