If the Stars Align is an easy read. It is a bit spicy at some points, but not overly spicy. The relationship between Sunny and Dex has you rooting for them from the start. It touches base about toxic relationship behaviors in a way that is relatable. Definitely, would recommend if you like romance and childhood sweetheart books.

A heartbreaking story with a heartfelt happy ending.
If the Stars Align is a well-written and compelling friends to lovers, it’s always been you, second chance romance told in dual POV. As a remarkable debut novel, I really enjoyed following Dex and Sunny’s story.

This love story spanning a decade can be understood as ‘right person, wrong time’ - Sunny and Dex are victim of poor timing and, on occasion, themselves. The timeline made it so unique and by the end I felt I had really grown to know and understand not only the protagonists but the other characters too such as Sunny’s mom, Sam and Mia.

There are natural frustrations that come with reading second chance romance and miscommunication tropes, particularly when the protagonists are in their younger years, but upon reflection this ultimately made it more raw and authentic. It will make you cry (sad and happy tears!) and giggle with some well balanced steam/spice.

MH is written in a very mindful and open way which I really appreciated, Nathalie’s professional background in therapy shines here. If the Stars Align speaks to self discovery and the journey we take to find ourselves and find The One. It underlines the importance of not giving in to external pressure from family, society, careers. As a debut novel I was so impressed and look forward do reading more!

Sunny and Dex have been best friends since childhood. As Sunny’s mother wants her to become a lawyer, Sunny has hidden her dream of writing romance novels. Only Dex knows all her secrets bauta he doesn’t know that she has been madly in love with him for years. Yet, her mother makes it clear when they start spending time together, that she doesn’t approve of Dex. Knowing that Oliver “Dex” Dexter has it all, is what Sunny’s mother is referring to, believing that he will only use Sunny. Yet for Dex, Sunny is the only person he can truly be himself with. As their feelings intensify and boundaries blur, Sunny and Dex find themselves caught between the expectations of others and their deepest desires.
This is a beautiful love story spanning over ten years, as Dex and Sunny try to come to grips with their feelings while so many external factors threaten to tear them apart. With elements of the book and movie ‘One Day’, this book reveals the complexity of love that begins at a young age.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Victory Editing Co-op & Nathalie Theodore for my review copy. These are my thoughts:

Sunny and Dex are childhood best friends who’ve always loved each other in secret. The timing was never quite right. The year after high school they drift apart because of distance. They then spend a perfect summer together but decide not to put on label on what they are. That’s probably where things start to go wrong. We follow them for the next 10 years as they navigate life - sometimes together, sometimes apart, but will they make it make together in the end? Will the stars ever align?

I have to say, I have not devoured a book in about 24 hours in some time, if ever that quickly to be honest. I didn’t want to put it down because the angst was killing me! I needed to know what was going to happen next! I felt this was quite a genuine portrayal of human relationships. Sunny and Dex ARE best friends and DO love each other, but they also keep secrets and honestly, they do not know how to communicate. It was frustrating at times but also what you would expect from teenagers. They let their fears and insecurities keep them from being open and honest. And as they drift apart, they don’t feel they have the same space or place in each other’s lives to speak up. I’d like to think that the growth they did separately was ultimately, one they might not have done had they always been together. They needed to find each other separately so they could be their best, most authentic selves together.

I enjoyed the dual POV and Nathalie’s writing style. The story had great flow. This was a great debut. Her characters had chemistry and were relatable. Sunny and Dex were end game from page one - they never really left each others’ minds and hearts. It just took them a while to “align” those stars and their HEA was so satisfying after everything they had gone through.

This reminded me of One Day - right person, wrong time - but thank goodness there was no tragedy. This open door spice felt appropriate (no slow burn here) but not overly detailed or descriptive.

If you like angsty, “watch as the characters grow” stories, then this is for you!

Quick Summary: A love of a lifetime romance

My Review: If the Stars Align by Nathalie Theodore is book #1 in the Dramatic Hearts Club. It is scheduled for release on 3/3/25.

About the Book: "Sunny and Dex have been best friends since childhood. But beneath their picture-perfect exteriors lie secrets that could tear them apart—or bring them closer than ever."

In My Own Words: Two best friends grow together and apart, as they search for themselves and for each other. In the process of their own personal growth, they find the beauty and timelessness of true unconditional love and reconciliation.

My Final Say: This story wrecked me. I absolutely loved it! It was so touching. It was easy to relate to and to understand. What this couple went through, from their early friendship to the struggle to find their happy ever after, was everything. I wanted to hug them both. I certainly shed some tears for them. In the end, love always wins.

(I'm not crying. You are.)

Other: Readers will love this romance. Trust me when I say that it is worth the read.

* I cannot wait to hear this story played out in the audiobook format. The expression of the emotions will gut me in the best way...I already know.

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: NA to A
Re-read: Yes
Keeper: Yes
Favorites Shelf: Yes
Besties Shelf: Yes
Status/Level: 💖💖💖💖💖
Read on Repeat: YES

Heartfelt appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (Written in the Stars Press), and to NetGalley. Thank you so very much for granting access to a digital ARC of this work in exchange for an honest critique. I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to continuing with this series. It is off to a magnificent start.

404 pages, 137 highlights, and 39 notes later, my main takeaway from If the Stars Align is that I don’t think I’ve read a romance that felt like this before.

This is as much a love story about Sunny as an individual and Dex as an individual as it is about the two of them as a couple. The layers to Sunny and Dex’s story were crafted beautifully. I felt like I was on the roller coaster right there with them. Dual POV was the only choice for this book–Nathalie Theodore blends both perspectives at just the right time to really pack a punch.

I will say that I don’t read many college-aged romances anymore, so for the first few chapters I had to remind myself that Sunny and Dex were 18-21 years old. I found myself thinking “Can we please use our adult communication skills” a few times, but I snapped out of it pretty quickly.

Ultimately, I don’t make a habit of staying up until almost 4 A.M. to finish a book the way I did with this one, but I would’ve read 100 more pages if it meant seeing more of their personal healing journeys (even if I don’t think my heart would’ve recovered if I had). And I’ll pull an all-nighter for however many books are in this series for however long Nathalie Theodore keeps writing them.

Thank you NetGalley and Written in the Stars Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review <3

TLDR: just read it!! friends to lovers, it’s always been you, dual POV. Please check content warnings before reading.

This book was a lovely love story. It did sometimes drag a bit however I was in no rush and I did enjoy it!

The beauty in this book is that it serves as a reminder that life’s too short to not peruse who and what you desire. You never know how that other person might feel and you might waste away your life consumed by the what could have been. It also teaches the importance of communication. The author did a great job with having anxiety representation in Dex’s character.

It’s so frustrating how if they would have just communicated like the adults they are things could have been so different but I think that’s what made the story so interesting. I was so invested with Sunny and Dex relationship and I desperately rooted for them to choose each other throughout this story. The ending was wrapped up really nicely.

The only things I didn’t like was that the story got repetitive and dragged on a bit. Their lack of communication when it came to how they felt about each other and the characters immaturity was surprising given their age. Nonetheless this story fascinated me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If the Stars Align is an addictive romance story written in 2 POV’s. Our FMC is Sunny, who has a complicated upbringing and a mother expecting too much from her. And Dex is an aspiring actor who battles with anxiety throughout the book.
Our main characters are childhood best friends who both are in love with each other however this isn’t communicated straightaway.
The story is told through 3 decades, in which we see the Sunny & Dex try and navigate a relationship multiple times whilst also trying to live out their ‘dream careers’ they both have multiple relationships and some relationships are quite tough to read.
In the end, so the stars actually align for Sunny & Dex?

I absolutely loved this book. I thought the mental health rep was done so good and does show the realness of anxiety. The book also covered topics like unhealthy relationship with parents and trying to live up to their expectations as well as unhealthy relationships with food. Which again, we’re spoke about gently and sensitively.
I did struggle with how many times the characters broke up and got back together however towards the end of the book I do realise that this needed to happen. I also found the pacing to be quite fast and things were slightly brushed over, but this did suit the style of the story.
It’s a gorgeous love story & definitely unique. I loved the relationships with friends throughout the story and just the relationship between our main characters in general was perfect. I never stopped rooting for them.

If you are wanting a gorgeous love story, I highly recommend this one!

Out 3 March 2025!

Thank you to Nathalie & NetGalley for allowing me to be an ARC reader for this book!

If The Stars Align is an upcoming debut novel by Nathalie Theodore set to release on March 2nd. Let me be the first to tell you it is PHENOMENAL!

The story spans a decade of love and loss between friends Sunny and Dex, starting their senior year of high school in 1998. This contemporary romance is told primarily through Sunny’s POV with occasional chapters from Dex.

If The Stars Align is the book version of the saying “if you love something let it go.” Repeatedly, the characters will have you swooning one minute and throwing your phone against the wall the next. Sunny and Dex felt real. Miscommunication in relationships is real. Making tough choices is real. Letting people down is real. These two are frustratingly real.

At 93%, I still didn’t know how this story would end. The author kept me guessing all the way through. Your assumption that everything will work out never goes as smoothly as you think it will.

I loved the tempo of the book—quick and present. I loved the use of dual POV to show emotions the characters weren’t expressing to each other. I loved the little nods to being Lebanese because my fiancé is and we love the representation.

The stars aligned with this book. It gets 5 of them from me ⭐️

Tropes you can look forward to:
-Friends to Lovers
-Childhood/College/Adulthood
-Acting and Legal professions
-Some open door spice

Thank you to Net Galley and Written in The Stars press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#ifthestarsalign #nathalietheodore #netgalley #dualPOV #contemporaryromance #romance #fiction #friendstolovers #college #book #bookreview #netgalley #arcreview

I loved this book so much! I felt like I connected with especially the FMC. I loved the timeline and the writing. I will definitely read more from this author!

If The Stars Align by Nathalie Theodore is a romance that explores the dynamics between childhood friends, who have growing feelings for eachother. The premise had a great potential, especially with Dex's deep emotional complexity and mental health struggles. As for Sunny, well, her POV reads like a generic relatable Y/N. It's a sweet, fast-paced romance that will appeal to readers who enjoy quick developments and light reading.

If the stars align takes us in the years long journey of Dexter & Sunny childhood best friends who spent years hiding their feelings for each other. I loved how we got both of their perspectives, their journey wasn’t easy they spent years on & off until they found each other for good & got their happy ending. It was a nice & quick read we see dex & sunny’s growth through the years. I would say at times the pacing was too fast. This book touch important subject like mental health and the author did a great job with it.

I would like to thank NetGalley for sending me this arc in exchange of my honest review.

I haven't had a book make me feel so much in a long time. What a stellar debut novel. If the Stars Align spans over a decade following Sunny and Dex, childhood best friends who have been in love with each other their whole lives but it's only a secret to them. Somehow, the timing is never right for them and something or someone always gets in the way. Sunny struggles as a chronic people pleaser with an overbearing trauma surgeon mother who is never home, and Dex is plagued by crippling anxiety and had never been able to be his true self with anyone but Sunny. As we watch them grow into adults and all of the struggles that comes with entering the real world. we watch Dex and Sunny go through all of the ups and downs of life including hook-ups, break ups, career breakthroughs and struggles, toxic relationships, and learning how to overcome their own fears, trauma, and mental battles as they fight to come out on the other side together. Maybe one day, if the stars align, they can finally have the life together they've always wanted.

I really love how Nathalie Theodore explored mental health in her debut novel. It was really hard to read at some parts, Sunny and Dex experiencing emotional and mental trauma in real time, but that's really the point of the book and a testament to the author's talent. It was so real and hits close to home and I felt the loss, love, anxiety, sadness, and frustration right along with them. I don't want to spoil anything because you'll have to read it to find out, but I love how the author handled the characters overcoming their mental struggles, even the side characters, and it wasn't cheesy or cliche, it was so gratifying! After I finished the book, it affected me the rest of the night and I couldn't get it off my mind. I really loved it and it'll be a novel I remember for a long time.

My only complaint would be that I wish we could have explored Sunny's healing a little bit more and seeing her learn to be her own person. For her situation, I feel like it would take much longer to reach the point she did and it seemed a bit sudden, but was still satisfying to read regardless. I look forward to future novels by the author!

I recommend this book for people who like friends to lovers, exploring mental health and how it affects daily life, romance, rocky relationships and drama, some spice, and coming of age stories.

Dex and Sunny have a friendship and love story that spans decades from high school to grad school through ups and downs and unexpected turns, waiting for the stars to align and timing to work in their favor. It’s heart wrenching and fast-paced with relatable characters and swoony moments. I enjoyed the found family aspects and dual POV. I love how well the mental health issue was represented.

“It’s exhausting trying to be what someone else wants you to be.”

This book actually caused me physical pain because I was too emotionally attached 🫣😅 but the story was so good I couldn’t put it down! (TW: absent father/abandonment, miscarriages mentioned, panic attacks)

“But with Sunny, I was carefree.”

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC!

I absolutely adored this book - what an epic love story. I read the book in two sittings, which I haven't done in a long time. The book had me hooked from the beginning with a story about childhood friends to lovers with the blend of emotion, humor and drama that kept me interested. I loved how it was set over a decade and we got to see Dex & Sunny grow and adjust in to adult life. I didn't realise the author had a background as a therapist until after I finished but it makes so much sense reading how she incorporated the knowledge of mental health in to the story. This book gives me 'One Day' vibes which I have not stopped thinking about since I watched the TV show last year, and I know I will be thinking about the characters and story for a long time. I would love to see this become a film! I was rooting for Dex & Sunny the whole time and this book has become a top favourite for me - an unforgettable love story.

5 stars isn't enough!

This book dealt with a lot of relationship building and how mental health plays a role in that. Part of my struggle with relationships does include mental health and it felt amazing to see this get represented in a novel. Novels like this help me get through some of the struggle and helps me relate more to other people.
The characters, especially Sunny and Dex in this book were hugely important. The book predominantly focuses on them and how they navigate relationships. The events that happen in this book were also good, though I would check trigger warnings for a couple of them. I liked the way that the author portrayed panic attacks especially, it added another layer to the story. Overall it was a really interesting read.

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me and I did not finish ag 25%. This was lacking depth and I felt like the pacing was off for me. It felt a little like the characters were young teens rather than young adults which meant I struggled to connect to them and the story. Thank you for the opportunity to review in exchange for my honest opinion

Wow! I just finished the most amazing book. If the Stars Align by Nathalie Theodore was one that will stick in my mind for some time.

4.5 rounded up!

Read this in a day! The title says it all. This had so much angst while so frustrating to read the characters suffer through a decade of not genuinely being happy was heartbreaking. If you have read Love Letter to Whiskey - same angst and frustrating vibes for the characters. Dex and Sunny were always end game. Sometimes you need to let life run its course to get there, it might not be pretty but once you reach the end, when the Stars Align, it will be worth everything.

An angsty journey of growth and experiences. However, both Dex and Sunny fail to communicate!! Is it a miscommunication trope if there isn't communication? It was so hard to get through knowing if they simply expressed themselves from the beginning they wouldn't have gone through all the hurt that they went through. But of course, that is the premise of their story. Their chemistry was off the charts, the solace they found in one of another, overall it was a really good read. I genuinely thought it was going to leave me on a cliffhanger and I was getting closer to the end and Dex was no where in sight!

For a debut novel - Nathalie hit the nail on head achieving the childhood-friends-to lovers, angst, and emotion.

Thank you, Netgalley for my copy of an e-Arc.