Great read. Full of warmth and self discovery with a witty joyful vibe. Really enjoyable and relatable. A good illustration of life after apparent ruin. Some fantastic travel narrative thrown in for good measure. I found reading this necessary escapism in book form.

Thank you Netgalley

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane William was the perfect vacation read. After being left at the alter by her college sweetheart, Annie decides to go on her honeymoon alone. Naturally, an unexpected romance ensues. The Lucky Escape is the perfect rom-com, packed with spunky Judy Greer reminiscent best friends, dashing leads, and the tropics.

After being stuck home in quarantine lockdown, this read quenches the thirst of wanderlust. Set in London and Australia, this enjoyable rom com is slow to get started, opening on a jilting. Because it happens so early, its hard to feel the full force of it Sex and City movie style, but makes for a good rock bottom to start with. But once it gets going and into the trip to Australia, the slow burn romance of friends to lovers is super satisfying. The male lead in particular is really well done – he has a “manic dream girl” energy that’s refreshing for a male instead of the stereotypical female lead. Well worth getting stuck into, look forward to Laura Jane Williams’ next read.

This book was a great way to begin the warmer summer months, with one part escapism, and two parts romantic tension. In the most unfortunate of ways, Annie gets dumped by her fiancé Alexander on her wedding day. Fortunately, a wonderful (ex?) mother-in-law encourages Annie to take her honeymoon trip to Australia as a way to find herself, or just get over Alexander. What could make this trip better? Throw in a cute acquaintance with a laissez-faire attitude from middle-school camp, and you have the makings of a fun, “will they”/“won’t they” friends to lovers romance. The trip itself was my favorite part of the book. Annie does a little soul seeking in the chapters after, which although might have been necessary for character growth, were more for story conclusion than reading enjoyment. I loved Patrick as a character; he was fresh snd honest and we need more male protagonists like this as potential love interests. I would definitely read another book by Laura Jane Williams. Thank you to Avon and Net Galley for my free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Annie has been left at the Alter and is heartbroken. A chance encounter which an old friend Patrick reminds her of who she used to be and Annie make a vow to say yes to very opportunity coming her way. That's how she finds her self on her honeymoon which Patrick is most decidedly not her husband. But are sparks flying between the two of them?

I really enjoyed this book it was warm, sweet and was defiently escapismism in this currently very wet spring here in the UK. Annie and Patrick have really good chemistry which I felt sprang off the page and made you invested in the characters.

This book is set up in three parts before the honeymoon, the honeymoon and after the honeymoon and if I'm honest I would have loved more of the honeymoon and less of the before and after. The before was important to set up the book but I felt that it meant that it had a slow start and the book really picked up when Annie and Patrick arrived in Austrialia. It was the after the honeymoon that I really felt was a bit lackluster. I felt annoyed by the lack of communication mainly on Annie's part.

I am happy with the happy ending and really felt that Annie and Patrick deserved and compliemented each other well. Overall, an enjoyable book that was a definitely a good book if you want to escape so cold rainy weather for some warm sunny climates.

Thanks Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Chick-lit at its finest. I really enjoyed this heart warming novel from Laura Jane Williams (also loved Our Stop). Funny and sweet with a happy ending! Thank you for the ARC. 4 stars.

I have been a fan of Laura Jane Williams, the woman, for a long time through her Instagram account and I am equally a fan of Laura Jane Williams, the author, since her debut fiction novel. I also followed her previous non fiction work too. She has really cemented her place as one of my favourite female writers of feel-good fiction with each novel, and I actually think The Lucky Escape is her best yet.

Written during a global pandemic (no small feat, trying to have an imagination while stuck inside four walls 24 hours a day), this is escapist fiction at its very best. It had me reminiscing about my own trip to Australia pre-pandemic, as well as drinks or brunch with friends and talking to strangers. I am so glad there were no mentions of the pandemic in this. It filled me with so much joy to read Annie’s story and I flew through it in just a couple of sittings.

An absolute pleasure to read. I’ll never stop recommending Laura for people who want a pick-me-up and a perfect romance with smart, independent women at its core. LOVE!

Hmm . . . An okay read. I just didn't find it believable at times. It starts off with a great hook - bride (Annie) getting jilted on her wedding day. But when she met Patrick again and he was her friend all of a sudden after 20 odd years apart, I was rolling my eyes. Conveniently, Patrick goes on honeymoon with Annie (paid for by her would-be in-laws). What happened between them wasn't a surprise. When they return home the story tails off. I found Annie irritating throughout, but she was definitely giving out mixed signals towards the end. You couldn't blame her really, after having been jilted. I wish she'd had a break from men for a bit, it would have been more believable. And there should have been more of a showdown with her ex. A light read. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Lucky Escape was an easy & predictable read. I didn’t love Annie as much as I’d hope I would and Patrick is a much stronger, more developed character. There are some pacing issues— it is definitely slow at times.. I also wanted more heat between the two protagonists, but it was obvious they had chemistry. Overall, cute read.

One Cancelled Wedding – Annie is left jilted on her wedding day. She was so sure Alexander was Mr. Right, but now all she can think about is how wrong she was.
 
One Unexpected Encounter – When a chance meeting with Patrick, an old friend, reminds Annie of who she used to be, she makes a vow to herself. To say yes to every opportunity that comes her way!
 
One Spare Ticket for the Honeymoon – Could a spontaneous trip be the answer? Annie’s about to find out when she embarks on her honeymoon…with a man who isn’t her husband.
 
 
After enjoying ‘Our Stop’ I requested this title from NetGalley in the hopes of reading light-hearted story by Williams, but what I got was so much more.
 
This book is laugh out loud funny! There was more than one occasion where my partner asked me what was happening, and I tried to read it aloud through tears of hilarity.
 
To be completely honest, I wasn’t enthralled by Annie. She was an ok protagonist, but I found her neither here nor there. However, Patrick was absolutely stand out! His one-liners and comical scenarios had me reading late into the night and trying to giggle quietly into the covers. His character brought the best side of Annie out, and her personality shone brightest during their banter.
 
As a huge travel lover, the honeymoon elements of this book left me craving a trip of my own. Everything from the airport and flight to the adventures encountered along the way made me long to grab my passport and discover somewhere new! This is what I have missed most during the pandemic, so to be able to “travel” through books has been a fantastic substitute.
 
All in all, this was a great read. Perfect for some much needed and easy going escapism! Highly recommend.

It starts like the sex in the city movie with Alexander’s leaving Annie at the altar. I felt deeply for Annie as the last thing she expected to be, alone on her big day after almost a decade with Alexander.

He was her world and everything just naturally fell into place with them. Annie questions her entire relationship and cannot understand why he left her and didn’t have the guts to tell her to her face. Getting back into reality Annie bumps into Patrick and old friends who we knew her when she was happy and he has a yolo outlook on life and she decides to start looking at like differently.

Her non refundable honeymoon to Australia is going to go to waste until Annie decides she’s going and she’s taking Patrick with her, a friend and not her new husband. They embark on the journey of a lifetime and find more than just an adventure.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4
The Lucky Escape was more cute than I had thought. Annie and Patrick were so adorable with each other and their relationship made me squeal, at certain points. The premise of the story, though a little bit cliched, was done pretty well. My only problem is that things moved a little too fast. The honeymoon part of this book was a lot shorter than I had thought and I wished we could have gotten more of that and more of Annie enjoying herself in Australia. The part that came after that, the final act of the story, felt a tad bit boring to me, but overall, it was rather lovely to read and I enjoyed reading about Annie standing up for herself.
All in all, The Lucky Escape is a classic chick-lit romance and makes for a pretty light hearted read.

DNF @ 25%

It’s too slow and I’m not in the mood to wait any longer for shit to happen.
They’re going to go on the honeymoon together (to Australia! Yay) hook up then mess it up before getting back together. Yep. Whatevs.

This book had such a cute premise and I was all onboard for a vacation read. It had friends reconnecting, humor, and a little depth. I laughed a lot in some of the scenes and the setting was awesome.

My problems were with the relationship. First, she was just jilted at the alter and moves on really fast. The man is a widower and this is the first serious relationship he’s had since. Now all those things made me a little antsy but the things that really got me are down below. I don’t think their spoilery but here is a potential WARNING

LAST SEMI SPOILER WARNING
She takes her new boy to the house she shared with her fiancée. Red flag 🚩

He still had his wives close and apartment the exact same as the day she died and only packs them away after he’s fallen in love. Red flag 🚩

So overall, a cute read with a few details that gave me pause!

This was fine. I enjoyed the personal journey that Annie went enduring this huge life altering event. Getting left at the altar opened her eyes to all the toxic relationships she had in her life and how it started when she was so young.

I wish we had spent more time on the actual vacation with Patrick and Annie. I feel as though it was glossed over a little too much and could have been expended to show the development of their relationship, which was a real highlight of the book. Their chemistry and connection was apparent from the start. The back-and-forth that they had with each other just flew off the page and was such a joy to read.

The appearance of her ex fiance seemed out of nowhere and though I understand what the author was doing in adding that drama, I think the tension would have been heightened even more if there was a buildup to him barging into the home. Writing emails, leaving voicemails, anything to show him trying to reach out and making things work before showing up to the house.

In all, while this was an entertaining and pleasant read, it was still pretty average.

This was a funny book to read. I loved Annie, how she finally wasn’t afraid of being herself and was happier because of it.

A lot of people wished the honeymoon part had come sooner but I actually enjoyed seeing Annie heartbroken, learning that part of her and seeing it and her deciding to say fuck it and go and try I nice time because she deserves it. I honestly think that was an important part for us to understand her character better. I do think the author put off them getting together for too long since it was kind of frustrating.

I will say the book is too long, it felt kind of dragged out at times and I do wish we could have had more cute non-honeymoon stuff. When they go back to England is when it felt slow for me but I really did like the book and recommend it for a fast, easy and funny summer read.

While this seems like an easy beach read initially, there was more depth to it. I liked the writing style a lot. The story was easy to read and moved quickly. I loved reading the section that took place during the trip to Australia. The author did an excellent job crafting this portion of the story, and it made me miss traveling! I greatly appreciated the character development and the way Annie started with questioning and self doubt. but began to live life for herself rather than others. .I wasn't a huge fan of the way this book, but I’d still recommend to anyone looking for a cute, quick read. I enjoyed it!

The voice wasn’t for me and the plot didn’t quite do enough for me either. I need a more nuanced (have more than one feeling? be feminist? be poor? Something!!) MC or a layered plot or intriguing mystery or just something stellar if I’m going to read about straight white women. The he hurt my feelings and I’m absorbed in having a wedding just won’t do for me. Alas, this will likely work well for someone else who doesn’t need more in 2021. There’s so many books in the world I want to read I had to move this one along.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a predictable romance.

The characters are likeable and it definitely will not strain the brain.

If you want an easy read and you are lucky enough to be on the beach then this may be for you.

The story begins with the heartbreaking moment when the future groom fails to show up at church, leaving his fiance Annie without any explanation. Even when her perfect world has been destroyed in a split second, Annie goes on her honeymoon. Patrick, her old friend, will be her companion.
Why did her fiance leave her at the altar? Does she really have a perfect life? What will happen on the trip to Australia? You need to find out and get to know Patrick!

Written in a funny tone, light reading. I enjoyed the story - mainly the second part of the book. The characters are pretty good, bringing a charming, friendly atmosphere. The story is written from Annie's perspective, and I like this type of narrative. The ending was a bit squeezed - too much in a too short time for a cumulative moment of the entire book.

Highly recommend - if you are looking for some brightly and funny written story' The Lucky Escape is definitely for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Collins, for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.