This book has been living rent-free in my brain since page one and I simultaneously couldn’t stop reading it while not wanting it to be over. Whether you’re a Pride & Prejudice superfan or just looking for a delightfully quirky, steamy f/f romance, you really can’t go wrong with Written in the Stars. Elle is a charming, energetic heroine that bounces off Darcy and her slightly pricklier exterior so nicely, and the chemistry between them was off-the-charts delicious. Bellefleur has a reader in me for sure and I’m already looking forward to Darcy’s brother’s book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

Rating: 3 stars

“Written in the Stars” was one of my most anticipated romances for the latter half of 2020. P&P is one of my favourite books and I honestly couldn’t wait for this sapphic, contemporary retelling. However, this, unfortunately, fell a little flat for me.

First up, I adored the writing style and the story was super fast-paced, which I loved. I also really enjoyed the beginning and the hilarious first date disaster Darcy and Elle had.

I normally really enjoy books with the fake dating trope and as this also had the P&P retelling element, I was expecting to love it. But I found myself drifting throughout, I wasn’t invested in the characters or their romance. I didn’t particularly feel the connection between the mcs either. I just felt really indifferent to the whole thing, I didn’t love it but I also didn’t hate it.

Overall, I would recommend this to people that like contemporary romance with queer main characters, unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me, but I definitely see why people love this one!

This took me a while to get through, to be honest, because I found Darcy to be too abrasive and condescending up front and Elle to be way too "fluffy." There were definitely things I loved, though! I did love the incorporation of astrology and the relationship development. They ended up balancing each other out in a really sweet way. I think it's a unique story, which is definitely hard to find in the romance genre.

This book was a perfect light read for around the holidays. Elle and Darcy's relationship is cute and steamy. Alexandria Bellefleur reflects two types of people: someone who is longing to find their person and someone who is terrified to love again. The Astrology metaphors were a unique aspect in the description of the settings and characters. There is a very realistic aspect to Bellefleur's writing that I can't quite put my finger on. I loved the pop culture references which added some humor. The message I took from this story; there is only one choice: happiness.

I’m a sucker for books set in Seattle and the fake dating trope so this was a must pick-up that absolutely lived up to the promise of both. Elle and Darcy and the cast of characters surrounding them were super enjoyable to read and cheer on for them to sort out their real feelings.

Fake dating tropes can be very entertaining. This story was done well. Elizabeth Jones, free spirited astrologer, with a warm and open heart; looking for a long term relationship. Darcy Lowell, focused actuary, self-reflective and working to mend a broken heart. Both women deal with overbearing parents and for the most extent supportive family and friends. Elle though sunny and bright struggles with a family that does not think much of what she does for a living and therefore, that makes her sad and question herself. Darcy, heartbroken, finds it hard to believe that she could be swept off her feet.

While reading, I thought about the important of communication and the give/take and push/pull within a relationship. Sad to say, the ending was not satisfying because in my opinion, it was rushed. Which is unfortunate because the story in general was good.

Written in the Stars is a sweet, fun sapphic fake dating romance that gave me many warm-fuzzies. Darcy just recently moved to Seattle after her ex fiancé cheated on her, and her brother who believes in One True Love keeps trying to help her find someone. That leads to a disastrous first date with Elle, an astrologer who’s got a contract in the works with Brendon’s dating app. In an effort to get Brendon off her back, Darcy claims her date with Elle was the beginning of a new relationship, and now she has to sell the lie.

Elle is such a sunshiny, hopeful person who likes to believe in magic and fate and true love. In contrast, Darcy is more jaded and tends to keep her feelings close to her chest, especially as she saw how her dad cheating on her mom and that marriage ending led to her mother having a severe case of depression. Darcy is terrified of being like her mother, and as her feelings for Elle grow so does her fear.

I really enjoyed the friendships and familial bonds, although both Darcy and Elle have complicated relationships with their mom. Elle’s mom in particular is kind of toxic with the pressures she puts on her kids and the ways in which she belittles Elle’s success, all while claiming she just wants the best for Elle. I really enjoyed watching Elle and Darcy grow closer and their feelings develop from reluctant fake dating to something real.

Overall this was a fun romance with lots of feelings. The endings was especially sweet, and I’m looking forward to Brendon’s story next.

What a great way to start off my holiday reading! This book follows Darcy and Elle, who start off on maybe the worst blind date in history as they then find themselves in a fake relationship for the holidays.
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First off, the premise of this book is right up my alley. Lighthearted, fun, a bit sarcastic with incredibly likable characters, and who DOESN’T like a fake dating trope?? How they found themselves in the relationship was both realistic and reasonable. The story played out very much like a hallmark movie which is very fun.
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While there might not be a ton of substance, the characters still have very real moments which grounds the story which I totally appreciate. If you are looking for something light, fluffy, and yet still pretty spicy (this is an ADULT book, might I add!) this is definitely a great holiday read for you!

I absolutely loved Elle and Darcy’s story! This was a fun fake dating story that starts with a terrible blind date. I really loved Elle because she is very much like myself - she believes in true love and wears her heart on her sleeve. Darcy is super logical and has been burned before so it was an interesting pairing from the start. I would definitely never be in a fake dating situation but I love seeing them unfold in fiction because I can’t do anything but root for them falling in love. I felt like the conflict was really well done and the story was just a lot of fun!

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher*
4.5 stars
This was basically the sapphic holiday romcom I’ve been looking for. Darcy and Elle were polar opposites, but somehow their dynamic worked so well. The supporting characters were fleshed out and very pleasant to read from. The writing was much more dramatic than the book warranted, but it absolutely worked to make the story more tangible. I loved Elle’s love for astrology, and I thought the addition of the match making business was such a fun part of the story.
This reads like a sapphic Hallmark movie, and I loved every second of it.

<B>3.5 Stars rounded up to 4</B>

A cute sapphic nod to Pride and Prejudice. The characters were complete opposites and clashed immediately, but when Darcy Lowell tells her brother they hit it off so that he will stop his match-making schemes, Elle Jones gets wind of it and marches right over to call Darcy out on her lie. Darcy manages to convince Elle to go along with the scheme for the holidays and nothing will ever be the same.

This book was cute with both hate to love and fake dating tropes. Darcy started off as just a loathsome character, Elle was terribly naive, but over time they grew on me. This book suffers from the "why don't they just talk" phenomenon in most romance and had they not purposefully refused to do so they could have suffered a lot less headaches. I think without that fault the author could have built a deeper and more meaningful bond (and story) as well.

All that being said, I look forward to seeing what else this writer has in store for us.

Written in the Stars was an adorable ff romance. And I must admit although I haven’t read any sapphic romances before 2020, I’m glad I changed that when I picked up SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT earlier this year. Since then, I’ve been adding more and more ff romances to my tbr.

Overall I was very happy with Written in the Stars, it was incredibly cozy, endearing and charming. Thanks to the two main characters, Elle and Darcy, their attraction, and connection was heart warming.

They were such vivid characters, and although they were pretty much opposites in demeanor and interests, their attraction gave them a reason to meet in the middle. And I just loved how they, after a not so great first impression, had each other’s back, and learned so much about the other. Their relationship grew and made sense, outside of their attraction. I really felt they actually complimented each other in a very endearing way.

You can’t go wrong with this #ownvoices queer rom-com debut, which was well written, and had some popular tropes like fake dating, and some enemies to lovers at the beginning. I’m looking forward to more books by this author.

I loved this book! Elle and Darcy have an instant spark the quickly ignites. This book will make you feel warm and fuzzy just in time for the holidays. If you love banter, the opposites attract sunny/grumpy trope, this book is for you. Warning, I seriously jonesing for an escape room after reading this though as I was reading this during a lockdown.

I just found a new favorite romance book!!!!



Ok, so I’m obsessed. As soon as I started this and was around 10% in I already knew it was going to be a favorite, and that feeling didn’t change one bit as I finished this story. Darcy and Elle were absolutely perfect and their story was a joy to read from start to finish!


Elle was literally the embodiment of Rapunzel from Tangled. She’s positive, energetic, and hopeless romantic. I loved everything about her! Meanwhile, Darcy is literally the opposite. I wouldn’t say so a negative person, but she thinks with her head, is focused on her work, and is NOT looking to be in a serious relationship. She is responsible and analytic. In hindsight, you wouldn’t think they would work, but they fit each other so well and really complimented each other. They had so much chemistry from the get go, and their scenes were just too cute and made me smile multiple times! I specially loved their text messages to one another, those were some of my favorite parts!


I could not recommend this book enough. Great writing, amazing set of characters and swoony romance!

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC

I am a huge P&P fan, which made me hesitant as I started reading Written in the Stars. Needless to say, I was so thankful that this book was fantastic! I really enjoyed getting to know Elle and Darcy, from their horrible first meeting (c'mon, we've all had those dates) to their first hook up (hello steam) to their happily ever after. I love reading queer romance done right, not with any weird fetishized overtones. I can't wait to read the next book AB puts out!

CHRISTMAS GAYS!!!!! In Seattle!!! In all seriousness though, this book was an absolute delight. Even though Darcy and Elle were about as opposite as it is possible to be, they had SO MUCH chemistry and I was rooting so hard for them from page one. This book was exactly what I was hoping it would be and honestly you all just need to read it, like, yesterday. Also extra bonus points for the sexy scenes bc they were A+++++++++

Classic fake relationship to real relationship trope with charming characters and fun charades. I loved the astrology angle, it adds a very current twist. A lesbian relationship is the cherry on top! Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light, fun, romance.

Astrologist Elle Jones is looking for love. Even if she doesn't exactly have a successful track record of finding it. She and her best friend, Margot, are the pair behind the incredibly popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars. And they are just about to join with OTP, the coolest dating app ever, thereby realizing their professional dreams. OTP was created by Brendon, who is nerdy, sweet, and about to be their boss. So when he offers to set Elle up with his sister, Darcy, she agrees. But the date is a disaster. Darcy is the opposite of Elle: buttoned up, analytical, and completely against astrology. Still, neither can deny they felt a bit of a spark before their date went awry. And Darcy is sick of being set up on terrible dates by her brother. So when he asks how it went, she lies. And then, she begs Elle to play along, to say they are dating. Each agrees to a few conditions of a dating pact. Surely nothing can go wrong, right?

"What if? Wasn't that the million-dollar question, the spark of hope that kept her coming back for more time and time--and time--again?"

Bellefleur states that she set out to write a "quirky, queer rom com," and I have to say, I'm here for it. It's not often we get our own romantic comedies, with true blue queer characters, with their own problems and characterization and their gayness just being a part of who they are.

This is an incredibly witty, sexy, and sappy read. Yes, it was a bit drawn out and repetitive at times. Okay, we understand that Elle is the flitty one who needs family approval and Darcy is the hurt one unwilling to commit. That point was emphasized perhaps a bit too much. I get stressed out when books have a lot of misunderstandings, so one based on a fake dating relationship took a lot of my strength.

But, it makes up for it with some wonderful characters. I adored Elle, who is so sweet and funny and just "her." And, of course, I identified 110% with uptight, wary workaholic Darcy who was scared of falling in love again. Then there's Margot, Elle's best friend, who was the secret star of the show. I tell you, everyone needs a wise best friend like Margot!

In this end, this book is downright adorable, laugh out loud funny, and full of chemistry. A few pieces might have hit their point one (or two) too many times, but I still really enjoyed it. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 here.

I received a copy of this novel from HarperCollins Publishers and Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.

I loved this book so much! Darcy and Elle were an amazing opposites attract romantic couple. Their meet-cute set the tone perfectly and their feelings seemed to grow in a way that seemed really authentic. I really enjoyed the play on the names from Pride & Prejudice. There were also some wonderful side characters- especially Brendon and Margot. I am definitely hoping they get a story next!
This book had pretty much everything I could want, though. There were some deliciously steamy scenes mixed with incredibly sweet and tender moments, and even a grand gesture. It was also fairly low angst, which I appreciated. This is one I will definitely recommend to friends!

Darcy hates it when her brother tries to set her up on blind dates, but decides to give it one last shot when he sets her up with Elle - someone he's currently working with. Darcy and Elle have a horrible first date. It's awkward, full of silences and there may have been a glass of spilled wine. Elle doesn't ever plan on seeing Darcy again.

When Darcy's brother, Brendon asks how her date went, Darcy tells a teensy tiny white lie and says it was great and that they hit it off. News comes back to Elle and she isn't exactly thrilled. But in the end, Darcy and Elle decide that being each others fake dates might work out perfectly. They can be each others dates at family gatherings and their respective family's would leave them alone.

I love a fake-dating romance and Written in the Stars was absolutely delightful. The chemistry between Elle and Darcy was so great. I loved all of their conversations. I love when a rom-com has cute text scenes and I LOVED all of the texting between the various characters in Written in the Stars. I had a grin on my face reading so many parts of this book.

Not only was the relationship between Elle and Darcy wonderful, but I also enjoyed the secondary characters including Margot and Brendon. The friendship between Elle and Margot was so special and relatable. It reminded me of me and my best friend and I loved that I was able to connect with their friendship.

This was my first F/F romance and I'm hoping to read more great romances like this one in the future. If you're looking for a funny, sweet, swoony romance - grab Written in the Stars!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.