What a beautifully crafted story about fate, and what was always meant to be, but how, sometimes it's just not the right time.
Nell, our heroine, is stuck in the snow, after a hurried reunion at her old college, where she was meant to be coming home with a special package. Instead, she is sat in the car, on the M4, stuck because of heavy snowfall, with a letter, memories, extreme emotions and a mobile with a flat battery.
Her hero arrives, not on a trusty steed, as such, but with a knock at the window, and the offer of a charger, as well as some company, the night ends up as the most perfect eight hours of her life.
Only, they never exchange contact details after.
The next few months sees so many coincidental events happening, that it is hard for Nell to discount the thoughts of her hippyish best friends, Theo and Charlie, who firmly believe in the whole 'it was meant to be' theory.
But, were they right?
A book I devoured within hours. Honestly, if I hadn't started it so late last night, I would have finished it in a single sitting.
I truly felt for Nell, a woman with so much talent, but with responsibilities weighing her down, in the shape of her mother. A troublesome ex, and a wayward brother, make her feel like she isn't worth much more than the lot life has thrown her.
Then there's her knight in shining armour, Sam, who rescues her from the snow, and over the story, their own lives entwine in ways that seem unreal. A hunk with a heart, that's Sam!
Of course, there is also Ed, the ex who pops back in, and even though she is thinking there could be something there, I found him rather smarmy. Keep well away, Nell!
Honestly, this was a wonderful read, covering so much within it, including loss, and bereavement, as well as postnatal depression, and that old chestnut, Fate.
A thoroughly good read that I would highly recommend!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really loved this book.  I loved all the characters especially noelle, Charlie and grumpy Frank. Every single character was so well written and so easy to imagine. I thought that noelle and Sam randomly running into each other would eventually annoy but it really didn't I found myself so happy every time Sam appeared.

4.5 stars
I absolutely loved reading Dear Emmie Blue last year so I’m relieved to find the author’s new novel Eight Perfect Hours such a wholesome and delightful read.

When Noelle meets Sam you can feel that it is the perfect set up for a wonderful romance. They spend 8 hours together on a highway where they talk and laugh and share stories, and I could almost hear the lovey-dovey singing birds approaching but.. NOTHING HAPPENS. A few days later Noelle runs into her ex-boyfriend Ed in town. They were together for 12 years and every time she sees Ed it is so easy, so familiar, yet a little voice in her head does remind her that he left her for a job offer in Portland.

I really enjoyed reading about Noelle and how she tries to navigate her way trough life. She’s there for her mother who has anxiety and her best friend who suffers from postnatal depression, she even tries her best to help this grumpy old man who has to move out of his apartment, but maybe she needs someone to be there for her too? Ed slips back into her life and Noelle can’t just forget the 12 years they spent together but mountaineer Sam pops up on unexpected moments too and every time she sees him she feels that he really hears what she is saying, she feels something special and she gets the feeling it is fate that brings them together. Could she be right?

I expected this novel to be high on romance from the beginning but the author start-stopped my heart more times than were good for me, so I’m almost inclined to say that romance is involved but underneath what appears to be romance the story gives a life lesson about embracing life. From the very first pages the tragedy of losing her best friend are manifest but there’s a lot of growth for Noelle while she’s trying to find the right path for her and maybe fate will give an unmistakable signal that it is ok to start living and that she doesn’t have to feel guilty that she’s still alive and her best friend Daisy isn’t.

I had a few perfect hours of reading this heartwarming novel.

A sweet, touching romance about fate, heartache and having the courage to follow your dreams.
I felt I could really relate to Noelle, her role as a carer is a heavy responsibility but she's so caring and is a strong support for those around her it is second nature to her to want to be there for others. I thought her Mum's situation and that of Charlie, her friend, really depicted mental health struggles very well and how it can happen to anyone.
I love Lia's writing style and the build up of chemistry in this story is very good.

I am a big Lia Louis fan; I think she has a unique contemporary voice and I really relate to her humour and pop culture references. I was delighted to be sent this ARC in exchange for an honest review and I wasn’t disappointed! A warm and fuzzy story to wrap up in a blanket with and devour in one sitting. It asks can two people be meant for each other? It certainly seems that way for Noelle and Sam! A lovely, charming, funny read.
Thanks to Orion and NetGalley.

BOOK REVIEW: Eight Perfect Hours by @lialouisauthor

4 Stars

I had heard such great things about this book from friends so I was excited to read it and it did not let me down!

Our lead female is Noelle, a 32 year old cleaner and carer for her mum who dreams of becoming a florist. One snowy night she gets stranded in her car on a motorway and meets American Mountaineer Sam, with whom she spends 8 hours in his car. Sam and Noelle have a great connection but go their separate ways, and that is the beginning of a very fate driven and emotional story.

Noelle is a wonderful character. So realistic and relatable, she puts others before herself and struggles with anxiety due to past events. I loved getting to know her and seeing how she grew through the story.
All of the side characters played such important roles and I especially loved Noelle's best friend Charlie. Sam the love interest was a very mysterious character for a lot of the book and yet also incredibly kind and caring. His connection with Noelle was obvious to see.

What I loved the most about this book is that it is a romance but it is also so much more. There are a lot of tough themes (I will include in my list of trigger warnings at the end if you want to see) which add so much depth and backstory. The writing was really good and meant I was instantly hooked and read the book in a day!

Overall, a wonderful romance that has a lot of emotional depth to the storyline. The characters are dynamic and interesting and I highly recommend this book to all romance lovers.

Available now in ebook. Paperback available on the 19th August.

TW: Depression and anxiety, talk of suicide, death of a friend, road traffic accident, agoraphobia, panic attacks, postnatal depression.

Please note that I was #gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Love Love Love!! I have enjoyed Lia’s previous two books and this one certainly didn’t disappoint! The characters come to life and I read it all over just two day! I’d definitely recommend

While looking for an uplifting summer read, I came across Eight Perfect Hours and knew I had to request it. I loved Lia Louis’ debut, Somewhere Close To Happy, and I was looking forward to reading more from this author.

Eight Perfect Hours tells the story of a chance meeting between Noelle and Sam, two strangers who meet while stuck in a snowstorm on the motorway. They spend eight hours together, talking like old friends. Then the traffic begins to clear and they go their separate ways. They don’t exchange numbers or social media details, much to Noelle’s regret. She goes back to her everyday life and tries to forget about Sam. Yet weeks later, Noelle can’t stop thinking about him.

I felt a lot of empathy for Noelle. She finds it difficult to move on after the tragic death of her best friend, Daisy, and is working as a cleaner while daydreaming about becoming a florist. She balances her job with the responsibility of caring for her mother, who is recovering from a stroke. Noelle’s musician brother, Dilly, is unreliable and busy chasing his own dreams, so Noelle feels that she cannot pursue her ambitions.

Noelle thought she’d seen the last of Sam on that snowy evening but fate has other ideas. Their paths cross again throughout the story, with misunderstandings and obstacles constantly getting in the way of their relationship. The plot relies heavily on coincidence but I enjoyed the ups and downs of the events. The secondary characters also add layers of depth and conflict. I liked the mystery element, as there were a few small reveals throughout the story. Noelle’s connection to Daisy brings an emotional depth to this novel. We follow Noelle’s internal journey of accepting what happened on the night her friend died and hope that she can move on from the sadness of the past.

Although this is a romance, the author doesn’t shy away from exploring heavier themes, such as grief, postnatal depression and mental health. I enjoyed this book and read it in a few days. It was an enjoyable, escapist read with interesting characters.

When I read Dear Emmie Blue last year I knew that Lia Louis would become an auto-read author and this book just confirms that. This book was beautiful and heart-warming story about two people who after being trapped in a snowstorm find their lives intertwining when they least expect it.

I honestly loved Noelle. She's given up so much in her life to look after her mother and my heart went out to her as she began to struggle with balancing her own needs against those of her family. Sam instantly became a favourite, he was so adorable and just wanted what was best for Noelle.

I also want to praise Louis for including heavier topics in this book such as grief, loss and postpartum depression. I think more books need to be more open about tough topics to make people more aware of what it's like and that they're perfectly normal.

This isn't just a love story. It's a story about finding yourself and doing what's best for you., it gives you hope. Whilst this one didn't hit as hard as Emmie Blue I loved it nonetheless and recommend it to everyone! Also if you haven't read Dear Emmie Blue go pick it up right now!

Thank you so much to Orion Books for providing me with a copy of Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis in exchange for an honest review.

If you love books like One Day you will adore Eight Perfect Hours. An uplifting romance with plenty of missed opportunities and coincidences between the two people, Noelle and Sam, who meet when they are stranded in their cars one night.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Orion for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Absolutely outstanding. I’ve LOVED both of Lia Louis’ previous books so had high hopes for this book and it did not disappoint.
I became so invested in the story, it’s incredible to see where the author took the book following a chance meeting with a stranger after being stranded on a closed road.

This novel was a lot more serious than I anticipated. Noelle was a wonderfully written , truly relatable character. Her struggle to remain optimistic despite so many knock backs in life was a joy to read. Her capacity to lovingly support her Mum and brother and delay her dreams was a joy to read. A truly great uplifting novel that I would fully recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

Lia Louis' books have been a bit of miss for me, so far, I'm afraid. I think her premises are intriguing and I want to like them but the execution just isn't there for me. Her protagonists are too self-indulgently miserable and grumpy characters, and her secondary characters just aren't realised fully. Her writing feels like wish-fulfilment - the stuff Wattpad is made out of.
Eight Perfect Hours is like that, with another insufferable protagonist who is 'victimised' by her perpetual circumstances called life. She breaks up with her boyfriend of 12 years, and is the carer of her mother. One evening she gets stranded and meets Sam. They spend eight perfect hours, and then she never sees him again. Until they bump into each other again...
I'm afraid this didn't work for me. I couldn't stand the simpering protagonist and there was too many coincidences for me to suspend my disbelief.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel of two strangers who have a gorgeous encounter on a snow-strewn motorway the night that Noelle is returning from a school reunion which wasn't at all what she wanted. Sam and Noelle have an incredible connection, and spend those eight perfect hours of the title together, talking, laughing, and experiencing being snowed into a motorway, but then part ways, never to see each other again. But life (or fate!) has other ideas, and Sam and Noelle meet again - and again! - as the universe throws them together. A series of miscommunications and semi-complete conversations leaves Noelle with a sense of frustration, and a growing dissatisfaction with what fate has in store for her.
This is a lovely - although occasionally frustrating - love story which throws obstacles into the path between Sam and Noelle. The book opens with the East Asian story of the red thread, which links together destined lovers. Although it may tangle or fray, it will never break. Sam and Noelle's story feels like this - obstacles - like not exchanging numbers! - tangle their thread, and this book is their story of finding their way to reuniting their threads. I haven't read anything else by Lia Louis before, but she's got a good grasp of characterisation, and throws in just enough obstacles to keep me interested as a reader. This isn't a story for people who don't believe in fate. It's sweet, but not saccharine, and just the kind of pick me up I needed when I was reading it.

You will not be able to stop yourself falling in love with the charming characters, Noelle and Sam in Eight Perfect Hours and their journey of self-discovery. Their characters are incredibly depicted, their relationship throughout in the many situations they coincidentally find themselves in gives us more and more insight into their own character and lives each time.

Eight Perfect Hours is about life and everything we have to face and how we deal with these very tough difficulties and situations. It is about fate and destiny, about friendship, love, laughter but also the book tackles, loss, grief and sadness - in a very delicate way. Eight Perfect Hours is about making the most of the time you have together - whether it is hours or years.

The book was brilliantly written, very touching and had me in stitches in quite a few places! Every part of the story was so cleverly linked together and I was captivated from the very first page.

Eight Perfect Hours is such a heartwarming, uplifting and emotional read. 5 stars from me! I look forward to reading more by Lia Louis!

Thank you very much for my advanced copy. This review is based on a NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

I love the story of Noelle and Sam, Maybe I wish a little be more in the epilogue. But overall a lovely story.

Absolutely loved this gem of a novel by Lia Louis. She gets better and better with each book. I'm not normally a fan of romantic fiction but I loved this meet-cute and how the couple get together but also how their past turns out to link them.

Beautiful writing and such a treat to read :)

Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC.

Are you after some escapism? A truly it-could-only-be-written-in-a-book romance? Then look no further.

The motorway is shut and Noelle finds herself spending 8 hours in the company of a stranger. These two both have pasts but Noelle finds herself drawn to Sam in a way that she’s never experienced before.

Throw in a very complicated and dysfunctional family, a crazy friend and Sam’s grumpy father for added comedy and you’re all set.

I couldn’t put this down. It is very sweet and full fits that will they/ won’t they cliche. It won’t confuse you but it will allow you to dream for a few hours.

This is an endearing romance novel with just the right balance of humour, charm and entertaining characters, without the sickly sweet-ness usually found in this genre.
I enjoyed the simplicity of this story and read this book in one sitting. Fabulous read that made me both laugh and cry. A most definite 5 stars from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a beautiful read, the writer made me feel like I was part of the book, don't normally do romance but this was just enough to make it perfect.