[Elizabeth’s Review]: Count Your Lucky Stars (Written in the Stars #3) by Alexandria Bellefleur

Margot Cooper doesn’t do relationships. She tried and it blew up in her face, so she’ll stick with casual hookups, thank you very much. But now her entire crew has found "the one" and she’s beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. And then fate (the heartless bitch) intervenes. While touring a wedding venue with her engaged friends, Margot comes face-to-face with Olivia Grant—her childhood friend, her first love, her first… well, everything. It’s been ten years, but the moment they lock eyes, Margot’s cold, dead heart thumps in her chest.

Olivia must be hallucinating. In the decade since she last saw Margot, her life hasn’t gone exactly as planned. At almost thirty, she’s been married... and divorced. However, a wedding planner job in Seattle means a fresh start and a chance to follow her dreams. Never in a million years did she expect her important new client’s Best Woman would be the one that got away.

When a series of unfortunate events leaves Olivia without a place to stay, Margot offers up her spare room because she’s a Very Good Person. Obviously. It has nothing to do with the fact that Olivia is as beautiful as ever and the sparks between them still make Margot tingle. As they spend time in close quarters, Margot starts to question her no-strings stance. Olivia is everything she’s ever wanted, but Margot let her in once and it ended in disaster. Will history repeat itself or should she count her lucky stars that she gets a second chance with her first love?

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Starting this book, I had not read Bellefleur’s other works. After finishing, Count Your Lucky Stars, however, I am going to change that. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this read and seeing Margot and Olivia overcome their past miscommunication and ingrained fears regarding their history. While romance books are usually catnip for me because they are my go-to genre, I have found that the repeated trend of miscommunication regarding the main conflict in romance books can make them a bit predictable. Bellefleur did not go in the predictable direction, and I cried out in joy.

Margot and Olivia are both in their late twenties when we meet them, and the issues and discussions they have with one another, along with their friends and family—and even in their own heads—all felt incredibly realistic and thought out. Margot struggles with feelings of insecurity and abandonment while also having self-destructive tendencies. Olivia, however, does not know how to set necessary boundaries in her relationships—as seen in her marriage with Brad. She struggles to let others care for her. Although Margot and Olivia deal with these core issues individually, Bellefleur bridges these interior struggles through their relationship in a healthy manner, highlighting the vital components within a loving relationship.

Margot and Olivia each brought out the best in one another, and I loved glimpsing at the remnants of their friendship while seeing them piece together their relationship with a matured perspective. Bellefleur emphasized the necessary and realistic conversations within relationships, romantic or platonic, that romance books have usually skimmed over through Margot and Olivia. By consistently bringing up topics of boundaries and communication, paired with a self-awareness that both Margot and Olivia embodied, Bellefleur made this book hit me in moments where I felt called out—the good kind, of course. You know a book is good when it has you highlighting lines of advice, screaming to yourself, “write that down!” I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for a fresh romance, and I will be reading Bellefleur’s other works!

Elizabeth

Hi, I’m Elizabeth!! I am 22 with a bachelor degree in English Literary Studies. I love to read and talk about books 24/7, and when I’m not reading I am usually rewatching my comfort movies and shows for the hundredth time—specifically, anything Jane Austen!