ALL THE STARS ALIGN, by Gretchen Schreiber, Wednesday Books, April 1, 2025, Hardcover, $21 (young adult)
A girl is convinced she is fated to find her true love in All the Stars Align, a young adult romance by Gretchen Schreiber.
All the women in Piper’s family know their true love at first sight, complete with butterflies, heart eyes, and a gut instinct. The kind of fated love that lasts forever. Piper grew up with her ancestors’ epic love stories repeated like fairy tales, and yearns for the day she’ll start her own. Already singled out in her family due to her physical disability, Piper collects a second strike against her when her parents announce their divorce, which convinces her family that she’s doomed.
When she finally finds her true love at a party, she’s more determined than ever to attain her love story and earn a spot in her family. But after completely botching their first meeting, she realizes that she’ll need help from her best friend Leo, who is sort of a love expert. The catch―he and Piper haven’t talked in six months, since he needed a “break” from their friendship.
To win over the love of her life and a place in her family, Piper must convince Leo to teach her his ways. And it’s all going as planned…until Leo confesses his own love for Piper. Now, she must decide: will fate choose her love, or will love choose her fate? —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
All the Stars Align is being billed as a “magical love story that is Taylor Swift’s Enchanted meets Cyrano. And it does feel that way, a bit. But it is unique.
The story centers around Piper, a girl with a physical disability who wants nothing more than to be accepted by her family, seen as “one of them.” This desire makes it easy for her to buy into the family fate legend, and she’ll do anything to hold onto it once she feels it.
Piper is really stuck in her head. And that plays out in her relationships — the few that she’s got. She’s just not that likeable. It’s not until the end that you really see any growth in her.
Author Gretchen Schreiber’s story is enticing and her exploration of the power of choice is worthwhile. However, the story is fairly predictable — I knew the outcome early on — and the aunts’ manipulation of Piper is beyond frustrating.
All the Stars Align is a fine romance. It’s not as strong as Schreiber’s Ellie Haycock is Totally Normal, but it’s got potential.
Copyright © 2025 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
