I just ADORE Laura's books. Our Stop was a favourite last year and this one *might* have stolen my heart even more. This story had personal growth, vulnerability and love by the bucketload. Penny was such a likeable protagonist and I rooted for her the whole way through. This book's insights into topics such as breast cancer and surrogacy were beautifully written and brought me to tears, and her relationship with Clementine was the star of the show for me (close sister relationships? Gimme). At the surface this might seem like a romantic love story, and although it does explore that, it's depth when discussing familial and platonic love stories boosted it even higher.

Yep, another great one from this author. Loved the characters, thought provoking and made me lol. Grab your sunscreen, head outside and enjoy!

Unfortunately I had to SEND this one. I didn't care about the characters of the storyline. The premise sounded promising but it just didn't work for me.

An enjoyable read, but one that turned out different to what I expected it to be. What I thought was going to be a fun, romantic comedy, actually turned out to be quite emotional and a deep read. Having said this I still really did enjoy it, and really liked the LGBTQ+ rep in there.

If you love London, love stories, and journeys of self discovery, this is a solid read. Penny is really relatable heroine and her journey of self discovery and realization of what she wants is a really organic process. The ending is a little choppy but it's a good summer read nonetheless.

5 stars

The love triangle is a trope that has been played out in all sorts of novels, but what about a love square? In Laura Jane Williams' new book, this idea lays the foundation for a sharp, fun, and ultimately emotional tale about how we live and love in the modern age.

As much as I love a Hallmark kind of love story, I have been in the market for more complex and diverse romantic literature lately and this book fit the bill in every way. The protagonist Penny is rendered wonderfully with all of the messy contradictions and baggage that make a character really believable. The more sensitive issues of her dealing with surviving cancer and the resulting infertility are handled very well and provide a voice to issues that are not typically present in romance novels.

All of the ancillary characters are just as fun, with major props for the tremendous amount of LGBTIA+ characters throughout. The British setting made it all the more enjoyable and I wish that I could eat some of the wonderful food that they described!

However, what stood out to me the most is the fact that Williams did not make anything easy for her characters. They had to work through incredibly tough life choices and get hurt and be unhappy in order to grow as people. Although the ending is a happy one, it is colored with the idea that we are all bruised by life and keep on loving anyway. That's a message that I really needed right now.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Penny Bridges is enjoying life in London, but it is not without complications. The café owner and chef is a cancer survivor, which left her with fertility issues and difficult decisions to make when it comes to having children.

While she would love a partner to build her life with, a series of disastrous dates shifts her focus away from looking for love. Enter Francesco, the handsome Italian chef.

When her uncle becomes ill, Penny finds herself heading back to Derbyshire to run the family pub while he recovers. The timing isn’t great, but given everything he has done for Penny and her sister, Clementine, she is not in a position to refuse.

But what does the move mean for her relationship with Francesco?

As she settles into life in the country, Penny finds herself drawn to Thomas—a man who doesn’t do monogamy. She enjoys their time together, which is all that matters. Right?

Then there is Priyesh.

Each relationship is completely different, but Penny soon finds herself having to choose between the three men.

Laura Jane Williams writes complex characters with ease. While I had some issues with the LGBTQ+ representation in Williams’ debut Our Stop, the LGBTQ+ characters in The Love Square are fully realised.

The Love Square is a thoroughly enjoyable rom com full of humour, compassion, friendships, familial relationships, explorations of what it means to live an intentional life, and, yes, romance.

A feel good, escapist story which engrosses the reader from start to finish.

A will she, wont she with a happy ending, what more do you need for a great lockdown read.

I would recommend this for summer reading for 2020.

Enjoyable and lighthearted read! It took me a bit to get into the book, but once I did, the pages flew by. I enjoyed reading about Penny's trials, tribulations, and ultimately, growth. Great book to enjoy at the pool or beach with a cocktail in hand.

When I saw that Laura Jane Williams had a new book for request on NetGalley I knew I had to get my hands on it. I became such a fan of her work after reading OUR STOP and the love continues with her upcoming novel, THE LOVE SQUARE! I liked Penny from the start so I immediately became invested in her story. I was a bit suspicious of Francesco at first but then quickly got swept up in their time together. I definitely don’t want to spoil it for anyone but I’ll share this: I laughed (at Penny), I cried (at moving), I laughed again (at the older gent lol), then I cried again (AT THE ENDING AHHHHH). Oh man, highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out in July!

Oh I just loved this book! A flawed heroine with a brilliant story and the coolest supporting characters (I definitely have a new lit crush!) make one of my favourite reads. It has heart, food and laughs, what more could we want?!

This story follows Penny, the owner and head chef of Bridges Cafe. She is single, and feel there is something wrong with her.

This all changes when she meets Francesco. But just as their relationship gets going she has to leave London to take over the running of her uncle's pub.

Whilst there she meets another two men, who she gets involved with, but she;s never forgotten Francesco.

I found Penny a little annoying, and at times the storyline was far-fetched..I felt this wasn't as strong as 'Our Stop.' but it was an OK light read.

Unfortunately this novel was not for me. I found the writing much too juvenile for characters that were fully grown (Penny owned a cafe!!) and it completely took me out of the story. The plot wasn't intriguing or interesting enough to make me ignore the writing style.

This book started out very entertaining, but somewhere along the way it started to drag. I couldn't quite bring myself to continue rooting for the main character and ended up getting bored. I did finish the novel and enjoyed the ending, but overall I think this book was a lovely premise but fell a bit short in execution.

Love. Friendship. Giving. Receiving. Being open and accepting. These are all things we have to learn, and we learn with Penny.
Life doesn’t always go as planned, in fact the saying ‘if you want to make God laugh, make a plan’ comes to mind.
Penny goes from her own life, to a situation she doesn’t want o be in, but accepts with grace. The men that come into her life - the exciting adventurer who is selfish in bed, the cultured connoisseur who is anything but, and the one that knows that friendship is at the heart of any true love - these men all give Penny something that she needs. It is not until she has a chance to truly explore that she is able to see what it is that she needs - both for herself, and from a partner.

Williams artfully weaves this light and fun tale of life, love, and self discovery into a page turning delight.
Fantastic beach/summer read, or really for anyone who wants to smile into a story.

I don't know if I'd say this is a good book, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably read again. What I loved most about this book is that it's a great escape read, and I could sure use an escape during these crazy times. The story centers around Penny, a single chef living in London. As she searches for love in our modern-day dating culture, she finds herself involved with (spoiler) three different men. It's not that there's much mystery around which lover she will choose - it's pretty clear from page 1 who the true match is- but it's fun watching how the other men come into and out of her life. If I could change one thing about this book, it would be the pacing: the first half is slow but not too slow, and Williams really develops the relationship between Penny and Guy #1. The second half speeds way up with no transition, and Guy #2 and #3 feel very two-dimensional as a result. On another note, I LOVE that the story includes different sexual orientations, types of relationships, and gender identities, in a way that feels natural. This is a fast, light read, and I would recommend it for lying poolside- whether that be a pool at your hotel or, like me, a kiddie pool in your backyard that the dog won't stop drinking out of.

The book was totally different to what I expected. Not a chick-lit at all really. Some very hard to face issues were addressed, namely the emotional long term effects on a young person in the aftermath of breast cancer and the loss of parents and her guilt and the actions taken by someone who is struggling with self worth. It was quite a rollercoaster ride, certainly not a light funny read that I expected from the preview. Indeed it was quite hard to read in places and not a book I would have really selected if I knew the full detail of the contents. I did enjoy the novel but it was quite an emotional one for me. The ending was really good.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy.

A romantic comedy that for me fell short.
The meet cute between Penny and Francesco was fun and their story had potential. Overall I could not get into this book. I didn't enjoy the writing of this store, both the dialogue and character development fell flat for me. Truly, I didn't think Penny was a very likable character. I did find the conclusion satisfying and I enjoyed the idea that friends become family.

This is an entertaining read, but the main character of Penny drove me crazy. She refused to see what was in front of her face, didn't fight for what she wanted, and then couldn't decide between three men even though it was obvious that two were totally wrong for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for letting me read The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams in advance! I'd read her first novel, Our Stop, and although I found it highly addictive, I also thought it was really cheesy and the writing wasn't always great. Happy to report I enjoyed The Love Square more!

The Love Square focuses on Penny Bridge (her name really annoyed me lol, sounds way too whimsical), who is a cancer survivor and Stoke Newington café owner, and is looking for love at the same time as she's desperate for motherhood. I thought this book was more polished and subtler than her debut, although there were still a few things that irritated me. A couple were just personal preferences that I can't really get blame Laura Jane Williams for - such as the fact that the language is sometimes a bit self-helpy - but there were a few big dramatic moments that didn't quite ring true for me, and sometimes the characters can be a little wooden and stereotypical. Also real celebrities made an appearance in the book and I don't know why but it made me a bit uncomfortable?!

But on the whole, I really liked The Love Square. Half of the book takes part in a Derbyshire village but I really appreciate how the village isn't rendered as cutesy or idyllic (like in The Switch), it's just a place where people happen to live. I don't know Stoke Newington too well but I used to live right next to Clissold Park so I love the references to that area! The central romance is also really nice and convincing, and Penny is an engaging character who feels authentic and modern, whilst still feeling fresh. I was also surprised by how much I enjoyed the restaurant setting, it's a lot of fun and made me so miss having gorgeous meals in places that aren't my flat ♥️ I think I'll continue to read Laura Jane Williams's books but I can't see her becoming a new fave. 3.5 stars 🌟