Sweet, whimsical kind of story, I truly enjoyed both Zara and Jim and the hapless nature about them. Their unfortunate encounter and what transpires afterwards is a whirlwind of crazy. Both are quite delightful as they meander through a series of events with Zara having her heart broken again by the mysterious Nick (or is is Greg?lol) and Jim realizing his sudden good luck is anything but.

The writing style had me a bit confused at times, with too many Britishisms to keep track of. Therefore, I skimmed a ton of passages that did not add to the story. However, as an American, that is to be expected but in the end, did not diminish my enjoyment of these two lost souls.

There is great humour for the taking as Jim tries to rid himself of the chatty Zara, driving her to and fro in a long period of 24 hours. Their journey is not one either of them wants to repeat anytime soon but the realization that perhaps finally, both have found another who not only understands their quirky ways but their true hearts was heartwarming.

Like others before it, Never Saw You Coming doesn't have the typical HEA but more of a hopeful one for the future. This book was fun albeit a bit confusing at times and I give it a solid 3 stars.

I decided to DNF this book. The writing was too slow and the characters did not appeal to me. This is strictly personal. Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for a gifted copy of this ARC.

If you go into this thinking it’s a romance, you’ll be disappointed, yes there is romantic tension in it, but that is such a small part of the story. Based on the synopsis I thought this would have more romance.

But it’s more about two people who literally crashed into each other and somehow spur each other on to do the things that they really wanted. And get out of the rut that their lives are currently in.

While I enjoyed the story, it moved a bit slow for me and I wanted to be more chemistry between the main characters.

I will say that I had “video killed the radio” star stuck in my head all afternoon after I finish the book.

Never Saw You Coming

The story follows Zara who travels from Dubai to Liverpool to meet up with the love of her life. Events ensue and she ends up meeting Jim, a local lad, in difficult circumstances. I won’t give away much more of the plot though as I don’t want to ruin it.

I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about this book. It started very slowly and I felt that the first chunk of the book dragged. I nearly gave up a number of times but I was determined to carry on. Ultimately I am glad I did as it was enjoyable, but I wish that I hadn’t spent the first third of the book not sure whether I wanted to read it.

It was mostly entertaining and well written, and the author clearly knows both Dubai and Liverpool well so I appreciated the detail. However I do not think it’s a book I would ever reread as it felt overly long for what it was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a real slow burn for me and I really wasn’t sure about it at the beginning but after a while I began to really love it! This is a story about a girl called Zara who lives in Dubai and who has been taken in by a man she meets there who comes from Liverpool called Nick. Zara comes from a wealthy family who don’t really appear to have the time to spend on her and she comes across as being very lonely. As a result she decides to get on a plane and visit, Nick, the man she has only met on the one occasion in Dubai, who she has been having a long distance relationship with via the internet. The other main character in this story is Jim, a bright underachiever who works on the toll for the Mersey tunnel. Jim has never left Liverpool and has never been abroad. He loves his mother, who is not very fit and needs a certain amount of looking after. She is part of the reason that he has never left Liverpool as he sees himself as the person who she relies upon. Jim has good friends and a strange relationship with his best friend’s girlfriend. He lives in a one bedroom flat above a Chinese takeaway and although his life is not ideal he does not have the ambition or drive to change it.

In the story Jim wins a car allegedly worth around £50,000 which he manages to sell quickly. At this point his dreams and aspirations go through the roof. He has no use for the car but can take his mother to see his sisters in America, something he has always wanted to do. On his way to exchange the car for this vast sum of money, Zara who has arrived in the UK and bought a car to drive to Liverpool crashes into Jim’s beautiful new car. From this point onwards Jim’s world nose dives and nothing seems to go right for him.

There is a certain amount of predictability in the story but it just seems to sweep you along as it goes. I loved the descriptions of Liverpool, which I have recently visited and I loved Jim’s Liverpudlian expressions which are totally alien to Zara, but by the end she is using the same expressions. Zara is quite zany while Jim has his feet much more firmly on the ground but they can both see the good in the other. This was a really interesting first novel and Hayley Doyle is a writer to look out for in the future. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this wonderful book.

This is an enjoyable easy to read novel. I enjoyed the characters. It was at times touching, at times laugh out load. The characters were fun, and the plot line interesting, if at times the characters bad luck was a bit distressing. An easy read if you are self isolating and passing the time.

I had a tough time getting into this book. I felt like I joined this book in the middle of a conversation, and struggled to connect with it. I probably would not recommend this book, even though the description of the story was good.

Hayley is a new author to me and I enjoyed this read.

A sweet story about two people from different sides of the world who find themselves trapped and in need of change. Lots of ups and downs and missed opportunities!

I'll certainly ready more of this author's novels.

From its description, I thought I would love Never Saw You Coming but I was disappointed. I found it a struggle to get in to and I didn't connect with the characters. I actually found Zara quite unlikable.

An easy but forgettable read.

It took a while for this one to get going for me, but when it did I was desperate to find out what happens for Jim and Zara. After an introduction that can only be fated, Jim is probably one of the nicest men in history as he continuously helps Zara with her mission of true love and recovering from the lies told by her true love. Poor Zara!!! There are many presumptions and assumptions by Zara and Jim isn’t exactly forthcoming with information to correct these - I love how they each bring out the other’s passionate side. Throughout the story you see snippets of their backstory and it really fleshes out their characters, making you feel for them even more. Their attempts to follows their hearts are farcical and heartwarming at the same time. And that epilogue almost had me feeling the feels until the proper ending! A great debut!

At the beginning, I struggled to get into this story. I found it a bit slow to get going but once I got the know the characters, I got drawn into the story.
This is a nice story about life's journeys and where your path takes you.
Well written and likeable characters.

I’m a sucker for cheesy hallmark movies, sweet romcoms and charming meet cutes. One of my favourite ever films is “Jersey Girl” no not the hideous Ben Affleck movie but the one with Dylan McDermott and Jami Gertz. If you haven’t seen it , it all starts with a car crash. So imagine my sheer delight on finding this book starts with one too.


Zara has been having an online relationship with Nick and with him wishing she was with him she decides to make that dream come true. So after packing her bags she leaves Dubai for London where she has arranged to buy a car and drive to Liverpool.

Jim stuck in a dead end job in a toll booth and caring for his mum after his dad’s death has just won a 50k BMW on a radio show. Suddenly Jim is making plans to quit his job and sell the car and take his mum to Florida to see family.

On the way to sell the car, Zara crashes in to it. Destroying both the car and Jim’s plans. You see where this is going right. Well enjoy the ride. With a wonderful cast of characters and short chapters that you can race through and a hero that has intelligence alongside his good looks. He likes books too what an added bonus!

This is funny, heartwarming, sweet and just the read you need to cheer your soul.

This debut novel is one to read and the author Hayley Doyle is definitely one to watch. This book is incredibly funny and an uplifting, life affirming read guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. The dialogue between Zara and Jim, the two main characters, is absolutely hilarious. Jim is very down to earth but has never been able to fulfil his potential. Stuck in a toll booth on a motorway taking drivers' cash, this Liverpudlian lad is a kind hearted if world weary book lover, trying to get over his lack of love life, lack of money and lack of opportunity.
Zara is a flighty, talkative, privileged girl, living in Dubai but unable to settle and pinning all her hopes on an online relationship with Nick. She leaves Dubai to see him in England and in doing so a catastrophic series of events is unleashed which sees Zara and Jim thrown together with unexpected consequences.
The will they/won't they thread adds a poignant romantic angle to the question of chance encounters and whether relationships need to be permanent in order to give us the confidence and the independence to stand on our own two feet. Are Jim and Zara destined to be together or is it just for an 'almost' moment?
Maybe we don't need to think too much about the past or the future but be fully present in the here and now.
I highly recommend this book and I myself eagerly await Hayley's next offering.

This had the makings of being an easy going book that I thought I would love. I’m sad that I didn’t love it, it was ok but it just didn’t get me in the feels. The storyline was good, but I struggled with the characters. I have no doubt that there are those out there that will love a feel good, against the odds love story but this one just wasn’t for me this time. ⁣
⁣
If you love a good love story, and just want a feel good book in these weird times then give this a go!

It’s so lovely to read about Liverpool in a book (my home town) so I have to admit I’m a little bit biased in loving this book. I found the characters to be so cute, almost charming in a way, just so likeable. Their story is full of twists, turns, ups and downs just like real life and as you read you are willing them on and rooting for them (or at least I was) and that ending I didn’t see coming at all. I love the fact this covers second chances and missed opportunities, especially with the current situation taking stock is a very current theme in this household. I loved its quirkiness, the timescale of the story and how much fun it was to read. A totally riveting and addictive story. Thoroughly recommended

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

Zara is a true romantic, she is prepared to follow her heart, and does so, as she travels from Dubai to Liverpool. Jim's life is put on hold when his father dies, but when his luck changes, will his life improve too? Jim and Zara 's paths should never cross, but they do, and the results are life-changing.

Both of these characters are easy to like, and when their dreams implode, easy to empathise too. The story flows well, with a cast of captivating characters and interesting settings. Friendship, family drama, humour and romance, make this an engaging read. What makes this special is the unpredictability of it, as fate plays cupid. The life journey is full of conflict, as dreams crash and reality sets in, but there is a plan and eventually, it gives everyone the result they deserve.

I received a copy of this book from Avon Books UK in return for an honest review.

This was one of the hardest books I have ever read this month. I've been procrastinating for weeks to be done with this one but just couldn't manage it. Thankfully I finished it today while struggling my 2nd week of self isolation and quarantine.

Anyway the premise seemed interesting on this one but the actual book didn't really catch my attention. I wish I could relate to the characters more but I really couldn't connect to them. Zara annoyed me at the beginning, I feel like her character was too naive for her age. Seriously how can you let someone off the hook so easily when they hurt and literally scarred you. I also felt bad for poor Jim. I just don't like when someone make a mistake and justify their wrong doing especially when they knew it was her/his fault when they did it. It's so pathetic when it's too obvious they're just trying to get out of a situation by blaming the other person. Plus, I am unsure of why and what she actually thinks love is to take those risks. Sadly this book isn't for me. But don’t let my opinion stop you from reading it as there are many readers who enjoyed this book too. To be fair, I tried. I really did.

This book will be released on April 2, 2020. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a bit hard for me to read. Mostly because it seemed very unrealistic.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my fair share true fiction, but not when it comes to a romance. I want at least to seem possible..
but, this book just didn’t do it for me. The amount of trouble and setbacks they had was just wild.. and then their whole attitude and maturity was rough to read.. I had to put the book down 3/4 of the way through.
Maybe the ending redeemed itself? I hope so for everyone who continued to read!

I really really really wanted to like this book. I kept waiting for the characters to have some kind of connection past "ooh, he looks hot without his shirt on" or "ooh, her legs are nice." but it never happened. Sigh. It was fun learning about Liverpool past the Beatles and that part of England, but it wasn't enough for me.

Does anyone have such bad luck? Made me want to cry (not in a good way!)😫
2.5-3🌟stars🤔
This story was nothing like I expected. I began enjoying it, feeling that Zara and Jim both deserved and were on their way to a bit of luck and happiness, but less than halfway in I felt the story had moved into a hopeless quagmire of bad luck and became downright depressing, especially for Liverpudlian Jim. I wish I could say I liked Zara and Jim's accidental adventure but I grew impatient with their hopeless tumbling from one crisis to the next. I grew to see both Zara and Jim as losers in life: Jim for spending money he did not have on a forgotten, drunken night of partying and luxury, AND going along and pretending he was something he was not, and Zara for her spoiled, flighty, oblivious-to-Jim's-stress attitude. It was absolutely no surprise to me that she fell for a scammer or that she relied on Jim to take care of things.

So, after attempting to skim for awhile I had to give up. Maybe the last part of the book redeems things with a reversal of fortune but I had no burning desire to find out. Others may enjoy this series of unfortunate events but I guess I was not in the mood for it. I needed a spot of cheer and hope in our depressing, pandemic world.

Thanks to publisher Avon Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.