A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

i wasnt sure how id feel about this book because having an affair is different to feeling something towards someone else. granted for me, both are totally wrong but i didnt want it to be a "well i was thinking about doing it too...sooooo all is forgiven"
i wasnt expecting how much this story followed lots of lives. its like we a plunged into this village where Molly lives and you span round entering on the sly all different people lives. a fly on the wall of many walls, ha. and it did depict lives that arent always the romantic idyll we so often yearn to live in in these books! these were people going through stuff. and sometimes lots of messy stuff.
i found it easy to follow and it felt smooth enough to be able to know where one characters part ended and another begun and it really felt like i was getting a chunk out of this bunch of folks lives.
i felt for Molly. she felt a bit all over the place. lots was happening(or not) at home and so she was like many at her age feeling a little overwhelmed and adrift. so i could understand that a little. this is also a phase with the right family and or support easily worked out. but not so when your own husband decides to go off with your best friend. grrrr!!
this author was new to me so i think the style was new to me to. i look forward to trying more of her work to see if she fits proper.

The story follows Molly her family and friends and the ups and downs of family life when it all comes a little mudaine.

Molly's husband has had an affair with her best friend, she herself is attracted to the local school headmaster, her mother goes missing and her mother in law is in hospital.

A great read and one that will hold your attention until the end.

I’m very grateful for this ARC but I got to chapter 7 then I just couldn’t read any further ; too many different characters , too many storylines to follow, not for me I’m afraid.

This book didn’t seem to know what it wanted to be: small town slice of life; or mystery; or psychodrama. The book is all in third person but switches between multiple perspectives, which makes it hard to follow. The number of bizarre twists just seemed way too far-fetched — missing people, accidents, unexplained illness, affair, attempted murder, abandoned children, and multiple infidelity. There was just too much going on to care for any of the characters or get involved in their stories. If this had been a whole series of books about quirky characters in a small town, it might work, but it was just too much for one book.

And the description of the book was very misleading “feel-good” “uplifting read”?? The infidelity alone negates that.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book feels very small town and British. We follow a cast of many different, mostly flawed, characters in an eventful part of their lives.

It was an easy read and did not take me too long to get through. The chapters switched between the point of view of different characters which I think is a nice way to get more insight on the 'why certain people acted certain ways.' Even though it also made it sometimes difficult to follow from whose pov you were reading.

However, I did not exactly feel like the target audience for this book. I could not relate to any of the characters. Unfortunately, I did not find many of the characters likeable. I don't feel like there was a lot of growth in the characters and in the end the immense amount of problems were not really solved but everyone forgiven quite easily, so the ending did not really give me any closure.

Overall I think that people can certainly enjoy this book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Unfortunately, this book didn't particularly grab me. Although I was engaged throughout and read it pretty quickly, I did not feel particularly invested in the story, partially, I think, as other than Daisy, I didn't really like any of the characters, and there were too many, and too many storyline threads, to really keep track of, meaning the book felt quite jumbled at times. However, Anderson's use of multiple narratives is effective in moving the story along.

I hadn’t read the book when it was first out, but I have read every single one that was published after that and loved them all. This is by far the best in my opinion. It’s funny, entertaining, heart-warming and soul- wrenching. It keeps you glued to the page wondering who has done what. There’s mystery, sadness, laughter and everything in between. I know it’s going straight into my top ten best reads of 2025. I had no doubt I’d love it and will recommend it to all.
With many thanks to Boldwood, Netgalley and Celia Anderson for an early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

This is the story of 40 something Molly and her extended family and friends. I'm not entirely certain how to describe the plot but the book itself mentions the term "daytime soap" once, and I think that fits quite well. If you think you're getting a gentle story about a woman in midlife crisis re-evaluating her life, you're mistaken.

There is brazen infidelity, a serious car crash, motherly abandonments, violence, alcoholism, medical content, death and way too much church talk. There are also so many characters that some of them remained elusive to my brain until the very end. The sub plot with Polly, Nick, Kris and Sally felt unnecessary and chaotic, plus the cheaters get forgiven far too easily.

I didn't care about the marital struggles and all that domestic chaos with hundreds of kids running around. I have no idea why this book needed a re-release under a slightly different name. I always get suspicious and think something is wrong if that happens. I normally enjoy Celia Anderson's books because she has older characters in them, but this didn't gel with me. I'd rather not have such a high number of content warnings for what I assumed to be a light-hearted family comedy that is anything but.

Dancing Under the Moon by Celia Anderson was a delightful and heartwarming experience. The story centers around a woman seeking peace and purpose while navigating life’s uncertainties, set against the beautiful backdrop of a small, vibrant village. What I loved most was the relatable characters—each with their own quirks, dreams, and flaws—which made them feel so real and easy to connect with.

The writing style was very approachable, making the story easy to follow, even for someone not used to reading regularly. Anderson’s descriptions of the scenery, the emotions of the characters, and the unfolding events painted a vivid picture without feeling too heavy or overwhelming. It felt like I was right there in the village, experiencing the highs and lows with the characters.

Though I don’t typically read much in this genre, I found myself drawn into the story’s gentle rhythm and emotional depth. The themes of hope, change, and new beginnings were beautifully woven throughout, offering a sense of comfort and optimism. There were moments of humor and warmth, balanced with more poignant and thought-provoking reflections on life and love.

Overall, Dancing Under the Moon is a refreshing and uplifting read. It was a great introduction to this genre for me, and I look forward to exploring more of Celia Anderson’s work in the future. If you're looking for a feel-good, character-driven story with plenty of heart, this one is definitely worth a read.