5 stars for this super cute story !

Maya Maas is having the worst birthday until it becomes one of her bests adventures.

The scenery (Carmel-by-the sea in California) and its description are awesome and add to the long list of places I want to visit thanks to a book !

I could totally be Maya at work and get carried away by a stranger who would have found my cheating boyfriend's phone in his Lyft. I really appreciated that it takes some time for Maya and her mysterious "texter" to be reunited (it wouldn't have worked for me if it had been an insta-love, even if it kind of is).

I've been very lucky to have been granted an eARC of this book by the publisher and Netgalley (thank you so much !) and to read it while on holidays. It's a perfect timing if you want a romantic novel with funny twists and really nice secondary characters.

What if you find love with a phone misplaced in a ride share car?

Maya decides to surprise her boyfriend with a trip to San Francisco, but when she calls at the SF airport, a stranger answers the phone. She ends up texting the Lift driver the entire day as he takes her on an adventure. But when the next day comes and life returns back to routine, but she never forgets her mysterious texter.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book when I initially started reading, but as time progressed and I got more and more into the book, I really enjoyed it. The secret of finding out who the texter is and Maya making her own decisions and becoming her own person really drives the book and kept me hooked until the end.

This is not a difficult book to read and I think the concept is so cute. Meeting and falling in love with someone via text is readily available with technology today. Also, Maya's cute little stories about strangers she would see in her daily life were adorable. I wish the author had done more of those and really brought that into the story more. It really enhanced Maya's personality and made her seem so cute and quirky.

Overall a great twist to a classic rom com that I would recommend to my friends.

I received an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Hi
Thanks to Netgalley to send me a copy for an honest review.

I fancy this book because it was one of that kind of books that makes you believe in love at one sight (or in one text) and makes you sigh every two or three chapters.
The principal character is very real, you can relate to her. She is passing a bad moment in her life: a bad job that makes her work over hours and that doesn´t like it. A relationship that she has to think twice to respond to other people that are a good person for each other.

But one day after have a really bad day something out of normal happens to her and that´s is when the mmaagic of the books start.

Is a a romantic book that makes you believe, makes you want have what she find. But, it was in some way redundant, I felt that the author could skip some parts some pages and still be a good story.
Besides that I felt as magic reading the pages of this books, the actions, the situation it was something that maybe you want to experience, I wanted if I could I want to be in love of a stranger... maybe one day.

Lara has written a sweet romance. How many of us would drop everything to pursue a whim, a dream, or a love? Maya does, twice. She has the worst birthday ever, that turns into her best day ever. Except she succumbs to stagnation for fear of the unknown. Until she takes a leap of faith. The truth behind Max was evident to me from the beginning. I did think Maya was quite dense to not figure it out. The reveal part at the end I think was a little too drawn out, but the buildup is worth the protraction. I liked Alisa and Celine the best in the book. The setting was picture perfect and the exchanges via text, engaging and appealing.

I thought this was a cute, easy read! Some parts are cheesy and predictable, but I, personally, don't mind those in my romance novels :).

Maya flies from NYC to San Francisco to surprise David, her boyfriend of 5 years. When she lands, she texts David but gets a response from David's Lift driver because he left his phone there. The text reveals that David is there with another woman...yikes! It's her birthday no less and the Lift drive, feeling sorry for her, provides a fun itinerary for her in an ocean town called Carmel. They text back and forth the whole day and fall in love without ever meeting! Fast forward one year and bestselling author Ethan is releasing a story based on her one day...WTH!

Desperate for answers, Maya dumps her boyfriend David (yes-she got back with him...ugh!) and quits her job to go back to Carmel. She finally meets Ethan as she works in his twin sisters cafe in the town and she wants to find out who the mystery texter is (he called himself Max in the texts). Before Ethan reveals who it is, he wants to get to know Maya to make sure she's not going to break his heart. Is her heart still set on her mysterious Max or will she fall for Ethan?

There's some fun and funny moments while Maya and Ethan go on their trips together. Ethan is so super sweet and just fell in love with him. Carmel-by-the-Sea sounds amazing and I want go visit ASAP! I also really loved Celine and glad she also got an HEA in the story :).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cute book but a little too slow for me. The starting was a bit random and confusing but it did get better.

GAH! I thought this story was exceptionally cute. I completely fell in love with Carmel By The Sea. I now must go ( so Mike I know you are reading this, it is on my list of places I want to see)!! I think that the small town added so much to the story. I also absolutely loved Celine. I would read her story in a heartbeat. What a tough cookie. I loved her.

Now for my detractors. Oh the insta love. It is so hard to give a book with insta love high praise because that just isn't how it works. I also was just shaking my head at Maya the whole book. I wanted to scream at her "Maya are you blind, look what's going on around you". But alas I cannot scream at fictional characters.

Overall I read this in one sitting, on the beach, so it was certainly an entertaining, light, beach read.

3.5 stars.

This book had no business being as good as it was and making me feel all the feels. It completely encaptured my attention and I've never read anything like it. There isn't much spice but there is lots of sexy tension, banter, and chemistry.

Maya has decided to surprise her boyfriend David by showing up to San Francisco where’s he’s on a work trip so they can have a romantic getaway for his birthday. She arrives at the airport and texts him...and a stranger texts back. When the Lift driver asks her if she’s the blonde, the brunette Maya realizes her boyfriend was cheating on her.

On a whim, the stranger, who she calls Max, texts her instructions for the perfect day in Carmel, a beautiful beach town☀️🌊. She follows her texted tour guides instructions, and they text each other all day. And somehow, she has the best birthday🎂.

Maya is a romantic and dreams of meeting the stranger responsible for her perfect birthday. She makes some drastic changes in her life in her pursuit of Max, who doesn’t feel like a stranger at all. Maya is an easy character to root for - I just wanted her to be happy.

Other main characters include her best friend Alisa, who encourages her in her quest to find the elusive Max; Celine, who Maya befriends in Carmel; and Celine’s brother Ethan, who knows who Max is 😮.

This was such a cute book - not only was I rooting for Maya to find Max, I also enjoyed seeing her take control of her life and do the things she wants. While I did see the twist coming, it didn’t bother me - this is still a very enjoyable and sweet romance! If you’re looking for a book that makes you dream of being by the sea, and don’t mind some instalove, I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to netgalley and Aria for a free copy of the ebook, in exchange for my honest review!

It took me less than 24 hours to finish Olivia Lara’s sophomore novel, “The Meeting Point.” Definitely a beach read, feel good book that most definitely will have a place in my library upon its release in September. Another ARC I was lucky to read before it hits shelves, Lara captivated me with the California coast and characters I wish I had in my everyday life.

I read so much I constantly ask myself what makes something a good book, or why did I like this more than the last thing I read. The answer for me is consistent- if a book makes me feel things I’m in. And this book gave me alllll the feels. I was hooked from the beginning and flew through the first few chapters, and then something happened and I had to stop reading. I was so mad. Got over my anger pretty quickly and continued reading to see how the story continued.

The main character, Maya, was someone I both identified with and wanted to be my best friend. I am so grateful I got to live life with her for a little while.

After staying up most of the night reading, I stopped around 70% through because I didn’t want the story to end. I read more this morning and again stalled at 91%. Another characteristic of a good book is when you don’t want it to end. I did finish however and as sad as I am it is over I’m so lucky I got to read it early. Such a great book, I’m sure the wait list at the library is already long. Preorder it now, add it to your TBR list, and add September 2 (it’s release date) to your calendar! This one is not to be missed!

Rating: 4.5/5

ABSOLUTELY FREAKING BRILLIANT. I loved this storyline, the characters, and just flat out everything!! It was so different and I was completely Intrigued the entire time!! My heart is still melting as we speak. As you can tell by my start and finish time for this book, I finished it in less than a day because I literally couldn’t put it down. One of the fastest romance reads I’ve had to date! Ugh you guys. I’m sad it’s over. I hope this becomes a series because I. NEED. MORE. I did guess the big reveal, but regardless I still loved it! Who doesn’t love warm fuzzies that come from a good ole romance?! Oh my goodness. Olivia Lara knows what she’s doing!! You guys definitely need to add this to your TBR! It was definitely what I hoped for and what I enjoy in romance novels: slow burn, a bit of mystery, enemies-to-lovers, and a fun storyline and makes you want more! Give this one a chance, you definitely won’t regret it!

This one surprised me and in a good way. After reading the description I thought it would just another sweet love story. I got that but also something else. I kept thinking of Sleepless in Seattle while reading this one. The thing I loved about this book was how real the development of the characters relationship felt. The dialogue felt natural and real. I highly recommend this one to everyone who like a good romantic book. 4 out of 5

Lovely summer rom com read and shows how out of something crappy a beautiful friendship can spark. I read it within 2 days and had me laughing and smiling throughout.

I really enjoyed this book, I absolutely flew through it and was rooting for Maya to find her happy ending!
I really liked the premise of this story that two people who don’t know each spend ‘the perfect day’ together falling in love only for it all to go horribly wrong at the last minute. The majority of this book was the fall out a year later after Maya decides to return to the little town where she had her adventure to try and find out who her mystery guy (Max) is after seeing that her story is being published by a well know author and Max’s best friend. Here she meets Ethan, the author who stole her story, and she immediately hates him but has to spend time with him in order for him to tell her the identity of Max!
I loved Ethan as a character, he was kinda snarky and sometimes came across as rude but also thoughtful and I wish this was dual POV as I would have loved to have read from his perspective as well. I think it was fairly obvious where this story was going to go and I worked out almost immediately who Max was, however I still very much enjoyed the story and seeing how it all played out as Maya worked through her tangle of feelings!

This story is perfect for anyone who is a fan of rom-coms! It was a cute, fun read that I really loved!

This book wasn't for me,

I got 20% into it but the writing style wasn't my favorite, I found it very simplestic and not very plot driven..
I hope someone else enjoys it!

This book has a totally unique premise and I loved this emotional journey! This is sort of a second chance romance with a twist - only one person knows who the other is.

Max saves Maya from the worst birthday ever by sending her on a fun one-day adventure via text. And she kind of falls in love with the guy on the other side of the phone. But when push comes to shove, she has to choose between going back to her old life or taking a chance on Max?

This book is so clean, you can loan it to your most conservative friend, but I didn’t care. This is such a well developed slow burn, I was totally along for the ride.

This book is almost entirely in Maya’s POV and the emotional punch of finally getting a peek into Max’s head was so amazing!

Loved this one!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Aria for an advance reader copy of this book. These are my honest opinions.

This is the first book I read from the author and it won' t be the last . From the first to last page it was amazing .A must read . A woman who is romantic and makes love stories with people she just meet at the road - cafe - bus . The day of her birthday she makes a surprice trip to her boyfriend and she ends texting with the lift driver who drove her boyfriend . After discovers she is being cheated she decide to spend the day to a city the driver tells her about . While texting she realises that is in love with him . After a year she returns back to the city and try to find him and explain why she did not meet him like she promised . While she is looking for him she meets Ethan and slowly falling in love with him without realising it . What will happen at the end ?
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Maya Maas, lives in New York with her boyfriend of 5 years. When David is on a work trip in California, she decides to go surprise him. When in reality she gets the surprise of a lifetime. David leaves his phone in a "lyft." When the lyft driver starts texting her, and lets her know that David has been cheating, not only did it ruin her day, it is also her birthday!! She ends up calling him Max, as they do not want to get to personal. He ends up taking her all around the small city of Carmel, California! The best 24 hours of both of their lives. When they decide to meet at 6am before Maya has to get on a plan, David is demanding his phone back, and instead of meeting Max at the meeting point, it is David who she see's instead.

A whole year later, Max is still all Maya can think about, and when she finds out an author is writing HER story. She heads back to Carmel, California to find him, and let him know that she wrote this first, and doesn't want her story exposed. But what she finds is so much more!

I absolutely loved this story, it was so different from your typical love story. It took Maya awhile to realize that she hated her job, she didn't like her cheating, lying boyfriend, and she was determined to get answers on who Max was and why he didn't show up at their meeting point the day after her birthday a year ago. Her determination no matter what to find Max is breath taking, because it wasn't about looks, or what he did for a living. It was the fact that he was nice to her, and took her through a whole city through text message, I just have to say it would drive me nuts for a year too! Especially when you have no way of contacting them! I hope other reads enjoy Maya and Max's story as much as I did! I would love to read my from Olivia Lara! A solid 5/5 for a very different, cute, and awesome love story! That by the way I read in 6 hours!!

“Life is a strange restaurant where odd waiters bring you things you never asked for but unknowingly need.”
Maya Maas just got fired from her job . She had a flight to catch on that same day to San Francisco to surprise her boyfriend, David; ironic how she was the one who got surprised in the end. When she tried to call David’s phone, it was the lift driver who answered it; he texted her about David’s affair with another woman whom he made out with on the back seat. The Lift driver whom she called “Max” later in the story, felt bad about making her day even worse, so he played tour guide for Maya and suggested her to visit Carmel by the sea. There, her day turned from the worse birthday to the best birthday ever-all thanks this stranger that she texted all day. Maya never felt this way about anyone before, not even David. Could this be fate? Love at first text? Will she ever get to meet the real Max someday?

A year later, Maya feels empty with her life in New York. She never stopped thinking about that one day at Carmel where she had the best day of her life because of Max. With that, she finally decides to go back to Carmel to try and find him.

This is a light and quick book to read. The itinerary that Max made for Maya’s birthday were well thought off. As I read those scenes, it felt like I was there at Carmel by the sea too enjoying the moment. I love the setting, the people, and the blissful-cozy vibe that Carmel radiated. Although this book is written in Maya’s POV, it wasn’t hard to figure out who Max is halfway through the book, which makes the story cliché and predictable.
Maya is a good and kind character. I’m happy that everything turned out great for her in the end. She deserves to have all those kind people in Carmel in her life, especially the twins Celine and Ethan; I love the friendship that she built up with the two characters. The romance in the story was cute, but I was a bit dismayed at the fact that there were lies hidden between the characters; the truth was revealed during the last part of the book. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this one. If you’re into insta-love, romcoms, and fate love stories, then you’ll like this one.

This was such a cute romactic tale in an amazing setting. It felt so refreshing and heartwarming. I loved how to frienship was built between Maya and Maz. I don't know if Carmel-by-the-sea is an actual place or not but it seems so dreamy. I love frienships to lovers trope and this was captured in such a beatiful way in this bool. Although I kind of predicted the plot twist but this is a very meet-cute beach read book and i really recommend it.