If you had told me I was going to read a sci-fi book about a doctor and a sex worker falling in love, and it was going to turn out to be one of the coziest books I’ve ever read, I wouldn’t have believed you. I’d have been so, so wrong.

Where Starlight Burns is the story of Cori Nova, a nonjudgmental doctor who cares about everyone she meets and treats all of her patients with respect. She finds herself developing feelings for Aster Moss, a sex worker who repeatedly comes to her clinic for treatment of injuries sustained in the course of her work, who had become accustomed to being dismissed and treated poorly by Cori’s predecessor.

Cori is a complete delight. She’s got a complex past that includes a rough upbringing on a desolate, war-torn Earth. Despite that (or perhaps because of it) she finds joy in everything she sees and experiences, even the run-down space station where they live. Aster is adventurous but isolated, and she finds a connection with Cori that’s been missing in her life. The side characters are interesting, and for the most part good people (I’d love to see side stories or a return of both Joely and Patrek), which makes for a fun time.

Although there are some happenings that could have changed the feel or tone if they had been followed, they were just events that drove the story in the direction it needed to go without bringing things down. Where Starlight Burns isn’t a story full of adventure and intrigue, or a drama filled angsty tale; it’s a fluffy, feel good sapphic romance between two women who just want to love and be loved.