By Robyn Rossit
Star-Crossed by Minne Darke is a fun romantic comedy that is bound to make the reader smile. Justine and Nick, childhood sweethearts, lose touch after Nick's family moves away when they are kids. When they bump into each other as adults, love seems on the horizon—at least, that is how it seems to Justine. Astrology plays a huge role in this story: Justine is a Sagittarius and skeptic, while Nick is an Aquarius and true believer. Nick is an astrological devotee, who takes his favourite horoscope—which coincidentally is in the magazine Justine works at—very seriously when it comes to making life decisions. Frustrated by the lack of romantic progress with Nick, Justine takes his horoscope into her own hands and makes some tweaks. However, Nick is not the only astrological devotee using what is written in the stars to guide their life choices.
I loved how unique this story was. The astrological themes and references certainly make Star-Crossed stand out in a sea of romantic comedies. While astrology is one of the major themes, you don't have to be a believer to enjoy this cute story. I really enjoyed the little side stories about other people who were impacted by Justine's modifications to her newspaper's horoscopes. It just goes to show the larger scale impacts of impulsive decisions. The more she meddles, the bigger of a mess she seems to make.
I really enjoyed Darke's writing style. Her thoughtful method of storytelling, in my opinion, makes it stand out. The character development experienced by Justine and Nick had me rooting for them, even while, on occasion, I was rolling my eyes at some of their dodgier choices. Even the smaller characters, who are in the story show the ripple effect of meddling with horoscopes in a large publication, felt like full, well-rounded characters. As a reader, I appreciated the attention to detail.
I would definitely recommend Star-Crossed to anyone who is looking for a fun read that will make you smile, laugh, and occasionally, lovingly cringe. Fans of romantic comedies, both in print and on the screen, will delight in Star-Crossed. Even if you're not into astrology, it is still an enjoyable read.