Elle y Darcy: Escrito en las estrellas

Written in the Stars #1

by Alexandria Bellefleur, Lorena Castell García (translator)

¿Los opuestos se atraen? Descúbrelo enesta comedia románticaLGTBQ+ que tehará creer en el amor.

Tras una cita a ciegas desastrosa, Darcy Lowell no puede esperar a que su hermano se canse de hacer de celestina. El amor, y el inevitable desamor, es lo último que está buscando; así que miente y dice que su última cita ha sido todo un acierto, sin esperar que su mentira pueda verse descubierta.

Elle Jones, una de las astrólogas que hay detrás de la popular cuenta de Twitter Oh MyStars, sueña con encontrar a su media naranja. Pero sabe de sobra que no es Darcy, una remilgada, demasiado analítica, puntual y escéptica para alguien de espíritu tan libre como ella. Cuando el hermano de Darcy, su nuevo compañero de negocios, le dice lo contento que está con que su cita haya ido bien, Elle no sabe cómo reaccionar. ¿Estuvieron en la misma cita?

Darcy le pide a Elle que continue con la mentira y Elle accede con una condició Darcy tiene que ayudarla a sobrevivir a su familia durante las Navidades. Pero lo que ninguna de las dos espera es que los sentimientos florezcan durante una relación falsa.

Quizá los opuestos sí se atraen, cuando el amor está escrito enlas estrellas…

Elle y Escrito en lasestrellas es una comedia romántica divertida y dulce, ideal para fans

- Las relaciones falsas y los romances grumpy x sunshine.

- Las historias queer de Rachael Lippincott y Casey McQuiston.

- Los guiños a Orgullo y Prejuicio y los romances navideños.

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

375 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2020

About the author

Alexandria Bellefleur is a bestselling and award-winning author of swoony contemporary romance often featuring loveable grumps and the sunshine characters who bring them to their knees. A Pacific Northwesterner at heart, Alexandria has a weakness for good coffee, Pike IPA, and Voodoo Doughnuts. Her special skills include finding the best Pad Thai in every city she visits, remembering faces but not names, falling asleep in movie theaters, and keeping cool while reading smutty books in public. Her debut novel, Written in the Stars, was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award winner and a 2020 winner of The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

Reviews

[chai ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m gay, and I’m a sucker for the fake-dating trope. This book is sapphic, and has the fake-dating trope. It was a match made on the kindle app.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Astrology and magic and soul mates.

Darcy has had to deal with her overprotective younger brother for all her life...and recently, he's become more meddlesome than she can handle.

"Quit trying to marry me off like I'm some Regency spinster in one of your favorite Austen novels."
"Your name is Darcy."
"And I might be a single woman in possession of a good fortune, but I'm not in want of a wife."

After one disastrous date too many, Darcy decides to throw up her hands and pretend that it went perfectly.

Only, her plan immediately backfires when Elle (the disastrous date) finds out.

Elle, who is desperate to gain the respect of her family, and Darcy, who's desperate to show her brother that she isn't the stick-in-the-mud that he thinks to see, decide to fake a relationship.

Only they quickly find out planning a fake relationship and maintaining it are two completely different things.

She looks at you like you hung the moon.

This was a fresh-and-fabulous take on Pride and Prejudice and I absolutely LOVED this book.

I really don't read contemporary books often, and romances even less. But there was something about this cover that drew me in. And I'm so glad I picked it up because I was blown away.

I loved the two girls (Darcy and Elle) and they took the dynamic of Darcy and Elizabeth and transformed it in their own way that totally got me hooked.

Darcy was a fabulously prickly main character and Elle was wonderfully starry-eyed. The way their lives intertwined was perfect.

There were so many fabulous quotes and cute moments scattered in.

I also loved that this story wasn't centered on overcoming societal expectations (aka coming out/homophobia/internalized trauma), it's just a couple of girls who fall in love and it really stood out to me.

All in all, this is one of my top recommendations of the year!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books, and Alexandria Bellefleur for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

YouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads

[Lex Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 Stars. I loved this! What a great holiday romance that just made my heart happy. It’s funny but I was just looking back on the WLW books that I have read this year and I realized I have not had the best luck with contemporary romances. I have read some great crime/mystery-romances, paranormal-romances, and even fantasy-romances, but plain romance has not been as strong for me as usual. Well, talk about the perfect time for this romance to come along. This was exactly what I needed and everything I love to read in a great romance. This is the perfect book to read right now with the holidays coming up and I have a feeling I will be gushing about this book for a long time to come.

I mentioned that this was a holiday and contemporary WLW romance, but I can stick on a few more tags than that. This is also, my favorite trope, a fauxmance. Fake relationship romances are some of the best because the author has to make two characters go from almost nothing in common to the potential for real love. Fauxmances make authors work hard and that makes them so fun to read. Not only is this a fauxmance, but one of the characters is a baby ice queen in training. I love ice queens. Something about watching that ice slowly start to melt, always makes me believe in the potential romance even more. And lastly, this book is also a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I’m an Austen fan and I like retellings of her books, but this is a very light retelling. You will see certain things and characters that will make you think of P&P but the feeling is not heavy. There were times I even forgot that this was a retelling since it feels like its own story. So if you are an Austen fan I think you will like the overall feel, but if you are not an Austen fan, the few light similarities should not bother you at all.

This should not be a surprise but my favorite part was the romance itself. I love both characters, they are total opposites but they fit so well anyway. I’m such a character driven reader so loving characters always helps, but I was so swept up in the romance plot that that is where the book really won me over. It’s a slow-burn romance but it went at a really nice pace. But what convinced me so much was the chemistry. The written chemistry was so wonderful that as a reader you could actually feel it. These two women set off sparks on these pages and it went through the entire book. It was not one scene that was in the beginning, or one near the end, instead the entire book was chock full or emotional and physical chemistry. This romance was so nice and sweet, but it was also deliciously steamy at times, the perfect mix and what I want in my romances.

My only real complaint, and the only reason this did not get a full 5 stars was that I felt like the ending was a little rushed. It’s not bad, it just needed a few more pages. This book is actually a good length for a romance, longer than most WLW romances that I read so I’m surprised to say this. I liked the actual ending but it really needed an epilogue. We should have jumped to New Year’s Eve, since that date held special meaning in this book. I think it was a missed opportunity and come on, romance fans like their epilogues.

If you could not tell from all the gushing, I absolutely recommend this to romance fans. This would be the perfect book to turn into a holiday movie say for a Netflix. Hey, if Hulu can put on a WLW holiday romance this year, than there is hope for stories like this. There is going to be another book that follows this one, which stars the main character’s brother. I thought he was fine for a secondary character but I think he would get on my nerves for a main character so I’ll probably pass. However, if Bellefleur ever writes another WLW story, I will read it in a heartbeat.

A copy was give to me for a honest review.

[mina reads™️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a remarkably cruel twist of fate I didn't absolutely adore this book like I thought I would.

Written in the Stars follows two women, Elle, aka sunshine incarnate who believe in soulmates and stardust and makes her living as an online astrologist and Darcy, a no nonsense actuary who probably takes life just a smidge too seriously. These two meet on a disastrous blind date and from there they decide to start fake dating just to get their families off their backs in time for the holidays.

Now don't get me wrong, this book was quite cute, and I loved Darcy in particular (she's totally my new book girlfriend). However, something about this authors writing style just really didn't click for me and I felt a bit emotionally distant from the romance so i could never fully engage with the story. It's definitely a "it's not you it's me" situation and despite the writing and sense of humor not being my cup of tea i did definitely find it to be quite adorable and unexpectedly steamy so we stan on that front at least. After I started listening to the audiobook it was much easier for me to get into the writing but by that point I was already halfway through the book so it was a little too late to change my opinion overall but it was definitely a cute read!

pre-release thoughts: I see “f/f rom com” in the synopsis, I add it to my tbr

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
I love this book so much. I love the characters, I love the talk of astronomy and astrology and I just related so hard to Darcy and Elle for different reasons. I’m a Capricorn like Darcy, so I related to her soooo much in that sense.

Here’s the reading vlog where I read this book: https://youtu.be/TCI_Zl2YDxA



Also, if I made a bookish playlist for this book, it would include these songs:
dress - taylor swift
drops of jupiter - train
mirrorball - taylor swift
yellow - coldplay
guarded - flor
gold rush - taylor swift

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Never before had Elle met someone so pretty that it pissed her off."

Sapphic fake dating Pride & Prejudice loose retelling. Like, what else could one say to possibly get me to read something? This was very fun, and very enjoyable, and a quick read, but ultimately I just don’t think it is something that will stick with me. Mostly, because I really disliked Brendon, the brother of the love interest and the inventor of a dating app (who I’m sure will get a spin-off soon)!

But basically, this book is about a bi girl named Elle who is an astrologer and is working with Brendon on something with the app! And he suggests Elle meet his sister Dracy, thinking they will really hit it off. But after a disaster first meeting, which involved Darcy thinking Elle was the hostess of the restaurant and them both realizing they are complete opposites of each other, they decided to pretend like the situation didn’t happen. That is, until Brendon completely over asserts himself (assumes Elle is out) and puts her in a situation with her mother over breakfast, which leads to the fake dating.

Obviously, everything works out for the best, but I just feel like the set up made me not love the book as much as I normally would have. Especially because the sex scenes in this book are so hot and sexy! Also, I am very in love with Margo who is pan and is Elle’s roommate and also works alongside Elle on “Oh My Stars” where they analyze birth charts on the internet and will soon have a book out! (Also… Margo is totally going to be the one that gets a spin off too, but she deserves better, hahah)

Ultimately, I loved how this took place all throughout the holiday seasons, I loved the Seattle setting, I loved every sex scene, and this was a really fun one to read. Though it must be said, there are zodiac things all throughout this book, and even though I loved that, they gave Virgos some very sus picks.

Trigger & Content Warnings: talk of cheating in the past, bad parenting, abandonment in the past, loss of a loved one, harry potter references, and maybe alcoholism mention.

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Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

CHRISTMAS GAYS!!!!! In Seattle!!! In all seriousness though, this book was an absolute delight. Even though Darcy and Elle were about as opposite as it is possible to be, they had SO MUCH chemistry and I was rooting so hard for them from page one. This book was exactly what I was hoping it would be and honestly you all just need to read it, like, yesterday. Also extra bonus points for the sexy scenes bc they were A+++++++++

[tappkalina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn between 2 and 3 stars.

The first thing I want to say is that I really liked the story itself, recommend it to anyone who's interested, and it would make an amazing movie.

The writing style, however, almost made it unbearable to read. So much so that I read the book for more than ten days, every day wanting to dnf, just suffering through the pages. The only reason I didn't put it down for good is the sapphic relationship - I'm sorry, I need them, especially when coming out is not the plot.

It was full of telling and filler text that bored me to death. On day 11 (80% in) I decided to only read the dialogues. And that's how I was able to finish. That's what I should've done from the start. That's what I recommend, actually. This way it finally had pacing and I didn't even miss out on anything important.

And in my opinion, one pov would have been enough.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars✨

ending was cut short, otherwise, i loved this!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fake-dating wlw romance with nods to Pride & Prejudice and Bridget Jones (although not at all a retelling) featuring an astrologer? Honestly what’s not to love. This was a delight. The characters were opposites that complimented each other so well. The astrology bits were great Easter eggs for those who are familiar with it, but not so much that people who don’t care will be lost or pulled out of the story. And although is a book set around the holidays that doesn’t need to be read around the holidays. Perfect for those looking for a wlw romcom!

[preoccupiedbybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A cute, emotional rom-com which was written in the stars!

So I read my first f/f romance and I liked it!

Elle was so cute and chaotic, with her heart on her sleeve, and Darcy was just a loveable mush ball surrounded by spiky thorns for her own protection! I loved Elle's vulnerability, but equally understood where Darcy was coming from.

The family stuff got me emotional, and I loved Elle's best friend Margot!

Written in the Stars was fun, whimsical and quite spicy! 🔥

I'm not the biggest fan of astrology though, but like Darcy, appreciated that Elle loved it!

A fun book, and I'm looking forward to meeting these characters again in Brendon's book!
🌈🌈🌈1/2

[Brandice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elle is a free-spirited astrologer about to enter into a new agreement for her astrology business. Brendon, her new business partner, sets her up on a date with his sister, Darcy, who just relocated to Seattle and is a pragmatic actuary — In other words, starkly opposite of Elle.

Darcy and Elle have a less than stellar first date but strike a deal to temporarily fake a relationship in order to appease their families and tone down the pressure. They put on a good front, double dating with Brendon, attending obligatory family gatherings, etc. but will they be able to keep it up without developing feelings for one another, despite their obvious differences?

Written in the Stars was a very cute book, if predictable at times. I enjoyed it and liked both Elle and Darcy. They had good chemistry and each brought relatable aspects to the story.

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack)]

[not finishing for personal reasons but enjoyed this book!]

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darcy was such a cow in the beginning that her redemption was impossible for me.
She did enough to warrant a 3 star, but she was still a dirty mole rat.

I'm too much of a girls girl to understand how you could go on a date with another woman, and DISRESPECT THEM IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE? TFUCK??? (like literally insulted her career, her dreams and her life, and then left her at the table alone to go call her friend to tell her what a shit date she was on) and then have a sook when the date leaves whilst your making your call??

Girl, be so fucking for real right now?


Sure Elle was a specific type of gal, I'm not into astrology or horoscopes or any of that, BUT WOULD I LAUGH IN THE FACE OF SOMEONE THAT IS AND SHIT ON HER BELIEFS???????
ABSOLUTELY THE FUCK NOT????

I'd be all up in their shit like, tell me what planet in is Gatorade right now that's making my Taurus ass act like a stubborn ass angry mutt right now, also kiss me.

I love women. 😇

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sparks Galore!

If you’re looking for a cute rom-com with loads of chemistry “Written in the Stars” fits the bill!

Elle is an Astrologist who has only ever wanted to find the right gal and settle down. Unfortunately for her, she’s very unlucky in love. Darcy is a high-powered Actuary who doesn’t believe in love or in having fun. After being set up on a blind date by Darcy’s brother, sparks fly as do the drinks, and not in a good way. Needless to say, another date doesn’t seem to be in the cards for these two, until Darcy fibs to her brother Brendon that the date was a success just to get him off her back.

Now Elle and Darcy find themselves in a “fauxmance” just to make a few social events more palatable, up until New Year’s Eve.

You can of course guess what happens next! Why Love of course! It is after all, “Written in the Stars.” A clever, cute, sweet, and somewhat steamy read that was a perfect way to end 2020. Although I had to skim through all the steamy parts, this was a quite delightful rom-com that I highly recommend for those looking for an adorable, light, laugh out loud novel that hits all the right notes.

Published on Goodreads on 1.6.21.

Review will be published to blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

[Katie Colson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Pride & Prejudice? Love astrology? Love fake dating tropes? Love hate to love or resentful lust to love? But nothing is ever gay enough for your liking? Well, AY YO! I've got a recommendation for you!

Let's talk about some steamy sapphic sex scenes. This book has them. In abundance.

This is certainly one of the best sapphic romances I've ever read. Though there are quite few to be found.

I am giving this four stars because I am not it's intended clientele. I'm gay but I don't enjoy romance or erotica in literature. And this book has them in spades. I really did like this book though. It stood out despite not being my preferred genre.

I think it is definitely worth your time if you have been eyeing it.

[TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this book a big hug when I finished, so it’s a five star read for me. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

How dreamy is this cover? I LOVE IT. When this book arrived, I knew it was headed for the top of my nightstand stack. In other words, it was going to be read asap, and it was exactly what I wanted to read!

Elle is an astrologer (ok, love that), and Darcy is an actuary. Opposites, right? They agree to fake a relationship until New Year’s Eve, but, you know? Is their love actually written in the stars?

Cute, charming, lovable characters, polar opposites, steamy, and the witty banter we all love, I rooted for Elle and Darcy to fall for each other from the very start. Stories like this offer hope and great joy. Plus, I just read there’s a spin-off already in the works. If you are looking for your next delightful and clever rom com, look right here!

I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the craziness of this year, I have found myself seeking out cute and charming stories more than usual. This book provided a pleasant, escape from reality type of reading experience. The two female characters had good chemistry and it was fun rooting for them to find happiness.

Darcy and Elle are set up on a blind date by Darcy's brother, Brendon. The date is a bit of a disaster and the two go on their separate ways. That is until Darcy decides to tell Brendon she hit it off with Elle and they are now dating. A bit of a spur of the moment idea but this will hopefully get Brendon to stop playing matchmaker. Elle agrees to go along with the whole fake dating scheme because now she can bring her as her date to her family's Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe now Elle's family won't look at her as such a disappointment if she is "dating" someone like prim and proper, Darcy. This fake relationship might actually turn out to be mutually beneficial in more ways than one.

The story uses the popular trope of "let's pretend we're dating" and it's best to just roll with it rather than analyze it to death. Darcy and Elle are opposites in terms of their personalities. Elle is more of a free spirit, with her head up in the stars, so to speak. Darcy on the other hand is a practical, do everything by the book type of person. In spite of their differences, they really made sense together.

Definitely recommend if you are in the mood for a good romcom! And I am very happy to learn the author has a book in the works featuring a character from this one.

Thank you to William Morrow for providing me with a copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ truly the most rom-commy romcom i've ever read ✨

it's a sweet sapphic romance full of big emotions, and it's a beautiful reminder that when the stars align, love can feel like magic.

we have an adorable astrology theme keeps things fun and whimsical, and we have realistic angst as well. and there's a fleshed-out cast of friends and family members for both elle and darcy.

elle and darcy themselves have amazing chemistry, although i think elle's character is more developed than darcy's? or perhaps elle is just more relatable to me. her growth is phenomenal; her deep loneliness and desire to be seen and wanted, and her gradual realization that she deserves better than the bare minimum. so inspiring to see elle struggle to know her worth, and finally commit to believing in herself.

but, anyway, the chemistry! the sexual tension and smut are impeccable, the romance is lovely and sparkling, and the emotions are big and intense. it's refreshing that the book doesn't shy away from any big emotions - the good or the bad.

...and yet her laugh was infectious and made something warm bloom inside Darcy's chest like stubborn wildflowers poking up through cracks in the pavement, growing where they didn't belong.

also, as someone who had a childhood obsession with the 60s/70s sitcom bewitched, all the references to the show made me super happy 🥰 oh, my stars!

[Tere · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m honestly floored at some of the great reviews for this one. Ok so my mood hasn’t been phenomenal but I’m not taking the heat for this one. There are some funny moments, but that’s about it. The one character is all over the place, and that’s the good one. The other one is the more serious one but unfortunately is just emotionally crippled. There really was no great chemistry at any point. The ‘spark’ they had on a horrible first date was just completely missing for me. Constant clashes that somehow lead to eternal love in a month. The ‘80%’ crisis? Complete lack of communication. Not even miscommunication! Simply no meaningful words exchanged to rectify an otherwise crystal clear situation. I listened to this story and not impressed with the narrator either. The mains’ voices were too close to each other. A serious friend of the actuary had a bimbo voice. Total miss for me.

[Maëlys · Rating 2 out of 5]

☆ 2.5 / 5 ☆

“Elle was technicolor chaos and the feelings she inspired in Darcy were a hazard straight out of Pandora’s box.”

Darcy is an actuary firm in her desire to never let any relationship get serious and get her heart broken again. Elle is an astrologer running a very popular Twitter account and dreams of her one love.

Darcy’s brother decides to set them up despite everything that opposes them and their first date is a true disaster. They still end up agreeing to a fake relationship when Darcy needs to get her brother off her back about finding love and Elle could need someone like Darcy to show her family her life isn’t a mess.

I was so enthused when I started this book because these characters’ first meeting was a wild ride but so very perfect to set the tone, I just wished the rest had kept up.

Overall I did enjoy Darcy’s and Elle’s relationship and how it progressed throughout the book. After their initial terrible first date they do stay open minded about each other and their interests and build a good understanding of each other throughout.

At the end of the day this book just didn’t really make me feel any strong emotions and that’s what’s left me a little disappointed. I feel like the set up of the whole story was so strong but then my interest in the characters (and what happened to them) just kept wavering. The subplots didn’t blow me away either and were pretty forgettable.

It’s not that anything was inherently bad with anything written but some passages were a little too corny for my taste. And not the kind of tooth aching sweetness that will make you feel fuzzy and smiley, but just overused 2015 Tumblr cheesiness I thought the world had moved passed.

Speaking of, fandoms and fandom spaces were brought up a few times throughout this book but it never felt very organic and always a little contrived and off.

The only true part I actively disliked though was Darcy’s brother. His involvement and meddling is supposedly affecting Darcy’s and Elle’s relationship positively; it’s him, after all, who sets them up and his meddling “helps” them along the way. But I absolutely hated him and his blatant disregard of boundaries that was downplayed at every turn. Every scene with him in it was a struggle to get through for me because he irritated me so much.

It was all still an enjoyable read but I was expecting so much more from it. The strongest parts of the book were definitely more towards the beginning so it was a gradual let down and slowly getting more and more disinterested.

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Buddy read with Melanie ♡

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good opposites attract romance, especially one that’s grump + sunshine. Add in a fake relationship and I’m in! This was an adorable f/f romance with a well-rounded cast of characters. I liked the dynamic between the broken-hearted, uptight, skeptic Darcy and the stars-in-her-eyes Elle who believes in true love. Their relationship gets off to a rough start but once the fake dating starts and they get to know each other better, it was the sweetest thing. I can’t wait for Brendon’s book now!

[J (Midnight Book Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super cute sapphic romance, coming right up!

Plot: The semi enemies-to-lovers trope was really well done! However it seemed like a lot of points were rehashed over and over (yes, we get it, Darcy thinks falling for Elle would be a bad move, and Elle doesn’t want to mess up her business deal with Brendon). There was also noticeably repetitive language. Although, my copy was an ARC, so keep that in mind

Characters: Darcy and Elle were so vivid, and I loved seeing their personalities clash, and eventually compliment each other, through the course of the book. It was adorable to watch them open up more, despite their differences.

Overall: Very refreshing to see LGBTQ+ characters who are 1) sure of their sexualities 2) don’t have an identity based solely on their sexuality and 3) do not have to “overcome” some aspect of their sexuality. This was a cute story that I enjoyed, there were just some elements of the way it was written that bothered me.

Content warnings: None that I can remember

*ARC received in exchange for honest review

[Kelsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodbye, book slump! This was so so so adorably fun. Elle might be my most favorite fiction character to root for, ever. Super easy read with a few scenes that made me blush and loads of meet-cute moments that made me smile.

Brb I’m off to order the next two in the series!

[theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute!! i loved elle and darcy's dynamic so much!

[Karla Martínez · Rating 4 out of 5]

me encantó. odié que no tuviera epílogo eso sí JAJAJA

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars - While I see some flaws in this, it's been so long since a contemporary romance made me kick my feet and giggle, and this just did that. So cute, loved the chemistry/banter, and love this take on a Lizzy/Darcy story

[Daniela · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

This isn’t an ‘opposites attract’ story. This is an ‘opposites despise each other but are so desperate for a relationship that they cling really hard to the tiniest bits that they like in each other and then convince themselves and each other that they have real feelings when it’s just wishful thinking so strong that it’s delusional’ story.

I disliked this book from the start: Ch1 drove me up the walls because Darcy behaves like a condescending bitch and treats Elle like scum but Elle walks away from that disastrous date convincing herself there were “sparks.” Groan. How delusional can you be? Ch2 drove me even further up said walls as Darcy lets herself be bullied, guilted, and pressured into doing things she doesn’t want to do and feels uncomfortable doing by her obtrusive, nosy, pushy, all-up-in-her-business brother. His free pass for thinking this is okay is, of course, that he “means well” and “only wants the best for her.” Yeah, we haven't heard that one before. We learn that she’s been allowing this behaviour for a while and it makes me effing furious that she won’t tell him to fuck off, mind his own business, and stop breathing down her neck with his ideas of how she should live her life.

Anyway, the two gals start fake-dating to get their respective families off their backs who keep nagging them for not having partners. Bc single women can't possibly be happy, everyone knows that. And women also apparently can't tell their families to back the fuck off and let them live their own lives so they have to build a massive lie to appease them. Because that’s totally healthy and normal.

The (supposedly) real romance that buds from the fake dating felt completely contrived to me, I didn’t believe it one bit. There is nothing these characters like about each other that is not physical. Whenever they think affectionately of each other, it’s only of their soft skin, silken hair, strawberry lips, minty tongue, deep eyes and whatnot. I felt like they were distracting themselves from all the things they didn’t like in the other woman with her physical attractiveness all the time. And god, was I annoyed by the overuse of typically feminine adjectives like soft, sweet, smooth, silken, soft, peachy, creamy, soft, delicate, tender, soft, did I mention soft? Everything is so sweet and tender and feminine that I wanted to vomit. It’s not that femininity is bad, mind you, but the author is totally overdoing it with stressing everything that is delicate and soft and sweet and tender about a woman’s body.

But hey, I did actually like one aspect of the book (which is what the half star is for): I found Elle’s relationship with her disapproving, conservative family very well developed and interesting to read about. Families can be very toxic and Elle’s definitely is; the way her conflict with them and especially her mother, who constantly belittles and demeans her, progresses throughout the book was skilfully done by the author and had me really invested. Even though the scenes were hard to read because Elle suffers so from their disapproval and, frankly, bullying, they ended up being my favourite part of the book.

Still, I'm not rounding up bc 2 stars would mean that this book was “okay” and it really wasn’t.

[Laynie Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been saying for months now that I was looking for a new sapphic comfort read and this PROVIDES. I was blown away by how beautiful the writing was, and I'd often have to like, take a moment and put my head in my hands because I was breathless. This was a ROMANCE. It was delightful and funny and wonderful and knocked me on my ass. It was also one of the first sapphic books I've read where the girls were my age and facing issues that I would face, because normally I'm either reading contemporary high school stories (which I never relate to) or science fiction fantasy books (which I LOVE but I can't truly relate to a princess running away from her marriage, you know?) This was like a book written specifically FOR me, catered to my interests. The other, fun part of my reading experience with this book was that I was dumped in the middle of reading this book! I had about 25% left of the book when I was dumped, so it was a VERY cathartic experience to finish reading it. I thought it would be too painful, and that I couldn't pick it up again, but it wound up being EXACTLY what I needed, and I cried my eyes out. This book has such a special place in my heart now, not only for being my new comfort read, but also for comforting me in my time of need. 10/10, five stars, would highly recommend.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Contemporary F-F romcom. Opposites attract and fake relationship troupe.
Elle and Darcy have little in common beyond pushy family trying to create a romance. Sure, they have sparks but that’s not enough to build a relationship on, is it?

It’s the sparks that make the relationship move from physical to more.
Elle makes her intentions clear. She is looking for love and a permanent connection. Darcy has been hurt in the past and has decided she will not open her heart again. Cold stop.

A cute romance with a couple of hot sexy scenes. I admire Darcy for learning about Elle’s profession and realizing it’s importance to Elle even though Darcy doesn’t believe in it herself.
Typical troupe complications build to a romantic ending.
The book ended on Christmas Eve. It could have used a Christmas epilogue.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.