Star-Crossed

A Novel

By: Minnie Darke

Narrated by: Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood

Why rely on fate when you can rewrite the stars? In this sparkling romantic comedy, one woman decides to tinker with the horoscopes of the man of her dreams.

"A bright, brilliant, joyful love story." (Josie Silver, number-one New York Times best-selling author of One Day in December)

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by Real Simple

When childhood sweethearts Justine (Sagittarius and serious skeptic) and Nick (Aquarius and true believer) bump into each other as adults, a life-changing love affair seems inevitable. To Justine, anyway. Especially when she learns Nick is an astrological devotee, whose decisions are guided by the stars, and more specifically, by the horoscopes in his favorite magazine. The same magazine Justine happens to write for. As Nick continues to not fall headlong in love with her, Justine decides to take Nick’s horoscope, and Fate itself, into her own hands. But, of course, Nick is not the only Aquarius making important life choices according to what is written in the stars.

Charting the ripple effects of Justine’s astrological meddling, Star-Crossed is a delicious, intelligent, and affecting love story about friendship, chance, and how we all navigate the kinds of choices that are hard to face alone.

Praise for Star-Crossed

"Swoon-worthy...a smart, sweet love story about friendship, destiny, and the power of choice." (Bustle)

"[A] juicy romance novel." (Good Housekeeping)

"Enchanting...this book will capture your attention and keep you entertained from the first page to the last." (BuzzFeed)

"This cleverly structured first outing from the pseudonymous Darke will appeal to fans of romantic comedy, astrology, and chaos. Utterly charming and ripe for development as a film." (Booklist)

"Winning.... Unpretentious, well-drawn characters and the fresh twist on the childhood sweethearts reunited setup make this perfect for fans of romantic comedies." (Publishers Weekly)

"Darke creates a world of stargazers whose destinies eventually collide.... Funny and enticing." (Library Journal)

©2019 Minnie Darke (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"An escapist delight...Star-Crossed is a light, fun read, with a creative spin on a winning rom-com formula." (Associated Press)

"I loved this completely. Star-Crossed is all about the human impulse to look to others when we are lost, and so it’s wonderfully relatable not only in its lively characters who read as faraway-yet-familiar as neighbors but also in its navigation of the kinds of decisions we can’t face alone: the phone calls we make to our mothers, the friends we use as mirrors, the horoscope page at the back of the magazine. This is a bright, brilliant, joyful love story that spreads into the size of a small town with its chorus of voices and old homes and childhoods and gossips. A total triumph." (Josie Silver, number one New York Times best-selling author of One Day in December)

"You don’t need to care a thing about astrology to find Star-Crossed a five-star delight. Minnie Darke has written a sharp, funny, and irresistible rom-com that melted my cold, skeptical (Gemini/moon in Sag) heart. I predict you’ll fall, too." (Lisa Gabriele, best-selling author of The Winters)

Adorable RomCom

I loved the Interlude “Cusp” chapters so much that I listened to them again. It was so clever how the author connected everything together.

super cute

I admit that it took me more than a minute to figure out the structure of this book but once I did I really got into it. The characters are really cute and the overall story was just nice. After the last book I listened to this was simply refreshing and a nice break from just awful writing. I'm glad I spent the credit on this. Also, good narrator.

Only 4 stars because…

Minnie Darke is my new favorite author; I come to this conclusion after reading just 2 novels. So why do I give 4 instead of 5 stars to Star-Crossed, especially when the 1st — the title escapes me at the moment; however, I do know it was performed by a different, most excellent actor — warranted all 5? A few reasons: (1) the story is more than improbable, ridiculous really, when we have a brilliant, albeit impulsive (see myriad Sagittarius characteristics), journalist as the female protagonist who does a majorly risky, idiotic, shortsighted thing that, of course (the reader can see this at the outset), comes back to bite her in the ass; (2) the very talented narrator mispronounces words (ironic, since said protagonist goes around correcting everyone’s spelling), like “mischievous,” for example (There’s NO i after the v, dammit! Now my utter frustration with multiple talented narrators’s identical mistake is showing…); and there is a (3) but I can’t recall it at the moment (which, admittedly, is a recurring problem; I should see a doctor but won’t just yet, because I have to wait till it’s too late…) By the way, notwithstanding her mistakes, said very talented narrator has been placed on my “Very Good” list, with no asterisk(s) for excellence, instead with a “mispr.” parenthetical proviso. All in all, Star-Crossed is a solid 4 stars. I do recommend reading what truly is a swell read. I end with a challenge: try to correct my spelling and/or grammatical mistakes; for the number of times I reread, added to, and deleted from my review, I’m sure I left errors.

Unusual tale

Although I enjoyed this tale, I found it somewhat confusing as it unraveled. However, by the end it comes full circle...just like the 12 signs of the zodiac.

story cute

I enjoyed the story or plot but Sagittarius really annoyed me. weaving of sub plots or storylines was really cute

Delightful and Original

Loved and thoroughly enjoyed this sweet, charming, witty story. Learned some new Aussie phrases as a bonus.

Not my cup of tea

The Storyline was interesting. However I wasn’t a fan of the convoluted writing/characters in this beach read.

Fantastic narration and fun story

I didn't think I was going to get into this book but the story got better as it went along. I found myself rooting for the characters and sitting in my parked car to finish chapters. Fantastic narration.

Excellent wrap up

I appreciate any story that has quality resolution at the end. Brown’s ending brought me to tears. I think it made me happier than all the rest.

it was ok. I think it would make a better movie

I got kind of bored and it was hard to get through. I get that all of the little random side stories came together but it felt kind of forced.