I was given an early xopy of this in exchange for an honest review and thoroughly enjoyed it. The story follows Maya who meets "Max" in Carmel when he finds her boyfriends phone. They never meet in person and communicate by text but have one perfect day together. The book then moves on to Maya wanting to meet Max and her return to Carmel. I loved the story, it was a bit far fetched but a book that is just fun and has a happy ending is what I want as escapism. Plus I enjoyed the setting of Carmel as my husband and I visited there as part of our honeymoon drive down the California coast. I would definitely recommend this book and will look to read more by the author.

The writing was so playful, also enjoyable to read. Both these characters were so relatable.
If you're looking for something to kick a reading slump or if you just want a fun, romantic book to sweep you off your feet this summer: look no further. This was such a good book. To be read by the beach or in the garden. Let this story take you away for a few hours of reading bliss.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. This book was a joy to read. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. The romance felt like a story I had not read before and that can sometimes be hard to find in romance. In this story, Maya "meets" a man who sends her on a wonderful birthday adventure in a new city after being heartbroken by a cheating man. The beauty is finding love in a place you never expected to find it and trusting that it was worth it all along.

This was so sweet! I was really hoping for a happily ever after and The Meeting point did not disappoint.

What a cute story!!! I loved it. What a terrible way to find out your life is taking an unexpected turn but what a pleasant turn it ended up to be.

A cute and romantic story in a fabulous setting!

First of all, I loved the setting for this book! I googled Carmel-by-the-sea to see if it is a real place, and not only is it real, but it's every bit as beautiful and quirky as described! Beautiful and unique, with a great small town feel, I am now desperate to go!

I adored the personal itinerary given to Maya by Max! What a lovely thing to do for someone, who has been dealt a crappy hand, and on their birthday no less! You can't beat personal recommendations!

The friendships built up in this book were cute, and I loved how Maya slotted in so easily, like she was always meant to be there!

Both Maya, and another character were writers, and that was a nice touch. I loved how Maya would people watch, and then write HEA's for those people, and for the people she met!😍

The uplifting feel of the book was nice, I never felt that Maya's own HEA was in any danger! I can imagine reading this by the beach or pool in the summer!

However, I'm not keen on insta-love, so that aspect didn't work for me! I also didn't like the lack of communication/lying between the characters, it was frustrating.
I felt like I was stuck in Maya's head, she had so many monologues cataloguing her every thought, feeling and conversation in detail, which dragged a bit.

The Meeting Point was also terribly predictable! I saw the twist coming from the first few pages..

So despite being cute and uplifting, this romance didn't quite give me the feels. There wasn't enough chemistry, and ultimately I couldn't get past the secrets and lies. It has been compared to Mhairi McFarlane's books, and having just enjoyed a book by this author, there is jut no comparison for me.

The ratings are high so far, for this sweet story though, so if you don't mind insta-love and communication problems, then definitely give this rom-com a shot! 🏖🏖🏖

When I first read the synopsis for this one, I was intrigued, but hesitant. With such an interesting concept it felt like the author would have to thread a pretty small needle to make it work, and I really think it does!

This story follows Maya, a writer who steps out of her shell after a twist of fate leaves her alone on her birthday in an unfamiliar city. She starts texting with the Lift driver who has her cheating boyfriend's phone, and he leads her on a day of adventure that changes her life.

I found this story really interesting. While the character starts out hesitant and sheltered, her magical day encourages her to eventually break out of her shell and think differently about herself and her life. As she tries to find the man who had such an impact on her, she may just find a place where she belongs.

The main character's journey reminded me of my own journey, so I understood her actions and her hesitations. I enjoyed the twists of fate that she faced, and the heartwarming romantic moments. I will definitely enjoy revisiting this story and these characters!

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries publishers for the change to read an advance copy of this lovely book!

While I was reading this book, I just didn’t want it to come to an end but I wanted to know that the HEA (Happily Ever After) had come! Such suspense!

Maya yearns to be a writer and is always penning stories but she has never been published.

She works as a journalist in New York, lives with her litigation lawyer boyfriend but knows that all is not well.

When she flies one weekend to surprise him (it’s her birthday) the Lift driver has picked up his phone and let’s slip that he was with another woman in the car.

What follows first is a magical day at the coast in Carmel where the mystery Lift driver “Max” guides Maya around town to have the best day of her life.

They never meet, but a year later, Maya still hasn’t forgotten him. She leaves the boyfriend and the not great job and travels back to Carmel looking for Max.

I so enjoyed reading how the story evolved and couldn’t wait for Max to be revealed! ❤️ ✈️ 📚 🏖

I stayed up way too late reading this one. I couldn't put it down.

The story is told from Maya's POV, so we only know what she knows, but I had a strong suspicion, of course.

Maya is not having the best time at work and she quits her job in NY. She decides to surprise her boyfriend in SanFran, but when she gets there, she finds out he's cheating on her. And it's her birthday.

The lift driver who found her boyfriend's phone wants to give her a good birthday and tells her to go to Carmel. Throughout the day, they play a game of 50 questions and get to know each other, all through text. Maya feels a connection with this guy, but she doesn't even know his real name or what he looks like.

A year later, Maya leaves her boyfriend and her job and goes to Carmel with a couple of suitcases and nothing more, except the strong wish to find Max (the name she gave him).

It was a different kind of story but it kept going in one sitting.

Clean. No language.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

If I have to describe this book in one word it'd be "buoyant". It was super hyper duper cute and sweet. I've never been eager to visit California but after reading this book all I want to do is to go to Carmel by-the-Sea! Can someone take me, please?
So, the instant-love trope is one of my least favourites. I avoid it as much as I can, and when I realized that this book had it, I freaked out a little. But it surprised me in the best way possible. I ended up loving it! Olivia wrote it in such a smart and beautiful way that is inevitable to love this story. And not only that, you end up loving the story, the characters, the places, everything.

The only thing I didn't like much, is the ending. It was sweet and cute but I'd have loved it for it to be a bit longer, to actually see more of them together, of their relationship. An epilogue would have been phenomenal!

If you like the instant-love trope, enjoy rom-com, and are a sucker for happy endings (like me), seriously you CAN'T-MISS this book!! Now, if you don’t love this trope so much, I’d say give it a shot, it might surprise you.

In "The Meeting Point", Maya's having a bad week: she's fired from her job, then discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her. When she tries to call her boyfriend on his cell phone, it's answered by someone else: the Lyft driver whose car he left it in. Upon hearing about her awful week, the Lyft driver gives her a day she'll never forget, and they begin to communicate through text. They finally decide to meet in person at the end of the day, but he never shows. Or does he? This book shows how the two of them meet in real life, and the miscommunications that happen along the way.

I enjoyed many parts of this book, especially the romance and the friendships. I was a little frustrated at all the times they couldn't communicate very well. Overall, it was a good book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Maya is surprising her boyfriend and meeting him out of town for her birthday. When she can’t get hold of him, a Lyft driver answers his phone asking her if she is the hot blonde. Upon discovering her boyfriend’s infidelity Maya is lost, with no plans the driver sends her on a magical mystery tour, making this birthday one she will never forget.

I read this is one sitting. It had the perfect amount of romance and mystery.

I can't recommend this book highly enough! I devoured the whole thing in one sitting, then just sat back and actually felt a slight amount of grief that it was over. It's so well written that I got very attached to the characters and sympathised with them all. I solved the mystery quite soon into the story, but it was nice to see how it played out, and I appreciated having a book that was realistic, with people misunderstanding each other and feeling the same insecurities as us. I have already recommended this book to others, and have added the author to my watch list for future publications.

This was the cutest story I’ve read in awhile.
Maya and her mystery Lift driver created an adventure that sent me from place to place within this beach town, and I adored it. That feeling of experiencing somewhere new, even through someone else’s eyes, soothed my wanderlusting heart.
And in the second half, I throughly enjoyed the mystery, as well as the back and forth, and the genuine friendships portrayed.

This book really took me by surprise, in the best way. It gave me all the feels! Really, the writing and the story was so endearing. I loved how strong maya was and how sweet and intense Ethan was. It almost has that “ you’ve got mail “ vibe to it where you know as the reader exactly what’s going on and you are just waiting for the heroine to catch up. Thanks to nergalley for the ARC and all opinions are my own.

Sweet, swoon, heartfelt, extremely romantic!

Poor Maya Maas is having one of the most complicated days of her life! First she deals with a narcissist author who rejects to interview with her which results with being fired from the newspaper she’s working for 4 years and when she decides to make a surprise appearance in San Francisco to meet with her boyfriend David at her birthday, a Lyft Driver answers David’s phone, telling her he left the phone as he also left with a hot blonde he was making out at the back seats of the car.

Maya’s day couldn’t get worse but luckily kind hearted ride share driver is also great consultant with tour guiding skills sends her to take a quick trip to Carmel to celebrate her birthday with adventurous journey!

Maya seems like falls in love at first text. She never sees, hears the guy. They connect via texts and she truly has one of the best journeys of her life. As the day ends, both of them agree at a meeting point! It’s time to meet face to face!

But sometimes truly goes wrong and it takes one year for Maya to gather her wits, listening to her heart, returning back to Carmel to find out to meet with real Max for good!

But her path crosses with twin siblings: Ethan and Celine! Ethan might know Max too well, who also used their one day experience as a source of his latest book! Yes. He’s highly praised author. Interesting fact is Maya also wrote about her one day adventure.

Which side of the story is true? Could Ethan be the key to truly meet with Max and find her own HEA ? Could she have a chance to find her own happiness instead of writing fictional stories or sharpening matching skills around the people she meets?

The big twist is so foreseeable from the beginning but blooming romance, high chemistry, extra amazing gestures give you so many awwww moments which make you connected with the characters and enjoy your sweet ride!

I’m rounding 3.5 stars to 4 even though there are so many cliches, it was still lovely, heart melting experience I like to have! Definitely a promising feel good romance makes you smile so much and plan an urgent trip to Carmel as like I’m doing right now!

This is second book of Olivia Lara. Her debut was historical romance which proves she can create amazing stories in both genres awakening my romcom craving!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Aria&Aries for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.