Escapist reading at it’s best!

The thing I love about Laura’s writing is it’s pure escapism when you need it most.

And while I loved the lucky escape, I almost find myself liking her earlier work, The Love Square more as there was more conflict and interest in that story.

In this one we go from wedding to honeymoon and back again without much really happening.

It almost reads like a script for a movie rather than a novel and things just happen too fast to be plausible.

A good read but not quite for me.

Vacation in Australia with a hot new man friend? Sign me up! I only wish I had been summering in Australia while reading!

The Lucky Escape captured my attention from the start, and I flew through it. I personally enjoy romance novels with some depth past just the romance and The Lucky Escape delivered. The characters have different traumatic experiences in each of their pasts, but each learned to grow as a human and move forward with their lives and each other.

The only reason this was a 4 star for me was that I found Patrick to be whiny and annoying towards the end. He was doing SO well, but his attitude toward Annie and the things in her life about 75% of the way through was frustrating. But that definitely could just be me and my strong-willed, not-to-be controlled attitude.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all my romance lovers!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

3.50 stars
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TW; Death of a spouse, Ending of engagement, Sexual Content, Challenging parents, Self-doubt
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Annie has it all and she's about to marry her college sweetheart Alexander, the last thing she expects is to be left at the altar on their special day. Without communication, Annie is left in the dark about what on earth happened and what went wrong. After a reunion with Patrick - who used to attend her summer drama camp and a chance to live the honeymoon, she's missing out on, courtesy of her very apologetic in-laws Annie finds herself jetting off to Australia with Patrick.

It was so fun to see these two reconnect after years of not speaking, although I felt like the outcome would be a little predictable of them falling for each other while on vacation, it was still a fun concept. It's not every day you get to take a honeymoon with someone who isn't the man you've planned to marry! I have to applaud Annie's character, as I think she handled the situation very well - she also had an amazing support system including her sister, her work wife, and the core fore.

This was a cute read, I'd read it if I were on vacation but it felt like the book was divided into 3 parts; before Australia, Australia, and after Australia - and felt like sometimes the flow of the book was a little off!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

I loved Our Stop so had very high hopes for this and Laura didn't disappoint!!
This was such an adorable book and I could have kept reading for hours (housework ceased for the day in this house!!)
It was the perfect book to escape with and I just loved the scene setting it really transported me!
Cant wait to read more from Laura and her witty sense of humour!

Laura Jane Williams does it again! I adored Out Stop and equally love The Lucky Escape. As Laura says in her acknowledgements, it really is the perfect book for escapism. Commercial but has nuggets of wisdom and life advice tucked in there. It’s the book I’ll be telling people to read in 2021 because we all need some love and lightness like this.

The build-up to actually getting to the vacation took longer than expected, but I understood why the author did wrote it that way. It did help with establishing their relationship and characteristics and made it different than a traditional romance book to me. However, I felt there was a lot of repetitiveness in both of their behaviors which got to be annoying at points.

I have to say I was quite disappointed with the book overall. After reading The Love Square last year, I was hopeful that this would be a fun and interesting read too.

The premise is definitely one that caught my attention. Annie had been left at the altar by Alexander, her college boyfriend. She reconnects with a friend from theatre camp by chance, and thus begins a whirlwind romance. It's pretty clear that Patrick and Annie are going to end up together, especially when he dares her to go on her honeymoon, not alone, but with him! And she actually does!

Annie annoyed me a lot. I felt her character lacked real depth. And her professional life is written very poorly. Is she a theoretical physicist? Why is she in a corporate setting then, is she in R & D? What was her motivation to become a theoretical physicist?? Nobody in the world would choose that as the easy or good career choice with lots of opportunities. It felt like very lazy writing, giving her a fancy job, that has no basis in reality or even a fabricated reality.

The honeymoon was the best part of this, as we got to travel (while being stuck at home). That was some lovely escapism. But Annie and Patrick didn't have a lot of chemistry in my mind. They seemed better as flirting friends. And Patrick's whole life philosophy didn't seem as cool and revolutionary to me as it did to Annie. How did he get three weeks off work for that honeymoon too!!

Overall, I had trouble getting through this book. With more attention to the details of Annie and Patrick's lives, it could have been a great one. Like why did Alexander's parents pay for this exorbitant honeymoon for her, and then we never really see them later on (except when Alex mentions they miss Annie). I'd have liked to see that reunion and see their relationship, rather than just being told repeatedly how much they love Annie. Since their input into the storyline was so huge, it would have made a lot of sense to show them interact with her.

I am grateful to the publishers for providing an ARC via NetGalley.

Having enjoyed the authors books before, I was very intrigued by this book. Jilted on her wedding day, Annie is devastated. She mopes for a little while before deciding to try and get back out there, bumping into old friend Patrick when she does.

Her in laws are ashamed about how their son treated her and tell her to go on the honeymoon regardless - and Patrick ends up going along for the ride! Now these must be very understanding in laws because even though their son was a piece of garbage, I doubt many people would allow another man to go on the holiday that they technically paid for!

It was nice to see Annie rekindle an old friendship and I loved the relationship between Annie and her little sister. Her mum was a little infuriating, overbearing and judgemental but it was nice to see them finally find some common ground.

I think the ending could have been a little stronger but overall this was a fantastic read.

*gifted in exchange for an honest review*

I love Laura Jane Williams books! Annie is a loveable character, and we instantly fell for her after she was left outside the church on her wedding day, by Alexander (who we instantly don't like). Patrick however, is an old friend of Annie's and when they catch up at boot camp, she knows he's not the type of man who would leaver her at the altar.

I loved following Annie's empowerment after losing her university love. She was strong and Patrick was the perfect example of a man to help her. It was a little predictable in the second half but that's ok.

Annie gets left at the altar...yes. The ultimate FU of breakups. When her ex’s parents offer for her to get up, dust off and take that all expense paid honeymoon to gorgeous Australia for 3 weeks- she just can’t. Until she meets her old drama camp friend Pongy Patrick. Ol Patrick is silly, kind and just the fun Annie needs right now. The fact that they are strictly friends takes the pressure off when she invites him to join her in Australia.
The story is adorable and we follow both Annie and Patrick on their own inner self cleanse of love. But it’s a bit cliche in bits. We all feel where it’s headed...

A great summer beach read for those who love quick romance novels. I liked the book overall, but also thought the book was too long. I didn't connect with the main character at all - I thought she was not very likeable and I definitely wasn't rooting for her.

Thank you to the author, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for providing a copy to review!

My heart broke for Annie but being able to watch to flourish was lovely. She held back from making herself happy for so long and as she became more confined it was great to see the decisions she made for herself

Annie Wiig never expected to be left at the altar. She also never expected her ex-in-laws to force her to go on a lavish 3 week honeymoon to Australia either, but after 2 weeks of laying in bed and venturing to Barry’s Bootcamp, she realizes an Australian holiday might be what she needs. She also doesn’t expect to be reunited with Patrick Hummingbird from her days at theater camp, or to have him join her on her not-honeymoon. As Annie navigates the unexpected, she also navigates through self-discovery and realizes she made a lucky escape being left at the altar. Annie throws caution to the wind and starts to realize that she must expect the unexpected, and she must start living her life the way she wants. Starting with a possible romance in Australia with Patrick Hummingbird.

This book will make an absolutely perfect beach read this summer. It is light and fun and the Australian setting is perfect. The book loses its way towards the end, and Annie can be frustrating at times, but overall a fun read.

Let me preface this by saying I ADORED Our Stop, so I was over the moon to see another romance release from Laura Jane Williams. The Lucky Escape is a tender and sweet story with an overarching female empowerment message, and it was meaningful without taking itself too seriously. Fans of Beth O’Leary, Emily Henry and Christina Lauren will enjoy.

When Annie is dumped at the alter she is broken, she never saw it coming and was devastated. Throwing herself into trying a new bootcamp she meets an old acquaintance, Patrick, soon their friendship evolves into a security blanket she needs. When her ex’s mother suggests she still goes on the honeymoon with a friend she takes Patrick. His refreshing outlook on life is exactly what Annie needs to reevaluate her own life.
I really did love this book. It was funny, romantic and perfect to read during these strange times! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

How gorgeous is the cover of this book? Drew me right in!

As far as stories go, this is one of the more heartfelt romance books I've read and has one of the most independent characters I've read in a while! Annie, after being jilted at the alter is left to pick up the pieces of what went wrong with her almost marriage and ends up going on a honeymoon with a man she used to know. And that man is Patrick Hummingbird (I can't get over his surname, it's the sweetest!).

I loved Patrick, he's all you could want in a book boyfriend, seriously. Sweet, handsome, caring. Checks all the boxes.

This book wasn't all cupcakes and rainbows though, and I think that's what sets it apart. It deals with subjects such as love, loss and moving forward. The importance of finding oneself. The importance of not letting a relationship define you and of not letting a relationship take over you. We all know that someone who isn't treated fairly in a relationship, letting their own self worth slip away. This book really showed how one deals with discovering how they were treated in a relationship that didn't seem toxic while in it, but was found to be toxic when looking at it from a different perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the earc in return for an honest review.

The Lucky Escape is just the dose of sweet and romantic escapism in you seek out in contemporary romcom. When Annie is jilted at the altar, her old friend Patrick comes to the rescue and over the course of an already paid for honeymoon, Annie comes to terms with truths about her ex, herself and her friend Patrick, who is obviously more than just a friend.
This story didn’t break any barriers or new ground, but it’s exactly the beach read you’re in search of for an assured HEA and an uncomplicated read.

The writing style, the plot and everything else just didn't work for me. I'm sure this book could potentially work for someone, just didn't work for me.

Annie is left at the altar but the man she thought she was meant to be with. Her would-be-in-laws want her to go on the honeymoon anyways. Then, Annie meets Patrick, a guy from her past, and decides to go with him on the honeymoon.

The story was divided into 3 parts: left at the alter, honeymoon and after Australia. I REALLY loved the first two parts. I loved the introduction of Patrick and their days in Australia, but I felt like I needed more of the honeymoon part. These two parts were a 5☆.

I was, however, disappointed with the third part of the story. I liked the conversation of how it's okay to change your career when you're 30. But, I hated that she started doubting her relationship with Patrick because of what her mom, which is known to not be supportive of her daughter, which made 0 sense to me. Also, the ending felt lacking.