Having read The Love Square by this author last year I was thoroughly looking forward to this book. The Love Square was by far one of the best reads for me of 2020 and I feel that I held this book up to comparison with that and it didn’t quite match the same standard.

That being said this is an interesting read. The bride jilted at the alter. The honeymoon that her non in-laws insisted she go on. Meeting an old male friend and taking him in the honeymoon. Falling in love with him then all the trouble that ensues.

I liked the characters but didn’t love them. I didn’t really understand the relationships in the family and in the end I wasn’t sure I wanted the happy ending.

Some interesting bit part characters and a good storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

“The Lucky Escape” by Laura Jane Williams
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fun ride! I love when authors come up with fun ways to make the boy meets girl romcom fresh!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! The book is being released this Thursday 6/10!

Annie imagined her wedding as the best day of her life. She was marrying Alexander her college sweetheart. She did not imagine being told by the wedding planner that Alexander wasn’t coming. He didn’t call or text. He ran.
After a couple weeks of crying and being miserable she was given the opportunity to find herself and enjoy a few weeks vacation. The Honeymoon that wasn’t going to happen or was it? Alexander’s parents spent a ton of money on a luxury honeymoon that was non refundable. They offered it to Annie as a vacation. Annie didn’t want to go alone, but after running into her teenage friend Patrick they came up with a fun idea. Why not go together as friends?

When the day finally comes for Annie to marry Alexander, the last thing she expects is to be left standing at the altar. She was so sure he was Mr Right. Now, she has no idea how she could have got it so wrong.

This was a quick, easy, simple, romantic read. Perfect for reading by the pool or on a beach.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

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

This is unfortunately a DNF at 40% for me. The blurb really pulled me in for this one but unfortunately it was slow and just not what I was expecting. The MC really found her value and self-worth in her prior relationship and then was suddenly left at the alter. She was very sad about it but we don't ever see her get angry, get over it. Then she seems to start falling in a second chance romance with a guy who she never really connected with before. Instead he reminds her about who she used to be. I just did not feel the connection in this book and would rather have seen the MC work on herself rather than lose herself in another relationship. Once she started improving her mood based on how he seemed to feel about her I could not keep going.

I don't know why I put off reading this for so long. Once I finally picked it up, I was hooked and I read it in one sitting. Annie is jilted on her wedding day, and her ex's parents encourage her to go on the honeymoon to Australia anyway. She ends up reconnecting with an old childhood friend, Patrick, and on a whim they decide to have him tag along on the honeymoon.
This was adorable. Annie was kind of all over the place, I had some mixed feelings there, but I could also relate. Also - can somebody find me a Patrick? I just loved his character.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s well written with great descriptions and you can totally imagine being on the trip along with them. I thought the plot was well thought out with a few turns along the way. I liked both main characters and thought the other characters were believable and realistic. I recommend this book, thank you #netgalley

This book had a little bit of all the things I love. A jilted bride who decides to take that honeymoon anyway, a blast from the past and fate making all the things happen. Annie was left at the alter by Alexander, and if that isn't bad enough, he leaves the country. She has no explaination for why he walked out on a 10 year relationship. No way to get closure. Days after she is jilted, she runs into Patrick, an old friend from drama camp when she was just a teen. They had a connection then, but there is something pulling them together now.
When Annie's ex inlaws encourage her to take the honeymoon she had planned and they paid for, Patrick invites himself along so that he can help Annie find herself again.
If you think this is just an easy love story of finding love after heartache, think again. Both of the characters have trememdous issues to work through. The biggest issue I had with the book was the speed in which they were there one minute and thrown by the wayside the second. I do understand that Annie and Patrick found eachother for a reason and that fate had a hand in all of this, but it felt a little rushed for my taste, even if I adored the plot line. 3.5 stars for this light summer read.

This book was really hard for me to get into but when we met Patrick I fell in love. Their chemistry was incredible and I absolutely loved their relationship. I also loved Annie’s relationship with her sister Freddie, it was very realistic and heartwarming. I liked seeing Annie find herself again after the cancelled wedding, the author dealt with her grief really well; it wasn’t too depressing which I don’t want in a romance. I now want to book a trip to Australia!

Thank you so much to netgalley and Avon for the arc.

Perfect summer reading here. This book is light and quick. The characters and storyline have enough there without seeming too heavy. Enjoyable!

4 stars for this cute romance!

Annie is left by her fiance at the altar and is now going on her honeymoon alone. That is until she bumps into Patrick, someone from her past she reconnects with. On a whim Annie invites Patrick to go on the honeymoon with her and just might learn to love again.

I enjoyed this fun rom com and liked the main couple. This might have been five stars but found Annie to be confusing at times and she often had contradictory opinions. I liked the honeymoon trope and how Annie and Patrick found love after having broken hearts. The vacation was fabulous and the tension between Annie and Patrick just grows as the book progresses. I don't want to give too much away but I think this is a great beach read.

Would recommend this for a fluffy rom com!

This was a sweet romcom with some really fun moments. Patrick is the perfect book boyfriend and Alexander was obviously nowhere near worthy of Annie. Not a lot of surprises plot-wise but still a great beach read.

3.5 stars

Thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for a copy to review.

🌿BOOK REVIEW🌿

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams

“Don’t stick your hand down the rabbit hole, my grandmother used to say before she passed. You’ll only get bitten.”

After Annie’s is jilted at her wedding, she vows to focus on herself. Through this journey she joins a local gym and she bumps into an old friend, Patrick. When her ex-fiances parents convince her to go on the already planned honeymoon, in the spur of the moment Annie invites Patrick along… it is a free holiday after all!

Annie is such an incredible, strong female protagonist and the writing allows you to connect to her as you follow her journey after being left at the alter. We follow Annie and Patrick develop feelings for each other as they are both dealing with their own grief.

I was in the mood for a light hearted summer read and this book is absolutely that! It is definitely one to add to a summer reading list if you are needing suggestions!

TW// death, sexual content, grief

I’ve really enjoyed Laura’s other books, they’re nice easy rom cons. This one fell a bit flat for me, I’ve read something similar and I really liked it but this just wasn’t the one for me! I also think they missed a great pub - The Lucky Ex-scape??? My favourite character was Annie’s little sister Freddie, I want a book on her as she hits her early 20’s!

Overall an easy read, would be a good holiday read!

This is my favorite type of book to read in the summer- fluffy, entertaining and funny. I loved the main character and enjoyed reading all about her drama and antics. I felt this book was well written, it was enough to hold my attention throughout but not heavy at all. Definitely a great summer read!

I absolutely LOVED this book. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading 60% on the book in one sitting. It felt like a movie to me.
Annie and Patrick were so much fun to get to know. In fact, I'd love a sequel to know more about how their lives turned out.
Laura Jane Williams writes with such honesty and so much raw human nature that you can't help but be sucked into the lives of these characters.
Annie was someone easy to cheer for, to hope for, and to fall in love with and so was Patrick!
It was so nice to read a chick-lit book where the male characters were not initially unlikable.

******SPOILER****

It was nice to see a leading man that was just a good guy all around. Annie didn't have to hate him first...there were not a lot of drawn-out dramatic scenes that could be solved with a simple conversation. Annie and Patrick are adults and they acted like it.

****END of SPOILERS

I thoroughly and completely enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from Laura Jane Williams!

I read this book both as an audiobook and as an ebook and I liked them both, but I must admit the narrator made a really great job, so I'm a bit partial to the audio version.
The story is nice and I appreciated the fact that it was quite not about the romance, but more about self growth and finding one real self. The best part of the story is definitely the honeymoon in Australia, which I really enjoyed. It is when we get to know Annie and Patrick better, and also discover things of their past that explain why they are how they are.
A lovely read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE LUCKY ESCAPE by Laura Jane Williams is the luscious, ultimate escape from the moment Annie is jilted at the altar through working through the realities she was never willing to face through taking charge of her own life and making the right choices for her. Yes, it's rousing. Yes, there is love in all its forms: lovers, friends, family. Yes. there is escape and then return with treasures she never dreamed possible for herself until she faces the tough, speaks up for herself, and goes directly for what she wants. Annie's recharge had me cheering for her while tearing through the pages of this enjoyable story. I received an early reader copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

Annie’s worst nightmare comes true when she shows up to the church for her wedding – finally – only to be told by the wedding planner that her soon-to-be-husband has called it off and is not coming.

Without a word from him, Annie does her best to work through her emotions. With some prodding from her no-longer-in-laws, she decides to go on their all-expense-paid honeymoon trip to Australia for three weeks, and decides to bring a new old friend with her.

After running into him by accident, Annie finds herself reminiscing with Patrick about their fun days as kids in theater camp. Both in need of an escape, and desperate for the easy conversation they both seem to have with one another, they escape to Australia together.

What happens on this honeymoon is both expected and unexpected. Truths come out, Annie may or may not hear from her now-ex, Alexander, and she might be growing closer and closer to someone she had never expected to grow close to.

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, but is ultimately a fantastic escapist rom-com that will likely bring a smile to your face.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s perfect easy read for a sunny day in the garden. The premise is a classic rom-com and I liked that Patrick helped Annie to work out how to find her confidence and move on herself, and she helped him too, rather than just her being ‘rescued’.

I was drawn in and read it quickly, but I’m hesitant to rate it higher as despite my enjoyment of it, I know it won’t stay with me as it’s very similar to other books of this genre.

I was looking for a book to escape into and the sunny cover for The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams caught my eye and grabbed my attention and let me tell you, the book inside is just as bright and uplifting as the cover. This book was proper feel-good fiction with real heart to it. Yes it made me smile throughout but it also made me think, and I do enjoy a book that does both these things. It was the perfect book to escape into.

In The Lucky Escape, we meet Annie on the morning of her wedding to Alexander. If there’s one thing Annie is certain of, it’s that her future is with this guy. So when he jilts her on her wedding day, she is at a complete loss. When her friends and her now ex mother-in-law persuade her to go on her honeymoon anyway, Annie ends up giving her spare ticket to a guy she has literally only just met again for the first time in a long time – Patrick Hummingbird. Going on honeymoon with a man you barely remember – it could be the beginning to a thriller but thankfully here it is not. Instead this is a warm and wonderful tale of self-discovery and new beginnings.

My absolute favourite part of this book was the honeymoon. I loved travelling to Australia through the author’s words. There was great description and I was able to see every part of the honeymoon play out in front of me as the author paints a lovely, vivid picture of every scene. However, the best bit of the honeymoon, for me, was by far the chemistry between Annie and Patrick which leapt off the page. I loved the two of them. They made me smile and laugh-out-loud so many times and honestly, whether they were feeling the love or not, I certainly was. I was rooting for them all the way and really enjoyed getting to know both of them.

Annie is the character we need. She is kind and caring and has everything going for her but as this is now a world where everyone has to voice their own opinions, however unwelcome, and are happy to judge people without having a clue about them, Annie has a whole bag of self-esteem issues to deal with. She is insecure, and let’s face it, being jilted at the altar doesn’t really help her there.

I felt for Annie throughout. She tries to put a brave face on things but I seriously wanted her to know it was ok to not be ok. Patrick helps her there, and I loved him for it. I get why some people might find Annie quite frustrating but I actually found her so easy to relate to. She knows she has her issues and she tries to work through them. Naturally, she has setbacks but no matter how much she may not have wanted to, she always got back up and I really warmed to her character so easily.

Truthfully there so was so much I loved about this book. From Annie’s friends and sister, to Patrick’s own personal story, to the positive messages this book delivers about living in the moment and taking time to heal, Laura Jane Williams writes perceptively and with a warmth and humour that really had me hooked. The Lucky Escape is insightful and uplifting – the perfect book to read this summer.