Tara: This book is so freaking cute, it should be illegal. And luckily, Aarya agrees with me, so we’re talking about it together!

Written in the Stars is an opposites attract, fake relationship romance between Darcy Lowell, an actuary, and Elle Jones, an astrologer. Elle is working with Darcy’s brother, Brendon, on a project and he insists on setting them up on a blind date because they’re both single (also, as the founder of the dating app company OTP, he’s a big believer in true love). Despite excellent chemistry between them, that date goes horrifically bad, with Darcy getting judgy about Elle’s belief in true love and Elle accidentally spilling red wine on Darcy’s vintage dress. Clearly they’re not meant to be.

Brendon isn’t going to give up on his quest to help Darcy find love, so she tells him a single, teensy weensy lie, saying that her date with Elle went great. Naturally this confuses Elle when Brendon is thrilled their date went so well, and she demands a meeting with Darcy. They each have something to gain by faking a relationship for a couple of months: Brendon will stop setting Darcy up on dates and Elle will have someone to take home for her all-day, soul-sucking Thanksgiving family visit. All they have to do is convince their families until New Year’s Eve and then they can part ways, having gotten everyone off their backs for a while. Easy peasy, except for that pesky chemistry between them and the fact that they genuinely like each other once they put that first date behind them.

Aarya: The interesting thing about Written in the Stars is that it’s set in November/December in Seattle. Two important scenes (Elle’s Thanksgiving dinner in the middle and Brendon’s Christmas party in the end) feature the holidays… but it’s not a holiday romance. The blurb mentions the holidays and the New Year’s Eve fake relationship pact, but the cover focuses on the astrology/star element. That’s weird, right?

Tara: It IS a little weird! I didn’t check the blurb before I started it, so I didn’t realize it would take place during the holiday season. The cover doesn’t suggest holiday romance either, so as I was reading, I was occasionally wondering if it’s a straight-up contemporary romance, or how deep we’d go into The Magic Of Christmas.

Aarya: I was thinking about this contradiction for a while because it puzzled me. Then I realized: a Christmas/holiday romance isn’t categorized as such just because of timing. The holiday has to play a meaningful role in the romantic arc, and I don’t think it does here. It’s like…window dressing. You get all the glittery ornamentation surrounding the holidays, but there’s no “Oh, I love Christmas and it’s so meaningful that our love is happening right now!” declaration (I’m exaggerating but you know what I mean).

The book ends before Christmas! That’s how little the actual holiday matters. The holidays are there in the background, but it’s not front and center to the love story. So we get stuff like a very touching scene involving Christmas trees, but it’s not a Christmas/holiday romance. It’s just a contemporary romance set during the holidays, if my rambling makes any sense. It reminds me a bit of Lucy Parker’s Headliners, which is primarily set in December and has holiday-centric scenes, but is not a holiday romance.

Written in the Stars is the perfect holiday-adjacent read for folks who don’t want the romantic arc to revolve around Christmas, but I think Christmas-loving folks would also really enjoy it. The best of both worlds!

Tara: Yes, I agree completely! The holiday events, like Elle’s family Thanksgiving dinner and Brendon’s Christmas party, are forcing functions in their relationship development. They’re effective elements because Elle and Darcy know they have to be convincing for these two occasions, so they spend time getting to know each other. Could this have happened at another time of year? Sure, but I also like that the book is being released at the same time of year that the story kicks off, because it feels like a hopeful, love-filled alternative to the scary things that are happening in the world right now.

I am always happy when a romance novel tricks me and serves up something better than what I’d expected.

Aarya: Okay, can we talk about expectations for a second? Because the blurb says “with nods to Bridget Jones and Pride and Prejudice.” I also remember the deal announcement from last year and it called the book a “Bridget Jones retelling.” With some early readers telling me it was a cute P&P spinoff and others telling me that it wasn’t, I had no idea what to expect.

Tara: That was what got me so excited about this book! Sapphic Pride and Prejudice? Take my money! I forgot about the Bridget Jones reference, which is for the best, because it’s SO FAR from Bridget Jones’s Diary that I would have been confused and disappointed.

Aarya: This is NOT a retelling. Not even close! Their names are Elle and Darcy; the latter is a closed-off, icy character archetype. I don’t think that Elle’s bubbly nature is similar to Elizabeth Bennett, but we can debate that point. They have a bad first meeting (blind date in this case) and Elle overhears Darcy criticizing her to a friend. Elle has sisters named Jane (perfectionist) and Lydia (bratty); she has a difficult relationship with her mother. And…that’s it. That’s literally it. One could make an argument that Darcy’s brother Brendon is Bingley, and I will maybe (but reluctantly) concede that point.

There is a part of me that’s semi annoyed by the nods and character names. I fear that readers will go into this book expecting a retelling, and then being disappointed that their expectations aren’t met. You can’t say that I didn’t warn you: this is a delightful contemporary romance, but a Pride & Prejudice retelling it is not. Adjust your expectations accordingly and enjoy Written in the Stars for what it is.

Tara: That’s a totally fair point. For me, I didn’t really mind because I noticed pretty quickly that it’s more inspired by Pride & Prejudice than anything else. I wouldn’t even consider it a reinterpretation, because it doesn’t follow any of the beats of P&P. Some of the nuggets that are sprinkled throughout, like this bit between Darcy and Brendon, worked for me as cute, wink-and-a-nudge reminders of the story’s inspiration.

“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.”

Aarya, what did you think of the Elle/Darcy pairing? Because I thought they were adoooooooorable. Bubbly + grumpy always works for me and it works especially well with these two because it lines up with their professions of astrologer and actuary.

Aarya: After I finished reading, I messaged a bunch of people saying “You have to read this! I ship Elle and Darcy so hard!” And honestly, the most important factor in a romance novel is how much I ship the couple. The pacing can be off or I might be annoyed by a subplot, but I can forgive anything if the couple is so freaking cute/sexy together. Sometimes I read a romance novel and it’s just fine because the couple is bland and I don’t know why they love each other. That’s not the case here.

Elle and Darcy are so freaking cute/sexy together. It’s the perfect execution of the logical/unemotional/icy archetype (Darcy) paired with the bubbly/imaginative/artsy archetype (Elle). They shouldn’t work on paper, but they really do.

“I’ve never met someone so gorgeous and yet so condescending in my life.” Elle swallowed before her voice did something pathetic like crack. “Worst part was, I could’ve sworn we had . . . something. I felt a spark, you know?” She sighed, shoulders slumping. “Not that it matters. I didn’t stand a chance, no matter the chemistry.”

There were opposites and then there were opposites. Darcy didn’t believe in astrology or soul mates and—what was it she had called her? A mess? Pretty, too, but a mess nonetheless. And fun. She couldn’t forget that part.

Tara: Yes, yes, yes! I highlighted this part too, because it really hit me, seeing how hurt Elle is. I can’t blame her. Their chemistry was off the charts, plus Darcy was pretty mean when Elle overheard her complaining about their date. That’s why I was extra pleased that, when Elle finds out about Darcy’s lie to Brendon, she doesn’t let Darcy off the hook easily. I was right there with her when they meet up to discuss the situation and Elle hits Darcy with “Question one, what the fuck?”

Aarya: While Darcy majorly fucks up in the beginning, she makes up for it in spades. So what if she doesn’t believe in astrology? She learns to respect Elle’s passion for astrology and researches it in her spare time. She defends Elle’s work to her shitty family! I’m a goner for any MC who lectures their love interest’s terrible family. Darcy might be logical, but she also has a hidden sentimental/soapy streak inside (literally soapy. Darcy is a secret connoisseur of soap operas). She’s not entirely made of ice after all.

Tara: I can’t even with Darcy and her addiction to soaps. It’s SO cute, because it doesn’t fit with most people’s perception of her as a joyless, fact-driven person.

And, great point about her standing up to Elle’s family, because they are seriously shitty. While I was glad their shittiness had nothing to do with her bisexuality, it was wildly uncomfortable to read about their judgment and disappointment about her career. If I were at that Thanksgiving dinner, I’d be drinking and counting the minutes until I could escape.

Aarya: I loved how soon the sexual attraction enters the story. Even when their blind date is disastrous, their mutual lusting is magnetic. They’re not afraid to internally admit their intense sexual attraction even if they don’t confess to each other. And when their pining finally turns physical, the sex scenes are hot. The pacing of the relationship development is so well executed.

When I say that I shipped the romance, it’s because adorable moments keep happening. The escape room. The night under the stars. And you know that familiar scenario where the MCs hook up for the first time but then MC1 wakes up to find MC2 gone from the residence? MC1 is crushed and tries to logically explain their devastation away by labeling their night as meaningless (“It’s just sex! It’s not like we’re dating!”). Right after the despair sets in, MC2 walks in with fresh pastries/breakfast from a local cafe. MC1’s relief is so satisfying to experience.

Yeah. That happens here. Everything about this book is shipworthy. I’m squirming with delight right now.

Tara: I’m with you about them being shipworthy. One of my favorite elements of Written in the Stars is the dialogue, because it really brings to life how adorable they are together, like when Elle learns that Darcy used to write fanfic.

“When you what? When you—” No fucking way. “Darcy Lowell. Do you read fanfiction? Oh my god, what fandom? Do you write it? Is it smutty? Please tell me it’s smutty. What’s your—”

Darcy held up a hand. Her entire face was neon, her freckles blending into her flush. “I’m not telling you the name of anything I wrote. Margot already tried that.”

This was too good to be true. Darcy. Wrote. Fanfiction. Mind blown.

“Come on. Don’t I get”—girlfriend hovered on the tip of her tongue—“‘I’ve seen you naked’ privileges?”

Darcy arched a copper brow. “Seeing me naked is a privilege.”

Aarya: I normally relate to the logical/icy character more because I’m not bubbly/artistic. Here, I weirdly connected more to Elle than Darcy. Elle has a vulnerable streak and feelings of severe inadequacy. She feels like a hot mess; Darcy’s critique hurts so much because she knows it’s true. She fears that her family will never approve of her career. She loves her parents, but dreads any interaction for fear of judgment. Yeah. I can definitely relate, lolsob. I think we’ve all been there to some degree.

Tara: See, ice queens are one of my fave archetypes, so I was excited to see how that aspect plays out with Darcy. I didn’t even mind when it turns out that she’s not actually an ice queen. She’s just bruised and closed off because she’d had a fiancée who cheated on her. It was still fun to watch her warm up to Elle’s quirks because there’s a genuine fondness between them when she meets Elle’s family. I was so glad to see Darcy there to stand up for Elle when she has a hard time standing up for herself.

Aarya: That Thanksgiving scene with Elle’s family is *chef’s kiss* perfection. Family drama? Messy. Elle standing up for herself? Cathartic. Darcy acting as an exceptional fake girlfriend and jumping to Elle’s defense? Cue me screaming that it’s time to remove the “fake” label in the “fake girlfriend.”

I love this book. I love how unabashedly queer it is. Elle is bi, her roommate Margot is pan, and her brother Matt is gay and married. Darcy is a lesbian and I think Darcy’s BFF Annie is bi. There’s zero homophobia, and that makes me happiest of all (not that there’s anything wrong with storylines grappling with homophobia, but it’s nice to not read about bigotry).

Tara: While I agree with you that there’s nothing wrong with storylines about dealing with homophobia, I’m so glad it’s not in this story, too. There’s already so much homophobia in the world, so I’m not looking for it in my romances now. I want to be wrapped up in all the warm, sexy feels and this book definitely delivers.

Aarya: My one complaint: Written in the Stars unfortunately has an issue that personally irritates me

but it’s still a solid B+. I have the audiobook and I’m in the mood to reread right now via audio. This speaks to how much I like Written in the Stars, because I rarely reread anything this soon after the first read.

If this is Bellefleur’s debut, I cannot wait for what’s next. Per Avon’s website, Brendon and Annie (Darcy’s brother and BFF) are the next pairing in Hang the Moon.

Tara: For me, this is SO CLOSE to being a perfect book. I didn’t mind that they broke up, because I understood the circumstances. But, like you mentioned, it ends abruptly after Elle and Darcy make up. That left me craving an epilogue, because I needed just a little more time with them, feeling happy and good about them being adorable together. I’d give it an A-.

I don’t normally read m/f romances, but I might make an exception for Hang the Moon. Partly because Brendon is a sweetheart and I want to see him find his own OTP (one true pairing), but also so I can spend more time with Darcy and Elle as they live out their HEA.