Author Gretchen Schreiber’s story is enticing, and her exploration of the power of choice is worthwhile. The story is fairly predictable; I knew the outcome early on, and the aunts’ manipulation of Piper is beyond frustrating. Good book, first time reading from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC for honest review.

All the Stars Align is a sweet story, but it was just an okay book overall. The writing is fine, but there were a lot of grammatical errors. The storyline was predictable, but the characters were pretty likable. There were a couple of mentions of a bisexual experience that seemed out of place and forced. Maybe it was to support the “I am who I am no matter what you want me to be” theme. I loved the inclusion of the main character having scoliosis and some physical issues because of having it. There was some language in it which made it more appropriate for a YA novel, but I felt like the love triangle angst was more on a junior high level. Anyone who has ever had trouble with feeling “seen” or been steered into a certain type of job or relationship because of their family’s history will be able to relate to this book.

This book was ok, but not great.

I really liked Piper's character for most of the book, but her unwillingness to look beyond "The Blessing" for love was hard.

I know, it's just a story, but I do feel that sometimes people ignore love that's right in front of them, in the hopes of finding something better.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! This was really cute and heartwarming, with an interesting magical twist

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"You asked Fate for a love that your family would talk about forever," he says and flips the coin into the pool. "They won't forget us."


Okay, All the Stars Align was all kinds of cute. I really enjoyed watching Piper and Leo fall in love. There's just something special about friends becoming lovers. Especially when they both had crushes on one another. Throw in some magic about finding your true love, and that might make things a bit messy.

I truly thought Leo had a crush on her the entire time and was just waiting for this guy to say it out loud. Then with Piper, we always knew she felt some type of way but didn't think he felt the same. So, yeah, they did what all normal people would do in this situation... push the other away. As for Forest, meh. He could be a great friend... to them. Maybe. I don't know.

Love triangles are a hit or miss. I'm honestly not a fan of them and I didn't really care for this one. Mostly because I knew in my heart that Leo and Piper were endgame. If they weren't, well, then I would be planning a riot. Then there's Diana and Lauren; they totally had those vibes and I'm glad that Piper now knows.

This was such a cute book, and I can't wait for the next one Gretchen writes!

Oh, to find the true love! This is that story, family pressure, ticking clock and the women in her life know the moment they meet the one. No pressure at all. Maybe she missed it and she already met the one? She is going to need all the help she needs to she enlists her friend Leo.

This a cute story of family, finding love and loving yourself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book for my honest review.

A quick take: I do tend to enjoy YA but I think I've read so much that eventually things just become to easy for me to figure out what is going to happen before it does.

Unfortunately this felt like a case of an interesting premise that didn't quite live up to what was promised. What could have unfolded as a deeply meaningful story about choosing your own life vs the life chosen for you, with some magical realism thrown in, fell a little flat. The pacing was a bit rough, and the characters felt younger than 18. I guessed the ending very early on, and felt a little exhausted by how long it took the characters to come to the same conclusion. I appreciated the disability representation but it also felt a little off to me, as thought it was an after thought instead of a more integrated part of the main character. It wasn't a bad book, but it also wasn't great.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute, fun YA novel. I enjoyed reading it a lot!

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

3-stars

All the Stars Align is a very sweet YA romance that was a great palate cleanser for me! The main character Piper lives under the pressure of her family traditions and grapples with the possibility of being one of the only family member who doesn't get a chance to participate in them. She has to make some hard decisions about living true to herself or giving in to the expectations her extended family has for her.

I think this story would be a perfect read for teenage readers, and I think younger me would have eaten this up! I really appreciated the representation of a disabled character and how the author put some of her own life experiences into that representation.

The story, for me, ended up being very predictable which made it difficult to get through at times, but I know a lot of people would really love this take on a story about Fate and decisions.

2.5 stars

A somewhat cute, but rather predictable YA romance. The story focuses on Fate and believing it can do everything for you and knows what's best. It also focuses on family and how they are the most important thing and know Fate will fix it all. Supposedly.

The main character, Piper, believes in her family's Blessing and is waiting for her turn to receive it. The Blessing chooses the person's love, and Piper's family believes it is the most important thing and no one should ever go against it or the family itself. I found myself frustrated a lot with this book. Piper believes in the Blessing and not disappointing her family so much that she won't make any choices or herself. Her job, her college degree, her love life, everything revolves around what her family wants and letting the Blessing choose her love for her. Because she believes so much in all of this, she can't see how incredibly toxic her aunts are.

Piper's parents divorced, going against the Blessing and everything the family stands for, Piper can't accept this at first, and conspires with her aunts to get them back together. No one can accept that Piper's parents went against the Blessing and have their own thoughts and dreams and feelings. Piper's aunts basically threaten her with getting them back together in order for her to be able to take over the family jewelry business. Towards the end of the book the aunts pull an absolutely ridiculous stunt, which for any normal family would have been waaaay over the line and really ground in how toxic they are. Just because you have a family doesn't mean they are always good or that you have to stick by them no matter what.

The romance and how everything works out is rather predictable. There is a love triangle, which I don't generally enjoy, that comes about because of the Blessing and Piper's absolute stubbornness over it. Also, you will never forget there is a Blessing, as it is mentioned on damn near every page. And if it's not, then fate is.

I think this will appeal to younger teenagers. Though the teens in this are all 18, they certainly don't act like it most of the time. But the whole Fate and Blessing storyline will fit better with a younger crowd than those of us who have grown up and out of those kinds of things.

I just need to start by saying definitely Taylor swift vibes. Loved the romance and it felt like a Taylor swift album.

Fate or Free will? The fmc’s family is all about fate. They believe their family’s gift is knowing who “the one” for them is when they meet them. The fmc feels left out because she hasn’t met her one yet and longs to meet her soulmate and feel like she is part of her family. In some ways, this gave Encanto vibes mixed with a YA romance. I really enjoyed the disability rep and the ending. It was a fun YA novel, even it was predictable.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the arc. All opinions are my own and freely given.

This was a cute ya novel that has a lot of differently abled representation that just read a touch to juvenile for me. This book follows Piper who comes from a family that has a gift when they see their “One” they know. When Pipers parents divorce the family is convinced their blessing is broken and they must get the parents back together to fix it. Piper is upset that she has not yet found her One but that’s all about to change as she sets her sights on her new classmate Forest but her best friend Leo may have something to say about it after all. Overall this was a cute sweet low romance ya story. Personally it was a little to juvenile for a high school senior focusing on first boyfriends and first kisses so it was a little to young for me,which I can see younger audiences really enjoying. The writing was a bit clunky at times for example the beginning put so much focus on a parent trap kind of storyline but it felt a bit unnecessary. Overall I don’t think this was necessarily for me personally but I could see younger teens enjoying the cute story. I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

How much pressure would you have if your family had a history of finding your true love, the most amazing, love of a lifetime love? And what if your parents who had that same magical love of a lifetime love were no longer together? And your senior year is about to start? And you’ve never been kissed? And you’ve always felt like the odd duck? Piper just wants to belong, to her family’s magical history, to her perfect, forever love, and with her best friend, Leo, who’s stepped away from their lifelong friendship as their senior year starts. Fate/the Blessing brings Forest into her life as she and her aunts launch a quest to reunite her separated parents. Parent Trap and Cyrano de Bergerac hijinks leave Piper searching for some hard truths about friendship, family, and love. This is novel is clearly for all the girls raised on Disney princess movies and YA HEAs.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This was a cute palate cleanser of a book that does feel very YA but does tackle disability awareness and how this does have an effect on perception and romance. While Piper's exact disabilities are not disclosed, that does not matter in the least - what matters is that this does separate her from her family in a real way that most brush aside which can be even more hurtful. I enjoyed seeing Piper mature throughout the story as she began to understand her parents better as well as her friends and family pressures. There are some small dangling threads I wanted more of but they did not take away from my overall enjoyment. 3.5 stars.

Does fate truly choose your forever love, or do can you take matters into your own hands?
Piper comes from a long line of women, who believed in fate choosing their forever love. Their love stories are the stuff that people write and dream about. Piper is in her senior year of high school and she thinks fate has forgotten her. There has been no immediate spark, no “there he is” sign. Until she meets Forrest. Forrest seems perfect, he is kind and patient. He is also friends with Piper’s childhood friend, Leo, who does not seem to approve of their budding romance.

All the stars align is a sweet YA romance. Pipers disability is a big part of her life, but it definitely does not hold her back. I thought it was very nicely done, even though I may not be the complete target audience for it. I’m sure YA readers would love this sweet story.

Piper lives in the town of Crescent Falls where supposedly Fate came to rest by the water and blessed some of the families with special gifts. For Piper’s family it was the gift of finding their soulmate, the perfect person who will make them happy throughout life.

Piper is excited to meet her soulmate and has her whole life planned out hinging upon meeting the perfect one. However, when she finally feels that bond, she is thrown into uncertainty. Should she follow the path of fate and tradition or take a chance and follow her heart?

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First of all, I loved the nonchalant inclusivity in this book. The main character is handicapped and mentions how it affects her throughout the story. She worries that she doesn’t measure up due to her handicap and that is so relatable whether you are handicapped or for a myriad of other reasons. Secondly, she doesn’t seem to care in way or another if her soulmate is a boy or girl and I love that.

I felt the characters were relatable and easy to connect with. However, as a lot of these romances go, I found the plot predictable. But if you are looking for a feel good, fate-touched romance with some empowering themes, look no further!

“A touch of Fate and all the stars align . . .” 🏹💝💫

a special thank you to Net Galley, Wednesday Books & St.MartinPress for allowing me access to an Advanced Reader’s Copy of All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schreiber!! it’s an absolute privilege to receive an ARC & i’m so honored to be able to share a honest review in exchange.

✨ publication date: april 1st, 2025

review: ★ ★ ★ ★ (03/31/25)
a sweet, magical YA story that can remind you the importance of doing things because you want to.

i love the idea of trusting Fate & the Blessing but i am believer that you are always the one in charge of your future!! you make the choice to trust your gut.

i love the (visible & invisible) disability representation, both are so crucial. Piper (FMC) is so much stronger and more deserving than she realizes. i loved reading about Leo helping her to open up, we can see from the start that he truly gets her.

Schreiber did an amazing job of balancing all the conflicting factors on Piper’s mind. i also think the messiness & meddling created interesting drama and tensions while being fairly realistic!

i will say the end game couple was clear from the start, so the ending could not come soon enough!!! i, especially, loved the sweet moments at the end.

Piper’s family is ruled by Fate. They all know their true love at first sight, except Piper is disabled and her parents are divorced, so she thinks Fate has forgotten her. She finally meets someone who could be the one, but when she messes up their first meeting, she turns to her best friend for advice, except her best friend is also in love with her.

This story was so annoying. Piper was about to graduate high school and her aunts were all grown adults, yet they were all whiny and childish. The repetition about the Blessing and Piper’s disability was also infuriating. The characters had no concept of logic. The plot was intriguing because of the potential for magical realism, but no, there was no magic, there were just manipulative bratty characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.