Count Your Lucky Stars audiobook

↠ 5 starsIt’s been ten years since Margot put her heart on the line with her best friend Olivia one fateful spring break – a week that transformed their relationship and forever shaped her outlook on love. In the fallout from their teenage romance, Margot has adopted a strict “no relationship” policy, convinced that they aren’t her style. Life doesn’t wait around, however, and now that all of her friends are in long-term committed relationships, Margot is second-guessing her stance. Fate offers up a chance when she runs into Olivia while touring a potential wedding venue with her engaged friends. Since they fell out with one another a decade ago, Olivia hasn’t exactly led the life she planned, but her new job as a wedding planner in Seattle offers a promising start. When an unexpected event leads her without a place to stay, Margot offers up the spare room in her apartment. Even though they haven’t talked in years, history bears repeating, and their chance encounter may lead them to rediscover the love that they've been looking for.Count Your Lucky Stars is the book that has solidified Alexandria Bellefleur as a romance god in my mind. Truly no one else could have me laughing out loud and screaming in sheer frustration all at the same time. Having read the other two previous books in the series, I was thrilled to hear that its conclusion would center around Margot, a character who always gravitated attention from the sidelines. Given that this third installment features tropes that I would sell my soul for: mutual pining, forced proximity, and childhood friends to lovers, it was high up on my list of anticipated releases. Bellefleur has always had a knack for creating compelling characters and I have to say that Margot and Olivia are her best to date. The banter between them was so amusing and refreshing to read and I loved witnessing the complicated history between them unravel. Second-chance romances have always been an underrated trope in my opinion, and this one had me by the throat like no other. The chemistry with Olivia and Margot was already there to explore, along with years of miscommunication and unresolved feelings. This led to so much angst and pining on both sides that was incredibly entertaining to read. As this incorporates characters from the previous books there were so many little moments between the friend group and past couples. It was so touching to see where everyone ended up, even more, to see Olivia as a new character fall entirely into place with that. The backdrop of Seattle continues to dazzle here, with new locations and meaningful moments interspersed throughout the city. Count Your Lucky Stars may be a conclusion, but it is no less impactful or delightful than the first two books in the series. For as long as Alexandria Bellefleur keeps writing the queer romances of my dreams, I will be there championing them forward. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest reviewTrigger Warnings: infidelity, death of a parent, alcohol consumption

While I didn’t love this one quite as much as I was expecting to, I still really enjoyed myself reading this. I adore both Olivia and Margot, I’m just not a huge fan of the second chance romance trope. Here are some quick thoughts I had:•Not my favorite in the series but still cute•Love Olivia’s relationship with her Dad•I am just not a huge fan of second chance romance, which is why I didn’t love this one as much •I especially hate when the reason they didn’t work out in the first place is a silly miscommunication issue•But this book had some really cute moments and it was the perfect conclusion to this really cute series, I’m not mad about itI included this book in a romance reading vlog I did here: https://youtu.be/eQNXgEKbdWY

3.5

This was such a fun second chance and friends to lovers romance! Margot and Olivia were best friends in high school, and that turned into something more over spring break their senior year. But after their week together, things turned weird, Olivia got back together with her boyfriend, and they haven't seen each other since. Ten years later, Olivia is divorced and runs into Margot again at a wedding she's planning. The two are constantly thrown together and forced to confront what happened all of those years ago. I really loved how Olivia and Margot had this undeniable chemistry that they both couldn't forget from their short time together in their past. Now, they still have that chemistry but their lives have become a lot more complicated. It was fun seeing them thrown together for wedding things and I loved seeing some of the characters from the previous books! This was a sweet romance where the two characters had to learn to communicate, open up, and confront their past if they wanted to make it work. I'm really loving this series and I'm excited to read more from Alexandria Bellefleur!

“Count Your Lucky Stars” by Alexandria Bellefleur is probably one of my most anticipated reads for 2022. It’s the conclusion to her ‘Written in the Stars’ series and features a second chance romance, my favorite trope. I’ve loved Margot Cooper since we were introduced to her in “Written in the Stars”. She’s funny and even though she’s kind of broody she really loves her friends and would do anything for them. She’s one of those characters that’s hard on the outside but a marshmallow inside. She’s not interested in a relationship despite both of her best friends coupling up. She’s in for a complete surprise when she runs into her childhood best friend and first love, Olivia Grant, while helping Brendon scope out wedding venues. Margot and Olivia haven’t seen or spoken to one another since high school. Olivia is the girl-next-door type of character that is just so sweet and will do anything for someone will she loves. Margot and Olivia fit so well together and their chemistry was apparent from their first re-introduction. They really just get each other and are the perfect foil for the other. They were childhood best friends and had a week-long fling in their senior year of high school which neither one is completely over. Once they’re back in each other’s orbit, they quickly fall back into their friendship with old and new feelings in play. I really loved the majority of this book! It’s steamy, cute, and hilarious. There were several scenes that had me laughing out loud and I love when that happens. Bellefleur brought back everyone including Elle and Darcy and Brendon and Annie and I enjoyed being able to catch up with everyone. So, while I absolutely loved this, I do have two complaints that tainted my enjoyment overall. Miscommunication/lack of communication happens all over the place and the rushed ending. Margo is having an internal conflict about feeling like a 5th wheel in her friend group but she never says anything. There’s also lack of communication between Margot and Olivia that goes back to their high school relationship and follows them into their new relationship. There were several times that I wanted to yell “just talk” to everyone involved. There’s a black moment that happens and it’s so late that there’s almost no time for a real happy ending without the epilogue and that frustrated me. With it being the ending of the series, I was really hoping for a better ending of the book beyond the epilogue. Despite those two issues, I still really loved this and highly recommend it. It’s truly funny and fun and is a terrific second chance rom-com. There is some light angst but nothing major. I will also say that this is really steamy so if that isn’t something you’re into you may want to give this a pass or plan on doing some skipping ahead. I received an ARC from Avon and Harper Voyage via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alexandria Bellefleur has done it again!! This book has absolutely secured this series as one of my favourite romance trilogies of all time!!!

Sálganse de goodreads, quiero estar sola

thank you netgalley, avon books, and alexandria bellefleur for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! i loved this entire series and read all three books in only a couple days. they showcase the best parts of love in such a fun way and i fell in love with all of the characters.count your lucky stars follows margot and her old best friend, olivia, that she had feelings for. fate offers them a second-chance when olivia is hired to be the wedding planner for her engaged friends and they reconnect. olivia ends up living with margot due to some unexpected events, which gives them another chance at love.alexandria bellefleur is an amazing writer and this book had me both laughing out loud and anxious for the fate of our main characters. i never loved margot in the other two books, but i really enjoyed her in this one and learning more about her. olivia was also a sweet and relatable character. i also loved the real star of the show, cat the cat, haha! this book involves many tropes that i like, such as second-chance romance, friends to lovers, and forced proximity. the ending was definitely more dramatic than the others in my opinion and i was on the edge of my seat the entire time. it was fun seeing these two characters fall in love again and i really enjoyed it!i also really loved the epilogue. i’m a sucker for epilogues that are set in the future and this one was super cute and made me feel nostalgic towards the other books. bellefleur intertwined the other character’s stories into this one really well and it was nice getting to see what they’re up to as well.i highly recommend this book, and series, for romance fans! they’re some of the best romances i’ve ever read and i’ll definitely be rereading them soon.

This is the third standalone in the Written in the Stars series and I’ve been enjoying the series a lot! We’ve got an F/F romance between former childhood best friends who were in love and now they get their second chance 10 years later.Olivia is divorced and has just gotten a new job in Seattle as a wedding planner. Her new client’s best woman is none other than her old best friend Margot, and when Olivia needs a place to stay, the two end up becoming roommates. Besides the forced proximity, there are still a lot of sparks between them because of all their unfinished business. The story is a bit slower paced than the first two books and there’s a lot of back and forth between the main characters, but I did really like their story. The romance is sweet and emotional and I loved seeing the characters from the previous books here too. The whole series has such a great friend group!

After loving the hell out of Written in the Stars and greatly enjoying Hang the Moon, I was so excited to read this. As Bellefleur is becoming one of my favorite authors of all time, I have high expectations for her books, and I’m happy to say this didn’t disappoint! We know Margot Cooper (~29, pansexual) from the first two books as the adorably sarcastic member of the friend group, and I loved finally getting inside her head. Olivia Grant (~29, bisexual), Margot’s childhood best friend and first love, is a major sweetheart and the perfect salve to Margot’s prickliness. The two women are just perfect together and I loved watching them rekindle the flames that’ve been dormant for eleven years, all while navigating each other’s (and their own) flaws. While Written in the Stars is my favorite of the series — Elle and Darcy PLUS fake dating is hard to beat imo — this was wonderful too. It’s been a few days since I’ve finished the book, and I think I’m loving it more as it has time to marinate in my mind. Margot and Olivia are the kind of vulnerable, big-hearted characters I’d die for. My heart ached for Margot as she navigated her confused jumble of feelings, and I related to lots of her thoughts and insecurities. Olivia has people-pleasing tendencies and would sacrifice everything for those she loves, and she’s just so sweet in every interaction with Margot that I melted into a puddle of goo.God, the romance is so cute — how does Bellefleur do it every time? The little touches, looks, and interactions between the two are so perfect. While the second-chance plot involves past miscommunication, I didn’t mind because communicating feelings is terrifying when you’re a teenager, especially when there’s a third party involved. Bellefleur deftly highlights the weightiness of the relationship without resorting to flashbacks. And the sex in this book is seriously some of the best I’ve ever read! Hot damn, even my ace self was thoroughly impressed!Bellefleur is truly one of the funniest writers out there; I can always trust her to give me a good hearty laugh. One scene involving Olivia’s mischievous cat Cat (yes, that is her name!) had me gasping for air, and there was even another LOL scene in the last few pages. But aside from the big ridiculous moments, the group of characters in this series is so sparkling and whimsical that half the time I was chuckling to myself. Brendon’s at it again with his amusing antics, and those who missed their Elle content in Hang the Moon will be happy to know she’s featured more heavily in this book. As much as I adored this book, I do have a few critiques. Firstly, Margot’s actions during the conflict were a bit confusing. Without giving too much away, it seemed that Margot was expecting Olivia to abandon the wedding planning job she worked so hard to obtain. I know that Margot was dealing with abandonment issues, but her insinuation was still very weird. Secondly, I was expecting more content with the wedding plot line, and half the time it didn’t seem like Olivia was a wedding planner at all but had instead been absorbed into the friend group too fast. The ending felt rushed and I was left yearning for more content, but not in the best way. And while there's a very cute epilogue, I wish it’d been longer and had provided us with a weightier wrap-up to this spectacular series.In short, despite my critiques, I loved this book so much! I’m so sad to say goodbye to this series, but I can’t wait to meet and fall in love with Bellefleur’s future characters! content warnings: alcohol (recreational), death of a parent (past), infidelity (past), manipulation, toxic relationship (past), graphic sexI received an ARC from a Goodreads giveaway and am voluntarily leaving a review.—-sometime in 2021: [more sapphic goodness from Alexandria Bellefleur?? excuse me while i ascend into heaven[edit: THAT COVER *swoons*]]

Review of Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, narrated by Lauren SweetThis author has been on my radar after her novel Written in the Stars was one of my favourite books of 2020. I’ve listened to the audiobook, also narrated by Lauren Sweet, and absolutely loved it, so grabbing the audio for Ms. Bellefleur’s latest release was a no-brainer to me.Margot Cooper doesn’t believe in love since her heart was broken a decade ago. But when Olivia Grant reappears in her life as the planner of her best friend’s wedding, Margot starts to have feelings again. Feelings for the same person who broke her heart. When Olivia has an emergency and needs a place to stay, Margot offers to help. As they rekindle their old relationship, will history repeat itself?This is book 3 in the Written in the Stars series by this author which started with the book with the same title and continued with Hang the Moon which I didn’t read because I’m not into m/f romances. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the previous books as they are all stand-alone stories. The series follows a group of friends, owners of a dating app and a social media-based astrology business. As all of Margot’s friends start to pair off, she’s the odd one out, the fifth wheel in the group. This book is her turn to find true love.Count Your Lucky Stars is a romantic comedy based on the second chances trope but in a way it could also be considered a friends-to-lovers book. Margot and Olivia have been best friends since kindergarten until when they were 18, they became lovers. Their fling lasted just one week but its consequences persisted until the present. Immaturity and miscommunication played a big role in pushing Margot and Olivia apart but, as it happens many times in real life, they both were able to resume their bond where they left a decade after. However, misinterpretation and fear of history repeating itself threatens to get in the way of their happily ever after.This was another entertaining and funny rom-com with a little angst on the side. The novel balances humor, romance and angst as there is a bit of them all, in good proportion. Both main characters are adorably human in their strengths and shortcomings and their chemistry is off the charts from the start. The romance increases slowly but surely the level of heat until it’s scorching. The first sex scene is absolutely fantastic. Ms. Bellefleur writes the increasing mutual attraction really well reflected in little moments, shared looks and awkward chats.The dialogues are one of this author’s strengths, this story mostly shows and doesn’t tell, giving it a very cinematographical feel, which I always appreciate in a story. Even though it’s a second chances romance, there are no long narrative flashbacks. Just some references here and there. The story develops strongly in the present not the past.As with book one, Lauren Sweet did another fantastic job in the audiobook version. Her narrative tone is exactly what a rom-com needs. Her delivery of the funny moments and the acting of the different emotions were absolutely perfect. As a bonus, her performance of the sex scenes brings all the heat to life. Another highly recommended story. 5 stars.Length: 11 hours

wow my heart

this book simultaneously called me out for my abandonment issues AND my inability to put myself/my needs before other people 🤍

4.75 starsyou know those books where you are smiling, giggling and clutching your chest to yourself that is how this made me feel(also side note the sex scenes are GOD TIER)

four stars! *:･ﾟ✧ this was literally so freakin cute 🤧 i’ve loved the first two books in this series, and i’m so glad to say that i loved this one just as much. firstly, i loved seeing all the couples from the other two in this! and the epilogue tied up everyone’s stories so nicely, it was so sweet. i’m also a huuuge fan of second chance romances, and i loved how olivia and margot’s relationship was portrayed. there was some miscommunication stuff that i wasn’t necessarily a fan of, but it worked itself out nicely in the end and that’s all that matters. i loved margot in the first two books, so i was over the moon when i found out she was getting her own book! she’s probably one of my favorite characters from the whole series. i did love olivia tenfold, though. i related so much to her character in ways i wasn’t anticipating, and she was just so cute in general, it was hard not to love her. this series as a whole is absolutely adorable, and they are definitely staple pieces on my shelves!!

"I'm pretty sure a part of me has been waiting for you for eleven years. Just like I'm pretty sure, no matter what happens, I'm always going to be at least a little bit in love with you, Liv."It has been over a decade since Margot Cooper let herself really feel for someone. That spring break, a whole week with her best friend, Olivia Grant, which completely transformed their relationship, and ended in heartbreak, changed Margot's view on love and romance forever. She has guarded her heart ever since. But, Margot finds herself feeling lonely. Her closest's friends are in dedicated and long-term relationships that has her doubting her worth in the friendship group. However, it seems like the universe is giving Margot a second chance at romance. When she's touring wedding venues with her friends, she meets the wedding planner and it's none other than Olivia Grant, the girl who broke her heart. Olivia Grant has been married and now divorced and she's striving to be and do what she loves. Her new job as a wedding planner in Seattle offers her a brand new start in a new city. Hoping to kickstart her career, she begs her boss to plan the wedding of Brendon Lowell and Annie Kyriakos, which then leads her to Margot, the girl who broke her heart. Even though they haven't spoken to or seen one another in years, it seems like both of them haven't forgotten their feelings for one another. Alexandria Bellefleur has become one of my favourite romance writers. Every single book in the Written In The Stars trilogy has been an absolute treat to read. And I think Count Your Lucky Stars is, by far, my favourite. From the moment Margot and Olivia locked eyes with one another, I felt their chemistry!Childhood friends to lovers is one of those tropes that I rarely see explored in romances as much as others, and I'm glad Bellefleur decided to include it in this final instalment. The banter between them was hilarious and I loved seeing them both coming to terms with their feelings the more time they spent together. They both long for each other, even after all this time, and their mutual pining throughout was very entertaining and just so cute to read. They're both so soft with another, and it was really lovely to see Margot vulnerable. Margot has been a side character in the other two books that really captured my attention. She is blunt, is the sort of woman who doesn't take any shit and is a very loyal and protective friend. And with Olivia, her guard is lowered, because after all, nobody knows her quite like Olivia - who knew her when a quiet girl at school. I just found their romance to be so adorable and deep and beautiful. I'm very happy that Alexandria Bellefleur decided to write such amazing queer romances. It's just so important - the representation throughout the whole trilogy is excellent. I'm excited to read more from this author in the future with whatever book she decides to write next.