Review: 'Written in the Stars' by Ali Harris (2014)

Bea Bishop is horrible at making decisions. Forget big life ones, even everyday choices seem to paralyse her. She's learned to live with this because experience has taught her that it doesn't matter what you do, no one has the power to control destiny. Anyone who believes they can is a fool.  But as her wedding day approaches, her years of indecision are weighing heavily on her, and she can't help but wonder, 'What if, what if, what if….' 
What if she hadn't upped sticks and moved to London? What if she hadn't grabbed the first job that came along and settled down with the first guy who showed an interest? But all of her questions are silenced when she slips while walking down the aisle and is knocked unconscious. In this split second her life splits into two: in one existence, Bea flees back down the aisle and out of the church. In the other she glides blissfully towards her intended.
But which story will lead to her happily ever after?
I fell in love with Ali Harris’ writing style after reading her debut novel ‘Miracle on Regent Street’, which is definitely still one of my favourite chick lit books which I can’t recommend enough. I’ve also heard many amazing things about ‘The First Last Kiss’, which I somehow still haven’t read yet (it’s part of my summer reading this year!). Thanks to the lovely people at Simon & Schuster I received a review copy of Ali’s latest novel ‘Written in the Stars’, which was released on the 5th of June, and a book which I had been looking forward to for quite some time now!
Bea Bishop was abandoned by her father when she was just 7 years old; something that has influenced her and the rest of her life. However, she now leads a good life with her soon-to-be husband Adam, who works within the family business, while Bea does all kinds of jobs for a temping agency. Bea can’t help but occasionally wonder what would have happened if things had turned out differently in her life. On her wedding day, she slips while walking down the aisle and all of a sudden her life splits into two: one where she marries Adam, and one where she runs out of the church. Suddenly, Bea’s what-if’s are explored; the question is, which story will include the happy ending she has been looking for?
Wow, another amazing Ali Harris read! I already loved the blurb and the whole concept of the story; the magical touch to it which reminds me of Cecelia Ahern, one of my favourite authors. The book has a great plotline, mainly because I think lots of readers will be able to relate to it in a way. We all ask ourselves ‘what if...’ every now and again, and it was wonderful to join Bea on her journey in which two possible outcomes are looked at, something which none of us in real life will be able to do. Bea is a great heroine; I warmed to her quite easily and I was hooked on her story. I really wanted to know what would happen to her, which life she would end up living, and with whom she’d end up with.
The book also has a lovely mix of supporting characters, such as handsome Adam (Bea’s fiancé), hunky Kieran (a guy from Bea’s past), and Milly (Bea’s fabulous best friend). The book focuses a lot on gardening, which is Bea’s passion. I don’t have green fingers myself, but I enjoyed this aspect of the book a lot, Ali Harris’ descriptions are just wonderful and made it so easy for me to picture everything in my head. The book provides us with two amazing stories, which are linked to each other in a brilliant way, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single word of it. ‘Written in the Stars’ is a sparklingly romantic, touching, and incredibly well-written novel, and if you’re a chick-lit fan who hasn’t been introduced to Ali Harris’ work yet, you’re definitely missing out on something!

Rating:

9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.