Laurie Petrou

** SELECTED AS ONE OF COSMOPOLITAN'S HOTTEST NEW BEACH READS FOR SUMMER 2022 **

It's a fine line between admiration and envy.

Diana Martin has lived her life in the shadow of her sadistic older brother. She quietly watches the family next door, enthralled by celebrity fashion designer Marianne Taylor and her feted daughter, Aurelle.

She wishes she were a 'Taylor girl'.

By the summer of 1995, the two girls are at university together, bonded by a mutual desire to escape their wealthy families and personal tragedies and forge new identities.

They are closer than lovers, intoxicated by their own bond, falling into the hedonistic seduction of the woods and the water at a remote university that is more summer camp than campus.

But when burgeoning artist Diana has a chance at fame, cracks start to appear in their friendship. To what lengths is Diana willing to go to secure her own stardom?

The lines between love, envy and obsession blur in Laurie Petrou's utterly enthralling, unceasingly tense new novel. A darkly compelling coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History or Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies.

'A dark and dreamlike journey into the obsession, envy and love between two young friends in the 90s. The tension simmers in this atmospheric lake-side setting until the crushing end. Laurie Petrou's writing is melodic and immersive. A delicious read!' - Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

'A lyrical, nuanced deep dive into female friendship and all of its messy complexities. Laurie Petrou writes with a sharp observational eye and lush, gorgeous prose. Stargazer is an emotional masterpiece, both gritty and incandescent at once' - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, bestselling author of The Girls Are All So Nice

'Tense is an understatement when it comes to describing Stargazer. Dark, but written with elegance, Stargazer will have you hooked' - Living North Magazine

'Stargazer entwines obsession, adulation and chilling female friendship into an enthralling, addictive read. Giving off strong The Secret History vibes, it drew me in from the first pages, and it'll make you want to be a 'Taylor girl', even though you know it's not a good idea...' - Lisa Hall, bestselling author of Between You and Me

'A chilling look at the fine line between love and obsession, longing and desperation, ambition and mania... These women will haunt you' - Gin Phillips, bestselling author of The Well and the Mine

'An outstanding book with some of the most beautiful lines I've ever read' - Samantha M Bailey, bestselling author of Woman on the Edge

'Stargazer is a galaxy of a novel: At once a story of friendship, a coming of age, and a dark and utterly captivating tale of family, lust, loss, fame, art and the ever competing hope and destructiveness of youth' - Amy Stuart, bestselling author of Still Mine

'A sinuous, captivating exploration of the mysterious depths of female friendship that had me hooked from its first pages... This unforgettable novel from a truly talented novelist is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng' - Marissa Stapley, bestselling author of The Last Resort

'A slow-burn literary thriller in the best possible way: eerie, beautiful, and impossible to put down. I loved it' - Robyn Harding, bestselling author of The Perfect Family

'Readers who loved Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend will love Stargazer, a haunting tale of female friendship that explores the delicate and dangerous territory - in art and in love - that lies between inspiration and exploitation' - Heather Young, author of The Lost Girls

Verve Books

Stargazer: It's a fine line between admiration and envy...

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