Musician Tom and comedian Jess have brilliant timing on stage - but soon after a chance encounter, they learn the hard way that, when it comes to love, timing isn't so easy... Perfect for fans of will -they-won't-they love stories, romantic comedies and Josie Silver.

For Jess and Tom, timing is everything.
For her, it's the moment she delivers the perfect punchline. For him, it's the heartbeat in the music he makes with his band.
And from the night they meet, sharing the same stage at the Edinburgh Festival, their attraction is undeniable. At first, it seems their timing is as perfect in the wings as it is in front of a crowd.
But as Jess and Tom's careers take off, the moment for true connection is always just out of reach. With fate pushing them together, only to pull them apart, will the timing ever be right?
After all, when it comes to love, the timing has to be perfect. . . doesn't it?

I kindly received an early copy through Netgalley and have since been fortunate to enjoy a few brief virtual interactions with the author.

Like the story itself, his tweets are insightful, relatable and often with a strong touch of nostalgia, which is exactly what I enjoyed about The Pefect Timing.
In the first chapters alone I found myself nodding along with the main character Tom.

Tom is a bit awkward, sarcastic (which I loved!) and a bit sassy? I don't know how to describe it, but I could really relate to his persona from very early on.

I really enjoyed the story's dimension and how it evolved through the chapters. The Perfect Timing is multi-faceted and slowly unravels more and more layers as it goes on. I liked how Owen lays out the deeper and more troubling themes while the story nagivates the reader from a cheery romance through some of darker aspects of the characters. You become swept up in an undertow and I found that experience quite exhilerating.

As I mentioned before, The Perfect Timing is a great combination of heart-warming romance, humour and sorrow. Its characters aren't likeable at all times, but I think that works in favour of the over all story and you know, life (?) and I think that's what makes it so relatable.

The book explores themes such as alcoholism, anxiety, absentee parents and grief, so if you're looking for a fluffy summer read, this might not be the one for you, but saying that, if you want a quirky, multi-layered rom-com, you can get a copy via the links below!

Love, love, loved this book.

I was excited to read Owen Nicholls' new book as I had recently enjoyed his first, Love Unscripted, and I was not disappointed.

This is a story set over a period of time and tells the tale of Tom, an aspiring musician and Jess, trying to launch her comedy career. They meet one night and feel an instant attraction, but let's just say, circumstances get in the way, along with a good few misunderstandings and lack of communication.

As the years progress, Tom and Jess keep meeting up, but the timing just isn't right, yet ...

This book deals with some pretty hefty subjects, such as depression, father issues, broken families and lack of confidence, and really tugs on the old heartstrings. I really felt for the main characters, who were both likeable characters and there is also a good supporting cast of characters.

Overall a cracker of a story and one I will (and have already been) recommending.

Looking forward to book 3 Owen!!

For Jess and Tom, timing is everything.

For her, it's the moment she delivers the perfect punchline. For him, it's the heartbeat in the music he makes with his band.

And from the night they meet, sharing the same stage at the Edinburgh Festival, their attraction is undeniable. At first, it seems their timing is as perfect in the wings as it is in front of a crowd.

But as Jess and Tom's careers take off, the moment for true connection is always just out of reach. With fate pushing them together, only to pull them apart, will the timing ever be right?

After all, when it comes to love, the timing has to be perfect. . . Doesn't it?

Wow. This book pulled at my heart strings. I picked this up thinking it was a meet cute and that all would be happy. I couldn’t have been more wrong. This book goes way beyond a rom com. This novel really moved me and made me think about myself
I loved tbr characters and the storyline and felt as though i knew these people. The author is a great writer and is on my radar.

Whilst I wouldn’t recommend this book for someone looking for a chic lit / humour book. I would highly recommend to anyone who wants an entertaining, provoking, emotional read. It is high up on my list of recommendations

The story of Jess and Tom and their meetings over several years - will the time ever be right for them to get together? A delightful read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Perfect timing takes us on a journey through the hustle and bustle of life within the entertainment circuit. This is where we meet Jess and Tom, two very different people who are striving to achieve their dreams, and also trying to defy the odds of the lifestyle that is keeping them apart.

Jess is a comedian from Sheffield, she is one half of a comedy duo alongside her best friend Julia. They are on the way to Edinburgh Fringe, alongside thousands of other acts who will be taking part. Whilst travelling there, Jess ends up crossing paths with Tom, a musician from Edinburgh. The pair click instantly, and the conversation flows freely between them. With one thing leading to another, the pair spend the night together, but this happy encounter doesn’t last. A misunderstanding causes a rift between the pair, and as Tom tries to cover things up, Jess finds herself feeling rather deflated and betrayed. Without leaving Tom any way of contacting her, she storms away, and the pair lead very separate lives for several months, until they find themselves thrown in to one another’s orbit once more.

This book had everything I could possibly have asked for from a love story, although I must point out that there is so much more to this book than a simple ‘boy meets girl’ plot. I love how the story was told from the alternating perspectives of Jess and Tom, allowing us to get a better grasp of who they are as individuals, and provides the opportunity to connect with them on a much deeper level.

The story is written in such a captivating way, you find it almost impossible to part with it. The characters are well fleshed out and have their own quirks and flaws, something that certainly allows them to feel more human like to the reader.

The romance between Jess and Tom was utter perfection. It is certainly far from a smooth sailing story, but the way in which the author intertwines the lives of both of these characters really tugs on the old heart strings and allows you to believe in fate once more.

A breathtakingly beautiful love story that I didn’t want to end. I adored everything about this book.

Perfect Timing is the second book from this author, after the hopeful and film reference filled debut Love, Unscripted.

Remaining within the entertainment arena, we follow Tom and Jess as they each strive to achieve their goals while the universe pulls them together. I can see how this sounds like One Day – it doesn’t feel like it when you’re reading it.
Jess is a Sheffield based comic, one half of a duo with her best friend and flatmate, Julia. They’re on the Road to Edinburgh Fringe, along with a thousand other acts. On the way, Jess bumps into Tom, an Edinburgh based musician.

They click in conversation as they do a cheesy talent showcase, and end up having that one night in Edinburgh. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end well as a misunderstanding and a misguided cover up from Tom leaves Jess feeling hoodwinked, even before anything has happened. She storms away without leaving Tom a way to get back in touch, and for the next few months they live separate lives.

I liked that the reader follows both of them separately, and that they sound different – Jess is as believable a late twenties comic as Tom is a withdrawn but passionate musician. More importantly, I believed that they had a connection and should be together – their relationship, no matter how fleeting, was something to root for. I actually wanted to hang out with them both, too. It’s hard to write comedy in a novel, the same way as it’s hard to write the best song ever ™ in a musical (Jack Black, I am looking at you). Jess’ jokes land – they’re carefully placed and therefore not overdone at all, and I appreciated that she’s funny without being over the top. I’d go and see her gig. I’d also go and see Tom’s band play too, even if he doesn’t have any lyrics to sing along to. If any book deserves a Spotify playlist, it’s this one!
I also really liked the Frightened Rabbit references, which were carefully done but evident in Tom’s best friend, Scott, and other allusions too. I was so pleased to see Tiny Changes, the charity set up after lead singer Scott’s death in 2018, acknowledged at the end of the book.

Rather than the location being in London, as you’d expect for an up and coming couple of artists, it’s split between Edinburgh and Sheffield – with a bit of Australia thrown in. Having grown up in Edinburgh (well, very nearby, in Livingston), it was good to see success coming out of somewhere other than England’s capital city.

As is true for all the best books about love, it ended too soon and I wanted to see what would happen next. I’d love to see a book about Julia, or maybe following Scott and his little family as they move into the next stage of their lives. I thought it was unusual for me that I liked all of the characters that came into the story, even if they moved out fairly quickly.
The reasons that Tom and Jess can’t be together are believable too – too often they’re constructed awkwardly or trite, and I felt that these missed connections were plausible and relatable.

I’d recommend this to anyone who liked Love, Unscripted, of course. It’d make a great read for a holiday too, so pop it on your wishlist for when it comes out in paperback in August!

Thanks to Netgalley and Headline, for the advance digital copy.

Perfect Timing by Owen Nichols a fair four-star read. This was a great blend of heart-warming story with a deeper undertow, so don’t go into this if you are wanting a heart-warming and cheery romance, with some great meet cute action, as its deeper and more troubling than that the light and fluffy story I was expecting. It has good characters and is well written, but I didn’t like the characters all the time, its not an issue, as you don’t always like people, but there were so much worse than I expected after reading the rest of the story, I almost felt lulled into a false sense of security. I have read and loved this author before and I am sure I will read and love their work again.

This is a perfect heartwarming read which has provided a great escape. I love how this has been written and cannot wait to read more by this author.

This was beautifully delightful and an absolute pleasure to read. If you love romantic fiction I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to you.

Oh my goodness, this book was stunning!!! It was such a delight to read! I love books that captivate you from the start, drawing you in and making you completely invested. A sheer delight to read

The story of Jess and Tom and their meetings over several years - will the time ever be right for them to get together?
I liked how it was told from both of their points of view, but didn't always like the people!