This was an entertaning read - it's a great romance book which despite the 'love square' aspect also dealt with a few more serious topics. They were handlesd throughout the plot though and I felt they didn't impact the storyline in a negative fashion and I really enjoyed this read.

Please note that this book is not for me - I have read the book, However I had to DNF and because i do not like to give negative reviews I will not review this book fully - there is no specific reason for not liking this book. I found it a struggle to read and did not enjoy trying to force myself to read this book.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for the opportunity to read this book

I had hoped I would like this one better since I absolutely loved Our Stop. I didn't connect with the main character, though. I hated how she continued to put herself down and accept bad behaviour from her love interests. I understand no person is perfect, but I cringed when I read the argument between her and Fransisco and how the resolution unfolded. I wish more emphasis was placed on him owing her an apology rather than her needing to acknowledge her 'secret fears'. I really wish they didn't throw in her wanting to be a mom at the very end and instead worked it through her relationships with each of the men. It kind of felt like the only way she was allowed to focus on herself was by becoming a mother - almost as if that was the only thing that could be valuable or worth choosing. Blegh. I hate writing negative reviews. If the author reads this - please don't feel down, I LOVED your other book. This one just didn't relate

This book was quite enjoyable but the structure and pacing felt a bit off. We first see Penny break up with Francesco because she needs to temporarily move out of London and run a family restaurant but then we spend a lot of time basically in flashbacks to how they met and got together. They only date for around a month, then Penny leaves, and suddenly we jump 6 months ahead (plus the miscommunication trope is used here, which I really don't like).

There were some other jumps that were a bit confusing and didn't feel very natural. The writing was mostly ok but at times, it took me a bit out of the story when it wasn't clear who is speaking or we randomly jump into someone else's point of view within the same paragraph.

Francesco was great until he wasn't. By the end, I was kind of hoping she wouldn't choose any of the guys, which isn't ideal for a romance book. Thomas and Priyesh were fun to read about (although the stuff with Lizzo was quite weird). It kind of dabbled into the topic of open relationship/polyamory but I don't think it handled it very well.

I enjoyed reading about Penny's daily routine first in London and then in Derbyshire. The story seemingly revolved around the different men she got involved with but in the end, she put herself first, got some help from a therapist, and did what she had wanted to do for a long time.

I would have liked even more details about the restaurant and the food because I find the behind-the-scenes of such establishments really interesting. I appreciated that the topic of physical and mental health was also included – Penny had cancer in the past and was still dealing with some issues from time to time in the current timeline. It was also nice to see a non-binary side character who uses they/them pronouns (although the side characters apart from the love interests weren't very developed).

So overall, I had a decent time reading the majority of this book but the last part left me feeling quite annoyed.

Our main character was hard to like, she went on and on about being independent but then right after that complains about being single/no one wanting to stay with her long, i'm confused, you say your independent but can't stand being single, make it make sense. Book felt a bit too long, maybe cut out a 100pgs to make it more steam lined. i'm not a fan of love triangles but much squares but the pretty cover brought me in. Wasn't very interested in the boys presented either. overall an okay book.

I love books where people move to new locations and have to essentially start their lives over. Throwing romance into the mix is even better!

Laura Jane Williams does not disappoint when it comes to rom-coms - her characters are heartwarming and real, her exploration of relationships is spot-on and so fun to read. I’ll be here for whatever she writes next!

Around half way through this book I was convinced it would be a five star read and I was confused as to why so many of my friends had rated it lower. Then the ending happened and completely ruined this book for me unfortunately. I absolutely loved this book until then, it was so fun and joyful. Penny was a great main character who made heaps of mistakes but got on with life anyway.
And then she chose the guy for her from the three she'd been seeing and I hated him. He'd proved how nasty he was so I couldn't understand why Penny chose him and why she felt the need to apologise. I honestly thought she was going to stay single and I would actually have preferred this although it's a romcom. The chosen boyfriend came across as incredibly patronising and falsely supportive, I just could not like him.
SPOILERS The IVF treatment and surrogate process was also completely ridiculous in how simplified and easy it was, this kind of portrayal sets unrealistic expectations for people actually attempting IVF.
This won't put me off reading more Laura Jane Williams books as I adored her debut but it has left me disappointed.

Penny really didn't expect to find love when she moved from London to Derbyshire to take care of her uncle's restaurant but she does. In fact, she suddenly finds herself involved with three men! Despite the somewhat implausible events here, I found myself liking this for Penny, who has had cancer and is still dealing with challenges from her treatment, as well as for the diversity of the characters, It's funny and it's cheerful. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC,

I love Laura's books, and this one was no exception! She's just so good at capturing characters and making them feel like real people. I really rooted for Penny from very early on, and I greatly enjoyed reading of her many adventures and exploits. Perfect garden/beach reading material.

This book made me angry. It started off so strong and I was enjoying it. Then it just turned into one hot mess after another, it ran on too long and dragged every situation out way too much. I started off rooting so hard for Penny and all of her love interests, but ended up pretty much loathing every single character by the end. Based on the first half of this book, I really had high hopes that this book was going to be a 5 star for me. Also, I found it really weird that the author chose to write Lizzo (like, actual real life Lizzo) into the story.

‘The Love Square’ was just as great as ‘Our Stop’ - both fast reads with vibrancy and warmth exuded from the pages.
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The story is that of Penny and who owns a cafe in London. When she learns of her Uncle becoming ill, she feels indebted to him for bringing her up and she goes to take charge of his gastro pub. It’s with this that her love life is thrust into the spotlight and we are dragged into the who will she pick (if anyone) kind of story?

A fun read well worth your time.

Very much enjoyed this sweet, fun book. It started strong and while I did feel it lost steam a bit, it was nothing that made me want to put it down for long. I will say that the shifting POV really didn't do it for me, but since I enjoyed the story I was able to move past it.

I thought the infertility representation was really interesting, and is certainly something sure to resonate with many readers. It felt sensitively and kindly handled, and I loved that Penny felt like a real, flawed person, but not the kind of flawed where I was constantly rolling my eyes at her or her behaviour.

I suspect I'll return to this book again, and I think anyone who enjoys having a main character to truly root for will enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book.

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams is a great modern romance, with Penny, who owns and runs a cafe in London, who has to suddenly drop her life in London, and the beginnings of a romance, and move to Derbyshire, to take over her uncle's pub.

This is an enjoyable story, with Penny putting self care high on her list of priorities, and explaining it to others.  

 The Love Square  was published on 29th June 2020, and is available to buy from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

I've reviewed Laura Jane William's first fiction book, which you can find here:  Our Stop .

You can follow Laura Jane Williams on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and her  website .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Avon Books .

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams

Penny owns a cafe in London and is trying to find a man to have a loving relationship with but is unsuccessful no matter how hard she tries. She has to move to Derbyshire to take over her uncle’s pub/restaurant after he has a heart attack. Once there she seems to be inundated with admirers.

A very enjoyable book by Laura Jane Williams although it did take me a bit of time to get into the book.

However It is a lovely story and the wealth of characters ,humour and some very touching moments.

DNF at 10%.

I just could not get into the story or connect with the characters. Despite the dialogue, (that felt a little fake) the background information about the characters (there was a lot.) the writing style just fell flat for me and I wasn’t interested in continuing to see what would become of the characters. Also I think the prologue took away from it too.

It was a good easy to read book, quite predictable but still a pleasant read with a good mix of characters.

This was so much fun! It’s one of those books that just hooks you in and you never want it to end!

Really really enjoyed and the characters... there was just so much to them! I bought a copy because I enjoyed it that much!

I was excited to read this because I loved the author’s previous novel ‘Our Stop’ and just like ‘Our Stop’, this is an easy fast read with warmth that jumps off the page. This is the story of Penny who is a single cafe owner in Stoke Newington in London. When the uncle who raised her falls sick, she is required to leave London to go and manage his gastro pub. This has consequences for her love life and leads to the love square mentioned in the title. This is a really enjoyable read - Penny is really likeable and all the main characters act as this amazing support network for her which is really heartwarming. Nothing majorly surprising happens in the plot but it is very enjoyable nonetheless. If you haven’t read ‘Our Stop’ I would strongly recommend doing so!

On the books you definitely need to read! This was fun, serious and just had the perfect balance. Must be added to your tbr if it isn’t already!!