I read Our Stop with my book club recently so I had high hopes for The Love Square, however I felt this one fell a little flat.

I enjoyed the premise of the story however I was never fully invested in the characters and it took me a while to want to start reading and I struggled to connect with Penny as a main character, she wasn’t unlikeable she just wasn’t loveable. However I enjoyed Charlie, the first non binary character I had ever read and i enjoyed the diversity of the book.

This book would be great as a summer read by the pool and is enjoyable, humorous and also deals with a lot of difficult themes such as fertility and cancer.

Thank you to Avon books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve got to admit it, I was rather disappointed by this book. The cover implied a book rather upbeat and light-hearted. However, this was definitely not the case. I found Penny’s circumstances rather miserable and her love-life was irritating. The outcome was predictable and I could not connect with her as the main character.

So, it becomes clear from the outset that Penny is unfortunate in love. She has had a difficult life with being ill from cancer and losing her mum to the same disease. Add in the fact that she can’t seem to find Mr Right and Penny is, naturally, rather frustrated. As her circumstances change over the novel, Penny manages to find herself involved with three very different men – all offering opposing relationships. From the beginning there is Francesco, a fellow chef and attractive Italian. Moving to Derbyshire, Penny gets involved with Thomas who is rakish, unpredictable and not at all interested in monogamy. Finally, Priyesh offers a wild but what felt a desperate attraction that obviously does not have any future to it. When the three men eventually meet in the closing chapters of the story, it is naturally very awkward and I found my toes curling at the atmosphere – I just wanted Penny to hurry up and make her mind up!

It is obvious who Penny should make a future with and I feel the author could have either surprised the reader more at the end or, simply reduced the length of the story. It did feel like it dragged on a bit at the closing and I was relieved when I reached the Epilogue. This was really disappointing myself because I had had such high expectations. I didn’t really appreciated Penny’s infidelities and was frustrated she was quite happy to jump between different men – I guess I was hoping for a heroine with more morality?!

Undoubtedly, Williams’s cast of characters is diverse. Penny’s friends and family are fun and supportive. I liked Sharon and I think Thomas had potential to be the more interesting of boyfriends – it’s a shame neither featured more in the story. Charlie, a colleague working with Penny in Derbyshire, is Williams’s most diverse character and as a gender non-binary, I found myself most surprised to see this representation. My brain struggled to process this (I’m sorry!) and I could not move beyond this.

There isn’t much laugh-out-loud humour in the story but the banter is refreshing and helps break the damp atmosphere. Many issues are running through Penny’s story and this adds depth to something I anticipated being a funny example of women’s fiction. I hope Williams’s other novel is more light-hearted and warming because this one, sadly, to not live up to my expectations.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Love Square follows Penny, a 31-year-old successful business owner of a small cafe in London, who after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend 5 years ago, hasn't really been lucky in her love life. After battling with cancer in her 20's she decided to freeze her eggs in case she decided she wants to be a mother as cancer reduced her chances. Penny starting to come to terms with the fact that she may not find love stumbles upon Francesco, and then another potential love interest, and then another.

This follows Penny's journey in finding the right guy, as well as figuring out what the next step is going to be for her life. As someone who has just started reading woman's fiction, I really appreciate this genre as it focuses' on the main character's journey rather than her love life, which was a big part of this book, and I loved every minute of it. but I felt as if Penny was being a little bit too indecisive about her love interests. I liked the beginning of the book at the start of her figuring out what she want's but by the middle, I felt as if Penny's indecisiveness was something that hindered the book rather than enhanced it, I found myself not caring as much with who she ended up with, this was sad for me as the romance is usually what draws me into a book and there was just so much going on in her love life that I felt kind of distance from her character rather than connecting with her as this seemed very unrealistic in my opinion. I did end up enjoying it as I felt for her character throughout the novel even though some instances felt unrealistic at times, I did like the story overall.

I liked this book and I would definitely recommend it to someone who maybe is a little bit older than I am as I feel it would relate to their life a little bit more but over it was a sweet contemporary novel that I found to actually be perfect for the summer.

I read and enjoyed Laura Jane Williams' first novel called 'Our Stop'. when I heard that she was due to release another book, I knew that I just had to read it as soon as I could. Overall I did enjoy reading 'The Love Square' but more about that in a bit.
It took me a little while to get into 'The Love Square' but that has more to do with the fact that I was tired and finding it hard to concentrate when I started to read more than anything else. Once I got into the story, that was it and I was away. I even ended up feeling quite envious of Penny in the sense that she had all these men chasing after her. She is spoilt for choice! This wasn't one of those books that I could binge read over the course of a single day but I did manage to read the book over the course of three days. I would say that I flew through the latter half of the book as I raced to find out how Penny's story concluded and whether or not she would get the 'happy ever after' ending that she so deserved.
'The Love Square' is well written. In Penny, Laura has created a strong female lead, who ends up feeling more like a friend than anything else. Laura certainly knows how to grab your attention and keep it throughout the length of the story. I did find myself chuckling away to myself at certain points of the story as I visualised them happening in my head. I did feel as though I was part of the story myself and that's thanks to Laura's fun and interesting storytelling and dialogue.
In short I did enjoy reading 'The Love Square' and I would recommend it to other readers. I thought that 'Our Stop' was good but 'The Love Square is even better. I will be reading more of Laura's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Forget a love triangle, that’s so 20th Century. What you need is a Love Square!!

I adored this contemporary romance and was so glad it lived up to my expectation following Laura’s last book ‘Our Stop’, which I read late last year and also loved! I think I even preferred The Love Square!!

I’m a sucker for romances based around cafe’s / restaurants etc, so all of the food references along with the sides of sexy romance was just music to my ears!

It was a little predictable in parts, but so what, it still delivered everything I want from a contemporary romance. I also loved the diversity of the characters in this book and the LGBTQ+ representation.

There was some very difficult, emotional topics addressed in this book, which I thought were done really well.

It was funny, sad, heartwarming and heartbreaking all in equal measures!

Overall a perfect summer read that I couldn’t put down. I would definitely recommend if you loved ‘Our Stop’ and are a big contemporary rom com fan!

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for an advance copy of this book.

Really enjoyed this title interesting and likeable characters and also a real page turner and i finished it in a few days.

I feel like this book had a lot of potential but i didn't love it! I found the start a bit slow, the middle and ending average. I felt at times the author wanted Penny to be an independent woman who didn't need a man and then other times i found Penny totally dependent on men and literally non stop about them. I quite liked Francecso until he slut shammed Penny and compared her to an animal. I feel it wasn't suited to his character that we had got to know- way to harsh. I really enjoyed the relationship with Penny and her sister, loved her friend Sharon. She was so supportive of Penny and a great friend. it is a fast paced, easy read but at times i found the style of writing a bit child like. I enjoyed hearing about Penny's past and her struggle with cancer and want for a baby. If your looking for a easy quick read this is the book but don't expect to be blown away.

Thank you to net galley, the author and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for a review.

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams is a light read. It is a fun and fast-paced romantic comedy, which deals with the story of Penelope Hermione Bridge, our heroine, who struggling to get dates, ends up in a connection with three guys at once, thus forming a love square geometrically!

There is something inviting about chefs falling in love, what with all that tantalizing aroma around their food and eventually themselves. This book cleverly banks on the same, and delivers as expected.

The love making scenes, though few, were not erotic enough for an adult romcom. Now, I don't mean for them to compete with the erotica genre itself, but something was definitely amiss here.

Thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: One time read.

If you like a bit of a romcom and you’re looking for a quick and easy read then this is totally the book for you! The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams was exactly what I was craving after reading a couple of thrillers in a row. Sweet and likeable characters, kind of predictable but with a few details that give it an interesting edge, and some funny moments, it’s such a great feel-good read. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

As the title and cover suggest, the story follows Penny as she meets and ultimately starts dating 3 different men. I chose my team quite early on though, refreshingly, I didn’t find any of Penny’s suitors to be particularly villainous. As the story progresses she obviously needs to start making some decisions before it all comes crashing down around her ears. But when they all offer something different, it’s not such a simple choice.

I really liked Penny, the owner and chef at a successful cafe, and a breast cancer survivor. Although she was clearly not renowned for her decision making skills, since there were obviously fairly legitimate reasons for this I didn’t find it overly frustrating. Her relationships with her sister, uncle and friends were pretty adorable and in the end I was relieved to find that she struck a balance between trying to please other people and finding her own happiness.

Like in her first novel, Our Stop, the author’s love of London really shines through, although this one is also partially set in Derbyshire. As someone who isn’t the world’s biggest fan of London (controversial!), I think this book has much wider appeal. Added to that, The Love Square has a significantly more believable plot with, I feel, a wider age range of its central characters, meaning that although I did mostly enjoy Our Stop I hugely preferred this one!

With thanks for the gifted eARC for review.

Entertaining, emotional, touching upon some really serious issues (surviving cancer, infertility, death of a parent), The Love Square has a lot to offer. It has very interesting characters (great LGBTQIA representation), both main and secondary (loved Penny's sister Clemmie and best friend Sharon!) and a great story of finding happiness, despite the curveballs life has sent the protagonist.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion

30-year-old London-based chef and café owner, Penny Bridge is unlucky in love. Then she meets Francesco, a pastry chef and they have a whirlwind romance. Three weeks in, Penny's uncle falls ill and she must move from London to Derbyshire to take charge of his pub/restaurant. As the relationship is still new, she feels like she can't ask Francesco to go with her and instead, breaks the whole thing off.

Seven months later, Penny has settled in well and finally makes moves to get back in contact with Francesco on a friend-only texting basis. She also meets two men at two different times who she has a connection with; Thomas, an old school friend and Priyesh, the pub's wine merchant. But then we have a bit of overlap, hence the book title.

I didn't love the character of Penny or Thomas but I have a soft spot for both Francesco and Priyesh. The book touches on some real-life issues such as cancer and infertility and it is a very diverse book. There are supporting characters from the LGBTQIA community and even a non-binary character, Charlie. I would have loved to have more of a backstory on Charlie, just to hear more about their life. It feels a little like they were introduced just to have a non-binary character with not much substance.

The ending was absolutely perfect for the book and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Oh boy. This one did not go well for me. I started out liking it, then cringing a lot, then actually really enjoying it, then honestly kind of hating it.

There were a few things I liked: the relationship between Penny and her sister, Clementine, the diverse cast of characters, and the way Penny just gave into her feelings and tried new things with new guys.

The rest of it was kind of a dumpster fire. Francesco was probably the worst hero I have ever read. The relationship between him and Penny was bumbling and awkward at best. He was a giant ass with a bad attitude when he didn’t get want he wanted, AND he slut shamed her and compared her to an ANIMAL. Penny seemed like she regretted the time she spent with Priyesh & Thomas, but in my opinion they were good for her even if they weren’t what she needed in the long run.

This had the potential to be feminist and empowering, but instead we saw Penny allow a giant dick to treat her in the most disrespectful way and instead of standing up for herself, she allowed him to manipulate her and took all the blame. I was so disappointed in this book. Would not recommend.

3.5 stars

I’m pleased to share my review for The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams. Thank you to Avon Books for a digital ARC – my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.

Synopsis:

She’s single. But that doesn’t mean it’s not complicated…

Penny Bridge has, historically, been very unlucky in love. She’s pledged to focus on other things – her friends, her career – making the most of what busy London life has to offer.

But when difficult circumstances mean that Penny’s uncle must hand over the kitchen of his beloved restaurant in Derbyshire, she finds herself stepping into a new life in a new town.

And as luck would have it, she’s suddenly confronted with one remarkable man who wants to date her, followed by another. And then another…

So begins a hilarious love-square with Penny firmly in the middle…

My thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read by Laura Jane Williams and I liked the sound of the synopsis. The story starts with Penny living and working in London, wondering if she will ever find her special someone to go home to. Over the next few weeks she meets three very different men, a chef, a band manager and a wine merchant, and moves to Derbyshire for at least a year.

The story follows how Penny finds herself in the middle of the love square, with all three men enjoying her company, and wanting varying levels of commitment from Penny.

The story is an enjoyable modern romance story with lots of food descriptions (Penny is a chef) and hopes for the future.

I really enjoyed the author’s debut novel, Our Stop, so I was excited to read this book but unfortunately it’s horrid. Her last novel was endearing and fun with some rough edges that could be overlooked with a new writer but unfortunately this novel has nothing redeeming. This book has all the bad things and nothing good which is the exact wrong trend for a writer. The book started off incredibly slow and I found Penny grating and almost gave up on it completely. It did pick up in the middle when she finally leaves London but unfortunately the character and tone are all over the place. The author did not seem to know if she wanted to write a love story or an independent woman coming into her own kind of story. Either would have been preferable to this mess. She does not own her choices but instead mires in slut shaming which frankly makes no sense. She is treated horribly and instead of standing up for herself she agrees with it. She is written as a woman who wants a baby to love her which comes across as the worst shallow and needy reason. This to me feels like a novel that will annoy everyone. It is not for you if you want a fun Rom Com as you definitely won’t find that. It fails if it was trying to be an independent woman succeeds on her own as she is very weak as a character and in her choices. This novel is a complete mess and disappointment all around. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wonderfully entertaining read. I couldn’t put this down and I adored the character of Penny, so relatable and completely understandable struggles with the dating world. Great story, lovely writing and likeable characters, it’s a great summer read.

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

I absolutely loved Our Stop when I read it last year so as soon as I knew Laura Jane Williams was writing a new book I went on the hunt and was thankful to find it on NetGalley!

This book was such a fun and fast-paced read! I had so much trouble putting this book down and I really came to love Penny as a character. She gives up a lot in this book, putting her life on the back burner to help out family and in turn putting herself in a situation that makes her reconsider what she wants in life.

At times this was an emotional book for me. Penny’s struggles with the idea of IVF and not being able to carry children of her own due to cancer was heart-breaking. However, I completely respect how Williams openly talks about this topic and what options are available to women who also struggle. I also loved how supportive Penny’s family and friends were with her decision, especially her sister.

Whilst I did worry that this book would be somewhat cringy with the Love Square it was nothing of the sort (apart from one scene when honestly I wanted to scream from the awkwardness) and I liked the different personalities of the men involved in this story.

Honestly, I loved this book and I love Laura Jane Williams writing style. The Love Triangle is a cute, swoon-worthy filled with diversity. This book, much like Our Stop, flows smoothly and has self-love at its core. I cannot wait to read the next book Laura Jane Williams writes!

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

Penny thinks she is unlucky in love, and can’t figure out why she can’t find the one.

After losing her parents, and cancer at a young age, she’s desperate to move on with her life, fall in love, have a baby. Her sister and uncles are her world, along with her career are her world, and when she suddenly finds herself thrown off her own plan she also finds herself in not only a love triangle but a SQUARE. Three different men who come into her life, and she can’t figure out if any are THE ONE.

What I loved about the book was how strong of a character Penny was - big career, goals and how we were introduced to her fertility issues and how she dealt with them. I felt like the issues she was dealing with not knowing if she’d find that person to be with was so relatable.

The thing that held me back from giving this title a higher star rating is something that may be updated from ARC to print - I'll be very interested to see - is how we segueway from scene to scene. Often Penny would be speaking with one character, and then with no notice or differential, it would be a different time & she would be speaking with someone else, or had changed location - I often found myself backing up once I realized who she was with wasn't the same person. I would give it 3.5 stars with the potential for more.

Thank you to Netgalley & Avon Books UK for allowing me to read this title in advance in exchange for a personal review.

Following the life of Penny, who hasn't been all that lucky in love. With nothing serious since her boyfriend Mo left her as she found out she had breast cancer five years ago. Thinking that her love life is never going to go anywhere she considers motherhood, utilising the fertilised eggs she has in storage from her cancer treatment.

Suddenly, she meets Francesco who delivers the bread order to her cafe one day for a friend. Sensing a spark between them Penny's colleague gets him to leave his number. However, Penny is too scared to message. A few false starts they start to date, however, Penny suddenly has to leave London to look after a pub/restaurant for her uncle.

Newly single she ploughs her efforts into work, however, manages to find some fun along the way. With not one but two interested parties. Then with Francesco back on the scene she's found herself in a 'Love Square'.

Is she destined to life, love and work where she wants? Or is there something more important that she wants?

I know a lot of people loved Our Stop by Williamson last year, so I was keen to read The Love Square! Penny is a chef in her early 30s and is single. Living in London and running an upmarket café called The Bridge, she is happy enough but wonders what life will bring, having survived breast cancer in her 20s. When pastry chef Francesco, arrives in her life, she starts dating him, but only 3 weeks in their relationship, her Uncle David has a heart attack and she feels obliged to move to Derbyshire, to take over the running of his gastro-pub, something he has always hoped she’d do.
Penny and her sister Clementine, have an exceptionally close relationship with their Uncle – he brought them up after their mum died of cancer and he is like a dad to them. He has always wanted her to take over the pub one day, but she has been reluctant, loving her life and business in London. Another complication is that her sister Clementine, has offered to be a surrogate so that Penny can have a baby, using the eggs she saved from when her cancer treatment left her infertile. She feels she can’t ask Francesco to take on a child so early in their relationship, so when David has his heart attack, she decides to walk away from Francesco, knowing the time just isn’t right and they decide to be friends.
Penny soon settles into life at the pub, enjoying the challenges that running a larger establishment entails. Meeting an old school friend one day, Thomas, she ends up having a fling with him. Flashy and a little shallow, he works in the music industry so isn’t around much, but Penny enjoys his company.
And then another man comes on the scene! Priyesh is a local wine merchant, older and divorced. Penny initially doesn’t like him thinking him smarmy, self-centred and boring but after a drunken encounter at a Christmas party, she ends up in a (mostly sexual) relationship with him.
When Francesco, asks if he can come and visit, she agrees, happy to have his friendship again. But she soon realises she is in a love square and has to decide what she must do.I really enjoyed everything about this book! I’ve really enjoyed reading more romantic books recently and this one is a great look at modern relationships and a character who has a lot of sex! I also loved how the sex wasn’t always straightforward – despite there being a huge attraction between Penny and Francesco, they initially have to work at making the sex great!
Penny is a great female lead too – despite having had cancer, she has a positive outlook to life, and I love that ultimately, she wants a child over a relationship if she can’t have both. The relationship between Penny and her sister is brilliant too – I love how close they are.
Heart-warming and romantic, I really enjoyed this story. It was cheerful and positive, and I loved Penny as a heroine. I also liked the fact that none of the men were perfect – all had their imperfections (which made it more real) but I still had a favourite! Perfect for lovers of Beth O’Leary and Marian Keyes, I’m definitely going to push Our Stop to the top of my TBR.

I absolutely loved this book, definitely one of those that you start just as you get into bed, and find yourself still reading at 3am because you just have to know what happens next.

Penny has just finished treatment for breast cancer and being dumped at the same time. She is living her dream, running a cafe in Stoke Newington. She has friends and family who adore her. But she just can't figure out why she cannot find love. She dates, but they never go anywhere. Is there something wrong with her?

Then, she meets Francesco. A fellow chef, he is gorgeous, a listener, kind, great at foot rubs and after a couple of failed attempts, an amazing lover. Could he be the one she falls in love with? All seems to be heading that way, and then everything is turned on its head. Her beloved Uncle David has a second heart attack, and can no longer run his gastro pub in Derbyshire. Feeling obliged to help him, Penny agrees to move to The Red Panda and work there for a year. She has only been dating Francesco for 3 weeks and as much as she wants to ask him to come with her, she stays silent, and they part ways, vowing to stay friends. But on the day she is leaving, she has a sudden compulsion to turn the car around, throw caution to the wind, and ask him to come with her. What she sees though, stops her in her tracks and she thinks Francesco is just another man who has let her down.

She tries to make a life for herself in Derbyshire, and ignores all Francesco's attempts to contact her. She finds herself the focus of attention for two very different men. Thomas, a school friend and a man who is adventurous and free but not into monogamy; and Priyesh - filthy and serious, but much older. As time goes by, she finds her thoughts returning again and again to Francesco and reaches out tentatively. They rekindle a friendship that brightens up her day, and when he quits his job, he moves to Derbyshire and begins working with Penny. As he realises Penny has become involved with two other men, his jealousy is apparent, as is hers, when he begins dating.

No longer able to pretend they are just good friends, Francesco lays his feelings on the line, but Penny's fears over trusting him mean she rejects him and he leaves.

As she returns to London and her own cafe, Penny realises that she has spent so long worrying about other people's needs and wants, that she no longer knows what it is that would make her happy. As she soul searches, she reaches a decision about what she wants that is to be life changing. But will her and Francesco ever find their way back to one another and will she ever believe she is worthy of love?

Warm, laugh out loud funny, sad, insightful - this is a wonderful read that will fill your heart up with joy.