Score: 4.5/5 Bookmarks

Steam Rating: 🍆🍆🍆/5

Thank you to Avon Books and Harper Audio for my gifted copies of Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur.

Elle Jones believes in true love, but she hasn’t had much luck on that front lately. Things definitely don’t improve when she gets set up on a blind date with her boss’ sister and every single thing that can go wrong, does. Like, every, single thing.

Darcy mainly agrees to go on this blind date to get her brother to back off and stop pestering her, and despite it being a total disaster, she tells him it went great so he’ll leave her alone and stop worrying that she’ll end up a lonely old cat lady. But she really didn’t think that through, and now she’s going to have to convince Elle to go along with it, at least for a while.

On the surface, the two are chalk and cheese, and absolutely not suited to each other, but they definitely have some seriously hot chemistry. I love a good dislike-to-love trope, and combine that with fake dating…yes, please!

I really enjoyed both Elle and Darcy’s characters. I felt like they were nuanced, messy, real and relatable. I also particularly enjoyed this one because it was set in my home-town of Seattle, holla!

I only dropped my rating a half point because the characters were a little immature for my taste, and their decisions and dialogue could have been leveled up in my opinion, given their ages.

But if you’re like me, and enjoy a side of steam with your romance you won’t be disappointed here. Wowza, this one is smokin’!

Plus, did I mention there’s a playlist to go with the book? You can check it out here.

The audiobook of Written in the Stars is just over 11 hours long and is narrated by Lauren Sweet. I really enjoy her work, and she has an impressive portfolio of other romances she’s performed so you might recognize her voice.

The second book in the series, Hang the Moon, is about to drop, and I for one can not wait!! So, get yourself a copy of this one and binge it now so you’re ready to read book two! You can get the audiobook via the button below, or click here for a physical copy.

Synopsis:

With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice, a charming #ownvoices queer rom-com debut about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict!

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?