Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

Dr Charlotte James is a historical astronomical archivist. She works in the Astronomy Department of the fictional North West Wessex University in Bristol and lives on campus, except for the summer holidays where she usually stays with her friend Gemma. This year, however, she has bagged herself a five week job archiving  the records of the Observatory in small town Lower Brambleton in Somerset before it is being torn down to make way for a housing development. It pays well and even offers free accommodation for her and her spaniel Comet.

Her first reaction is to want to preserve the old building but her landlady, elderly Lorelai, and many community members are surprisingly very much in favour of the destruction of the old tumbledown observatory and the construction of new homes on the land. When Charlotte meets Tristan Ashcombe, Lorelai's grumpy grandson, she learns of the tragic events that befell the community 30 years earlier. And then she makes a surprising discovery that could change things but push some people over the edge.

I really liked that this isn't simply a romance but also teaches you interesting things about astronomy. I've learnt of the existence of eclipsing binary stars, and even though Im still not quite sure what they are and why they are a big thing, I loved the enthusiasm. The story also expertly deals with grief and mental health issues.

I loved most of the characters (except for the villain), even Todd the ex wasn't so bad. I also liked that there was barely any miscommunication, and the tour of Bristol really made me want to visit it.
Great book, great cover, and apparently the first in a brand new series. Can't wait for the next one!