Such an adorable book! I liked how naturally the plot progressed and how the characters were real. The inclusion of astrology was a nice touch and incorporated in a way that even as someone without much knowledge, it made sense. I liked it and would definitely recommend it for cutesy vibes!

Happy lesbians! I can't say how much I liked this book. 0% of it was focused on how queer people shouldn't exist or that a bi girl could have a girlfriend. There was zero homophobia and I was there for it. It also felt like all the other contemporary romances out there just with GIRLS and I hate how there is a whole subgenre of Lesbian fiction that's just that, a subgenre. Not mainstream. This book sparkled and shined and I enjoyed every second of it. Well written with a pinch of Pride and Prejudice plus super relatable characters made this one of my favorite romances of the year (so far)!

I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a new author for me, and a bit of a new genre - I don't read many LGBTQ books, but have been adding a few when I see a summary that I think I'll enjoy. I'm not usually a rom-com reader - or viewer - but this sounded like a fun book to read.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I saw other reviewers refer to it as a Pride & Prejudice retelling, and now I can see that - and that might be why I just didn't really love the book. Overall, I'm really glad that I got the chance to read it, and I enjoyed reading the book. But it's not a new favorite. I might try out others by the author, though, as I enjoyed her writing style and character development.

Written in the Stars
A Novel
by Alexandria Bellefleur
HarperCollins Publishers
You Like Them You Are Auto-Approved
Avon
LGBTQIA | OwnVoices | Romance
Pub Date 10 Nov 2020 | Archive Date 05 Jan 2021

Well done romance between two women. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC. I wanted to love this book, but it just wasn't the book for me.

3 star

Queer Pride and Prejudice, fake dating, and enemies to lovers? Sign me up. This romantic comedy was a delight to read. The insecurities of each character were compellingly written, as was the undeniable chemistry between them. Darcy (super subtle reference) was a stern and slightly grumpy knockout with a mushy heart of gold. Elle was the slightly flaky, very lovable astrologer who melted Darcy's icy exterior. In my head, I couldn't stop imagining Elle as a shorter, cuter Phoebe Buffay and Darcy as an actuary version of Jessica Chastain. Truly the only thing I didn't enjoy about this book was the cover. I picked it in spite of, not because of, the cover. The description was compelling enough to pick the book, and I'm very glad I did.

An adorable, funny, outrageous yet believable romantic comedy about two women who seem to have nothing in common--except a spark of chemistry that grows. A delightful escapist read that also subtly includes themes of communicating, dealing with family expectations, and being open to change.

Well done romance comedies are some of the best storylines to read, especially when there’s so much negativity outside your door. Darcy and Elle are a wonderfully, dorky couple that I would read an entire series without wearing out. There is honest communication from the get-go (besides the overheard conversation on the first date and the “fake dating” trope that drives the story) and the sincere motives of all the characters made this a much-needed wholesome read.

** spoiler alert ** Maybe it's because I read them so close together, but Written in the Stars is like a gay version of The Wedding Date. I just felt like I knew what was going to happen the whole time. It's a very cute love story though! And we stan representation.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two women are introduced by a family member and they pretend to have a relationship to get their families off their backs. Eventually, their pretense turns into reality.

I really wanted to love this book, and while I did enjoy it a lot, it was just missing something for me. Whether it was due to the writing style hitting several of my pet peeves, or the plot not feeling quite as put-together as some other fake dating tropes I've read, I was disappointed that this fell flat. Our two leads, Elle and Darcy, mesh awkwardly in the first half of the book, especially after the disastrous blind date they have. And I'm sorry, but romcom or not, if I was in Elle's position, hearing Darcy complain about me over the phone *during the date* would not make me liable to agree to a fake relationship. I understand a bit of suspension of disbelief is required in many fake dating trope books, but I thought there could have been a better catalyst. I was also not overly fond of the astrology aspect of the book, partly because I don't really subscribe to it and partly because the way it was written made Elle seem, at times, much more naive than I thought she was supposed to be. Overall, this can be a light-hearted surface read, but I don't think it did anything deeper for me.

Loved loved LOVED this book! I am a huge astrology lover and have a social media presence as a tarot reader and tarot podcaster, so so much of this book was intimately familiar! I made pages and pages of moments that I loved, from start to finish. It was sweet and sexy and truly an excellent novel.

Written in the Stars is probably hands down the most adorable contemporary romance I've ever read. To be fair, I don't read a ton of books in this genre, but I’ve at least read enough to know that this one is something special!

I just spent twenty minutes trying to write an analogy comparing Written in the Stars to peppermint hot chocolate that wasn’t super cheesy, to no avail, so I’ve decided to channel my inner Elle and just.. go with it: Reading Written in the Stars was like sitting down with my first peppermint hot chocolate of the season. The story was warm, inviting, and familiar enough to be comforting, but it also felt new and unique enough that nothing about it felt stale or contrite.

One thing I really appreciated about this book was that it didn’t get mired down in extended mutual pining the way romance novels often do. Not that there’s anything wrong with slow burn romances, but sometimes I want to be able to relish in the actual togetherness of the characters instead of spending the majority of the novel wanting to push the two leads’ faces together like Barbie dolls, screaming “just kiss already!” The author did an excellent job of finding the sweet spot between insta-love and slow burn, and the result is a compulsively readable novel with an adorable opposites attract romance that felt totally realistic and incredibly satisfying. It’s also worth noting that while there was enough tension to sustain the plot, the angst never felt superfluous or like it was thrown in just for the hell of it.

My only complaint about Written in the Stars was that I wasn’t ready for it to end when it did! I really loved Elle and Darcy together, and while I understand that it’s not always realistic to include an epilogue when you’re planning a sequel that will likely pick up around the time the first book lets off, it doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it (I kid… mostly).

One more thing I want to state for the record, in case I’m not alone in this concern: I went into this read worried that my lack of astrological knowledge might be an issue, but my concern was completely unfounded! In fact, I think Elle’s narrative explanation of Darcy’s sun, moon, and rising signs helped me understand what the “big three” placements really mean better than any of the articles I’d read online.

In closing, Written in the Stars is a cute, quirky sapphic romance that is (for me at least) the book equivalent of a cup of hot chocolate and a warm hug. If this sounds like something there’s even a slim chance you might enjoy, then please give it a go. It was honestly wonderful, and now I’m definitely rambling, but I cannot recommend it enough!

This was the Pride and Prejudice-flavored fake dating f/f romance novel of my DREAMS and I loved absolutely every second of it.

My rating scale for romances is different than my other reading. Do I like the characters? Does it feel real enough? Does it make me smile or laugh? Does it leave me happy? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Written in the Stars is my first f/f romance. And I loved it. With a nod to Pride and Prejudice, the lead characters are Darcy and Elle. Darcy is an insurance actuary and doesn't take risks because of how she was raised. Elle is impulsive and messy, dropping out of graduate school to follow her love of astrology.

This is a familiar trope of opposites attracting and faking a relationship to stop families from interfering. But when a story is told well the tropes work. I loved the realness of their dealings with family and careers. I laughed at the texts and cringed at the insecurities that come with a new relationship. This book left me wonderfully happy. I truly didn't want it to end. It doesn't need a sequel but I would gladly read a romance about the either of the main side characters. I will look for more from Alexandria Bellefleur. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Elle and Darcy are polar opposites. Elle is an astrologist looking for her soulmate, and Darcy had her heartbroken and just wants to focus on passing an exam for work. They are paired up by Darcy's brother, and, in an effort to get her brother off her back, Darcy lies about how the date went. She brings Elle in on the lie, and they fake a relationship until they end up falling in love. This novel fits the enemies-to-lovers trope accurately, but falls short of a Pride and Prejudice adaptation. In Jane Austen's novel, both of the main characters realize they misjudged too quickly. In Written in the Stars, only Darcy is made out to be a flawed character who needs correctly, and the writing portrays a hostility toward Darcy's character traits. The language was repetitive, and the sex scenes were uncomfortable. Apart from a few laughs, this was most unenjoyable.

I liked the writing style of this book but overall I felt like the development of the romance was a little lacking for me. I liked the way the chemistry was written between them but them deciding they were "in love" just sort of happened way too fast, and when they were devastated and heartbroken I was thinking...why? And when it ended I thought, wait what? That was all it took? It all happened so quick. I would have liked some more scenes of them together before they decided to be in love.

The sexual tension leading up to them getting together WAS really good, but the actual emotional connection was lacking for me. Even though Darcy was written with a dry sense of humor and would come out with dirty jokes sometimes, I still felt she was too stiff and, other than her being incredibly beautiful, I didn't understand why Elle was in love with her. I loved Elle though! She was an endearing character.

Is this book leading up to more books? A romance between Margot and Brendon? If it's NOT then I would like a resolution on that, because it seemed like it's what it was leading up to. But I also think a book between the two of them could be "chefs kiss* because I did like those characters.

So overall I will say I'm a little disappointed but I would read more from this author, I just needed something a little more fleshed out.

I would love to see this book be heavily promoted! It reads like a Clayborn to me and I think readers will greatly enjoy a f/f romance with this feel as there are so few. This story captured me from the very first - the bad date to fake dating is a classic f/f trope and it was nice to see it in a new way (namely that the pining was there but the story built on more than just fake dates for events as a way to move the characters closer together. I do think that marketing it as Pride & Prejudice is misleading in a disappointing way. Rather than be given a story with a identifiably similar structure, the name Darcy is the closest that we get. And as a Jane Austen fan it is quite disappointing for books to always be marketed on a similarity to or drawing inspiration from P&P when letting the book stand on its own or comparing it to another author (like Clayborn) I think would be more of a draw.

LOVED THIS BOOK! It was cute, witty, and an all around easy read. Whether or not you read F/F, I would recommend this book either way. Also, bonus points for the Pride and Prejudice reference.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and the author for the advanced copy of this book.

Written in the Stars is EVERYTHING that wlw readers have been asking for! Seriously, anyone who has ever bemoaned the fact that there isn't enough lighthearted f/f content needs to immediately preorder a copy of this book. Go on, order it. Do it.

Things this book has: cutesy and relatable millennial characters, astrology, memes, holiday shenanigans, an opposites-attract romance, fake dating turns into real dating, references to fanfiction and dating apps, steamy sex scenes, and so much more goodness.

Things this book doesn't have: dramatic coming out stories, homophobia, trauma related to coming out/homophobia/etc., or any of the other tragedies that make LGBTQ+ content sometimes difficult to read through.

Look, I've read a lot of f/f fiction. I love f/f fiction. But you don't realize how exhausting it can be to read tragedy after tragedy until you read something brand new that has none of those tragedies in it. That's what makes Written in the Stars such a delightful breath of fresh air--it's just like every other holiday romcom out there. The fact that the two protagonists are both women isn't some sort of hurdle or issue; it's just a fact of the plot. With that tragedy out of the way, the plot follows all the fun and familiar beats of a holiday romcom that LGBTQ+ stories are so often denied.

That said, this book also exceeded my expectations of holiday romcoms by having such endearing and well-written characters. The two protagonists are polar opposites. Elle, a disaster bisexual astronomer-turned-astrologer, is charming and funny and all too relatable. Darcy, the gorgeous but stoic actuary, struggles with vulnerability after a failed engagement, but Elle is just the girl to make her believe in love again. Their chemistry together is undeniable, even after the hilariously bad first date in the opening chapter.

All in all, this book is cute and lighthearted and perfect for the upcoming holiday season. I can't wait to read more from this author, and I hope that publishers will keep investing in cute and queer stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This book started off strong. It was witty, funny, and it sucks you in right from the beginning. However, after about half way through the book it tapers off a little bit and becomes more cheesy than funny. The ending was anti-climatic and felt rushed but overall, it was a solid read.