Written in the Stars: A Novel

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As a Pakistani American I was hoping to being able to relate to this book, but I obviously didn't because the people and relatives I know about that live in Pakistan don't live a horrible life like the people in this book did. I also didn't relate to this book bc of the whole forced marriage issue. I know for a fact my parents won't force me to marry a guy without my consent. This book, I devoured it in only a little more than three hours. I didn’t do anything else once I started reading it. Fun fact — the moon doesn't actually produce any light of its own. It reflects light from the sun, making it appear bright at night. So, if I look like the moon, I guess that means I'm reflecting the light thats around me.” Astrology and magic and soul mates.Darcy has had to deal with her overprotective younger brother for all her life...and recently, he's become more meddlesome than she can handle. "Quit trying to marry me off like I'm some Regency spinster in one of your favorite Austen novels."

Although, I feel the need to shed some positive light over this too, as it should be noted that not all cases of consensual arranged marriage end up in lifelong misery or forced adjustment, of course. There's no denying that following this line of tradition can and has (as I've witnessed firsthand) led to a remarkably successful and love-filled espousal. All her friends were settling down, and Margot? She had yet to find a brand of shampoo she liked well enough to commit to, let alone a whole person” From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes a playful romance about a Manhattan bookstore owner and a reclusive author who love to hate—and hate to love—each other. it honestly pains me to not give this book 5/5 stars. i wanted to love this book more than i actually did and that was a bit disappointing for me. i liked this book a lot, but i felt less and less engaged with the plot as the book reached the end. Though the book is very well written as well as holds importance in terms of what author has tried to portray through her story, but somewhere down the line I also feel showing what's positive in a particular culture is more important for reader's who aren't much clear about the particular culture or religion.This review is probably going to be a jumble of thoughts because this book hit me really hard (much harder than I was expecting) and I'm still reeling from it.

elle and darcy themselves have amazing chemistry, although i think elle's character is more developed than darcy's? or perhaps elle is just more relatable to me. her growth is phenomenal; her deep loneliness and desire to be seen and wanted, and her gradual realization that she deserves better than the bare minimum. so inspiring to see elle struggle to know her worth, and finally commit to believing in herself. With the craziness of this year, I have found myself seeking out cute and charming stories more than usual. This book provided a pleasant, escape from reality type of reading experience. The two female characters had good chemistry and it was fun rooting for them to find happiness. Firstly, weak emotions. In an emotional novel such as this, I expected to cry a river, as was the case in A Thousand Splendid Suns. Except for one instance, I was hardly touched and I hardly shed a tear. So I think, the emotions were a bit weak for such a strong story. This obsession with marriage might seem weird to a person who hasn’t grown up in this culture, but in desi communities or Islamic ones (and the crisscross between these two is too tangled up to properly make clear, even to our own communities) marriage is seen as a representation of community, of good will. A marriage doesn’t only bring the bride and groom together but also their families. Joint living systems encourage more than two people to have stakes in the marriage, with elders considering it their responsibility to solve disputes, and daughters seen as representations of the family honour. In such settings, it is the right of the elders to choose who will marry whom amongst the young, since the young are considered too naïve and inexperienced to make such a decision on their own. Questioning this system isn’t encouraged.It’s Nalia’s senior year and she’s months away, scratch that days away, from heading to college with her secret boyfriend, Saif and her best friend, Carla. Nalia’s family is very strict of Pakistani descent. They have their own expectations of their only daughter. What harm could one lie to get her to the prom be? In many ‘conservative’ societies – places in the Middle East and South Asia – men and women don’t mingle as freely. Even if a young person’s parents lets them, you get side-glances and weird looks from people in even the most modern of areas, because that’s just what the culture is. I’m not saying it’s good- nor am I saying it’s bad, just that that’s how it is.

elle was very earnest and sweet, i liked her too. the steamy moments were well written and the writing style was very entertaining to read. i absolutely loved the development of darcy and elle’s relationship for most of the book and thought that they had great chemistry.of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur From the critically acclaimed author of Something To Talk About comes a sharp and sexy rom-com about a college senior who accidentally hooks up with her best friend’s mom. We follow our protagonist Naila as she forced to go on a holiday to Pakistan to reconnect with her roots, after her incredibly strict parents find out that she has a secret boyfriend. Little does she know, this trip isn't merely a holiday and her life is about to change completely. From there develops a, quite frankly, terrifying tale about the reality for some women living in South Asian countries and the culture pressures and norms around marriage.