Publication Date: 13th August 2024
Genre: Contemporary Romance
4 Stars
One Liner: An enjoyable story
Miranda comes from a family of toppers and achievers. She is the face of physics and the youngest physics professor in the university. However, her world turns upside down when she is passed over for tenure. Her life no longer follows a plan.
Dejected, Miranda decides to take her bestie’s advice and use the sabbatical to live life without rules and science. Instead, she decides to make decisions based on the stars and astrology. Things have already gone wrong. They couldn’t get worse, right?
What does this sabbatical teach Miranda? Will it help her find some love too?
The story comes in Miranda’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
Well, the cover and the premise were cute enough to make me want to grab this book. Unlike Miranda, I love astronomy and astrology equally and believe that both can co-exist. I hoped it would be fun to see how the FMC realizes the same, and it was.
Miranda’s character is well crafted. The transition from someone who follows rigid rules to someone who embraces change by replacing the rules with another set to finally a person who learns to trust her gut and heart, the progress is steady and unhurried. This feels realistic without being drawn out too long.
I knew there would be a love triangle of sorts. Thankfully, it doesn’t get messy or awkward (or annoying). While I think the other track could have been a little shorter, I also see why it was necessary to go as far as it did. It plays a part in the FMC’s journey.
Archer is an adorable grumpy artist. I wish we had more of him in the book and his backstory came out a little more detailed. He is the king of grump you’d want to love!
Some side characters like Lillian, Daphne, and Kylee make a strong impression. While the other guy was good enough, I didn’t feel anything for him.
The chapters were titled according to months and zodiac seasons. Each chapter began with a horoscope prediction for the day and aligned with the events that take place in it. I loved this approach and had a great time reading those little nuggets of ‘wisdom’.
The romance was pretty mild with only a wee bit of steam. However, the relationship between the FMC and MMC was great to read. It started with a not-a-meet-cute and progressed slowly, so that made sense. I wouldn’t have minded a little more spice, though.
While the track of Miranda’s relationship with her family started realistically, it got resolved a bit too easily, IMO. I wish it continued to be realistic and bittersweet.
There’s an epilogue (my favorite) that gives us a proper HEA and all.
The author’s note was delightful and gave a glimpse into the research and work she put into the book. I always love reading such details.
To summarize, Miranda in Retrograde is a light and steady-paced book (not fast) you can finish in a couple of sittings. It works as a summer read or a starry night read on the rooftop. You don’t need to know anything about astrology to understand the contents.
My thanks to NetGalley, and Gallery Books, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #MirandaInRetrograde
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