This was a book I tried and failed to get into. I ordered earlier books from my library and this just wasn’t my cup of tea. I can see how many will love this book and think the writing is great. This was simply a matter of personal preference. I’ve heard great things about the author and think that many will be really happy with this book. Thank you, Avon and NetGalley for the free galley in exchange for my honest feedback.

Two women get a second chance at romance. That's it, that's all you need to know to pick up this book! Margot and Liv shared a bond and one steamy week back in high school, and ten years later they become roommates by chance, and this time, they're not letting one another go again.

I really enjoyed this story. We met Margot in the previous books in the series, and it was great getting to know more about her. I got somewhat of a feel for who she is, but there could've been a bit more. Even while reading her chapters, I didn't feel as clear about her motives as I did while reading Liv's chapters. Their communication issues where pretty frustrating, but at least they both acknowledged that they were there.

Margot's fear of being the fifth wheel and Liv's worries about her father were very realistic and I like how those issues were discussed. There were times I wanted to shake our MCs because they wouldn't just SAY WHAT THEY WERE THINKING, but it made for some great angst.

I love the trope of second chance romance, and this really fit the bill!

Count Your Lucky Stars kept me hooked from the start, which was a great way to pass the time during a layover, and then three hour flight! Second chance romance isn't usually my go-to trope but the set up involving the wedding of Brendan and Annie was incredibly clever, forcing Margot and Olivia together, was so well-executed. The trope that definitely pulled me in was forced proximity, thanks to Olivia needing a place to stay, and Margot offering up the spare bedroom in her apartment! I absolutely loved this series, and it was an excellent conclusion to see all of the characters get their HEA.

With only one month to plan what could be a career changing wedding, Olivia Grant only has one thing on her mind: the wedding of Brendon Lowell, owner and creator of the OTP dating app. When the best woman at the wedding turns out to be a more than familiar face, will Olivia be able to separate her old feelings from her new and still pull off this wedding without a hitch? Such a fun, whirlwind romance between Olivia and Margot who were friends to lovers to strangers to roommates to... something, in the follow up LGBTQ+ romance novel to Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur.

Alexandria Bellefleur is one of the cornerstones of queer romance. She's created a cast of characters that feel like home, and this book gives them all the perfect happy ending they deserve.
I read this entire book on a plane—to Seattle, believe it or not—and when I finished as we hit the tarmac, I was grinning ear to ear. Bellefleur has an incredible ability to pinpoint universal human experiences and weave them into her characters with a sadness that makes the reader feel seen, but a beauty that makes them feel hopeful. This book is no different. Margot's experience as the fifth wheel in her friend group will hit any single twenty or thirty-something hard, and Olivia's loneliness resonated with me even more. These main characters bring to the table what the other needs in such a beautiful and satisfying way, and Bellefleur's writing as they fall for each other is absolutely breathtaking.
That all being said, I was not a fan of the dark moment in this book. The fight leading up to it was long and repetitive, and it felt to me like the basis of it was oddly unfounded. It was a little disappointing after I loved the first 80% of this book so much. However, the epilogue absolutely made up for it, and gave me everything I could have ever asked for at the end of this trio of romances.
Count Your Lucky Stars is a beautiful ending to this trilogy, and I was so thrilled to see Margot and Olivia get their HEA, and to see what the future holds for the couples from the first two books after their stories are over. Alexandria Bellefleur is so under-appreciated, and I can't wait for this book to hit shelves so that the world can appreciate the beautiful queer love stories she has to offer.

I have been holding off writing this review because... well because I refuse to believe that this is the end of the Written in the Stars series. 😭

I'll start by saying I am 100% biased because Margot is my favorite character (also we have 2/3 of the same big 3). I was so excited to read this and when I finally did, it was everything I wanted and more. Bellefleur does an amazing job at wrapping things up in a cute little bow without making it feel too rushed. Written in the Stars was the first adult sapphic rom-com I've ever read and it set the bar for what I look for when reading sapphic rom-coms.

Count Your Lucky Stars took everything amazing about Written in the Stars and gave me 10,000x more of it. I absolutely loved the estranged friends-to-lovers trope and the feeling of familiarity between all the characters, it just made me feel like I was friends with these people AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN REAL (I'm so mad about this😤)

Let's talk about the important stuff...the spice. Besties... I don't know what it is but, by far the spiciest, most well-written, not cringy at all, spice I've ever read. The chemistry between Margot and Olivia was just so clean and present and messy but in the most realistic & natural way possible. One of my biggest pet peeves when reading romance is when the character's feelings don't progress in a natural realistic way and Alexandria Bellefleur NEVER has had a problem with that. She can truly make you feel the tension build without blatantly having to state it.

If you've read any or all of the books in the series, this epilogue is going to warm your heart up! It literally thawed my frozen ass heart lol. I care so deeply for all of these characters and the way that Bellefleur used the epilogue to close up the love story of not only Margot and Oliva but the other two books as well... *chefs kiss*. I can't say enough good things about this book, I'm still fangirling about it and also mourning the end of a series I care so deeply about.

OH MY GOD. I was already obsessed with all of Alexandria Bellefleur's books, so getting am ARC of my most anticipated read of 2022 blew my mind. This book follows Margot, co-founder of Oh My Stars, and Olivia, wedding planner extraordinaire, as they navigate reuniting and rooming together 11 years after their friendship fallout. What ensues is sweet, funny, sexy romance that had me blushing and laughing out loud (which I should be ashamed off but I'm never ashamed of it with this series).

The characters in this book were fun, spunky, and loveable. Plus, the way that Margot flirts with Olivia is... phenomenal to say the least. I loved catching up with the characters from the other books too, and adding Olivia to the mix brightened everything. The plot was super cute as well, with lots of fun side moments. After reading CYLS, I'm even more obsessed with Bellefleur's books now and can't wait to see what she does next!!

Another fabulous book by Bellefleur! I loved this romance universe and will be so sad not to spend time with these characters. Dare I say it, this one may be my favorite! I love the childhood friends to lovers trope and Margot felt so relatable to me as a character. Can't wait to see what is next from Bellefleur!

After reading Written in the Stars, I had to continue with the characters’ stories. I like the author’s writing, she always seems to make my heart pitter patter in the nicest way, and keeps me at the edge of my bed when I read her work. Count Your Lucky Stars was amazing, following Margot and her childhood friend Olivia, who is recently divorced and moved to Seattle to focus on her job. They re-encounter when Olivia meets Brandon and Annie in order to plan their wedding. Margot and Olivia have an unresolved romantic background that somewhat rapidly grows throughout the book and I couldn’t be more happy for the way that it did. I definitely recommend giving Count Your Lucky Stars a read.

And thank you Netgalley for approving my request to read Count Your Lucky Stars.

I read this book because I was in a reading slump and it did not disappoint. The sex scenes are explosive. I love that it features prominently the characters from the previous books. I love this former bff to lovers romance. This book was a delight.

I still think Written in the Stars is my favorite of the series but this one was still really enjoyable! I always liked Margot and so it was great to get her second chance love story with Olivia. Any romance that references Persuasion has my heart, but I did feel some of the plot points fell a little flat, particularly in the final third or so of the book. But Margot and Olivia have great (and steamy!) chemistry and the way all the other friends were incorporated was really well done.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Count yours lucky stars was such a cute love story between Margot and Olivia. The chemistry between Olivia and Mar was top notch and you could definitely feel it coming through the book. As always, Bellefleur writes with just wit and humor you can’t help but find yourself smiling at this book from time to time. I also love how Bellefleur intermingles her characters from the other two books in the series, I adore their friendship.


Thank you Netgalley and Avon/Harper Collins for the advanced reader copy of this book.

The premise of this book sounded exciting but left little to be desired.

The sex scenes felt well written and some of it was really hot. A few times I found myself grinning at the antics in the book as well.

Overall though, this was a pretty disappointing read. I just could not get into this book and it felt like some of the "witty" banter could have been edited a bit and rather focus that time on character development. There was a lack of connecting with the characters, their history was spelt out pretty quick and there was a noticeable lack of diversity.

This was an alright sapphic romance novel but I feel like there is definitely much better out there. I'd say this is a good romance for a quick and easy queer read.

Another wonderful queer romance from Alexandria Bellefleur! While I didn't love this one quite as much as Written in the Stars or Hang the Moon (which, to be fair, is an incredibly high bar), Olivia and Margot still have a really touching love story. It's also a step up in steaminess from the previous two books. I'm generally a huge fan of romances featuring mutual pining, and there's certainly a lot of it in this one, but I did wish the book as a whole had been a bit longer so we could see more once that had finally resolved. I really loved getting to see Darcy, Elle, Brendon, and Annie again!

CW: parental illness, past infidelity

Count Your Lucky Stars is a nice, sound ending to a really fun romance series. I still think Written in the Stars was the best book of the three, but I really enjoyed Count Your Lucky Stars a lot more than I had anticipated. I just loved Elle and Darcy so much, and I really didn't enjoy Hang the Moon, so I was worried Margot and Olivia's story wouldn't do much for me. But, dare I say, Margot and Olivia had more romantic chemistry than Elle and Darcy? I never thought I would be a fan of second-chance romance, but there was just SUCH good chemistry between Margot and Olivia. I really think they were so perfect together and they were very easy to ship.

Bellefleur handled their past really well. She really fleshed out their backstory without spending a painful amount of time rehashing it all. I was really surprised by how well it was done, actually. It didn't get brought up often and it wasn't a huge point of disagreement between Olivia and Margot which was nice. I was glad that Bellefleur gave them more relevant things to work out than an 11 year old spring break fling. It was really mature, and I think this book handled the topic of abandonment issues and caring too much for others really well. Those aren't vices that get handled a lot in romance, or very well in romance, so it was nice to see Olivia learn to care for herself as much as she cares for others and for Margot to come to terms with her abandonment fears and actually work through them.

The smut was GOD-TIER. There was simply not enough in Written in the Stars and Hang the Moon, so I was living for all the sexy scenes with Liv and Mar. Like I said earlier, their chemistry was off the charts, so their smut scenes were just so so good.

Some issues I had with this book were that I just found it a bit unsatisfying. I felt like Bellefleur really set up some great angst, and then it didn't go anywhere. I am a huge fan of angst, which I totally understand isn't everyone's thing. But I was really feeling like Margot was gonna have some intense angst with her friends that would lead to some big mushy found-family type scene. I mean, not inviting Margot to yoga was pretty crappy. And Brendon setting Olivia up with his friend? I thought that HAD to lead to some confrontation. But nope, it went nowhere. It was just super unsatisfying. I had the same issue with Hang the Moon. Darcy was kinda cruel to Annie and it didn't really get resolved. It was the same thing here. A lot of angst and bad feelings and no good feelings to balance it out. I also was praying for a Margot/Luke confrontation but that didn't happen either. I just felt like a lot was being set up but not being seen through. Also, I know this is the last book in the series, but I wish the epilogue had been a bit more sound for Olivia and Margot. We got to see Brendon and Annie married, Elle and Darcy married, Brendon and Annie with a baby, but no big ending for Margot and Olivia.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was a bit disappointing in some aspects and a bit unsatisfying. I think a lot more could have been done with this last installment, but it was still a great ending for these great couples. I'll read anything sapphic Bellefleur publishes in the future for sure!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

Count Your Lucky Stars - 3/5 Stars

I’ve enjoyed all the book from this series so it’s a joy to be back with what feels old friends. This book as expected is light smutty lgbt reading and it delivers. It was refreshing to finally peel back the layers of Margot. Always so confident and charming in the first books it’s nice to see her vulnerable story front and center.

I really love this series and this was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022. Imagine my surprise when it was one of the first books I was approved for on NetGalley! Book one is Darcy & Elle, book two is Brendan & Annie and this one, book three is Margot & Olivia. Margot has been the friend in the wings for the previous two books & now we get to see the real Margot. I really liked Margot & it made me happy to see her finding love again. Like the previous 2 books, this one full of steam (maybe even more so 🥵) and so super sweet. Bellefleur is definitely an auto buy author for me & I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

CW: caring for older parent, adultery, divorce

To be honest I think this book just wasn't for me. I was really excited about the premise and I enjoyed Written in the Stars when I read it last year, however, this fell flat. I found the characters undiscernible from each other and that nothing really happened. I was confused by conflict at the very end and didn't think that there was enough of an emphasis on the importance of the event. Overall it was cute but didn't do anything for me.

Reviewed for Shelf Awareness PRO, review will post a few weeks before release date
***


Like her first two romantic comedies, Alexandria Bellefleur's Count Your Lucky Stars sparkles with humor and wit, but readers will be particularly drawn into this story by the near-palpable yearning evinced by the two main characters.
Count Your Lucky Stars opens as the central couple from Hang the Moon is frantically searching for a new wedding venue and Olivia's boss taps her to plan the event for them. Margot is friends and in business with the groom and when she shows up at the first meeting between Olivia and the engaged pair, awkwardness reigns.
High school best friends Olivia and Margot once spent an ill-fated week of romantic and sexual bliss together and haven't spoken since Olivia got back together with the boy who would eventually become her ex-husband. Ten years later, Margot is more than happy to pretend to her friends that she and Olivia have no uncomfortable history, so when Olivia is forced to vacate her apartment due to flooding, Margot offers her spare room and Olivia moves in.
Bellefleur keeps the camera close, ramping up the tension with forced proximity. Demonstrating her skill at characterization, she tailors the speed of the romantic and physical relationship to the couple in each book and given the history between Margot and Olivia, Count Your Lucky Stars is a bit steamier than the first two. Margot and Olivia have spent years grieving their friendship and while they both want desperately to protect their hearts, they're helpless to resist their attraction.
Bellefleur cleverly uses callbacks in a couple of places to great effect, illustrating how difficult it is for the two women to keep things casual.

"No, Olivia wouldn't indulge that desire. If she let it blossom, bloom, she'd get her hopes up and... this was good. This could be enough. She could happy.
Something with Margot would always be better than nothing." [pp 151]

"It might not be everything Margo wanted, everything she craved, everything her greedy heart desired, but it was something.
And something with Olivia Grant would always be better than nothing." [217]

As Olivia finally puts distance between herself and her ex and Margot finds her place among a friend group that's seemingly paired up and moved on without her, they realize that life's too short not to be with the people you love. Count Your Lucky Stars has all the makings of a great rom-com: crackling banter, meddling friends, an outspoken cat and an irresistible romance.

I really enjoyed the previous two books in this series, and I was excited to finally get Margot’s story! And it was sapphic, which is always a plus. While I had some issues with the book, I did find it enjoyable in some ways. Count Your Lucky Stars was a second-chance romance between two former best friends.

When Olivia convinces her boss to take on a big client’s last-minute wedding, she doesn’t expect to see Margot, her former best friend and current what-if. Margot is surprised to see her too and decides to get more involved with the wedding planning for Brendan and Annie. After Olivia’s apartment is flooded, Margot offers her her spare room, and they quickly become as close as before, if not closer.

It was great to return to this world and familiar cast of characters. Olivia is planning Brendan and Annie’s wedding, which of course, Darcy and Elle are also heavily involved in, as is Margot. You don’t have to read the previous two books to read this one though; it definitely could be read as a standalone.

I liked seeing Olivia’s character growth. She’s recently divorced her high school sweetheart of ten years and is ready to carve out a life for herself even though he still calls her for trivial questions. Margot helps her realize that she doesn’t owe him anything, even if he’s supposed to send her updates on her dad, who recently had a heart attack.

Unfortunately, I was mostly bored throughout the majority of this story. I think it was due to a myriad of things; for one thing, I don’t really feel like we expanded on Margot’s character past what we saw of her in the past two books. Also, I didn’t really feel the tension between Margot and Olivia before they fell into the casual sex thing. They were supposed to have a “what could’ve been” thing, but I didn’t get a chance to feel that before they were basically together. This led me to not really be invested in the story as I could have been. However, this is just my personal opinion! I think other people will enjoy this story far more than I did.

Count Your Lucky Stars featured a sapphic second-chance romance between two former best friends. It didn’t really work for me because I didn’t feel invested in Margot and Olivia’s story due to the lack of development. I do think other people will enjoy this book more than I did, so please give it a try if you’re interested in it!