WRITTEN IN THE STARS by Alexandria Bellefleur
Written in the Stars is a clever, fizzy rom-com that’s pure pleasure to read and easily joins the constellation of my 2020 favorites. It winks at Bridget Jones's Diary and Pride and Prejudice in broad characterizations but very much charts it's own path as a thoroughly modern sapphic romance full of wit, humor and heat.
Like Bridget and Mark or Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam, heroines Elle and Darcy are polar opposites. Elle is an astrologist, Darcy an actuary. Elle shops in thrift stores and drinks rosé from a box; Darcy wears designer silk and orders $56 glasses of chardonnay. Elle is an unconventional dreamer and incurable romantic eager to find her soulmate. Darcy is a buttoned up skeptic, reserved, risk averse and certain love is a bad bet.
The opposites attract set up is perfection, but it's their undeniable chemistry and steadily increasing intimacy as they reveal complex and complementary personalities that really had me hooked. Their attraction is so evocatively described (even in the midst of their disastrous blind date) that I was ready to smoosh their faces together before they’d even agreed to fake date.
Their plan to get Darcy's brother to stop his overzealous matchmaking and Elle's family to take her more seriously gives rise to a series of touching and adorable made for the movies dates. As they learn trust over escape room clues, get vulnerable in bar room trivia and share confidences under the stars, their compatibility is increasingly evident. Darcy reveals a penchant for dirty jokes, secret nerdery, surprising sentimentality, and a capacity for deep, messy feelings. Elle exposes a “clown car of terrifyingly endearing quirks,” a methodical intellect underpinning her intuitive nature, and a fearless generosity in pursuit of her dreams.
Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays provide a backdrop to the story and yield both tense family moments and touching points of connection between Elle and Darcy. Well drawn, engaging secondary characters round things out and create a wonderful sense of shared family as their lives intermingle.
If you’re looking for an effortlessly entertaining rom-com that sparkles with laughter and longing, this is a stellar pick!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
CWs: difficult family relationships, references to past parental neglect, off page cheating—not by MCs, references to a family member’s depression, and extensive Harry Potter references.
Disclosure: Review copy provided by the publisher.
