Gwen and Sam meet on a bus. This usual boring journey soon turns into friendship and possibly more. With Gwen in a hurry and Sam soon being her saviour it isn't long before Gwen realises the life she's living isn't the one she wants anymore.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this novel as much as I thought I would. I like the concept and meeting someone like this does happen, but I did not feel the narrative worked and found it boring.

The novel is very much written as a spoken script but with no 'he said,' 'she said,' because of this it can get very confusing who is saying what; especially when you put the book down and pick it back up again. There were small snippets of written narrative which were nice and I feel this would have worked better. But I understand why it was done and the concept behind it. Done on Audio and narrated I can see this would work so much better.

I have read this author before and loved previous novels so was disappointed in this one. It hasn't put me off of the author but it has made me bump them down my go-to author list.

The third book in the Love Lines series, Seat Mate follows Gwen and Sam on a chaotic journey from Boston to New York. Sam (friend of Vera from Call Me Maybe) is a physical trainer who regularly rides the bus home to see his mum. Gwen is a photographer, who travels the world. When they grab the last two seats on the bus, conversation sparks.

Gwen is the odd duck in her family, never really putting down roots, whereas Sam is calm, regimented, and sometimes overwhelmed by his mother's interference. I really loved the banter between them right from the start. And I loved Shirley's input on the bus. I think the story really excelled once the bus broke down. There were some truly hilarious moments. I'm trying hard not to spoil anything. Instead, I'll just say mixtapes, kittens, city bikes, and obviously Florine.

It was different from the previous books, in that there was (kinda) no mystery as to who they were speaking to. However, it was no less fun, and I loved the building chemistry. Sam is adorable right from the start and I loved both of their internal dialogues. Once again Cara Bastone excels at writing complex, non-stereotypical male leads with hearts of gold. And that ending? 🥰

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥
Emotional Rating: 😂🙈🥰😢😊😍🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

[I have also posted the same review on Amazon UK, but awaiting moderation]

This book was incredibly unique and unlike anything I’ve ever read. There was so much storyline to the book and it all takes place in one day. And of all places the romance could happen, it took place on a bus. I really liked the concept of the book and it was really well written. However, for me personally with all the context, and the way the book was organised, at times it was difficult to read and I would lose all the information I had before. I think when you read this book, you do need to give all your attention on it to fully understand what’s happening. But, the book also has an audiobook option, so if you can get your hands on the audiobook, it would be a more fun experience to read the book.

Okay I will start off by saying that this is did take me a couple of chapters to get into as the constant dialogue did throw me at first, but one I got passed it and got familiar with the writing style I really enjoyed this sweet romance. 
 
I mean what's not to love when a book features something cute and furry ! It was lovely seeing a guy who would do anything for anyone else and was instantly likeable. The way they got to know one another is very cute and there was a few little twists I didn't expect but really enjoyed.

I adored this book! Thank you, Net Galley. Sam and Gwen made my heart smile. I would love to meet a cute stranger on the bus that’s just like Sam.

Thank you, NetGalley! Rating this a 3.5 stars! This was such a fun and easy read would recommend it to anyone who is in need of a fun and quick romcom that was very enjoyable.

thank you to netgalley, Cara Bastone and Headline for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

this book took a few chapters for me to get into it and use to the writing style but once i did i just couldn't put it down. the romance is perfect and the book definitely focuses on the romance aspect but is till able to form developed side/background characters. i will say that i think listening to it in the audiobook format would be a lot better based on other reviews i've read and is it is very speech heavy but it was still enjoyable to read.

review posted - 26/06/2022

I absolutely loved this book! This story is so sweet and although it all takes place on the same day (apart from the epilogue) it didn’t feel inauthentic or rushed in any way. The characters were both so likeable and it was fun tagging along with them for the ride. This is a story with a lot of heart, emotion, and love, not just romantic but also familial. I honestly couldn’t put it down, and will be recommending to others

I really wanted to like this book. I had begun listening to this on Audible but when the ARC was approved I jumped straight in on my kindle but I found it so hard to follow the continuous dialogue.

It's written almost like a script which I found difficult to follow, especially when other voices chipped in but there were no descriptions of who was saying what (I.e. Sam said...). The story has such potential but I would have liked to dive into their minds and understand what they were thinking/feeling as their journey progressed.

This book is a serendipitous ride! This is a Rom Com that you should read if you enjoy Rom Coms. I’m giving this 4.25 stars!
Who knew taking the bus could be such an unforgettable journey. Sam and Gwen are seat mates that through the course of a day become much more . I love that Sam and Gwen compliment each other. I love that there is more to a person then first impressions.
I was floored at the end of the book.

Thank you Cara Bastone and NetGalley for this early read opportunity.

Sam and Gwen were so much fun. Both just totally sweet, especially Sam he was just the perfect golden retriever lovely boy we all love. Can you imagine meeting someone so kind on a bus, next to the toilet? Romance is dead they say, they're wrong!

I loved how this book was written, that there were just chapters of speech between the two characters, and sometimes others, as if I was actually there on that bus, the car, the journey just experiencing everything with them.

Sam and Gwen just bounced off each other, you could just see their relationship blossoming with every question, Gwen opened up more than ever even though she's the usual interviewer but here was little indigo hair Sam peeling part the layers of who she was.

Who'd have thought buses were such a good meet-cute?

Perfectly cheesy romance. This was a total feel good book and I really enjoyed it.
Super light hearted and easy to read

I don't think this is my cup of tea unfortunately. Also it's mostly all dialogue so I probably should have listened to this as an audiobook because it was strange just reading it like that. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more on Audible? The characters I didn't click with either and I just wanted a bit more depth with the plot. There were a lot of conversation where it was just family talk and I felt like I was tuning out after a while, the romance didn't seem to work for me and there wasn't much I was invested in.
It's cute and quirky, something different, but I just wasn't into it. Such a shame too because it looked like something I'd really enjoy!

This was the cuties book ever
Like I’m so obsessed with Sam he’s the sweetest guy in the planet
The things he did to get Gwen to her interview
This literally felt so realistic like imagine this happened to you. I can’t get it out of my head. The layout of this book was actually quite surprising but fitting. I loved the chapters where there is just speech
I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 because it felt to real for me. Like it was such a cute rom-com book

My goodness, this book was perfect! Seatmate is the third book in the Love Lines series, a series of standalone novels that are all in the same universe, and the main characters somehow know each other.

This series was written as audiobooks, but I can’t pay attention to audiobooks thanks to my wonderfully dyslexic brain, so I read the digital version instead, and I have to say I love the format. Most of the book, I’d say like 70% is just dialogue, no context, just the main characters talking, and I love it. Once you get past the first few lines, it is easy to get into the swing of it and start hearing each character's individual voice.

Romance books where the relationship develops quickly aren’t usually my cup of tea, but this book was fabulous. The whole book takes place over 5/6 hours, starting on a Megabus bound for NYC, moving to a hike to a petrol station, a car journey and a bike ride. It's high adrenaline reading, and the pace is so quick and action-packed that you’ll fly through reading it.

Sam takes the same Megabus journey once a month to visit his mother in Boston. This trip happens to be unlike any in the past decade he’s been travelling. His seatmate, Gwen, is a writer/photographer who captures interesting people and tells the story of how they adorn themselves, be it jewellery, hair dye or tattoos. She snagged the last ticket available for this coach ride and arrived just before the coach took off, leaving her with only one seat choice, at the back of the bus, next to the toilet, with Sam.

The two hit it off immediately, which is so different from Sam’s other journeys because he’s usually upfront with his headphones in, vibing out the 6-hour journey. Somehow, these two, having just met, are comfortable with each other, have great chemistry and develop an easy rapport. The banter and conversation were hilarious, and I loved every minute. The way it’s written makes for rapid-fire conversations without stopping to explain facial expressions or settings, and I adored it.

A lot happens in Seatmate; if you’ve read the synopsis, you already know a lot goes down within these pages, and I can tell you it's as exciting as it sounds. It's funny and wholesome and delightful. If you haven’t already, add this book to your to-read, or pick it up immediately. You will not be disappointed.

I really enjoyed this. Bastone has a gift for writing super cute meet-cutes that hook you until you finish them. I loved both Gwen and Sam and it was just so cute.

I do think that parts of it were a little confusing because of how much dialogue there was without any indication of who was speaking. In an audiobook, that works, but because I was reading the ebook, I had to go back and try and keep track of who was actually talking. It definitely got easier once I got to know both characters but the start was a little rough for me. This isn't something I remember happening with the previous books in this series so I will treat it as a fluke.

Overall, this was just what I needed because I can't stop smiling with Bastone's books and I hope we get more in this series! Would definitely recommend this series!

This was very cute.
The audiobook is obviously the way to go.
Very adorable, everything just happens to fall into place kinda romance.

I received an eARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

At first I really enjoyed this book! I even raved about it on my insta stories. I loved the fast paced nature of the writing. With basically just dialogue firing back and forth. It was fun and easy to read.

But after about the 45% mark I was really struggling. at 65% I switched to audio as it had good reviews. It did make it easier to read and I continued for a bit. But not much.

It went from fun, easy to read, likeable characters and flirty banter to repetitive, annoyingly justifying every single comment (I saw someone else describe this as annoyingly over the top woke, and I agree) and adding random events to slow their journey even further which just irritated me. For such a short book, it felt like it went on forever and I didn’t even finish it. i thought I would fly through this. And I did at the beginning, but when you near the half way point it just starts to drag.

I really wanted to love this book, so much! But it just isn’t for me unfortunately.

Seatmate, the third book in the Love Lines series from Cara Bastone is just adorable. Though it is the third in the series I read it as a standalone book and just loved it. It was a really fun and fast paced read.

Seatmate is the story of Gwen and Sam. Gwen is desperately trying to make it back to New York from Boston in time for an interview that could really boost her career. Meanwhile Sam is heading back from one of his monthly trips to see his Ma. Sat together on the back of the bus, unfortunately positioned by the toilets, the pair begin to strike up a conservation. The journey, however, becomes yet more eventful when their bus breaks down, leading them to embark on an epic mission to make it back in time. Will they end up as simply seat mates or maybe might they have just found their soulmate?

Seatmate began its life as an audio book, becoming an audio bestseller that is now available as ebook. You can tell it was an audio originally by the fact it is majority dialogue, with only a few chapters interspersed throughout written from either Gwen or Sam’s singular POV. Whilst it took a little getting used to at first I loved the style of this book and it meant I just tore through it.

Whilst we are only with the characters for the single day of the journey we come to learn so much about them, such is the skill of Bastone’s writing. You come to really get to know them both and really care about them. I really liked both Gwen and Sam. Sam has to be one of the kindest and most decent make MCs going. I loved the side characters that popped up too; especially Shirley on the bus.

This was a really sweet, fun and fast paced read. I loved the adventure the pair went on, Sam’s determination to help Gwen, and the way that they both recognised the changes they wanted to make in their lives. A fab read.

Overall, I gave up this book 20% in. The writing style made it difficult to concentrate on. The lack of exposition really impacted my read on this ARC negatively. I didn't like that it was continous dialogue of up to 18 lines in some places at a time. I couldn't imagine the story, envision the characters or what they were doing. It was as if I was overhearing this on the bus and I only had to pay attention because I was there. I believe this would work better as an audiobook which I see is an option.

Overall, I'm going to give this a 3 out of 5 star rating solely because the premise of the story was interesting and I believe I would have enjoyed more of what I read if it weren't a dialogue only e-book. Thank-you NetGalley for the ARC.