Thank you #Netgalley!

When Annie's world got turned upside down and her life plans crumbled, she decided to still take that honeymoon she had planned. However, her partner was not who she ultimately expected it to be. Instead she ran into an old friend and on a whim she invites him to go with her. Though it was unconventional, she went along with the quick instinct and they took her honeymoon trip. During her time there, Annie continues to call her friends and family to keep in touch even though the dynamics of her family are not ideal, I enjoyed her interactions with her sister Freddie. The book was a bit far fetched but still a fun read.

I really wanted to love this book and I did enjoy a huge chunk of it. Unfortunately, it bogged down in other parts.
So, this is what i liked: 1. The way Annie picked her self up and joined the boot camp 2. Patrick- i loved his zest for life even in the face of grief. I could just picture his adorable goofiness at the airport. 3. Freddie was a delight . But, my absolute favorite part was the trip to Australia. It was really magical. It felt like I was on the trip with them. I even liked the way the romance developed. Annie and Patrick were very sweet and thoughtful with each other .Plus, they had great chemistry. The problem was before and after the trip. It felt like forever before the fun started. There was too much back and forth with the friends and the core group was annoying. Then, of course, they went to Australia and there was adventure, fun, self discovery, sparks and sex. Then, boom they came back and the story became lackluster again. I knew Annie was going through a lot but she really irritated me in the last fourth of the book. I know the formula in these books is to have the lovers have some sort of breakup near the end and ultimately come back into each other’s arms. However, by the time we finally got to that point I just didn’t care much anymore. So i would give it a three for most of the book and a four for the middle.

This was a fun cute beach read. I laughed out loud and quickly blew through each page. Excited to try more from this author.

Wonderful story that I throughly enjoyed, Will absolutely look for more by this author. Very enjoyable. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read, go for it.

This was a really lovely story! This is the first book by Laura Jane Williams that I have read, and now I definitely want to read some more. Annie and Patrick are adorable. I loved living vicariously through them as they explored Australia. I also loved that they felt like real people dealing with real problems. Most of the more intimate moments were closed door, which works really well for this story. I enjoyed that there wasn't one BIG conflict, but a couple of conflicts that were resolved in different ways. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it to my fellow contemporary romance readers!

Things I liked: the cover. Things I didn’t like: the asshole characters. I just hated them all. I could imagine this being a short series on HBO tho.

"What if we all only get one precious life and if we spend it peering through the lace curtains at how everyone else lives we end up missing the chance to make the most of our own?

I picked up this book expecting to find a light and fluffy travel romance book. This book had so much more insightful discussion and growth for the main characters than I ever anticipated. I really enjoyed the way this story dives into moving on from old relationships, growing into ones own skin, embracing who they truly are and holding yourself and others accountable for making your own happiness. I also loved the travel portion of the book, which has some beautifully immersive descriptions of the landscape in Australia. This is a story of healing and love. I love how the main character learned to stand up for herself and worked through expressing herself instead of holding back for the sake of someone else. While her journey doesn't perfectly match my own, I can relate to moving on from a past relationship and having a period of growth and slowly building confidence from that experience. Overall, this book was a surprise and unexpected delight to read. I found myself highlighting beautiful insight made by the characters as well as funny British expressions that sounded humorous to my American ears. I enjoyed this story, read most of it in one day and will be keeping my eye out for more books by this author!

Content: fade to black intimacy scenes, toxic relationship with a partner/parent, finding inner strength, life expectations as a 30 something, grief of losing a spouse

3.5 Stars

There is much to like about this book and definitely some aspects that are very annoying.

The story opens on Annie’s wedding day. She’s dressed and had her makeup done and arrives at the church – only to find out that her groom, Alexander, will not be joining her. He crassly texted the wedding planner with the news and left Annie bereft. Obviously distraught, she reluctantly agrees to go on her all-expense-paid (by her in-laws-to-be!) honeymoon with a companion. The guest tripper turns out to be a childhood friend she hasn’t seen in 20 years. What ensues is Annie’s realization that due to her low self-esteem she molded herself into a people pleaser and settled for far less than she deserves. Alexander may have been a narcissistic cad, but he served as a wake-up call – hence, “The Lucky Escape.”

Annie was alternatingly charming and irritating as a protagonist. The witty repartee between her and Patrick, her honeymoon companion, lent a light touch to a story with heavy emotional overtones. There is one scene in the resort spa that had me laughing out loud it was so outrageous. However, Annie’s constant self-doubt and second-guessing of herself – her motivations, her feelings, her communication, her actions – became tedious after a while. It was hard to believe that she was a highly respected theoretical physicist! (I guess it does reflect the ability to compartmentalize personal and professional lives.) The good news is that Annie finds, or rediscovers, her authentic self-expression. In that process, she begins to take more risks and makes choices that reflect her needs, her values and dreams.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNFing at 50%. I just can't force myself to read any more of this book. Life is too short to read books you don't enjoy!

I don't typically DNF books, but this one just didn't sit right for me from the very beginning and I finally had to give up and realize this just wasn't going to work for me. I was instantly turned off by the main character - the story starts as she's prepping for her wedding day and there were constant mentions of her starving herself to fit into her dress. Within a few chapters, that turned into excessive exercise with descriptions of her bones showing through her skin. There is nothing I hate more in the world than women thinking they need to change their bodies to look a certain way.

After that, I could never really get into the story because I was so turned off. The plot seems cute enough, and I'm sure the pay off is probably good, but the pacing was too slow for me. I was not invested in the characters at all and found that I was forcing myself to pick the book back up to read, when I really didn't care about any of these characters.

There's probably a target audience out there who will enjoy this story, but I was not it.

I was so lucky to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I loved the cover so much on this book as the beach/pool is my favorite escape. But unfortunately, the cover misled me at the same time as I was expecting a light, funny romantic comedy, and this book is not that. I thought it was fun and cute and I enjoyed reading it. I recommend it!

At the beginning, Annie thought her life was truly over. Until she actually decided to do what made her happy with no regrets. If she had stayed with Alexander, her mum eloquently stated that she would have remained a wet blanket and people pleaser. She never would have gone to Australia with Patrick and reclaimed her independence and determination. She truly started liking herself as she realized her strength. Alexander set her free and as a result, life whether it be with the Core Four, Patrick or Freddie became better. The one item I must warn the reader is that the nicknames become very annoying.

***The Lucky Escape by new to me British author, Laura Jane Williams, is a second chance at love story. Jilted at the alter has left Annie insecure and anxious, but meeting an old friend from her past reminds her of what’s really important. Patrick is dealing with his own issues but together can they overcome? This was an okay read, but not one I will recommend to friends or keep on my e-reader. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley.

Annie expects to marry her fiance, but instead is left at the alter. Her fiance's mother tells her to use the tickets for the honeymoon so she goes off to Australia. Patrick, an old friend from the past tags along. A fun and easy summer read. Good showing of how life changes can be handled. The old make lemonade and so on. Would recommend.

I received an advance copy of, The Lucky Escape. This was an interesting story. The characters were good.

A fun summer read. Looking for something that keeps you engaged, is light and fun admits these dark times? Then this is the perfect summer read for you. Cute.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a sweet slow burn, and I really enjoyed the writing style! The characters were relatable, and I found myself really cheering for Annie! Great read!

A witty smart book about broken hearts, another chance at love coming, after a huge heart break and ending up being lucky in love.

I was gifted an ARC and reviewed a few months ago! Here's what I had to say:
Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books UK and Laura Jane Williams for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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A solid romance with fantastic chemistry, The Lucky Escape would be a good pool side companion! While this book wasn’t a five star read for me, I did like some parts enough to keep it in that 3 star range. The thing I struggled with the most was the main female lead, Annie. She’s just a bit too flighty and all over the place for me. She’s the type of person that I would NOT be friends with in real life because she’d annoy me way too much. I would’ve liked to see more of the honeymoon because honestly that was what kept me reading and then it was over as soon as it started and things fizzled out for me again. I may be judging this too harshly, but I’ve just read so many fantastic reads lately that my expectations are HIGH. A good romance, but ultimately it doesn’t stand out.

I read an ARC of The Love Square recently and it didn't do it for me. This one, however, was adorable and a lot deeper than I anticipated. The current synopsis made it sound like a light frothy fun read, and while there is definitely a lot of that to be had, there were also deeper themes about loving yourself and being present in the moment.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.