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Celestial Alignments
98 days until the total solar eclipse…
Unlike the orbiting planets in our solar system, Jupiter Rowe prefers to float alone. After the passing of her mother, she takes the initiative to accomplish her mother’s biggest dream: becoming an astronomer. Simple enough task—except Jupiter, a woman named after a planet, has failed the introductory astronomy class twice before.
When paging through her late mother’s journal for some guidance on how to pass the class, she discovers a passage mentioning an upcoming total solar eclipse, which just so happens to be three months away…
Aspiring astronomer, Arladis ”Arlo” Prince is a man of fact and certainty. He manages to land a competitive internship that’ll offer him six figures straight out of undergrad. He quickly discovers a big con: the program is nothing but a headache. For six figures, he has no choice but to stick it out.
His plans of zeroing in on securing his degree and keeping sane in this internship are interrupted by an email from an old favorite professor. Subject: a student who could really use some help in their astronomy class. In return, a written recommendation to the CEO of his company is promised.
Unlike the orbiting planets in our solar system, Jupiter Rowe prefers to float alone. After the passing of her mother, she takes the initiative to accomplish her mother’s biggest dream: becoming an astronomer. Simple enough task—except Jupiter, a woman named after a planet, has failed the introductory astronomy class twice before.
When paging through her late mother’s journal for some guidance on how to pass the class, she discovers a passage mentioning an upcoming total solar eclipse, which just so happens to be three months away…
Aspiring astronomer, Arladis ”Arlo” Prince is a man of fact and certainty. He manages to land a competitive internship that’ll offer him six figures straight out of undergrad. He quickly discovers a big con: the program is nothing but a headache. For six figures, he has no choice but to stick it out.
His plans of zeroing in on securing his degree and keeping sane in this internship are interrupted by an email from an old favorite professor. Subject: a student who could really use some help in their astronomy class. In return, a written recommendation to the CEO of his company is promised.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 12, 2025
2 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 21, 2025
What made me want to read this was its unique take on a romance. It takes place around a total solar eclipse, which is exciting & rare to see, just like finding "the one" who's perfectly aligned in your path. I was excited to receive an early copy!
Jupiter is so relatable! She doesn't want too many people in her business & comes off standoffish to some. But Arlo ends up in her orbit & shakes things up a bit for her. He catches her eye & she actually feels something special with him that makes her want to loosen up a bit.
How Arlo falls first had me smiling so big! He doesn't give up no matter how many times Jupiter cuts him off. He was set on waiting for her to open up, no matter how long it took! He knew he wanted her.
I enjoyed seeing the conflict between parent dreams/expectations vs. living one's own life and how draining workplace environments can be.
Such a cute slow burn! I did find it a little long & repetitive at times, but enjoyed the twisty ending & the unexpected spice! 🤭
Jupiter is so relatable! She doesn't want too many people in her business & comes off standoffish to some. But Arlo ends up in her orbit & shakes things up a bit for her. He catches her eye & she actually feels something special with him that makes her want to loosen up a bit.
How Arlo falls first had me smiling so big! He doesn't give up no matter how many times Jupiter cuts him off. He was set on waiting for her to open up, no matter how long it took! He knew he wanted her.
I enjoyed seeing the conflict between parent dreams/expectations vs. living one's own life and how draining workplace environments can be.
Such a cute slow burn! I did find it a little long & repetitive at times, but enjoyed the twisty ending & the unexpected spice! 🤭
June 18, 2025
idk how else to explain this book, but this book was written by my best friend. NOT LITERALLY. BUT IT FEELS LIKE IT. like the dialogue is genuinely how i would speak to my friends, Jupiter’s inner monologue is actually ME and just the vibes of the book were just so warm and fun.
My girl Jupiter was actually the funniest person ever and I want to be best friends with her. Every time she found herself attracted to my man Arlo it was ‘it’s fine i’m just ovulating’ LOOOOOL CRYING SHE’S JUST LIKE ME. I will admit she annoyed me SLIGHTLY at the very end but she was just a girl like i get it - this is what i mean i felt like these characters were my friends and i was watching this story unfold in real life.
Arladis, THIS MAN WAS PERFECT. LIKE GOD DAMNNNN THIS MAN like and i HATE MEN so for me to say i want this man like THIS GOTTA MEAN SOMETHING. it’s just something about smart men who know how to EAT they just get me (iykyk) 👀🧎♀️
One other thing, so i spoke about this with Lady’s Knight and how that book really made the perfect sapphic fairytale that i wish i read in high school. So in a similar way, this book created the PERFECT romance between two black characters written by a black author and it’s the type of book that i would’ve loved to read in high school just to see more representation of black love as mainstream. Like this is the book my friends deserved to see themselves in book characters in our undergrad if that makes sense🖤
ANYWAY COMING OUT JULY 12TH I CANNOT WAIT FOR YALL TO READ THIS (like i loved it so much i’m gonna try justify buying a physical copy to ship to aus🫡)
My girl Jupiter was actually the funniest person ever and I want to be best friends with her. Every time she found herself attracted to my man Arlo it was ‘it’s fine i’m just ovulating’ LOOOOOL CRYING SHE’S JUST LIKE ME. I will admit she annoyed me SLIGHTLY at the very end but she was just a girl like i get it - this is what i mean i felt like these characters were my friends and i was watching this story unfold in real life.
Arladis, THIS MAN WAS PERFECT. LIKE GOD DAMNNNN THIS MAN like and i HATE MEN so for me to say i want this man like THIS GOTTA MEAN SOMETHING. it’s just something about smart men who know how to EAT they just get me (iykyk) 👀🧎♀️
One other thing, so i spoke about this with Lady’s Knight and how that book really made the perfect sapphic fairytale that i wish i read in high school. So in a similar way, this book created the PERFECT romance between two black characters written by a black author and it’s the type of book that i would’ve loved to read in high school just to see more representation of black love as mainstream. Like this is the book my friends deserved to see themselves in book characters in our undergrad if that makes sense🖤
ANYWAY COMING OUT JULY 12TH I CANNOT WAIT FOR YALL TO READ THIS (like i loved it so much i’m gonna try justify buying a physical copy to ship to aus🫡)
June 18, 2025
“Girls go to college to get more knowledge, boys go to Jupiter to get more stupider” But in reverse 🤣 She’s the grumpy, he’s the sunshine ☀️
A girl’s named after a planet and failing astronomy for the third time—what could go wrong with a tutor? Insert Jupiter and Ardlais, said tutor. If right person, wrong time was a couple it’d be them 🤦🏽♀️ They’re both so focused on college and life, that time for a relationship is out the question…until it isn’t 🤣
A lil tutor college romance? WE LOVE 🥰 I loveddd that Ms. Deja didn’t give us the basic college majors 😂 Astronomy was a new one and all the lil references throughout the book had me giggling! This was my first “He Falls First” book that had me wanting to bop the FMC CUS JUPITERRRRRRRRR, why you took so long babe? Not only did you prolong getting with your LITERAL SOULMATE, you failing cus of it too! I was so happy she finally got it together. Then Arlo, such a sweetie 🥺 “Lemme taste it” SIR?! When did you get this friskyyyyyy?
Overall i had fun reading about Arlo & Jupiter. Ms. Deja Walker did what needed to be DONE with her debut novel. Tysm for trusting me with an advanced copy 🫶🏾
A girl’s named after a planet and failing astronomy for the third time—what could go wrong with a tutor? Insert Jupiter and Ardlais, said tutor. If right person, wrong time was a couple it’d be them 🤦🏽♀️ They’re both so focused on college and life, that time for a relationship is out the question…until it isn’t 🤣
A lil tutor college romance? WE LOVE 🥰 I loveddd that Ms. Deja didn’t give us the basic college majors 😂 Astronomy was a new one and all the lil references throughout the book had me giggling! This was my first “He Falls First” book that had me wanting to bop the FMC CUS JUPITERRRRRRRRR, why you took so long babe? Not only did you prolong getting with your LITERAL SOULMATE, you failing cus of it too! I was so happy she finally got it together. Then Arlo, such a sweetie 🥺 “Lemme taste it” SIR?! When did you get this friskyyyyyy?
Overall i had fun reading about Arlo & Jupiter. Ms. Deja Walker did what needed to be DONE with her debut novel. Tysm for trusting me with an advanced copy 🫶🏾
July 8, 2025
Thank you to the author for an advance copy
I didn’t think it was possible to love this book more, but here we are. Set in my hometown of Chicago, this story follows two college students studying Astronomy, and it completely stole my heart.
Jupiter Rowe is on her last attempt at passing Intro to Astronomy after failing twice. Her professor brings in a former student, Arladis (aka Arlo), to tutor her—and from there, things start to shift.
Arlo has his own struggles he's working through, and together, they navigate a connection that feels like wrong time, perfect person. Jupiter is 100% the grump in this grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and she made me mad sometimes. Also, her co-worker Tierra— had me laughing out loud!
This book is heartfelt, funny, and full of starry-eyed moments.
Definitely a must-add to your TBR!
I didn’t think it was possible to love this book more, but here we are. Set in my hometown of Chicago, this story follows two college students studying Astronomy, and it completely stole my heart.
Jupiter Rowe is on her last attempt at passing Intro to Astronomy after failing twice. Her professor brings in a former student, Arladis (aka Arlo), to tutor her—and from there, things start to shift.
Arlo has his own struggles he's working through, and together, they navigate a connection that feels like wrong time, perfect person. Jupiter is 100% the grump in this grumpy-sunshine dynamic, and she made me mad sometimes. Also, her co-worker Tierra— had me laughing out loud!
This book is heartfelt, funny, and full of starry-eyed moments.
Definitely a must-add to your TBR!
July 16, 2025
Thank you to @dejaauthor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Arlo is confident while Jupiter is more reserved. They both try to keep their eyes on their individual prizes, but fate and the universe seem to have other plans for them.
This book is reminiscent to me of the show Forever on Netflix in the sense that they depict two young people going through it while they try to figure out what their relationship will be. Though in this book the main characters are college-aged, it brought about similar feelings of “why can’t you two figure it out 😩” (in a good way).
I enjoyed reading their story, and seeing them come to terms with their feelings. They had sweet and funny moments together and I felt the attraction between them. Even through the cringey moments and a fight (that was needed in my opinion), I was still rooting for them.
The side characters for both main characters have wise words and were funny and I liked them a lot.
Arlo and Jupiter just make sense together to me for reasons that get revealed and if I say more, I might say too much.
Read for:
🌌 Black leads
🌌 He falls first and hard
🌌 College romance
🌌 Fate themes
🌌 Tutor x student
🌌 Total solar eclipse
OVERALL
Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5 stars. There’s just something about the writing style and the story I love. It kept my attention and I found myself thinking about it when doing other things. This is one of my favorites that I’ve read this year.
Arlo is confident while Jupiter is more reserved. They both try to keep their eyes on their individual prizes, but fate and the universe seem to have other plans for them.
This book is reminiscent to me of the show Forever on Netflix in the sense that they depict two young people going through it while they try to figure out what their relationship will be. Though in this book the main characters are college-aged, it brought about similar feelings of “why can’t you two figure it out 😩” (in a good way).
I enjoyed reading their story, and seeing them come to terms with their feelings. They had sweet and funny moments together and I felt the attraction between them. Even through the cringey moments and a fight (that was needed in my opinion), I was still rooting for them.
The side characters for both main characters have wise words and were funny and I liked them a lot.
Arlo and Jupiter just make sense together to me for reasons that get revealed and if I say more, I might say too much.
Read for:
🌌 Black leads
🌌 He falls first and hard
🌌 College romance
🌌 Fate themes
🌌 Tutor x student
🌌 Total solar eclipse
OVERALL
Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5 stars. There’s just something about the writing style and the story I love. It kept my attention and I found myself thinking about it when doing other things. This is one of my favorites that I’ve read this year.
July 14, 2025
Celestial Alignments
Deja Walker
Jupiter Rowe is a loner. There aren’t very many people in her immediate orbit. Even the few people she spends time with have a hard time penetrating a certain level of intimacy with her. She’s hyper-focused on the completion of a few aspirations her mother had before her passing. These goals are an attempt to make both her mother proud and garner a closeness she’s missing.
Arladis Prince is the epitome of what STEM genius is. He’s counting on his knowledge to provide for him; and he embarks on an internship. While he’s passionate about the work but also wants to show his father that he will in-fact succeed in all his endeavors.
Jupiter and Arladis find themselves in a cute cat and mouse type of relationship. The story is sweet. Arladis is patient while Jupiter is cautious. The vibe reminds me of those late 90s and early 00s sweetheart movies. Everybody’s intentions are pure. It’s a slow burn.
They find something in each other that they’ve both been missing.
#readandtellwithshantel #dejawalker #celestialalignments
Have You Ever Loved Somebody Freddie Jackson
Deja Walker
Jupiter Rowe is a loner. There aren’t very many people in her immediate orbit. Even the few people she spends time with have a hard time penetrating a certain level of intimacy with her. She’s hyper-focused on the completion of a few aspirations her mother had before her passing. These goals are an attempt to make both her mother proud and garner a closeness she’s missing.
Arladis Prince is the epitome of what STEM genius is. He’s counting on his knowledge to provide for him; and he embarks on an internship. While he’s passionate about the work but also wants to show his father that he will in-fact succeed in all his endeavors.
Jupiter and Arladis find themselves in a cute cat and mouse type of relationship. The story is sweet. Arladis is patient while Jupiter is cautious. The vibe reminds me of those late 90s and early 00s sweetheart movies. Everybody’s intentions are pure. It’s a slow burn.
They find something in each other that they’ve both been missing.
#readandtellwithshantel #dejawalker #celestialalignments
Have You Ever Loved Somebody Freddie Jackson
July 12, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ This is a very cute dual POV romance that follows Jupiter and Arlo. Jupiter and Arlo are black astronomy students who find their way to each other. Jupiter despite her name struggles with Astronomy and is taking her intro class for the third time and still not understanding the material. Arlo is about to graduate from college with an Astronomy degree and is an internship of a lifetime. The whole story is focused around a countdown to the 2024 solar eclipse. Jupiter wants to see the eclipse to honor her late mother who dreamed of seeing the eclipse. Honestly I loved this story I just thought it was a little repetitive at times. As a personal pet peeve they called each other baby what I felt like was too much. I heavily dislike the use of baby and made me feel cringy. If that’s not something that bothers you, it’s a beautiful story of black love taking place in an unconventional way. Thank you to the author for this ARC of the book.
July 17, 2025
Add this to the top of your TBR asap! | loved this book! It had me smiling from ear to ear from beginning to end.
This story follows Jupiter & Arladis.
Jupiter is in school for astronomy to fulfill her late mom's dream and is struggling to pass Astronomy 101. Arladis is also an aspiring astronomer who is months away from graduating and hoping to secure a job with the company he's interning with (despite the micro-aggressions and toxic co-workers.) Arladis becomes Jupiter's tutor, and of course they begin to grow closer.
Both characters are authentic and adorable. He wears his heart on his sleeve and she is guarded and reserved... Before I knew it, there I was feeling every emotion with them as their relationship grew. I also loved the sisterhood portrayed in this book b/t Jupiter and her coworkers-turned-friends.
The writing in this book was top tier... and I mean chef's kiss! Deja Walker writes with so much passion and emotion that I didn't want the book to end!
This story follows Jupiter & Arladis.
Jupiter is in school for astronomy to fulfill her late mom's dream and is struggling to pass Astronomy 101. Arladis is also an aspiring astronomer who is months away from graduating and hoping to secure a job with the company he's interning with (despite the micro-aggressions and toxic co-workers.) Arladis becomes Jupiter's tutor, and of course they begin to grow closer.
Both characters are authentic and adorable. He wears his heart on his sleeve and she is guarded and reserved... Before I knew it, there I was feeling every emotion with them as their relationship grew. I also loved the sisterhood portrayed in this book b/t Jupiter and her coworkers-turned-friends.
The writing in this book was top tier... and I mean chef's kiss! Deja Walker writes with so much passion and emotion that I didn't want the book to end!
July 1, 2025
Celestial Alignments is a heartwarming debut that beautifully combines first love, self-discovery, and a touch of healing. Jupiter Rowe and Arladis "Arlo" Prince have such a natural chemistry, and I loved their journey of finding love amidst the chaos of school, work, and family expectations. Jupiter’s determination to achieve her mother’s dream, despite her own struggles, really resonated with me. I especially enjoyed the "he falls first" dynamic, which added so much to their relationship development. Deja’s writing is strong and engaging, evenly paced and I felt fully immersed in their world. If you love college romance with family angst and characters reaching for the stars, this is for you.
July 3, 2025
I love, love, love a cozy romance novel. And the only thing I love more than black love, is a black romance novel where the MAN falls first??? Ugh, spectacular, gimme 14 of 'em right now!!
Jupiter was so relatable to me, and at times the book felt very much like "hold up … is the play about us?" 😭. I love that Arlo was persistent, but not pushy in his pursuit of my good sis, and that distinction is VERY important, because sometimes you can apply too much pressure and it gives icky.
Overall i had such a fun time reading about Arlo & Jupiter. Ms. Walker, what a spectacular debut novel!
So thankful to have been trusted with an advanced reader copy 🩷
Jupiter was so relatable to me, and at times the book felt very much like "hold up … is the play about us?" 😭. I love that Arlo was persistent, but not pushy in his pursuit of my good sis, and that distinction is VERY important, because sometimes you can apply too much pressure and it gives icky.
Overall i had such a fun time reading about Arlo & Jupiter. Ms. Walker, what a spectacular debut novel!
So thankful to have been trusted with an advanced reader copy 🩷
July 3, 2025
Jupiter and Arlo’s story was fated… literally. I loved how
they found love while also pursing their dreams. Arlo helped Jupiter
realize that she can be happy while still finding herself. The patience Arlo
showed let me know he is the perfect book bae!
One of my favorite things about this book of course was the romance aspect, but I also enjoyed actually getting to learn more about the world of Astronomy. While it’s not extremely detailed it definitely was cute to see Jupiter get into the world through Arlo’s eyes.
they found love while also pursing their dreams. Arlo helped Jupiter
realize that she can be happy while still finding herself. The patience Arlo
showed let me know he is the perfect book bae!
One of my favorite things about this book of course was the romance aspect, but I also enjoyed actually getting to learn more about the world of Astronomy. While it’s not extremely detailed it definitely was cute to see Jupiter get into the world through Arlo’s eyes.
Read
July 31, 2025STEM MCs: both astronomy majors in college. I DNF’d at about 25% the way through. I was so distracted by the typos and multiple tense changes within a single sentence that I couldn’t go on. I did fast forward to the end to see how it turned out, but from what I read I think I would have been upset about the path the FMC took. The connection between the MCs seemed tenuous, and you didn’t get closure until the end of the epilogue.
June 29, 2025
Jupiter Rowe is just trying to honor her late mom’s dream, and Arlo Prince is all about facts and getting through his internship until their paths cross. Celestial Alignments mixes science, emotion, and a slow-burn connection to tell a story about grief, growth, and how the universe sometimes has other plans for us.
June 9, 2025
ARC REVIEW!
yall see the stars????
read it!
Every page. Every character. Every REASON!
GREAT WRITING.
(Unlimitedchapters1 on IG for my full review)
yall see the stars????
read it!
Every page. Every character. Every REASON!
GREAT WRITING.
(Unlimitedchapters1 on IG for my full review)
July 12, 2025
Refreshing and unique premise revolving around astronomy. Very cute love story.
July 13, 2025
ARC REVIEW:
I really enjoyed this unique and beautiful take on you g black love while also being able to pursue your dreams! I also love a grumpy FMC bc I too am
grumpy 😂
I really enjoyed this unique and beautiful take on you g black love while also being able to pursue your dreams! I also love a grumpy FMC bc I too am
grumpy 😂
August 6, 2025
rating my own book because i can🙂↕️
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews