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Dancing Under the Moon: A feel-good read, uplifting read from Celia Anderson
An engaging, totally relatable and feel-good read from TOP TEN bestselling author Celia Anderson 'Celia tells a story with warmth and heart - you'll be rooting for her wonderfully vivid characters, and want them to be your friends too!' Fiona Gibson
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?
This warm, wise and thought-provoking novel is perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, Cathy Bramley and Judy Leigh.
--This book was previously published as Moondancing.--
Praise for Celia
'Perfect for anyone looking for inspiration to make the very most of life whatever age they are.' Kate Storey
'Celia Anderson's characters leap from the page in her beautifully observed stories.' Sue Moorcroft
‘Warm, romantic and different, in the very best way’ Katie Fforde
'Funny, sad, relatable and superbly crafted, this is a real hug in a book.' Judy Leigh
'Celia's stories are always a delightful read.' Bella Osborne
‘I absolutely adored it!’ Ruth Hogan
‘Certain to make you laugh and cry’ Jenni Keer
‘Wonderful characters make this a great read’ Good Housekeeping
‘Unforgettable’ Woman’s Weekly
‘A gorgeous, uplifting, poignant tale of love, friendship and second chances . . . A treat of a novel’ Annie Lyons
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?
This warm, wise and thought-provoking novel is perfect for fans of Milly Johnson, Cathy Bramley and Judy Leigh.
--This book was previously published as Moondancing.--
Praise for Celia
'Perfect for anyone looking for inspiration to make the very most of life whatever age they are.' Kate Storey
'Celia Anderson's characters leap from the page in her beautifully observed stories.' Sue Moorcroft
‘Warm, romantic and different, in the very best way’ Katie Fforde
'Funny, sad, relatable and superbly crafted, this is a real hug in a book.' Judy Leigh
'Celia's stories are always a delightful read.' Bella Osborne
‘I absolutely adored it!’ Ruth Hogan
‘Certain to make you laugh and cry’ Jenni Keer
‘Wonderful characters make this a great read’ Good Housekeeping
‘Unforgettable’ Woman’s Weekly
‘A gorgeous, uplifting, poignant tale of love, friendship and second chances . . . A treat of a novel’ Annie Lyons
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2025
206 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Celia Anderson
32 books68 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 23, 2025
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.
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.
May 17, 2025
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
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
May 18, 2025
I would firstly just like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my kindle, in return for my honest review…
Dancing Under The Moon is a heartwarming, feel-good read that is full of the most wonderful characters and i thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them all and by the end i just wanted them all to be my friends they became so real!
Forty-something Molly realises that not only is life passing her by but it has completely gone without her…and thats not good.
I was pulled into this book right from the very beginning and it did not let me go again until i had turned every last page and devoured it all. It was such an easy book to read, was beautifully written and so hard to put down too.
This story definitely made me think and want to make the most out of life, it was romantic, full of friendships, second chances and really made my heart happy…..
Dancing Under The Moon is a heartwarming, feel-good read that is full of the most wonderful characters and i thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them all and by the end i just wanted them all to be my friends they became so real!
Forty-something Molly realises that not only is life passing her by but it has completely gone without her…and thats not good.
I was pulled into this book right from the very beginning and it did not let me go again until i had turned every last page and devoured it all. It was such an easy book to read, was beautifully written and so hard to put down too.
This story definitely made me think and want to make the most out of life, it was romantic, full of friendships, second chances and really made my heart happy…..
April 24, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced ebook.
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.
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.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2025
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.
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.
May 23, 2025
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.
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.
April 6, 2025
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.
With many thanks to Boldwood, Netgalley and Celia Anderson for an early copy.
May 2, 2025
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.
May 23, 2025
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
don’t let this review put you off though she is a fab author and you may enjoy it more than me
May 21, 2025
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.
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.
October 13, 2025
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.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews