4.5

This is probably my favorite installment of this series. Just a really lovely (and 🔥) sapphic romance, and we can always use more of those.

I love a second chance romance in general, and this one is just really well done — when a book can call out how maddening the miscommunication trope is while still sort of using it (but in a way that actually feels authentic), you know you’re in skilled hands. And let me just say, the building sexual tension in this book is excellent, chef’s kiss, top tier. My one real quibble here was that the voices of our two POV characters were just a bit too similar, and I had a hard time telling them apart occasionally. Other than that small gripe, I found it really enjoyable.

Is #3 of a series but works as a stand-alone. I enjoyed it, and I imagine anyone who enjoyed the first two would love this one as well. Margot felt overly immature to me, but nothing felt contrived and everything that happened made sense for the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

Book Review: Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Release Date: February 1st 2022

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Avon Books for sending me a copy of this book to review!

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this romance. I love the idea of two people who had a fling several years ago getting back together and their romance really starting. Margot and Olivia were great, I loved their romance and I loveddd the grumpy sunshine trope. I do want people to realize this isn’t a lesbian romance as some people are advertising it as, Margot clearly states that she’s pansexual. (Which is representation we need to see more so yay!) It is definitely sapphic though!

The one thing I was really annoyed with was Margot’s lack of communication. I think it caused unnecessary miscommunication and misleading between all the characters. After getting past all the miscommunication, I really did love their romance. It made me squee at certain moments and shake my heads at others, but I was definitely rooting for them the whole time. And the smut was *mwah* chef’s kiss.

I think lovers of romance will love this book! And if you are new to the genre, you will definitely be able to enjoy is as much as an avid romance reader. This book is releasing February 1st 2022 (tomorrow!) go get yourself a copy!!

3.5 but rounded up

I really enjoyed this trilogy overall, and that it provided just a good, consistent set of queer romances. None of them ended up an absolute favorite, but I did enjoy each one overall (and the covers will look gorgeous on my shelves!)

Overall I'm a bit conflicted on this one since I didn't love how certain aspects were tackled, but overall it was still cute and I liked both the characters. My main issue was Margot and her jealousy/fear of losing people, and how it felt so manipulative at points + got 'resolved' so quickly at the end, while Olivia is forced to go through a trial basically to prove she's working on her own issues. It feels unbalanced, where Olivia's flaw is overblown and Margot's flaw feels like it's brushed aside. On top of that, I wasn't the biggest fan of the miscommunication trope and how it was used here, though it got better as the book progressed. The ending also felt very quick, and by the end I was a bit done with weddings, haha.

It seems like I'm complaining a lot, but honestly, it really wasn't that bad. Most of this was an issue at the end of the book, so the larger part of my experience was enjoyable and fun! I liked Margot a lot, and was so happy to finally see her point of view on things. Olivia was also so sweet, and I loved seeing them rekindle their friendship and then relationship. You could tell they really liked each other and just wanted to keep the other happy, even if they sometimes forgot that talking through things can really help with that haha.

I'm excited to see if this is the end of this series, and if so, what this author writes next!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the books that Bellefleur has been gifting us and this one was just as wonderful. Margot and Olivia were simply great as both individuals and as a couple. I enjoyed the forced proximity and second chance tropes that we were given here. I especially enjoyed how both main characters were able to grow through their past issues in a way that feels healthy. Lastly, their steamy bits were just *chef's kiss*.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reviewers copy of this fantastic novel.

A spicy sapphic second chance romance that will leave you smiling, Olivia and Margot bring the heat and the swoon! This brings a bit of that miscommunication/lack of communication trope that can be hit or miss, but it absolutely works here and I am so glad. This is my first read by Mx. Bellefleur, so I am hopping on this wagon a little late, but I am definitely circling back to read the two prior books.

Margot doesn’t do relationships, but when her childhood best friend and crush, Olivia, ends up being the wedding planner for her friend Brendon’s wedding, all sorts of feelings come back to hit her hard. When Olivia finds herself needing a place to stay, Margot offers her spare room and the two becomes roommates. Will this lead to a second chance at first love or end in disaster?

I don’t know how it’s possible but this series just gets better and better. Margot’s story was everything I could have hoped for. What a perfect way to end the series, and I’m also so sad it’s over. This book was definitely the steamiest of the three. This one is filled with the same wit I loved in the first two and had me laughing out loud at some points. The second chance romance made my heart so happy, the communication issues felt so real, and the chemistry was phenomenal.

This whole series has been everything I could have wanted in a rom com trilogy and I am so glad I read them.

Thank you to Avon Books for the advanced copy.

Margot Cooper isn't much for relationships anymore. But with her friends rapidly pairing off around her, she's beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. Then she learns that her friend Brendon's wedding planner is her long ago best friend, Olivia Grant. Margo and Olivia were inseparable as kids, but when they crossed over into a teen romance that ended badly, they lost touch. It's been ten years since Margot's seen Olivia, but she's still as lovely and wonderful as Margot remembers. As for Olivia, she's divorced and finally pursuing her own dreams. When an unwelcome flood means Olivia and Margot wind up roommates, they are forced to confront what happened all those years ago--and if it still means anything to them now.

This is an excellent entry in the Written in the Stars series--a fun and sexy read filled with wanting and sexual tension. I've always loved Margot, a character we've known since the first book, when we met Margot's best friend, Elle, with whom she runs a business. (This book can stand-alone quite easily, but the entire series is certainly worth a read.) At this point, Margot feels like an outsider in her friend group, with everyone else quite paired off. She's okay being single and does not feel like you necessarily need someone to be complete, but there's only so many times she can not be invited to couples yoga.

Seeing Olivia again feels like fate... but what exactly does it mean? There's clearly some sort of misunderstanding that happened between Olivia and Margot in high school. And of course, Margot very stubbornly and annoyingly wont talk about her feelings. A very common thread in this series is the lack of communication and a willingness to jump to conclusions--this is certainly a pet peeve of mine in books, and while I wanted to shake Margot and Olivia at times, it didn't drive me as crazy as it did in the first two books.

This was probably because it's impossible not to like Margot. and Olivia is easy to care for too. Plus, the book is just so fun and filled with innuendo and banter and lots of hot scenes. There is no lack of lesbian love here. It's funny and touching and quite enjoyable. 4+ stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the chance to read this ARC!

Margot and Olivia haven't seen each other since 11 years ago. After a week of passion during senior year spring break, the two drifted, with Olivia returning to her boyfriend, and going to college with him across the state. After all those years apart, the two meet again in a chance encounter, providing them one last opportunity to rekindle what they once felt for each other.

I haven't gotten to read a sapphic romance in a long time, so I was really excited about this one! It has some of my favorite tropes, like friends reconnecting! I also loved the sweet side romance stories in this book. One thing that I really appreciated was the fact that the main characters weren't the odd ones out for being queer. So often, queer people (as far as is possible) surround themselves with other queer people, and it was really nice to see it so naturally presented. "Count Your Lucky Stars" doesn't include a coming out arc, which left the entirety of the book to focus on the blossoming romance between Olivia and Margot. Something that I wasn't as big of a fan of was the dual-POV. As it sometimes shifted mid-scene, I found it difficult to keep up with whom the author was referring to. I also wished that the side characters had slightly more distinct personalities, which would've helped the setting feel more immersive and real.

Overall, it was a short and sweet, sapphic read that I would recommend to someone looking for a pick-me-up romance with some spice!

Last in Alexandria Bellefleur's series, Count Your Lucky Stars follows Margot as she reunites with her best friend (and brief lover) from high school, Olivia. Olivia is newly divorced from her high school boyfriend and working as a wedding planner in Seattle. They've never spoken about the week they spent together in high school and eventually grew apart until running back into each other for Brendon's wedding.

Margot is the character you end up knowing the least about by this book. She's been in the background of the last two books and is known for her no bullshit attitude. But watching her friends pair up and get engaged/married is making her feel like she is unlucky in love. I loved Olivia, but I do feel like there should have been more build up in the relationship before they jumped back to sleeping together. It's like they didn't have enough of a conversation about their past until giving in again.

I wouldn't say this one was my favorite of the series, but it was still a great love story with second chance, friends to lovers and follows Brendon's wedding so there's a bunch of cameos from the other books' main characters. I will definitely continue reading the author's books but I wish there was just a bit more in this book than there was.

**Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

This book is part of a series from Alexandria Bellefleur, or at least there was a prior book to this with characters that are in this book. So if you want to know about some of them, I would suggest reading Written In The Stars (a very good read by the way, the first book I read from this author). This book can still be a stand-alone, in my opinion, but as a fan of WITS, I was so happy to see Elle and Darcy in this story, along with Brendan meddling again <smile>.

This book picks up with Margot (Elle's former roommate and great in WITS) and her story. She encounters an old high-school friend (ok more than that but I won't give spoilers) in all places, a wedding venue. Olivia is the wedding planner for Brendan and Annie's wedding and Margot/Olivia are just floored to see each other after 11+ years. As fate would have it, bad luck has hit Olivia's apartment and Margot does have an extra room at her apartment so you guessed it, they are kind of roomates...those damn fates. Throw in a cat named CAT, and you have a great second chance love story....and yes to me, CAT was a must have character cause I still can't get the vibrater scene out of my head (hysterically laughing)..

I really did enjoy the book, there is so much rich dialog, which I lOVE lots of dialog in a book, that you really can feel how the characters feel and interact. There is misunderstanding and no real communication about the past with Margot and Olivia, which contributes to the angst of the book (ok probably the main angst of the story), and this non communication is rather redundant through the story (to the point I was kind of skipping over it after awhile, sorry) but overall I enjoyed the relationships with the MC. Having the past characters from WITS was a great bonus! The author has you laughing, a few tear shedding, feeling for the characters deep friendships but also a very HEA.....oh and well some very hot scenes with Margot and Olivia "reconnecting".

All in all, this story was a great read, I loved how Ms. Bellefleur gave us an epilog that just made me feel complete with these characters, like I just knew everything works out for them in the future......my only real regret, CAT needed a name.....just kidding that was the fun part of CAT and a nod to Audrey Hepburn <swoon>.

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-Great Sequel

This was so steamy (much more than others) and fun! I love this series and am sad to see it ending. The astrology tidbits are a part of this book and a lot of time is spent with the characters from the previous books. It is a stand alone love story but it would be much better read in order, especially since a lot of the book is centered around one couple's wedding. I would have loved a little less steam and a little more dialogue (similar to book 1 and 2 levels) but overall I liked it!

There’s a reason that Alexandria Bellefleur has become an auto-buy author for me and she did not disappoint in this slightly second chance and forced proximity w/w romance. Although probably my least favorite of the the series, Count Your Lucky Stars still hits everything I’m looking for in a romance. I loved that the main character was an event planner and I definitely connected with her on that. I loved the narrative about ending up with someone when you’re young and the journey of discovering they aren’t the right now for you. There was definitely a good bit of miscommunication in this one and there was a moment I just wanted them to hash it all out but it definitely ended within a satisfying way.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reading copy! This is the third book in this lovely series by Bellefleur, and this story does not disappoint. Margot is feeling left out as her friends are all happily coupled up, when her childhood best friend and crush comes back into her life. Olivia is coming off of a divorce where she gave too much of herself and when she runs into Margot while planning a wedding, their chemistry from high school is evident. This charming queer romance has a lot of great romance tropes: childhood friends to lovers, second chance, close proximity, and mutual pining. Bellefleur is a master of what I call soft romance, really relishing in the small moments and anxiety of falling hard for someone while overcoming past relationships and life baggage. This is my favorite story in the series, and I believe the best thing about this book is the charming stories of their friendship woven throughout - an awkward encounter with Olivia’s cat and a very cute and charming ending. I recommend this book for anyone who likes contemporary romance, sapphic and LGBTQ+ romance, friends to lovers, Seattle, and second chance.

Holy smokes this book was HOT!

Bellefleur wrote one of my most favorite lesbian romance books in Written in the Stars, and she delivers another with this one.

Margot is starting to feel like the fifth wheel now that her friends are paired up with their special someones. She’s all for putting up a good front for the wedding planning of her best friend’s nuptuals until she comes face to face with the new wedding planner.

She hasn’t seen Olivia for eleven years since their childhood friendship imploded after a very hot and heavy spring break where they crossed the line from friends to lovers. Not only is it a blast from the heartbreaking past but she’s now also offering up her apartment as an option for her former best friend who’s now homeless.

I really liked non-nonsense Margot in Written in the Stars so I was excited to see her get her happily-ever-after. I just didn’t expect this to be so incredibly HOT!

Seriously, once Margot and Olivia succumbed to their attraction it was so on and Bellefleur did not hold back. I loved every minute of their reconnection.

Of course this book falls into that camp where you just want to shake the characters and say “just talk to one another!!!”

Seriously, all their angst from the past and present could have easily been avoided if they were just open and honest with one another. I can forgive them for NOT doing that as teens but come on. As adults, just be real with one another.

That being said, the writing was wonderful, the story flowed and I really enjoyed it. A great second chance, friends to lovers romance I highly recommend.

*Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED this book! The characters were so easy to relate to and the steamy scenes were nothing short of amazing!! Highly recommend

I wanted to love this so bad, but it just wasn’t the book for me. The characters were written fine. The actual writing style was great. I just did not connect with the characters in the way that I wanted to. However, I did LIKE the book. Do not let me steer you away from reading this book! It may end up being one of your faves!

This is the third book in the series and I was so looking forward to Margot's story after reading and enjoying Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon. I recommend reading the books in order so you can fully enjoy the characters and their relationships.

The author does a wonderful job in writing her characters and has the best dialogue. So realistic. You can really feel what they are going through. The story had first love and forced proximity tropes that I enjoyed plus plenty of steam. There's also humor and a funny scene involving Cat the cat. I thought the epilogue was a nice way to finish the series. I will miss these characters but look forward to the author's next book.

Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

I realllyyy wanted to LOVE this book, as I'm a big fan of this author and this series, but this is definitely my least favorite of the 3 books so far.

Things I did love:
❤️ Being back with the whole gang (Elle, Darcy, Brendan, Annie, and Margot)
❤️ Getting deeper into Margot's background and meeting Olivia
❤️ Great humor and witty banter - there is one amazing scene with Margot and Olivia, a cat, and a vibrator... I'll leave it at that, but I was dying laughing reading it 😂
❤️ a great sapphic romance (with some pretty great steam 🔥) that incorporated a lot of real insecurities that a lot of people can likely relate to in relationships

My biggest issue with this book was that a large part of the plot revolved around miscommunication from Margot and Olivia's past, and that definitely brought it down for me. That being said, it was resolved well and I did feel like the 3rd act conflict dragged or was mishandled in anyway.

Overall, I still love this series and these characters and will absolutely read more books by Alexandria Bellefleur, this just sadly fell a little short for me.

3.5 stars!

Count Your Lucky Stars, the third in a series of companion novels is a wonderfully fun queer romance. It could potentially be read as a standalone, but all of the supporting cast are main characters in the first two books, so it is definitely more fun to read them all in order. Margot and Olivia had something brief in the past, and now as they are thrown together by circumstances in the present, they get a second chance at coming to terms with their feelings for each other. I absolutely love the author's ability to write romance that are both incredibly sweet and very steamy. I feel like she even upped the heat factor in this third book, and I've gotta say that I enjoyed it. I do have to say that, at times, Margot and Olivia's voices sounded a bit similar and I would get a little confused at the beginning of a scene as to which POV it was in. The two characters did have very different personalities, though, and I loved watching them interact with each other. I also felt that this book handled the obstacles that were keeping the couple apart better than the previous book in the series handled this. In Hang the Moon, the circumstances keeping Brendon and Annie apart towards the end of the book felt too forced. I would definitely say I enjoyed this book better, because the emotional obstacles keeping the couple apart felt more realistic, and the obstacles physically keeping them apart were more comedic. Overall, this was a book I did not want to put down, and I hope to see many more f/f love stories from Alexandria Bellefleur.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.