I absolutely LOVED this book! This beautiful, sweet YA romance had everything I love in it, and I absolutely loved that Gretchen once again chose to have disability representation with the main character. Leo gave me so many butterflies, and reading this story felt like falling in love for the first time! So magical!

I didn't hate it but I didn't love it - this was just a solid meh for me. I felt it was a little repetitive and the pacing was weird. I enjoyed having disability representation throughout the novel, but not enough to make up for a lackluster writing. The idea was there, the execution was not. The love triangle was not it for me. 3/5

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Wednesday Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book and read it in one day. I loved the characters and the storyline as well as the characters growth. I would definitely recommend this book.

I think that this might have been more of me being the wrong audience for this one. I loved the premise of this story. I feel that the execution was a tad off, but for me It was more of a character issue then the plot. I found the FMC relatable and I really enjoyed her inner monologue. There came a point about half way through the book where her continued obsession and whining about her parents just felt over done and unnecessary. I know that it was crucial to the story I just wish that maybe it had been toned down a little. I did like the way that it played out however and I absolutely loved the disability rep.

This book started a little slowly for me. It’s pretty clear from the beginning that Leo has feelings for Piper, and she’s too deliberately oblivious to see it. Just as he’s about to confess how he feels, she meets the person she’s been waiting for: a boy named Forest, whose presence makes her feel a tug in her heart.

The biggest thing that elevates what would be a simple love story is the subplot about Piper’s parents, who, despite the family Blessing identifying them as true loves, have recently divorced. At first, Piper is committed to her aunts’ campaign to reunite her parents. After all, it’s clear the two still love each other.

As Piper explores her feelings for Leo and Forest, she begins to question whether letting Fate choose her romantic destiny is the right choice. Is it what she truly wants, or is it a safe way to ensure her place in her larger family?

Piper has some physical disabilities, including scoliosis. Her feelings about being a disabled child and possible love interest also come into play as she explores her family relationships and romance.

Diana, Piper’s best friend, is easily my favorite character. I liked the way that she navigated the mess between Piper and Leo and adored that she had her own unexpected love story in the mix as well.

If you liked The Charmed List by Julie Abe, then definitely check out The Stars Align.

Thanks to St Marten's Press and Net Galley for providing this ebook ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

I loved the wholesomeness of this beautiful story. Searching for your true love is something so many spend their entire life doing. This was a lovely story of searching for your one true love because it is something so important to your family, and then stumbling into it without expecting it. Such a lovely story. Beautifully written and it was so easy to love the characters.

Unfortunately I just wasn't vibing with this one. I really couldn't get into the romance aspect of it. I can see why others liked it though!

I really wanted to like this one.

As a genre, magical realism isn’t something that I typically look for but lately, I’ve enjoyed the idea of it; suspending belief for the sake of how it interacts with the story and connects things together. For this story, Piper lives with the Blessing, a connection from Fate that ties two people together in what is and should be true love. Piper herself is an interesting MC, living with a disability and feeling very disconnected from her family because of it (and her parent’s recent divorce). She’s wholly consumed with believing in the Blessing, both for herself (at the detriment of her more-than-best-friendship with Leo) and for her parents, who she spends a considerable amount of time trying to get back together.

I wanted to like this but found it just came up lacking. I’m not sure if it was the conceit of being YA (which made much of Piper’s feelings more grating than they should) or that there didn’t feel as if there was any connection with Piper’s “true love” (which could also be by design). It probably wasn’t the best book for me but I could easily imagine someone else enjoying the stress of it, particularly if they were the target audience.

This was a very sweet YA romance. I think the target audience here should be young teenagers. This would be the perfect book for a teen who wants to read romance and their parents want to keep it as a PG experience. I also think the family drama/found family aspect was a nice touch. And this question of “fate” vs making your own destiny was interesting and would also appeal to a younger audience.

Lastly, the disability rep was so great! I loved it and I think it was handled beautifully.

3.5 Stars

All the Stars Align is being billed as a “magical love story that is Taylor Swift’s Enchanted meets Cyrano. And it does feel that way, a bit. But it is unique.

The story centers around Piper, a girl with a physical disability who wants nothing more than to be accepted by her family, seen as “one of them.” This desire makes it easy for her to buy into the family fate legend, and she’ll do anything to hold onto it once she feels it.

Piper is really stuck in her head. And that plays out in her relationships — the few that she’s got. She’s just not that likeable. It’s not until the end that you really see any growth in her.

Author Gretchen Schreiber’s story is enticing and her exploration of the power of choice is worthwhile. However, the story is fairly predictable — I knew the outcome early on — and the aunts’ manipulation of Piper is beyond frustrating.

All the Stars Align is a fine romance. It’s not as strong as Schreiber’s Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal, but it’s got potential.

Out now! This was a little bit of romance a bit of fantasy I highly recommend this to those teenagers that are just starting to get into reading and want to dip those eyes into fantasy and romance.
This was a quick read and very delightful

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this had an interesting premise, but I found the execution lackluster. At about 25% I realized I knew exactly how the story was going to go. And unfortunately, I was correct.

Although I thought the book was interesting I thought it was only okay. Not great but also definitely not terrible. I wasn’t into how the aunts were so overbearing but I did appreciate that it was a realistic portrayal of person stuck in between family issues. The pacing was a bit slow but otherwise it was a decent story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

loved this romance and finding love and remembering love before the one. love the friends and the chemistry between the couple was on fire and loved the banter.

Rating: 5/5
I received the eARC for my honest opinion.

If you like YA books, with drama, childhood friends, romance and a great disability rep. However, there is so much more in this book as well, you will find magical realism and a love triangle as well.

I loved getting to know the plot of this book, getting to dive into the characters' stories was much fun. I found Piper to be a true young adult. She is coming to the end of her senior year, her parents are getting a divorce, her whole family believes in the “Blessing” which is your fated person. Her whole family believes when you find your fated, you will know at first sight, and you will have everything click into place but with Piper she is different from her family. She is a realist, she has half of her that believes in the magic of what her family has told her, her whole life, she has a lot of struggles that she battles inward and feels like if she talks about it too much it will all come crumbling down. I enjoyed that you get to know this families’ beliefs and how they handle bad/negative news, then you will get to see how Piper finally understands her place in life and with her family.

You will meet Pipers and her two childhood friends who help her connect with the boy that she believes is her fated, Forest. However, Leo, her childhood friend brings out Piper, the true real Piper, even though he is helping her get another guy, you start to feel as though Leo might have some feelings for Piper. I found Piper to be a strong willed, feisty, spirited young adult who dreams big and has so many hopes but when you start to realize that your dreams may not but what they were when you first start out. I enjoyed getting to see her shine and understand that you don’t have to let others make your life choices and that sometimes the thing you need in your life is right in front of you without you seeing it because you thought it was something else. I found Leo to be so sweet, and I felt for him because I could see that he cared about Piper and the more that I read the book I saw just how much. I am just so happy that this book has an HEA.

I want to thank NetGalley and SMP for the opportunity to review this book.

Piper and her family are "blessed." The town they live in is the place where Fate is alive. Fate is the reason why all the women in Piper's family have the perfect love story and the perfect relationship. If that's so, how come Piper's parents are now divorced? Why is it so hard to get the mback together because she knows that Fate is still in it for them? And why is it so hard to accept that her childhood best friend, Leo, is not the man Fate has given her?

This really reminds me of Disney's Encanto for the concept of the 'gift.' And it's also reminds me of the concept of mates if you look through the lens of shifter romances. Especially in the beginning of the book, it really reminds me of Encanto. They cannot stop talking about the Fate,

The book itself is good. I like the friendships, I like the concept, but this was quite painful to read. Piper's main character energy was not the best. She focuses too much on herself, and the way she treats her relationships was so questionable. Given, the character development was good, but she will not be anywhere is her perspective didn't change,

The power of choice was such a good concept, but the book kinda shames the other side, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intention. But I think both sides shames the other, and it just wasn't sitting well with me. But hey, you know, maybe I'm the problem. 😅

Overall, this was an okay book. Maybe because I'm an adult that I think the story of Piper's parents were interesting to me. But yeah, it was good, chock-full of drama, and the secondary characters were very interesting,

All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schreiber is a YA book that grapples with themes of fate, destiny, and free will. Piper's family always knows true love at first sight, and Piper desperately wants to take over the family business. She's forced to confront a future outside of the bounds of convention, however, when she considers going against destiny. There's also disability rep in this novel.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Gretchen ripped my heart out and put it back together. I loved this book so much. I wish I was better at writing these eloquent and articulate reviews all the time, but sometimes it simply just boils down to: this is an incredible book and I want/need everyone to read it. Go read it.

Review: All the Stars Align by Gretchen Schreiber

I had the pleasure of reading Schreiber’s debut novel Ellie Haycock is Totally Fine, and I enjoyed it. Now I’ve been able to read another of her stories, and it’s a magical story about love for others and for oneself.

Piper’s family is known for having a blessing from Fate that lets them know when they have met their true love. Piper has been waiting to find her one so she can fit into her family and take over the family business. But Piper is about to have a whirlwind love triangle and learn about the importance of choice and self-love along the way.

This enchanting YA novel will grab at your heart strings.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This is a cute lighthearted romance appropriate for even younger YA audiences. The story is nothing groundbreaking. It is a Cyrano de Bergerac retelling but with a maybe magical twist? The disability representation and reality of family expectations is great. I love how throughout the story, it's hard to tell if the Blessing was real or just family myth, and how that affects the family. That being said, what fell flat for me was actually the romance. It was very obvious the direction it was going to go, which took some of the appeal away. Also, one love interest was so bland it was obvious what the expectation was, while the other just had that male "I know what you want more than you do" thing going on and it was just gross.

Overall cute read but there is an audience for this out there.