A review by empathephant
Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Okay, I will preface this by saying this is the first adult romance I have ever successfully read. I don't know which of the things that irritated me are a product of the genre vs the book. On the other hand, this is the first adult romance I have successfully read, so that says something I think. I nearly put it down at the beginning for the cheesiness and predictability, but I'm glad I decided to roll with it and stick around for the journey.

I had a lot of fun with these characters. I loved the pop culture references and the name-dropping of real places and restaurants in Seattle (drooling over these new additions to me To Eat list!) I even learned a lot about astrology, something I've never had much of an interest in, and am more open to exploring that now. So good job, book. It's set around the holidays, which I didn't know before reading, so perfect Hallmark Christmas movie fodder. Get on that Netflix.

My main complaint was (vague/general spoilers about character development)
Elle's lack of character development, whereas Darcy was the one who had to do all the growing. Both characters had interesting flaws and backstories and I liked seeing them play against one another. But it wasn't until the very end that Elle had any aha moments, and  even then Darcy was the main focus. It made if feel a little like the book was passing moral judgement on personality styles - Elle was a bit of a MPDG, perfect the way she is, just misunderstood, while Darcy had (understandable given her background but unfortunately) The Wrong Attitude. Like I get that this is a romance novel so it's probably going to side with the hopeless romantic in order for the plot to like, function. But I wanted to see a *little more* of Elle at least recognizing what made Darcy's inherent personality great and not just having fun changing her or seeing what's underneath.


NEVERTHELESS! I will probably read the second novel in this series despite not being as into it because it isn't an f/f relationship. So take that as you will.
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