I thought this book was so fun! First of all the setting and all the set pieces were great. The astrology element and emotional battles. I especially loved the escape room date and the fun that was had. The writing was snappy and the ending was perfect! It was just a really fun ride and I would definitely read a sequel.

I really liked this story! I thought the character were really lovely and the situations were very believable. They were very sweet together, and this was a charming book!

While very lightly based on Pride & Prejudice, Written in the Stars is a very light and fluffy romantic comedy (of errors?) between Darcy and Elizabeth (or Elle). That said, this is a book meant for a much younger adult than I am. It's very much based in the world of social media and a very young 20-something's view of the world. I honestly could not get into this story, as I found the characters irritating and self important and the chemistry between them is solely based on looks. Books aren't a visual medium, or at least not like that, so having characters stare at each other and using that as the catalyst for attraction doesn't really work to sustain their "amazing chemistry" that the author writes about. Not that this necessarily works in a more visual medium either, but I digress. Fake dating/fake relationship storylines are played out, so to do one at this point, an author should bring something new to the table. Instead, this is the same old, same old and very predictable. Maybe if I was twenty years younger, I'd have a different opinion, but all I could say is that I've read this all (and done much better) before.

Darcy is a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud actuary who's had her heart broken before and now has no time (or the patience) for romance. Elle is a free-spirited astrologer, hoping to one day find her soul mate. When the two are introduced by Darcy's brother, Brendon, who happens to be Elle's new business partner, the date does not go as planned. But Darcy lies and says they hit it off. So in order to get Brendon out of her business for a while, and attempt to get Elle's family to take her more seriously, they concoct a plan to fake date - they learn everything there is to know about each other, agree to go on outing with the other's family, and even set a termination date at December 31st. But the thing is, sometimes, love is simply meant to be, and is written in the stars from the very beginning.

I like to think of my feelings towards this book as the progression of Darcy and Elle's relationship. I couldn't get into it for the first few chapters (though that is probably my own fault and I shouldn't blame the book) but as I got to know the characters and see their growth, I began to truly appreciate it for what it was. Darcy and Elle are definitely a sort of opposites-attract situation, but each have an understanding of how the other operates, and love each other even more for it. The familial situations for both main characters are not ideal, but I thought they were realistic and handled well. I wish some of the side characters could have been explored a bit more, but that just gives me even more hope for book two, where Brendon might get his happily ever after (because he deserves true love too!) The scattering of "which of these are you based on your horoscope?" made me laugh, and even though I'm a bit of a non-believer like Darcy, I thought they added a nice fun element to the story, given Elle's background.

I truly do love a good romance, and will definitely be preordering my own copy for when this book is released in November. If you're at all interested in an opposites-attract, slight grumpy-sunshine, loose retelling of Pride and Prejudice but queer love story, I highly recommend giving this a chance.

I was very surprised by how delightful this book was!

First of all, fake dating! I'll read any f/f with fake dating.

Secondly, the sprinkling of stars throughout this book was so much fun.

I loved the characters, the chemistry, the secondary characters, the conflict and resolution.

This was a joy to read and I will read it again.

I really liked this book from page one. it's a modern (very loose) retelling of Pride and Prejudice starring two women, Elle and Darcy. So i'm sold right there. Darcy was my favorite of the two; i found her realistic in her sensitivity veiled with aloof affect. Elle ran the risk of bordering on too "quirky" for me, what with her astrology company, colorful outfits, and general quippyness. However, i thought that the author did a good job of making her seem like an actual human being, rather than the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. They both had their flaws and the central relationship was one i could root for.

I did think that the pace of the ending was a bit too quick and that there didn't need to be added drama. I get that rom-coms need the rom-com chase, but the reason why it had to be there felt a bit fabricated. just TALK people!

that being said, this was an adorable romance novel with a bit of actual depth that I enjoyed a good deal. it's also set in my home town!

Overall I liked this book. Good F/F books are hard to find. This was a slower read for me and I just do not care for Pride and Prejudice retellings. This one did have compelling characters. Over all pretty good.

I quite enjoyed this f/f romance between two very different women. But, I was not super invested while reading it and am not entirely sure how to rate this one, I really enjoyed the characters and the dialogue/writing. I liked the Pride & Prejudice elements and did not realize this was a retelling? It's more like "inspired by" P&P because the plot is completely different.

Overall, this is a cute f/f romance that features two opposite characters who end up fake dating! There were some cute moments, fun times in Seattle, and fun side characters. I would read more from this author and DANG the cover is just so cute.

This was a fun read, but a bit predictable. If you are looking for something light, fun, and a bit steamy, look no further. I feel like this read very much like a YA novel, except for the sex scenes. The ending felt a little abrupt. It's interesting to see this being marketed as an ownvoices book...as it's not really clear what is meant by that. I can't tell from the author bio or website if the author is LGBTQIA+ identified. I am not trying to police anyone's identity, but I am very suspicious of the potential co-optation of ownvoices branding for white centered stories. This story centers two cisgender white women, one bisexual and one lesbian, but lacks diverse representation overall.

"Written in the Stars" is a very on-the-nose retelling of Pride & Prejudice as a sweet wlw romance. Readers will pick up on the retelling of Pride & Prejudice almost immediately; the Austen comparison is unavoidable. Character names are thinly veiled nicknames (Ellie and Darcy), and the general gist of the story has the same beats. That said, "Written in the Stars" is more than a simple rote retelling of a classic in modern times. The characters of Elle and Darcy are appropriately spirited, and the modern changes and graceful shifts in perspectives between Elle and Darcy both give a nice breath of fresh air in a well-known story.

Readers will enjoy this modern retelling of Pride & Prejudice; although it's mostly predictable, it's a fun and fast read and the modern updates to the retelling do add quite a bit. Recommended for readers of LGBTQ fiction, women's fiction, and romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC for an honest review.

Written in the Stars boasts to be a loose Pride and Prejudice re-telling, but I found that it only borrowed the personalities of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Darcy and Elle had very similar archetypes from their inspiration, but the story itself was very different. It wasn't at all original, but it was cute nonetheless. The chemistry between Darcy and Elle was obvious from the beginning, and as a reader, I couldn't wait to see how this fake relationship would morph into something real.

The characters themselves were very well written. They each have their moments where they absolutely shine and other times you kind of want to smack them upside the head. Even the secondary characters, Margot and Brenden were well fleshed out, and I'm excited to see where Alexandria takes Brenden's story. I hope Margot is part of that because I really liked her. She was such a great friend to Elle, and I'm so glad that we got a lot of scenes with them. I love when friendships aren't pushed to the side for romance. Even Darcy had her best friend, whose name escapes me right now (Annie?). Romance is great, but platonic relationships are important, too and they usually never get a lot of love. This wasn't the case with this book.

My biggest gripe was the pacing of this book. It starts off rather slow then we get about half way and BOOM, all systems go this is for real now! This also caused the conflict to appear somewhat contrived, because I honestly didn't believe Darcy and Elle were "in love" after a month and half. Elle was so hell-bent on finding her OTP and the love of her life, that she didn't really listen to what Darcy was saying. Also Darcy had every good reason to be cautious, especially after a bad break up. To expect her to fall head over heels for Elle was a bit far fetched. I actually sided with Darcy on this. Regardless, the conflict wasn't well written and then it was over. They confessed their feelings, or more so Darcy, and they were on their road to happily ever after.

All in all, this book was a joy to read and the perfect summer read despite the Thanksgiving/Christmas setting in the book. Definitely check it out when it comes out.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of “Written in the Stars” by Alexandria Bellefleur. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was such a cute read. A female/female romance with nods to Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones. There was fake dating and opposites attract and so much to love.

The book is told from the POVs of the main couple Elle and Darcy. Elle was immediately someone I had to root for. Darcy took me a little longer to warm up to so I’m glad her POV was provided to give some context to her often aloof and cold behavior.

Both Elle and Darcy had varying degrees of family drama and I loved seeing them grow together and relate and stick up for one another. I wanted the family issues to be dealt with more on page as a lot of things are addressed behind the scenes or, in the case of Darcy’s mother, not really wrapped up at all. The family dramas were so relatable and heartbreaking so I would have liked to see Elle especially get the acknowledgement from her family about how poorly they treat her either overtly or by ignoring the behavior of those who do. Another thing that was put aside was Darcy’s certification test. It was so important to her and the reason she didn’t have time or energy for a social life, but then we never got the resolution to that. Although it looks like Darcy’s brother Brendan will feature in the second book so maybe the results will be mentioned there? I hope Brendan also faces more consequences for his tendencies to stick his nose in other people’s lives.

There were so many cute scenes and settings in this story and I really enjoyed all the astrological elements. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series.

4/5 stars

I was drawn in by P&P inspiration and the queer romance, but this was a little bit too rom-com for me.

I’m going to be honest, I saw the beautiful cover and the cute af title and was instantly sold. I was not disappointed!

Written in the Stars is a lighthearted queer romcom that starts with a first date from hell that turns into a fake dating ploy to get both Darcy & Elle through the holidays and to get their families off their backs. WITS is filled with tons of swoon worthy cuteness, intense heated moments, laugh out loud hilarity. Also, kudos needs to be given to WITS for not being all fluff—it touched on toxic familial relationships, as well as the fallout that divorce has on the children involved and how it shaped their lives.

I adored this book, and cannot recommend it enough!

Written In The Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur is a delightful sapphic holiday rom-com, hitting shelves just in time for the 2020 holiday season. {Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for my advance reader copy.}

“An astrologer and an actuary walk into a bar” sounds like the start of a bad joke--but for Darcy, it’s just the latest in a series of terrible blind dates her brother has sent her on. The date goes horribly, as expected, but she lies just to get him to quit. She doesn’t expect her lie to get back to Elle…

This one checked all my favorite boxes. Fake dating. Relationship rules. And feelings that slowly start to feel a little too real. I loved the connection between carefree Elle and uptight Darcy, despite all their differences. They balance each other in all the best ways. Bellefleur writes with humor and warmth, and I couldn’t help but root for them.

If you’re looking for a cute f/f romance to read over the holidays, put this one at the top of your TBR.

I loved the story, but the writing leaves a little bit to be desired. Every time the author used "ghosting" I cringed and there were bits that felt repetitive, I will have to read it again after it is published to see what, if anything, changes from the ARC to the final copy.

Having said that, I loved Elle. She unabashedly lives her life to the beat of her own drummer. Seeking her mother's approval, she went to college where she was on her way to earning a doctorate when a business opportunity reminded her what her true passion was. She became an astrologer and started a business with her best friend Margot. A business that became quite successful, thank you very much. Except her mother and sister always belittled her accomplishments because of the nature of her business.

Darcy knows what it is like to have her heart ripped to shreds and has avoided romantic entanglements ever since. Her brother Brendon, however, is an unabashed romantic who has created a very successful matchmaking app called OTP. He keeps arranging dates for Darcy and one of those dates was with Elle, who has recently inked a deal to be OTP's resident astrologer.

The date was a disaster and Elle flees mid-date. Darcy decides she is fed up with her brother's interference, but since Brendon doesn't take no for an answer, she lies and says she can't go on another dating adventure because things went well with Elle. Brendon sees Elle the next morning and expresses his delight that things worked out so well with his sister. Elle, who had been having breakfast with her mother at the time, is flabbergasted but does not contradict Brendon. Btw, wtf, Brendon? Do you even know if Elle is out to her family?

Elle decides to contact Darcy (in a textual exchange that is hilarious and telling) and they decide to fake date until after Christmas and, well, this being a romance, you can guess what happens.

I loved their dates and Elle's over-the-top exuberance when juxtaposed with Darcy's more reserved gestures. I especially enjoyed the fact that their chemistry was obvious from their first scene together put they had to work hard to dampen the flames... until they were consumed by their passion. And even though I was expecting something to break up their bliss, it is a romance novel after all, the scene where they "break up" was brutal to the point where I felt their pain.

Bellefleur is definitely an author I will keep an eye out for in the future.

A loose reinterpretation of Pride and Prejudice – the characters are more archetypal than direct representations of Austen’s  –  Written in the Stars is a fun, light-weight and light-hearted romp through the worlds of two Seattle women who find love together in spite of themselves.

Elle Jones is on a blind date.  A blind date set up for her by her friend, Brendon Lowell, who was so eager to get his sister Darcy in on the game he didn’t realize that perhaps it would be a good idea to give Elle a description or a picture of her intended.  Darcy turns out to be the woman Elle mistook for a hostess at the bar where they’re meeting, and the rest of the date becomes an awkward nightmare which embarrasses Elle and leaves Darcy swearing she’ll never go on a blind date at her brother’s behest again.

Elle is a bubbly, free-living extrovert of an astrology addict who works at a metaphysical bookshop and runs a popular astrology-centered Twitter account.  Actuary Darcy is an extremely ordered introvert devoted to the soap opera Whisper Cove who Just Wants to be Left Alone after a nasty break-up drove her to live in Seattle.  Which is why she lies to Brendon that the date went well.  Which means Brendon burbles to Elle about how excited he is that Darcy likes Elle and now they can all double date together with him and his husband.  Which means Elle has to confront Darcy about her lie. The two agree to fake-date to get out of the situation, as Elle and Brendon are brand-new business partners on top of it all, with Elle providing horoscope-based matchmaking advice and quizzes for his dating ap.

Their limited fake-dating relationship will span the holidays so Elle won’t have to deal with her disapproving family alone,  and end on New Year’s Day, but it has its complications.  For fake-dating leads to real feelings, and then Darcy and Elle must figure out how to navigate a situation that’s rapidly getting out of control.  Is it real love, or is it just impulse?

Sometimes, you just want to read a fun romance novel, and Written in the Stars is that.  Gooey with kindness and affable as a puppy, it’s a warm, near-perfect sink into a sweetness and light.

You may have seen these kind of archetypes and this kind of romance before (hint: the grumpy one is soft for the sunshiny one), but you’ve never quite seen it written the way Bellefleur does it.  The result is sweet and breezy and generally easy to read (though I hope the book’s point of view shifts – the main reason this doesn’t get a full on A grade - are sorted and before the book is released).

Darcy and Elle are both likable, and their romance is spicy-sweet and wonderful to follow.  The Seattle setting is generally credible – but on the other hand it never rains, not once, during the course of the book – odd for one set in the winter within the Pacific Northwest!

There are some fine supporting characters on deck as well – eternal romantic and optimist Brendon, the girl’s incredibly dichotomous parents, and I liked Margot, Elle’s roommate/best friend, who is sardonic where Elle is not.

Overall, the book is a sweet little romantic romp that’s a perfectly cozy holiday season read.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible, or your local independent bookstore
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Darcy, a reserved and relationship shy actuary gets set up on a blind date with Elle, an astrologer and social media influencer. Things go downhill from there. Or do they? Both feel a spark but are hesitant to pursue it for multitude reasons. But a plan to dupe Darcy’s brother, Elle's business partner, provides ample opportunity for both to rethink their reservations about the other. Lots more sparks happen. Sexy sparks. Written in the Stars is a quick, fun, read with believable and relatable characters who struggle with the typical issues of late the twenties to early thirties. Elle struggles to convince her family to take her seriously. And they really are kind of jerks. Darcy struggles to get over her trust issues. I think this would be a great book for someone interested in dipping their toe into the wonderful world of LGBTQ fiction, anyone looking for a moderately spicy love story, or who just enjoys astrology.

Written in the Stars is everything you could ever want from an enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, Pride and Prejudice inspired book.

Elizabeth (who goes by Elle) and Darcy are complete opposites. The only thing they have in common is that they want their families to get off of their backs about dating someone. So after a complete disaster of a first, blind date that Darcy lies to her brother about, they hatch a plot: they’ll pretend to be dating until New Year’s Eve. They’ll go to events together to appease their families, and cut it off. No harm, no foul. Except… what if that spark they both felt on that disastrous date flames into something more?

While it doesn’t seem like Elle and Darcy would make a good couple, they really do. They balance each other out. Where Elle is carefree and living on the edge, Darcy plans and is cautious. Elle makes Darcy more adventurous, and Darcy helps Elle settle down a little. One of my favorite things was how Elle helped Darcy take pride in fandom instead of being ashamed by it. I also loved that these are women in their late 20s who still love fandom and fanfiction! So many of the books out there that are love letters to fandom are about teenagers, so seeing older fandom members represented was beautiful.

I also loved how Written in the Stars portrays success. While Darcy is more conventionally successful, a large focus of the book is also on how Elle is successful even though she has taken a different path through life. It shows that if you follow your heart, you’ll find whatever success means to you.

While the book is mostly happy, fluffy, and romantic, it also manages to approach the topic of toxic family members, and in my opinion, it deals with it successfully. I wish we had just gotten a little bit more closure on both of their relationships with their mothers. It seems like the book brought up possible plot points, used them for the romantic scenes that could come after, and then sort of… left them without fully dealing with the repercussions of them.

I also wanted to take a quick moment to discuss the relationship between Darcy and her younger brother, Brendon. As a product of divorce, and as someone with an older sister who took care of her for years, I was able to relate to them and their struggles. Often people will ask how me and my sister are so close, and they don’t understand how divorce could bring people together in such a way. But reading about Darcy and Brendon’s relationship felt like reading about my sister and I’s relationship.

While astrology plays a large part in Elle’s story, I was still able to enjoy the book even though I don’t know much about astrology. And while this book does take place over the holidays, I would not categorize it as a holiday book.

Overall, this book is amazing. It is a breath of fresh air. I hope you all love it as much as I do.

What might appear to others as women dating, may not be what is the truth at all. Darcy and Elle had an awful first date. However, when Darcy's brother asks about her date with Elle, she tells him it went well. Only thinking he would lay off finding her blind dates to set her up on. What she didn't know was Elle is his new business partner. She has to beg Elle to play along. What Darcy doesn't know is that Elle already likes her. Will this fake relationship turn into a real one or end with no one being the wiser?
The only fault I found in this book was that the emojis were not clear. It appeared that they were stretched to fit but instead they look like a bold line.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.