This is my favorite type of book to read in the summer- fluffy, entertaining and funny. I loved the main character and enjoyed reading all about her drama and antics. I felt this book was well written, it was enough to hold my attention throughout but not heavy at all. Definitely a great summer read!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading 60% on the book in one sitting. It felt like a movie to me.
Annie and Patrick were so much fun to get to know. In fact, I'd love a sequel to know more about how their lives turned out.
Laura Jane Williams writes with such honesty and so much raw human nature that you can't help but be sucked into the lives of these characters.
Annie was someone easy to cheer for, to hope for, and to fall in love with and so was Patrick!
It was so nice to read a chick-lit book where the male characters were not initially unlikable.

******SPOILER****

It was nice to see a leading man that was just a good guy all around. Annie didn't have to hate him first...there were not a lot of drawn-out dramatic scenes that could be solved with a simple conversation. Annie and Patrick are adults and they acted like it.

****END of SPOILERS

I thoroughly and completely enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Laura Jane Williams!

I read this book both as an audiobook and as an ebook and I liked them both, but I must admit the narrator made a really great job, so I'm a bit partial to the audio version.
The story is nice and I appreciated the fact that it was quite not about the romance, but more about self growth and finding one real self. The best part of the story is definitely the honeymoon in Australia, which I really enjoyed. It is when we get to know Annie and Patrick better, and also discover things of their past that explain why they are how they are.
A lovely read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE LUCKY ESCAPE by Laura Jane Williams is the luscious, ultimate escape from the moment Annie is jilted at the altar through working through the realities she was never willing to face through taking charge of her own life and making the right choices for her. Yes, it's rousing. Yes, there is love in all its forms: lovers, friends, family. Yes. there is escape and then return with treasures she never dreamed possible for herself until she faces the tough, speaks up for herself, and goes directly for what she wants. Annie's recharge had me cheering for her while tearing through the pages of this enjoyable story. I received an early reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Annie’s worst nightmare comes true when she shows up to the church for her wedding – finally – only to be told by the wedding planner that her soon-to-be-husband has called it off and is not coming.

Without a word from him, Annie does her best to work through her emotions. With some prodding from her no-longer-in-laws, she decides to go on their all-expense-paid honeymoon trip to Australia for three weeks, and decides to bring a new old friend with her.

After running into him by accident, Annie finds herself reminiscing with Patrick about their fun days as kids in theater camp. Both in need of an escape, and desperate for the easy conversation they both seem to have with one another, they escape to Australia together.

What happens on this honeymoon is both expected and unexpected. Truths come out, Annie may or may not hear from her now-ex, Alexander, and she might be growing closer and closer to someone she had never expected to grow close to.

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, but is ultimately a fantastic escapist rom-com that will likely bring a smile to your face.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s perfect easy read for a sunny day in the garden. The premise is a classic rom-com and I liked that Patrick helped Annie to work out how to find her confidence and move on herself, and she helped him too, rather than just her being ‘rescued’.

I was drawn in and read it quickly, but I’m hesitant to rate it higher as despite my enjoyment of it, I know it won’t stay with me as it’s very similar to other books of this genre.

I was looking for a book to escape into and the sunny cover for The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams caught my eye and grabbed my attention and let me tell you, the book inside is just as bright and uplifting as the cover. This book was proper feel-good fiction with real heart to it. Yes it made me smile throughout but it also made me think, and I do enjoy a book that does both these things. It was the perfect book to escape into.

In The Lucky Escape, we meet Annie on the morning of her wedding to Alexander. If there’s one thing Annie is certain of, it’s that her future is with this guy. So when he jilts her on her wedding day, she is at a complete loss. When her friends and her now ex mother-in-law persuade her to go on her honeymoon anyway, Annie ends up giving her spare ticket to a guy she has literally only just met again for the first time in a long time – Patrick Hummingbird. Going on honeymoon with a man you barely remember – it could be the beginning to a thriller but thankfully here it is not. Instead this is a warm and wonderful tale of self-discovery and new beginnings.

My absolute favourite part of this book was the honeymoon. I loved travelling to Australia through the author’s words. There was great description and I was able to see every part of the honeymoon play out in front of me as the author paints a lovely, vivid picture of every scene. However, the best bit of the honeymoon, for me, was by far the chemistry between Annie and Patrick which leapt off the page. I loved the two of them. They made me smile and laugh-out-loud so many times and honestly, whether they were feeling the love or not, I certainly was. I was rooting for them all the way and really enjoyed getting to know both of them.

Annie is the character we need. She is kind and caring and has everything going for her but as this is now a world where everyone has to voice their own opinions, however unwelcome, and are happy to judge people without having a clue about them, Annie has a whole bag of self-esteem issues to deal with. She is insecure, and let’s face it, being jilted at the altar doesn’t really help her there.

I felt for Annie throughout. She tries to put a brave face on things but I seriously wanted her to know it was ok to not be ok. Patrick helps her there, and I loved him for it. I get why some people might find Annie quite frustrating but I actually found her so easy to relate to. She knows she has her issues and she tries to work through them. Naturally, she has setbacks but no matter how much she may not have wanted to, she always got back up and I really warmed to her character so easily.

Truthfully there so was so much I loved about this book. From Annie’s friends and sister, to Patrick’s own personal story, to the positive messages this book delivers about living in the moment and taking time to heal, Laura Jane Williams writes perceptively and with a warmth and humour that really had me hooked. The Lucky Escape is insightful and uplifting – the perfect book to read this summer.

This book is a perfect “beach read”. The story was light and entertaining and it provided great escapism.
It felt a bit slow at the beginning, then it picked up the pace in the central part of the story becoming a page-turner. I truly enjoyed the honeymoon part and it was so well-structured. Plus, there were some funny scenes that made me giggle a lot. However, the last part of the book was less captivating and I got a bit frustrated with the main character, Annie.
Overall, I liked Annie’s development from being a people pleaser to a more independent person that is finally able to say what she wants.

I recommend the book to anyone looking for an easy read that allows you to immerse yourself in a dreamy holiday in Australia.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

✨THE LUCKY ESCAPE✨

⭐️5 stars

“… she said that life’s highs and life’s lows are so entwined, the happiness and sorrow is so interconnected, that it’s impossible to ever just be totally happy or totally sad. It’s good and bad, light and dark. We want there to be a right thing, an ultimate happiness, a sort of destination where we’ve escaped all the crappy things in life. Like passing a test. But that’s not living. We can’t outrun crappy, awful, horrible stuff. So the job of our lives is to let it exist alongside the good stuff, making the good stuff so much sweeter. Does that make sense?”

oh my I absolutely loved this book! 😍

This was such a fun, lovely uplifting book. Although it was so predictable it didn’t matter because you just fall in love with the characters and their back stories🙈

Anne tries to recover from the worst thing to happen to her…being jilted at the alter 😭after her wedding day she decides to make a promise to herself…be kind…say yes to every opportunity, throw caution to the wind and commit to her own happiness. This just so happens to be…attending her own honeymoon…with a man that’s not her husband but an old friend from drama camp where she attended as a teen🙈

This covers topics of grief and low self esteem.

This is such a perfect summer read and I highly recommend 🌞 this book finally got me out my reading slump🥰

Such an uplifting read…well done to @laurajaneautor! You smashed this ✨💛

Please make sure to grab a copy! Out 10 June 2021🥂💛

Thank you to the author and to netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
@netgalley

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
After reading Our Stop and The Love Square, I'd have to say, this is now my favourite Laura Jane Williams' novel. I think it was the main characters, and how well they got along, and their banter, that really sealed it for me.
The plot wasn't cheesy, moved at a decent pace and kept my attention.
Probably a novel I won't forget for a while.

This book sort of fell flat for me unfortunately. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't a standout. The first 2/3 of the book was a light, enjoyable read, but it seemed to lose it's way in the last 1/3. I didn't fully connect with the heroine and found both characters to be inconsistent and a bit wishy washy.

There's a lot of love for this book, so it's obviously just a case of it not resonating with me personally. I read a previous book from this author that was well liked/reviewed overall but it also didn't work for me, so I apparently just need to pass in the future. This is definitely a "It's not you, it's me" situation!

Overall, this book was okay. It's a light tale of self-discovery and, although it's not exactly my cup of tea, I'd recommend it to those wanting a fun, quick read.

This was such a cute, light hearted read! The book was all about self discovery and the books captures the main characters growth that she goes through. I would definitely recommend this to other!

Absolutely adored this book and Patrick is now my new book husband. I've read it in such a short time, coudlnt put it down. Great characters and thrilling story of new starts and living in a moment

After being dumped on her wedding day, via a text message! and trying to avoid being around her parents who have moved into her home to care for her, Annie takes up running. Not satisfied with this, she enrols on a bootcamp programme and it's here she meets Patrick, a guy from her younger days. Her ex fiance's parents are so aghast at their sons behaviour, they insist Annie still goes on her 'honeymoon' and to take a friend along. After a few drinks one night Annie & Patrick decide to be the couple that take the amazing holiday, and it's here where the story starts to take shape. 3.5 stars.

4 stars

There are so many things that I love about The Lucky Escape. It's set in England, there's travel, there's romance, and best of all, there's a woman discovering her self-worth. However, through no fault of Williams, reading The Lucky Escape made me realize that I am not the biggest fan of the falling in love on vacation trope.

It is truly nothing against Williams' writing as she does a wonderful job of building both the Annie/Patrick relationship and Annie's individual journey. I have just found that in every book where a newly formed couple returns to the reality of real life, the inevitable conflict that arises just doesn't work me. Williams actually does a better job than most of maneuvering around any pitfalls, but there were still a few moments of miscommunication that rubbed me the wrong way.

Although I may not pick another vacation romance for a while, Williams' winning combination of wit and heart will certainly keep me coming back for more! Incredibly excited to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

To start off this review, I LOVED this book! It checks all the boxes to be a 5 star book for me. Bonus pointd for the Greys Anatomy reference! Comedy? Check. Characters you love? Check. I could not put this book down, I would have read it in one sitting if it weren’t for life getting in the way of doing that!

I loved the chemistry between Patrick and Annie and the fact that no character was ‘perfect’ and that they all had their flaws. The plot wasn’t all smooth sailing and happy which was great to see because it really mirrored the fact that life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. It was nice to read something realistic in terms of life doesn’t always go the way you want or expect it to.

This book follows a theme of love and loss and learning to be yourself again. The advernture was exciting too, and it felt like I was there with the characters. I really enjoyed reading all the places the characters went to and the fact the book wasn’t set in one place but there was lots of different locations.

There was a good amount of funny in the book and I really just want to give Annie a big hug. The overall vibe of the book makes it a perfect summer read. I also likee the fact that it is not a ‘go, fall in love, come home and happily ever after ‘ book and that more happens after the return and that it’s not all smooth sailing, giving the book more depth, as well as characters.

Definitely a 5 star read for me and I would love to read more from this author!

Entertaining book, which gets you engrossed to find out what is going to happen next. From falling in love to getting stood up at the alter. Then the what was going to be new mother in law had paid for a honeymoon to remember advised her to still go and take someone in place of her son. Annie takes an old student friend with her, they become lovers. However, he is still coming to terms with losing his wife who had passed away. When Annie comes back she is offered promotion in another Country, she goes to check it out, but her heart is wanting to be with Patrick her old student friend.

Annie is all set to marry Alexander. This should be the best day of her life. And up until she arrives at the church to find the wedding planner with a message from Alexander, saying that he cannot go through with the wedding, she is. When it is suggested that she still goes on the fully pre=paid for honeymoon to Australia, Annie decides to go and takes along old friend Patrick.

The first part of the book was a little slow as it set the scene for Annie to be a jilted bride, and flying off on her honeymoon with another man but I thoroughly enjoyed the middle section of this book. Once the pair are travelling to Australia the story gets in fully swing and the holiday seems fun, idyllic and the perfect opportunity for these near perfect strangers to get to know each other.

I did have an issue the behaviour of a key character towards the end and felt that this was inserted into the story simply as a plot device. Their actions were completely out of character. This and the slow beginning keep this at 3 stars (middle section would definitely warrant 4).

As far as poolside summer reads go, this book reads like a Hallmark movie plotline. The romance moved a bit too quickly, and the plot needed more substance. For me, this book wasn’t unique: bride is left at the altar, bride immediately meets a new beau, falls in love, and there is a happily ever after ending projecting from the first pages. I think Annie was a little crazy to take a brand new guy on her formerly planned honeymoon halfway across the world, but that doesn’t really surprise me in a romance novel.
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This book is out June 10th. Thanks to @avonbooks and @netgalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.