This book was great! It is a bit too steamy for my liking at times, but I got the impression that folks who like that stuff would have enjoyed the spice. I really enjoyed the narration - Alexandria Bellefleur and Lauren Sweet were really able to give each character their own voice and feel. It was always clear who was talking.

I enjoyed this book so much that I bought the second and third audiobooks in the series to listen to as well!

I went into this book with low expectations because while I love Pride and Prejudice I find I have a really hard time with P&P retellings. But I ended up really enjoying it!

What worked for me:
*Buttoned-Up One and Hot-Mess One
*Sapphic
*Set in the PNW
*The side characters were pretty wonderful
*NOT CLOSED DOOR (I struggle with how vague/closed door most traditionally published wlw romances are.)

What I didn't love:
*The fake relationship set-up
*There are some toxic family relationship for both heroines and those relationships aren't really handled. There's talk of doing better and repair, but it never comes to pass.
*The ending felt a little rushed.
* And... (this is a weird complaint but stay with me) Our main characters in this P&P retelling are Darcy and Elle (short for Elizabeth. Elle has two sisters named Lydia and Jane and a brother named... wait for it... Daniel. Daniel?!?! Not a masculine form of Mary or Kitty? Really? And Darcy's little brother is named not George (like it should be) but Brendan.

I LOVED this audiobook! The narrator captures each character with nuance and a smoothness that everything blends seamlessly together. Listening to this book I was drawn into the story of a romantic pair that I could see my husband, who is an actuary, and myself. The dance of obligation with a career as demanding as acturarial science and the ruse of a faux relationship, the dynamics within this book are juicy! Spiciness is to be found in this book and it is rife with consent and mutual respect. I highly encourage all fans of romances to pick up this audiobook and give it a listen!!

I feel like the biggest hurdle with audiobooks is most often the narrator. A narrator can make or break a person's experience with audiobooks. A story can be great, but still not popular in audio format if the narrator doesn't do a good job.

That isn't the case here. Sweet's take on the characters make them come alive. Her voice is nice to listen to and makes the experience enjoyable.

Darcy and Elle's relationship is brought further to life through her and I hope that I get the chance to listen to the other books in the series as they come out.

Darcy and Elle's chemistry felt so organic and I loved their relationship. I can't wait to see what else this author writes!

Sapphic fake dating with astrology?! Yes please!! This book was so warm and funny and comforting (and steamy)! I love the increase in fluffy LGBTQ+ romcoms and am so excited that Bellefleur is committed to keep contributing to that need.

LOVE THIS BOOK!
This “retelling of Prude and Prejudice” and I use quotation marks because there’s not much but allusions to the book. Not necessarily a retelling but is still SOOO good
Both characters are relatable and lovable! All side characters have a purpose although I Will’s ay I would’ve liked for Darcy’s brother to be more fleshed out but he gets a book next so not complaining

Got this NetGalley arc in exchange for an honest review.

Written in the Stars is a heartwarming sapphic romance set against the holiday backdrop of Seattle. It is a fun read with amazing representation, not just in the main characters but the side characters as well; there is a lesbian character, a bisexual character and a pansexual character. With nods to Astrology and an entertaining fake relationship turned real relationship, you won't want to miss this one.

Elle Jones believes in true love, but she hasn’t had much luck on that front lately. Things definitely don’t improve when she gets set up on a blind date with her boss’ sister and every single thing that can go wrong, does. Like, every, single thing.

Darcy mainly agrees to go on this blind date to get her brother to back off and stop pestering her, and despite it being a total disaster, she tells him it went great so he’ll leave her alone and stop worrying that she’ll end up a lonely old cat lady. But she really didn’t think that through, and now she’s going to have to convince Elle to go along with it, at least for a while.

On the surface, the two are chalk and cheese, and absolutely not suited to each other, but they definitely have some seriously hot chemistry. I love a good dislike-to-love trope, and combine that with fake dating…yes, please!

I really enjoyed both Elle and Darcy’s characters. I felt like they were nuanced, messy, real and relatable. I also particularly enjoyed this one because it was set in my home-town of Seattle, holla!

I only dropped my rating a half point because the characters were a little immature for my taste, and their decisions and dialogue could have been leveled up in my opinion, given their ages.

But if you’re like me, and enjoy a side of steam with your romance you won’t be disappointed here. Wowza, this one is smokin’!

The audiobook of Written in the Stars is just over 11 hours long and is narrated by Lauren Sweet. I really enjoy her work, and she has an impressive portfolio of other romances she’s performed so you might recognize her voice.

The second book in the series, Hang the Moon, is about to drop, and I for one can not wait!! So, get yourself a copy of this one and binge it now so you’re ready to read book two!

LOVED this book! What a fun read/listen for all my chick lit fans out there. It was semi-predictable but in the best way possible. The characters gave me all the feels and I want them to be my BFF’s!!

This was one of my favorite books of 2020! Such a heartwarming romance with swoon-worthy characters!

Loved the characters' journeys in this contemporary romance filled with laughs and sweet moments. Would recommend to any romance reader.

One of the sweetest romances I've ever listened to! I believe it will especially appeal to millennials because of many of the references the characters make. (Also, "I like your dress." "Thanks, it has pockets!" Classic.) Unfortunately, the advance audio copy had some feedback that made it difficult for me to listen, but I listened to the official audiobook once it released and the production was great!

Once I started this one I couldn’t stop! Elle, our romantic entrepreneur and astrologist, and Darcy, the reserved numbers actuary who secretly loved daytime soaps 😂, didn’t quite hit it off on their first date. Can these complete opposites keep up a fake dating routine for their families sakes then?

Goodness... it is witty, hilarious, and #ownvoices story and just damn good. The audio is perfect for the alternating perspectives of the two women and so well done. Enjoy!

This is a super cute and funny read. I love that they were drawn to each other but also had a bit of differences that made them uncertain if they could make it work or not. That made it seem more realistic. I thought they were an adorable couple and i was rooting for them the entire time. I was secretly hoping that the brother would also find someone for himself as well! I really enjoyed this book. As with any romance, i felt it was a bit predictable. They meet. Fall for each other. Break up. Get back together. The circumstances about how they broke up were super predictable tho, clearly it would have to do with the {spoiler ahead!}

With the.. mom. Nevertheless it was cute. I adored them. I loved the narration. I would possibly have preferred there to be two narrators for each female to help discern who was who since you kind of hear it from each of their perspectives within the same chapters tho

🎧 Book Review 🎧 ⁣
𝗪𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 by 𝘈𝘭𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘶𝘳⁣
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Much like Red, White and Royal Blue, this book surprised me and kept me giggling at the romance between Darcy and Elle. Two totally different women who are brought together by a nosey (well-intentioned brother) to pretend they’re in a relationship to get through the holidays. Problem is that they’re polar opposites from the start! ⁣
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Darcy is an actuary (𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵) who swears off love after the end of another relationship. On the other side of the duo, we have Elle who is a romantic at heart... her feelings are deep & unapologetically on her sleeve. She also runs a social media account based on astrology with that aforementioned brother 😉𝘠𝘦𝘱, 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵. ⁣
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Contemporary romance love at its finest! This was a treat to read. Although technically I listened to it and I have to give kudos to the narrator because she did a brilliant job. ⁣
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𝘖𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝟷𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟶, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘸! 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 @𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (4.5 stars)

Written in the Stars tells the story of Elle, a twitter-famous social media astrologer, and Darcy, a skeptical actuary who’s secret obsession is watching daytime soap operas. These two couldn’t appear more different from the outset. And when they first meet, disaster strikes in the form of a truly horrible blind date. (We’re talking drinks spilled, outfits ruined, the whole nine yards!)

But both Darcy and Elle have reasons for making this relationship work – or at least, pretending to; Darcy to get her lovestruck brother off her back, and Elle to prove to her family that she can be “serious” about stuff. What neither of them plan on is actually falling in love…

This book surprised me!

Before even turning a page of this story I had already read tons of praise for it… So much so in fact that I had pretty high expectations going in to it. So when I found it starting out a bit slow for my tastes, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it as much as I had hoped.

But BOY, did it ever prove me wrong! Quickly, without my even noticing, Written in Stars had sucked me in until I was hanging on each and every word.

And those sex scenes?!!

VERY. HOT.

If your girl wasn’t completely sold before those, she definitely was after!

I think a big reason I wasn’t entirely sold on this novel when I started it was because I had certain expectations going in after being told it was a queer retelling. While there’s definitely nods to Pride and Prejudice and Bridget Jones’ Diary, I wouldn’t recommend it to readers looking for a tried-and-true modern f/f re-imagination of Jane Austen’c classic.

I think comparing Written in the Stars to Pride and Prejudice actually does it an injustice.

Written in the Stars is a romance in its own right, and a fabulous one at that! (Elle in particular was an individual treat, entirely unlike Lizzie Bennet!) It has unique characters, with unique motives, and its own unique plot. One that’s so tooth-achingly sweet you’re sure to get a mouth full of cavities from reading it~ (And teary eyed too!)

Written in the Stars was an achingly romantic read. One I definitely plan on reading again… and again!

Even with its somewhat rocky start, Written in the Stars manages to be one of the best romance novel I’ve read this year, by far. What a wonderful story! It’s sweet, charismatic; and equal fun as it is thoughtful.

If you’re a fan of queer romcoms, I can’t recommend this title highly enough! It’s sure to leave you feeling absolutely satiated.

Thank you to the publisher, HarperAudio, and NetGalley for providing me an e-ARC of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

Synopsis: an #ownvoices, queer rom-com, Written in the Stars follows free-spirited Elle, a social media astrologist, and uptight Darcy, an actuary, while they navigate a fake relationship to please their families. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings for each other. Do opposites really attract?

Highlights
✨ a sweet, fun, steamy, heartwarming book with good chemistry, two strong female protagonists, and some astrology. What’s not to love?
✨i really enjoyed this story and all of the characters! I felt like i was just hanging out with my friends through all the 300+ pages, particularly since I was listening to the audiobook
✨ I’ve always been a sucker for the fake dating trope and this one did not disappoint! 👏🏼
✨ i enjoyed the different mediums used in this books: text messages, emojis, and astrological updates. Give me a listical of what breakup song each zodiac sign listens to or what their go-to snack is any day. I eat that shit up 😂

Lowlights
✨i felt like the shift in their feelings for each other wasn’t fully fleshed out and happened a little abruptly for my liking
✨ the ending was a bit rushed. I think it would have been perfect had the author added an epilogue

Written in the Stars was a delightful grumpy/sunshine romance that tugged at the heartstrings.

Elle was a romantic and made her living doing contract work for a new online dating app. Her new boss, Brendon, set her up with his sister Darcy and while the two didn't have the meet-cute Brendon had hoped for, they still got their happily ever after. Darcy and Elle were complete opposites; Darcy was prickly and didn't know if she believed in love and Elle was looking for the One. Bellefleur mixed humor and family angst without one overpowering the other, this made both Darcy and Elle come across as well rounded characters.

I opted to go the audiobook route and I was impressed with Lauren Sweet's performance. She captured Elle's whimsical nature while also conveying Darcy's sardonic outlook. Written in the Stars was a romance that left me with a smile on my face and was just what I needed.

Astrology. Pride and Prejudice references. Fake dating. What's not to love about this book? As soon as I read that this book featured an astrology element I had to read it. It was something unique and as a lover of all things astrology, I loved all the nods to the stars in this story.

Elle and Darcy are very different people (based loosely on Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice). Elle is a social media astrologist and Darcy is an actuary who doesn't believe the stars say anything about people. They end up in a fake relationship to appease their friends and family and eventually they become friends and fall in love.

This book was so cute. It had undeniable chemistry, endearing prose, relatable characters, a unique concept, and all the warm and fuzzies one wants from a rom-com. I was rooting for Elle and Darcy from the first disastrous date and they were honestly written in the stars despite being such opposites. This was a great book and for an added bonus, it took place during the holidays which made it the perfect read for this time of year.

*Thank you NetGalley and Harper Audio for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.