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A review by rynfrances
Written In The Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur
4.0
I received an ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review of the book.
This book is pitched as a queer rom-com take on “Bridget Jones” and “Pride and Prejudice”. I am a sucker for retellings, so I was quick to grab this ARC. One of the things I think Bellefleur does really well is developing the story beyond just being a retelling. Unlike some stories where it feels like the author just did a “find and replace” search while writing to update a story for a newer Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Contemporary/etc. take, this book really felt like it had more plot substance. The “retelling” was really more in terms of how the characters were developed.
The book also relies on the “fake relationship” trope which I’ve seen trending in a lot of the fiction that’s been published lately, but it works well here. I feel a bit like Darcy can’t be blamed for the ridiculous lengths she goes to, to avoid awkward or annoying conversations with her brother. Honestly, who doesn’t have an overly involved or nosy family member that they’ve tried to dodge or deter?
I don’t know much about astrology, but that wasn’t an impediment from enjoying the story. I thought Elle was a really fun character and really felt for her. I appreciated the way the author handled the toxic family situation.
This book was light, cozy, and charming. It’s just the right thing to pick up when you need a sliver of relief from the crushing weight of the world and the gloomy exhaustion of living through a global pandemic.
I'm always excited when I can find more diverse publishings for our adult fiction section of the library. Too often it feels like the diversity and fun stuff is limited to kidlit or the YA section. Overall, the majority of adult fiction (that I see) still feels pretty starchy and bland. I am heartened though by some of the growing offerings in New Adult (NA) fiction.
This book is pitched as a queer rom-com take on “Bridget Jones” and “Pride and Prejudice”. I am a sucker for retellings, so I was quick to grab this ARC. One of the things I think Bellefleur does really well is developing the story beyond just being a retelling. Unlike some stories where it feels like the author just did a “find and replace” search while writing to update a story for a newer Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Contemporary/etc. take, this book really felt like it had more plot substance. The “retelling” was really more in terms of how the characters were developed.
The book also relies on the “fake relationship” trope which I’ve seen trending in a lot of the fiction that’s been published lately, but it works well here. I feel a bit like Darcy can’t be blamed for the ridiculous lengths she goes to, to avoid awkward or annoying conversations with her brother. Honestly, who doesn’t have an overly involved or nosy family member that they’ve tried to dodge or deter?
I don’t know much about astrology, but that wasn’t an impediment from enjoying the story. I thought Elle was a really fun character and really felt for her. I appreciated the way the author handled the toxic family situation.
This book was light, cozy, and charming. It’s just the right thing to pick up when you need a sliver of relief from the crushing weight of the world and the gloomy exhaustion of living through a global pandemic.
I'm always excited when I can find more diverse publishings for our adult fiction section of the library. Too often it feels like the diversity and fun stuff is limited to kidlit or the YA section. Overall, the majority of adult fiction (that I see) still feels pretty starchy and bland. I am heartened though by some of the growing offerings in New Adult (NA) fiction.