The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams
*This ARC was provided by Netgalley for free review*
It’s Annie’s wedding day! All the planning, coordinating, friends and family gathered, makeup and hair done...she is ready to get out of the limo and make her way down the aisle! When she gets out, her wedding planner tells her that she received a text from the groom and he isn’t coming. Annie picks up the pieces of her shattered life. She starts working out to get out her aggressions and bumps into an old acquaintance from theater camp. Patrick reminds Annie of who she used to be before she changed to fit how her ex-finance wanted her to be. She remembers it’s nice to laugh and not plan every detail of your life once in a while. Her ex-in-laws insist she takes the all expenses paid honeymoon they had arranged to Australia. She only has one problem, there is a spare ticket. She talks Patrick into going with her as friends. They have so many fun adventures and laugh out loud moments it had me wishing for a vacation! Is she imagining it or is she starting to like who she is again and the side of her that Patrick brings out? This book was just adorable. I loved Annie and really connected with her.

This book had everything which I look for in my bedtime reading....warm and likeable characters, humour, love and a perfect ending. I didn’t even mind the somewhat unbelievable plot....it’s escapism and fun so who cares?! The main character, Annie, is on a journey of self discovery throughout this book and I particularly liked the way her own personal story unfolded. An easy and enjoyable read...I’d definitely recommend it.

Absolutely LOVED this book. Love Laura Jane Williams writing after following her for years, have been on one of writing courses and read all of her previous titles and The Lucky Escape was another fantastic read. I started a few days ago and just couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and I loved how relatable the issues of the main characters were, the exploration of family dynamics and the way the book took lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the concept of going on your honeymoon after being dumped too!

Romance novels have been a way of survival over the past year when it felt like the world was largely spiraling out of control. What I mostly love about typical romance tropes are the predictability and comfort in knowing what's going to happen - they serve as a lovely escape from reality. While this book offered some themes that I loved, such as female independence, emotional intelligence, self-discovery and partner empathy, it fell short in more ways than I would have liked. The romance in Australia had me, but it fell flat afterwards - with characters behaving in ways that didn't align with how they had been developed. The author is certainly aware of a lot of 'themes' that are culturally relevant right now, mentioning Glennon Doyle and alluding to other ways women in particular are breaking free of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. Annie's behavior became a bit erratic toward the end, and I tried hard to love Patrick, but his behavior (again, at the end), was a big no from me. This one gets 2.5 stars, rounded up.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I LOVED this! Having read Our Stop and The Love Square, I knew I would at least like this novel from Laura Jane Williams.

It just felt so refreshing and so NOW. The characters went on a journey, the self-reflection was open and honest, and the inclusive nature of the characters in the book didn’t feel forced or like a box ticking exercise (the staff at the spa simply introduced themselves using their chosen pronouns for example). The book felt like it was split into 3 sections and I definitely loved the first 2./3 more but I knew a rockier last third was coming - as obviously things can't be all roses!

It did take me a little while to fall into reading it - but purely because the formatting for the kindle app meant sentences didn't fill the complete line and were broken up - I assume this will be fixed for when it is published!

I have to say, I fell I love with Patrick myself and although his character took a step off the path with his reactions towards the end - we could at least understand why due to what we find out about him. He definitely has taken over my love for Leon from The Flatshare

READ READ READ THIS!

A Raucous Romp....
Some heart warming and wholly entertaining escapism in this fluffy, fun Romcom that you just cannot help but enjoy. A likeable protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters populate the plot. A raucous romp with some armchair travel included. A great stress buster.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Annie is left at the altar. After a few devastating weeks, she is finally able to come out of her hole. At her local bootcamp, she runs into a long, lost, summer camp buddy. They hit it off immediately. Her ex in-laws gift her the honeymoon she was supposed to go on, saying it was non-refundable and it was the least they could do! Annie and her new reunion decide to head off together for the non-honeymoon for 3 weeks in Australia. What happens next is anyone's guess. This was a really cute book! #theluckyescape #laurajanewilliams #june2021

This was such a wonderful concept that I was so excited for! Being left at the altar and trying to figure out your life is such a fascinating and lush idea.

Annie , in particular, was a character that I empathized with, truly enjoyed, and rooted for!! I loved seeing her join the exercise class bootcamp, go on her honeymoon without her fiancé, and find herself.

Patrick on the other hand fell a little flat along with the pacing and execution of the premise. Some things didn’t land for me but overall this was a fun read with a solid main character and some wonderful destination writing (which is what we all need in this pandemic).

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced copy.

This was a fun British/Australian rom-com with some female empowerment included. I loved reading about the trips to Australia and Antwerp - such beautiful settings!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This story was just so sweet and charming and a lovely surprise. While I had the pleasure of reading Laura Jane William's last book, 'Our Stop', I wasn't sure what to expect from this one and, in summary, I loved it. Williams did a great job of creating dynamic characters with whom audiences could connect. Annie served as a smart and well-rounded heroine whose development throughout was both natural and empowering. I will definitely be seeking out Williams' further novels, as she has found the right formula for creating a sweet and engaging story.

Fun and easy beach read. This was a quick read that I really enjoyed. Annie is left at the alter and goes on her honeymoon with an old friend. She quickly realizes that she wasn't living up to her full potential and with the help of a new love is able to move on and embrace her life. The writing rambled at points, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Annie is having a good day, it is, after all, her wedding day. So why is the wedding planner outside the church? Alexander , the groom, texted the wedding planner to say he wasn't coming. Annie was left at the altar. As she tries to get through the days she joins an exercise class and reconnects with Patrick who she sort of knew at summer camp years before. Patrick convinces Annie that he would be the perfect person to join her on her paid for honeymoon in Australia. Annie discovers things about herself and what she really wants. But is the new Annie the real Annie. A story of love and loss and being the person you really want to be.

Oh boy. Unfortunately I just didn't get on with this one.

First, a few things I did like before I get into what I didn't: I enjoyed that the story was for the most part about Annie reassessing her life and realising that, at thirty, it was by no means too late to do things differently or learn a new way of doing things. I would have preferred if the book was all about that really. I also enjoyed Annie's relationship with her sister and her best friend.

Patrick's backstory is interesting and gives a layer to the romance that I thought was well handled and worth exploring.

The story didn't really lean into any of the tropes that you might expect with this premise (fake dating, only one bed etc) which was refreshing. But tropes are tropes for a reason. People like them and may have expectation of seeing them.

Ok so what I didn't like:
The big one is I didn't like the love interest, Patrick. Which is very unfortunate in a romance. For one thing they have no chemistry together. For another Patrick acts like one thing for most of the book and then seems to have total 360s in character whenever there is a need to create drama.

I kept getting dragged out of the story by these completely weird asides that Annie would have. Like there is a paragraph about how awful and patriarchal the institution of marriage is and it's kind of whiplash when she was just on about how much she was looking forward to getting married. At one point she says her little sister had to tell her what G2G meant and I again that dragged me out because this character is thirty or early thirties at most. She's a millennial. Our generation INVENTED G2G. I know these things sound petty, they're just examples of what kept from getting fully immersed in this book.

The pacing was just all over the place. The trip to Australia is like the middle third of the book. I thought it would take up most of it. The first third was too slow getting to the point. The middle third was the best bit but went by too fast and the final third felt like it was telling a completely different story that basically just baffled me from start to finish.

None of the characters really interested me. Patrick was the worst but no one else was really interesting either. There was a lot of diversity in the supporting cast but none of them ever DO anything. It feels like the uni friends just exist to make Annie feel like she's not doing well at life. They could be removed and lose nothing from the story. The only important ones are Freddie and Adzo and and a result were the ones I liked the most.

I don't think the author is bad writer by any means and I think the plot had the potential to be great it just wasn't it this time.

Wonderful author absolutely loved this story,Was involved from the first pages the setting characters that came alive.Will be recommending,#netgalley#avonbooksuk

This one is tough for me to rate and review. The premise was exactly something I love in a story with an unconventional situation of two people and a side of personal growth and discovery, however the execution was lacking for me. The pacing wasn’t fluid and it left the characters feeling flat. This might be a personal issue and others might not feel the same, but I was unable to fully immerse myself in this novel and it left me feeling distanced from the story. I enjoyed the overall arc conceptually, but struggled with enjoying the previews of reading.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Absolutely loved this! Laura Jane Williams writing is like talking to a best friend. I gel with her style so well.

Even though I could predict what was going to happen from very early on, I found this didn’t matter as I was more interested in seeing the journey and how the characters got there.

The character of Annie was brilliant, and I fell in love with her relationship with her sister.

Annie is left standing at the alter, devastated and bewildered. She meets an old school friend and decides to take the chance of a lifetime by going on her ‘honeymoon’ to Australia with him. A quick little love story where you are definitely hoping for the best for Annie. I enjoyed this light hearted, feel good story and would recommend.

Loved getting to read Annie's story and see how everything turned out for her. Definitely think this will resonate with a lot of people as I'm sure many people have felt how she did throughout the book. Couldn't stop reading it once I started! Definitely recommend reading this book!

This was such a sweet little romance! It's a fast read and I really enjoyed the characters. The story was predictable but I still loved it and would recommend.

A heartwarming romantic read perfect for an escape whether on a summer holiday or relaxing by a cosy fire. Maybe a little drawn out and predictable in places but nonetheless a good lighthearted, fun and entertaining read. There was also a more serious of being true to oneself and not pleasing everyone else and learning to live for the moment. Lighthearted, fun and entertaining read with good characters who developed throughout. Good relatable characters who developed over the course of the book .