Book review of Star Shipped by Cat Sebastian

Cat Sebastian, a favorite among historical romance fans for the Regency Impostors series and midcentury stories like We Could Be So Good, has brought her talent to the 21st century with her contemporary debut, Star Shipped, an enemies-to-lovers romance between two co-stars on a long-running sci-fi TV show. 

Simon and Charlie have shared the limelight for nearly a decade on Out There. And they are absolutely not friends. Charlie is hot, Simon can’t deny that, but he is also a grown man who wears flip-flops and cargo shorts unironically. He’s gregarious and chaotic, while Simon is the exact opposite: posh (some might say snooty), well-dressed and aloof. Simon is also difficult to work with, but what most don’t know is that he struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. Keeping himself apart from the rest of the cast and crew is for the benefit of everyone. 

However, Out There is in its final season, and Simon’s bad attitude is impeding his ability to get work, so he agrees to stage a public friendship with Charlie, the human equivalent of a golden retriever puppy. When a family emergency has Charlie embarking on a road trip, Simon (much to his shock) agrees to join him and (to his even bigger shock) has a good time. As Simon gets to know Charlie, he realizes that he might have underestimated his co-star and that, for reasons Simon can’t seem to understand, Charlie actually really likes Simon.

Longtime fans of Sebastian’s writing will find everything they’ve come to expect from her in Star Shipped: flawed and awkward main characters, laugh-out-loud dialogue and thoughtful mental illness representation. Seeing love through Simon’s eyes is a delight. In one scene, Charlie unexpectedly visits Simon’s trailer, and Simon is “hit with the same reaction he has whenever Charlie takes him by surprise; he wants to push him out of the door, but in a way that involves at least a little groping.” As their relationship evolves, an underlying tenderness blooms between the two men and they come to embrace the complete versions of each other.

Star Shipped shows us that there is no era Sebastian won’t shine in. It’s a truly lovely foray into contemporary romance by a huge talent.