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Hoshi wa Utau is a shoujo manga written by Natsuki Takaya, known for Fruits Basket. While Hoshi wa Utau does not really compare to Fruits Basket, it's still a solid shoujo manga that's really worth a read. Spoilers ahead.

Story: 7
The plot isn't anything really new or ground breaking, but it works well enough and is still enjoyable and engaging.
The story is both sad and uplifting at the same time, and Natsuki Takaya manages to balance these elements really well. There was also the twist at the end with Chihiro going back to Tokyo to help Sakura. Although it was obvious that Chihiro and Sakuya ... would end up together in the end, I actually thought the story's message would have been more effective if they didn't end up waiting for each other and walking off holding hands into the sunset.
The story's message deals a lot with moving forward, and it would have fit with that message nicely if Sakuya could have accepted that although Chihiro would always hold a special place in her heart, she can't keep waiting for him forever and she needs to move on with her life. It had the potential to be a very true-to-life and touching depiction of first love.
But instead, she doesn't move on at all (She thinks about it for about 10 seconds only to find Chihiro waiting for her) and waits for Chihiro for years until he finally DOES come back. That whole turn of events seemed to kind of contradict the entire message of the manga, although I'm completely not surprised it turned out the way it did. (If it didn't, there'd be a lot more bad reviews of this manga, lol!)

Art: 8
Natsuki Takaya's art is very clean and solid, and her talent with lighting and shadows really shows. In the earlier volumes, the characters were sometimes hard to tell apart, but they become more individual and unique as the manga progresses.

Characters: 7
My main problem with the characters is the heroine, Sakuya. She's a very typical shoujo protagonist, and in the early volumes was nearly insufferably bland. She gets a little more development as it goes on, but she's still many times over less interesting than any of the supporting characters.
Luckily, the supporting characters are interesting and dimensional enough to make up for Sakuya. Her friends, Hijiri and Yuuri, are both a ton of fun to watch and I ended up loving both of them a lot. The romance between Hijiri and Saki was really endearing and I enjoyed it a little bit more than Sakuya and Chihiro's, honestly.
Chihiro, while sometimes so angsty to the point of ridiculousness, is an interesting enough love interest. You care about him and really want to see him grow.

Overall: 8
Although not perfect, Hoshi wa Utau is a very good shoujo manga with a very uplifting message and some pretty likable characters. If you really enjoy shoujo/romance manga, this is definitely worth your time.