Review: Count Your Lucky Stars

I was equal parts thrilled and sad to read Count Your Lucky Stars. It was the final book in a trilogy by Alexandria Bellefleur that I’ve been LOVING and even though I desperately wanted to read Margot’s story, I really didn’t want to say goodbye to these characters. Being a reader can be tough!

Here’s the book’s description:

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’ve mentioned before and I’ll keep on mentioning it (sorry not sorry): second chance romances used to be my all-time favourite trope but recent books have kind of turned me off them. I think because they’re so often about high school sweethearts who had THE MOST INTENSE CONNECTION EVER and were ruined for all other romantic relationships for the next decade plus. I get it. High school is emotional. I’m still dating someone I started dating right at graduation. You can maybe wonder “what if” but you’re an adult now and if you haven’t figured out that teenage relationships are Very Different, well, I don't know what to tell you. But not to fear, friends. Bellefleur did not disappoint me with her second chance trope, even though Margot and Olivia hooked up in high school. Phew! They still had some romantic hang-ups that may or may not have stemmed from their sexytime adventures but they were both really aware that they weren’t kids anymore.

This book is pretty steamy so get those fans ready. Margot especially is pretty unapologetic for her need for sex – either solo or with a partner – and there’s a really humorous scene with a vibrator and a cat that had me laughing out loud. Before getting flushed cheeks because of the way Margot and Olivia were feeling around each other. Whew!

There was some miscommunication issues that I didn’t love, nor did I appreciate how jealous Margot got when they were all at the hotel for Brendon and Annie’s bachelor-ette party. It was not a good look on her. And Olivia was SO dumb for taking off on Margot after their fight because she was so worried about her dad. I get it – family is important and a history of health issues would had her spooked. But she was using it as an escape and she endangered her career, something she had been working so hard for. It just didn’t really work for me.

Even though there were a few little things that maybe I didn’t totally love in this book, overall, I absolutely loved Count Your Lucky Stars. I appreciated the epilogue Alexandria Bellefleur gave readers so we could see how all the characters were getting on and what was next for them. Would I want more of their stories? Absolutely. But the series was ended beautifully and I highly recommend reading all three of these books. They’re SO good.

Read my review of Written in the Stars
Read my review of Hang the Moon

*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.*