3.5 stars - I really liked it! I loved Miranda and Asher’s relationship. The thing that bothered me about this book was how her family was unsupportive and just magically came around at the end all together. There were moments like that which made it feel too predictable, but it’s cute, light and a great story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5/5 stars

Lauren Layne is an autobuy author and this was another hit. After getting passed over for tenure and having her life upended in the process, physics professor, Miranda, decides to live by her horoscope predictions for a year. What happens when she meets a grumpy artist who the stars say is a terrible match for her?

Gah. So good. I adored Miranda and her romance with Archer is hilarious, heartfelt, and steamy. I loved their rooftop antics. Lauren Layne books always make me smile.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am always rooting for Lauren Layne and was thrilled to death when I saw she had a new book for us! While usually I am right on the nose with all the interests and references Layne includes I have to admit I am not a star sign girl so I was a little skeptical, but I did let myself get sucked and thoroughly enjoyed this one. I would however be lying if I failed to mention that if you are a lover of the OG Layne style books (and read them as comfort reads like I do) than you will still find this as a slight departure and therefore a disappointment like her most previous book with her husband, but I would relate it to Taylor Swift changing genres/eras....I will support and enjoy anything these to do.

✨ARC REVIEW✨

4.25 ✨

This was absolutely adorable and such a feel good love story.

I needed something light and fluffy after reading some seriously sad books. This lifted my spirits right up, and I found myself not being able to put it down.

Lauren is seriously so good at writing humor and banter. Because of that, this story had me so giddy and cheering on our cute couple, Miranda and Archer.

Miranda is going on a new journey...an astronomical journey. She's taking a sabbatical at work because she's been denied tenor track, something she's always thought she wanted. She decides to take her daily horoscopes and apply them to her everyday life to step out of her comfort zone. A storyline that is truly unique and fun.

While staying at her aunt's place, she meets her grumpy artist neighbor, Archer, and it's banter at first sight. So of course I fell in love with them instantly.

Archer is that broody, mysterious artist type and I was really digging his vibe. I like how he tried to play everything off as if he doesn't care when deep down you know he does. His "annoyance" of Miranda is anything but and it was actually adorable. I loved their chemistry and I loved how comfortable they got with each other. They really made the most perfect friends to lovers.

I loved seeing Miranda grow and learn what she really wants in life. I loved watching Archer start to lose his facade of being annoyed by Miranda and seeing "ah, this could be more and I could get hurt because...feelings". Again, it was so CUTE.

Was this absolutely cheesy and predictable? OF COURSE. But if you want a feel good, homey and cozy quick read, than pick this up!

I think, for me, it was a little too cheesy at times and I was feeling a little "okay, we get it" when it came to talking about the zodiacs and stars aligning and all that star talk. I understand Miranda works in the sky but it started to feel repetitive.

I was also kind of confused at first about timing because weeks and months would just pass and I'd be like "uhm, I think I missed a week". The chapter titles are basically a date and you kind of have to know astronomical talk to know what month it is. REGARDLESS, I did really enjoy this book.

I really love how everything came full circle in the end. The end did feel a little rushed but I loved it anyway.

Truthfully, this just felt cozy and cute and such a feel good book. There may be flaws here and there but at the end of the day, you can easily look past them to experience a fun time. I got some really good chuckles out of this and I really did feel myself gushing over these two.

Thank you to Lauren Layne and NetGalley for the arc copy!

If you’re like me and you need your grinchy heart to grow three sizes, read this book!
Miranda’s bid for tenure is unrealized and a forced sabbatical later, she’s sitting on her aunt’s roof with a grump next door insisting she “get off his lawn”. Her whole life has revolved around higher learning and now that she’s at loose ends, Miranda agrees to see the stars from an astrologist’s perspective instead. Her horoscope now rules her day.
This is such a happy feel good kind of read. Miranda almost has a coming of age story while she grapples with what she actually wants versus what she’s always been told she wants. I love, love, LOVED Archer and his endless dry commentary and reluctant assistance.
Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

LL never misses for me, I swear every time I finish one of her books I’m ridiculously happy and giddy and this was no exception. The romance here is a super slow burn, some angst and the authors signature witty banter. I’m not into astrology but this actually made me wanna dive into it a little more, the way it was woven into the story was delightful and interesting. Miranda and Archer’s romance was both swoony and sweet and this one is closed door but no worries, they still had fantastic chemistry. Next time you want a feel good, charming romance try this!

Lauren Layne does romance so well. This was such a fun story with each chapter starting with Miranda's horoscope. Miranda is college professor who was denied for tenure and is taking a forced sabbatical who takes care of her aunt's house. She meets the mysterious grumpy neighbor, Archer. They start chatting and she shares her change in process using astrology to guide her sabbatical. Their interaction and banter was perfection. I enjoyed their tension and Miranda's journey to discovering herself.

Thank you @gallerybooks @netgalley for a copy of this book.

Miranda in Retrograde is my new favorite book by Lauren Layne! As a longtime fan of Layne, I was excited to see that she was branching into the "STEM" sub-genre. I thought she did great with the STEM elements. Layne added in enough elements to make the STEM storyline believable. I liked the idea of the main character taking a year off to explore astrology. I was surprised to learn so much about astrology! Layne did a great job explaining all of the astrological information in simple terms. I liked that each chapter started with a horoscope. It added a fun element of foreshadowing to each chapter. My favorite part of the story was the main characters. Miranda and Archer are my favorite couple of Layne's. I loved their tension and banter. I also liked how their relationship progressed. Their scenes together felt so natural. Archer was a prickly, but sweet main character. His nickname for Miranda was adorable! I thought Miranda was relatable and compelling. I enjoyed reading her perspective. This book felt different compared to Layne's previous works...and I'm here for it! Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC.

After getting rejected for tenure, Miranda takes a sabbatical and decides she needs a change. Tenure has been her sole focus, but when her friend talks about her horoscope, Miranda decides to follow and study it for the year. Since her housing is through the university, she accepts her aunts invitation to live in her home while she is living in Florida. Will the stars have the answers to fix Miranda’s life?

Ahh Lauren Layne is just an absolute delight of an author! I seriously love her books so much! While I am not a big horoscope girl, I could totally see how Miranda was someone that needed to live her life by some sort of rules, and that astrology fit the bill perfectly. I just loved this story and the journey Miranda went on trying to find what she truly wanted in her life. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you have loved Layne’s previous books, you will love this one as well!

Thank you to @gallerybooks for my gifted copy of this book!

3-3.5 stars. Miranda Reed is a bit of a phenom in her field because she has the brains and clout as a professor, but she is also a bit of a mini STEM celebrity. Yet that's not enough when she finds out that she is passed over for tenure at her university. Taking a year sabbatical and wondering if science is all wrong for her because of the facts and data, she tries a different approach where she leans on astrology and relies on her horoscope to live out each day.

The premise of the story is cute and I like astrology. I couldn't blame Miranda for feeling so blindsided and wanting better for her, meaning that she should leave the university and share her talents elsewhere if that was an option. Her new lease on life with trying to explore different avenues and new experiences was refreshing, especially in the romance department. While it started out fun, I didn't really get too invested in her romantic prospects or the actual daily horoscope readings. However, her character development was well done with her questioning her pursuits in life and what mattered most to her even if it was contrary to what she had been brought up to believe. And while Miranda was likely none the wiser for a while, the reader knows which guy is right for her and it was almost perfect how the stars aligned in that regard.

4.5 Stars

Miranda Reed is a science celebrity and adored professor facing the biggest setback of her career... denial of tenure. Miranda not only faces an unplanned sabbatical, but offers have dried up for TV appearances, and maybe a slight crisis of identity. Now is the time for her to try something new... but spending her year following astrology? No one who knows her saw that one coming...

Simon Archer is Miranda's new temporary neighbor... and he is less than delightful to be around. The gruff, grouchy artist doesn't have time for Miranda's staunch approach to life. But when these two opposites find a common ground... or rooftop, their lives just might change forever...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miranda in Retrograde was a slow burn romance that was more about Miranda finding herself than a man doing it for her. Miranda and Archer share a delightful love/hate relationship that does a good job of masking how they truly feel about each other.

As a scientist, Miranda is a celebrity in her field, and had always envisioned her life on a certain path. But with the denial of her tenure at her university, she is suddenly left without a clear picture of her future... for the first time in her life. 

Archer is a closed book when it comes to getting to know him, but little by little, he and Miranda find a common ground. He is a well-known artist, known for being elusive, but Miranda sees him in quite a different light... mostly that of an annoying neighbor. 

I adored the relationship between Miranda and Archer, their banter was top-notch, and you could practically feel the sexual tension emanating between them. Archer drove Miranda crazy, and I loved how he made himself at home in her house, much to her exasperation. 

This book was a romance read, but did not feature a whole lot of steam on its pages. There were spicy shared kisses, and all the relationship progression needed in a romance. I thought it was a highly enjoyable read, even without a plethora of sexy moments... and that's saying something!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

I'm not sure what is going on with me and Lauren Layne books lately but I've been extremely underwhelmed with her last few books. This one felt like an attempt to grab onto some of that Ali Hazelwood STEM-romance magic but without any of the research or background knowledge. I rolled my eyes at several moments in this story and said "ugh" out loud twice.

If you've never read any of her better ones or are looking for a REALLY lighthearted and simple romance, then this one is up your alley. I'm rounding up from a 2.5 to a generous 3.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute book. It follows Miranda as she is forced to take a sabbatical after being denied tenure. She decides to use her time off to follow astrology and make choices based on her daily horoscope. I enjoyed watching her dive into this different type of science, meet new people, and be forced to really think about what she wants to do with her life/career. This is a very easy/quick book to read. There is no steam, but a cute little romance.

Thanks Gallery books for the eARC.

This book was an easy read, and those of us familiar with Lauren Layne’s work will find the usual NYC setting and banter we are accustomed to after all these years.
Having Miranda be a scientist and professor was a nice change of pace. I learned more about astrology than I ever knew existed.

But this book was just “meh” for me. I didn’t get annoyed with anything. But I didn’t feel any connection to Miranda, and I definitely do not know why or how Archer fell in love with her. Because this book was single POV, having Miranda be crushing on/dating Christian for 70% of the book did not help build the romance between Archer and Miranda. If anything, this was a story of Miranda finding herself and what she wanted to do with her career.

There were some cute and sweet moments between the MCs. I do not mind that this book has only a kiss.

The fact that they confess feelings and then -💥- epilogue and HEA. There was no time seeing them as a couple in love. It just didn’t land for me. Sadly, because I really, really wanted to love it.

4.5 stars/ Lauren Layne is one of my favorite authors. I found her during COVID and devoured all her books on my nook. If you enjoy contemporary romantic comedies in Manhattan with lovable characters that go through many ups and downs, like your favorite Nancy Meyers movies, then you can't go wrong with any of Lauren's books.

Miranda's life is turned upside down when she doesn't receive an expected tenure track as a science professor in New York. She decides to spend her sabbatical licking her wounds and living in her eccentric aunt's apartment next to a grumpy artist neighbor. Miranda's best friend believes in astrology, and they come up with the idea to live her sabbatical through astrology readings that are bound to push her out of her comfort zone and remind her that she's more than her work. I enjoyed all the characters in this story and loved the chemistry between Miranda and her neighbor. However, I loved how Lauren incorporated another romantic love interest and the sweet storyline between Miranda and his daughter. I felt it was all nicely tied up in the end.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderfully delightful rom com. Lauren Layne never fails when it comes to sweet, funny and witty banter. I loved learning about star signs and the different ways to read them. A truly charming love story.

In the sea of the current romance literature, I've come to appreciate Lauren Layne It's time we didn't take her for granted. She has remained consistent in releasing light, fun romances that carry a punch and have a insightful element. The humor never tips to the vulgar side and puts off the reader. This particular one was a usual delight. Opposing personalities and gradual descent to love never fails to work for me. It's a gold mark. The tension was palpable, as it always in Layne's works. Another hit incoming!

A stellar book — with great characters full of banter, emotion and depth.

Miranda has just had a huge let down in her career path and decides to take a year off work and does a follow your astrology horoscope everyday for the year as a form of self - discovery — in the mean time she is housesitting for her aunt and develops a friendship with her neighbour Archer. The chemistry was great throughout and I was invested in the story, characters and outcome. I was immediately drawn into the this fast paced romantic read.

This is a fun, sweet, fast-paced romance for those who enjoy the grumpy-sunshine tropes, STEM heroine stories, low-spice romances, and romantic comedy mixed all in one.


Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

I loved and adored Lauren Layne's previous book earlier this year, so I was elated to see that she has a new one coming out! This one had all the heart of its predecessor, and I had a really great time with it.

This was a cute romantic comedy. I enjoyed the tension and buildup of the characters, especially in their rooftop setting. The astrology aspect was unique and interesting. I think this will appeal to romcom fans.