I enjoyed Our Stop by the same author so was expecting more of the same. I didn’t get it, but The Love Square was just as enjoyable.
Penny has been single for over 5 years, and has been concentrating on running her own cafe and coming to terms with the fact that she is unable to have children due to an earlier illness.. She meets Francesco, and their relationship starts to develop just as her uncle becomes ill and she is asked to run his restaurant to give him time to recuperate. Leaving Francesco behind she meets two other men whilst running the restaurant - hence the Love Square.
Personally I didn’t like the two other love interest characters, one seemed a bit shallow, the other older and slightly creepy so I’m not sure if they were deliberately written that way so we are more sympathetic to Francesco?
The other characters in the book, both family and workmates were much more likeable.
An enjoyable read as we wait to see who Penny will eventually choose.

This was one of my most anticipated read of the year and I am slightly disappointed by it. It just didn't have the same magic as Our Stop, I enjoyed reading it and loved all the characters but there was something missing and I can't seem to pinpoint that.
I loved Penny's character, as I saw so much of myself in her, The way she sacrifices her business to step up for the family and how she doesn't let her heart open up completely to a person in an emotional relationship cause she is protecting herself.

I LOVED this book. I didn’t realize that it was by the same author who wrote our stop (which I also loved!!!) I have encouraged all who look at my insta review to add it to their TBR list as it’s just such a good heart warming story!!!!! I wouldn’t change a thing about this book it was a great read which I couldn’t put down and would read again!!!!!! I’ll be buying a real copy o ve it’s out for my book shelf!!!!

This book follows a year in the life oa a cancer survivor, Penny who is the owner if a cafe & wants a baby but is unluck in love.
It follows her as she meets Francesco, Thomas & Priyesh.
There are some good bits in this book, but overall it wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with this ARC.

The Love Square follows Penny, a chef and cafe owner. She wants to settle down and start a family, but she's perpetually unlucky in love, and to make things more complicated, she's infertile after surviving cancer in her twenties. Then she meets Francesco, and it feels like everything might be falling into place.

For me, the first third of the book felt very slow, as all the focus is on Penny's relationship with Francesco as it develops. It does feel real, but the only conflict is very minor and I found it pretty dull to read such a blow by blow account of every date they go on and every text conversation they have.

After this, the pace does pick up as Penny leaves her life in London - and Francesco - behind and ends up meeting a whole load of guys who want to date her. It ended up feeling like there was quite a lot going on, as there's a side plot about Penny's sister offering to be her surrogate. (This did slightly bug me as in real life, she would be instantly disqualified from being a surrogate as she hasn't already had at least one healthy pregnancy.)

Overall this was an emotional read with a diverse cast of characters that ended up being more about modern families than romantic relationships.

A brilliant book, perfect for these lockdown days. I loved Penny and her quirky, modern spirit. Likewise I'd already picked my favourite of the three heroes and was super chuffed the ending was what I wanted it to be.
Laura Jane Williams is fast becoming one of my favourite authors.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I wish I could've liked this book more, maybe the multiple love interests didn't do it for me.
I appreciated all that Penny had gone through, and the sacrifices she made for her Uncle. The writing was easy to follow and the discussion of food made me hungry for more.
I just felt that Penny was making choices to suit herself, and when there were consequences which upset her, she decided to again, make a decision based on her wants.
2.5 stars

After reading and enjoying Out Stop last year on holiday , when I saw that this author had a new book coming out I was really looking forward to it instantly! I knew I was in for another feel good read and that's exactly what this was!

This one absolutely ticked all the boxes for me, the writing again just sucked me in from the start, Penny the main character I really loved and enjoyed following her life and the turns it took , and it fully had my attention all the way through until it's brilliantly and heart warming ending.

I just loved Penny, her attitude, her no nonsense headstrong style and just how she was on a journey to find herself and accept the love she deserved. This had so many moments that made me smile, laugh and have a little emotional moment over also. Which really is the perfect mix in a feel good read!

I loved all the characters, how everything was so seamlessly woven in together, and just the general vibe of the book. Complete box ticker for me.

Thank you to the publisher Avon for letting me read this ahead of publication.

I went into this expecting a quick, rom com and found that instead, it was sweet and emotional. There were some aspects of this book that I really connected with, but sometimes it reminded me of the deep stuff I went to books to escape! All-in-all, I enjoyed it. The characters are well written and I found myself rooting for Penny.

This was a nice light-hearted romance. I enjoyed the storyline and found the characters delightful. This would make a great beach read!

I recommend this book, 4 stars.

Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Penny finally meets the man of her dreams but she has to put the relationship on hold to tend to her uncle's pub in Derbyshire. Thirty seconds after she leaves London, she realizes the mistake she makes asking her boyfriend to be just friends but he is ALREADY kissing another girl. She moves on and sows her oats in Derbyshire so who does she really love? I thought this was the same old story - person leaves, realizes their mistake, comes back and their other has moved on. However, it was turned into a sweet story. A little too racey in parts for me but still good! #thelovesquare #laurajanewilliams

The story follows Penny, a chef who runs a cafe in London but goes to run her uncle's pub/restaurant in Derbyshire while he is ill. Penny goes from being eternally single to having 3 men around her.
The book was an enjoyable read, a bit of chick lit but with a bit of a twist towards the end. I did find Penny a bit of a confusing character but I think this just reflected from the fact that she was confused at the time. I thought it would be a run of the mill romantic novel but I was pleased that it did veer ever so slightly off the beaten track!
I would recommend this book, it would make a perfect holiday read.

I absolutely adored Laura Jane Williams debut book the Our Stop when it was out last year so I had to read this one.

The book follows Penny Bridge - shes single and hasn’t had the best of luck in her love life. Now that she has stopped looking she finds the most gorgeous man and he walked into her small cafe. Tragedy strikes when her uncle who is like a father to her falls unwell and she leaves everything to go and help him - leaving the man she has just met and is falling for behind.

Penny moves to a new area, takes over her uncles Pub and thrives. She meets another man one that gives her a thrill and they date but not exclusively as he is off on tour. The thing is there is another man on the horizon older, gentler, smart.

Penny comes to a crossroads and she needs to decide what she wants to do and what makes her happy above all else.

I really enjoyed this book. At times I was mad at Penny and wanted to shout at her but you know sometimes this is what makes a good book and characters!

It definitely had me laughing and rooting for Penny and her love!

Great representation of LGBTQ+ relationship

I really enjoyed this. Great characters and well written. Kept me interested throughout as I couldn't wait to see how Penny and Francesco's story would end. Definitely recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really wanted to like The Love Square, but it just wasn't for me. I found the main character fairly immature, and most of the plot points felt forced. I would absolutely read another Williams book- I think it was just not a situation that worked for me once I started reading.

I really loved reading Laura Jane Williams debut novel, Our Stop, which was published in 2019. I didn’t believe she could exceed herself although I expect it’s every authors dream to excel book by book! However, even though I though it wasn’t possible because Our stop was so good… she has done it again and more.

The characters in The Love Square are likeable, even loveable, especially because of their flaws. The background information seems very well researched and accurate – life as a chef and owner of a pub seem are conveyed really well throughout. The dilemmas that life throw at us are explored carefully with a great mix of emotion and humour. You will find yourself cheering Penny on and commiserating with her in equal measures as we follow her journey navigating love and loss.

Penny Bridge is a complicated character. Single, thirty years old and a breast cancer survivor, she is successfully managing a wonderful little café of which she is the chef. Her father took off when she was a little girl and her mother died of breast cancer when she was nine years of age, leaving her and her younger sister to be brought up by her uncle David. She wants to be involved with a partner but after being dumped by her long-term boyfriend when diagnosed with cancer, she hasn’t had any real luck on the romance front for five years. Then her Uncle, also a restaurant owner, has a second heart attack and the responsibility to run his business whilst he recovers becomes hers and she up sticks from London and moves to Derbyshire “for a year, maybe 18 months at the most,” to do what’s right by her family. Just before she leaves London she meets guy number one and whilst there Penny appears to become flavour of the month with two other men also falling for her charms. Penny becomes part, not of a triangle, but a love square, where she does not know who or what she really wants, as responsibilities and expectations of others fall heavily on her shoulders. Over the course of the year Penny dates three men, sometimes simultaneously, juggling hearts and affections, telling herself that none of them really matter, but in the end, she must make a choice if her life is to move forward.

There is some part of this review that wants to applaud that a female character is real and honestly reflects a modern-day society in that she is capable of dating several men in a year, that each relationship is valued for its own reasons and she isn’t swept away by a knight in shining armour to save her and make her life complete – Jerry Maguire / Tom Cruise and the whole “you complete me” has a lot of answer for! Women can and do date many men, but all too often there is an element of slut-shaming if a woman behaves in a liberated manner (Taylor Swift anyone?) but in most romantic novels women wouldn’t dream of such behaviour much less be allowed to do so. They are a one-man kind of woman and they find their happily ever after, maybe after a plot device or two of dramatic issues, finally and completely with that one perfect man. In ‘The Love Square’, Penny is portrayed dating men and not being sure of the ‘perfect fit’ for her life, if such a thing exists. It's refreshing and honest. What does make a perfect guy nowadays, and are women held to the ideal that would make Jane Austen proud by only ever lifting her eyes to one man, lest she is labelled a loose woman? Hooray for this book. But then there is the negative side of things in which Penny doesn’t appear to care that the men involved in her love square are being hurt emotionally by her behaviour because she isn’t honest with them all about her dating more than one man at a time. That doesn’t jibe so well. That’s disrespectful, to say the least. Perhaps that’s the point the author was trying to make in this novel, that its fine to date around, but be upfront and honest with all the people you are ‘trying on for size.’

Another issue that one feels the need to take issue with is the apparent dumping in of a non-binary person as a character and the preaching of how they liked to be addressed and how their choices should be respected by others. Fair point, but not needed in a novel when the character in question doesn’t play a central role in the story and feels as if they are simply there to make a political statement. The characters sexual identification had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the actual plotline and it felt that the author was simply using the novel as a soapbox from which to preach her values to all and sundry. In Western culture, the requests of non-binary people are known, understood (if not always respected) but the blatant positioning within this novel was uncalled for and unnecessary. It felt high handed at best, or just plain tacky.

The explanation of what a survivor of cancer feels emotionally and physically a few years after the initial diagnosis and treatment was really interesting reading and possibly educational as the long term effects of chemotherapy are not well known or discussed but have a very real impact on many peoples lives. It is worthy of note that at the end of the book the author thanks a real-life survivor of breast cancer and the reader can discover that she took the time to research and write about the topic with grace, knowledge and respect.

This book feels like a modern-day slice of life. The characters are fleshed out and two couples represented in the family of Penny are gay and portrayed in a sympathetic and credible manner. Penny’s desire to find a partner and move forward with her life is one felt by almost every person, so the longing, the questioning of when the right person was going to turn up is relatable. There are issues, undoubtedly, but overall, this is an enjoyable read that reflects the modern woman

So I don’t really know what to say about this book as I didn’t really love it but then I didn’t hate it either, it was just a bit middling!

It tells the story of Penny Bridge, a strong independent woman who has been through her fair share of ups and downs in her life and has yet to find the ‘perfect’ man to live her life with. Suddenly it’s like waiting for a bus and she has three men all vying for her attention! Which one does she choose???

The premise sounds good and I was interested to see how it planned out but unfortunately I did struggle to get through this as it just didn’t seem to flow and I wasn’t captivated, wanting to read more at the end of each chapter. This wasn’t anything to do with the writing style, I just think the story itself lacked a bit of substance and was fairly predictable but the dragged out to get to the final conclusion. I am glad I persevered but I am glad I am sorry to say I am glad to have got to the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book.

I must admit I'm a bit conflicted about this book. I really enjoyed the first bit of the story, but then it went into a completely different direction where the stuff that happened kind of felt unrealistic? I still liked it but yeah it didn't feel as real and I don't know.. it kind of led me to be more detached from the story. So yeah, I thought it was okay but I preferred Our Stop!

Nonetheless, I think a lot of people might enjoy this :) If you want a quick read for summer (for example), this would be a good option!

Absolutely loved this!!! I'd expect nothing less from Laura, to be honest. It was diverse, without feeling like it was forced and just for the sake of inclusion. It was heartwarming and touching and DIFFERENT, which is really quite rare for contemporary romance these days. I'm a sucker for the love triangle trope, never mind a love square. I'll be buying a physical copy of this when it comes out.