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Verdict: A steamy, deliberately frustrating Harper Bliss romance: after her girlfriend leaves her for a man, novelist Charlie Cross swears off anyone who isn’t “a hundred percent” lesbian — then falls for bisexual TV cooking star Ava Castaneda. Readers enjoy the writing, heat and supporting cast, but many found Charlie so unlikeable it nearly sank the book.
Best for: Harper Bliss fans and readers who can handle a deeply flawed narrator.
Heat level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.3/5 — a 3.81 Goodreads average across 1,579 ratings, 3.37 on StoryGraph from 252 reviews, and 4.4 stars across 1,057 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Celebrity crush, celebrity/non-celebrity, bisexual love interest, post-breakup, instalove, LA industry.
Release the Stars is Harper Bliss’s 2015 contemporary lesbian romance from Ladylit Publishing. Broken-hearted, Charlie moves from New York to Los Angeles to work on a TV show based on her books.
It holds a 3.81 average across 1,579 Goodreads ratings, with 63% of them four or five stars, 3.37 on StoryGraph from 252 reviews, and 4.4 stars across 1,057 Amazon ratings.
What Is Release the Stars About?
Charlie vows never to date a woman who isn’t a hundred percent certain she’s a lesbian. Then she’s seduced by Ava Castaneda, the gorgeous bisexual cooking-show host she’s had a celebrity crush on for ages.
Charlie is forced to rethink her belief in percentages, because true love could be on the line.
What Works in This Book
- Writing: Even frustrated readers call it well written and emotionally complex.
- Heat: One longtime fan of Bliss’s erotica says the scenes don’t disappoint.
- Supporting cast: Readers are grateful for Ava and Charlie’s friends, especially Liz.
- Growth: Readers who stick with it enjoy watching Charlie finally learn.
Book Synopsis
A heartbroken novelist swears off bisexual women — and falls for one.
Can love be measured in percentages?
My Review
Bliss commits to a messy heroine and doesn’t let her off lightly: everyone around Charlie tells her the rule is wrong, and the story is about her learning it. For some readers that makes it realistic and rewarding.
For many, it’s too much. Reviewers repeatedly say they wanted to slap Charlie, call her biphobic, self-centred and paranoid, and question what Ava sees in her. Others note instalove followed by lots of angst, and the single POV leaves Ava underexplored.
My honest note: Go in knowing Charlie is the point — and the problem.
| Element | In Release the Stars |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Charlie Cross (novelist) & Ava Castaneda (TV cooking-show host) |
| Core tropes | Celebrity crush, bisexual love interest, instalove |
| Setting | Los Angeles |
| Heat level | 🌶️🌶️🌶️ |
| Length | 240 pages (ebook) |
| Series | First of Harper Bliss’s connected books (per readers) |
| Content notes | Biphobia, alcohol, gaslighting |
How Spicy Is Release the Stars?
Steamy — explicit, as expected from Bliss.
StoryGraph readers flag biphobia above all, plus alcohol and gaslighting.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you like Harper Bliss and flawed narrators. It is on our celebrity lesbian romance list.
You may want to skip it if: biphobic characters or unlikeable leads are dealbreakers.
In short: Hot, frustrating, divisive.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 29% five stars, 34% four, 25% three, 8% two and 2% one. On StoryGraph, only 32% found the characters loveable.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): The writing first. Second, heat. Third, Ava. Fourth, the friends.
What readers argue about and complain about: Charlie, above everything. Second, biphobia. Third, instalove.
The comparison worth making first: At the Water’s Edge, another Harper Bliss romance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do readers dislike Charlie?
Her rule never to date anyone who isn’t “a hundred percent” lesbian comes across as biphobic, and readers describe her as insecure, jealous, self-absorbed and drinking too much. Several say she grows by the end; some felt it came too late.
Is Release the Stars biphobic?
Charlie’s attitude is, and biphobia is the most flagged content warning on StoryGraph. The book challenges her belief rather than endorsing it — everyone around her calls it out.
How spicy is it?
Steamy. Harper Bliss is known for her erotica, and one longtime fan says the scenes deliver.
Where does it fit in Harper Bliss’s books?
Readers describe it as the first book in the connected “Bliss-verse”; Charlie and Ava reappear in later novels.
Is Release the Stars on Kindle Unlimited?
Not when we checked; the Kindle edition was listed at $8.99. The audiobook has been re-recorded by Abby Craden.
If You Loved Release the Stars, Read These Next
Try Fake For Fame or Cover Story. Browse our celebrity list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Release the Stars sets out to challenge a heroine’s prejudice through love, and its writing and heat are classic Bliss. What holds it back is a narrator many readers can’t stand. For Bliss completists. Check Release the Stars on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Release the Stars ranks as a fair celebrity pick — steamy, infuriating.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ 3.81 average across 1,579 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 63% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ 3.37 on StoryGraph from 252 reviews
- ✓ 4.4 stars across 1,057 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Celebrity crush
- ✓ Instalove
- ✓ Angst
- ✓ Heat
Characters ★★★☆☆ 2.5/5
- ✓ Unlikeable Charlie
- ✓ Lovely Ava
- ✓ 32% loveable on StoryGraph
- ✓ Great friends
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.7/5
- ✓ Well written
- ✓ Single POV
- ✓ Complex
- ✓ Familiar Bliss cadence
Emotional Impact ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ Infuriating
- ✓ Heartbreak
- ✓ Growth
- ✓ Lighthearted moments
Heat Level ★★★★☆ 4/5
- ✓ Explicit
- ✓ Bliss erotica
- ✓ On-page
- ✓ Adult
Ending ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ Charlie learns
- ✓ Too late for some
- ✓ Opens a series
- ✓ Hopeful
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.3/5
- ✓ $8.99 Kindle price
- ✓ Re-read five times by one fan
- ✓ Abby Craden audiobook
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
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