In the acknowledgements, Laura Jane Williams says she hopes this book offers joy and escapism. That is certainly what I wanted when I picked this up as my first book of 2021. I think she does deliver on that - Lucky Escape is the very readable and romantic story of Annie who, when jilted at the altar by her university boyfriend, has the opportunity to reassess her life completely when she is offered the chance to go on the holiday of a lifetime to Australia (which would have been her honeymoon). For fans of Laura Jane Williams, Lucky Escape provides a much simpler plot and story arc than that of Our Stop or The Love Square but, like her previous work, she has produced another realistic, likeable protagonist who is experiencing recognisable situations and worries to other 30-somethings living in London. An enjoyable, easy and fast read.

I absolutely loved this book and found the main character Annie very real. A lot of the book happens in Australia which was lovely to read on cold winter days during lockdown - lifted my mood no end.

A light hearted, fun read which I would highly recommend.

I loved it so much that I'm going to get the author's previous book The Love Square.

A great wee escape.

Absolutely loved this! Laura is fast becoming my fave “chick lit” author. Loved seeing Annie’s “awakening” and realising her self worth and absolutely loved the chemistry between her and Patrick, it quite literally leapt off the page. Every book I’ve read by Laura has been a pleasure and this was no difference. Thanks to Avon, the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


The first thing that crossed my mind after finishing this novel is that I should definitely read the author’s other books. I believe if they are as good as this one then I’ll be hooked for life because at this moment I’m over the moon because of this read. It is comforting, romantic, and dreamy, and everything I wanted my last 2020 read to be.

The Lucky escape is a coming of age narrative that tackles womanhood and healthy relationships through its protagonist Annie Wiig. Annie is a self-conscious woman. She’s a victim of her proud, superficial, perfectionist mother who always criticized her for everything she did, and made her feel not good enough. That ingrained self-worthlessness and low self-esteem accompanied Annie to her adulthood, and made her stay in a toxic relationship merely for fear of being alone. Her relationship with Alexander had imbalanced power dynamics where she actively tried to earn his approval, and does everything right in order to keep him in her life. It ticks all of the elements of unhealthy relationships. However, things change when he leaves her at the altar, and she realizes that it’s about time she figured her life out and changed for the better.
In finding love and enjoying adventure, she metamorphoses into an incredible autonomous self-asserted woman. Through the whole of her journey, we get to grasp the little steps she takes to achieve her transformation, the fears brewing in her as a thirty years old woman, and how societal norms shape them.


Annie’s connection to her friends offers an insight into good friendships. The core four are tentative, supportive, and great listeners. They help her out figuring out her emotions, but not too much, they overstep their boundaries or try to overwhelm her with their opinions. As for her love interest, Patrick, he’s just the perfect person for her; he’s perfect in general (ugh! I am biased I know!). He’s funny, carefree, and sensitive. He’s confident, and compassionate, and they fit perfectly together. There is no beating around the bush with him. He communicates his emotion, and responds rather than reacts when she rocks the boat. It is obvious that his attachment style is secure, and he, sure, knows how to navigate relationships unlike Annie whose attachment style is anxious. Patrick is good for her because he inspires her to be herself and seize the moment. Gradually, Annie builds a backbone and learns to express herself authentically.


As women it feels like life ends once we hit thirty, and that only through marriage and family that we can truly worth something in this life, but the author subverts such a misogynistic ideology and lays out alternatives to such stereotypical gender roles.
In The Lucky Escape, we have different narratives that tackle female adulthood. Every friend symbolizes a variant definition of happiness, yet all of them contribute to the belief that there isn’t a single way to find it. We do make our own choices, and we’re allowed to pursue whatever serves us best, and makes our lives fulfilling. There is no right way to do it; whether through marriage, adoption, singlehood, work, or love. Every choice is valid, and as long as it stems from self-actualization and individual happiness.
I love the feminist undertone of the novel, and I do appreciate the author for delivering such a message because we need to constantly be reminded of that.


All in all, I love the plotline, and the characterization. It’s fluffy and romantic, and it warms my heart thinking that there is more to life than we think, that good things can happen out of the blue, that sometimes, bad things are just a blessing in disguise. Annie’s story gives me hope about love and self-growth. The author’s portrayal of her characters is well-crafted. They are flawed, interesting, multi-faceted, emotionally intelligent, and safe. They are a token of healthy relationships, and mature, dependent individuals

I enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Annie, jilted on her wedding day to her longtime university boyfriend.
The story looks at how Annie moves on from this, throwing herself into exercise and meeting an old friend in the process.
I liked the character of Patrick and found this a really enjoyable escape.

Think this would be a great beach read - it explores love after grief, though is not as serious as it sounds! The characters are likeable - which always helps in novels like this! I've read all of Williams' other novels and while I don 't think this comes close to Our Stop, it's still a pleasant, escape read - get reading this on the beach!

“The Lucky Escape” is the latest novel by Laura Jane Williams, author of “The Love Square.” This book is not available until summer but was a perfect escape during the gray doldrums of winter.

We meet Annie, a London scientist, who is about to marry Alexander, who leaves her at the altar. Yes, many novels start with this same premise but Ms. Williams puts a whimsical spin on this tale when Annie runs into an old friend, Patrick, whom she invites to accompany her on her honeymoon in Australia. Like Annie, Patrick is facing his own demons and the two help each other get through the good, the bad and the ugly.

I promise you the premise is not as cutesy as it sounds. While I do think bits of the story lacked believability, if you don’t mind those hiccups, you will enjoy this tale losing a groom but gaining so much more.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy.

After reading the blurb about heroine who gets ditched at the alter and accepts to go to fully paid all exclusive Australian honeymoon with her charming old friend, I high five-d myself and thought I would have a sweet, entertaining romcom experience! But... I got a little disappointed!

If you want to know: at first I have to admit: this is not a bad reading experience. There are so many positive attributes that I fully enjoyed about the story: including side characters starting with heroine’s younger sweet sister, her friends who support her to move on after getting humiliated at her own wedding day. And honeymoon premise of the story, the chemistry between heroine and her old friend/ new potential love interest was flaming hot.

But of course there are so many things put this book at Switzerland border ( I called the books which I didn’t love or hate at the same time as let’s meet in the middle Switzerland reads)

First of all: I found Annie a little disturbing and indecisive. I couldn’t connect with her and her blurry life vision.

Patrick was so much caring, even though he swore not to marry again ( which we learned way too much late) I wish both of them not waste so much time to be together because it was obvious they were each other’s end game so why they procrastinated their HEA!

I was also hoping to read the honeymoon part of the story a little sooner. But it took me so many chapters to read for reaching that juicy part and it ended shortly. I wanted it so much longer. I could have given five stars only for that part of the book.

Overall: it was still well written story even though I didn’t like heroine so much and I thought after returning back to Australia, the book lost its direction and I also lost my interest a little bit because I already guessed the conclusion from the beginning. It was still better read than author’s previous works but I still stick with my three good but it could be better stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Great book! The perfect book to end 2020 and start 2021 with. I loved reading about Annie’s adventures in Australia. I have to be honest - I was quite cynical at the start of the book (for the first half really....). I was thinking:

‘This idiot definitely somehow knew she got jilted and has set himself up for a free holiday.’

‘I’m 30% of the way through and she still hasn’t gone to australia.’

‘WHY would she take him and not her best single friend ? “The core four were not convinced by the whole Patrick shebang” - I bet they werent!’

But. It redeemed itself. Annie is a likeable character (even if I’m not 100% persuaded by Patrick - there’s something weird about him). It made my want to find a personal trainer / bootcamp class to kick myself up the bum for the new year. I am also dying to visit Australia - maybe on a cheaper budget though!

Most of all, the book makes you question what changes you might need to make in your own life - and how you might find the courage to make those changes. Making it the perfect book for the new year.

After being left at the alter by her fiancé, Alexander, who has disappeared without explanation, Annie is left heartbroken in the house they share. To get out of the house, she joins a fitness boot camp, where she reconnects with Patrick, a friend she hasn’t seen in 20 years.Having already paid for the honeymoon and furious that their son left Annie at the alter, Alexander’s parents insist she go without him, so she goes and decides to take Patrick along, as a friend.

You can break the book up into three parts: before honeymoon, during honeymoon, and after honeymoon. The story leading up to the honeymoon felt too long. The book was already 30% of the way through before they even left for Australia. I really enjoyed the honeymoon part of the book and wish there had been more with it. Annie is trying to maneuver single life after being in a ten year relationship and commits to her own happiness by saying yes to every opportunity. After they return, it felt like there was added conflict with Annie and Patrick, just to make there be a conflict. It felt forced and unnecessary, but the conflict goes away almost as soon as it came in. The whole dealing with the fiancée thing and why he stood her up was short, and didn’t feel like a big deal, compared to everything else. The conflict between the MCs gets tied up in the very last few pages of the book and by then, I was just kinda done with it.

I liked the majority of this book, but parts fell flat for me. I thought the story idea was good, but the execution poor. I ended up liking a few of the supporting characters more than I did the main ones and really are the books saving grace for me. I adored her sister, Freddie, and enjoyed the relationships between Annie and her “Core Four” and Adzo. My feelings for Patrick wavered a bit. I thought he was sweet at first, but was annoyed with him by the end (both of them, really). Overall, I think it was a well written book and I would read more from Ms. Williams, but this one was just OK for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Laura Jane Williams for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve now read three of Laura Jane Williams’ books and this is the best one yet. While ‘Our Stop’ and ‘The Love Square’, were perfectly lovely, something about ‘The Lucky Escape’ made my heart hurt the best way.

It might have been the funny and sweet protagonist I really connected with, or her sweet relationship with her sister, or wonderful Patrick, or the slow build relationship... all these things really worked for me and made this book a wonderful, heartwarming story.

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

I loved the premise of The Lucky Escape and it got such great reviews, so I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the story. I'm bummed it wasn't a better fit for me, but I look forward to trying other books by this author.

Such a cute romantic comedy. Lighthearted and heartwarming. I love the storyline of the cancelled wedding and extra honeymoon ticket, and this book delivered on that!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes life just doesn't work out the way you thought it was going to, and that is exactly what The Lucky Escape by Lauren Jane Williams is all about! Shout out to Annie for saying yes to everything after being left at the altar!

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
***SPOILERS***
Even after sitting with it a few days I'm still conflicted about this books. The writing is really really good (besides some minor errors that I hope will be fixed in a last edit) I'm just not sure about the storyline. With someone just coming out of a relationship I think it's always hard to find the right balance of them staying independent and going all in with the new one. I liked the period before the honeymoon and the honeymoon itself very much but afterwards it started to slip. I'm not a huge fan of one love interest having lost their previous partner, especially if they were really in love. In the beginning Patrick makes it clear that he will never get married again but then suddenly he is way more invested than Annie. In my opinion he shouldn't have been as angry with her about talking about Alexander. He was a huge part of her life for so long and I think it would have been healthy for Patrick and Annie to discuss which issues she still has after such an unhealthy and unequal relationship. It is very clear that in trying to change Annie goes a little too far and does not consider Patrick at all when it comes to big life decisions. At that point it isn't about asking for permission but discussing with your partner that you have been offered a huge job opportunity in another country. Patrick was right to be upset especially because she only told him after running into him. The whole job storyline was a bit of a mess for me. Why was she suddenly considering this, falling in love with the city and then just saying no? What was up with the super flirty colleague all of a sudden?
I wish she period after returning from the honeymoon would have been a bit more straight forward. Annie was very clearly doubting the relationship without real reason and for a while I even thought they weren't getting back together because Annie didn't really seem into it anymore. I think the last leg of the storyline could have done with a little less drama and it would definitely have been a four or five star read because the characters were really quite good.

This was a fun story with great characters. The plot was a bit different than many popular tropes. Great story nevertheless.

I absolutely adore Laura Jane Williams' books - and I think that this may be my favourite one yet.

Annie is a strong character -- one who is flawed, yet believable, and who honestly feels like she could be your BFF. I also loved the way that the reader got to see her through different lenses: the Annie who was out with the Core Four, the Annie around her mum, the Annie around Freddie, the Annie at work and the Annie with Patrick.

It all begins when she's set to marry Alexander, but she's left standing at the altar by her 'Mr. Right'. Unsure about how she got things so wrong, Annie runs into an old friend - Patrick. He reminders her of how she used to be, and she makes a big decision to say yes to every opportunity from then onwards. Which makes things a bit more complicated when he offers to come with her on her not-a-honeymoon-honeymoon -- after all, there's a spare ticket now, right? And she did promise she'd say yes to everything...

The story between Patrick and Annie developed in a way that actually seemed very realistic, given the circumstances that they found themselves in. I loved the way that the characters grew - both as individuals and as a couple - and absolutely flew through this in a day. It's the kind of warm, comforting read that we definitely need.

Spurned by her fiancé on her wedding day, Annie ends up reconnecting with an old friend and taking him on her honeymoon where, in the heat of Australian sun, she realises that maybe her life wasn’t so perfect after all...
This was an unexpected surprise in my inbox, but unfortunately I just wasn’t taken by this latest offering from Laura Jane Williams. The characters were fun, particularly Annie’s younger sister, and there was a pleasing amount of diversity, but I found the plot formulaic and a little too predictable.

This book is going to be a huge summer hit. I devoured it so fast. As you have come to expect from a Laura Jane Williams book it’s full of action, emotions and a cracking plot. 100% recommended.

Fab quick read about a girl who is jilted at the altar. This is a lovely piece of escapism, set mainly in Australia as she heads there on her honeymoon (without the groom).

I found it really enjoyable, fun and with the perfect happy ever after.

I would recommend, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.