A perfect book to get me out of my slump!

I don't always like light enjoyable reads. I tend to drift towards the darker side of things. However Eight Perfect Hours was just what I needed. I enjoyed the construction of this novel and the characters. I will definitely be looking out for Lia Louis in the future.

3.5 Stars.

I enjoyed this soft sort of uplit-esque romance… it’s actually not QUITE romance but it has romantic elements in it- it’s sort of reminiscent of that golden era of Brit “chick lit” (hating to use that nomenclature but you know what I mean) from the late 90s/ early 00s that was women’s coming of age stories. In that way, this is very similar to this author’s previous novel (Dear Emmie Blue). It’s about family and friendship, but also about loss and grief and being stuck and reconciling either being okay with that feeling or doing something to change it, without privileging the latter option as most books do.

The premise of this book is that Noelle is kind of stuck in a rut, grieving the loss of her childhood friend, looking after her housebound mother, and mourning the end of a long term relationship when she meets Sam on a highway when they’re both stranded due to a blizzard. Over the next few months they continue to meet randomly through no effort on their part leading them to question what fate is trying to tell them,especially since they’re both battling demons and dealing with blasts from the past.

This is a book that happens very much in Noelle’s head. It’s not that there is no plot action, there is, but you have to have a lot of patience with Noelle’s worries and fears and internal monologues and doubts. I found that I related to her a lot but perhaps because of that I found her a little tiresome at times because it was a lot like looking into a mirror of my own psyche and staring down all my issues. Noelle rambles a lot and arguably her internal monologues can run on and tend towards the precious- but overall I found her endearing.

I thought the way the author tackles mental health in this is quite good and I found realistic and diverse. Consider if this might be a little triggering if you have struggled with mental health or have had to take care of someone with severe mental health struggles. One major theme of this novel is grief and the ways people deal with or don’t deal with it- a lot of Noelle’s internal monologue centres around her trauma over losing her friend and this is reflected by the way she lives her life and also mirrored through Sam.

I feel like I struggled with this book in the sense of the romantic relationships. One thing I liked in this book as in the previous book is the way past romantic relationships are not villainised but rather seen through a lens of reality and seen for what they were- both the good and the messy with some 💩-holery that happens without you consigning entire characters as 🍑-holes. That said, I think because of the nature of fate as a character in this book, it made the actual relationship-building parts a little weak and underdeveloped for me. It’s not that I didn’t love the characters and the role of fate, but I wanted more of Noelle and Sam together on page. For such a “real” book, their epic love story felt a little rushed and unsubstantial because of how fate-based it was. And the thing is that when they were together it was good, at least from Noelle’s POV- Sam barely speaks now that I think of it, but there could have been more.

There are certain changes that happen in the book that seem out of nowhere and certain problematic family dynamics that are never resolved. If you like things tied up in and tidy now, this might be a struggle- but I liked the realism of leaving things open-ended in some aspects especially since this is otherwise such a fate-driven novel otherwise.

Overall, I liked this and recommend it perhaps not as much as Emmie Blue but still it’s a wonderfully uplifting read. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for the complimentary copy!

Do you believe in fate?

On a snowy March evening, Noelle Butterby finds herself charmed by Sam Attwood, a complete stranger stranded in the car next to her. After spending eight hours together, the two separate under the assumption that they will never see one another again, but fate has other plans.

Louis emphasized mental health throughout EIGHT PERFECT HOURS, with her characters portraying a wide array of issues. It was particularly refreshing to see postpartum anxiety and depression depicted in a manner that was accurate and compassionate. This representation was incredibly appreciated, bolstering the novel. Because of the secondary nature of the romance, I felt that it would have been better labeled as contemporary or women's fiction. Both the title and the summary made it seem as though the eight hours initially spent together would have been more profound, but I found the scene underwhelming. I struggled in the beginning to engage with the novel, but when I finally did, I found it sweet and charming. Thank you, Atria and NetGalley, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Noelle’s living life for everyone else- well, primarily her mother. After her mom had a stroke, Noelle’s life kind of crumbled around her. She and her boyfriend broke up, she didn’t go for her dream job, and she accepted that her world was going to be revolving around her mom’s anxieties. Now, years later, Noelle is going to a school reunion and who would be there other than.. her ex, Ed. He barely acknowledges her and it’s all Noelle can do to stay in one piece until she can get out of there. As she sits in standstill traffic on the way home, Noelle is in full panic mode when a kind (and cute) stranger offers for her to charge her phone in his car. Is this fate or is it just a random moment?

Lia Louis has done it again. Noelle is a fun, kind character who is totally relatable. Instead of going again the flow, Noelle resides herself to do whatever will keep the peace. Honestly, it makes her life pretty easy and comfortable. BUT deep down she knows she’s unhappy. She sits at a crossroads of jumping back into the past with her ex, Ed, or trying something new and pursuing something with Sam, a man who she can’t stop running into.

The way Louis weaves together Sam and Noelle is so fun. There are no way the odds would ever be that crazy in real life, but it was beautiful. They seem to have been at the fringes for almost their entire lives, like magnets forced together by fate.

In the end, I couldn’t put this book down. I gave it a solid 4 stars. I can’t wait to see what Lia Louis comes up with next!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

While somewhat predictable, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were genuine and I was rooting for them. I could definitely see this adapted into a movie!
I was given an advanced copy of this book by #NetGalley

This was my second book by Lia Louis and I really liked it! This was the perfect feel good story I needed at the time! It reminded me of a Hallmark movie story line! Highly recommend!

The serious issues in Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis include a young accidental death, depression, mental illness, caregiving, and aging. The books adds in the element of fate, karma and kismet. It is ultimately a sweet story of things that are meant to be and things the reader sees coming way before the main character Noelle does. A sweet story with which to spend a few, perhaps not perfect but still, enjoyable hours.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2022/03/eight-perfect-hours.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

Okay this was really good! I liked it a lot, the romance was good! It really played with my emotions! I honestly wasn't expecting it to really be that heart wrenching and kind of sad. It wasn't super sad or angsty, but still! It had a good amount of pining and I kept like wanting them to get together already and ugh the pining again was top notch! I loved it! Also I loved the snowed in aspect of this book! I thought that was cute and fun! I liked that they met that way! It had a lot of mental health rep, especially anxiety, and it dealt with a lot of family issues and really learning to find yourself.

I will mention there's some trigger warnings for: death of a friend, death of a family member, it mentions suicide, and anxiety.

I tried this one and couldn't really connect with the characters and found myself not super invested. It was cute but I wasn't crazy about the main character. Thanks for the opportunity to review.

I really, really enjoyed this book, and I recommended it to a few friends. I was touched by the romance and also by the thoughtful treatment of grief.

I thought this one was cute, but felt like the story was a bit longer than I liked. I didn’t really connect with Noelle, so maybe that contributed to the dragging of the story. I still thought it was an okay read and gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy in exchange of an honest review.

Lia Louis has such a sweet way of writing that you are instantly drawn in and feel an emotional connection throughout the entire story.

Noelle meets Sam on a stranded highway due to blizzard conditions as they are both traveling home. One night turns into several serendipitous meetings over time. They keep bumping into one another, at different times and different places. In the end, were they meant to meet? Is there such a thing as a coincidence?

Noelle is such a sweet character and is portrayed as very innocent and always looking to do the right thing. I wish that her mother didn't seem to hold her back so much and Sam bothered me a tad after their initial meeting. There was definitely some moments where I felt like I was yelling at Noelle to wake up. But the writing was cute and the storyline took Sam and Noelle forwards and then like 3 steps backwards. A lot of push and pull and I loved how the ending brought everything together in a most unexpected way.

✨Happy Pub Day to Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis!✨

I flew through this CHARMING DELIGHTFUL HEARTWARMING BOOK. Swipe for a synopsis or just hear me say this:

🧶 If you love the song 🎵 invisible sting 🎵 by Taylor Swift - you’ll love this book!

🧶 If you love love stories about FATE - you’ll love this book!

🧶 If you love that slooooow burn with a heavy dose of swooning… you’ll love this book!

Not only is the romance perfection, but Noelle’s story of finding herself, mourning her past, taking chances and fighting for her dreams is just so so well done.

I laughed. I got a little teary. And I smiled a lot. I loved all the little happenstances that brought Noelle and Sam together and seeing the thread that wove them together over the years.

This book is OUT today (9/28!) and you should most definitely add to cart!

Lia Louis found a new way to deliver a second chance romance. Told from only Noelle's poi t of view, the reader sees all her hurdles, pain and growth. Such a moving romance that I knew I just had to get my hands on after reading Dear Emmie Blue and absolutely LOVING it!

This book was everything I love in a subtle romance! The romance almost played out as secondary to Noelle's journey handling her grief, overcoming past relationships, and tackling day to day struggles caring for a loved one.

I loved the way Sam and Noelle were almost like ships passing in the night, always missing each other before truly ending up together. This was the ultimate slow burn, and it really worked for me! I wish there was more of the actual romance, but I still really enjoyed it! This book was really popular around Christmas time, but to me it reads more as a winter read.

Would recommend for fans of Always in December and One Day in December!

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to read this one because I changed my kindle email address and forgot to update it on Netgalley, so it never arrived to my device. *facepalm*

What a delightful book. I was hooked from the start of the blizzard and couldn't stop. There were lots of twists and turns and unexpected events. I absolutely loved Dear Emmie Blue and now Eight Perfect Hours. Lia Louis will be an auto buy for me going forward.

I am a total cynic, so I loved that this took the "meant to be" trope and really slammed it home in a way that went from too much to over the top and thus excellent.

3.5 🌟 for this slow burn romance. Eight Perfect Hours would be the ideal book to read on a cozy snowy day.
Noelle and Sam find themselves caught in a traffic jam during a winter storm passing the hours away getting to know each other. Noelle believes they have a connection, but they never exchange numbers. What follows is several chance encounters that frustratingly never seem to go anywhere. This was a cute story, but fell short of the authors previous novel, Dear Emmie Blue. If you are looking for charm I highly suggest that sweet story.

I just completed the most lovely, heartwarming, cozy of a read that I can’t wait to recommend as 2022’s Winter Read. With the impending winter snowstorm that is forecasted for most of us this week, EIGHT PERFECT HOURS by Lia Louis is the book that you will want to curl up with. The story is as beautifully darling as the book’s cover design and as an added treat for those who love audiobooks , I highly recommend it’s version read by the incomparable Emma Powell. This book could be easily slotted into the rom com category, however, it has so much more depth than what that label sometimes implies. It is a love story, but Lia Louis also tackles issues of complicated family dynamics, grief due to the loss of a loved one, and mental health. She also infuses the book with great British humor and a lovable cast of supporting characters. I could easily see this being made into an adored feel-good movie - a movie with the feel of ME BEFORE YOU with the humor of BRIDGET JONES DIARY and the couple dynamics of NOTTING HILL.

The book begins with ancient Chinese proverb: “An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, and circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle. But it will never break.”
And so forms the foundation of the novel, as the reader follows along with American Sam and British Noelle as it is revealed all the ‘near misses’ and ‘almost happened’ instances of them meeting over 15 years, until they keep getting pulled tighter and tighter together by the red thread that connects them. Yet, even then the path is not easy or clear; tangled with other past relationships, long distance, self-doubts, and thwarted dreams. However, love from family and love from friends can help illuminate the path and unravel the knots to bring Sam and Noelle together across the divide.