I want to start by saying I loved this book - yup I said it - I loved it. It was an utter joy to read and the perfect book to escape with. Having visited both Perth and Margaret River in Australia, I found myself right back by the sea sipping wine and eating cheese with my friends and now husband.

Having read Our Stop and The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams I knew I would enjoy this novel - but in my opinion, this was Laura's best work yet. It was so nice to drift away to the summer sun in Australia - especially after the current ways of the world - and I loved going back to places I had visited. I'm still determined to make my way over to Sydney.

It was a quick and easy read with enjoyable characters. I liked that you saw Annie re-discover who she was and what she wanted from life.

I gave it 5 stars as I simply loved the escape. It was lovely and fresh and I really enjoyed it!

This book was hard for me to read. Annie was so insecure, it was almost painful,
Alexander was an incredibly toxic person and a terrible boyfriend. Annie should have left him long before he left her. I also wish her friends had said something before it got to be too late. Alexander complained that Annie never showed her feelings, but what about her friends?

I had a hard time figuring out what genre this book was; was it supposed to be a romance, or more of a self-discovery book? If it was a romance, it was a little too predictable for my tastes, and if it was self-discovery, it was too slow for my tastes. I didn’t enjoy reading through Annie’s journey as much as I’d hoped, but I think it was because I was so ready for her to grow and realize things I’d realized much earlier.

Annie has been with her fiancee for 10 years and the book begins on their wedding day, however he has had second thoughts and leaves it to the wedding planner to inform her he's not turning up. Annie, with the help of her friends and sister, goes on a journey to rediscover herself.
A well written book with some really relatable characters. I loved the relationship she had with her sister and her friends.
I received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

Okay so I’ve read this idea of a bride jilted on her wedding day before countless times. But I was curious what the author would do with it. I was surprised that I didn’t care for Annie at first . Yes, I felt bad for her but the red flags along the way should have clued her in that this was a mistake. Her teen years was horrible which set her up to be the ‘yes girlfriend’ that she was. Her mother was too cruel in my mind and her father didn’t do much to support her emotionally. I loved her sister Freddie and the new love interest/buddy Patrick. I thought the location of Australia was breathtaking and her claiming back herself an incredible journey in of itself. I wanted more with Patrick and felt that the relationship was cute but not enough sizzle. Again this is just my opinion but I needed a bit more steam. I wished the epilogue was something a bit different and I was a bit disappointed in that. Overall, this was an okay sweet romance story.
I received this ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for my honest review and opinion.

The novel starts on Annie's wedding day. Not the usual start for this genre of novel. But there would be no story if she lived happily ever after. And in fact she is jilted on the steps of the church by her fiancé of 10 years. Guilty that their son would do such a thing, Annie's ex-in-laws insist on her going on the honeymoon to Australia.

This was an enjoyable read. The characters were charming. I did feel like there was a bit of box ticking in the traits given to characters: Annie, the main character is a theoritical scientist (woman in STEM: tick) but her job remains incredibly vague and at some point she explains how she feels like she's not learning anything new and hasn't since school. Surely as a researcher and scientist, you're constantly learning new things.

The little sister was not believably 13 and sounded more like she was between 9 and 12. The mother was a little 2D and the resolution of the mother-daughter relationship a little too easy.

All this said, I was gripped and enjoyed reading it.

Every one of Laura's books is the perfect escapism, and The Lucy Escape is no different. I devoured this in two days and it was a much needed break from the January 21 lockdown.

So endearing & packed with swoons! I loved every moment of Lucky Escape. Annie and her problems felt so realistic, the friendship groups were fantastic & I couldn't help but smile my way through every page. Fans of Lia Louis & Beach Read will adore Lucky Escape

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams
*This ARC was provided by Netgalley for free review*
It’s Annie’s wedding day! All the planning, coordinating, friends and family gathered, makeup and hair done...she is ready to get out of the limo and make her way down the aisle! When she gets out, her wedding planner tells her that she received a text from the groom and he isn’t coming. Annie picks up the pieces of her shattered life. She starts working out to get out her aggressions and bumps into an old acquaintance from theater camp. Patrick reminds Annie of who she used to be before she changed to fit how her ex-finance wanted her to be. She remembers it’s nice to laugh and not plan every detail of your life once in a while. Her ex-in-laws insist she takes the all expenses paid honeymoon they had arranged to Australia. She only has one problem, there is a spare ticket. She talks Patrick into going with her as friends. They have so many fun adventures and laugh out loud moments it had me wishing for a vacation! Is she imagining it or is she starting to like who she is again and the side of her that Patrick brings out? This book was just adorable. I loved Annie and really connected with her.

This book had everything which I look for in my bedtime reading....warm and likeable characters, humour, love and a perfect ending. I didn’t even mind the somewhat unbelievable plot....it’s escapism and fun so who cares?! The main character, Annie, is on a journey of self discovery throughout this book and I particularly liked the way her own personal story unfolded. An easy and enjoyable read...I’d definitely recommend it.

Absolutely LOVED this book. Love Laura Jane Williams writing after following her for years, have been on one of writing courses and read all of her previous titles and The Lucky Escape was another fantastic read. I started a few days ago and just couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and I loved how relatable the issues of the main characters were, the exploration of family dynamics and the way the book took lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the concept of going on your honeymoon after being dumped too!

Romance novels have been a way of survival over the past year when it felt like the world was largely spiraling out of control. What I mostly love about typical romance tropes are the predictability and comfort in knowing what's going to happen - they serve as a lovely escape from reality. While this book offered some themes that I loved, such as female independence, emotional intelligence, self-discovery and partner empathy, it fell short in more ways than I would have liked. The romance in Australia had me, but it fell flat afterwards - with characters behaving in ways that didn't align with how they had been developed. The author is certainly aware of a lot of 'themes' that are culturally relevant right now, mentioning Glennon Doyle and alluding to other ways women in particular are breaking free of self-defeating thoughts and behaviors. Annie's behavior became a bit erratic toward the end, and I tried hard to love Patrick, but his behavior (again, at the end), was a big no from me. This one gets 2.5 stars, rounded up.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I LOVED this! Having read Our Stop and The Love Square, I knew I would at least like this novel from Laura Jane Williams.

It just felt so refreshing and so NOW. The characters went on a journey, the self-reflection was open and honest, and the inclusive nature of the characters in the book didn’t feel forced or like a box ticking exercise (the staff at the spa simply introduced themselves using their chosen pronouns for example). The book felt like it was split into 3 sections and I definitely loved the first 2./3 more but I knew a rockier last third was coming - as obviously things can't be all roses!

It did take me a little while to fall into reading it - but purely because the formatting for the kindle app meant sentences didn't fill the complete line and were broken up - I assume this will be fixed for when it is published!

I have to say, I fell I love with Patrick myself and although his character took a step off the path with his reactions towards the end - we could at least understand why due to what we find out about him. He definitely has taken over my love for Leon from The Flatshare

READ READ READ THIS!

A Raucous Romp....
Some heart warming and wholly entertaining escapism in this fluffy, fun Romcom that you just cannot help but enjoy. A likeable protagonist and a colourful cast of supporting characters populate the plot. A raucous romp with some armchair travel included. A great stress buster.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Annie is left at the altar. After a few devastating weeks, she is finally able to come out of her hole. At her local bootcamp, she runs into a long, lost, summer camp buddy. They hit it off immediately. Her ex in-laws gift her the honeymoon she was supposed to go on, saying it was non-refundable and it was the least they could do! Annie and her new reunion decide to head off together for the non-honeymoon for 3 weeks in Australia. What happens next is anyone's guess. This was a really cute book! #theluckyescape #laurajanewilliams #june2021

This was such a wonderful concept that I was so excited for! Being left at the altar and trying to figure out your life is such a fascinating and lush idea.

Annie , in particular, was a character that I empathized with, truly enjoyed, and rooted for!! I loved seeing her join the exercise class bootcamp, go on her honeymoon without her fiancé, and find herself.

Patrick on the other hand fell a little flat along with the pacing and execution of the premise. Some things didn’t land for me but overall this was a fun read with a solid main character and some wonderful destination writing (which is what we all need in this pandemic).

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced copy.

This was a fun British/Australian rom-com with some female empowerment included. I loved reading about the trips to Australia and Antwerp - such beautiful settings!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This story was just so sweet and charming and a lovely surprise. While I had the pleasure of reading Laura Jane William's last book, 'Our Stop', I wasn't sure what to expect from this one and, in summary, I loved it. Williams did a great job of creating dynamic characters with whom audiences could connect. Annie served as a smart and well-rounded heroine whose development throughout was both natural and empowering. I will definitely be seeking out Williams' further novels, as she has found the right formula for creating a sweet and engaging story.

Fun and easy beach read. This was a quick read that I really enjoyed. Annie is left at the alter and goes on her honeymoon with an old friend. She quickly realizes that she wasn't living up to her full potential and with the help of a new love is able to move on and embrace her life. The writing rambled at points, but overall I enjoyed the story.

Annie is having a good day, it is, after all, her wedding day. So why is the wedding planner outside the church? Alexander , the groom, texted the wedding planner to say he wasn't coming. Annie was left at the altar. As she tries to get through the days she joins an exercise class and reconnects with Patrick who she sort of knew at summer camp years before. Patrick convinces Annie that he would be the perfect person to join her on her paid for honeymoon in Australia. Annie discovers things about herself and what she really wants. But is the new Annie the real Annie. A story of love and loss and being the person you really want to be.

Oh boy. Unfortunately I just didn't get on with this one.

First, a few things I did like before I get into what I didn't: I enjoyed that the story was for the most part about Annie reassessing her life and realising that, at thirty, it was by no means too late to do things differently or learn a new way of doing things. I would have preferred if the book was all about that really. I also enjoyed Annie's relationship with her sister and her best friend.

Patrick's backstory is interesting and gives a layer to the romance that I thought was well handled and worth exploring.

The story didn't really lean into any of the tropes that you might expect with this premise (fake dating, only one bed etc) which was refreshing. But tropes are tropes for a reason. People like them and may have expectation of seeing them.

Ok so what I didn't like:
The big one is I didn't like the love interest, Patrick. Which is very unfortunate in a romance. For one thing they have no chemistry together. For another Patrick acts like one thing for most of the book and then seems to have total 360s in character whenever there is a need to create drama.

I kept getting dragged out of the story by these completely weird asides that Annie would have. Like there is a paragraph about how awful and patriarchal the institution of marriage is and it's kind of whiplash when she was just on about how much she was looking forward to getting married. At one point she says her little sister had to tell her what G2G meant and I again that dragged me out because this character is thirty or early thirties at most. She's a millennial. Our generation INVENTED G2G. I know these things sound petty, they're just examples of what kept from getting fully immersed in this book.

The pacing was just all over the place. The trip to Australia is like the middle third of the book. I thought it would take up most of it. The first third was too slow getting to the point. The middle third was the best bit but went by too fast and the final third felt like it was telling a completely different story that basically just baffled me from start to finish.

None of the characters really interested me. Patrick was the worst but no one else was really interesting either. There was a lot of diversity in the supporting cast but none of them ever DO anything. It feels like the uni friends just exist to make Annie feel like she's not doing well at life. They could be removed and lose nothing from the story. The only important ones are Freddie and Adzo and and a result were the ones I liked the most.

I don't think the author is bad writer by any means and I think the plot had the potential to be great it just wasn't it this time.