Don't you just love it when, in m/f pairings, it's the man who pines and yearns? Because I do.

This book is enchanting from start to finish. I admit, this didn't make me feel as amazing as Written in the Stars, but that doesn't mean it's not good! It's actually one of the fluffiest romance books I've ever read. There's just something about the way Alexandria Bellefleur writes that grabs me and doesn't let go until next thing I know the sun's up and I'm done.

The way Annie is just so casually queer, the way Brendon is just so huggable...all of these are all so natural and endearing. How their relationship progressed was a delight, too! You'd think these two laidback people don't have baggage, but they do and it's satisfying seeing them work through these problems as they discover each other. Anyway, loved this book.

this was really cute :)

i’ve never read anything by alexandria bellefleur, so when i cracked open the book and saw astrology references, i knew i was gonna enjoy it. i’m not “huge” about astrology, but when i see it, this girl takes it lol.

the story centers around brendon (darcy’s younger brother) and annie (darcy’s best friend). annie has basically given up on her love life and brendon is set on finding his true love...i know, we love that combination. the majority of the book focuses on brendon trying to convince annie that love does exist and that someone loves her (him !!), and in the process, we learn more about the characters themselves and slowly realize how perfect they truly are for each other. also, i find it really really endearing that brendon basically has had a crush on annie for forever and that he loves annie with all her flaws. honestly, when the two first meet each other again after eight years was pretty epic (probably one of my favorite scenes from this book). however, the best thing by far in this book is how the author incorporated and connected tropes. like, there was “there is only one bed”, “friends to lovers”, “second chance”, “soul mates”—basically, it was amazing.

tbh, i took off one star because it was really hard for me to get into the book. the beginning was definitely a bit slower than what i'm used to, and it took a hot sec for me to like the main characters and support the ship. other than that, everything was great.

now, i definitely want to read darcy and elle’s story 👀

Last night I finished an ARC of Hang the Moon by Alexandria Bellefleur that I was gifted through Netgalley and it ABSOLUTELY hit the spot. It was sweet, steamy and even made me tear up a bit!

If you’ve read Written in the Stars, you’ll remember Darcy’s sweet and goofy brother Brendon. Hang the Moon is the story of him and Annie, Darcy’s best friend and Brendon’s childhood crush. I loved watching Annie and Brendon’s story unfold, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Annie studied linguistics and watches french tv shows (like me!).

Be sure to pick up a copy of Hang the Moon when it comes out in May, it’s adorable!!

The follow up to Written in the Stars did not disappoint. We had a glimpse of the potential chemistry between Brendan and Annie in the first book, and it was palpable from the first time they meet again in Hang the Moon. Loved Brendan was a sweet cinnamon roll, but Annie really stole my heart. I and loved the continued Bi rep into the second book, and could really relate to Annie's feelings of isolation, which was magnified by the ongoing pandemic. Readers also get a update on Darcy and Elle. If you loved Written in the Stars, Hang the moon is a can't miss. I am excited to see what Bellefleur does next!

Thank you to @avonbooks and Alexandria Bellefleur for my gifted copy of Hang the Moon! This fun romance is out on May 25th.

Written as the follow-up to Written in the Stars, we meet Brendon Lowell, a man who “loves love”, and even created an app to help people find love. He’s always had a crush on his sister’s best friend, Annie, who has just shown up in Seattle for a two week vacation to see her friends. She’s not looking for love right now, but he decides to try to woo her with elaborate, romantic dates to convince her that romance does exist, and ends up learning so much more in the process.

Wow, what a follow-up to Written in the Stars! Brendon was one of my favorite characters in that book, and I was so thrilled when I found out he was getting his own book. I loved reading about their adorable dates all over Seattle and the surrounding area (somewhere I desperately want to visit again), and I adored that the perspective shifted back and forth between Brendon and Annie, bringing both viewpoints to the table. Plus, we get to see Darcy and Elle again, and they’re such a sweet couple!

I enjoyed as well that this book didn’t solely focus on the romance aspect. Annie and Darcy’s friendship is definitely a main plot line as well. The reason Annie comes to Seattle is to see friends before she moves for a big job opportunity, and Darcy has a lot of feelings about that. I appreciate that Bellefleur took the time to flesh that part out, and even wove it slightly into the romantic part of the book.

I’d definitely recommend checking this one out when it’s released in May!

In my opinion, Alexandria Bellefleur can do no wrong. I loved Hang the Moon as much as I loved Written in the Stars. And, I loved reuniting from characters from the first book in the series.

In this book, we follow the will they/won’t they relationship of Annie and Brendon. It’s a book about people learning to trust and moving beyond fantasy to reality.

I am hoping there’s a third book in our future.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

A charming romance between a skeptic and a true believer in love. Brendon owns a dating app company that focuses on helping people find their one true pairing. Annie is his older sister's best friend, who spontaneously comes to town only to find that said friend is out of town. So Brendon offers to show her around, and convince her that true love exists in the process.

This was a fun story of opposites attracting, and finding your own path in life. The Seattle setting was used well as a backdrop without taking over the book. I enjoyed Bellefleur's first novel, Written in the Stars, and it was nice to revisit the characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

This book was FANTASTIC. I love the way Bellefluere writes. Her characters are just weird enough to feel normal, like someone you’d already be friends with. The steamy scenes?! Incredibly written; they are literally everything to me. My only complaint with this one was that I felt it was a bit slow at times, and I found myself screaming at Annie to get off the plane, Friends-style 🤣 But otherwise, an amazing book and I will highly recommend to my friends!

I was so excited to read the sequel to Written in the Stars that when I saw this available on NetGalley I literally gasped! Thank you so much to Avon/HarperCollins for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

We come back to the Written in the Stars universe to see Darcy and Elle doing fantastically well and so in love. Brendon on the other hand still hasn’t found “the one”, he’s always looking for that spark that none of his dates seem to give him.

Darcy’s best friend, Annie, decides to surprise her with a long overdue visit and to also deliver some life altering news...a move to another country. The only bad thing is that Darcy and Elle are away on vacation, so Darcy sends Brendon to open up her apartment for Annie and they end up having dinner. Things develop from there with Brendon trying to prove to Annie that romance is in fact NOT dead.

I don’t want to reveal too much but I have to say that this was one of the sweetest romances I’ve read in a long time. Also it was so funny! Margot and her eff it cheeky attitude had me dying and a certain Ferris wheel scene gave me literal tears I laughed so hard!

If you loved Written in the Stars or you are looking for a nice bit of fluff to brighten your day I would definitely give Hang the Moon a go. And now I can not wait for Margot’s story next year!

Are you looking for a RomCom with charming and witty writing, well rounded story with a great ensemble cast that showcases diversity within their little clique? Well, do I have the book for you!

I adore any book that takes place in Seattle because I get to feel like a tourist in my own backyard. Having frequented the many tourist spots in the city I loved getting to relive them as if it’s the first time alongside the characters and seeing the city through their eyes. There’s something magical about the Emerald City, and with the author’s vivid description, I felt as if I was in Pike’s Place and could smell the aromas of fish and florals or know exactly what it's like to walk down the gum alley and both be disgusted and amazed. She wrote the perfect backdrop for Annie and Brendon’s live story.

Annie is a wanderer trying to find her place in the world. She’s kind, witty, and her antics made for some hilarious scenes. Her flaws made her the perfect heroine you root for because they were things I could see within myself. Brendon is attentive and sweet, but also has an alpha side to him. He’s the perfect mixture of spicy and sexy while being thoughtful and caring. Brendon is completely charming in his quest to swoon the pants off of Annie. There is a childlike optimism where he constantly wants to see the good in the world and a playfulness to him that sweeps you off your feet.

This book is for the romantics out there. The ones who never give up on the happily ever after or finding the magic under a starry sky. It’s for the ones who believe in one true love and refuse to believe or settle in anything less. The author's writing makes you realize the joy in feeling butterflies and how whimsical falling in love can be, while weaving in realistic obstacles without the exaggerated melodrama.

This book is truly a quintessential RomCom filled with swoon worthy moments and diverse characters that represent all forms of love. Between the classic grand gestures to the small moments this book had everything one would want from a wholesome and fun RomCom. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute and heartwarming!

Brendon is a hopeless romantic (he even created an app for love). Annie is convinced that romance is dead and goes to Seattle to tell her best friend that she's moving to London. She ends up running into her best friend's not-so-little brother. Soon after seeing each other for the first time in 8 years, sparks fly, and Brendon starts a rom-com inspired mission to show Annie that Seattle might be the place for her to call home.

I loved the rom-com references and the dynamic between Annie and Brendon. The whole novel was cute (and on the steamy side at times). But there's so many good things about this novel. I really enjoyed the variations of "hang the moon" that were present (I'm the type of person who loves it when the title is used in the book), and in Written in the Starts, Brendon himself says a variation of "hang the moon," which was cool. (I might have just read that book because I was super hyped about this one and had to start the story from the beginning!)

All in all, this story was amazing and it was the first time in awhile that I've gotten teary eyed reading a book. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager / Avon for this eArc. I really appreciated the opportunity to read this gem!

4.25/5 stars!

The heroine wanted to surprise her best friend by stopping by at her place before she moves to another country for her job. Instead of her best friend giving her a tour of Seattle, it falls on the hero, the brother of the heroine's best friend. Their relationship changed as the heroine starts to hero as a attractive man whereas the hero, who had a crush on the heroine when he was younger, began to woo her to change her mind of the idea of love.

This is my first Alexandria Bellefleur book and it won't be the last. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the friendship dynamics, and the siblings' relationship. My favorite character is definitely the hero, who is my favorite hero type and swoon-worthy. I liked the heroine but there was an instant near the end where she got annoying; otherwise she wasn't bad at all. I liked the author's writing style and vibe so I look forward to reading more books in the future.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.**

I was lucky to score an ARC for @ambellefleur's Hang the Moon & it's AMAZING! Loved the Seattle setting, the sensitive hero (who is a True Romantic), & the gentle wooing of the skeptical heroine. A+ chemistry! A great addition to the world of Written in the Stars.

#HangTheMoon



https://twitter.com/_JennyHartwell/status/1354543972790616064

Alexandria Bellefleur is now on my auto-buy author list

While I may not have loved this book as much as “Written in the Stars”, I still absolutely adored it. I flew through this and it was impossible to put down.

I loved seeing more of Darcy and Elle, but I also loved seeing Brendon’s story unfold. We didn’t know much about him from book 1, just the fact that he was Darcy’s brother and Elle’s friend, but his character still felt rather cookie-cutter. He didn’t have much personality outside of his optimistic outlook on romance, but I didn’t mind.

I was surprised at how much I adored Annie and I wish we got more of her. Her character felt like a copy of Darcy’s from book 1, but with a few tweaks. I wish we got more of her backstory but that didn’t stop me from loving her.

The fact that this book had very little conflict and little angst was a selling point for me. In romance, I despise miscommunication conflicts and third-act breakups. This book didn’t have any of that. Just Brendon and Annie being adorable ❤

I really really loved Bellefleur’s second book and I can’t wait to see what Margot’s story has in store.

First, a giant thank you to Avon and Harper Voyage and Netgally for the ARC for an honest review.

Hang the Moon is the sequel to Written In the Stars, where we first met Brendon as Darcy's brother. He takes center stage in this one along with Darcy's best friend, Annie. They haven't seen each other in about 8 years, but Brendon did have a crush on Annie when they were younger. When they see each other again, sparks are definitely flying, but Brendon is a hopeless romantic, waiting for the One whereas Annie has about enough with love and relationships since she has continuously been disappointed in her previous relationships with both women and men. Annie is planning on moving to London after receiving a promotion at her job, but Darcy and Brendon have other plans and will do what they can to change her mind and move to what is apparently the greatest city ever, Seattle.

The friendships in this book were beautiful. This wasn't just a romance story between Annie and Brendon, but a platonic love story between Annie and Darcy as Darcy refuses to allow her best friend to move across the globe. Their friendship is wonderful to see, and it was very forward focused in the book. Their friendship did not play second fiddle to Brendon and Annie's growing relationship. They both got equal time. We also have beautiful moments between Elle and Annie as well as Margot and Brendon, who were friends in the previous book. The friendships these 5 share is just lovely, and I honestly could just read a book of their shenanigans.

I appreciated the flip of roles in this book, where Brendon is the hopeless romantic and Annie is the reserved, slightly jaded one. This isn't anything new nowadays, but I still appreciate when authors flip the script. I've related to a lot of characters, and Annie was definitely one of them. No, my job doesn't have me jet-setting across the globe, but the feeling that love is rainbows and sunshine and the feeling of being left behind were two I connected with in this book.

The dialogue was witty and the scenes were funny. There were moments of immense cheese, but it really did fit the story since Brendon is a giant cheeseball anyway. I loved that all these romantic moments he tried to create always ended up in some kind of "disaster" that only did more to show how not every moment has to be magical or special. The chemistry between Annie and Brendon was very there, and yes, this book was rather sexy. I actually found it had less sex scenes than in the previous book, but it didn't take away from the story at all.

I loved this book. The romantic in me understood Brendon and the jaded part understood Annie, and I just allowed myself to wrap up in the warmth this book created. It's only January, but this will probably be in my top 10, if not 5, for 2021. I can't wait to read the final edited copy.

As soon as I finished reading Written in the Stars for my book club, I knew I wanted to read Brendon's story. I'm not a huge astrology person, but I am a rom-com person so I loved all the rom-com mentions (and Nora Ephron appreciation) in this book a bit more than the astrology discussions in the first book.

I would hate to try to figure out if I like Elle/Darcy together more than Brendon/Annie, but Brendon's love of rom-coms might be enough to make this book even better for me than WITS. Granted, I love them both. They're adorable and funny and sexy! I mean how could you not love a book that has:

- a "there's only one bed" scene
- romantic gestures
- Seattle (I've only been there once but I might have to move there)
- banter galore
- chemistry EVERYWHERE
- game nights
- Margot being hilarious

Overall, this book was a great read. I had planned to read something else before this one, but I couldn't resist. I read it practically in one sitting and I can't wait for Margot's story! (even if I have to wait a year)

A brilliant follow up to a Written in the Stars. Swoony, beautifully written, sparkling. Bellefleur is a new auto buy.

Hang the Moon, which takes place in the same universe as Written in the Stars, follows the relationship between Darcy’s best friend, the globe trotting Annie, and Darcy’s in-love-with-love younger brother, Brendon, who runs an online dating app. Brendan has been in love with Annie since they were kids growing up together, and now that Annie has showed up in town to visit, Brendon decides to convince her that romance is NOT dead, after all.

This was a lovely, albeit pretty standard rom-com. Bellefleur is an effortless, lovely writer, so it’s a pleasure to read whatever she cooks up. The joy of this series is that queerness is centered in the group of family and friends, but it is not in and of itself the source of conflict. Do I wish this had a more diverse cast of characters? Yeah. Do I wish that this particularly installment was more overtly queer? A little. Annie is bisexual and makes several references to the fact, but it’s not a central part of the story. That doesn’t really seem to be Bellefleur’s intent with these books, and I can completely respect that. At the end of the day, what you get is a well-written, trope-y, just hot enough to get you going, breeze of a novel that I think we can all find a place for in our lives in 2021.

First off, that cover is GORGEOUS. I just finished this and..... I loved this book SO much. This was such a smart, sexy, sweet rom-com, Bellefleur has taken several fun tropes and make it its own.

I loved this book especially because of the characters. Brendon could literally propose to me tomorrow and I'd say yes. I just adored him so much, all his six foot four inches plus he is hopeless romantic with dimples, while Annie is workaholic who wants to avoid all matters of the heart to avoid getting hurt again.
Watching Brendon and Annie fall for each other was an absolute delight. The way they softened into each other's company was beautiful--it was so satisfying, they just fit together like puzzle pieces.
Elle and Darcy were delight seeing again, I'm looking forward to Margot's story next!
This book felt like a warm hug and I recommend it to everyone.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

She says romance is dead. He is out to prove her wrong.

As soon as I finished the absolutely delightful contemporary f/f romance, WRITTEN IN THE STARS, I put in a request to read the follow up book- HANG THE MOON.

A hopeless yet adoringly optimistic romantic hero paired with a jaded, reluctant bisexual heroine who is not only his childhood crush but also his sisters best friend.

This book had everything I look for in a rom-com. It's sweet and swoony with some serious spice. There are endearingly tender moments followed by moments of undeniable chemistry. The secondary cast, that we got to know in the first book, help guide the story along with just the right amount of meddling.

As a rom-com movie aficionado I loved how the nods to my favorite films were woven into the narrative. Plus- there is a grand gesture. My heart will never stop flipping over meet-cutes and grand gestures.

This is a #ownvoices queer rom-com and I continue to enjoy experiencing the inclusion and diversity of Bellefleuer's characters.

While this can be a stand alone book, the character background I gained by reading the first book enhanced my enjoyment of the second.