Look, I know some of y'all are going to fight me but I could not give Hang the Moon a 4 stars review because I did not like the ending. I hate when the female character has to give it all up in order to get her happy ending. Like no. I refuse to support this nation. It's completely selfish. And why could Brendon work in London. That's an option. That's why I stand for 3 stars. I love this story until you made her give up a big promotion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review Hang the Moon prior to its release day. And Happy Book Birthday to this stunning book!

Let me preface this by saying that I had no idea Hang the Moon was the companion novel to Written In the Stars. Luckily, it’s a companion novel so you can read them out of order. The only issue is you may run into some spoilers from the other stories. But after reading this, I most definitely need to pick up Bellefleur’s story about Darcy and Elle.

Bellefleur’s writing style is beautiful. The way she uses words, you can feel the love that Brendon has literally dripping off the pages. Seriously freaking beautiful.

I loved these characters and their relationships with one another! Annie and Brendon were so likeable and Brendon was the sweetest. I would love to have my own Brendon - where do I sign up?

This was a romance that was all about taking chances and giving in to new experiences. A true friends-to-lovers, reconnected old friends trope that was done so eloquently. You could FEEL what the characters felt and the reconnecting between our two main characters was so fun! And I didn’t scream at Annie too much 😉

I really had a great experience reading this one!

And Margots story is next? Sign me up!

Thank you so much @netgalley and @avonromance for the ARC of this adorable book in exchange for an honest review! This one just came out yesterday and makes the perfect summer beach read!

After falling in love with the cast of Written the Stars, I knew I needed to read Hang the Moon, which picks up on Brendon’s (Darcy’s brother) quest for love. As the founder of a popular dating app, One True Pairing, Brendon is a hopeless romantic. When Darcy’s best friend Annie comes to visit, Brendon finds himself rekindling his old crush on his big sister’s best friend and trying to prove to her that romance isn’t dead.

I absolutely loved this queer #OWNvoices romance by the magnificent Alexandria Bellefleur! I loved the writing, I loved the banter, I loved the cute pop culture references, and I LOVED the epilogue (every #Disney fan will love this ending)! I was so excited to see there would be a third book in this series because I just need more of this lovable cast of characters.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager for my advance copy of Hang the Moon in exchange for my honest review.

Hang the Moon is the much anticipated follow-up to Written In the Stars, which came out last year. It is the swoony story of Annie and Brendon, her best friend's little brother. I had just read WITS earlier this month and was so glad that I had the ARC for Hang to Moon to start on right after it. For those that read and loved WITS, you will get some more of Darcy and Elle in this book, and get to know Margot some more too. And now I will just be sitting here till 2022, desperately waiting for the third and final book of the series, Count Your Lucky Stars, which will be all about Margot! 

Annie has a busy life that allows her to travel all over the world with her job. But she has grown tired of always being on the move, and is ready to settle down and stay in one place. So when a promotion for a position in London comes her way, she thinks it is the perfect solution. Or is it just perfect on paper? When she flies out to Seattle to surprise Darcy, her childhood Best Friend, for a two week visit and to break the news of her move, she is not prepared or interested in catching any capital-F Feelings... Enter Brendon, Darcy's brother and the ultimate Cinnamon Roll! Can she really trust him with her heart and take that blind leap of faith? 

If you are looking for a lighter read that will make you giddy just from reading it, then look no further! I loved Annie's sense of humor and Brendon's tenderness. I really appreciated how Bellefluer inserted tension breaking moments of humor in the serious parts, it was the perfect balance. And when Annie says, "I'm pretty sure that I'm going to die if you don't touch me" - I dare you not to melt!

Hang the Moon is the companion novel to Written in the Stars. In this book we follow Darcy’s brother, Brendon and Darcy’s best friend, Annie. Annie flies to Seattle to surprise Darcy but when she shows up Darcy isn’t there and Brendon steps up to entertain her till Darcy gets home.

While I did really enjoy Written in the Stars, Hang the Moon was really not for me. I personally did not enjoy how Rom-com this book was. Every situation felt over the top and unrealistic to me. Even though this is what ultimately ruined this book for me, I think a lot of people will enjoy this. I see this book as the perfect beach read for someone who is looking for a fast and fun book. While you don’t have to read Written in the Stars to read this book I do recommend reading them together because you get to know the characters before you’re thrown into their personal stories.

"In my mind, romance is just showing someone that you know them, you're thinking of them, you care about them, and you want them to know it."

I knew I was going to love this book (based on my love for WitS) but I was completely unprepared for *exactly* how much I was going to love this book. Brendon and Annie were such a great couple to read about and the sheer emotion that Alexandra Bellefleur pulled from me was awe inspiring, honestly.

It was SO nice to see a guy as the hopeless romantic. Brendon was the sweetest character and I loved him so much. Literally, he was entirely too cute and I was absolutely pulling for him while he was trying to prove to Annie that romance isn't dead. I loved the development of their romance, the way you see them work to overcome emotional issues, LEARN EACH OTHER'S LOVE LANGUAGE!! They had so much chemistry together and from their first meeting I was dying for them to get together.

But this isn't only romance. I laughed SO many times while reading this, Annie and Brendon are a little ridiculous at points. Friendship also plays a HUGE part in this book. From Darcy and Annie's friendship, which I loved seeing more of, to Brendon and Margot's friendship, and we even get to see a bit of Annie and Elle becoming closer. The love that all these characters have for each other simply bursts off the page and I can't wait to see more of them in the third book.

Alexandria Bellefleur created Annie and came straight for my throat while doing so. I've never seen a romance heroine whose feelings on things like romance and friendships so closely aligned with mine so I was Going Through It while reading this.

I'm going to be recommending this to absolutely everyone. And if you've already read it, go check out the character playlists from the author because they are so good.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

I smiled like the absolute dork that I am throughout this book. Something about this series has just spoken to the nerd in me and makes me smile and enjoy the journey this story takes. I loved the fact that it was the guy who had been pining over the other when they were younger as I do often see it as the female always wanting the guy. This one also hit close to home for me and brought back the feelings.

There were so many sweet and silly moments throughout this one. And was happy to see the only one bed trope in here aa well. This series also has moments of steamy scenes which I have enjoyed and honestly wouldn't be mad at more. I think Alexandria Bellefleur might be added to my auto-buy authors list. I have loved both books so far and I'm highly anticipating the next in this series already.

This is sequel to the Written in the Stars (which was one of my fav romances in 2020). I’d definitely recommend reading Written in the Stars first, instead of reading this as a stand-alone otherwise you’ll miss out on some backstory.

Thoughts 💭

Sequels can be hit or miss for me and this was definitely a hit.

But first…

I’m BEGGING y’all. Miss 👏 me 👏 with the bi-erasure that I’m sure is going to come with this book. Annie is bi. The book doesn’t focus on her sexuality. She doesn’t have internalized guilt or have to come out to everyone multiple times. Yes, this is a different gender relationship. That doesn’t invalidate Annie’s sexuality. It doesn’t make the book any less queer.

This is a fast character-driven romance. It’s mostly about Annie and Brendon coming together and overcoming their emotional barriers. The chemistry is fabulous. There are lots of appearances from the little group in Seattle, and you’ll get updates on Darcy and Elle and see some more Margot. Basically, I just smiled the whole time.

I can’t say enough good things about this book! If you’re looking for a new series to binge, this is it. These books make me want to visit Seattle so badly. So excited for Margot’s book to come out next!!

Read if you like: Written in the Stars, best friend’s brother trope, friends-to-lovers, books with romcom references, cinnamon roll boys

⚠️TWs: ? I can’t think of any! This was just a sweet book.

📚 Book Review + Pub Day 📚

Title: Hang The Moon

Author: Alexandria Bellefleur

Publisher: Avon Books

@avonbooks

@harpervoyagerus

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Hang the Moon is the follow-up novel to Written in the Stars by author Alexandria Bellefleur. I adored Written in the Stars. I loved the astrology and witty banter. That was missing for me in this one, but Hang the Moon was still a well written book. Author Alexandria Bellefleur knows how to write contemporary romance!

Brandon Lowell love’s love. It’s why he created a dating app to help people find their one true pairing and her’s convinced “the one” is out there, even if he hasn’t met her yet. Or . . . has he?

When his sister’s best friend, Annie, unexpectedly shows up in Seattle he jumps at the chance to play tour guide for her. Annie unexpected trip is because she has a secret that she needs to tell her best friend, Darcy, in person. A secret that makes her definitely not looking for love. And definitely not with Brendon . . . the sweet dorky younger brother of her best friend!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 Ah man! I wanted to love this one more than I did! It was fine. This book took place mostly over a two week period and it felt like nothing really happened. I didn’t feel like Darcy was written as the same character in this book. She wasn’t a great friend! I did adore Brendon and his plan to woo Annie via Seattle romance movies; aka a Nora Ephron playbook. There just wasn’t much memorable in this book. Is 3.75 a bad rating? Nope. Will I keep reading what this author writes? Heck yeah!

Thank you @netgalley + publisher @avonbooks & @harpervoyagerus for honoring my request to read and review this title. #netgalley #hangthemoon

4.5 Stars: This rom-com is everything friends to lovers summer beach needs. It's queer, hopeless romantic, childhood crushes, recreations of famous dates, and the male is the one who is romantic in this novel. It is a follow-up to the "Written in the Stars" and about Brendom Lowell, Darcy's younger brother, and Annie, Darcy's Best friend. Annie shows up to Darcy for a surprise visit and finds out that she is gone for the weekend and ends up spending the weekend with her brother. The romance and pace of this book make it such an easy read for any weekend. I found myself not wanting to put the book down and buy myself a copy to add next to written in the stars. I can't wait to see what else Alexandria Bellefleur writes next.

I was provided a copy of this book from Netgalley and Avon for an honest review. Thank you to both for this copy. It is one of my new favorites.

Hang the Moon is a truly delightful follow-up to Written in the Stars, this time following the romantic exploits of Darcy's brother Brendon and her best friend Annie.

Brendon is in love with love. So much so that he is the creator of the hot dating app OTP (the very one that Elle is working with in Written in the Stars). Brendon loves grand gestures and romantic comedies and has dreams of fireworks and meeting THE ONE. He's truly adorable - a golden retriever among men.

Annie is done with love. After years of traveling and relationships that have just fallen short she is ready to move on (literally!) packing up her life in Philadelphia in order to move to London and start over. However, Annie decides she needs to tell her best friend Darcy in person so she stops in Seattle where she runs into Brendon, Darcy's younger brother who had a big crush on her growing up.

Watching Brendon and Annie fall in love was an absolute joy. This book is full of all the best cheesy romantic moments, ridiculously funny moments and the types of thoughtful conversations and communications the best relationships are based on.

While having all of my favorite components of a great romance novel, the book also feels very adult and mature to me. There aren't misunderstandings or ridiculous situations or lies, the tension in the book is grounded in reality and making tough life decisions, whether you change the course of your entire future because of two weeks spent in Seattle or do you take the time to figure out what it is you really want.

This book is the perfect beginning of the summer romance and I can't wait to see what more this author has in store for us!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm such a sucker for books that each feature different characters from the same universe -- and this was a GEM. It was funny, swoony, and heartfelt. I was immediately invested in Annie and Brendon, and loved watching them fall in love in Seattle. A joy to read!

A big thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the e-ARC and (Alexandria Bellefleur for the physical ARC!) in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

While I absolutely loved Written in the Stars when I read it last year, I found Hang the Moon to be disappointing. I think my biggest issue was that I just wasn't sold on Brendon and Annie and their chemistry. The only parts of this book that I looked forward to were the scenes that included Darcy and Elle. Oh well. Hopefully Bellefleur's next book is more up my alley.

I love the premise of the book - a man trying to prove romance isn't dead by recreating scenes from his favorite romcoms? Here for it. I thought Brendon did a great job of trying to prove to Annie why it was all worth it, and I loved some of the moments we got from it (the Ferris Wheel scene!). And I loved the way Annie adopted it at the end of the story.

Ultimately I was disappointed in this book. I wish that Alexandria Bellefleur's writing connected with me, but it doesn't, and even my beloved only one bed trope didn't help the book. I didn't feel invested in their relationship, and it's not something I can pinpoint.

I do think it's a great book for anyone who loves romcoms and friends to lovers/best friend's brother

I couldn’t wait to read this! After reading Written in the Stars a few months ago (which, y’all, you also must read), I couldn’t wait for a second book focused on my favorite character: Brendon! He was so adorably hopeless and lovable in the first book so I knew his love story would be iconic.

Here’s what you need to know: Our heroine, Annie receives a big promotion to move from Philly to London, but before she makes the trip, she visits her best friend Darcy. What she didn’t expect: to become smitten with Darcy’s brother, Brendon. Annie (in true Sagittarius fashion lol) is not looking for a commitment, especially as she’s getting ready to move. Brendon, the Nora-Ephron-worshipping cutie that he is, tries all sorts of romcom moves to win her over. Basically: this book is cute AF.

What you’ll love:

- The “oh no, there’s only one bed!” trope
- So many almost kisses you’ll want to throw the book across the room, but like, in a good way
- Sexy charades
- The author knows when to feed into a trope and when to avoid it
- Hero is a delicious mix of sexy and nerdy (is at one point described as “the obi-wan of oral” and if that doesn’t convince you to read this book, I truly don’t know what will).

What to be aware of:

- As you can assume reading the description, this book can get MAD cheesy. But it always feels true to the characters
- This book relied too heavily on the first book for knowledge of characters. If I hadn’t read the first book, I would have missed so many nuances about these characters and I’m positive I wouldn’t have fallen in love with them in the same way
- So if y’all read this, and I hope you do, please read Written in the Stars first for the whole experience!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon & Harper Voyager for providing me an ARC to read and review.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ARC. OUT TOMORROW!

I am so thankful for this book cause I loved Written in the Stars and felt like Brendon deserved a better, more full story and THIS IS IT!!! Annie + Brendon = ?...
You do not need to read Written in the Stars to enjoy Hang the Moon but I for sure recommend it ;)

<b> SPOILERS AHEAD <b>

The scene on the Ferris wheel hit home SO hard - I can't even. I am that person who always gets stuck needing to pee and just the whole scene felt extremely realistic which I appreciated.
One other scene that hit home hard was when Annie traveling back to PA, on the airplane, a girl who is not into grand gestures is thinking (hoping?) something happens but at the same time doesn't. Idk, I have been that girl so I felt such a strong pull to her at that moment. Wonderfully wrote too.

The best news: we are getting a Margot story as well! Honestly, so excited.

I very much enjoyed this one. A perfect some read, multi-layer romance that makes you chuckle and shed a tear or two.

4.5/5 stars

When I heard that Alexandria Bellefleur's Hang the Moon (book #2 in the Written in the Stars series) would be released in 2021, I immediately pre-ordered and requested an advance reader's copy. I read Written in the Stars last year over the holiday season, and it turned out to be one of my fave romance reads.

Hang the Moon follows Brendon Lowell, creator of a dating app with the goal of helping people find "the one." He may be single, but he has never given up on love or on finding his own happily ever after. Annie, on the other hand, has given up on dating. When she comes to Seattle on a trip meant to surprise her best friend Darcy (who happens to be Brendon's sister), Brendon agrees to show Annie about town, determined to prove to her that romance is not dead.

Bellefleur is such a talented writer - her dialogue is whip smart, her steamy scenes are indeed s t e a m y, and her characters are complex and flawed. While this one didn't hit me quite as hard as WITS did, I absolutely adored Brendan's steadfast belief in true love (and that scene at the fair had me laughing out loud - iykyk). You also get to see a bit of more of Darcy and Elle!

Note: This book is absolutely LGBTQ+! In addition to Darcy and Elle's relationship on the periphery, Annie herself is bisexual. Finding her HEA with a man does not make her identity less valid or less LGBTQ+, and I love that the author knows that and feels the same!

If you loved Written in the Stars, definitely check out Hang the Moon! And if you haven't read WITS, what are you waiting for?

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Brandon is a strong believer in true love, you know the kind that has such a strong spark no one can ever deny it. Taking his love for love one step further Brandon has used his passion for happily ever afters to create his own dating app to help other people find their soul mate. So when Brandon learns that his sisters best friend Annie is in town and she has all but given up in believing in love, he takes it upon himself to help her fall in love with love again. Oh and it doesn’t hurt that Brandon had the hugest crush on Annie when they were kids.

Hang The Moon was just the cutest novel, that had me enthralled from the very start right to the last sweet chapter. I absolutely loved that the entire novel was set in Seattle, with so many famous love stories set there it made for perfect backdrop.

It was just hilarious that Brandon wanted to woo Annie with all the noteworthy romance movie locations, this was just not doing it for Annie. Both main characters were brilliant, as were all the secondary characters. All of the characters flowed together so seamlessly, and welcomed Annie into their group as if she was always a member. I absolutely loved the relationship between Darcy and Brandon, these two were just hilarious and I loved that they were both not so low key conspiring to keep Annie in town.

I loved both Brandon and Annie but it really was Brandon that stole my heart. He was genuinely a nice person and wanted everyone to find their own happy ending. Also how can you not love the guy after he compared Annie to a potato chip, talk about ultimate compliment right there! As for our girl Annie, I completely got her reluctance to give love or romance another chance, dating is hard work. It was such a treat watching these two roam around Seattle falling in love with all their misadventure.

This novel was an instant hit for me, I loved every single second of reading this friends to lovers romcom and can not wait to read the next book by this immensely talented author! This is a definite must read! ~#HarlequinJunkie

It’s going to be incredibly difficult for me to review what is possibly my favorite swoony read of 2021. Hang the Moon is a joyful and romantic breath of fresh air. If you’ve read Written in the Stars, then you already know that Alexandria Bellefleur is one of the most gifted debut romance authors of 2020, and with this book, she basically takes romance to a whole other level. I sincerely believe that this book is romance perfection. So, this will be a gushy raving review and I hope I’ll succeed in convincing you to give this book a read.

A HOPELESSLY ROMANTIC SIMP
I’ll be honest and tell you that the main reason I devoured this book was Brendon, the male MC. Over the years of reading romance, I’ve come to realize that my perfect fictional romantic interest is the cinnamon roll archetype. Brendon is most certainly a cinnamon roll and what’s more, he is a hopelessly romantic cinnamon roll. *swoons* He grew up loving love and the idea of romance – this is a man who loves his love stories, could recite romcom dialogues by heart, and has even gone on to create a successful dating app. He’s a complete simp, as the kids say, and he’s utterly charming. Therefore, there was no better person to show Annie, his older sister’s best friend, and his childhood crush, all about love and romance.

A GUARDED & VULNERABLE WOMAN WHO LEARNS TO OPEN UP
Annie isn’t sure if she believes Brendon. How could she when she has been burned too many times in the past? She’s just a bit guarded with her heart and her feelings because relationships haven’t always panned out for her because of her jet-setting career. I loved Annie’s character just as much I loved Brendon. Initially, I was a bit concerned that she would spend most of Hang the Moon actively resisting his wooing, but she proved me wrong by opening up to Brendon. She allows him in to her heart and shows glimpses of her vulnerability. I felt Annie’s fears and burdens so deeply it hurt at times.

A REALISTIC PORTRAYAL OF FRIENDSHIP
Her uneasiness about the growing physical distance in her friendship with Darcy felt uncomfortably real. It’s not easy having those conversations with friends, especially when they seem to be moving on with their adult lives and growing families, but they are important conversations to be had. I love how frankly Alexandria Bellefleur wrote the friendship between Annie and Darcy here. These two women harbor a deep love for each other. Though it may not have been the friendship they had years ago, they knew they could 110% count on each other.

THE LOW-ANGST ROMANCE IS THE STAR
If the friendship is that perfect, can you imagine just how flawlessly the romance is written in Hang the Moon? I appreciated that the romance remained optimistic and low-angst throughout most of the book. Brendon, being the sappy romantic that he is, wants to prove to Annie that romance is well and alive. He shows her all the romantic spots in Seattle and helps her discover the romantic in her. Gosh, I loved every single one of their dates and was basically a puddle of goo anytime Brendon declared any sort of romantic affection for Annie. After all of that, Annie simply couldn’t resist him and I’m so glad she went with his flow because she deserved to be loved as wholeheartedly as Brendon loved her.

I swear, I highlighted something on almost every page of Hang the Moon! Most importantly, I smiled my entire way through this book and wanted to hug it in the end. Even the conflict in this book felt authentic and fitting and not overblown just for the sake of a third-act breakup.

READ THIS BOOK, FRIENDS
In conclusion, I need you all to pick up Hang the Moon. It’s one of my top books of the year and I think we all deserve happy, serotonin-inducing, and swoony romantic reads. 🙂

This will post soon on Romance Reviews Today: http://romrevtoday.com/


HANG THE MOON – Alexandria Bellefleur
Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-300084-1
May 25, 2021
Romantic Comedy

Seattle, Washington – Present Day

Annie is at the crossroads of her life. Dissatisfied with her job in Philadelphia, she is on the brink of accepting a job promotion across the ocean in London. But first, she books a spur of the moment trip to her best friend in Seattle, with plans to spend two weeks with Darcy. Calling Darcy while in the airport, Annie learns that Darcy is in Vancouver, B.C. with her girlfriend for the long weekend. However, Annie can stay at her apartment and she will get Brendon (Darcy’s brother) to give her the key and let her in. While sorry she won’t get to see her bestie for a few days, Annie decides to enjoy her vacation anyway. Brendan offers to show her around Seattle.

Brendon is two years younger than Annie and he had a big crush on her when they were both younger. He runs a dating app site and believes in true love and devours romantic comedy movies. Annie is skeptical of love and relationships, so Brendon is determined to prove her wrong. He takes her on the best of the best of Seattle, where they get to know each other—and they begin to fall for each other. But Annie keeps her heart locked inside. Remember, real true love doesn’t exist, it only happens in the movies. Can Brendon get Annie to change her mind? What about her plans to move overseas? Will their buds of love turn into dead flowers?

HANG THE MOON revolves around the concept of romantic comedies, especially the ones based in Seattle. Brendon is determined to prove to Annie that it does really happen. She is skeptical yet goes along with his plans. They have several laugh out moments, such as their getting stuck on a roller coaster and Annie needing to use the bathroom facilities. It seems that just about every romantic gesture Brendon tries turns into a folly of some kind, but it always ends up with them growing closer. They can’t see it at first, but Brendon and Annie are slowly and surely falling in love with each other. She doesn’t tell him at first about her plans to move to London, but once she does, will he try to convince her to change them…and move to Seattle?

While HANG THE MOON focuses on Brendon and Annie’s romance, there are other characters who provide importance to the story. There is Darcy, the sister of Brendon, and Annie’s best friend since childhood. She is grinning as she watches her two favorite people dance around love. Darcy herself has recently fallen in love with Elle, so maybe they can provide a good role model. Margot works with Brendon and is there to act as his confidant. Will she advise him to reach for the stars when it comes to Annie?

HANG THE MOON is a sexy and enjoyable romantic comedy that will surely tickle the funny bone of readers. Grab a copy and prepare yourself to indulge in some fun reading.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today