Review: Written in the Stars by Ali Harris (5/5)

Tuesday 3 June 2014
Have you ever wondered 'What if…?' What if you'd taken that other job, gone on a date with that other guy, moved to a different city. Would an alternative life path have led to a happier ending?

Now imagine if you could have taken both paths…

When Bea Bishop slips while walking down the aisle on her wedding day, she is momentarily knocked unconscious. Her world splits and her parallel lives take her on two very different journeys. In one existence, Bea flees back down the aisle and out of the church. In the other she glides blissfully towards Adam, her intended.

But which story will lead to her happy ever after? And will she end up in the same place?

One decision + two different paths = how many happy endings?



This was my first Ali Harris read but it definitely won't be my last. I've actually had Ali's books on my tbr for the longest time, especially Miracle on Regent Street I've just stupidly never got round to reading them. I loved the blurb for this book though so didn't hesitate to request it on NetGalley and I'm glad I did because it was fantastic. I just loved this book. For me she seems to write the sorts of books that go beyond chick lit and tell stories that remain with you and I can't wait to get my hands on her previous books.

Bea Bishop is marrying Adam but she asks her best friend Milly how she knew her husband Jay was The One, and Milly replies with the obvious answer that you just know when you are in love. So Bea is walking down the aisle having doubts about marrying Adam when she sees someone from her past, her first love Kieran. After a accident walking down the aisle Bea wakes up, twice. In one world she marries Adam and in the other she runs from the church leaving Adam at the altar. At first I thought I would struggle to follow the two lives that Bea is now leading but I didn't struggle at all and I loved it. It's such a different and interesting way to follow a character's story!

We learn that there was a tragedy that made Kieran leave, promising he would return but he never did and so Bea moved on with her life. But now she's questioning everything, her relationships and her life and she sets out to start again from scratch. She also blames herself for the tragedy all those years ago and wonders whether her and Kieran are meant to be. That's in one world, in the other she's happily married with Adam and at the same time is reevaluating her life there, regarding her job and personal life. There are some similarities in the two worlds that she's living in but also some major differences. It's hard to really talk about the story without ruining it, as it's best to discover for yourself just what happens to Bea in these two worlds.

Bea is a fantastic character as is her best friend Milly. I was definitely rooting for her in both worlds. Since her father walked out on her she has felt like a huge part of her life is missing and has spent most of it trying to fill the space he left, her brother Cal however hates him and can't understand why Bea wants him back in her life. There are some huge developments in the book regarding this but again to elaborate would ruin the story. I found myself thinking about my own life and how differently things might have gone if I'd made different decisions, the chance to see your life how it would have went had you done things differently is both fascinating and horrifying.

Ali is a fantastic writer, I just lost myself in the book and just couldn't put it down (until I had to and I was really annoyed waiting until I could continue reading it). Not only did I have no idea where Bea's story (or two stories) would go but I also didn't know how she was living these two lives and how the story would end in terms of wrapping up these two worlds so it was a very exciting read. In this genre it's always fantastic when an author writes something a little bit different to the other books out there at the minute, it's a bit boring when books are so similar and this one was very different and unique so was a very welcome read. I cannot wait to read more of Ali's books and will be hoping to do so ASAP. Don't miss this one.

Buy this book from Amazon

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