A light read with some serious themes in the background. - cancer survivor that wants to be a mother but needing a surrogate whilst trying to please those around her.

This story had all the right ingredients but it just didn't come together for me. It was only towards the end that I actually began to like the main character. As for the male characters I wasn't invested in any of them except maybe the uncle and his partner.

The lesson is one many in their 30s need to hear - stop doing for others and figure out what it is you actually want.

In terms of the audio book, the narrator was very easy to listen to.


#thelovesquare #netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley for gifting this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read The Love Square because I was looking forward to reading something fun and funny, and whilst it was both of these (in abundance!), Williams hits the reader hard with a number of serious themes, including life after breast cancer, fertility, and the question of women starting a family without the pre-requisite of a relationship. It also has almost as many heartbreaking moments as it does belly laughs: This is not mindless chic lit (which of course there is nothing wrong with, but this isn’t it).
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HOWEVER, I did for the most part find poor Penny’s predicament to be pant-wettingly funny and it was exciting finding out what (or who 🤣 ) was waiting round the corner at each new stage of her path! Warm, tender, and such a fun, feel good read; I really enjoyed this book and was sad to leave Penny and her friends behind.
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The Love Square had me snorting and wheezing with laughter like a chain smoking Walrus - it just brilliant and I loved it.
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AudioBook Review
Stars: Overall 4 Narration 5 Story 4

I’ll share a tidbit here – I was fortunate enough to be provided BOTH the eArc and the AudioBook copy of this title –so I spent a few hours and went through BOTH copies – first I listened, then I read. And I found so much enjoyment and moments to think and laugh in BOTH versions that I can’t pick a ‘favorite option’. If you choose to pick up this little gem – in either format - you won’t be disappointed. And, if you are a fan of love choices (or triangles) - this is that with a plus one.....

Surprisingly emotionally deeper than the synopsis would suggest – Penny has had a rough time in life and love: losing her parents, battling cancer, finding one inappropriate man after another – she's in need of something different – and believes that a ‘new relationship’ will be the best option. Not one, or two –but three men pop up on the horizon, and Penny needs to weigh the pros and cons of each and make a choice. Indecision is the least of the problems she has: each man ticks several (but not all) of the boxes, and her ‘testing’ the waters is cute – and probably provides a bit of necessary esteem boosters. But she’s got to decide – and with the help of some wonderful friends to work out both her confusion and grief – she makes a choice, eventually, and starts to work toward her own happily ever after.

The story is cute and the lightness balances some of the very real issues that Penny faces or has faced – with particular sense from her friend Sharon and her solid support and honest words. Narration for this story is provided by Carrie Hope Fisher and she does a marvelous job balancing the bits of ‘foreshadowed’ moments with the present and gives listeners a true sense of the deeper emotions and issues within. Easy to listen to, with voices that are distinct and clear for Penny and the ‘Boys”, Fisher takes the read to another level, bringing that immediate “reach out and touch’ emotional access that arrives with the read, but is better translated in audio. The second I’ve read from this author and purely enjoyable – and a great summer escape read.

I received an eArc and an AudioBook copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aM9 /” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I read Laura Jane Williams’ previous romantic comedy novel Our Stop just last month while on holiday and enjoyed it so was excited to see this available for request.

We meet Penny, owner of London cafe Bridges who has recently experienced a string of failed romances; the latest who she caught swiping through a dating app while she popped to the loo. Deciding that’s the last straw she decides to give up on dating and men for a while; unsurprisingly as soon as she stops searching for romance it decides to find her. Through the course of the book Penny finds herself with three potential romances, each with their own pros and downsides and she’s forces to seriously consider what she really wants from life.

What I really enjoyed about this book is the host of great side characters, behind Penny and her three potential suitors there is a brilliant group of friends, family and colleagues which really helped to bring the Penny’s life and the places she works/lives to life.

One thing to note is that while the cover and blurb give off a light, easy-read vibe there are some more serious themes within the book including losing parents, battling cancer and being unable to have children so worth being aware going in that those bits may make for difficult reading for some.

The audiobook is narrated by Carrier Hope Fletcher, I’ve followed Carrie online for several years and did a fantastic job reading this. It really added to my enjoyment to have an easy to listen to and familiar voice in my ear.

A sweet story about letting go of the past.
This was a relatively light-hearted book although it does touch on some sensitive subjects, including cancer, loss, fertility and guilt. These were handled gently and at least for someone who doesn't find those subjects triggering I wouldn't say it's a tear-jerker.
The narration was well done with distinct voices for the different characters and the characters did feel like they had chemistry although some seemed more like caricatures perhaps.
The inclusion of some queer characters is nice to see although it did feel a little tokenistic to me at times.
Overall very readable and generally fun, not an earth-shattering read and not particularly twisty but decently entertaining.

The narration was absolutely faultless but unfortunately I will not be finishing the book as I am not enjoying the story (just not to my personal taste) and found the sexual aspects uncomfortable to listen to. Thank you so much for the ALC. I’m sorry not to finish it. DNF.

This is an entertaining, fast-paced, light and easy read even though the book deals with some darker topics (loss of a parent, cancer, infertility).

The book follows the story of Penny, a woman in her 30s managing her own little café in London, who has to move away for a year for family reasons. She is usually unlucky in love but manages to find herself in the middle of a love square.

I liked all the characters but I must say the love interests were my least favourite of all! I love the special relationship between Penny and her sister as well as with her uncle. I'm glad there was LGBT representation but I'd have loved to see more of them and have their characters a bit more developed.

I enjoyed reading this book but it didn't really seem to be a "love square" to me, rather one lover after the other and the square was only at the end of the book. It was pretty obvious who Penny would end up with according to the description of the three love interests and I thought her struggles to choose weren't very believable. The ending was okay although it was wrapped up a bit quickly and I thought Penny was quick to forgive some things that had been said.

All in all, I recommend this book as a light summer read.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams is the story of Penelope Hermione Bridge aka Penny. She is a chef in her early 30s and is single. She survived breast cancer in her 20s which has made her incapable to carry a child because of early menopause. She doesn’t have much luck when it comes to dating until pastry chef Francesco, comes in her life she starts dating him. Things went well for the next 3 weeks.

Francesco and Penny were torn apart by circumstances. An unfortunate event in her life made her move to Derbyshire from London to look after her uncle’s restaurant. At Derbyshire, she meets not one, but two men who also want to date her. Thomas is from the music industry, while Priyesh is a wine merchant.

Now penny is stuck not in a love triangle but in a love square.

I did flip back and forth between the audio and the book so I can safely recommend both versions, basically you cannot go wrong here! Carrie Hope Fletcher has done justice to the narration.

I liked the book there's less comedy, but more emotion. I adore the bond Penny shares with her sister. I like the character of Penny, seeing so much in life still, she is optimistic and hopeful for life. It is a sweet and heart-warming read that packs an emotional punch.

Read this because I really enjoyed her other book 'Our Stop', but unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I liked the first half, but it lost me in the second have. It just didn't click with me. Also felt like the nonbinary rep was forced and it rubbed me the wrong way.

I listened to this on audio and the narrator did a really good job.

I really enjoyed this book, and Carrie Hope Fletcher was a fantastic narrator who really did the story justice. Her performance was so soothing to listen to, the perfect accompaniment to unwind to before bed.

The Love square is a really fun read. The main character is Penny, a chef with a prestigious café in London, lucky in food but very unlucky in love. Just as she feels all hope is lost and that she must somehow be repulsive to men, Francesco turns up and turns everything on its head. Although it takes quite a while for the “Love Square” to become evident, there is plenty of romance as well as surprises. It’s not just about romance either, Penny is a cancer survivor whose great longing for children led her to harvest and fertilise her eggs before undergoing treatment.

Ultimately it’s a book about finding your way, and deciding what’s important to you. If you can’t have it all, what will you sacrifice?

Brilliantly narrated by Carrie Hope Fletcher, definitely recommend listening to this!

I listened to the audio book of The Love Square read by Carrie Hope Fletcher, who had a nice rhythm to her voice.
Penny has three suitors to choose from...I know who I'd choose!!
We follow her as she dips her toe back into the dating game after a life changing experience.
She has a lot of fun finding out who she wants to be with and how she gets there!

This was a fun easy listen with a gaggle of likeable characters.
This story took me a while to get interested in but then I found it quite enjoyable.

The Love Square - listened to on audio:

I enjoyed this tale of Penny’s extensive and complicated love life! While she tries to work out what she wants from life there are a few hiccups on the way. I was listening wondering just who it was she was going to end up with.

The narration was excellent.

There are a few rude bits and choice language so don’t listen to it out loud in the garden or around children as I discovered!

Overall an enjoyable, light listen.

Sorry, I found this so boring I couldn’t listen past 18%. I’m not going to share this review anywhere, but just wanted to let you know. Thanks

This audiobook was honest and realistic in terms of real life relationships. I loved the characters Penny and her sister Clementine. I also liked that she had more than one love interest. How the men in her life perceived this different and it annoyed me that one of the characters (male) had a go at her. She didn’t owe him anything. I think the author portrayed this well. Why is it ok that men can be non-monogamous but women can’t? I only wish I had managed to read this in paperback because I think I would have drawn my own conclusions about the characters rather than via the narrator. E.g. their accents and social class.

Penny is single and has frozen her eggs for a later date. She is thinking the time might be now when she meets Francesco. Things are going well, but Penny gets a call and must go to her uncle who has had a heart attack.
Penny learns she will need to run her uncle's pub while he recovers. She wants to ask Francesco to go with her but is afraid. Working at the pub Penny meets two more men that she dates. Now she is in a love square. Which man will she choose in the end?? A light romance with some fun times too.

Thanks you to netgalley and HarperCollins Audio UK for the arc

I'm not usually one for love triangles, let alone a love square so I didn't have my hopes up too high. It's a lighter read when you're not in the mood for anything dark but it also touches on some important topics such as death, losing parents, cancer, infertility etc. Penny wasn't very likable unfortunately. I did admire how strong she was given that she's a business owner and had went through some hardships. What ruined it for me was that she kept talking about how independent she was yet she complained about being single and how one would love her or be with her for far too long and it got on my nerves.. Then she just got a little bit more annoying as the love interests were introduced. This has some potential and definitely would have been better if Penny was different. I also do think this dragged on a bit too long, it should've been shorter rather than 400 pages or in this case, the audiobook. The narrator did a good job though and was easy to listen to.

Thanks very much to the publisher and to netgalley for the arc!

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The Love Square is about a 30 something woman in London, who has three men to pick from.

This wasn't it for me. There was no chemistry between Penny and two of the men, and I guess I knew who she would pick from the beginning.

The book had good diverse rep in the side/background characters.

Penny Bridge is no longer focusing on her love life, she has a cafe she loves and a family she would do anything for... Then she meets Francesco, and all that flies out of the window.

However life throws a curveball and she has to relocate to Darbyshire to run her uncle’s restaurant, leaving Francesco behind. Here she meets two other men, each very different, and with Francesco in the mix suddenly Penny finds herself in the middle of a massive dilemma.

I love that Penny had flaws, and wasn’t a perfect character. She was well rounded, she had her selfish bitchy moments, but don’t we all? I also love the inclusion of LGBTQI characters, which I felt were not just plopped into the book as a statement, they just were who they were.

The narration by Carrie Hope Fletcher was excellent.

**listened to the audio book**

This was a highly anticipated book for me, as I read William's previous novel 'OUR STOP' and it was one of my favourite reads of last year.

I really enjoyed this book (not quite as much as I enjoyed Our Stop) as it felt incredibly epic! It spanned a decent amount of time, and I felt that I really got to know the books central character of Penny. I loved Penny! I could relate to her so much - despite not going through half the stuff she has. I could easily spend more time with Penny over more books - I really hope Laura Jane Williams does write more about Penny!

This book felt incredibly real, and despite being fiction I felt like it could easily have been an autobiography. I loved the fact that Penny had different relationships within the book, and I loved how she changed (just ever so slightly) with each different guy she was dating. It made me think about my own love life in that sense. I love what Penny got from each of the men, and how that helped her in coming out of herself and becoming a more confident person.

For me, it was completely obvious who Penny's true 'soulmate' would end up being - and although this was incredibly romantic, I would have liked it if the other blokes she dated would also be in the running ever so slightly. Just so it was more of a 'mystery' of who she would pick in the end. But maybe that's just me, as I'm a fan of a good mystery/thriller as well as a romance haha

The audiobook is read by Carrie Hope Fletcher, and she does a great job. I think that it's not just down to William's writing, but Fletcher's narration why I enjoyed the book so much. (and completely fell in love with Penny.)

I found this book incredibly funny too - a lot of 'chic-lit' or 'women's fiction' tends to try and add humour, but it never really comes off too well for me. The Love Square however, was hilarious! Again, that could be down to the delivery of Carrie Hope Fletcher's narration.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and am so so pleased I listened to it as an audiobook as the narration really added to the 'realness'.
I cannot wait to see what Laura Jane William's does next!