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I was incredibly fortunate with my February ARCs and I am delighted to be bringing you timely reviews for once. (Okay, let’s ignore that I’m only bringing you reviews of two out of four books that release today…) Anyway!!! I loved both Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur (thank you to Avon and Netgalley!) and Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano (thank you to the publisher and Netgalley!) and here are my reviews.

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Running into your estranged childhood best friend who you had a sexual thing with for a week back in high school over a decade later has to be so awkward and then when your friends conspire to make sure that Olivia winds up your roommate? A conspiracy, for sure, but of the best kind. I love the way this book introduces the set up. Brendan and Annie are about to get married and at the last minute, they need Olivia to step in as their wedding planner. Neither Margot nor Olivia are expecting to see one another, but oops, here they are, face to face again. It’s a great set up.

And from that set up, into the rest of the book, we have a book where the tone fluctuates from sort of angsty to very soft and lighthearted in a way that, for once, didn’t totally work for me. I still loved this book, don’t get me wrong, but there were things about it that kept me from giving it a full five stars. For example, there’s this scene (or series of) where Margot is really jealous and it irked me even though I understood. But, in my opinion, you don’t get to be a jealous jerk if you’re not going to communicate about your feelings. Basically, what I’m saying is, I read this while in one of those moods where people not communicating was more annoying than usual.

That said, I adored the conversations here about Margot’s concerns about her best friends growing away from her as she became the “fifth wheel” and Elle’s response when Margot finally shared some of her anxiety. Change is so hard. And speaking as a third wheel for all of my best friends, it sucks when you wind up in that position, even (especially?) when you’re happy for all of them. I also really loved Olivia and her caretaking ways and the way Margot tries to get her to see that she can and should take care of herself. Oh! And!! There’s this incredible scene, okay, several incredible scenes with Margot interacting with Cat and I loved those parts.

If you’ve loved the other two books in this series, I think you’ll enjoy this one just as much. I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s next from Bellefleur!

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosiamano

We must begin with establishing that I am obsessed with this series. Something about Elle Cosimano’s writing is a step beyond captivating. She blends humor and mystery so incredibly well and has created a cast of characters who I’m deeply invested in learning more about. Now, let’s focus in on this book as compared to the second…

Essentially, book two in the series picks up where the first left off. We know someone has put a hit out on [redacted] and [redacted] and [redacted] are trying to figure out what to do about it. There’s also something weird happening with Vero. The love triangle progresses in the sense that I have solidified myself as Team Nick for no real reason other than I feel like reliving my Twilight days of choosing a team to be on. The mystery is just a little over the top, Finlay is still writing a book that is much too close to a confession, and I am very here for it.

In case you think that I’m exaggerating my love for this book, please know that I (a) screamed when I got the email that I received an ARC, (b) texted my friend in all caps to let her know, (c) downloaded it immediately, and (d) proceeded to read it at every free moment I had while traveling with my best friend. I stood in the SLOWEST coffee line of my life and couldn’t even complain because I read 10% of the ARC while in it. Then Sheetz took FOREVER to give me my dinner and I made it to the epilogue. So obviously I then proceeded to sit in the parking lot in order to finish it before proceeding onto finish my ten hour drive home. Like… I loved this read. Is it as good as the first book? Maybe not, but I am telling you now, I am so wildly invested in this series that my heart will literally shatter when it comes to an end. (Unless we never resolve the love triangle. I am not here for a Stephanie Plum situation, okay?) Did I tell you enough about the book? Probably not, but truly, if you’re looking for an addicting read, I highly recommend.

And there you go! Have you read either of these yet? If not, are you planning to pick them up?

xx