Finding a decently written romance that reflects the complexities of our lives is becoming slightly easier to find. Among them sits The Love Square that initially starts off with the possibility of love but is more to do with feeling displaced and out of control of one’s life.

In the depths of Stoke Newington, London lives Penny, a talented chef who runs her own cafe, whose life is turned upside down when her uncle falls sick and is forced to shoulder the responsibility of running his pub restaurant in Havingley, a village in Derbyshire. In the midst of what she hopes to be a temporary life change are the three men she meets along the way – Francesco, Thomas and Priyesh. Spending time with each man, Penny realises that this isn’t who she is or what she wanted in the first place and comes to terms with what she truly wants, as well as with whom.

Pleasantly surprising, The Love Square holds some of Beth O’Leary’s The Flat Share vibes partly due to it being based in London with a refreshing shift to the Derbyshire hills bringing it an earthy experience where Penny gets in touch with nature. As the novel progresses, however, it becomes apparent that she’s not the same woman we meet in the beginning who thrives on being in the capital, a place she feels she belongs and can be the best version of herself. The book is frank and emotionally honest about Penny’s past pain. She’s clearly strong in spite of losing her mother, being deserted by her father as well as surviving breast cancer at 25. Yet her self-confidence wavers when it comes to love due to her poor experiences with men and she wonders if she’ll ever be able to find a lifelong, supportive companion.

You could be forgiven for thinking this is going to be a hilarious comedy of errors – after all, being caught between three men at the same time is a recipe for disaster of colossal proportions. Yet this isn’t a funny story as Penny appears to use men as a distraction from the truth and undergoes some serious introspection to understand herself better. That’s not to say the men in her life are entirely negative influences. Thomas’ sense of adventure allows her to go out of her comfort zone and explore the surrounding wilderness, Priyesh is attentive, sweet and kind, while Francesco has a lot in common with her. The choice she ultimately makes is one that’s best for the life goals she holds in mind. Between the three men, I don’t think I preferred any of them strongly enough – Thomas is a little one-dimensional and superficial, Priyesh comes off too eager and Francesco, towards whom I was initially inclined, is judgemental and unfair to Penny. It seems slim pickings for a short while until Penny realises she needs to be her true, authentic self before she can choose a man.

Away from Penny’s drama, Laura Jane Williams has seamlessly written numerous LGBTQ+ friends and family into the storyline who provide her with the loving stability and enable her to eventually find her feet. The close bond between herself and her sister, Clementine, is heartwarming while the banter her friend Charlie provides is the source of some comic relief. Between the men and the temporary displacement, Penny isn’t merely caught between a romance of who she wants but also where she wants to be. Ultimately, Penny ends up making the decisions she wants instead of what the men want her to do and finds herself in control of her life again.

The Love Square is a satisfyingly light, feel-good fiction with some honest soul-searching beyond a typically disastrous romance. It’s fast-paced and doesn’t dwell too much on emotional angst but still offers some depth in allowing characters to realise their full potential by refocusing, knowing what they want and standing up for it. Amidst all of this, what it quite wonderfully offers is that none of this can be possible without a support network of family and friends that help Penny achieve her dreams.

While reading The Love Square there were moments that I truly enjoyed. I loved Penny's relationship with her sister. I love her desire to be independent. I felt like Penny had the tools to be a strong character.

What I didn't love was how Penny was a bit hypocritical at time. It was okay for her to date more than one person but the guy she was dating couldn't without her being upset over it. I also felt like I was let to believe Penny was going to be happy on her own but was then given a different ending.

This book had potential but just feel flat for me. I think with a little more clarity and a bit more depth, this could be a 4 star book for sure.

Not what I expected, not in a bad way just not what I expected. I liked how the story handles infertility issues and reminds us that loving relationships come in all kinds of forms. Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

This book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

This book was definitely what I needed to read right now. It's so real, and so full of love and laughter. I absolutely loved Laura's first novel, and this met all expectations. I devoured it in a few hours as I honestly couldn't put it down!


Would love to read more of her writings

I really, really liked this! I'm a fan already of Laura Jane Williams, as I read "Our Last Stop" last year. I didn't put this down and I read it in a day.

Penny Bridges is 30, a small business owner, a sister, niece and friend - but she wants love, and a family. She's used to having no luck with dating, but over the course of the year her luck changes. After meeting someone special, her life is uprooted and all changed. As she adapts to her new climate, she meets not one, but two more potential suitors, and suddenly what was once a lacklustre love life is the opposite.

The characters in this are extremely well-written, to the point I can vividly see them - hard to achieve but essential to a brilliant story. I thought the love story was exceptionally feminist and modern and I enjoyed the dialogue. I related to Penny perhaps a little too hard (I wish I owned my own business) and I really think Laura Jane Williams put a great deal of love into these characters and it shows.

10/10 would recommend and I'll always read her work!

“The Love Square” is a fast paced read, which is the perfect antidote to the time period where most of us are social distancing. The novel focuses on Penny, who like many of us, just cannot win at the dating game. Yet, as the novel progresses, Penny finds herself interested three different men, all of whom have feelings for Penny—hence, the love square. The reader experiences the high and lows of developing relationships with these three men and joins in the debate of who might come out the winner.

But if you think the novel is simply a romantic comedy, it is much more. Penny is a chef who has lost both parents and survived breast cancer. Due to treatment, Penny went into menopause and would not be able to have children, if Penny hadn’t harvested and frozen some of her eggs pre-treatment. The book does not gloss over what it means to be a cancer survivor and because of Penny’s strength, the reader cannot help but wonder if a man is what Penny really needs. (No spoilers, but remember this book is touted as a romance).

Not only does the author do an excellent job in developing Penny, but creates supporting characters with plenty of diversity. Penny’s main familial support comes from her sister and her uncle. In fact, I liked these characters (and companions, Sharon and Charlie) much more than the three love interests: Francesco, Thomas, and Priyesh.

While I would not consider this novel light-hearted, it does leave you with warm fuzzies at the end and is great “escape” literature. I was not familiar with Laura Jane Williams, but I will be curious to check out her debut novel, “One Stop.” Three and a half stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

This book was super cute. I love Penny’s closeness with her sister and their video podcasts. Also she started so unlucky in love with guys ghosting her. I think everyone can relate to that.

I enjoyed her relationship with all three guys. Especially Francesca who was so understanding to her and everything she’s been through. And why not, sometimes it’s good to have a bit of fun. She’s strong and independent.

Fantastic book. It made me laugh it made me cry and shout at the main character in frustration for not having faith in herself.
Low self esteem in her romantic life whilst he professional life is a success, that is after the adjustment made due to illness. Not what you expect in your early twenties to face your own morality.
Don't expect a pity party in this book in any way. How can you believe that the hot guy fancies you and wants to be with you after a short time when family drama turns your life upside down for a minimum of 12 months.
Loved the previous book our stop and will be looking out for other books by this author.

I really liked this book - the relationship with the main characters differed at different times in the story, which I liked

This book was definitely what I needed to read right now. It's so real, and so full of love and laughter. I absolutely loved Laura's first novel, and this met all expectations. I devoured it in a few hours as I honestly couldn't put it down!

Review: The Love Square, Laura Jane Williams.

Penny thinks she's unlucky in love and unlovable, but wants to start a family and doesn't need a man to do that. She finds herself in a Love Square, with three men with different intentions and relationships with her. What man will she choose? Penny is an incredible character that any gal in her 20s can relate to in some way. She's a chef and owner of a London cafe, brilliant family and friends around her and is a Lizzo fan and High-Low listener. Highly recommend this to fans of Our Stop by Laura Jane Williams, really nice to read more of her writing.

⭐⭐⭐

Some of the relationships I thought were different to other romance books I'd read before, but it does come round to the familiar predicted happy ending. I did find parts frustrating as I felt like it was building up to her being happy on her own with what she already had and not that a man has to be part of that or needed, and hoped that would have been the direction.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I was hoping to.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book in exchange for my review.

An enjoyable modern romantic comedy. They're not usually my choice of books, but I like the way Laura writes.

I have adored this book, it’s been such an easy and enjoyable read which I haven’t been able to put down.
The characters are likeable and the plot is interesting.

More like 3.5 stars
Same great writing style and interesting characters but somehow the overall story wasn’t exactly what I thought I’ll get.
It was interesting to see how much love plays a part in this book and how much people are willing to forgive and get over to make something out of their own life.
Although it’s not one of my favourites, it will be a loved book.

Laura Jane Williams' The Love Square presents a dilemma that many seekers of love would love to have - not one, not two, but three potential suitors! But, good problems are still problems, and Penny finds her heart pulled in three directions, and this is ultimately a book about female empowerment and what it means to discover what you really want.

Great for lovers of books like The Flatshare! This is a compulsively readable tale that packs an emotional punch.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this book. I immediately connected to the main character, Penny, and appreciated her journey to following her own path to fulfil her needs. On the surface, it is a love story between Penny and three lovers - each special in his own right. At its core, this is a book about self love and the powerful effect that healthy friendships and family have in one's life.

There is also a nod to feminism in this book. Penny has power in choosing between her three lovers, in building a business, and in stepping up for family, both biological and chosen. It is a modern take on female empowerment that a woman should want it all for as long as it serves her.

I recommend this book for people who like a fast paced contemporary love story with lots of drama and a modern take on HEA.

#NetGalley provided an advaced copy in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Love Square’ is the story of Penny, a chef who survived cancer at the age of 25 and, now 30, is struggling to find ‘the one.’ Her luck seems to be changing when she meets gorgeous, charming Francesco, until a family emergency sees her moving halfway across the country and into the lives of two more possible ‘ones.’
First things first, I must admit I really didn’t enjoy Laura Jane William’s debut novel, ‘One Stop.’ It just really wasn’t for me- I couldn’t get on board with the premise and never really warmed to the characters. Happily, ‘The Love Square’ hooked me in a way it’s predecessor just didn’t.
Penny is a lovely main character, and her history with cancer is depicted really effectively. Cancer related infertility is not something we talk about much, and I was pleased that LJW dealt with it so sensitively. I was pleased to read a story where cancer is in the past, and is not a tragic plot device. Her sister Clemmie is not nearly as fully fleshed out as Penny, but their relationship provides a beautiful constant throughout the story, as does Penny’s friendship with the very funny Sharon.
The story contains a number of LGBTQ+ characters (including a non-binary character) as well as several non white characters, which I was very pleased to see.
This was just the book I needed in these uncertain times- funny, poignant, warm and cheeky. I look forward to LJW’s next offering!
Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advance copy of The Love Square in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am not sure about how to start this review, to be honest!

The things I liked:

- The family relationship. I thought it was very strong and supportive and cute. Despite everything that goes on, I liked how close Penny (the main character) and Clementine (her sister) are. It was a healthy, true and very beautiful relationship.

- Penny's independence. She is a young woman with a difficult and hard past but very strong and focused on what she doesn't want.

What I didn't like:

- Penny's friends. We all know friends are supposed to listen to you, give you advice, being supportive and stand by you. We also know that true friends should say if something you are doing is wrong or unethical. I felt like all of Penny's friends only told her how well she was doing everything and not to worry about anything, when she was actually hurting people and playing with people's feelings! I was like: No one is really gonna tell her that she isn't right? That she could have been more careful? That upset me.

- Penny's incoherences. Another thing I didn't understand was why she got upset and all dramatic when one of the guys she is dating, is also seeing another person, when she is doing just that. I don't know how she could be so hypocritical.

- Cliches. I am not gonna get too deep in this matter as I think it will spoil some parts of the story but, from chapter 1 I knew who she was gonna end up with. Why did I have to read 350 for her to realise it? Everyone knew it!

I really don't like giving bad ratings and writing bad reviews but it took me a lot of effort to finish this book. I wanted to DNF it half way through but, out of stubbornness, I finally finished it!

I love this, I love this, I love this!

After loving Our Stop last year I was eagerly awaiting another novel from Laura Jane Williams.
This is full of fun, humour laughs and gasp moments. You will not be disappointed.