Never Saw You Coming is a debut novel by Hayley Doyle that has you hooked from the beginning. It was such an easy read that touched on real life issues: families, relationships. Zara was a funny and very real character that made it easy to keep turning the page.


Thank you Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for honest review.

Somewhat entertaining, but needs a solid edit. The story didn't really grab me in, but the idea was good. Could have been executed better.

I am a sucker for a love story, even more so when the cover is as gorgeous as this one. This has been a delight to read and I haven't wanted to put it down.
This is a fantastic debut novel from a new author, I am excited to see what the future holds.
This is a book which has been filled with surprises. The plot is extremely compelling and has kept me gripped throughout.
This book has made me laugh out loud and feel as though I have been going to cry. The story has kept my interest and has been an utter delight to read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This was an excellent read. Engaging from the start with two very compelling lead characters. Jim and Zara were funny, frustrating, sympathetic, and very real. I found myself laughing and crying at various points in their journey. Good supporting characters as well with Jim’s mother and his friends. I wish we could have seen where they went next but I guess sometimes a good story leaves you wanting more. Definitely a must read.

I really enjoyed Never Saw You Coming by Hayley Doyle. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and after this one I look forward to reading more.

It follows the lives of Zara and Jim. Zara lives in Dubai has a fairly privileged life and totally believes in love. So much so she’s willing to swap her sun drenched life for the colder climbs of Liverpool to begin her new life with Nick - a man she barely knows. On the other hand, Jim is in a dead end job, dotes on his mother but isn’t really going anywhere in life until he receives a phone call that could change everything!

Fate steps in and Zara and Jim meet!

Well written and enjoyable I found this book easy to read and hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books and the author for the chance to review.

What happens when you take a chance to change your life and its not what you expect? Meet Zara, impulsively leaving Dubai to start a new life and college degree in Liverpool. A story of twists and characters from different countries, lifestyles and experience but always wanting to belong to someone special. A story to make you smile and roll your eyes with frustration as the characters procrastinate. The ending takes you by surprise but ends up leaving you with a smile.

So Zara, who's a bit of a go getter, flies halfway across the world from Dubai to London (and then buys a third/fourth hand car so she can drive to Liverpool!) all so she can meet the guy she's been chatting with for months believing he could be "the one". But things don't turn out so well.
Then there's Jim, he's working a dead end job and can't seem to catch a break. Until he wins a car via a radio station giveaway and it changes his life.

The first half of this book was probably only 2 stars for me. It was rather slow and a bit of an info dump of flashbacks and now as we got to know our characters and figure out where their heads were at. I kept putting it down and doing other things because it just wasn't grabbing my attention that much.
The second half got a little more exciting as Jim and Zara travelled the country together, getting to know each other as they spent hours in vehicles. I was willing them on, both to get where they were going and at one point - to possibly get together. It was still a little slow going, though.

I did like Jim's cast of friends. They were resourceful and quite a good laugh.

I like how this is set in the UK. Most of the books I usually read tend to be set in the USA so this was a nice change. The way it was written was exactly how some of us talk here. It was a nice change.

I do like a good bit of chick-lit but I prefer them more along the lines of Paige Toon and Jo Watson where the characters are more obviously into each other and the romance blossoms quickly but this is still a good read if you really like the genre.

This book had all of the formulaic qualities for a great romance. However, it was hard to get a handle on the characters. Zara seemed far-fetched and unbelievable, and too old to find herself in the predicament she was in. Jim was a little too down-on-his-luck for me to buy. That being said, the setting was a love letter to Liverpool, and I found myself getting absolutely lost in it!

The story of Zara and Jim. A fun and entertaining read, but I would have liked to have had more of an epilogue to see what ahppened to them next.

Looking forward to more fromthis author.

I think this book has the potential to be as successful as 'The Switch' was in 2019. I thought it was a great read and absolutely fell in love with the story. Could not put it down once I started. Will be looking out for more books by Hayley Doyle in the future.