Give me sapphic opposites to something more any day! When I saw Written in the Stars, I knew I had to request it. Lately I’ve been reading more romances, but I’ve been focusing on diverse romances. So excited to be able to add this queer romance book to my read shelf! Keep reading this book review to see how if I liked it!
Summary
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?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Written in the Stars is a dual POV story about opposites who, despite their differences, might just be perfect for each other. We love a queer story about fake dating. Throughout the entire story, we are asked not only if we believe in soul mates, but also if we believe Elle and Natasha can overcome their differences. There’s plenty of yearning and chemistry, both in that “you infuriate me” and “but you’re so attractive” at the same time. I loved reading their tension while being opposites, yet also having these big picture values in common.
As someone who is VERY different than their partner, in most respects, I love reading stories that acknowledge these differences, while also showing that having a partner who can challenge us and show us new experiences is also valuable. In a relationship, we always have that moment where we have to choose where we stand. What commitments we keep and which fears we face. I loved watching both Elle and Natasha struggle to set up their boundaries and be honest with their family.
At the same time, I also loved the Elle’s pansexual best friend Margot. I need a book about her please. Written in the Stars also had some fabulous side relationships: Elle’s friendship with Margot, and Natasha’s relationship with her brother Brendan. If you love books that touch on that very real fear of being with someone where the stakes of what we might lose would break us into a thousand pieces, Written in the Stars is for you. The necessity to open our heart up to possibility, and pain, knowing that it doesn’t always end in heartbreak.
Find Written in the Stars on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.