Review: Hang the Moon

I was completely delighted by Alexandria Bellefleur's debut rom com Written in the Stars when I read it at the end of 2020. I was immediately excited for the next book in the sort of series but also worried Hang the Moon wouldn't quite live up to my expectations. I read a lot of rom coms in May. A LOT. Not to mention the number I read prior to May. But Hang the Moon? It's my favourite. I absolutely loved it. 

Here's the book's description:

Brendon Lowell loves love. It’s why he created a dating app to help people find their one true pairing and why he’s convinced “the one” is out there, even if he hasn’t met her yet. Or... has he? When his sister's best friend turns up in Seattle unexpectedly, Brendon jumps at the chance to hang out with her. He’s crushed on Annie since they were kids, and the stars have finally aligned, putting them in the same city at the same time.
Annie booked a spur-of-the-moment trip to Seattle to spend time with friends before moving across the globe. She’s not looking for love, especially with her best friend’s brother. Annie remembers Brendon as a sweet, dorky kid. Except, the 6-foot-4 man who shows up at her door is a certified Hot Nerd and Annie... wants him? Oh yes.
Getting involved would be a terrible idea—her stay is temporary and he wants forever—but when Brendon learns Annie has given up on dating, he’s determined to prove that romance is real. Taking cues from his favorite rom-coms, Brendon plans to woo her with elaborate dates straight out of Nora Ephron’s playbook. The clock is ticking on Annie’s time in Seattle, and Brendon’s starting to realize romance isn’t just flowers and chocolate. But maybe real love doesn’t need to be as perfect as the movies... as long as you think your partner hung the moon.

I had a feeling the second book would be about Brendon and Annie when I finished Written in the Stars (which is about Brendon's sister/Annie's best friend Darcy and Elle, who sort of works with Brendon) and I was SO excited. I really enjoy the sibling's best friend trope (or best friend's sibling, however you want to talk about it) so looked forward to what Bellefleur would write. The pair have history but they haven't seen each other in eight years and when those eight years span your twenties, a lot can change. I loved reading as the pair reconnected and realized that there was something to Brendon's crush all those years ago.

While I'm loving the rom coms that are more serious these days, I also still love the romances that make me literally laugh out loud. This story was as clever as it was charming and it made for such a delightful reading experience. That's not to say there aren't some serious moments, as there are. Both Brendon and Annie have some romantic hurdles to overcome and that makes things...tricky...for them. But the promise of them being together has them working to do whatever they can, even if it scares the hell out of them.

You don't have to have read Written in the Stars to enjoy this one. But for those who have, there is just enough of both Darcy and Elle to satisfy the reader's curiosity about how the pair are doing now without it overwhelming Annie and Brendon's story. They're involved, of course, because Darcy is Annie's best friend and Brendon's sister but they're doing their own thing while the main couple of this book are doing theirs (and, ahem, each other). (My review of Written in the Stars is here if you missed it.)

I've never been to Seattle but these books are making the wanderlust even stronger than it was. The boyfriend and I keep meaning to make concrete plans to go when the Blue Jays are in Seattle but other things got in the way (bills, mostly, but also not enough vacation time on my end) and then, well, COVID-19 hit. There's something about the city that intrigues me and Bellefleur seems to capture the energy so well - or at least well enough that it really makes me want to visit.

I finished reading Hang the Moon with a smile and an overwhelming sense of pleasure. I loved every second I spent reading the story Alexandria Bellefleur had written and was also kind of sad when it was over. Brendon and Annie were a great couple to read about and while I know Bellefleur will give Margot the Happily Ever After she deserves in the next book, I know I'm going to want even more of Brendon and Annie!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via Edelweiss, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*