I had higher expectations that sadly weren't meet. I liked the style of writing, but the plot was quite predictable and I found certain parts a bit problematic so it may not be for everyone!

I loved Our Stop and enjoyed The Love Square so I was so excited to get the chance to read Laura Jane Williams' new book, The Lucky Escape. We meet Annie on her wedding day when the last thing she's expecting is to be jilted at the alter by the guy she's loved since uni. But Alexander leaves Annie broken-hearted and single without any closure. Encouraged to take the honeymoon by her embarrassed in-laws, a chance encounter with an old friend gives Annie a last-minute travel buddy in Patrick. The setup is handled really well and feels natural, even though technically it's 'spend 3 solid weeks with a man you barely know'.

I read this book in about 5 hours. It was the perfect escapism. I really like Laura Jane Williams' writing and how she creates chemistry that jumps off the page. I also love a tale about women discovering how worthy they actually are and not settling for less. I've read books with similar premises before, like Unhoneymooners, (which I also love) but this one definitely feels the most realistic? We also follow Annie and Patrick when they get home which I liked. To see how real-life continues when you're back from a fantasy.

This is the perfect holiday read and if you're not going anywhere anytime soon thanks to the annoyingly persistent coronavirus, it can help you take a holiday from life for a few hours.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.
I was so excited as this really appeals to me.

However as a visually impaired reader I did request this book in audio format

Sadly I I only received the pdf format version (as I have wth a few others)
Which is proving extremely difficult to read.

I gave attempted as I was, as i say, looking forward to this title very much and the format is very difficult and unable to magnify the text.

Therefore as I am unable to read i am unable to leave a correcr feedback on this occasion. I have however marked as a 5* as I'm required to do so in order to leave this review .

Should I receive a audio version I would be honoured to be able to provide feedback!

Thank uou di much
R

This does exactly what it says on the tin. Annie gets jilted at the altar by Alexander who texts the wedding planner and Annie goes on her honeymoon to Australia with an old friend.
Laughs, lust, awkwardness, grief, misunderstanding all ensue thereafter and its a joy to read.
Patrick, the friend feels so worldly wise and a voice of reason to all around him which the reader recognises is exactly the tonic Annie needs.
I also liked the references to songs that at times felt like the heartbeat of the book.
Its light, amusing, and a great escapism read.

3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Modern life - all the having to be at places at certain times, the bills, the responsibilities, we're overburdened. We complicate things and make ourselves busy, and we think that gives life meaning."

WHAT I LOVED 💟 I feared this book would be a bad remake of THE UNHONEYMOONERS by Christina Lauren but, luckily, I was wrong: THE LUCKY ESCAPE starts from similar premises but ends up being something else entirely. The plot is less breezy and more introspective and discusses a woman's journey to re-discover her true self 👏

WHAT DIDN'T WORK 💔 Despite this being a surprising read, I found the plot overall predictable, and there is much room for improvement in terms of characters writing. The precocious little sister, the cool mother, the group of best friends: most characters in this book were quite stereotyped.

So yeah, I am not crazy about this book, but it was a fun read, and I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a romcom different than usual.

When Annie gets ditched at the alter, she goes on her own honeymoon with a long lost friend and they live HEA. Super predictable and didn’t enjoy this very much.

This was my favorite of Laura’s fiction so far but still very flawed. I liked the style of writing but the character was so unrealistic e.g refusing to live in a flat share and talking about how pretty she was. Her non fiction is so much better.

This was a hard book to even start. The main character feels jumbled and like several problematic characteristics in one person and the romantic fling just...it was painful to get through. This is one of those beach reads you buy at the airport and hope for the best. Then you question your decision. I struggle to finish it while hoping for it to improve. But it did not. I should have quit while I was ahead.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Annie really did have a lucky escape although it didn’t feel like it at the time. She was jilted at the altar after ten years in a relationship and is left reeling. Her should have been in laws encourage her yo ho in the honeymoon anyway so she does. And her life is changed forever. It’s a book about choices, losing ourself to another, finding ourself again and grabbing life with both hands. A perfect summer read!

Another winning book from Laura Jane Williams! I love the way she writes and the beautiful way she weaves the characters together. I shipped Annie and Patrick from the moment they reconnected at bootcamp and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in their love story. I laughed out loud during the naked spa scene and when Annie texted Patrick instead of her friends (still laughing as I recall those scenes!) I smiled with glee when Patrick got along Annie's little sister, Freddie. Great characters, great story and lots of love and fun in the sun- I really want to travel to Australia now!

She’s done it again, folks! I have been a fan of Laura for a while now, and I love her quirky romance novels more than I can express in words. And I have to say, her newest book The Lucky Escape did not disappoint.

In The Lucky Escape, we follow the story of Annie, a woman left at the alter by the perfect man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Unable to get a hold of him for an explanation, Annie does what any jilted bride would do: she wallows in her sadness, and then pulls herself up by her bootstraps to get her life back in order. Part of this is figuring out what to do with the all expenses paid honeymoon to Australia her would-be in-laws insist she still goes on. Little does she know that she would meet an old acquaintance who would join her on this trip, and change her life forever.

Laura has this way of making you feel all the emotions her characters are feeling through her writing. I felt myself getting weepy alongside Annie, feeling butterflies alongside Annie, and falling in love alongside Annie. While the plot does follow the general romance novel trope, therefore making it slightly predictable, I find that my joy when reading this book came not from what was happening, but who it was happening to.

This was a beautifully written quirky romance novel, that is the perfect summer read. So grab yourself a copy of the book, lay out next to the pool, and sip that blended adult beverage. I promise, you will not regret it.

DNF for me.
Within the first 10% the main character fat shames herself (it's her first thought of why she was stood up at the altar) and describes herself as literal wallpaper. The mother character is obnoxious and toxic. The 13 year old girl reads as if she is seven years old. I also didn't realize "Black cheekbones" were a thing with regard to the Adzo character - don't reduce a person of color to her cheekbones and hair. I do not like this book and I refuse to finish it. It is a shame because I enjoyed the author's other books.

I've been following Laura and reading her books for years, and everything she writes is an absolutely delight, so this one was no surprise. It's hard to match the chemistry and utter joy that she captured in Our Stop, but The Lucky Escape manages to do it. The plot of this one was light, but her characters--Annie in particular, are relatable, and I can root for them while seeing pieces of them in myself. Annie finds herself alone at the church on her wedding day, her fiancé having fled and having to pick up the pieces herself A chance meeting with an old friend and a honeymoon across Australia not gone to waste take the reader from London, around the world and back. Thank you Laura for writing stories where not every piece of the characters' lives are perfect by the end, but the main character grows and learns things about herself, and the reader has so much fun along the way.

This was such a cute read! I loved the dynamic and the chemistry between the characters, and the story itself of course. Annie was so relatable, and her character development is excellent. Her and Patrick definitely make a great couple. I think that I might actually try to read other books by this author since I adored this one.

In The Lucky Escape Annie is left at alter and he didn't have the nerve to tell her he wasn't coming. He told the wedding planner through....text. His parents reach out to her and encourage her to go on the honeymoon to Australia that they have already paid for. After some soul searching Annie decides to go and she takes a long lost friend from her childhood....another man. This is a great story about allowing yourself to be happy and how the choices we make might not always be popular but we really do need to do what is best for us. There is a plan for our lives and it might not be what we thought at first!

Jilted at the alter, Annie thinks her life is over. She's spent the last 10 years giving everything to her relationship.
When her nearly mother-in-law tells her to go on the honeymoon anyway, Annie invites an old school friend that she has recently become reacquainted with.
An emotional, funny rollercoaster extremely enjoyable read.

This hit every good spot for me. I cared for the characters. It felt like going on a long vacation. The romance had some of those fun situations that make a rom com so fun (non-honeymoon honeymoon, naked spa, sharing a hotel room) but it was also paced out really well so that it felt organic and like it was being set up for something long-lasting. And Patrick, my gosh. I have a feeling like he’s going to be one of those characters that stays with me, and hopefully his way of living in the moment and not taking life too seriously will too.

On its surface this has the romance and lightness that we need in a dark time (and travel!) and I was telling myself “one more chapter” long past my bedtime, but it’s also a book filled with great conversations, which is pretty much my dream. (And is something that I’ve found to characterize Laura Jane Williams’ books.) Conversations about life, expectations, friendship, jobs (how it’s okay not to love what you do, and it’s okay to want to enjoy something you spend so much of your time on), being adventurous sometimes and choosing to stay put when it feels right, and doing what makes you happy without needing to ask permission. (I’ve also recently re-discovered my love for Sheryl Crow’s ‘If It Makes You Happy’ so it was a thrill to see it in this book.)

I enjoy having these conversations with books just based on what the characters themselves are going through, so I loved seeing them have conversations about these insecurities and perspectives and figure out what it meant for the choices they made in their lives. I’m on a high after reading this and determined to be more confident in my own choices and less concerned with “should.” I know that sounds like a big thing, but it’s books like this that remind me and help me be more confident in myself.

‘The Lucky Escape’ is the newest story from Laura Jane Williams. It’s a pretty solid romance novel that follows Annie who gets jilted at the alter by her University sweetheart. In a quest to discover herself she runs into an old friend from theatre camp and when the time comes for her honeymoon to Australia she drunkenly decides to take her old/new friend Patrick with her. Patrick reminds her of the girl she used to be and with his easy-going, positive outlook on life she begins to find herself again.
This was a really quick read and it was easy to keep turning the page. Does this stand out from the other hundreds of romance books that have been recently published? No, it doesn’t. This is a plot we’ve read time and time again, so if this is a particular plot you look for then definitely check this out. It’s the kind of book you can consume by the pool on holiday - it’s fun, readable, quick-paced but ultimately it’ll fade from memory.
I would definitely say I enjoyed ‘The Love Square’ more, that is also by this author. It just felt stronger in every sense particularly with plot and characters. However, if you are someone who just loves a feel-good romance then this is a decent read that might be worth your time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This story starts off as a complete nightmare. Annie is set to marry her long-time partner Alexander in a few hours. She is getting ready with her best friend and sister, has an emotional moment with her dad, and then heads to the venue. When she gets there, she discovers that Alexander is not coming. He stood her up.

Annie is as heartbroken as you would expect. She spends the next few weeks trying to pull herself together and figure out what she’s going to do with herself. She decides to join a fitness bootcamp, where she runs into her old friend Patrick. They instantly become close as he helps her heal from the heartbreak, so much so that Annie invites him on her honeymoon! The one she was supposed to take with Alex.

Being a person going through their 20s currently, I found this story to be very relatable. At this age, some people seem to have found their path whether it be settling down with a partner, children, dream job, etc., and some are still figuring out where they want to go, and which path might be best. This book did a great job at showcasing this and really exploring the FACT that there is no timeline, everyone is different. Annie really reassesses her life after her almost wedding and discovers that at 30 there is still plenty of time to figure out where your going – despite what we may sometimes be led to believe.

Something I didn’t like was that at the beginning Annie is described as a strong independent woman, or at least definitely gives off that vibe. I give her credit because going through heartbreak like that would leave anyone in a bad emotional state, but I felt like when she started growing closer to Patrick, she changed. Annie began to feel confusing and indecisive at times and it made her character feel a bit inconsistent.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the author’s writing. I can tell through her writing that she is friendly and humorous, and it made the book so enjoyable to have these characteristics woven into the story.

Annie left on her wedding day, meets an old friend Patrick, while trying to change her life. In a drunken moment Annie and Patrick decides to go on the honeymoon of a lifetime. There Annie learns about herself, Patrick and her direction in life. Slow at times but mostly enjoyable, nicely descriptive with rounded believable characters.