I thought the premise for this story was a good one featuring mature characters (older than our typical 20/30-year-olds) in romance, women's fiction.

However, I just couldn't connect to the characters. I think part of the problem was the large cast and the other part was the story being written in third person. I wish we had first person for each of the characters.

The story was too unfocused to keep me focused, if that makes sense.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an e-copy of DANCING UNDER THE MOON to review.

I rate DANCING UNDER THE MOON three out of five stars.

Magical, romantic, and full of feel-good charm 🌕💃. Dancing Under the Moon is a whimsical, heartwarming escape about love, friendship, and rediscovering life’s magic. Celia Anderson’s writing is uplifting, with just the right touch of sparkle and romance. I adored the atmospheric seaside setting and the emotional journey of the characters. Perfect for fans of feel-good fiction with a sprinkle of the mystical.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I took a few chapter for me to get into this book but after that I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was another read that I just absolutely adored from Boldwood! It's captivating, engaging from the start, the pacing is on point, and the characters? They all have at least pieces you can relate to! I especially love the fact that the characters are older - Molly was 40! She was a mum of 4 and married - and it just felt like something easy to read. I usually stop reading any books with even a hint of infidelity but I really did rather enjoy the way in which the entire topic was handled.

This is an uplifting, heartwarming tale that effortlessly blends romance, friendship, and second chances into a story that’s as cozy as it is inspiring.

At the heart of the story is Molly, a woman in her forties who suddenly realizes that life hasn’t just passed her by—it’s all but vanished without her truly living it. Her journey of self-discovery is touching and relatable, reminding us that it’s never too late to chase joy, love, or personal growth.

From the very first chapter, the story grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Anderson’s writing is fluid and full of heart, making the book both easy to devour and hard to put down. The blend of romance, life reflection, and the beauty of unexpected friendships creates a feel-good read that lingers long after the final page.

Dancing Under The Moon is more than just a romantic escape—it’s a nudge to embrace life’s moments, take chances, and never stop believing in new beginnings.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This is a messy small town fiction filled with various chaotic stories which are double edged- engaging yet boring.

I did not like any of the characters. They were all one-dimensional, took excessive and dangerous risks and didn’t develop at the end of the story.

The plot is told from the points of view of almost all the characters, giving an insight into their personalities.

There were deep themes and I felt there may be some few triggering moments in the plot. I didn’t enjoy this like the author’s previous works. I didn’t find it uplifting nor feel good as described.

If you enjoy messy stories about messy characters then you may enjoy this.

sadly not my favourite by this author, i found it hard to get into and felt it chopped and changed between characters too much that i got lost with who was who and what was happening with their lives.
don’t let this review put you off though she is a fab author and you may enjoy it more than me

This was my third book by this author and unfortunately, my least favorite.

It was a very engaging read. I definitely wanted to keep reading to see how it would unfold.

I did not find the story a feel-good or uplifting read. There were deep themes explored and I think they were resolved too neatly and too easily.

I didn't see characters taking responsibility for their actions. I also thought there were too many storylines at once. I would have preferred if the author had focused in more on what was going on with the main characters and really explored that. Instead the off-shoot stories just fely distracting in parts and incomplete.

However, since I have read and liked previous books by this author I recognize that I may have a minority view so I would encourage you to check out this book and others by this author.

A story full of the drama of family life. Celia Anderson fills the pages with a mixture of characters all wrapped up in their own lives and wishes for something different.
I felt for Molly, pulled in all directions and taken for granted by her husband and family, she was in danger of losing herself.
Different chapters gave different viewpoints and kept the story moving along well

Dancing Under The Moon by Celia Anderson

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Forty-something Molly is starting to realise – with growing horror – that life isn’t just passing her by, it has completely gone without her. Her husband, four children and large collection of animals are chaotic and demanding, and her job as a playgroup assistant has lost its power to inspire her.

When temptation strikes and Molly is desperately attracted to the charismatic village headmaster, she is outraged to discover that her husband Jake has beaten her to a fling, and even worse, has done this with one of Molly’s closest friends!

With the whole family plunged into turmoil for a variety of reasons, Molly is forced out of her comfort zone to make decisions that will affect her marriage, her children, her parents and her friends. Can she reclaim her life, and learn to love it again as she does so?

My Opinion

Dancing Under The Moon was previously released as Moondancing.

An entertaining book that was difficult to put down. Celia Anderson has written a novel with a great cast of characters. I enjoyed the way that Celia switched viewpoints to give the reader insights into each of the characters.

Rating 4/5

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

We follow the lives of three couples, who are so different from each other and what happens in their lives.

It was very surprising how their lives were after everything they’d been through. You felt their emotions whilst reading the story.

I liked Molly, and how she felt, and how she wanted to be appreciated.

I recommend this book.

Wow this was an absolutely insane book. Following the different couples and the issues that they all end up going through was very entertaining. I could not believe how things turned out and what all had happened. Emotions are definitely high in this book. As a mom I can see how Molly fell into a rut and just wanted to be appreciated. Molly was an interesting character and following her dance between being a mom and wife while also just being herself was very entertaining. The ending was good, and I was surprised with how it all ended.

I have read this author’s books before and enjoyed them. This one seemed familiar so I wondered if it drew on other stories and ideas. In any case, it is a fun read and has a great cast of characters who are annoying and lovable in equal measure. This author writes chaos so well and brings together ridiculous scenarios in such a humorous and sensitive way that it is impossible not to relate to them.

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.