I really wanted to love this book, and I know there’s always a conflict in the third act of a romance novel, but this one just felt like it tried too hard and the conflict was just really heavy handed. But besides that the story was cute and sexy and I just wanted things to go a little easier is all I’m saying. Like these are two really smart women and I don’t believe conclusions would have been jumped to so swiftly.

This is a cute, low-angst, steamy romcom. Elle thinks Darcy is too uptight, and Darcy thinks Elle is too flighty. But even though their first date is a disaster, they fake a relationship to keep their families at bay. When attraction sparks between them, can these opposites find their way to love?

Despite the characters being named Darcy and Elizabeth, the only similarity this book bears to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is that Elle overhears Darcy call her a hot mess after they first meet. But it's a delightful book in its own right.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I wasn’t sure I would like this book, but I absolutely adored it. It had me weeping on my couch as I binged it in one afternoon.

3.5! It's a very sweet book, but predictable. Totally fine, but there were parts I felt like I was skimming because of it. Although this is the second book in 2021 where one of the main characters writes fanfic!

This was a funny and cute romantic comedy, loosely inspired by Pride and Prejudice. I will definitely recommend it to customers looking for lighthearted romance with a touch of new age.

Though a bit cheesy (romances usually are) I loved the two main characters Elle and Darcy. They were women that you could relate to and see yourself in. I am also a sucker for messy fake dating to possible lovers tropes. The story was cute and emotionally gripping and you fall in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other. 10/10 would recommend.

I got to this so late, and I am ashamed, because I LOVED it. It was so sweet and fuzzy. Nerdy without being eye-roll-y. Just A+. Moving right along to Hang the Moon!

This review will be brief, seeing as I didn't manage to actually finish the book. I only got to page 134 of 366 before I gave up. To be clear, this is not a BAD book, I just didn't really vibe with the characters. I saw a lot of potential for steamy drama and adorableness, but the actual characters were not people I wanted to read about personally, so I quit. The writing is solid and the premise is so promising. If you are reading this to decide if you will read the book, I would say go ahead and give it a try if you like fake-dating trope romance novels because there's a good chance you will love it, it just wasn't for me.

In an 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 incredibly 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 to late to change my opinion overall but it was definitely a cute read!

This book is adorable and hilarious. I loved the characters and I felt like I was there with them. Even at the end of the book I felt like I still wanted more! It was sexy, hilarious, and perfect for the genre. This book is a classic romcom with a lot of heart. At times, it felt a bit formulaic and predicable, but that didn't take away from the enjoyability. This book is a great “holiday read” and has a cozy feel to it that I adored. There was just enough tension to keep you reading with a rewarding ending. If you like classic romantic comedies, but are looking for a queer spin, then this is exactly what you need and it’s not going to let you down.

Elle and Darcy are set up on what winds up being a HORRIBLE first date. While they both have initial attraction, their personalities are pretty much opposite. Elle is a follower of horoscopes and even has her own astrology web business that she runs with a friend. Meanwhile, Darcy is very serious about her career as an insurance actuary. Elle is looking for her soul mate and Darcy is sick of her younger brother trying to set her up with people. The two end the date expecting to never speak to each other again.

But, after a a little white lie gets out of control, both women agree to pretend they are dating until after the holidays are over in order to get both of their families off of their backs about their relationship statuses. But then the feelings start getting real in their fake relationship...

This was a cute LGBTQ+ entry into the trope of fake dating until it becomes real. The story line was believable and the writing was engaging. There were even a few steamy passages thrown in there to spice things up a bit. I recommend this one to fans of romance or chick lit.

What to listen to while reading...
Written in the Stars by WENDY & John Legend
Uptight Downtown by La Roux
Fallingforyou by The 1975
And Then She Kissed Me by St. Vincent
Love is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar
I Fall Apart by Post Malone
Happiness is a butterfly by Lana Del Rey
Counting Stars by OneRepublic

This counts towards the Reading Women 2021 Challenge Task #16: A queer love story

Who doesn’t love a holiday fake romance story? Darcy is just about fed up with her brother always playing matchmaker. He suggests a blind date and she goes and finds no spark of romance. Her date, Elle, runs a popular Twitter astrology account and is desperate to find love. Darcy doesn’t want to admit to her brother that she had an awful date so she lies—and to her surprise so does Elle! Now the two have to fake a relationship until Mercury in in retrograde, and some sparks start to fly.

First of all, I have to say that I’m SO MAD at myself for not reading this sooner! I think I got approved for this e-arc back in early November, but didn’t read it until the beginning of January! It’s a damn holiday romance, ughhh shame on me.
Anyway. This book is the actual cutest. I loved that it wasn’t an exact “Pride & Prejudice” retelling, but contained the tropes and some of the character traits of that book instead. I related to Elle so much because of her open heart, too-trusting nature, emotional intelligence, and charisma. I was pushing for her & Darcy so instantly and shipping them so hard! They were good for each other and helped one another grow and learn in new ways. And their chemistry was off the charts! Those flirty and steamy scenes were everythingggg. I think because the author took the time to really flesh the two of them out, I felt like I knew them super well, and so I rooted for them because I was invested in them as individuals and could see their future so well.

This book was a wonderful balance of nice, cute, fun romance, and real grounded people with relatable personal problems. Nothing major, no “out there” drama - just honest chemistry and interest. I absolutely loved it, and confidently & easily gave it 5 stars.

Darcy Lowell has a few complications in her life. Between her overprotective brother and her rather disastrous dating life, Darcy has had enough. This becomes even more true when her latest date, arranged by said brother, goes completely awry and she decides not to share how badly it went. Instead, she pretends it was perfect. Except her date, Ella Jones, knows this is true and further, knows Darcy’s gone and lied about it. Why? Because even though our famous astrologist is looking for her own connection, she knows without a doubt that Darcy is not it.

However, Ella plays along with the subterfuge, embarking on a fake relationship with Darcy until New Year’s Eve. After all, Darcy’s brother is a business partner and Ella’s got family issues and things to prove as well. Except here’s the problem with fake relationships – they can all-too-quickly start to feel real.

I love the dynamic between Darcy and Ella. Darcy brings the grump and seriousness, while Ella is a lovely, bright star. Their characters are very much in keeping with the spirit of Darcy and Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice and it’s honestly one of the freshest retellings in a year of so many.

I especially loved the side characters – Brenden, who will likely get a book, and Margo, who is pan, like me! The setting and timeline were also brilliantly managed and the love scenes were hot and perfect.

My only quibble is I wanted more and that’s not a bad complaint to have about a book.

Lovely read – I am looking forward to more from this author.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
💜 The characters and their development was stunning.
💜 "Fauxmances" are one of my favorite tropes and this did it SO well.
💜 It was a slow-burn kind of romance, but it worked in the best way for these characters,
💜 I loved the huge contrast between Darcy and Elle as characters.
💜 There was a little sprinkle of family drama that moved the plot along well.
💜 Margot was just such a wonderful character.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝘿𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙤𝙧 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙊𝙛:
💜 I would have liked to have had a little more wrap-up in both Darcy and Elle's family situations.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙄𝙛 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙇𝙞𝙠𝙚𝙙:
💜 If you're a romance fan, pick this one up!

This was a fun, swoony romance with nods to Pride and Prejudice. I absolutely loved it! The writing was excellent, and the novel was well paced. I could not read this fast enough!

A Pride and Prejudice based fake relationship trope with female LBGTQIA protagonists? Yes please. Elle is an astrologer who never seems to make it past the first date, usually hearing that she’s just a little too much. Darcy is a perfectionist actuary who’s response to prior heartbreak is to avoid getting involved in another relationship. They’re set up on a blind date by Darcy’s brother, who is also Elle’s new business partner. While the date is a disaster, Darcy senses a perfect way to get her brother to butt out of her personal life - why not just pretend to have hit it off with Elle? Perhaps if her brother wasn’t quite so invested in romance (his business is a matchmaking app that is doing quite well in a flooded market) it would have worked. Instead, Darcy and Elle enter into an agreement to use this relationship to get through the holiday season.

Written in the Stars is a cute and fun speedy read. One or two minor surprises, but if you’re looking for a solid and wonderfully predictable (in the best way possible) escapist romcom, Bellefleur has certainly delivered. With everything so chaotic recently, a mildly bumpy road to a guaranteed happily ever after may be just what your weekend needs.

i had fun reading this. i enjoyed our main characters, elle and darcy. i want to be a bit more like both of them. i think they're fun and realistic. the drama wasn't too convoluted until the very end. but i read a lot of romance, i know when to expect unnecessary drama for plot reasons.

i've attempted reading a few sapphic romances, and i'm glad to say that i was actually able to finish this one. i'm glad that this exists and that i read it. i was hesitant at first, for a couple reasons. firstly, there's not a lot of well written sapphic romances (i've been trying to read more). secondly, for more personal reasons, i thought it might be difficult to read a sapphic romance. let me clarify. i am super repressed and want to be loved.

i think the ending was abrupt and everything could have been more fleshed out. i wish we got more relationship development. if you're going to name one of your characters darcy, you might as well make it a bit more slow burn, ya know.

i also think that the fanfic stuff was a bit cringy. i say that as someone who regularly reads fanfic on ao3. the astrology stuff is also kind of cringy to read about. but once i got over the kinda corny vibe, i really enjoyed how shamelessly happy the astrology and fanfic stuff was.

everything was very sincere in this book, which i greatly appreciated.

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy

What a steamy read! I picked up this book during one of the roughest weeks of my life and it was the perfect decision because it helped me get out of my own head. I’m a huge fan of the fake relationships trope and if it has laugh out loud banter, even better. I really loved the main character Elle and her carefree ways. Darcy grew on me as the story went on and it was fun to watch their relationship progress. Bellefleur wrote great chemistry and I’m truly so impressed this was her debut. I can’t wait to check out Brendan’s story in Hang the Moon which is being published in May! ⁣

This was such a cute, original rom-com, with excellent queer rep. The opposites-attract dynamic and flirty, sexy banter kept me turning pages. What a delight!