I loved the author’s debut book (the absolutely delightful f/f Written in the Stars) and could not wait to read this one, especially after I saw the gorgeous cover. And I was not disappointed! This book is best friend’s sibling and sunshine/grumpy perfection. It’s an ode to love (and to Seattle) as Brendon tries to convince a skeptical Annie that romance isn’t dead, and I had a smile on my face the entire time.

Brendon loves love, so much so that he founded his own dating app designed for people to find their one true loves. So when he finds out his sister’s best friend, Annie, who’s visiting Seattle, doesn’t believe in love, he decides to not just show her around Seattle – he’s going to show her, through a series of rom-com inspired dates, that true love exists. But it’s not too long before feelings get involved, and Annie’s set to move to London soon. Can true love concur all?

“How can you possibly say romance is dead when these movies are proof that it isn’t?”
Her laughter filled the car, sharp and sweet. It tapered off when she realized he wasn’t laughing with her. Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? Oh my God, you are. They’re movies. It’s all fake. It would be like using Jurassic Park as proof that dinosaurs are real.”
“Dinosaurs are real.”
“Were real.” She stared at him pointedly. “And now they’re dead.”


Normally in reviews of m/f romances I start off talking about the heroine, but Brendan is just *chef’s kiss.* He’s such a cinnamon roll that he’s almost unbearably sweet, a little bit impetuous but so good-hearted that it’s hard not to smile every time he’s on the page. I mean, he tries to convince Annie love is real because rom-coms exist. The logic is a bit sideways but it’s utterly adorable. It is a bit ironic that the founder of a dating app hasn’t found his perfect person yet, but he remains optimistic that they’re out there for him. While Brendon is the sunshine and rainbows romantic, Annie is completely cynical. It would’ve been easy to make Annie completely awful, but while she’s a pessimist about love thanks to a series of bad first dates, she does open up to Brendon. She’s terrified of risking her heart, of dealing with the cycle of hope and disappointment as each relationship either crashes or just fizzles out slowly. Annie’s arc is her deciding whether to stay with what’s safe or to take a chance on something that might just make her the happiest she’s ever been.

“I’m having trouble wrapping my head around someone meeting you and getting to know you and not wanting to spend as much time with you as possible. You’re like . . . Lay’s potato chips. You can’t eat just one.”
A sunbeam of warmth flared inside her chest. “Did you just . . . compare me to a potato chip?”
He nodded, face twisted, looking pained. “I think I did?”


Annie and Brendon’s relationship is sweet and slow, with Annie opening up slowly to the possibility of romance, and specifically romance between Brendon and her. She’s still cautious, though, and that caution is one of the primary barriers to their relationship. Should she accept the promotion and the international move for the job she’s realized she doesn’t really like, or should she take the risk of moving to Seattle without a job or a place to land? Are Brendon’s feelings for her real or just a remnant of the crush he had on her years ago? It’s sweet, it’s heartfelt, and the whole thing is relatively low angst.

While the romantic relationship is absolutely swoon, for me, the friendship between Darcy and Annie stole the show. While they haven’t stayed in touch as much as either wanted, and though they’ve both changed, they still care deeply about each other, and the impending move weighs heavily on both of them. In fact, in a complete reversal of the usual “best-friend’s-sibling” trope, Darcy actually encourages Brendon in his pursuit of Annie, to try to convince her to move to Seattle instead of London. It almost felt like Seattle itself was a secondary character. It’s obvious that Brendon loves where he lives, and the book is full of delightful touristy (and not so touristy) vignettes. It was an amazing vicarious experience and it’s got me longing to book a trip to Seattle later this summer.

“You’re telling me you’ve never stumbled across something great? Maybe you weren’t looking for it, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you? Don’t you think that’s possible? That sometimes we just get lucky?”


Overall, I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see what the author writes next! She’s definitely earned a place on my auto-buy list!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Written in the Stars series is definitely one of my favorite contemporary, LGBTQIA+ romance series. I am just in love with all the characters and their stories. Bellefleur writes such lovable characters that by time you have finished a book you feel like these characters are your IRL friends. I really loved Annie's character in Written in the Stars. She had such a dry, sarcastic humor that I could not wait to see how her and Brendon would work together as a couple. And Brendon, ugh, what a hunk. I adore him and his dorky nature and general cinnamon roll personality. He is such a sappy romantic but I also loved seeing his more serious side in this book.

If you loved Written in the Stars, you will love Hang the Moon. It brings the same laugh out loud dialogue and heart warming moments as its predecessor. We get to see how Elle and Darcy are doing in this book and of course my absolute favorite character from the first book Margot is back! Now, I need her book to get to me ASAP.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

What a sweet & heartfelt love story.
I like that the author made the hero the one who is actively looking for love and believes in it wholeheartedly. I feel like it isn’t done enough. This reminded me of 500 days of summer but with a HEA. And the heroine is super likable.
The carousel scene is to die for! Read this for that scene alone.
A had a stupid grin on my face the whole time I was reading this. It’s a perfect summer or beach read. Would definitely recommend to those who love opposites attract or contemporary love romances.

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.

Annie decides to pay a surprise visit to her best friend - just one problem - Darcy is out of town. Who else can show her around town but Brendan, the little brother that always held a flame for her? As Brendan shows Annie around Seattle, he decides to also convince her that romance is not dead.

I LOVED this book. It was everything that I want in a contemporary romance - fun, funny, sweet, a little hearbreaking. The characters were alive and full fleshed out. I haven't read Written in the Stars yet but it wasn't needed. I'm sure it's every bit as wonderful as Hang the Moon, but Alexandria Bellefleur did a wonderful job of introducing the characters again so it's not a required reading.

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

Such a sweet book with the troupe of convincing someone that they are missing out on what love has to offer!

Brandon is a huge believer in love - he has even created an app for it!
He has always had a thing for his sister's best friend Annie, but when she shows up in Seattle, he can no longer hide it. Annie is sick of love and dating and very skeptical. Can Brandon change her mind?

I did not read the first book in the Written in the Stars series, but I believe there is enough background information in this book to just right in!

This book was so cute and fun, with well-developed characters! I can't wait to read more from this author!

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.