Reviews with content warning for Grief - Written in the Stars

It was really nice to see a storyline where the romance took the front seat instead of any doubts, concerns or problems that arose from the sexuality of the characters. The exploration of the relationship between the girls and their mothers had my attention, especially Elle’s conflict with her family. I love how Darcy stood up for her (the cilantro line was adorable).

There were a few occasions where the dialogue seemed more reading-of-the-slide than an authentic conversation. Elle reads Darcy’s birth chart, but it felt like an excerpt from Co-Star than a conversation between two people (Darcy being a Capricorn stellium is so on the nose, I don’t know if I love or hate it). The third act was such a letdown — the conflict seemed very feigned, the resolution was abrupt and it really could have done with an NYE epilogue.

A cute and romantic story set in the holiday season with fake dating, opposites attract, and grumpy vs sunshine. The romance was sweet, despite some minor issues, and it was nice to see how Darcy and Elle helped each other grow as individuals. For the most part, the writing was good and I loved the text messages and zodiac posts scattered around the book. Ultimately, a fun read but nothing memorable.

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sophie42's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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wilybooklover's review

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

3.5

I love an Austen retelling. I liked both of the main characters, but their families were pretty terrible which kind of brought the mood down. The third-act breakup was kind of contrived (but when isn't it?).

The way that Darcy's brother pressured her into dating again and outs the (fake) relationship to Elle's family (without knowing whether or not she was out to them or even if it was safe to do so) was really not cool either. I wish the characters had called him out a bit more on his behaviour.

Overall though a very cute read with some pop astrology, an escape room, and fake dating.

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kfmcf's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I think I liked the writing of this book more than I liked the book itself. I'm not one for the fake dating trope (I think it's fantastic when done well but leaves me uninterested when not overtly successful). I wanted to feel the chemistry between the characters more than I did. Elle also felt a little MPDG to me.
I am very interested in the sequels. I do think the writing of this book is what kept me going. And since I like Brendon and Margot more than Elle (sorry not sorry), I have a feeling I will like the next books more. I'm hoping this series progresses like the Talia Hibbert trilogy where they improve with time.
ALL that aside, I do think that bi representation is extremely important and Bellefleur does a great job with it. A lot of bi rep in books makes it feel like it's the character's only or leading by a mile personality trait, but it really just felt like it was just an inherent part of Elle.
I also did like the astrology lists. They were very cute, I am not going to lie

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marareading's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I got this one from my library on audio. I don't know if the audio had a negative outcome with my experience but I didn't enjoy this book. It has everything I should want technically. It has lesbian and Bi rep, a pride and prejudice retelling, AND fake dating. But Darcy's brother was a pushy tool with no emotional boundaries. The audio made Elle sound very whiney instead of quirky. I really struggled to get on board with the ending as it was. *(Slight spoiler moment at the bottom so bare of reading where it's is labeled). I related a lot to Darcy, but the story just didn't come together for me.

Darcy has been hurt before and left the east coast for the PNW to restart her life. She is guarded and very calculated because she doesn't want to get hurt again. He brother is very pushy about her "getting out there again and sets her up on dates all the time. He sets her up with Elle. A quirky, lice life by her guy instinct, boxed wine drinking, astrology lover, who is her exact opposite. To appease her brother they fake date... And it startles them both when there might be something there.

<Spoiler> At the end Elle was very pushy that Darcy didn't feel and express emotions on her timeline and then it was Darcy's fault and she was apologizing? This was the real kicker for me. The whole book everyone was pushing Darcy to feel and do things she expressly didn't want to and wasn't ready for without listening. <Spoiler>

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storykath's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Another day, another queer romance novel!

I love reading about queer relationships, but I'm still not a big enough fan of the romance genre in general to rate this very highly. All my complaints about this book are just aspects of the romance genre, which are not bad in and of themselves, just not my own preference. As with most romance that I've read, this is a fun read that looks at some deeper themes while keeping everything neatly packaged and mildly unrealistic.

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