FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Lauren Sweet’s narration is perfect for this sweet, funny, and sensual rom-com. Margot feels left out while helping her friends with their wedding planning. Her complicated emotions go into overdrive when she crosses paths with Olivia, her childhood friend and first love, who is now a wedding planner. A lot has happened in the decade since they parted ways, and each harbors hurt. When Olivia needs a place to stay after an issue arises in her apartment building, she and Margot become roommates, and the chemistry is palpable. Could this be the second chance they deserve? Sweet’s sultry, confident voice as Margot often masks her vulnerability. As Olivia, Sweet uses a slower pace to depict Olivia’s thoughtfulness. Sensual sighs and whimpers amp up steamy scenes. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
11/15/2021
Lambda Award winner Bellefleur’s heartwarming third Written in the Stars romance (after Hang the Moon) sees childhood friends forced to confront their complicated past while planning a wedding. Despite Margot Cooper’s coupled friends’ best efforts, she remains happily single. That is until Olivia Grant, the childhood best friend turned lover who broke Margot’s heart after a brief affair, walks back into her life. Recently divorced Olivia is focused on her job as an event planner, and pulling off the high-profile wedding where Margot is the best woman could land her a promotion. Determined to stay professional, the women agree it’s best to ignore their history. But when a plumbing malfunction forces Olivia out of her apartment and Margot offers a place to crash, they quickly give in to temptation. Though feelings reignite for them both, neither will admit it, leading to a friends-with-benefits setup that satisfies nobody. Meanwhile, people pleaser Olivia struggles to balance caring for others with caring for herself. Margot does her best to help, but before their relationship can turn into something more they’ll have to address what happened in their past. Bellefleur’s lively characters charm from start to finish. This is a perfect pick for readers looking for a light-hearted romance centered on emotional growth. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Feb.)
Washington Post on Written in the Stars
"[A] distinctly modern frolic, charming and effervescent and entirely itself."
Buzzfeed
"For romantic comedy fans, you can never go wrong with an Alexandria Bellefleur novel. Laugh-out-loud funny with the sweetest romantic scenes, this book will welcome you with open arms."
Popsugar
"a charming second chance romance about former best friends who reenter each other's lives in the most unexpected way."
Booklist (starred review)
Bellefleur continues on her dazzling trajectory with another completely charming, achingly romantic love story. This tale not only delivers an abundance of wit-infused writing and some scorchingly hot love scenes, it also gracefully illuminates the importance in life of family and the friends we hold most dear.
Entertainment Weekly on Written in the Stars
"Bellefleur has a droll, distinct voice, and her one-liners zing off the page, striking both the heart and funny bone. She has a gift for comedy, possessing more style and panache than a debut writer has any right to... There's a sparkling quality here, one that mirrors the starry title. Bellefleur writes as if she's captured fairy lights in a mason jar, twinkly and lovely within something solid yet fragile."
BookPage
This extremely sexy rom-com is full of lingering glances and fiery love scenes. . . Bellefleur also makes the sincere observation that the person who sees you the clearest is often the person who scares you the most. Thoughtful conversations about relationships balance the comedy in this ultra-satisfying read.
New York Times Book Review on Written in the Stars
"This book is a delight."
Shondaland (5 Best Books of November)
"[A] delightful rom com that once again gives us the beloved fake relationship trope — and the fuzzies you didn’t know you needed."
Mia Sosa
"Alexandria Bellefleur is an author to watch. Her writing is joyful and heartfelt, and her voice sparkles with a delightful mix of wit, humor, and good-natured sarcasm. I can't wait to see how she wows us next!"
Talia Hibbert
"Everything I want from a romcom: fun, whimsical, sexy."
Christina Lauren
With perfectly woven vulnerability and playfulness, Written in the Stars is a riotous and heartfelt read. I was hooked from the very first page!
Olivia Dade
"Written in the Stars abounds with optimism and empathy for its characters, its wit always undergirded by sweetness. This is a comfort read, at a time when many of us need one badly, and a sparkling debut for Bellefleur."
Rachel Lacey
"A dazzling debut! The perfect combination of humor and heart really makes this book shine.
Scarlett Peckham
Written in the Stars is what you might get if your favorite Instagram astrologer wrote you an adorable romance novel. Delightful, funny and sweet, with just the right touch of woo-woo.
Bustle
"If you love the fake-dating trope, you won't want to miss Written in the Stars."
Sarah Smith
"Written in the Stars had me hooked from the first page. It's an adorable and heartfelt romance with everything I adore: a killer meet-cute, loads of cute banter, steamy love scenes, all the feels, and a happily ever after that left me in happy tears. I fell head over heels for Elle and Darcy's love story. Alexandria Bellefleur's debut will have readers seeing stars in the best way.
NPR on Written in the Stars
"A delightful, heart-warming romance, Bellefleur's novel shows eloquently how two characters can fall in love more deeply than either dared to dream."
Entertainment Weekly
"Bellefleur has a droll, distinct voice, and her one-liners zing off the page, striking both the heart and funny bone. She has a gift for comedy, possessing more style and panache than a debut writer has any right to... There's a sparkling quality here, one that mirrors the starry title. Bellefleur writes as if she's captured fairy lights in a mason jar, twinkly and lovely within something solid yet fragile."
Entertainment Weekly (Best Romances of November)
"Bellefleur has a droll, distinct voice, and her one-liners zing off the page, striking both the heart and funny bone. She has a gift for comedy, possessing more style and panache than a debut writer has any right to... There's a sparkling quality here, one that mirrors the starry title. Bellefleur writes as if she's captured fairy lights in a mason jar, twinkly and lovely within something solid yet fragile."
New York Times Book Review
"This book is a delight."
Washington Post
"[A] distinctly modern frolic, charming and effervescent and entirely itself."
Library Journal - Audio
06/01/2022
Margot Cooper doesn't need a committed relationship. She's perfectly happy with her friend group, thanks. Only now, all her friends are either engaged or getting married, and Margot is afraid she'll be left behind. So when "the One Who Got Away," Olivia Grant from Margot's small hometown, pops up as the event planner for Margot's best friend's wedding, all rom-com hell breaks loose. Well-drawn characters with relatable worries, fears, and insecurities make the obligatory breakup seem slightly less manufactured than the genre sometimes sees. Lauren Sweet provides a lively and highly listenable narration that helps bring the characters further to life. VERDICT A first purchase audio for libraries with an active contemporary romance readership, fans of Bellefleur's (Hang the Moon) previous installments in the series, and libraries looking to expand the LGBTQIA+ representation in their collections.—Chrystopher Lytal
Library Journal
★ 10/01/2021
The third in Bellefleur's series (after Written in the Stars and Hung the Moon) sees Margot Cooper feeling increasingly like the odd woman out in her circle of coupled-up friends. As her dating life has been disastrous, she decides to focus on her business, the astrology app Oh My Stars; her best-woman duties for her best friend and business partner Brendon's upcoming wedding; and casual hookups. Margot's plan is under control until the new wedding planner turns out to be none other than Olivia Grant, the first woman Margot ever loved, her childhood best friend and sweetheart. Olivia is now divorced and looking for a fresh start. She needs to prove to her boss she can carry off this very important wedding, no distractions allowed. But even after ten years, Olivia and Margot are pulled together by the attraction that was only foiled by misunderstanding. If Margot and Olivia can learn from the mistakes of their past and let fate work her magic, perhaps they'll be able to count their lucky stars together, forever. VERDICT A warm hug of a queer contemporary romance with sparkling prose, heartfelt dialogue, and delicious dirty talk. Fans of the series will be delighted by the returning characters and the steamy heat between Margot and Olivia, while new readers who liked Tessa Bailey's It Happened One Summer or Karelia Stetz-Waters's Satisfaction Guaranteed will find much to love. Highly recommended for all libraries.—Elizabeth Gabriel, Milwaukee P.L.
FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
Lauren Sweet’s narration is perfect for this sweet, funny, and sensual rom-com. Margot feels left out while helping her friends with their wedding planning. Her complicated emotions go into overdrive when she crosses paths with Olivia, her childhood friend and first love, who is now a wedding planner. A lot has happened in the decade since they parted ways, and each harbors hurt. When Olivia needs a place to stay after an issue arises in her apartment building, she and Margot become roommates, and the chemistry is palpable. Could this be the second chance they deserve? Sweet’s sultry, confident voice as Margot often masks her vulnerability. As Olivia, Sweet uses a slower pace to depict Olivia’s thoughtfulness. Sensual sighs and whimpers amp up steamy scenes. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2021-11-13
Former best friends—and one-time lovers—meet again more than a decade after their relationship fell apart.
Margot Cooper doesn’t need romance to be happy. She’s perfectly content with her single life in Seattle, filled with her work at astrology business Oh My Stars and her close friendships with business partner Elle, Elle’s girlfriend, Darcy, Darcy’s brother, Brendon, and his fiancee, Annie. But with Brendon and Annie’s wedding right around the corner and Elle and Darcy more committed than ever, Margot can’t help feeling like the fifth wheel, always in danger of being left out—and someday left behind. Recently divorced Olivia Grant has just moved to Seattle to pursue her dream of becoming a successful event planner, and she’s finally got her chance. Brendon Lowell, one of her boss’s biggest clients, is getting married in just three weeks, and if Olivia can pull the wedding off, she’ll be promoted. When Olivia shows up to tour a venue with the happy couple, she meets Brendon’s best woman—Margot, the high school best friend she spent one romantic week with 11 years ago and never spoke to again. When Olivia’s apartment floods and Margot offers her a place to stay, the two fall quickly into old patterns and bring up old hurts. And they’ll have to finally face the past to look toward the future. This third installment in Bellefleur’s series of interconnected rom-coms—following Written in the Stars (2020) and Hang the Moon (2021)—features her trademark wit, heartfelt friendships, and steamy romance. But the plot hinges entirely on several overblown miscommunications and misunderstandings, which some readers may find grating. Margot and Olivia, too, are less well rounded than Bellefleur’s other characters, and their relationship focuses more on their physical than their emotional connection.
A sweet, though uneven, conclusion to the series.
