This was a lot of fun. It dragged a little bit in some spots, but that lightly had more to do with me than the actual book. This was a lot of fun and a good time.

loved this book about fake dating and finding some romance. That they met under a clock with others and ended up finding love. Loved her co workers and that they made friends with other train riders.

This charming romance novel truly captured my heart! The characters were absolutely delightful—each one brought something unique to the story. I loved how well-developed they were, and their chemistry felt genuine and full of warmth. The pacing was just right, giving enough space for the romance to blossom while also keeping me hooked with engaging subplots.

The setting was beautifully described, and it really helped immerse me in the story. I especially appreciated how the author blended humor and heartfelt moments, making the romance feel both lighthearted and meaningful.

Overall, this is a perfect pick for anyone looking for a sweet, feel-good romance with lovable characters. I definitely recommend it for a cozy, uplifting read!

LOVED it! From the first word to the last I was totally lost in this story and couldn’t stop reading but didn’t want it to end either! Nadia and Tom are both down to earth but gorgeous people who are brilliantly brought to life and supported by an eccentric cast of characters who add color and more than a bit of humour. A friends to lovers romance with enough drama to keep the pages turning and plenty of tummy tumbles. The dual narrative from Nadia and Tom’s points of view is brilliantly written and makes the story one that romance fans will love. The ultimate in feel good escapist romance I can’t recommend it enough.

I really enjoyed reading this book and finished it in one day. I loved the idea of 5 people meeting under the clock in Waterloo Station and finding an instant friendship. I liked all the characters (Claudia is just hilarious) and I was rooting for Nadia and Tom from the start. The story is highly entertaining even though the romance part is VERY slow-burn. All in all a very charming and light-hearted book that made me want to read more from the author.

So very cute! This book had such a unique storyline. I liked Tom and Nadia and what good people they were. I liked that it bothered them to lie to their friends and family - they had integrity. I do wish we would have learned how Tom’s family reacted once they learned the truth. But this was a very sweet book.

How much did I love this book, so much I can't put it into words.

Nadia is standing under the clock at Waterloo Station for a blind date set up by a colleague at work.

Tom is waiting under the clock to meet with Lola a woman he met ten years ago and had the perfect night, and now she wants to meet him again.

Carole arrives under the clock to meet her husband on their anniversary but over hears him on the phone.

Bea and Ruth have been friends for years but have only recently acknowledged that their future is as a couple.

They all meet under the clock but then an emergency puts them all in lock down and the Waterloo 5 is born.

Both Nadia and Tom were stood up that night, Carole is heading for a divorce and Bea and Ruth get engaged.

Nadia and Tom realise that they are both having the same experiences, and the pressure to have plus ones at social events, so it seems like such a good idea to fake date and be each other plus ones, what could go wrong.

This book was absolutely fabulous, I loved the characters and loved that despite being mainly about Nadia and Tom you get to follow the other three stories too.

I so need to read more of her books.

Thank you so much Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me access to this ARC.

Nadia and Tom meet in the most ironic way, both of them are stood under the clock at Waterloo Station waiting for a date… the dates that never turn up! So this starts a cute, cosy, whirlwind of a friendship with a slow burn romantic connection.

This is written in two POV’s, it seemed like Nadia was more into Tom than he was into her and he seemed conflicted with his feelings towards Nadia. There was a lot of depth to the building of their friendship and to be honest I felt like there was so much friendship I questioned if they had friend-zoned each other!

I liked the humour in the book, Jo has an cosy way of writing and while their journey wasn’t my favourite I did really enjoy the ending.

I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the privilege of being able to read this book.

I'm conflicted on this book, and It's honestly the last 20-30 pages of this book that saves it a star. I loved the beginnings, and the Waterloo Five together, particularly Ruth, Bea and Carole they save this book. They're full of so much life, love and motivational quotes that really move you. I get they're probably there for a starting base and comedic relief but theyre my favourite part and they really help save this book all through it. The stories not too far fetch, I was laugh and giggling most of the way throughout but it usually was when they were all together.

However it's the main characters relationship that was ironically enough the part I wasn't enjoying. Nadia's parts were kind of over the top descriptive, that it pulled away a lot from the story, and toms felt like you were just reading Nadia's journal. There was no real differentiation between the voices of those two characters. But what kept stealing it from me, was toms parts were he kept saying how he liked her, how great of a friend she was .etc but that she wasn't his type, wasn't anything like him..... Well to keep being friends with someone they have to have something in common personality wise for that even to work. It just kind of hurt to read it, making me for the first time ever genuinely question a relationship potential in a romance book. I did love the end when he finds out the truth, it wasn't exactly where I thought it was going to go but it was good. His growth after that point was extremely realistic and is what led to saving this book for me.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart again for allowing me to read this book!

Not the most romantic. Especially given that it's dual pov. Overall, it was a cute and quirky story and would recommend as it was entertaining.

'Meet Me Under the Clock' has a really sweet premise, about two strangers who meet under a clock at a train station after both being stood up by their date for the evening. They end up forming a pact where they decide to 'fake date' each other in order to avoid any more romantic troubles.

This novel was certainly a 'slow burn', and our two main characters really get to know each other! I don't think I've ever read a book where two characters ask each other quite so many questions. Unfortunately, their conversations were very boring, and super awkward. They also lacked chemistry, both stating throughout almost the entire book that they had nothing in common with each other.

I could not form a connection with these characters, as I found them extremely uncomfortable people. I wanted to root for them, as they were definitely kind, but their inner dialogues, as well as their conversations, were just painful to read. They communicated entirely through small talk; with short blunt sentences that were very repetitive. Their politeness became dry to read, and caused them to lack any personality.

It wasn't just Nadia and Tom who were overly polite to each other however. Every character also had this same trait; as if they were only able to communicate using pleasantries. It felt very unrealistic to how real people talk. Conversations lacked individuality, excitement, drama, sarcasm, disagreements, and any sort of unique traits. Everyone was just too nice.

Of all the time Tom and Nadia spent together, there was a constant back and forth of indecisiveness between every decision they made. These two characters seemed as though they had a fear of stepping on the others toes, making them behave over-cautious of what they said aloud.

Both POV's personalities were also very simular. I realise it's likely the authors distinct comedic writing style, but I found it difficult to differentiate between the pair.

My last critiques are that I also found this novel to be very dialogue heavy. I think this is more a personal preference of mine to have more description of events, as a lot of contemporary novels do include a lot of dialogue. There was also a lot of 'telling' the reader what had happened rather than showing.

Although this story was heartfelt and definitely sweet, I found myself struggling to get through it and had too many issues with it.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this.

*I received this book as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) for free in exchange for an honest review*

I love this author’s books. Funny, romantic, hopeful, everything you could ever want in book form.
Such a lovely story, and what a way to meet people - this group was one I could imagine myself fitting in to. The book being written from two viewpoints was excellent and gave insight into both the main characters of the story; definitely a great way to write a book in my opinions. And the ending was perfect; I was rooting for Tom and Nadia from the very beginning! Highly recommend this one

I am not too sure how I felt about this one. I loved the story and the plot was great, but the romance didn't seem to come through enough for me. The characters didn't 'click' in a way that show emotional and romantic development. The side character; however, were amazingly written and I loved reading about them in this story too.

I love all things British, and I was so drawn to this book! After reading the first few chapters, I wasn’t as sucked into the story as I thought. The entire premise just didn’t sit right, and the long ‘will they won’t they’ was too long for me. And Tom? Tom was not my favorite… The story is such a cute idea, but much like Lola is better left as an idea.

This book was super cute! Two people are stood up on the same night and end up becoming each others +1 for events. So we all know where this is likely heading. As is common in a story like this, miscommunication or better yet LACK of communication reigned supreme. Sometimes that drives me nuts, but this time it worked for me. I liked the dual perspective, but Tom's perspective was annoying at times. This is more style-related. I also didn't enjoy Lovett's use of parentheses. Initially it seemed like it was for Nadia's character, but then I noticed it was used for Tom as well. Spice was benign and not prevalent (can you call it spice then?!). 3.5 rounded up because I pretty much downed it and it was a cute little escape from reality.

Thank you to Jo Lovett, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much for this pre-approved ARC! Meet Me Under the Clock by Jo Lovett is like a cozy hug wrapped in a mystery. The story pulls you in with its heartfelt moments and quirky charm, blending romance with a dash of intrigue. Lovett’s writing is smooth, making it a perfect read for when you’re craving something easy yet captivating. It’s a little nostalgic, a little magical, and totally relatable. Definitely recommend if you're into stories that feel like a good conversation with an old friend.

Oh my a meeting at Waterloo station after being stood up by blind dates leads to a very funny and moving book. Don’t fake date . The feet and the friendships . I loved it. Read it . You won’t be disappointed and you get a proper neat ending.

Thanks, NetGalley for the arc!

This is a story about two people who were stood up by their dates and made a pact to fake date each other to appease their friends and family. I was really excited to read this book! Who doesn't love a fake dating trope? The plot sounded really good when I saw this! However, this book really wasn't my cup of tea.

I found that the characters didn't have too much personality. I found that they didn't really have much chemistry with each other and at times it felt almost forced. They agreed to fake date and then they almost instantaneously just fell in love with each other. Give us some yearning!! The author also reminds us several times throughout the book that they're just fake-dating and that they have nothing in common. I felt like that was unnecessary given the premise of the book.

I also had quite a difficult time getting through this book. The writing was clunky and really awkward. I noticed this a lot in Tom's chapter.

"But basically, yep. I was finding her physically attractive. And she's obviously easy company."

There were several quotes like this that I felt took away from the plot. I'm not sure if this was on purpose to make it seem like Tom was just a man with very few words. The author also used an odd amount of parentheses which I didn't enjoy. I think using commas or an em dash would've conveyed the same message and felt less awkward.

This book had potential! I just didn't enjoy the characters or the writing in this book.

I really enjoyed this latest book by Jo, highly enjoyable and with great characters. Whilst essentially a romance it was a love story with a difference ,and, more than that it was about finding friendship in the most unexpected places. I absolutely loved the five main characters, and really enjoyed their individual stories . Excellent and highly recommended.

Meet me Under the Clock- Jo Lovett

Nadia and Tom both find themselves waiting under the clock in Waterloo station. 2 souls, hopeful of finding love.
When the station locks down because of an emergency it throws Tom, Nadia and a unlikely grouping of people together and they become fast friends. But will friendship turn into something deeper for some of the group?

Quite a slow burn but it grew on me and turned into a nice, comforting hug that I needed after a stressful week. I liked the individual characters and their various back stories and the use of multiple narrators, gives a well rounded perspective of events. A nice romantic, comedy but I wasn't rushing home to dive back into the book every night.
As always, so grateful to Netgalley for the ARC and to Boldwood Books too.