Read the first couple chapters of this book and could not get into the authors writing style. I was also very confused as the main character had a different name in the book than in the blurb. All in, not for me

After being left at the alter by her long-term partner Alexander, Annie embarks on her would-be honeymoon with an old friend. They flirt, try to heal from their past, fall in love, etc, etc. This is all fine and dandy and something I would've usually loved, but I wasn't a fan of the romance in this book. Their personalities and beliefs are inconsistent (often in order to create drama), their communication skills leave a lot to be desired, and I didn't feel any chemistry between them. Like, at all.

The feminism and diversity also felt forced. These are both things I love to see in books, but it's painfully obvious when they're added just for the sake of seeming more inclusive. (At least it's better than having no diversity, I guess?)

And what millennial doesn't know what GTG means? Did Annie have no internet presence whatsoever until adulthood?!

Overall, this book was okay. It's a light tale of self-discovery and, although it's not exactly my cup of tea, I'd recommend it to those wanting a fun, quick read.

A failed wedding, 2 old friends, and a honeymoon? Sounds like the perfect recipe for a beach read. I have to say this was a 2-3 star for me.

I felt as if the beginning was slow to get to the point and found it being a tad boring. But then the middle! Oh the honeymoon that wasn’t a honeymoon! I was truly enthralled at vacation and wish I could be with them in the story! I was truly glued to the book. But then, real life happens for Annie and Patrick, and I found them quite wishy washy and not like themselves on vacation at all. I felt as if their characters did a complete 180. Maybe that’s the point of the story...but I found it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy for an honest review.

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.

After adoring The Love Square, and also really loving Our Stop, I was so looking forward to The Lucky Escape, I was sold from the premise alone.

Ah this was such a heartwarming and fun read! I just really love Laura’s writing, it’s so easy to get into and it just flows so well, it’s cosy, fun and always guaranteed to make me a bit emotional at times too, so the perfect trio of boxes ticked for a rom com for me.

Same here as with the last 2 books is that I really love the main characters, the chemistry and just seeing their interactions play out was so enjoyable. Filled with laughs, heartwarming moments and a nice sprinkling of sauce too.

I really really loved this book. It truly was the perfect escape.

I enjoyed the character development - in particular Annie’s best friend and her little sister. I also loved how kind and thoughtful Patrick was.

I enjoyed reading how Annie thought so much more of herself and really realised it can take just one person to set you on the right path

Great Summer read

Annie is ready to marry Alexander but he's a no-show at the wedding. Annie is naturally upset and joins a bootcamp club to let off some steam. She runs into an old friend Patrick with whom she connects. Annie decides to take Patrick on the honeymoon that is already paid for, so why not?

Actually got this on audio as well as the book version. A most definitely five star from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fun and easy read. The premise of the book hooked me immediately and I enjoyed Annie and Patrick as characters. There were a lot of relatable moments, especially around the ideas of what constitutes being an adult and feeling left behind when everyone around you is getting married and having kids. The banter between Annie and Patrick provided for some chuckles. I found both Annie and Patrick flip-flopping around and the growth Annie seemed to get whilst on the holiday just disappear. Overall, perfect if you're looking for something enjoyable and light-hearted. Lol moment in the sauna!

Annie was raised to be a good, submissive woman who didn't advocate for herself nor ruffled feathers. So imagine when you've spent your life doing the "right" thing that being left at the altar is the most shocking and traumatizing thing to happen in your life. While Annie is grieving the loss of her marriage and future life, she runs into her old friend Patrick. Coincidently, Patrick encourages Annie to be more self-sufficient, and to take risks that starts with taking him to Australia on her honeymoon. Doesn't hurt that Patrick isn't the gangly teens she once new and is certifiably HOT and always knows when to say the right thing.

While in this perfectly romantic bubble, Annie begins to take chances and to follow her own gut, which includes giving into her attraction to Patrick. Annie and Patrick quickly realize that it's easy to be brave and take risks from a half a world away, but re-entering their old lives and trying to fit each other into them proves to be more difficult than expected.

A book filled with growth, discovery, and a lucky escape.

***

I think I'm officially a Laura Jane Williams fan?!?!?! Like any sound romcom fan, I was obviously high off of Our Stop but was left utterly disappointed after The Love Square. The Lucky Escape was a satiable rebound that left me satisfied.

What I love about Annie is the growth in character. Nobody can blame how submissive her character was in the beginning as it was a result of how she was raised. Patrick was just the right guy to encourage her to be her own woman and not to hold back.

Patrick is basically any woman's ideal man. This cutie definitely broke the idea of "nice guys finish last". I really appreciated his insights to life, and grief, without the loss of his wife completely defining him. He was absolutely the right match for Annie to let her grow without stifling her.

TBH the book is just so highly relevant to modern culture. There were several Glennon Doyle references either by name, or ideas Glennon writes about which adds to the authenticity of the underlying plots of growth. Needless to say, this book was so much more than two characters simply falling in love.

Perfect summer read with the hot, Australian setting and a forget-all-your troubles FREE vacation. Spicy chemistry with a new friend, random adventures and a message that inspires you to put yourself first. What more do you need!

A light hearted easy read. Sometimes things don't work out the way we think they are going too, but everything happens for a reason and this story shows that. I enjoyed the main characters relationship and would recommend this book if your looking for a rom com story whilst on the beach.

If your looking for a light and easy read then you might enjoy this book, unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.

I liked the set-up and premise, Annie is left at the altar but ends up going on her honeymoon anyway. I also appreciated that it wasn’t all about the romance but we genuinely got to see Annie grieve her previous relationship and reevaluate her life as a whole. However it all felt very formulaic.

I particularly didn’t like Annie’s new love interest, Patrick came off a little creepy at first and even after his backstory is revealed his connection with a Annie felt forced. In general, Annie’s relationships with other characters, her parents, sister, friends and work colleagues felt underdeveloped. There was some effort to add depth to some of these relationships and perhaps if there were less secondary characters this might have been achieved.

It was a quick read and just engaging enough to keep me reading to the end. I’m sure plenty of people will like this more than I did and would find it a great summer read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is a friends to lovers romances. It is from the perspective of Annie, who happens to reconnect with an old friend, Patrick, from Drama camp after years apart. Annie invites Patrick on a free trip with her after the person she was going to go with literally left her at the altar with no explanation. As their friendship is renewed and begins to grow stronger, it slowly begins to develop into something more, with some hilarious results!
This book is definitely more of a serious romance. Both characters are dealing with heartbreak, where they reveal to each other their pain, experience new adventures together and learn more about themselves. The setting in Australia was fun and atmospheric. The writing was good, it was a little jumpy at times. I enjoyed the humor when it was there, the couple's message was hilarious! I did have some problems with the main characters. Annie was naïve and childish for a woman in her thirties. There was a lag in the story about ⅔ of the way through and it took me a bit to get through it. I had a hard time getting motivated to pick it back up again, but once I did I flew the rest of the way through. Overall, I liked this story. It showed two people really helping each other grow in several ways and to also have fun and enjoy life.
Trigger warnings: death of a spouse.
I received this advanced ebook, via Netgalley. This review is my own honest opinion.

Classic rom-com perfect for a beach read. Lately I have been reading a wider range of books and I sort of left rom-com behind for a while. It was okay, but nothing more.

As soon as I heard that Laura Jane Williams was coming out with a new book I knew I had to read it because I've loved her previous books One Stop and The Love Square. The Lucky Escape did not let me down and I fully enjoyed this story and the characters!

Annie was such an amazing character and I loved watching her character develop throughout the book. Her relationship with her younger sister was so sweet and I absolutely loved Frankie! Patrick is also such an adorable character and I liked learning more of his story as the book went on.

This is definitely the perfect summer read. The Lucky Escape is a feel good, light-hearted rom-com which for a good percentage of the book transports you to Australia! Williams descriptions left a vivid picture of the sunny continent and had me desperate to visit!

Overall an amazing book by the wonderful Laura Jane Williams! I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Thank you so much to Avon books for this copy of The Lucky Escape in exchange for a honest review. Ad-Gifted

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Annie and Alexander were meant to be in love and getting married, at least that’s what or Annie thought. After all, they’d been together most of their adult lives, so why not take the next step. But on the day, Annie’s gobsmacked when he doesn't show.

Now, she doesn’t know what to do next, meant to going to Australia for her honeymoon, obviously she can’t go alone. After staying in bed for days, debating whether to go back to work or not, meshing colleagues asking questions. Is stating in bed for 3 weeks an option?

An old friend, Patrick, tells her to go on her honeymoon. A shame to waste a trip to Australia. Maybe he can go with her too.

Will the trip be the opportunity for her to get her self-esteem back? Will things change on this trip between them?

There are some complicated relationships in "The Lucky Escape", not least that of Annie and her mother. In fact Annie gets on better with her future mother-in-law, so does this explain why such an extravagant honeymoon has been organised? This is never explained although it is mentioned that Annie's future in-laws are not that well off - must be a relative term. Is Patrick too good to be true? He's certainly very different to fiance Alexander. Discover what happens on the non-honeymoon and afterwards. This is a very readable holiday romance.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

The Lucky Escape makes a great beach read or vacation companion. It is a light and quick read that is part rom-com part women's fiction. I really enjoyed the quirks of Annie's personality and the honeymoon concept reminded me of Ross and Rachel from Friends. Cute read!

I was so excited to receive my FIRST EVER arc this month. Just in time for beach reading season, The Lucky Escape is set to be released on June 10!

I loved this little story of new beginnings and finding love and meaning in your life. After Annie is left at the altar by her fiance, she begins to rethink all of the choices she’s made to get her there. She’s always tried to make the “right” choices - the responsible choices - and lived her life trying to make those around her comfortable. Watching her begin to stand up for herself was so fun.

Some things I loved about this book:
💖 the romance - From the moment Patrick was introduced, I was ready for the two to be madly in love!
💖 theatre kids - Annie and Patrick met at a summer theatre camp ages ago. I’m a theatre kid (adult), and even the mere mention of anything theatrical will make me instantly like anyone. I would joyfully read a prequel about the camp!
💖 fabulous vacation - Annie’s trip to Australia sounded heavenly. I cannot wait until the end of the pandemic times and the return of some fun vacations for me! If you like living vicariously through characters, you’re going to love the trip!
💖 the silly moments - I was dyyyying during the sauna scene! I missed the levity during the last bit of the book, although I appreciated the character arc.

Exactly what it says in the title, a lucky escape who's romantic life takes a bitter twist, without spoiling it, its heartbreaking, fun, entertaining and romantic. A brilliant summer read for when the sun comes out.