I loved this book! Olivia Lara has given the romance world a first of its kind—never have a read such an engaging and sweet plot line as this. Would you be tempted to follow the texts of a stranger as they lead you through a perfect day? Maya does exactly this and as the reader we get to ride along with her through the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, meeting “Max” (the Lift driver who found her cheating boyfriend’s phone) only through the texting directions he gives Maya. To say this would be risky in this day and age is an understatement, but Lara swept me away with her magical storytelling and descriptors of Carmel. I found myself falling in love with the town and its residents much like the residents of Gilmore Girls’ Star’s Hollow, and before I realized it, I had finished The Meeting Point in less than 48 hours. Even though I easily guessed Max’s identity (unlike Maya, who seems easily thrown off course), I still kept page turning just to see how the ending would turn out. To be honest I almost wanted to strangle Maya in one of the final scenes, but as we know in any good romance there’s always a HEA right? So creative and a lovely way to tie together both male and female perspectives within a romance, I will definitely be recommending The Meeting Point. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly a huge thanks to the publisher for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is my first Olivia Lara and I want to devour all her books now because she has made me believe in love at first text. The Meeting Point follows Maya an aspiring writer who works for a magazine who takes a trip to surprise her boyfriend. While at the airport she texts the guy only to get the Lift Guy who has her boyfriend's phone. What follows is an adventure meant for the books. But the course of true love never did run smooth as they never get to meet even when the Lift Guy plans a meet up because they just don't . They fall in love via text but Maya does return a few months later to hunt for him. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but this book was sooo good . I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it

The Meeting Point starts with a story within a story as the main character dreams of her next writing project. It is a very fun introduction of a character as it sets up her love of the concept of love and happy endings. The novel is a fun take on You’ve Got Mail and gives the material a new spin with two characters connecting through texting without ever meeting in person. Not only is this a love story, but it is a lovely story about self-discovery as the reader follows the main character trying to figure out her life. Although the story takes place across the United States, including New York, and very brief moments in San Francisco, Connecticut, and Vermont, the main story is set in the gorgeous small-town setting of Carmel-by-the-Sea near Monterey. It has been a while since I have traveled there, so I actually took screenshots of the places mentioned and cannot wait to check out how fiction meets reality whenever I get a chance to go again.

Maya Maas is 26 and approaching her 27th birthday. She loves to write love stories about those that she encounters every day, even if she does not know them. She is currently working as a junior reporter for a Brooklyn-based magazine where she is overworked and not quite happy with her job. She misses her best friend, Alisa, who has moved to London as a senior commissioning editor. Although they met living in dorm rooms next to each other in college, they did not fully connect as friends until after graduation and have been best friends ever since. Maya’s boyfriend of five years, David, is currently in San Francisco, California for an interview, so Maya decides it would be an excellent surprise and birthday present for herself to fly out there to spend a surprise weekend together. When Maya arrives at the terminal, she texts David but is shocked when she receives an unexpected reply. David’s phone was left in the car of a Lift driver, who also lets it slip that David was with another woman. Maya is heartbroken and in an unfamiliar place. The Lift driver and she begin texting and Maya ends up on a text-guided tour of Carmel as she always dreamed of seeing the Pacific Ocean. After an amazing day, Maya and “Max” (the driver) decide to meet. Unfortunately, the meeting never happens as David intercepts and he convinces Maya to return to New York together.

The story flashes forward one year where Maya cannot get “Max” out of her head and cannot get over her unhappiness with David. She also discovers that a novel is in the works about her texting day in Carmel written by author Ethan Delphy, who obtained the story through a friend. Maya takes this as a chance to make changes in her life and she sets out on a journey to finally find out who “Max” is and to attempt to meet him. Maya relocates to Carmel without a plan and now has to navigate how to find out information about the man she connected with yet never met. Through her quest, she ends up meeting Celine, Ethan’s sister, and later Ethan himself along with a fun cast of characters that all live in the lovely beach town setting. Since everyone seems tight-lipped about revealing Max’s identity to this new stranger in town, Maya has the work cut out for her to try to figure out who her mystery man is and if they can still connect a year later.

There is a lot of deception and secrets in this story that was interesting elements. It is predictable as the reader can put the pieces together before Maya, but it is written well to keep me captivated. The novel was difficult to put down as I found myself invested in all of the characters. I even loved the side matchmaking that was taking place with all of the background characters and loved getting to know their stories, even if they were not the focus of the story. The story is written solely from Maya’s point of view, although they do get pieces from Ethan through his novel. I would love a version of this story written from Ethan’s as he and Maya have an attraction when they first meet and I would love to read his side and inner thoughts. Overall, this was a joyous story of how Maya learns what will make her happy in life (job, location, romance, etc.) and a lovely romance story about two people trying to come together even though they never met in person.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, Aria Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I would like to thank Netgalley, Olivia Lara, and Aria Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Meeting Point.

Maya Maas is a late 20 something woman living in New York who is in a dead end journalist job and finds out that she's in a relationship with a serial cheater. How does she find this out? Maya decides she's going to surprise her long term boyfriend, who is on a business trip in California, for her birthday weekend, after she's been fired. When she gets to California, she tries texting and calling her boyfriend, but gets no answer. Finally, she does get a response, but it's the Lyft driver who found her boyfriend's, David, phone in his car after dropping David & a woman off at the hotel. The woman was all over David & the Lyft driver let Maya know. When it slips out that it's Maya's birthday weekend, the driver sends her to picturesque Carmel by the Sea for the day and gives Maya an itinerary for her day. It turns out that the day is one of the best in her life, until the next morning when David shows up & ruins Maya's chance at meeting the mysterious driver. A year later, Maya is back in the dead end job, sitting on a manuscript all about her day in Carmel, and still with David. David proposes and sends Maya into a panic. She hasn't been able to put that day out of her mind. When her best friend, who works as an editor in a publishing house in London, calls her and tells her that she just got an email about a book that sounds exactly like her day in Carmel. Maya decides to drop everything and heads straight to Carmel to try to find the mystery man. Will Maya be able to find out who really sent her on that magical day? More importantly will Maya truly find her purpose in life?

This was a sweet romcom that had me laughing and crying. The characters all felt super relatable and real. I personally don't think I would have the courage to give up everything in my life and move across the country in search of someone I didn't even know. There were times when Maya drove me crazy, but I loved how she just wanted everyone to have their own happy ending & at times helped get them to that point. One thing that drove me INSANE, was the misspelling of Lyft. I don't know if it was done on purpose, but it was driving me crazy. I know it's not a huge thing, but the number of times that it was used throughout the book became a bit distracting. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all those that love romcoms. It is the perfect summer time read! Check it out in September!

Do you believe in instalove or love at first text? Based on the characters in this book, I absolutely do!

The way Maya tore through June After Midnight is the way I devoured this book- I kept wanting more and more, then when I finished, I still wanted more! This book reeled me in from the beginning and was SO GOOD! From the moment Maya landed in Carmel for the second time, I knew the outcome but I giddily read through each chapter with a huge smile on my face. I loved all of the character interactions with one another, especially Maya, Ethan and Celine, plus the stories and matchmaking. Extra swoon at the wine tour and the hot air balloon ride. Prepare yourself for lots of laughter, smiles, eye rolling (in the best way!), friendship and, best of all, love.

Loved this book! I am a sucker for a sweet romance and this one definitely made the list! A chance meeting, beautiful setting, and entertaining characters? Sign me up! Thank you, NetGalley!

Lately I've been in a pretty bad reading slump.
Ive been starting all these books and stopping around the 10% mark and completely losing interest.
I was so close to also stopping this book but I just had a feeling that this one was going to be good. So I persisted and boy am I glad that I did!
This was an extremely sweet, heartwarming novel set in a beautiful seaside town, that I would absolutely love to visit. Maya is a down on her luck writer with a shitty boss and a gaslighting boyfriend. When a lift driver finds her cheating boyfriends phone he creates an unexpectedly magical day for her birthday, by messaging her an itinerary around the oceanside town.
As a lover of all things slow burn this was right up my alley, it was the slowest of slow burns but oh so good!
I really loved Ethan, and Maya's story and thought Camile was a great secondary character.

4.5/5 stars! This book had me hooked from the start. Maya finds out from a lift driver that her boyfriend is cheating on her. The Lift driver sends her on a birthday adventure, rather than letting her wallow and she has the best day of her life. A year later she returns to Caramel by the Sea to find out the identity of her secret lift driver.

I didn't know that this was the book I needed, but this light, fluffy romance kept me reading. The Meeting Point is a quick read, with short chapters and was happy and uplifting to read. I didn't want to put the book down, but I forced myself to, just so I could savour it a bit more.

The author did a great job setting the scene of the book in Caramel by the Sea. I felt like I could see myself there and it now has me itching to visit Northern California and Caramel by the Sea to see the beauty itself.

Olivia Lara did a great job building characters Maya, Ethan and "Max" so well that I felt for all of them. I loved Maya creating the stories of happily ever after for the people in her life and it was so sweet to hear these stories and really added to the romantic nature of the book. Maya is a person I could picture being friends with and seemed very endearing and likeable. I also enjoyed reading about Maya's friendships with both Alisa and Celine and how they were there for her when she needed them.

I liked the writing of a "secret pen pals" type of trope (sort of) and felt that Olivia really pulled it off in her writing. Some parts of the book did feel like it was starting to drag a bit, but the pay off was totally worth it for a cute, slow-burn romance.

Another interesting part of the book is that you read "Max's" perspective through small chapters of Ethan's book, which I found a unique way to add a perspective, rather than a back and forth dual perspective of many current romances.

All in all this was a light, contemporary romance and was super sweet. I am going to read Olivia's other book, and I look forward to her future novels! I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher for an open and honest review. All opinions are 100% mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Meeting Point was such an enjoyable and heartfelt read filled with a chance encounter, an unforgettable connection, and starting over. This was a fast and easy read as well, as the chapters were short and quick.

The setting in this book was absolutely magical. The description of Carmel by the Sea and the surrounding area was beautiful and just gave that small town beach feel. The storyline and plot were also well written and developed even though it was fairly predictable.

The main characters, Maya and Ethan were really likable. Maya had great character development and journey. I will say however, I would have liked just a bit more development for Ethan.

The romance between them was definitely a slow burn but their instant connection was just so beautiful and heartwarming. I thoroughly enjoyed their development and how their relationship progressed via text and in person.

One thing I would have liked was a bit more in the ending. An afterwards or epilogue would have been nice. Overall, just a sweet and quick romance with an enjoyable storyline and characters.

The Meeting Point is an adorable romcom! I loved the plot and the main characters were super cute and very relatable.

Such a wonderful book!! I loved the story of Maya Maas and her wonderful birthday. What a great meet cute! The story was somewhat predictable in the middle but when Maya returns to Carmel, it doesn't quite go the way I thought it would. And it was very interesting to read about her birthday from his perspective. Get this book - you will enjoy it! I can't wait to read more from this author.

I'm so very very thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC. Truly loved this book!

Sometimes I forget that I love a good romance story. Especially if it's told well and if the characters feel human and real. Add a place as gorgeous as Carmel? Near perfection!

Thanks to the wonderful folk at NetGalley for an advanced copy to read.

This was a cute story. And in a cute place. I love reading romances from small towns. And it gave all that. Small town setting. Authors falling in Love. Talking about books. Everything that I love was there. So I would totally recommend it to someone who is in the mood for something romantic and cute.

Also thank you NetGalley for helping me fulfill one of my list.

“Everything worth something is always a little bit sad.”

Maya arrives in sunny California to surprise her boyfriend, David. But when she calls him, she finds out that a Lift driver has his forgotten phone. “Are you the blonde in the red dress who was with him?” ….Maya is a t-shirt-wearing brunette. Worst. Birthday. Ever… or is it? Maya starts texting the Lift driver (Max) and ends up having the BEST day, discovering the local beach town of Carmel with a text itinerary from Max. But can this relationship develop into something more, or will Maya go back to her familiar life in New York?

I could NOT put this book down! The story was fast-paced, and I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen between Maya and Max. I loved the friendships in this story, side relationship with supporting characters, setting in Carmel, and main characters (helloooo tattooed author male lead 😍). The insta-love trope worked really well here. This is SUCH a cute story and I highly recommend checking it out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for this ARC!

This was super cute! Short chapters to keep you reading in one sitting. An epic meet-cute to end all meet-cutes (with an awesome walking tour of Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA). And twists and turns that you’ll totally see coming, but you’re so invested in the characters that you keep reading anyway.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

The Meeting Point had such a cute premise. When Maya goes to California to surprise her long term boyfriend, she discovers his phone was lost in a ride share driver’s car…when he was busy sucking face with someone else. The driver and Maya keep conversing and it leads to her taking a day trip to Carmel-by-the-sea and following “Max’s” detailed itinerary.

I began to start worrying when there was so many pages left to read. And alas, it happened. A SEPARATION.

Some time later, Maya is back in Carmel on a quest to find Max. She’s there to stalk a local author after she hears about an upcoming novel that seems to be telling her and Max’s story. This is where The Meeting Point becomes a bit predictable. The secret/twist was easy to guess, yet the story dragged on. The love story between Maya and her hero was a little too insta-love-y and their connection didn’t feel genuine.

I wanted to enjoy it more than I did. It was a fast and light read, and there were definitely parts I loved, but overall I felt like something was missing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were fun, the descriptions made you feel like you could see it or that you were there, and the writing was well done and easy to follow. This was a great, light hearted read that anyone could read in less than a day!

Thank you NetGalley and Aria Fiction for the ARC for the exchange for a honest review!

This was an adorable read! While the outcome is obvious, the story is really heartwarming & I loved seeing Maya get back to being herself after a crappy year. This book made me smile & left me feeling happy - I couldn't put it down!

This book needs to be on your radar! I love it so much.

Maya is having the worst day. She gets fired. She flies out to visit her boyfriend only to find out by his Lift driver that he is cheating on her. And oh yeah, it’s her birthday. At text suggestion of the Lift driver’s, she begins to explore. And is it possible to fall for someone only over text messages?

This book was SUPER predictable. But goodness I couldn’t put it down! I was smiling throughout the whole book. It’s a cute, light romance.

This was a very good story. I was initially worried when I saw it had 88 chapters because I am not a fan of long books.

The pacing was easy to get into and well written.

The only thing I didn't like is in the last few chapters they called the "Max" character him or he and kind of left us hanging and open ended. I had one main guess who it was and hope I am right though.

This was a four star rating. Thank you Netgalley and publishers!