A childhood crush roars back to life in this adorable rom com-inspired romance. Darcy’s brother Brendon and best friend Annie star in this standalone story that picks up where Written in the Stars leaves off (though you can read in any order). Annie was Brendon’s childhood crush, but she remembers him as a sweet, goofy kid. When they reconnect in Seattle as grown-ups, sparks fly—but to Annie, this relationship is unthinkable: you shouldn’t get involved with your bestie’s boyfriend, plus she’s about to move for work—to London. But Brendon is a romantic at heart, and he’s determined to woo Annie by showing her the true love on display in his favorite Seattle-based rom-coms is real—and is theirs for the taking. A happy and heartwarming reading experience. Open door alert for a few lengthy open-door bedroom scenes.

I loved getting Brendon’s story! Annie’s story was very relatable and I think that loneliness is something a lot of older 20 somethings feel. In the end I did like Annie and a Brendan together. However, I felt that them getting together was a-little predictable and it seemed like the cheaters regressed to fit within each others lives. I love the found family elements in these books and I cannot wait for the next one!

After reading Written in the Stars, I couldn't wait for Alexandria Bellefleur to release something else. And I had my fingers crossed it would be about Brendan!

Brendan is a romantic who loves romcoms and grand gestures. Annie is a realist who is afraid of being let down again. And she is Brendan's sister's best friend who he used to have a crush on.

So when Annie comes to town to visit and Brendan learns that she thinks romance is dead, he vows to change her mind. As they spend time together, he realizes that maybe his old crush isn't quite as over as he'd believed and Annie realizes that Brendan might be more than just her best friend's little brother.

This was such a sweet book and I loved that we got to see Darcy and Elle and Margot and that we got to see more into Brendan's company OTP. I also loved that not only is this book about the romance that develops between Brendan and Annie, but also the friendship that develops between Annie and Darcy and Brendan's people.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Alexandria Bellefleur’s Hang the Moon elicits one warm fuzzy after another.

Brendon Lowell, Darcy’s well-meaning, matchmaking, dating app founding brother in Written in the Stars, is a blushing ginger romantic who enjoys watching proposal videos & crying.

When the woman he used to have a crush on as a teen, his sister’s best friend Annie Kyriakos, visits Seattle, he ends up showing her around, determined to change her skepticism regarding romance to something more positive.

It doesn’t take long before he realizes he wants to see where their very real feelings can go but his wishes are stymied by Annie’s announcement that she’s relocating to London for work.

Hang the Moon is a straightforward, pretty low angst romance that feels warm & lovely. The hero is a blushing prince w/ a talent for oral, the heroine is not going to rush into anything & I stan a woman who needs some time.

I really like Annie but in case I haven’t made it clear Brendon is the standout for me—he’s so freaking sweet & his tattoo is everything🥺.

Outside of these great leads I absolutely love the poignant story Bellefleur tells about friendships, too. About what happens when your best friend has fallen in love but you haven’t, & you’re no longer their “first” anymore. How the effort Annie makes in friendships—she’s always going the extra mile—has carried over into what she wants & doesn’t want romantically.

If you haven’t read this series yet I strongly request that you do. It’s so so good & just a delight.

4.5 ⭐️. Release Date: 05/25

A nice sequel to Written in the Stars, but the plot felt a bit too similar to the first book (love interest #1 is unlucky in love and yearns to find "the one", love interest #2 is jaded and wants nothing to do with love). I really like these characters though and the author did a great job of selling Seattle to me; can't wait for Margot's story in book 3!

i received an arc through netgalley.

oh my gosh, this book is everything. it just kept getting better with every page. the one bed trope, the grand gestures but not grand gestures.

this book was so sweet! I loved the setting and the atmosphere! The romance was so good and I felt that the story moved quickly and was such a fun weekend read! I cannot wait for more books by this author!

Hang The Moon is the story of Brendon and his teenage crush and his sister's best friend Annie. Brendon is a hopeless romantic. He is looking for "fireworks, undeniable, irrefutable, heart-stopping chemistry, Nora Ephron kind of love". On the other hand Annie thinks romance is dead. She thinks love doesn't last.

Brendon decides to prove her wrong and woo her using his favorite movies as the blueprint. He plans to recreate the greatest grand gestures and romantic moments. The dates he planned are at a Ferris Wheel, a karaoke bar, outdoor movie theater, charades game with their mutual friends. He has two weeks to convince Annie that romance is not a lost cause. 

The second story line is convincing Annie to move to Seattle. Annie is not really passionate about her job and her job is about to take her to London which means the physical distance between Annie and her best friend Darcy is going to increase even more. Darcy, Brendon and Darcy's girlfriend Elle are all trying to show Annie how much more fun her life would be if she lived in Seattle.

I wanted to love this book because I really liked Brendon's character and his plan to woo Annie but it just didn't do it for me. I think Brendon and Annie had good chemistry and I liked the references to plethora of romantic comedies. I didn't mind the cheesy gestures at all but I found myself bored reading the conversations between the characters and especially their internal monologues. I had the same experience with the first book of the series. I think maybe the author's writing style is not working for me. Oh and also I found the bit about pushing Annie to make a decision to move to Seattle a bit unnecessary. The book felt almost like a love letter to Seattle sometimes.
 
Based on the Goodreads reviews from the ARC readers so far I am in the minority. Many people adored this book. I think it is worth a read if you really dig contemporary romance but I will not be continuing reading the rest of the series which will be Elle's best friend Margot's story.

This book has many of the tropes that I feel are very "trendy" right now in the romance book genre. To mention a few it has: the one bed trope, childhood friends to lovers, overly romantic/handsome male lead, astrology talk, and it references a plethora of romantic comedies. The author has an engaging way of writing, but unfortunately, nothing about the plot really excited me. It's the type of book that people look for comfort, because of how predictable and seamless the storyline is. Overall, I'd recommend this book to people looking for a quick/simple romantic read with little conflict.

I absolutely adored Written in the Stars and expected such great things from Hang the Moon, but sadly I was disappointed. It just didn’t hold my attention and I didn’t love the characters or their story that much.

HANG THE MOON is just as cute as its' counterpart WRITTEN IN THE STARS. It is cute, spicy, fluffy, and made me long for the days when romance was uncertain and butterflies would crowd my stomach. Definitely preordering this as soon as I get paid!

I had the first book in this series on hold with my library for so long that I devoured it. I was excited to get the ARC of the second book and again, devoured it. I think I liked this book before because Brendan was actively interested in a lasting relationship which is refreshing for male main characters.

Brendan is the founder of a dating app. His sister is happy settled with one of his business partners and he's trying to find his special person. He's always been interested in his sister's best friend Annie but knows he has to put effort into finding his true match.

Annie is unsettled in life. She's traveled all over for work and is about to start a new job in London. She comes to Seattle to hang with her best friend and ends up being romanced by Brendan. She knew he had a crush on her when they were younger and is amused by his plan to reenact a rom-com.

The cast of characters really made this book rich for me. You can read it without reading the first book but I'd recommend that you don't. You get so much more out of the friend group and sibling relationships if you know the other characters well. They made Annie really think about what she wanted in life and helped Brendan be secure in what he wants in a partner.

Overall, this was a delightful book and my heart felt warm and cuddly while reading it. I also laughed SO hard at the ferris wheel scene. One of my favorite moments in a book so far. I recommend you check this book and author out - I can't wait to read more!

Hang the Moon is the companion/follow up to Written in the Stars and follows two of the side characters from the first novel. This follows the trend of many companion novels, where you get a glimpse of the life your favorite characters are living but they become one of many side characters in this story. Overall it’s a funny romance with a solid queer cast of characters, but it didn’t quite click with me as well as Written in the Stars did.

Before I start this review, I just want to say that I haven't read Bellefleur's Written in the Stars (the first book in this series) but was completely aware of it and actually planning to read it this year too. I had so many expectations going into this because of the many rave reviews I've read.

In the beginning of the book, we see Annie about to board her flight to Seattle, to surprise her best friend Darcy who she hasn't seen in more than a year. Annie currently lives in Philadelphia and just got a promotion that'll require her to move to London. Hence the decision to visit Darcy one last time before she starts living in a different country that's several miles away. Problem is, Darcy isn't in Seattle at the moment so she asked her younger brother Brendon to tour Annie around until she gets back.

This was a quick read for me. I had fun reading about Annie and Brendon especially during their trips in Seattle. It was adorable how Brendon used to have a big crush on Annie since they were literally kids. Childhood friends to lovers is one of the tropes that I enjoy the most and this certainly had that unrequited love but also the 'the crush never truly went away' vibe. Brendon is a hopeless romantic who hopes to someday find 'the one', believes in grand gestures, and loves watching romantic comedies- which I think is very refreshing to read. I loved that he was patient with Annie who, by the way, made it clear from the start that she doesn't want to date or settle for a 2-week-romance. But of course that's exactly what happened.

Honestly, this could've been a solid 4 stars. It's just that...starting from the halfway mark, my rating kind of got lower and lower because of some stuff that was rushed in my opinion. I wasn't totally on board the whole 'moving' idea and felt uncomfotable for Annie when everyone was sort of pushing her to just decide already. I personally think you need at least a longer amount of time for those kinds of change, and for me Annie arrived there rather quickly (and easily, I might add). But overall, it was cute and the epilogue had me drowning with feels.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the earc!

An adorable rom com featuring astrology, dating apps, and Seattle! This book continues in the lives of the characters from the author’s previous book, Written in the Stars, focusing on Brendon and Annie. You do not need to read the other book to enjoy this one, but they’re equally as wonderful. Add this one to your list for when you need a quick paced, feel good book. I love banter, and this author does banter right. I’d recommend this to anyone that enjoys rom-com. Light steam.

I was so excited to get an early copy of Annie and Brendon's book. Brendon is pure Cinnamon Roll dream. Now I just want all male pov's to be him. The romance was cute and believable between the characters. Also, the charades game in this book was so hilarious.

Brendon and Annie have great chemistry. Their 'dates' were cute, but relatable. I like that Brendon is actually quite sensible, while still being a fun, whimsical, romantic guy. Annie is a great lead, with insecurities about where life has taken her. There isn't much conflict in this book, which isn't a complaint, but good to know for those patrons/readers that are annoyed by 'drama' and the often seen "act III breakup scene."
Bellefleur hits some of the great tropes - childhood crush, best friend's sibling, stranded/one bed, geographical separation - and weaves in some well-crafted steam, to give Brendon and Annie a fun, delightful love story.

On a technical level this is another good installment by Bellefleur, with solid pacing and many enjoyable moments. She breaks away from the Pride and Prejudice parallels and offers a love story that stands on its own.

However, I was personally uncomfortable with Brendon’s plan to convince Annie that love isn’t dead. She firmly states her disinterest in dating at the beginning of the story, and he basically says “Nah, I’m going to show you how wrong you are.” Yes, he already has a crush on her so he’s not trying to manipulate some random girl in a bar, but that almost makes it worse since they have a level of trust established. As a reader on the ace spectrum, this oozes manipulation and refusal to respect boundaries. Since it’s a rom com, everyone ends up happy, but I am not a fan of the message it sends.

I find myself struggling to connect with characters when the story is written in third person. I feel that stories like this are best told from the hero or heroine's perspective, or maybe even dual POV between the two. The book blurb was promising, but it ended up in my DNF pile because of this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this ARC!

Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur is just what you want in a romantic comedy, including nods to the biggest and best rom-com movies we’ve all seen and loved. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, the first book, Written in the Stars, was just too adorable to miss out on.

3.5/5 ⭐️
🎡 Cute/quick read.
🎡 Well written story & diverse characters.
🎡 Hopeless romantic male character.
🎡 A decent amount of 🔥.

If you’re in the mood for a feel good romance minus the drama, you will enjoy this one! Am I the only one who wants to plan a trip to Seattle after reading this?

I am intrigued to see where Bellefleur goes next with Margot’s story!

Thank you @netgalley and @avonbooks for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pub Date: 5/25/2021

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