A good read!

Five strangers meet at Waterloo Station under the iconic clock—each with their own story. What happens in that moment draws them together and forges unexpected bonds that could last a lifetime.
Bea and Ruth, long-lost lovers, reunite under the clock. Carole discovers her husband’s infidelity. Nadia gets stood up by a blind date. Tom, waiting to fulfill a 10-year pact with Lola, finds himself stood up as well. Though strangers, a sudden lockdown at the station due to a bomb threat gives them a chance to talk, connect, and share their stories.
The book is fun, emotional, and humorous. Take a wild, heart warming ride with this one!

Meet Me Under the Clock is a cute fake dating/fake relationship novel. Two strangers, both stood up, bond with three others also under the clock at a train station. A quick friendship is formed among the Waterloo Five.

Nadia is a wonderful character who has had no luck finding love. Her latest attempt at a blind date has her standing alone. Tom is a great character (mostly) who is attempting to reconnect with a woman from his past. He, too, ends up standing alone. While waiting at the train station, they encounter three others and a friendship is born. Nadia and Tom, tired of the games, make a pact to become each other's plus one for events while they figure out how they each want to move forward, separately, in the romance department.

As with all fake dating tropes, real feelings start to creep into the arrangement. Nadia walks through the field of feelings with a bit of trepidation and hope until she realizes that Tom doesn't feel the same. Tom largely ignores the feelings, pining for the woman who stood him up. He makes some pretty despicable decisions and I found myself unsure of where these characters were going to end up. Tom was a bit of a downer in places and I felt Nadia deserved much better.

The story was enjoyable and Tom and Nadia did have chemistry, despite his inability to leave the past in the past. He was so caught up in what could have been that he in danger of losing the chance to get caught up in the what could be. The author wrote the story with realism and emotion. The characters weren't dull or flat. I teared up in a few places near the end.

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not normally a fan of this kind of trope but have to admit, I loved this book. There was so much more than friends to lovers/fake dating within and that’s what I enjoyed. Each chapter is either from Tom or Nadia’s POV and it works so well. There’s not gaps in the narration either, it just flows seamlessly from chapter to chapter.

They meet under the clock in Waterloo when both are stood up, and at the same time, meet the rest of the Waterloo Five - Bea and Ruth, and Carole - who are also having their “moments” under the clock. As you’d expect, Tom and Nadia become good friends, agreeing to be each others fake plus-ones for the foreseeable future. But will this be all they are?

Really enjoyable quick read of a rom com, and definitely one for fans of fake dating and friends to lovers.

Cute story. The 5 main characters were enjoyable, and kept the story from being too bogged down with just Tom & Nadia.

They, Tom & Nadia, are the stars of the book though. The way they, and the other 3, met is original and I appreciated that the author kept that a central part of the story.

I'd recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet and held my interest. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

I enjoyed reading Meet Me Under the Clock by Jo Lovett. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

At the start of the book, Nadia and Tom are both waiting for someone at Waterloo Station. They both have a date, but soon realise they have both been stood up by the person they were supposed to meet. They talk to one another, and a friendship ensues. Nadia and Tom enjoy each other's company, and both of them need a plus one for social events, so they have a fake dating arrangement which suits them both… until they both start to question how they really feel.

I found this both funny and heartwarming. I enjoyed the scenario that brought the two characters together, like a wonderful little accident. Both Tom and Nadia made me smile, and I connected with them both while reading. I enjoyed their conversations, and seeing their connection develop. Some of the other characters, like Carole and Marisa, also made me smile. This book also made me think about how the most meaningful connections can begin in unexpected ways.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Meet Me Under The Clock by Jo Lovett

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

When Nadia and Tom are both unceremoniously stood up by their dates under the clock at Waterloo Station, fate throws them together in the most unusual of circumstances.

What starts as a brilliant story for future dinner parties soon turns into a wonderful friendship, and both Tom and Nadia realise they’ve found the perfect partner in crime.

Tired of dating but always needing a plus one for weddings, parties, and the like, they agree to fake date each other. But as their pretend relationship starts to feel more real, Nadia and Tom begin to wonder if there’s more to their connection than convenience.

Could the relationship they’ve been faking be the one they’ve been waiting for all along?

My Opinion

Jo Lovett is an author that I really enjoy reading so I am always delighted when I see a new release. Meet Me Under The Clock is such a sweet read. From the beginning I knew this was a book I would be unable to put down. An entertaining, slow-burn romance with some great characters.

Rating 4/5

Overall cute but it dragged out for so long. There was a lot of potential with this plot line but it just fell flat for me. Tom and Nadia both are lost souls that need more love in their life but were too focused on finding the one that things were not working in their favour.

The characters didn’t do much growth - they just more or less ignored their issues at hand (aka love). And then all of a sudden they realized their feelings and started dancing around that too. That said, I felt like the reveal of feelings and growth happened so fast at the end, all shoved into the last two chapters.

Tom did frustrate me a lot with how hung up he was on a women he spent ONE SINGLE evening with TEN YEARS AGO???? And then I felt like Tom’s situation completely overshadowed Nadia’s. Yes her resolution was to not date for six months but I felt that Tom was not as wiling to help her grow in that time as she was for him. There was a lot of give on Nadia’s side and I felt like Tom took her for granted :(

I think the style of writing just threw me off as well - lots of thoughts within parentheses even in the middle of dialogue, lots of inner monologue that ran on. I think this could make for a good vacation read - something lowkey and lovely to enjoy over the course of a few days.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed this book. Both Tom and Nadia arrange to meet their dates at Waterloo Station and on the same night. But, neither date turns up.

With the other characters they get to know each other. They become friends, and as they’re both fed up of being in awkward situations when it comes to bringing a plus-one to parties and weddings, they decide to pretend to be dating

But, slowly their pretend dating begins to change their feeling towards each other. Could this be the start of turning fake into real?

I loved the characters and there was some funny situations along the way.

I recommend this book.

This was such a cute and heartwarming romcom! Definitely a great palate cleanser of a book to read when you need a break from serious, dark thrillers. This book was easy to read and it started off really strong. At times some things were predictable but nothing overly outrageous or dramatic and I appreciated that the characters were believable. I laughed out loud during some moments and overall I really enjoyed this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

2.5🌟

The premise? Gold. Two strangers are stood up at Waterloo Station, commiserate over shared humiliation, and agree to pretend-date to spare themselves further romantic disasters. Cue meet-cute potential! And I was on board for the first few chapters—Nadia and Tom had that fumbling, awkward charm that made me smile. Their internal monologues were a mess (like, "Did I just think that?!" levels of relatable), and the supporting characters (hats off to Carole, the divorced queen we all deserve) were a joy.

But... let’s talk about Tom. I don’t want to be mean but—he made it so hard to root for the romance. The man was emotionally constipated, clinging onto a girl he talked to once a decade ago like it was some life-altering love story. I kept waiting for him to grow, or apologize, or at least show he was emotionally present... and he kinda just didn’t? He fumbled the bag so hard and got away with it way too easily. Nadia should’ve made him grovel. Minimum of one handwritten apology letter and three cupcakes.

Nadia, though? Loved her. She had this soft strength to her that made her feel grounded and real. She deserved a slow-burn romance with depth and yearning—and I feel like we only got halfway there.

And their chemistry? Where was it? They spent half the book reminding us they had "nothing in common" (thank you, we had not forgotten) and engaging in the driest small talk in the history of mankind. At one point, I was even wondering if they were secretly robots who were programmed to never, ever fight. "Would you like tea?" "Oh, only if you're having some!" GIRL, JUST SAY WHAT YOU WANT.

The plot moved at a rapid pace (I read through it in an instant), and the Waterloo Five side team injected some much-needed humor, but as a whole? This novel was like an excellent first date that ended with "So. wanna split the bill?"

Final opinion? Adorable idea, adorable supporting characters, but the central romance left me colder than English tea that's been left out too long. If you're in the mood for something light and don't care about yelling at fictional men, go for it. Just. perhaps have a stress ball handy for Tom's scenes.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I wished I could love this one, but unfortunately… not every book is the one.

A light hearted ro.ance that was perfect to escape with pn a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

Thank you NetGalley & Boldwood books for the opportunity to read this arc. It was my first read by Jo Lovett and certainly won’t be my last!

I knew from the beginning that this was going to be a book I enjoyed!

The book is packed with fun, sweetness and humour, it had me laughing out loud at times and if a book can make me do that I am
HOOKED!

It was so cute, super easy to follow and read and the characters literally had BAGS of character. I loved the plot, the meetcute under the station clock and the Waterloo 5 were absolutely hilarious!

The only thing that annoyed me slightly was how hung up Tom was on his ex Lola! But that’s all part of the book, it made me feel so so sorry for Nadia!

The book is giving
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
Fake dating

DNF at 25%

After enjoying The Mistletoe Pact by this same author, this one was SUCH a disappointment. The premise sounded like a fun rom-com but the book read more like a cozy romance in my opinion. For me, what humor there was fell very flat and the characters all seemed to have the same one-dimensional personality. This is only my fourth DNF since joining Goodreads in January 2021, so it takes a lot for me to give up on a book, but I knew very quickly this one wasn’t for me. I gave it 25% in the hopes it would get better, but no such luck. 😒 With that said, I’m in the minority for now, so if you like sweet romances with simple writing and plot points, this still might be for you.

My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for a complimentary advance copy of this eBook, out 4/11/2025.

Can fate throw you a life line when you need it?
When Nadia and Tom are stood up by their dates….will fate help them see what they need to see?
With their accidentally meeting under the Waterloo Station Clock, is this fate trying to tell them something?
Reading Meet Me Under the Clock will answer the above questions and much more.
A light-hearted story with laugh out loud moments.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A cute, romantic read that started off really strong but sort of petered out in the middle. It was a bit predictable, but sometimes that’s what you want from a book. All of the characters are believable (no one is outrageous just because) but I found myself a bit bored towards the end.

Lovely, easy read. Singles get stood up, but due to circumstances, get thrown together with others. Decide fake dating is their plan. We know they end up together but how they get there is well told and the secondary characters are also a joy.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in return for my honest review

Perfect summer read. Fake dating trope with believable (albeit boring!) characters! Lots of funny little moments.

Meet Me Under the Clock by Jo Lovett is a sweet and easy read.

After being stood up at Waterloo Station, Nadia and Tom meet by chance and form a close friendship - along with Carole, Bea and Ruth (The Waterloo Five). I loved this meet cute!

Tired of attending events alone and being nagged about their relationship status, Nadia and Tom agree to fake date as each other's plus-one. However, as their pretend relationship deepens, they begin to question if their connection is more than just convenient.

The story is told from both Nadia and Tom's perspective which works well. It's very simplistically written which makes it a quick and easy read. However it is quite repetitive throughout. And Tom and Nadia's dialogue is so polite, it almost feels like how you would write speech opposed to sounding like natural dialogue between two friends.

I like both the MCs however I wanted to bash their heads together - Tom especially! But that's a sign of a good will they/won't they.

I do wish their was more showing us and allowing us to feel their connection instead of just telling us. But that's just my preference.

I love the supporting characters and let me tell you I'd love to be invited to one of Carole's parties!

The book is available from Aprill 11th 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.