Review: Written in the Stars

Not every Jane Austen fan appreciates an adaptation of her work but, for the most part, this Jane Austen fan does. So, I was excited when I heard about Alexandria Bellefleur's novel Written in the Stars. A play on Pride and Prejudice with a queer couple? I was all in. And, happily, I enjoyed every minute reading this book!

Here's the synopsis:

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass. 

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account, Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

When Darcy begs Elle to play along, she agrees to pretend they’re dating to save face. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family over the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a fake relationship.

But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

Those looking for an exact adaptation of Pride and Prejudice will be a touch disappointed because Bellefleur takes some liberties with the classic and, ultimately, makes it her own story. I was totally into that and it reminded me of Bridget Jones's Diary in a way. Darcy likes things done in a certain way and can come across as aloof and reserved and, while that's kind of accurate, it's not really what she's like deep down. Which is kind of like her namesake. Elle is a lot more like Bridget than Elizabeth - she seems like she's all over the place and is untraditional. But she is smart and kind, with a family that loves to meddle. They're perfect opposites and perfect for each other.

An added bonus to reading this in December - there was a bit of a holiday element to it! Darcy and Elle have a Thanksgiving "date" at Elle's family's house and Elle also surprises Darcy with the sweetest Christmas treat which shows how well the pair know each other even though they're trying to pretend their relationship is just that, pretend. 

I wouldn't say I'm usually drawn to fake dating tropes but I've read a few this year that may have converted me. It's similar to friends-to-lovers, which is one of my favourites. There's a hint of enemies-to-lovers in this book because Darcy and Elle do not hit it off. At all. Darcy shows right away that there's more to her under her icy exterior and Elle's big heart is evident quickly as she chooses to forgive Darcy and go along with the fake dating scheme. She doesn't let Darcy walk all over her though and that helps the reader fall in love with the both of them, just as they start falling for each other.

Anyone who likes Austen-esque stories or fake dating tropes or, honestly, just excellent rom coms, should check out Written in the Stars. Alexandria Bellefleur's novel made me SO happy when reading it and I cannot wait to read the next book, Hang the Moon. 

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via Edelweiss in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*