I rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars.

Lucy Gray is dependable right down to her core, but she’s also a suppressed romantic at heart. Lucy asks a coworker to be her date for her sisters wedding, she comes from a big family and wants to ward off all of the questions that will surely be thrown at her about her love life. Unfortunately that plan goes down the drain when her date ends up publicly hooking up with her younger cousin. Ouch. The wedding entertainment, a psychic hired 30 minutes before the reception, tells Lucy she needs to stop ignoring fates signs. So a few days later when she’s watering plants at her sisters apartment and answers a call from a hotel in London confirming her sisters reservation for the next day, something in Lucy can’t bring herself to cancel it. Her sister had actually booked two honeymoons because she couldn’t decide what she wanted to do. Before she can talk herself out of it, Lucy has booked a round trip ticket to London for the holidays and sets out to honeymoon alone.

While in London she meets up with an old acquaintance from high school, Cary. He poses as her fake husband because it turns out the hotel that her sister had booked was non-transferrable and for honeymooners only.

Let’s start with what I like about the book. I like the adventure that Lucy ends up having in both London and Paris. I like that she stepped out of her comfort zone to do something just for herself, be damned with the opinions of her family.

Now to what I don’t really like about the book. I have to say I hate the entire character of Cary. He was self absorbed and not a very good friend and used Lucy to his own advantage. I’m not sure how at the end of it Lucy feels like they’re best friends.

I also wasn’t in love with the relationship between Lucy and Oliver. It felt a bit forced and unnatural? There wasn’t enough build up between the characters. It mostly went from “Wow he’s so annoying and I hate him” to “I think we’re in love” with no real reason as to why.

And my biggest complaint… the ending. I personally just felt like it came completely out of nowhere?? This started out as a cute little rom com about self growth and adventure and even kind of about love, and (without spoiling it) ended in such a random way. Maybe I’m the only one who felt that way but it just felt like suddenly all at once in the last fifty pages of the book the tone completely shifted. I didn’t expect it at all. And while I like a good shock in a thriller novel, I don’t really expect it from a cutesy romance.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. There was just definitely room for improvement. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from reading it if it sounds like a good story to them but I also wouldn’t add this to my list to recommend to friends.

Thank you NetGalley and Nicole Macaulay for the opportunity to read this book in exchange from an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#HoneymoonAlone #NetGalley

You can also read my review on my blog: lolosbookshelf.com/blog/honeymoon-alone-by-nicole-macaulay
Or on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3271836430

Thank you to the author Nicole Macaulay for the gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Lucy Gray is a bit of a pushover and always the reliable one. She's never done anything spontaneous; so when a psychic at her sister's wedding told her to stop ignoring fate's signs, those signs seem to point her to London. Once in London, she goes on a bit of adventure with some love and trouble along the way.

Warning - this book will make you want to book a trip to Europe - specifically London and Paris. And that's not such a bad thing! It's well written with great character development and chemistry between the characters. It's a beautiful tale about stepping out of your comfort zone and finding your independence.

This book was such a light and fun read that made me smile lots of time and I am telling you right now, I will be picking it up again someday when I am feeling down. This wasn't a great book, it had flaws and everything but this was definitely what I would call a cute read.
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I linked with the character of Lucy, cause I am that girl who wishes to travel the world see the northern lights, shout in Alps mountains, swing in Bali and that too alone. But I am always scared that might not be able to do these things, so seeing her life and adventure through her very optimistic eyes was just amazing. I feel the itch to travel now, pack my bags and just go.
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I loved Oliver's character, I thought he was hiding something but for the life of me, I couldn't have guessed what was he hiding. Additionally, I didn't much like Cory's character which also evidently had a complete u-turn around the end of the book. I liked how Lucy's family is caring and bordering on the over-protective. (Just like my Indian Family, imagine me telling them I having a trip all over the world by myself, they probably will have a heart attack.)
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This book is a romance, yes, but kinda a slow-burn one and one that is not the centre of the book. It's more about self-discovery than anything else and that made it all the best to read.
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Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy for review. I really want to give this 3.5 stars but I can't so giving it 4 stars.

This book is a lovely reprieve from a constant deluge of bad news going on around the world. Reminiscent of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, this debut novel by Macaulay is such a charming book that captures the magic of your first trip and discovering there's a big great world out there! I loved the main character, Lucy Gray, and could instantly connect to her as a young 20-something woman myself. I also love the way this book explored family dynamics (coming from a very involved family myself). The setting of London during Christmastime was beautifully depicted, and if you're looking for a lovely, light rom-com full of hijinks and adventure, look no further. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to review.

Honeymoon alone is a story about a woman looking for love. After her meeting with a psychic at her sister wedding, she is ready to try something new. A spontaneous move, to have new experiences without thinking about the consequences. 

"You didn’t seem to care about what anyone thought. Honestly that’s how people should live their lives. Not caring about what everyone else thinks, just doing what makes them happy."

Instead of canceling her sister honeymoon reservation, Lucy Gray decided to take it. Unfortunately, for her the hotel policy is clear; the chaizer hotel, a world famous place is exclusively for honeymooner. A information she won’t know before her taking the trip to London. However, she will find a way to hide her secret. It won’t be easy with the presence of a curious and grumpy concierge. 
Honeymoon Alone is a cute romantic story. During her time at London, Lucy will spread her wings and try new things. 

 "If I want something, then I have to step up. Be honest. I have to grab it for myself"

The best part for me were the constant sense of humor of Lucy and her loving family. The love story was pleasant to follow. Also, I liked the fact that it were not only focus on the romance. I will not say more to not spoil. I found enlightening to visit London through Lucy eyes. 

I feel that the story was a bit predictable. But I devoured it till the last page. If you are looking for a pleasant, easy and fun read, I recommend it.

Received as an ARC from #netgalley to read and review for an honest opinion.
Lucy is the maid of honor at her sister's 80's themed wedding (that includes psychic readings). After Luvy's wedding date fails her she decides to get a psychic reading that will jump start her life. So when her sister is on her honeymoon and she has the chance to go to London she jumps at it. Until she finds out the hotel is for honeymooners only....

This was such a sweet romantic book. Lucy was such a relatable character, and you are able to connect with her right off the bat. This was a light and easy romantic read that I needed. The storyline was really unique and something that I have never read before. I appreciated the originality of it and loved that there was a recap at the end as well.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I adored this sweet romance!

When Lucy has a reading done by a psychic at her sister's wedding, she decides she needs to listen to fate's signs. So, when she learns her perfectly organised sister forgot to cancel her second honeymoon in London, she decides to go in her place and have a holiday of her own.

Lucy was such a wonderful character that I definitely connected with. I also loved her friendship with Cary, and her connection with Oliver. Unlike some other 'spontaneous' reads, this one didn't feel too unrealistic which was nice!

Overall, a cute read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys light-hearted romance!

Thanks to BooksGo Social and Netgalley for the review copy.

I don’t want to start out negative but I really didn’t understand the family blog Communication thing. Could have completely left that out in my opinion it didn’t really tie into the story.

On another note I really loved the whole honeymooner killer thing. It really gave the story a uniqueness and originality!

I really love the main characters rebellion to find her self. To step out and do something she’s always wanted even if her family had a fit about it.

After being told by a psychic that the signs were there for her to follow them, Lucy, who has never left the country, suddenly decides to go to London, on a honeymoon trip, alone!
The story is nice and sweet. There are not many surprises. You can guess the answer to all questions quite easily, but this is not a thriller, it's a romantic comedy and it delivers as such.
It was easy and fast to read.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. Lucy has always lived a predictable life. While attending her sisters wedding, she ends up in a psychics tent who tells her she needs to let fate decide. Lucy decides to go on one of her sisters two honeymoons (because she couldn't decide) so Lucy heads to London and as the book title states alone......unit Oliver. Love the What a year recap at the end. Great book!

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *


I adored the majority of this book, it had all the makings of a cute, rom-com romance but the ending is where it lost me. I found that our main character was quirky and her urge to saddle break from her ‘norm’ was a fantastic way to begin. I enjoyed the relationships that were formed in this book with all of Lucy’s siblings and with the others she meets along the way. The set up of the story was well executed and I really enjoyed the meet-cute moments between our love interests. The ending is what sadly lowered my enjoyment of the story overall. While it was an interesting spin on this kind of story, it felt rushed and slightly underdeveloped. Overall it was an enjoyable and quick rom-com read. I will definitely be picking up more from this author.

This book really exceeded my expectations. I expected to like it, but not as much as I did. To be honest, the premise was pretty cheesy, and the book itself started out cheesy. As soon as we got past an 80's themed wedding with a psychic though (what?! who does that?!) things started to pick up. I really enjoyed these characters, even if they did need to be better at communication. I enjoyed seeing how Lucy grew into herself as the story went on and become more confident. Most of all, this made me really want to go to London. The city itself played a huge part in the story and I really enjoyed it.

This book is great for anyone who is longing to travel right now and wants to pretend that they're in London along with Lucy.

2.75 lonely stars ★★✬✩✩

This book is for you if… Actually, If somebody asked for a recommendation in the Romance section, this wouldn’t be the one I'd go for - ever. Not even if my options were limited to my NetGalley reads.

⤐ Overall.
By all means, this was an okay read. It wasn't terrible or super boring or maddeningly disgusting. It was okay, but nothing more. I didn't really feel the plot - not at any point through the read, which makes it really hard for me to come up with good things to say although I feel like I should. The plot feels opaque and lacks a certain grip for me to be swapped away by a romance story. I was missing the usual suspense and excitement I'd expect from love stories that start out like they do in Honeymoon Alone; with a brave heroine taking a leap of faith.

However, the writing style is magnificent, I consciously noted many stylistic elements that show, at least semantically, Nicole knows her trade. It made the reading enjoyable even if the stories wasn't that great.

⤐ What’s happening.
‘Mary says this every time it doesn’t work out with someone. If I’m still single when I’m sixty, I’ll have to explain to anyone who asks that I was simply too good for everyone.

The only problem is: Lucy isn't known to take risks - she likes her life orderly and quiet. A fortune teller gives her the incentive to be more spontaneous about her life and Lucy thus takes off on a spontaneous honeymoon - the backup plan her sister and brother and law forgot to cancel.
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writing quality + easy of reading = 5*

pace = 2.5*

plot/story in general = 3.5*

plot development = 2*

characters = 2.5*

enjoyability = 2.5*

insightfulness = 1*

I thought the premise was cute. It was a very easy read, but I felt it was too predictable and not that entertaining. It was humor and funny dialogue between the characters, but I felt no spark of excitement when reading it. It's a quick read, and not awful but I just didn't hold my attention like I originally perceived it would from the description.

Cute but ultimately forgettable. I didn’t really enjoy the twist near the end of the book and wanted more HEA energy.

I'd not heard of this author before but really hope to hear of her in the future. I really enjoyed this light-hearted novel. Who hasn't felt the need to get away from the mundane obligations and the interfering of our families? Who hasn't started with an innocent white lie that quickly spirals out of control? Lucy's decision to take her sister's spare honeymoon (who has one of those?) means she has to pretend to be newly married to continue to stay in the hotel. Her adventures are fun and engaging and had me turning the pages quickly until I finished this enjoyable book.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Lucy’s sister gets married and since she is a planner, she double booked everything, including a honeymoon. Conveniently, she forgot to cancel her second honeymoon so Lucy, against her norm, heads to London. When she arrives, she realizes she is staying in a couples only, honeymoon resort. Thankfully, Lucy’s best friend looked up an old classmate to keep an eye on Lucy while she was there. Cary ends up posing as Lucy’s husband. Cute story with a fun mystery to boot! #honeymoonalone #nicolemacaulay

This was a nice afternoon read. I enjoyed reading it even though I could predict what would happen before it did. All in all this was a pleasant read. I recommend this for chicklit lovers who are looking for a quick read.

An engrossing read that charts the journey of personal growth people go on. Being written in first person it kept the reader guessing and in the dark as much as the characters, which made for a very engaging and fun read. A book that is so easy to binge on in one or two settings as you want to know what happens next.