This was a light fun rom com chick lit quick read everything Everything I am looking for in a book was in this book I loved Daniel and Nadia and I think everyone that likes books like this will also love it

2.5 Stars

Thanks to #netgalley #avonbooks for a free digital copy of #ourstop by Laura Jane Williams in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I'm rounding up to 3 stars because rom-com is not my preferred genre and others who love the genre may appreciate it more.

What worked: I liked the premise of the story that is loosely based on You've Got Mail. I liked the honesty, transparency, and kindness of Daniel's character. I thought the anonymous online communications between Daniel and Nadia were the best part of the story ... I wish there had been more of that. I liked the romantic dynamics of the first date (Daniel's thoughtful and creative planning and follow through). There were some instances of snappy dialogue and humor.

***the next paragraph may contain small spoilers***

What I wished had been better: I think readers who don't mind some profanity and crass language might enjoy the story more than I could. Some of the crassness was cringe worthy and unnecessary in my opinion. I wish that Daniel and Nadia had been able to make a connection earlier in the story so that we could see how that would play out. Even 50% in would have been ok, but 82% was way too long to wait. I found myself skimming from 50%-82% to get to the dramatic moment. I was disappointed in Nadia's choices after the failed bar meet up. It seemed out of character and didn't endear her to me. There is at least one heavy handed lesson in the story (the very specific reminder that the lack of a "no" is not a "yes" when it comes to a woman's consent). Even though this is an important point, it felt pedantic and like a lesson that we were taking a time out from the story to receive. Some characters and issues didn't seem critical to the story line, but a lot of filler is needed before that 82% mark. It caused me to question the author's intentions in writing the story....is the writing really about the story or about agendas?

This story has a great deal of potential and others have loved it, so please check out other reviews before making your reading choice! The reader who referred me to this story awarded it 5 stars. This shows that no two readers read the same story.

I absolutely loved reading Our Stop. From the witty writing to the highly likeable characters, you need to read this book this summer. Our Stop focuses on Nadia and Daniel, and is told from both their perspectives. Daniel admires Nadia from afar before writing a message to her via the Missed Connections section of the newspaper. What follows is messages back and forth and many near misses. In the end I couldn't put down this book because I needed to know when and how they'd eventually meet. If you're a fan of Sally Thorne and Christina Lauren, pick up a copy of Our Stop.

Perfect chick lit! I loved the premise and the characters were well developed! I recommend this for anyone looking for a light and fun read!

Totally adored this heart warming tale of destiny and fate. The story has lots of clever plots and a variety of interesting characters. A great holiday read that could easily be adapted for the big screen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the lives of Nadia and Daniel. Nadia aims to get the 7:30 train from Angel every morning, so long as she hasn’t overslept or had a late night out with her best friend Emma drinking wine. Daniel always gets the 7:30 train every morning because he hasn’t been sleeping properly since his dad died.

One Monday morning Nadia receives a text message from Emma with a picture of the newspaper’s Missed Connections section. The post that has caught their eyes seems like it’s aimed at Nadia, who instantly shoots it down but can’t help but feel a little bit excited at the prospect of it.

After drinking too much wine with Emma, the two start to write a draft message back with Nadia having no plans to send it. She’s recently come out of an emotionally abusive relationship and is unsure whether she’s ready to get back into the dating game. Emma, being the great friend she is, sends the message off. This then starts of a chain of messages, near-misses and nail-biting scenes.

This book is so much more that I expected it to be. I was hooked from the very beginning and found myself loving these characters.

I loved that the story was told by both Nadia and Daniel. It was interesting to get both sides of the story even if it made me cringe so badly when they were so close to bumping into each other! I found myself becoming so emotionally invested in their lives and this relationship.

I really loved the side characters as well. Gaby (Nadia’s work BFF) and Emma were the supportive friends that every girl wishes they had in their lives. They helped picked Nadia up in her lowest and were there to re-affirm to her that she deserved to be loved.

Romeo was so sweet and just the perfect friend for Daniel! The constant support he gave Daniel made me want to just hug him! From the first day that the two met Romeo was helping Daniel pick up the pieces without asking questions. Romeo didn’t care, he’s just a kind-hearted person.

The only thing I disliked in the book was that one chapter was written in someone else’s perspective (I’m trying to be vague so that I don’t spoil anything!) it just seemed so out of place and weird to me when I had gotten used to reading from either Nadia and Daniel’s perspectives.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love the idea of the missed communication section in the newspaper and when I used to travel everyday, I always found myself reading them, wondering if I could watch a romance like this blossom before my very own eyes. The characters were written beautiful and Laura Jane Williams has a way of just completely submerging you into the world she’s created. I also love books that are based in London, it just makes it more realistic for me because these are all places I’ve been to.

I recommend this book to people who are looking for a light-hearted, on the edge of your seat romance book this summer!

A real feel good, happy tale. I loved this from the very beginning. It had me in tears (both laughter and sadness) but overall such a feeling of happiness. It’s such a cute and funny romcom, you need to pick this up

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

This book follows the perspective of Daniel and Nadia as they try navigate their way through dating in your late 20s/early 30s. If you've been single during that age range, you can completely relate to this book. Once you reach a certain age the date pool has emptied a bit and most of your friends are married. You stop attending weddings and your time is now spent at baby showers and kids birthdays. You see happy couples everywhere and start to wonder why it hasn't happened for you. Nadia is no exception and wants that happy ending she sees everywhere. She loves watching novellas and reading the Missed Connection section of the paper, so she's excited when a missed connection post may be about her. She tries not to get to excited, but she loves love. They start communicating back and forth through the paper and soon all of London is reading along. When they keep missing each other, you start to wonder is they will ever meet in person.

This book was such a fun romcom that had me laughing, crying, and left me with a smile at the end. It's a will they/won't they story line and has you invested as their love story unfolds. The author's characters are pretty great. The book is chalked full of intelligent, independent, and strong female characters that are both relatable and likable. While there are a few Male characters that will make you cringe, most are quite swoon worthy.

This book tackled some tough dating situations and there was a bit of every kind of relationship (love is love and that point is made in this book). I can't really go into it much without spoilers, but I think those parts were well written. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a great love story.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I read it in an evening as it sucked me right in.

A lovely, feel good story of love that’s meant to be. Our Stop has likeable characters and a totally believable storyline. Lots of humour that had me howling with laughter. This would make a great film.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

Our Stop
by Laura Jane Williams

Kindle Edition, 368 pages
Published June 13th 2019 by Avon



Goodreads synopsis:
Laura Jane Williams combines sharp, relatable wit and bold, joyful sincerity’ Dolly Alderton
‘The love story you need in your suitcase this summer!’ Red
‘LJ’s honesty and voice are unique’ Stylist
What if you almost missed the love of your life?
Nadia gets the 7.30 train every morning without fail. Well, except if she oversleeps or wakes up at her friend Emma’s after too much wine.
Daniel really does get the 7.30 train every morning, which is easy because he hasn’t been able to sleep properly since his dad died.
One morning, Nadia’s eye catches sight of a post in the daily paper:
To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?
So begins a not-quite-romance of near-misses, true love, and the power of the written word.


***

2.5 Stars

I wanted to like this book. It had all the bones to be a good one. I liked the whole concept of seeing someone on the train everyday, not knowing them yet wanting to meet them. If you have ever ridden a train like the MetroLink in St. Louis or the L (stands for elevated) in Chicago you know how charging it can be to connect eyes with a stranger on the train and wonder “what if.”

This was a hard book to get through and I had to do a lot of skimming to do it. Daniel had put an advert in the Missed Connections section of the newspaper and Nadia thought it might be for her. But somehow time after time she didn’t make it to the train at the right time in order to meet him. Fate seemed to be trying to throw them together but they screwed it up each time.

It is hard to have a good romantic comedy if the two main characters never meet each other. This build up took too long. I lost interest quite early when it seemed like the two would never meet. I felt like it was a waste of my time and I wasn’t sure their actual meeting would be enough to save this book for me.

This book was just okay for me. Pick it up if rom-coms are your jam but otherwise I would give it a pass. 2.5 is actually an average rating out of a 5. Middle of the road good. It had the potential to be great but I think it deserved more.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

The premise was good but The female character and other characters were so crass and vulgar in their view, dialogue and teatment of sex, it ruined the romance.

There was no conflict and very minimal tension that I skipped through the pages.

The twist of her two best friends left a bad taste in he mouth as did the “romance” of Michelle and Barack Obama as her yardstick for love. Ick. if I wanted to read Michelle Obama’s biography, i would have checked it out at the library. There are better classical lovers that have left a higher standard.
.
The novel was anticlimatic. The end became redundant as the two were explaining things the reader already knew. The epiloque was unnecessary and just added to the sappiness.

I was indecisive about what rate I should give this book since I really liked it and I was so excited with the premise. It all started well and this boy meets girl in such an unusual but romantic way was really inventive. I was all giddy and couldn't put the book down while reading about their nearly encounters and all those crazy plans to finally meet each other.

However, all those nearly encounters, which was something so appreciated at the beginning, started to get really annoying and frustrating. C'mom, they had so many opportunities to just end that and just get together and see where that would lead them. And what the heck was this thing with Nadia tardiness ALL THE FREAKING TIME? I couldn't stop asking where was her boss or some kind of authority that never noticed an employee getting late at her desk everyday!!!

As characters though, and apart from Nadia's issue with mornings, I liked them quite well and could connect with them both. All those fears and insecurities were real and added a nice tone to the story. And let me give a huge thank you to Laura Jane Williams for creating a character who had pimples in adulthood. I almost cried when I read that Nadia, a woman who was almost thirty years old, was still suffering from those nasty breakouts. I suffer with that too and I know how it sometimes lows your self-esteem, so I really appreciated reading that in a book.

All in all, even though things took to long to happen, it's a nice chick lit and worth reading it!!!

I downloaded this book more in hope than expectation. It doesn’t fall into any of the genres I would normally read, but I promised myself I would expand my reading list to take in different styles.
How glad I am that I did. This book was so refreshing, even if the central characters are thirty odd years my junior. Their conversations, particularly between Nadia and her close friends Emma and Gaby were sometimes fruitier than this reader is used to- in the style of Sex and the City maybe.
But it is so beautifully plotted, the tension of Train Guy and Nadia desperately trying to reach out to each other, and just missing so many times, kept me turning pages to find out what happened next. I was as invested in the ultimate outcome to their story as were the many Tweeters who followed their exploits in the Missing Persons column of the free newspaper.
This story was warm, funny, and intriguing, I liked the humanity of it, and most of the central characters, whilst making a valid point that is very pertinent in the MeToo generation, regarding male on female behaviour.
A novel for these times we live in, I’m so glad I took a leap and downloaded it. I shall look for more of this author’s work.
My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy

Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams is a cute and funny romantic comedy about 2 people who are unlucky in love.

Nadia loves hanging out with her 2 best friends and tends to run late in the morning for work. Daniel is a sweet guy who is always on time in the morning. Daniel notices Nadia on the train and wants to meet her so he places an ad in a newspaper column called "Missed Connections". Nadia's friends see the ad and think it's about her. She answers the ad and a conversation through newspaper ads begins.

What if you felt someone was your soulmate but you had not officially met? What would you do?

The story is told alternately between Nadia and Daniel. This is an adorable and fun story.

If you enjoy star crossed lovers romance then this book is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

General Fiction (Adult)
Women's Fiction
Release Date: June 13, 2019

Nadia and Daniel both get the 7.30 train into work. One morning, Nadia finds a 'Missed Connections' ad in the paper that matches her description and an attraction between the two begins to develop. A lovely, heartwarming story written from both perspectives.

I loved the cover of this novel. It is bright and really caught my attention and it fits well with the story. The book was well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was mostly based around the characters of Daniel and Nadia and their near misses of becoming an item. The story was quite comedic in places and it was a really enjoyable, fun read. The writing was smooth and the whole story flowed really well. I haven't read anything from this author, Laura Jane Williams, before but as I really enjoyed "Our Stop" I would look out for other novels from her in the future. Highly recommended. Rating: Four stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Avon Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is such a fab book! It is such a romantic story that actually makes you feel a bit frustrated because of all the near misses but does leave you really rooting for the two characters.

The story is about two people Daniel and Nadia who get the 7.30 tube every morning. Although Nadia often oversleeps and misses it! Daniel sees her every time she gets on but he doesn't know how to chat to her and so he places a letter in the missed connections column of the local newspaper. In the hopes of getting a reply from her.

It is just such a lovely story that is so much more than the average fluffy romantic story. So glad i gave this one a go as its definitely one I would re read in the future.

My Thoughts: As soon as I read the synopsis for this I knew I needed to read it, I love myself a good love story and this one seemed like it wasn’t going to be your straight forward romance and I was living for it.

The story is told from 2 perspectives, Daniel’s and Nadia’s. Daniel has recently lost his father and just started a new job and therefore getting a different train, where he sees Nadia and likes what he sees. Nadia is a bit ditzy, always running late even though she starts off with the best of intentions, this means more often than not she misses her 7:30 train to work.

Daniel decides the best way to get Nadia’s attention is to leave her a message in the missed connections section of the paper that he sees her reading.

This starts an almost daily thing of back and forth between them, but when it comes to meeting each other they just keep missing each other.

I felt that the pace of this book was a little slow but it didn’t bother me as such because I was invested in the story.

There also seemed to be a lot political discussion thrown in & I’m not really sure why, it didn’t add anything to the story.

As well as the will they/won’t they relationship, There was a couple of good friendship groups too which was nice to see.

The story covered a lot of good topics, consent and grief being just two of them.

I really enjoyed this and will recommend to anyone who is a fan of contemporary romance.

A very big thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for allowing me to read an ARC of “Our Stop” by Laura Jane Williams.
I absolutely loved this! It would have been 5 stars all the way but my pet hate of bad language (and the “f” word as the worst imho) lose the half star!
Otherwise, fab! The storyline was great and very believable. The characters were so authentic and relatable.
I read this whilst on holiday so a nice romance was just perfect and there were enough detours, mishaps & real feelings and behaviour going on to make it interesting and engaging. A very easy read but with grown ups in it! Definitely like this author’s style but, honestly, there are so many words in the English language that using vulgar ones really adds nothing to such a storyline.

This novel is almost perfect! It’s a great rom-com type book that alternates it’s POV between the Nadia and Daniel as they almost meet on a train and what comes next. I loved that they included Daniel’s perspective and made him sweet and romantic but also a bit insecure. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual nervous heroine. In fact it’s so well done I found myself preferring his chapters and really cheering him on. Nadia is still a very likeable character but I found Daniel more endearing, probably because he was so open and vulnerable. This novel is very much about the chase and the near misses that have you rooting for them to finally make it work.

There was some dialogue that had me rolling my eyes because it was so unrealistic, and I could never believe the language to be authentic. It was some very odd millennial type discussion that seemed thrown in for no apparent reason but to make the reader take note even though it was out place to the rest of the tone. I could have done without it and I think the novel would have been better served. I felt the same way about issues they both had with their friends and a random chapter from the POV of another character that did not serve the story. Those should have been removed as they just slowed things down. Overall minor criticisms from a great debut novel that is absolutely worth the read. It really is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! It’s like holding a novel that would be Nora Ephron approved and make a wonderful screenplay!