An enjoyable summer read. I felt it took slightly too long to get to Natalie and Will's holiday but that the honeymoon side of things was a nice spin, although seems unlikely as a raffle prize. I went on my honeymoon last year and it brought back some fond memories. Some of the aspects of the book seemed a bit random...I got slightly annoyed about the passport name being an issue as most brides travel with passports in their maiden name and it isn't questioned at all. I was also a bit surprised when we had a sudden one year later chapter at the end. Overall it wasn't quite what I was expecting but it was a bit of harmless fun. I think once the kinks of repeated sentences and spellings are ironed out then the published copy should be a smoother read.

(Also posted on my GR account!)

To be honest, after 20% progress or so, I skimread the book till the end.
Author spent more than 10% to establish the background of the main character (hello, info dump!) and how she bickered with her mother about whether they'd attend a fundraiser in their village.
Below is my exact note from reading this book:

I tried to count how many times she wrote crackers and cheese (the snack that Natalie, her mother, and her toddler ate during the whole first chapter), wink (Natalie's mother did this <i>a lot</i>), shrug (also this), etc.

Info dump.

Author did tell when it was better to show and vice versa.

Adverbs
More adverbs
Adverbs everywhere

I dislike Natalie as a character and a person

Info dump

Smirk, smirk, wink, smirk

She won the holiday prize

yadda yadda yadda

Honeymoon suite

There was a monkey involved if i'm not mistaken

I forgot to check if she remembered her child even once
I don't think she mentioned her child during the holiday

This passage:
'How about we just get naked, but don't look at each other?' I suggest.
'Okay, I suppose,' Will replies.
' Which one of use is going to get naked first?' I ask, feeling a little anxious.
'Ladies first!'
"Let's both do it.'
'Okay fine,' Will replies.

Another monkey-related incident.

Aaand, I'm done.

This was a light, fun summer read. Natalie and Will and their adventures in Marrakech were cute and funny. I did find it weird how overly invested the hotel owner and his wife were in their being married and didn’t think explaining that they won a prize would have caused an issue.

The author did do a good job of reconnecting Natalie and Will after their years apart. Natalie’s wariness did make sense. The end did feel a bit rushed though and I would have liked to maybe see more of them officially together with Hera too.

Summary :

One holiday can change your life forever…
Natalie Jackson might keep up appearances on Instagram, but in reality her fiancé has just jilted her after the birth of their baby and she’s moved back in with her mum. Life isn’t exactly going to plan!

So when she enters the village raffle for the holiday of a lifetime, she thinks she has no chance of winning. But her name is pulled out – and, as luck would have it, so is a ticket bought by her childhood nemesis: Will Brimble.

Surely a romantic holiday for two is the worst idea ever…right?

****************
I like a good story that gives second chances for romance. Two childhood sweethearts(may or maybe) from a small town, now all grown up and individually settled in life (well, almost!). What happens when the universe decides to bring these together again in an almost romantic way possible. There's definitely ought to be some sparks, champagne and joy in the air. I was completely engrossed in Nat and Will's love story. Zoe May has written an excellent story and also provided an apt title for it. The book is a light, cute romantic read with an adorable ending to it.

I would like thank NetGalley and Zoe May for providing the arc in exchange of an honest review.

A light and enjoyable summer read , nice characters and lovely easy to follow low plot, felt a bit rushed to wrap it up at the end, but not a major issue. Entertaining read

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.
It was a nice easy read, and had several 'aw' moments, however it felt a little too easy. There was no complication of the father wanting to see his daughter (although not unheard of) or any left-over feelings of betrayal from Natalie. Maybe it didn't need drama, but maybe a little more 'will they or won't they?' between the main characters would've helped.

This was a light and easy read with some funny and relatable moments - the part where she got baby sick all over her made me laugh. I found the main character likeable and enjoyed the escapism of the holiday setting. The plot was nice, with a happy ending. However it did all feel a little rushed, with the epilogue wrapping everything up neatly and quickly. I would have liked to see a bit more depth to the love development. I would recommend this as a holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, this is my second by Zoe May- I love her writing and this is another book with a great plot ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Maybe I've just finally reached max capacity for Chik Lit. I haven't enjoyed the last several I read and this one was no different. I just couldn't get into it, I'm afraid.

Fans of the second chance romance/HEA should try this one for a light, summer read featuring two characters you will root for. Natalie has had a run of really bad luck- she's a single mom whose fiance took off and she's home with her mother. It's hard with an infant under any circumstances but she's struggling (but make no mistake- she loves her baby). The last thing she expected was to win a trip to Marrakesh, much less alongside her old love Will. Travel can make the heart grow fonder and in this case, that's what happens. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a nice read.

As Luck Would Have It by Zoe May is the most delightful contemporary novel that celebrates love and friendship. It is a light-hearted and extremely amusing read that literally had me laughing out loud.
Zoe May writes stories that warm your heart and leave you smiling and feeling good about life. Her characters have a chemistry that is contagious. The dialogue delightfully bounces between them.
From temperate England to hot Marrakech, the reader is in for a real treat. Comprehensive descriptions enable the reader to ‘walk’ through the narrative with the characters. We ‘experience’ sultry and exotic Marrakech from the confines of our sofa.
United by school day memories the two main characters show what true friendship is – it is being comfortable in the presence of another and caring more for them than for self.
Past hurts mean that hearts are guarded. It is beautiful to witness walls coming down and hearts being set free.
I absolutely adored As Luck Would Have It. It is a beautiful and highly amusing feel-good novel. One that remains long after the last page is read. I love Zoe May’s style of writing where the world is a more beautiful place when viewed through her eyes.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

This is a nice, light-hearted, rom-com of a novel perfect for summer. Nice balance of serious and humour, with a little bit of romance at its core!

I liked the characters and knew a HEA was on the horizon, but this fun and sweet read was a refreshing addition for the summer.

When I saw the description on NetGalley say it was perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, I knew I needed to pick this up for a read. Regretfully, there is not "heat" moment that Kinsella does such a good job with. Nevertheless, this was a clean read that I enjoyed with a very similar style.

Sorry but I just couldn't get into this one at all. A chapter of info dumping followed by a chapter basically focusing on baby vomit followed by another massive info dump bored me.

This was a quick second-chance romance. Natalie ends up having to share a vacation to Morocco with her high-school sweetheart, Will Brimble. Will broke her teenage heart, but now she’s a single mother with her own business but living back in the small village where she grew up. And, as they spend their time in Marrakech pretending to be honeymooners - surprise, surprise - they find themselves remembering what drew them to each other as teenagers. Their romance is predictable, but the location in Marrakech plus the charming people they meet along the way make this a sweet read.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

It's a very hot summer day and I wanted to read something easy, funny and relaxing.
This was the right book at the right moment: entertaining, refreshing and well written.
It's the first I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

*****As Luck Would Have It introduced me to British author, Zoe May, who has written a really lovely story. Single mom Natalie wins a trip for 2 to Marrakech and through a mixup at the lottery drawing ends up making the trip with old high school crush Will. She’s not thrilled about having him along, but since having her daughter she really wants the trip. Things begin to get complicated at the airport when their tickets are upgraded to first class and the complications keep coming. Can Natalie let her past disappointments go and enjoy the trip? Readers certainly will enjoy their trip. Ms. May has filled her story with the sights and smells and tastes of Marrakech along with well defined characters. This reader particularly enjoyed the fact that the author knows how to write in complete, grammatically correct sentences...no prepositional phrases pretending to be sentences. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

This is a sweet story of second chances. Natalie and Will were childhood sweethearts from a small Surrey village until one day they weren't. Fast forward and they have each made a name for themselves in London and each seemed to have it all until one day they didn't. Both end up back in their little village and bump into each other for the first time in years. Do you ever really stop loving your first love? It would seem so, for Nat. Until they end up having to go on a romantic getaway for 2 to Marrakesh after the town raffle prize draw got out of hand. So the question re-opens for Nat - do you ever really stop loving your first love?

I give this 4.75/5 stars. This was a genuinely lovely story and I love a good second chance romance. I really felt like I could relate to this story more than most books. Nat (like myself a few years ago) found herself a single mum and was trying to traverse the work hard mum hard lifestyle and it was mostly set in Marrakesh on Nat and Will's holiday and that's where my husband and I went on our honeymoon so it was just all the feels for me. Zoe May's incredibly accurate descriptions of Marrakesh and the surrounding desert took me right back to my honeymoon and it was so nice to bask in that sun again in my memories whilst reading this story. I think I had a smile plastered on my face the whole time. It's a quick read and absolutely a perfect holiday read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Zoe May and HQ Digital for an Arc of as luck would have it. The cover of this book was adorable and I could immediately tell it was most likely going to be a vacation type romance and I was right. It is also kind of an enemy to lovers romance and those are just my favorite.
Natalie's life has been a whirlwind lately. Her fiancé has left her after the birth of their baby and she has had to move back in with her mom. She decides to take a chance on a raffle for a dream vacation and to her astonishment her name is drawn. Her childhood nemesis Will also wins the trip. Will these two who were once enemies be able to come together and have the vacation of a lifetime?
This book was such a light, cute, romantic read. I was smiling almost the entire time I was reading it. I really felt for Natalie's character and all she had been through as it is similar to my story. If you are a fan of happy endings and enemy to lover romances you must check this book out.

As Luck Would Have It is an enjoyable romance, a very light easy read, no angst or drama, some moments of humour and a happy ending. Although there was an epilogue the ending did seem a little rushed.
A book for the beach or around the pool for a relaxing time.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly.