Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

Lynnie 

science fiction, young adult

I believe Red Star Rebels is the tenth book I've read that was written, or co-authored, by Amie Kaufman and I enjoyed every minute of her latest space adventure. To be fair, most of Kaufman's books do follow a pattern. A young person is somehow stuck in space, the circumstances may or may not be of their own making. There is danger of some variety and there is always another young person who is inevitably a love interest, that they will need to rely on if they want to survive the impending danger or disaster.

Red Star Rebel is more of the same, this time following Cleo, a young woman stowing away on a Mars space station, and Hunter Graves, the heir to the family who initially colonized Mars. Hunter has a chip on his shoulder and is trying to prove to his family that he has what it takes to take over the family business. As the United Nations base is evacuated for an emergency, Hunter and Cleo get left behind - because, of course they do - and must rely on each other to survive and escape the mercenaries who forced the evacuation.

Red Star Rebels is action from the first page and never stops. It's a short book, under 300 pages, and it reads quickly because of all the action. I found myself reading later than usual into the night because there is never a good time to put this book down! I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I loved Cleo and Hunter and how they worked together. Even when plot points were predictable, I didn't mind watching them play out.

Most of Kaufman's novels are series, so I don't know if this one will be, but if this is a standalone, it truly is a complete story. I could see more opportunities for storytelling though so I won't be surprised if there is a sequel in the works. Either way, I recommend Red Star Rebels, especially for YA science fiction fans. 

If you enjoy Red Star Rebels and are looking for other Amie Kaufman books to read, the Starbound series, co-written with Meagan Spooner, made Amy's and my favorites lists in 2015 and 2016 (Amy 2016) and her book of Obsidio, co-written with Jay Kristoff made my favorites list in 2018. 

Thanks to Random House Children's Books, Knopf Books for Young Readers, NetGalley and of course Amie Kaufman for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Red Star Rebels will be published on February 10, 2026.