This book reminded me of why I love to read! Some books are valuable because they open our eyes to experiences beyond our own, and others are valuable because they help us to see our own lives more clearly. The latter was true of this book- The Lucky Escape.

I enjoyed reading this fun romance about a woman who has spent her entire adult life making herself small to fit someone else's expectations. After her 10 year relationship ends with abandonment at the altar, Annie commences on a luxurious "honeymoon" with a kind and genuine friend, and her path to discovering how to be in partnership with someone without sacrificing her own self is the real treat of this book. So glad I got to read it!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, which I am always happy to give. My thanks to #NetGalley, author Laura Jane Williams, and Harper Collins Publishing. #TheLuckyEscape

I needed a light fluffy read and this is exactly what this book was, so you'd think I 'd have loved this. It's a bit more complicated

We meet our main character on her wedding day and she gets stood up for that.
After a lot of moping she still goes on the honeymoon to Australia and brings a male friend she just reconnected with.

The rest you can probably guess, it was all very predictable. It also included the "beautiful woman who doesn't know how beautiful she is" trope.

Things I liked:
The relationship with her sister
The male love interest was a really good guy
The journey and learning how to stand up for yourself
The friend group was amazing

Things I disliked:
The main character in the first quarter of the book. Not my kind of person
The resolution of the conflict with her mother. Way too easy and convenient
The lengths where the mc just was really insecure and deliberating and just nothing was happening

Overall I did enjoy the read and I would definitely check out future books by this author and I would recommend this for a summer read.

Delicious escapism! Reading about sunny Australia was the tonic I needed on a dull and rainy day and how heartwarming is this love story. Great characters here, that we feel we know, the overbearing mother, the best friend who seems so much more adult than us. Above all, the beautifully written Patrick, who I'm sure every reader will be a little bit in love with. I really enjoyed this book, there's not an off note in it.

The Lucky Escape ☀️🏖

Ad - pr product - @netgalley @avonbooksuk

Another light hearted, feel good read from Laura James Williams.

When Annie gets jilted at the altar it feels like her world as she knew it is over. But after a spontaneous decision to take an old friend with her on her honeymoon, she starts to come back to herself and remember what it feels like to be happy again.

This is a real escape of a book for the reader as well, and definitely made me miss travelling even more than I already do!

I also liked how it dealt with some deeper themes such as Annie’s troubling relationship with her mother and the self-doubt that she has held inside for so long.

Overall a sweet read that I’d recommend if you want some escapism.

3.5⭐️

A painful humiliation becomes the driving force for a new life for Annie Wiig. After being ditched by her fiancé on the day of their wedding, Annie heads to Australia on their honeymoon taking old friend Patrick who she has recently reunited with.

I found it difficult to get into the book to begin with. It is a very slow burn and I found the characters quite irritating, with the exception of Freddie. I loved her relationship with Annie although she definitely reads as younger than 13 for most of the book. I also liked the relationship Annie had with her friends as their relationships were empowering and honest. Their lives were very different and all had their own issues but they supported each other regardless.

I liked Patrick as the love interest although I was somewhat skeptical to begin with. When his story was revealed, it did explain both his passion for life and the way he almost held back with Annie.

After the story picked up, there were some fantastic laugh out loud moments; the miss sent text, "willy-gate" and I warmed to the characters more. I really liked the positive way that Annie spoke about her body both before the holiday, when talking about exercising for strength and power rather than weight loss, and whilst on holiday, when talking about looking healthier for having gained some weight. I feel that this is something that we should see more of in books.

This is a cute book but ultimately it just didn't work for me. It felt a little too predictable and I just wanted more from the characters.

If you're after escapism and light romance then you will enjoy this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was brilliant! I really enjoyed the relationship between Annie and Patrick and their travels to Australia. I will definitely recommend to friends.

The Lucky Escape is a great holiday romance read (if your lucky enough to get on holiday these days!)

I really enjoyed this book. Annie was left at the alter by Alexander, who quite frankly did her a favour!

Annie then goes on honeymoon after a drunken deal with an old friend Patrick. He helps remind her of who she truly is and in turn helps her recover from heartbreak. With a little bit of romance on the side!

I have to start by saying I really liked this book! The slow pace of it isn't something I usually like, but in this book it was beautifully done.

The book kinda consists of 3 parts.
- The wedding
- The "honeymoon"
- Back home

I definitely liked the two first parts the best, the ending was kinda meh. That's why it got 4 and not 5 stars from me.

I love the way the characters grow through the story, especially the main character Annie.
(I have to mention loving that she is half norwegian since I'm Norwegian... 😊)

Annie's sister Freddie reminds me a lot of my daughter who is 14, the wise young teenager who seems to know everything.. Hehe..

I fell totally in love with this book right from the start and will definitely recommend it to all who like sweet romances and light beach reads.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

To quote the author, Laura Jane Williams, says "I hope you found it joyful and escapist". This was definitely mission accomplished. While it tackles serious women's issues it also made me laugh out loud. I really recommend it to take you away from the reality we are all experiencing.
I want to read more by this author.

You know from the title of the book and the book blurb what is going to happen. Annie is going to be left at the altar by her selfish fiance. After being totally devastated, she’s going to go on a very ritzy honeymoon to Australia, paid for by her in-laws-not-to-be. And she invites Patrick to come along. He’s a carpe diem sort of guy whom she knew when she was a teenager and hadn’t seen since then. But they meet up after she’s dumped and become friends. Since her escape is going to be lucky, this is going to be the trip that changes the whole trajectory of her life.

They embark on this wonderful trip that will make you wish you could jump in a plane and fly for almost 24 hours to spend time in Australia. Patrick is the nicest guy. He has his own sad history, but of course, he and Annie start to fall for each other.

The real question is whether or not their romance can survive the real world when they return. I enjoyed reading to find out how they would find their way to their own HEA.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

The perfect escape novel. Wonderful characters and a great story line. What more could you ask for. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

MAKTUB; it is written.

This was such a cute read of self-discovery and being true to what you preach. I thoroughly enjoyed the growth of Annie throughout the book. When she was left at the alter by Alexander, it broke my heart that she was simply getting married because it was what felt right. She believed dating someone for so long meant that marriage was the next step. I saw myself in Annie time and time again and had to remind myself that we all follow our own paths. Annie does a wonderful job of growing up and staying true to herself throughout. When her ex-in-laws told her to still go on the honeymoon to Australia, the story begins.

She meets her old high school drama friend, Patrick at the gym that she goes to and it's like a new Annie emerges. With Patrick there, she jumps back into her old habits and you can see that she was putting on a front the entire time she was with Alexander. Patrick and Annie go on a "not-date" and drink a bit too much when Annie asks Patrick to go on the honeymoon with her as friends. I'm sure you can imagine how that went.

The story reminded me a bit of The Unhoneymooners, which is a great read, but at times I felt like there wasn't enough back story to understand the depths of the characters. Patrick became a favorite because he was himself through and through. You do discover a secret Patrick has been holding that just makes you really appreciate life and your loved ones.

Overall, this was a really smooth read and I loved the character development and growth. It's a reminder to live your life to the fullest and to follow your own path. The stereotypical things we SHOULD do, don't necessarily mean they are what we NEED to do to reach ultimate happiness.

This was just a lovely lovely story that was a complete escape from our current world. I loved how Annie built herself back up again after being jilted at the altar.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the copy in exchange for a honest review.

This was a fun read which started with Annie's heartbreak at being jilted at the altar by her fiance Alexander. But after deciding to go on the honeymoon anyway, and all included trip to Australia courtesy of her in-laws, with an old friend Patrick she starts to heal.

The author has created a series of fun, well-rounded characters, and the plot is what you would expect from a chick-lit romance.

After Annie is left at the alter, her exes parents insist that she takes the honeymoon trip to Australia. Annie decides to take the trip, and invites along Patrick, a former childhood friend who she recently reconnected with.

Annie goes through stages of grief throughout the book, but as the book progresses, Annie starts to heal and in the process learns more about herself and no longer pretends to be someone she's not. I liked seeing the friendship between Annie and Patrick. Patrick is also dealing with his own grief, and together Annie and Patrick learn how to move on. Patrick was a sweet character and helped Annie learn to gain confidence in herself and that she is worthy of love.

Overall, I liked this book, there were parts that moved a little slow. The parts that I enjoyed the most were the scenes in Australia. This was a quick read that was predictable, but still a cute read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon UK books for providing a copy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you liked UnHoneymooners, this will be your book! Such loveable characters you can’t help but smile as you read! Also, anybody want to invite me on a 5 star trip to Australia?!?

I ended up really enjoying this one and seeing how much our main character, Annie, grows a woman. Starting off the story by being jilted at the altar and going through a much-deserved depression. Once she reconnects with a childhood friend, Patrick, on a whim, they slowly start to hang out and then ended up agreeing to go on her honeymoon with each other. I loved everything about Annie and Patrick's trip to Australia! It was so scenic and picturesque. I also really enjoyed them growing closer and how much Patrick helped Annie to see her worth. Patrick is a gem of a love interest. I did enjoy seeing how they navigated their relationship after the trip as well.

This book was very sweet, and a perfect summer read. I think the reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is that I didn't find myself reaching for it so much. It didn't have overly captivated where I couldn't put the book down. But it was still a really good book!

When Annie is ditched at the alter her world understandably falls apart, that is until an old friend reappears in her life to show her that maybe that curse was actually a gift. Patrick, the aforementioned friend, has troubles of his own and joining Annie on her honeymoon to Australia is just as predictably heart warming as you’d imagine.

A dramatic but light-hearted and fast-paced summer romance read. I had a few personal gripes with the pacing of this book, parts felt a little rushed but I appreciated the busy plot too.

The characters were often overly dramatic or overly naïve but there were also wonderful sprinkles of wisdom throughout. In fact I often felt dangerous waves of wisdom-fuelled spontaneity creeping into my own plans while reading.

Favourite quote:

Being in the house alone was sad. It was a museum to what I was grieving.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc. The Lucky Escape will be available from 10th June 2021.

Annie is about to go into her wedding when the wedding planner gets a text to say that fiance, Alexander, won't be coming. As she comes to terms with her whole life turning upside down, she is encouraged to go on her honeymoon. And so her adventure begins.
I really loved this story. Annie, her family and friends were well described and believable. I knew how it would end but the journey was the story.
Just right for a holiday read or for curling up by the fire

Annie Wiig was left at the alter. This book explores the aftermath of this, while she goes on a journey of self discovery and meets up with someone in her past, Patrick. Annie seems to have a lot if issues with self worth, knowing her place and many things that women have in society today. After some convincing from Patrick, she goes on her paid for, honeymoon with him. I expected with this premise there would be some romance, and some comedy, but what I got was a journey of self discovery and self love. That does not make this a bad book, it just makes it different. The book seemed to have three parts to it: being left at the alter, going on the honeymoon and after the honeymoon.

This was a book I neither loved or hated, it was right in the middle of the road for me. First the good:

Annie has some great strong friendships, including the Core Four and her work friend, Adzo, felt real to me. She also had a great relationship with her much younger sister, Freddie, which is reminiscent of the relationship I had with my sister. All these women in her life gave good advice.

I also loved reading about the travel to Australia. The way the author wrote about it made it feel real and renewed my interest to travel their some day!

Now the less good:

I struggled connecting with Annie, likely because of her lack of direction in her life. That lack of connection made it harder for me to connect with and care what the outcome of the book was.

Another problem I had with this book was the diet and skinniness talk. Know that it exists and it can be triggering for some. There wasn't extensive talk about it, but there was at different points in the book.

Overall this was a middle of the road book for me. I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.