“I was hooked from the very first page!” – Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of In a Holidaze
“This book is a delight.” – New York Times Book Review
A National Bestseller and winner of the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Romance! Featured on Shondaland, Oprah Mag, Bustle, The New York Times Book Review, Buzzfeed, POPSUGAR, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, NPR, … Times Book Review, Buzzfeed, POPSUGAR, Entertainment Weekly, Washington Post, NPR, Culturess, Vulture, and more. Named one of the Best Romances of 2020 by Washington Post, Bustle, and Buzzfeed!
With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride & Prejudice, this debut is a delightful queer rom-com about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with a grumpy 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.
Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?
“Everything I want from a rom-com: fun, whimsical, sexy.” – Talia Hibbert, USA Today bestselling author of Get a Life, Chloe Brown
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Audiobook Review –
I don’t know how I hadn’t found Bellefleur and her excellent books yet but I’m so happy that I have now! I knew very little about this book other then it was a fake dating story with an astrology theme, I hadn’t even read the synopsis before I started it. So imagine my surprise when I was freaking swept away with it and was even turning out my colleagues at work.
I loved Elle’s sun to Darcy’s moon, they are ying and yang and light and dark but they are so good together, and exactly what each other needed. I wasn’t sure about Darcy for the first few chapters, she’s very guarded and a little mean, but the more layers that are pulled back the more you fall for her. I love an under dog so I was charmed by Elle right away. She full of sunshine and rainbows and just wants to find her person, but even she can’t help but be pessimistic at times.
Damn was the burn in this one good. Bellefleur gives great burn, tension and spice. I will say though listening to the Audiobook during the sex scene in particular there was an abundance of use of character names to accommodate the F/F aspect, which is wasn’t bad it was just funny to me.
Anyway I loved this book and have already started on the next one!
This was way cuter than I thought it would be! Elle’s struggles about how her family saw her job were pretty relatable to me, and I liked how both she and Darcy got personalities beyond the trope characteristics.
At first, I wasn’t sure about this book. The disastrous first date was entertaining to read, but I was holding onto hope that Darcy would not be one of our leads. I just did not like her at all. But, of course, she grew on me, eventually winning me over completely. I loved the slow burn of this one. We really get to know and love Elle and Darcy. And I always enjoy a good fake relationship trope.
Darcy and Elle have my hearttttttttt. This freaking adorable F/F romance set in Seattle was cute and funny and oh-so-dreamy.
This was such an enjoyable read! It has been sitting on my TBR for far to long and I am so glad I finally picked it up. Alexandria Bellefleur weaves together a beautiful fake dating romance story that has delicious subtle nods to Pride and Prejudice. Bellefleur’s writing is engaging, well paced and her tone is compassionate and earnest. Watching the heroine’s fall in love was so delightful and charming. I loved that they were opposites attract and I love that they fairly early on they become full supporters of the other even as they grapple with understanding their true feels.
Ellie is a hard worker and very one with herself and the universe around her, because she makes her living in astrology, many people judge her quickly and think her head is in the clouds and that what she does is not true work. But Ellie loves and takes pride in what she does and as the story progresses she learns to stand up for herself and what she does and she knows if people can not accept that then they are not truly supporting and unconditionally loving her. Darcy is assertive and organized and likes to keep things a bit more categorized. She recently ending a relationship and has restarted over in the Seattle area, so right now she is not really looking for love she is really just trying to find her footing. Darcy is immediately charmed by Ellie but does not thing she is the person for her so she is constantly trying to put distance and walls up between them.
Watching this “fake” relationship grow into something deeper and stronger was really lovely. Darcy and Ellie are the perfect opposites attract, they are each able to draw something out of the other in a good way, and they both are supportive and instinctively know exactly what the other one needs when they are down. Alexandria Bellefleur embodies with story with fully realized characters and relationships that help to surround and support our heroines. This story is romantic and sexy in the best ways and I just loved watching these two fall in love and realize that they are meant for each other.
I would highly recommend this novel. Alexandria Bellefleur’s debut novel is wonderful and should not be missed. I am looking forward to picking up the next book in the series (which came out this year) as well as the works Alexandria will come out with in the years to come! 5 Stars!
Thank you @a.m.bellefleur & @avonbooks for this #gift copy
4.5/5 Stars
3.5/5 Steam Rating
When you see not one but TWO great rom-com authors give endorsements, you know it’s going to be good! Throw in the fact that this book contains both enemies-to-lovers, opposites attract AND a faux-mance, I was excited to dive into it!
This book had everything that I want in a romcom! We have two quirky heroines that are wickedly smart and dealing with their own insecurities in very different ways, a bit of family drama, and stream… did I mention steam?! This books is well written, set at a pace that will keep you engrossed in the story, and is the perfect balance of sweet & spicy.
Written in the Stars is Alexandria Bellefleur’s debut female-female opposites-attract, fake-relationship romance. It’s a slow burn, but it gets steamy! I can’t wait to read Bellefleur’s next book!
I don’t even remember downloading this book. I read the description and thought OMG. Not what I would read. Well, I’m committed now. I started reading the first chapter and almost gave up. I’m glad I didn’t.
The characters were believable and endearing. I look forward to more work from this author.
Despite buying the ebook for this one while it was on sale, I ended up listening to it on audio from the library at the recommendation of a friend. And I am so glad I did! The audiobook was amazing. The narrator did a great job conveying the two female main character’s distinct personalities through vocal inflection, and was overall great with switching up tone and conveying emotion. This was most definitely NOT a robotic narrator! Major props!
With regards to the story, I loved it. What more can I say? It was just a beautiful romance, without anything extreme. When we have LGBTQ+ books, sometimes homophobia (whether it be from friends, family, or the public) can play a large role in the book. Not the case here! There were definitely family issues (so many family issues…) but everyone was supportive and animosity had nothing to do with the characters’ sexuality.
While this is a fake dating romance, it doesn’t really feel like one. It’s fake for such little time, that it’s hardly a will-they-or-won’t-they tension-filled book, but more of a star-crossed lovers feel–will Darcy take a second chance on love after being burned before? Elle could be a bit out there at times, but that was also kind of the point, and her character did make me more curious about astrology.
But what really left me hanging… DID DARCY PASS HER FSA EXAM? Lol I just want to know it all worked out!!! But I also hate books that have the pointless “one year later” epilogue just so they can show everyone getting engaged, so I guess I’ll settle for not having EVERY thread tied off.
5 stars – 10/10
A fun romance about Elle and Darcy whom demonstrate opposites attract but can it last? Darcy has her life organized down to the last minute detail and Elle strongly believes in astrology and how that defines one’s life. The dynamics between the two of them along with the supporting characters wanted me to keep reading and finding out more.
Darcy Lowell has a few complications in her life. Between her overprotective brother and her rather disastrous dating life, Darcy has had enough. This becomes even more true when her latest date, arranged by said brother, goes completely awry and she decides not to share how badly it went. Instead, she pretends it was perfect. Except her date, Ella Jones, knows this is true and further, knows Darcy’s gone and lied about it. Why? Because even though our famous astrologist is looking for her own connection, she knows without a doubt that Darcy is not it.
However, Ella plays along with the subterfuge, embarking on a fake relationship with Darcy until New Year’s Eve. After all, Darcy’s brother is a business partner and Ella’s got family issues and things to prove as well. Except here’s the problem with fake relationships – they can all-too-quickly start to feel real.
I love the dynamic between Darcy and Ella. Darcy brings the grump and seriousness, while Ella is a lovely, bright star. Their characters are very much in keeping with the spirit of Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice and it’s honestly one of the freshest retellings in a year of so many.
I especially loved the side characters – Brenden, who will likely get a book, and Margo, who is pan, like me! The setting and timeline were also brilliantly managed and the love scenes were hot and perfect.
My only quibble is I wanted more and that’s not a bad complaint to have about a book.
Lovely read – I am looking forward to more from this author.
A fun rom-com that, in true “opposites attract” fashion, brought the two lead characters together following circumstances that develop during the holidays. Playfully quaint and lighthearted read that I found entertaining.
This is a cute, low-angst, steamy romance. Despite the characters being named Darcy and Elizabeth, the only similarity this book bears to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is that Elle overhears Darcy call her a hot mess after they first meet. So if you’re looking for a modern P&P retelling, this isn’t it.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received.
I know I’ve used this word too often in my reviews recently, but too CUTE. All of the characters were adorable, Brendan and Margot were perfect side characters. Brendan’s love for his sister made me swoon. The jokes between Darcy and Elle cracked me up, especially whenever Darcy surprised Elle with them. I especially loved Elle’s character, with her job and her difficulties being taken seriously. I didn’t take her job seriously at the beginning of the book, so it was a lesson in prejudice for me as well!
This was fun and a quick, easy read. I love a fake dating trope and I was excited to see it done with queer women, and I liked how well done queerness of multiple characters was done – not a lot of explaining or worrying about it, just this character is pan, this character is demi, this character is bi, and that’s just how it is. Loved the kind of opposites attract vibes. I definitely want to read Hang the Moon now
Book 274 towards my goal of 280! 4.5/5 stars for this adult romance read! Love the cover! Love the nerdiness. Love thr narration. Great side characters. And this book, lemme tell ya… SPICY. There are some…..very detailed moments lol So good! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a winter romance!
Darcy hates it when her brother tries to set her up on blind dates, but decides to give it one last shot when he sets her up with Elle – someone he’s currently working with. Darcy and Elle have a horrible first date. It’s awkward, full of silences and there may have been a glass of spilled wine. Elle doesn’t ever plan on seeing Darcy again.
When Darcy’s brother, Brendon asks how her date went, Darcy tells a teensy tiny white lie and says it was great and that they hit it off. News comes back to Elle and she isn’t exactly thrilled. But in the end, Darcy and Elle decide that being each others fake dates might work out perfectly. They can be each others dates at family gatherings and their respective family’s would leave them alone.
I love a fake-dating romance and Written in the Stars was absolutely delightful. The chemistry between Elle and Darcy was so great. I loved all of their conversations. I love when a rom-com has cute text scenes and I LOVED all of the texting between the various characters in Written in the Stars. I had a grin on my face reading so many parts of this book.
Not only was the relationship between Elle and Darcy wonderful, but I also enjoyed the secondary characters including Margot and Brendon. The friendship between Elle and Margot was so special and relatable. It reminded me of me and my best friend and I loved that I was able to connect with their friendship.
This was my first F/F romance and I’m hoping to read more great romances like this one in the future. If you’re looking for a funny, sweet, swoony romance – grab Written in the Stars!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.
Sunshine and Grump Perfection!
Elle and Darcy are complete opposites but they’re also completely perfect for each other…now if Darcy could just see that and Elle could fully believe it.
I loved the nods to Pride and Prejudice but also that it still felt fresh and like it’s own beautiful story. There were several scenes that absolutely stole my heart: the jacket, the Christmas tree, and the cilantro *swoon*
The incorporation of astrology was also a really fun aspect of the story. Admittedly I’m way more Darcy than Elle in this area but like Darcy I found myself really interested.
This #ownvoices female/female romance is the type of romance that everyone, regardless of who they love or how they identify, deserves. It’s full of humor, emotion, chemistry, and intimacy.
I’m really excited to read more from Alexandria Bellefleur!
I received a complimentary review copy of this book but all opinions are my own.
3.5 stars. This was a slow read, but I did enjoy it. I found it humorous. Darcy and Elle had strong chemistry. I’m interested in reading Brendon’s story.
4 to 4.5 stars
Written in the Stars is a whimsical, light-hearted, and steamy rom-com that is perfect for the holiday season!
This is a queer, gender-bent retelling of Pride and Prejudice with fake dating (swoon!).
Darcy is a no-nonsense Capricorn and actuary. Her idea of fun is climbing the corporate ladder and crossword puzzles. Well…she’s also secretly addicted to soap operas and writes fanfic, but we don’t discuss that.
Elle is an astrologer who helps people find their soul mates. She’s easy going, addicted to box wine, and thrives on the unconventional.
I loved watching Darcy and Elle learn so much about each other and themselves. Even though they are polar opposites, they clearly have intense chemistry and complement each other.
From start to finish, this was such a great story, and I highly recommend picking this one up!
Thank you to Avon Books for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.