Alexandria Bellefleur’s Written in the Stars is a delightful fake-dating contemporary romance novel centered around Elle, a free-spirited social media astrologer, and Very Serious actuary Darcy, who has sworn off serious relationships after her previous one ended very, very badly. When Darcy’s overly enthusiastic brother, Brendon, sets the two of them up on a blind date, it goes about as poorly as a date can go, but in an attempt to keep him from setting her up on any more dates, Darcy lies and tells him the date was a success. Reluctantly, Elle eventually agrees to play along, but as the fake relationship continues, their initial attraction deepens into real love, the predetermined date of relationship termination inching ever closer.
I will admit, I am not normally a person who reads contemporary romance. I gravitate more towards fantasy or historical fiction, and the guaranteed happily ever after that comes with a romance, while comforting, has in the past felt like a spoiler, hindering my ability to take seriously any suspense the story tries to build. This is, of course, a me problem, and my experience with actually reading romance is limited to only a handful, so when this book caught my eye, I did not fight it very hard.
As it turns out, sometimes I do like contemporary romances. This book was such a delight, and I am now the proud owner of the two follow-up novels as well. Darcy and Elle’s relationship progressed in a way that was both entertaining and believable, from the initial attraction to frustration back to attraction and into love. Though they were opposites on paper, I never wondered what they saw in the other person. Their interactions were sweet and funny and, yes, steamy. I loved them as a couple, and I loved them just as much as individuals.
I particularly enjoyed the role that healthy communication played in this book. Every time I thought there was about to be a frustrating misunderstanding that could have easily been avoided, they sidestepped it by actually saying what they meant, or at least close enough to get the point across. When we arrived at the actual conflict, it made sense, and though I was frustrated, it was more with the situation itself because I could absolutely see where they were coming from and why they would react the way they did. The resolution, likewise, was satisfying and rewarding.
I would also like to give a quick shoutout to the fact that homophobia of any kind never played a role, even a minor one. Both Elle and Darcy were already out to their families, and the tension in each of their families had nothing to do with them liking women. There was also a strong focus on loving yourself and demanding to be treated with respect, to be given as much as you give, which I found equally refreshing.
Overall, this is just a book that made me feel good. Calling it a light read feels a little dismissive, but sometimes a light read is just what you need, and this is certainly that. If you are looking for a fun, sexy escape, I wholeheartedly recommend Alexandria Bellefleur’s Written in the Stars.
