Last year I read Written in the Stars and completely fell in love with the characters and Alexandria’s writing style. To say Hang the Moon was one of my most anticipated books of 2021 was an understatement; I already loved both characters so much from their moments as side characters in Darcy and Elle’s book, so I was so excited to read their love story. And it exceeded all of my expectations! I loved it just as much as Written in the Stars and it’ll definitely be one of my top reads of the year.

I just loved the romance between Annie and Brendon. I was a little bit worried in the beginning because I’m not typically a fan of romances where the women is older, for some weird reason, and I knew going in Annie was older than Brendon. But honestly, it didn’t bother me at all in this book. I just loved their romance so much and they had so much chemistry from the get go, that anything that might’ve bothered me otherwise just didn’t, which is a huge relief! Their romance was just so sweet from start to finish. Their moments together were not just absolutely adorable but also funny and put such a huge smile on my face. They fit together so well and really complemented each other in all the best ways possible.

I also loved both of these characters separately. We get to know them initially in Darcy’s story, since she is Brendon’s older sister and Annie’s best friend, and I was already in love with both of them before we even got to their book. Hang the Moon just made me love them even more than before. I saw myself in Annie in so many ways, and loved seeing her character development throughout the story. I loved seeing her go after what she truly wanted in the end and what would genuinely make her happy. Brendon was a golden retriever in the form of a human being. The sweetest guy ever, and a huge hopeless romantic. I feel like that personality type is often reserved for the female characters in romance novels so I loved reading a book where the character who is obsessed with love, romcoms, and finding his happily ever after was the male character! I think these personality traits made me love Brendon so much.. he was just an overall soft and sweet guy and I just loved that about him.


I also loved all the friendship moments in this book. I feel like friendship is a huge part of this book and plays a huge part in Annie’s decisions and I just loved seeing more of Darcy, Elle, and Margot! I’m so excited to read Margot’s book next.


I just loved this book so much more than I ever hoped! It was already a hugely anticipated book for me but it met every single one of my expectations and is going to be a top favorite for me moving forward for sure. I love this series so much! Super recommend!

A sweet read with plenty of nods to some of my favorite romance movies.

This was a great follow-up after Written in the Stars. I connected with Brendan and Annie’s characters even better than Darcy and Elle. Brendan’s romantic heart and Annie’s cynical nature make for an entertaining read. His goal to prove to her that romance isn’t dead definitely makes for a fun ride with several hilarious mishaps along the way.

I also love that this book is set in Seattle so it has plenty of references that I’m familiar with. The biggest highlight is the friendship between the entire group from the last book. Adding Annie to the mix felt perfect with her humor. I am excited to continue this series with Margot’s story next as I’m sure she will keep her love interest on their toes.

Brendon Lowell, creator of the successful dating app OTP, can't find a one true pairing of his own. He loves love, but is unlucky in that department. That is until his sister's bff, Annie (his childhood crush), comes to visit. Annie has given up on finding the one and Brendon is convinced he can change her mind. He decides to use the rom coms he loves so much to show Annie happily ever after is possible.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were interesting and well developed. I actively cared what was going to happen to them. I was rooting for them! My favorite part of this book was that even though everything was crammed into a two week time frame it was realistic. Until a Hallmark movie Annie really struggled with letting herself fall for someone in such a short amount of time. It felt authentic. It was also nice to peek in on Darcy and Elle (characters from a previous book written by Bellefleur). However, my only point of contention is that the teaser says Brendon uses cues from rom coms to woo Annie...that's just not true. With the exception of maybe the Ferris Wheel incident nothing reminds me of any romantic movie I've seen. But still...really liked this book!

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC.

Note: Reviewed for Shelf Awareness. Review will run around publication date.
***
Alexandria Bellefleur pairs a hopeless romantic with a skeptic in Hang the Moon, her second charming queer contemporary romance. Bisexual Annie has given up on dating and her jet-setting life in the United States, but she decides spend the last two weeks before she moves to London in Seattle with her best friend Darcy. Since the visit is a surprise, Darcy's not home, but luckily her younger brother Brendon is nearby to let her into Darcy's apartment--and to convince her that love is real after all.
Romance enthusiast Brendon founded a dating app and has been in love with Annie since he was a teen. After years of lackluster attempts, she's staunchly opposed to the whole concept of love, even as Brendon shows her around the city and reminds her why love is still worth a try. After all, he's her best friend's brother and he's looking forever, while she's about to leave the continent.
"She needed to remember her reasons and treat them like a mantra. Do not kiss Brendon. London. Dating equals disappointment. Lots of strings. Tangled, messy strings." [39%]
Hang the Moon reads like a classic rom-com, updated for the 21st century. Bellefleur peppers the book with Seattle landmarks and traditions and occasional nods to classic rom-com films. Snappy banter and modern dating humor brighten this grounded yet optimistic romance and though the story feels complete, readers will ache for just a few more pages as they fall in love right along with Brendon and Annie.--Suzanne Krohn, editor, Love in Panels

Discover: Can a hopeless romantic convince a steadfast love skeptic to believe in love? Characters and readers alike will laugh, swoon and be swept away in Alexandria Bellefleur's sparkling romance, Hang the Moon.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, but this one fell a little short for me. The romance seemed a little rushed to me. I still really enjoyed this one, and I'm already looking forward to the third book in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free e-copy.

I am in love with Brendon Lowell. Sorry, Annie. I’ve never really understood when people talk about “book boyfriends” until reading this book, but now I finally get it, and Brendon is mine.

The set up of this book is so fun. Annie surprises her best friend Darcy (one of the heroines from Written in the Stars) by visiting her in Seattle, only Darcy to find that is on her own vacation, so Darcy’s brother Brendon volunteers to show Annie the sights. Brendon had a crush on Annie when he was a kid, but they haven’t seen each other in 8 years.

Brendon is a true romantic - he loves Nora Ephron, he believes in soulmates, and he even founded a mega-successful dating app. Annie has sworn off dating. Appalled by her cynicism, Brendon vows to make Annie believe in love by wooing her as though they were in a romcom. And hey, if they happen to fall in love along the way, so much the better. This is such a cute idea. However, the “teach her about love by recreating romcoms” felt familiar to me, and Brendon’s motivation felt a little murky.

This is my all-favorite version of my all-time favorite trope. It’s sibling’s best friend, but more specifically it’s sister’s best friend, which allows us to really dig into lady friendship in a way that is so wonderful. However, I found it confusing and a little bit frustrating that Darcy was willingly give up time with her best friend just to play matchmaker. This took away a lot of the time that Darcy and Annie could have been spending exploring the rockiness of their friendship, which I would have loved to see more of.

The book also references the previous book’s plot and lessons a little much for my taste. In general, there are bits of this book that feel a bit squishy. There isn’t much plot, and I found the central conflict, particularly Annie’s conflict, to be a little weak.

However, all-in-all, this book is sweet and it’s funny. It feels like a romcom. The sexual tension builds so masterfully, and these characters really do grow together in their love for one another. I love the #OwnVoices bi rep, even though if I wish Annie's identity had been introduced earlier in the book.

Nora Ephron would be proud.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

This book was the sweetest! The cover was so pretty I had to read it.

First of all, Brendon was almost too good to be true. Everything about him was perfect. Honesty the main problem for me was why Annie didn’t realize everything sooner! He was such a a keeper! 🥰

But Annie had a lot of very relatable fears and I liked that even though she didn’t have this big upsetting break up, she was still jaded by being let down by guys and dating in general. Who can not relate to that?

I liked the idea of Brendon’s app and wish it was in the real world! Cause seriously dating is hard and I like that the book touched in that a little!

Such a good read also love that best friend’s brother trope. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Bellefleur’s second book tells a story about finding the courage to take chances and discover what one truly wants in life. Strong character development promotes realistic discussions about conflict with work and personal relationships. Even though these characters essentially only interact over the course of a few weeks, the interactions are well-developed and are crafted to show readers what true friendship can really be. With Brendon, Bellefleur provides readers with a rare male lead who is willing to put himself into embarrassing situations to restore the comfort level amongst his friends. The dialogue is honest and witty and pairs well with Brendon’s comedic attempts to recreate familiar scenes from popular romance films.

Readers will also be pleased to reencounter Darcy and Elle from Bellefleur’s debut. Bellefleur has penned a solid second novel, and many readers will be looking forward to reading more from this author.

I loved this book! After reading Bellefleur's previous book, Written in the Stars, I knew I needed more. A continuation of characters, yet a stand alone. Friends to lovers with all the obstacles in a fabulous setting: Seattle
(My favorite city) with characters you'll want as friends. You'll probably want to read this one straight through. It's addicting and fun with the right amount of steamy goodness!

Thank you to the publisher for my @netgalley e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Overall impression: really enjoyed this book, but not as much background story (which, for me, is what connects me to a book).

Hang the Moon is the follow up to Written in the Stars, but follows Darcy’s brother Brenden, a true romantic, searching for “the one”. When skeptic Annie, Darcy’s best friend and Brenden’s high school crush, visits for two weeks, Brenden decides to make her believe in love again. But can he convince her without getting his heart broken?

I really loved Brenden’s sweetness and his love of romance. He was adorable.

I identified a lot with Annie (ironic, much?) about being a cynic about romance, traveling a lot so that you don’t notice your own loneliness, and always being the one to reach out while always waiting on others to match your efforts.

But, the characters fell a little flat for me. I feel like in Written in the Stars, we got much deeper into the two girls and who they are, but in HtM, Annie was very stubborn about accepting love just because she’d never had it? Like I get it, again, I am Annie, but in a book it wasn’t quite as intriguing.

But again, I still give this a 3.75🌟/5 so I did still really like it, I just wanted a bit more out of it. I was still routing for these two to get together and still got all the feels by the end, I just got more out of her first book.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

After reading Written in the Stars, I couldn't wait to pick up the sequel and see where the story continued.

If you haven't had a chance to read Written in the Stars, but want to pick up this book, you can read it as a stand alone! Brendon, an entrepreneur who created an app (think Bumble, Tinder, etc.) is caught off guard when someone from his past abruptly re-enters his life and he is tasked with showing her that romance isn't dead. As a rom-com connoisseur, Brendon recreates iconic dates from his favorite films.

I would recommend this book if you want an easy, feel good romance. This story is about stepping outside your comfort zone, letting love in, and embracing love wherever it is found; essentially, follow your heart (with love, your job, location, etc.).

I was so excited for Hang the Moon after loving Written in the Stars, but Annie and Brendon's story didn't grab me quite as thoroughly. This is a softer, slower paced story and while I was fully on board by the end, it definitely took a bit. Great for fans of Bellefleur's first book and Kerry Winfrey's supersoft romances.

I liked this one (though not nearly as much as Written in the Stars) and eventually found myself warming to the sunshine in human forms of Annie and Brendon but I had a lot of trouble getting into it. The beginning was a very slow start and I feel like a problem throughout was rushing through or skipping cute actual moments in favor of internal monologue or a not quite necessary scene. I saw another reviewer describe this book as "no plot just vibes" and honestly? Accurate. The vibes in question are pretty good though, Annie and Brendon were fun once I got on board with them and I thought the author did a great job describing their whirlwind tour of dates/activities around Seattle.

I adored the first book and this one was exceptional too! So funny and sweet!!! These characters feel like my friends and their emotions and lives feel like my own. Bellefleur does a great job of getting you in the feels and not letting go!! The romance is so sweet but sexy at the same time and I love how the setting and family values also take their place. Great sequel!!!!!

I adored this book, and I'm so thankful to Avon & NetGalley for providing an eARC of this novel.

I loved the premise. Annie has given up on love... and Brendon loves Annie and wants her to know that love exists and that he loves her. It's so refreshing to read about a male who has had an ongoing crush on a woman to the point where he would probably never let her go. And this second chance romance really tugged at all my heartstrings, and I could not put this book down.

This was the first book I had read from this author, but it will not be the last.

This companion to WRITTEN IN THE STARS focuses on Darcy's brother Brendon, creator of the dating app OTP and a hopeless romantic. Brendon feels stressed out when the latest research numbers show that perhaps not everyone using dating apps believes as deeply in true love as he does. This includes, Annie, Darcy's best friend and Brendon's long ago crush. Annie arrives in Seattle to surprise Darcy, who just happens to be on a little getaway with her girlfriend, Elle. So Brendon steps up, delivering the keys to Darcy's place and... a series of dates designed to show Annie romance still exists. As for Annie, well she doesn't protest too much. After all, despite swearing off love, she discovers that Darcy's brother has grown up into a pretty handsome and funny guy. She's enjoying their time together. But she's only in Seattle for a few weeks, so Brendon has his work cut out for him.

"You couldn't be disappointed when someone stopped caring if you never expected them to in the first place."

I really enjoyed WRITTEN IN THE STARS and Darcy and Elle's story, so I was excited to read the next book in the series. I liked Brendon's tale, but not quite as much as Darcy and Elle's, mostly because I'm from the LGBTQIA community, and it was so refreshing to have a f/f story in Darcy and Elle. Still, Brendon is such a cutie, and his unyielding faith in love is pretty sweet.

Annie is a good addition to the group--she shows up a bit in book one. She is, of course, the complete opposite of Brendon: completely apathetic about love. But when she arrives in Seattle for a two-week vacation, with some life-changing news for Darcy, and her best friend isn't there, she can't help but enjoy her time with Brendon. Brendon resolves to use his favorite romantic films as a blueprint to woo Annie, but it turns into a comedy of errors, with nothing really turning out the way he planned.

"'Let's say that I needed to prove to someone that romance isn't dead.'"

Many of their interactions are humorous and the banter witty and funny, though I felt the "optimist" versus "pessimist," "will she stay or will she go" storyline was rehashed a bit much, as the plot gets hung up and stagnates for a bit until things pick up again. But, Brendon's sweet personality and Annie's willingness to give new things a try carry the book, along with its overall humor. It's nice to get some appearances from Darcy and Elle, though it severely lacks enough Margo (thank goodness she's the focus of book three).

Overall, this is a cute romance featuring winning leads. It's repetitive in places, but also flirty and fun.

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