Review: Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

It’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 review

Trigger Warnings: infidelity, death of a parent, alcohol consumption