The escape I needed!

I read The Lucky Escape during lockdown, with no hope of travelling further than the local park and it was perfect escapism. I loved the journey Annie took, both to Australia & on the road to accepting herself, realising what is important to her and taking chances.

This would be the perfect beach read and I will definitely read more by this author (I’ve previously read, enjoyed & recommended ‘The Love Square’, but this was even better). Thanks to #NetGalley & the publisher for my free advance copy in return for an unbiased review.

This book is an escape and i unapologetically loved it. Yes, yes, it was predictable in some ways and obviously there needs to be a happy ending but it was well done. I enjoyed the writing very much and the Characters were well done. When the book opens with Annie being left at the alter, I was sucked in immediately and I was rooting for major personal growth to take place.

The one thing that bugged me about the book was there was never a scene in which we find out the motives of her inlaws for gifting her this amazing non-honeymoon. It felt like a missed opportunity. It was so overly generous of them, they didn’t have to do it, they didn’t object to her bringing another man with her, there has to be a reason.
I also appreciated that Annie was a genius lady scientist, who was friends with another genius lady scientist who supported each other.

This book aligned with all my interests, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I struggle really hard to get into books with British characters, mainly because I don’t always get the lingo. I also struggled to get through the first portion of the book - it felt like a lot was happening while at the same time going nowhere. I wanted to like this one - it just didn’t quite do it for me.

4.5 ⭐️
What a cute read! The Lucky Escape is about a girl who gets left at the alter and how she finds herself (and maybe romance) afterward. Breakups suck but they are usually for the best and help us learn. How love how the author really captures the growth that Annie goes through. You really can see a difference in her character from the beginning to the end.

Sometimes the book reads more like a a movie script. Like scene here. Then scene there. But overall it’s very cute!

Thanks NetGalley and Avon publishing for letting me read the ARC ebook.

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams seemed straight forward and predictable, but I was wrong. I liked the way the author took her time letting the protagonist process her grief, anger, and confusion about who she is alone. The travel in the book made me envious of their escape. This truly was a Lucky Escape and an enjoyable one at that. This book combines soul-searching and self-fulfillment with fun and flirty. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren or Shipped by Angie Hockman.

Annie has just been left at the altar by her boyfriend of 10 years. One morning, a chance meeting at a boot camp class, will lead her on a honeymoon without her supposed-to-be-husband, and a journey of finding out who she really wants to be. This story gave us some truly lovely characters, but it also asked questions to Annie that would be good for the reader to answer as well. I loved the settings and the humor. I would definitely read another by this author.

Thank you for sharing this book to read and review though NetGalley!

Annie arrives at her wedding only to find out that her fiancé Alexander has told the planner he won’t be coming. After a mopey few weeks where Annie hides out, she meets Patrick who she recognises from when they were young teens, at her new bootcamp class.

After a bit too much to drink he suggests and she agrees for him to go with her on her Australian honeymoon which her “non-in-laws” insist she use. Patrick soon shares his own sad situation with Annie. Despite it being so soon after her non-wedding, they get together.

But when they come home and have to deal with the realities of daily life and the other people in their life, Annie gets cold feet.

I really enjoyed how Annie learns through Patrick to see how she has stuck to emotional patterns that aren’t working for her any longer. I enjoyed reading this story, and would recommend to a friend.

A book must hit the spot just right if I physically LAUGH OUT LOUD and this book did it twice! I'll leave it up to you to figure out which scenes made me LMAO. This is a totally uplifting book with both highs and low "oh no!" moments and another amazing woman in STEM main character from Laura Jane Williams.
There were a few occasions where I was completely taken out of the book in disbelief. Firstly "G2g" is far more used by millennials (if anything that generation created it) than current teenagers. There could have been another abbreviation or slang term used instead because I can't believe Annie wouldn't know G2g at all and it unfortunately made the book feel very outdated. Secondly the way boobs are brought up in saucy sex scenes feels very juvenile.

The story is about a lot more than just the non-honeymoon especially with the last section based in London/Antwerp in which SO MUCH HAPPENED. I appreciate it is a complete life change but I almost felt like a different book. I guess that's what happens with great writing really transporting me to Australia and dropping me right back in Europe with a different mood. Contrary to other reviewers, I think Antwerp sounded wonderful and it is totally normal to temporarily lose your mind over an unexpected option or to realise you like your industry when you get a promotion opportunity!

While I appreciated some elements of the ending, if Annie didn't end up with Patrick and he was just a manic pixie dream boy/rebound, I would have been OK with that too.

Other elements of the book are only OK. I just finished the book and couldn't tell you the names of anyone else in the Core Four. The casual NB and queer references are chill to me but can be considered tokenistic as they aren't explored at all. In addition Mala's stereotypical overbearing Asian family and the archetype confident best friend can be considered racial stereotypes. This book includes the tropes of getting wise advice from the cute elderly or the cute young. It didn't bother me too much but it is in every movie so I found it boring.

Despite the negatives I have laid out in this review, I am definitely recommending this book to my friends who enjoyed Our Stop and will be looking forward to the author's next romance release.

A cute romance in a gorgeous setting that's just as much about self growth and self love as it is about the love between the two characters. An overall easy read that has you smiling through a lot of it. I did feel a distance from the main character as I was reading, like even though it was first person perspective I wasn't really seeing inside her mind. #netgalley #theluckyescape

Argh. I hate when I don't like a book I'm super hyped about. Unfortunately, this one didn't really click with me.

The story is cute and has all premises to be the perfect read for summer. Annie is ready to get married to the love of her life, only to be left at the altar. Or, well, standing outside the church in her white dress because her now-ex didn't show up. Or even text her to notify about his change of heart.
Annie is forced to pick up the pieces of her life, understand where to go from there. To find a way to rebuild herself, she decides to still go on her Honeymoon to Australia, and she goes with a childhood friend she meets at the gym because the new Annie is all about being spontaneous. Cue they get to know each other better .

As I said, cute, but there were too many things that didn't sit right with me.
First the characters. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't connect with the writing, but I felt like the author had a list to follow, let's add the black best friend, the one who's bi, the one who wants to adopt and be a single mother, the sister who wants to be called like a guy to fight gender pay gap (and she is thirteen) etc etc.
It was just this overload of inclusivity and feminism that felt very forced to me. Including Annie.

Then Patrick. I liked him enough but I didn't feel the connection, the romance. They met 20 years ago at theatre camp and she doesn't even recognise him, and all of a sudden he is this amazing perfect guy who's all about YOLO and can't do anything wrong. Mmmm. Not sold.

Overall, I just felt like everything fell a little short, including the parts I'm assuming were supposed to be dramatic.
In conclusion, not the book for me but I think it makes for the perfect summer read if anyone is looking for something easy and fun.

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book. It was fun & happy read the perfect book to pick up your mood. Although you can guess the ending it is still a mood boosting read & goes well with a wine or two

When Annie is set to marry her long term partner Alexander, the worst happens for a bride and she is abandoned on her wedding day.
Trying to heal her broken heart, she turns to fitness and joins a local boot camp where she runs into an old childhood friend, aka, Patrick. The pair really do gel and she soon looks at life differently for the first time in a long time.
A boozy day in the pub leads to Annie asking Patrick on the “honeymoon” of a lifetime....thats right, the honeymoon she should have been going on with her new husband.
Will this bring Patrick and Annie closer together? Or will it be the biggest mistake ever?

I really did love this book and Laura Jane Williams is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I found myself actually laughing out loud at this book and really envisioned everything that was written in this book.
All of the characters were very likeable and I got “sex and the city” vibes from the core 4 friendship group. The book explored all the different relationships Annie had in life, and I found her complex relationship with her Mother fascinating and I have to admit that at times, I found her infuriating.

This is a book that I would hands down recommend to anyone looking for a light hearted escape. I loved every minute of it.

Thank you to Avon books for letting sending me a copy to access via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams

This book sounds so full of rom-com promise! We have Annie, left at the altar by her long-term boyfriend, life as she knows it in shambles. We have Patrick, an old (preteen times old) friend who is cute, charming and easy to talk to. And we have an all expenses paid luxury honeymoon, thanks to her ex’s parents, ready to be taken - alone, or perhaps with a new old friend?

The ingredients were all there, but unfortunately this one didn’t quite come out a masterpiece for me. Annie was a fickle character who’s personality and decisions were never quite clear. Patrick was a gem in the beginning and throughout most of the trip, but then became oddly possessive and serious once back in London. Both characters didn’t seem to be true to themselves or the storyline. It felt like reading two different novels - the first half and then after the trip. Similarly, the whole Antwerp experience was just off, didn’t enjoy that segment at all.

Parts were very enjoyable - I really liked picturing all the Australian spots they visited on the trip. The chemistry between Annie and Patrick was fantastic, as was the build up to them getting together. I liked Freddie and the Core Four, they were great secondary characters.

Overall, a fun read with strong elements but missing cohesiveness for me. I would be open to reading more from this author in the future. Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for free access to an e-copy of this book! All opinions are my own. It publishes June 10, 2021!

What a wonderful story, absolutely loved it. It's one of those stories that consumes you & you just want to keep reading to the end to discover if it all ends well. A first for me from this author, but look forward to more from her

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams builds from the premise of a jilted bride. When Annie is left at the altar by her college sweetheart Alex, she's convinced by her would-be in-laws to go ahead on her Australian honeymoon. The interesting news is that she has a plus one.

It's a book told in three parts - going through various timelines of Annie's relationship history.

There were some elements that seemed a bit fantastical and didn't connect fully for me, but I am sure many readers will find this to be a delightful beach read this summer.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. I truly enjoyed it and it is the perfect beach read. Annie is jilted by her university sweetheart on the day of her wedding. Devastated she runs into an old friend named Patrick and through a series of coincidences they join together to use Annie’s honeymoon in Australia and maybe even find love...

Loved it, mostly, but I think it's intended for an audience I'm not part of, since the constant and unremitting pc-ness became very irritating rather quickly. If you can get past that, it's a good, light-hearted read, a little predictable but fun even so.

Annie is jilted at the alter, a chance meeting with an old friend Patrick and an all expenses paid honeymoon to Australia courtesy of the ex-groom parents. Annie and Patrick set off on the trip of a lifetime.

Being romance obviously they catch feels. I liked that they took time to get to know each other again after the 20 years since they knew each other, it was sweet. Patrick seemed like a really sweet guy and helped Annie come to terms with things and how they were not perfect. He has his own issues of course and she helps him come to terms with that too. He is really supportive and teaches her that she needs to do things for herself and not mould herself into what other people want her to be. Which is why his reaction to her towards the end seemed at odds with what we know about him. I had to mark it down for that as I don't think Patrick would be that guy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for my copy for review

After 10 years together, Annie is shocked when Alexander is a no show on their wedding day. When his parents suggest she still take the honeymoon, she asks Patrick whom she met at the gym to accompany her. Patrick and Annie have a shared history and she feels that because he knew her back when she was her happiest, he can help her become that person again. The friends head off to Australia in need of some rest and relaxation.

I love that despite being a jilted bride with a horrid mother, Annie kept plugging forward and tried to make the most out of her circumstances. She didn’t let them define her. The author created a wonderful voyage of self discovery with a character who was up to trying new things and being true to herself rather than being who she was expected to be. A modern romance with forced diversity, it’s not for everyone. However, at a time when travel is restricted, it would be a welcome read for those with wanderlust as the author’s descriptive detail of Australia is dreamy.

Thank you to Laura Jane Williams, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for the gifted advance copy. I was under no obligation to provide a review.

Publishes June 10, 2021

All the summer vibes! Easy, light, predicable read but still very much enjoyable

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.