Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Ebook ARC of this book, this is my objective review. Callum and Emma are ex-partners who broke up 12 years prior, and in a surprising turn of events they must share Emma's van on the way home from Rome. There are old, unresolved feelings, and there's a LOT of history here. Being thrown together it's inevitable that they compare how they are today with themselves from 12 years ago, and they reflect on why they didn't work back then. I like the concept of second-chance romance, but I don't know that it always works in execution. Can people ever really change enough to avoid making the same mistakes all over again? There's an HEA here but it was a bit rocky getting there, which felt realistic. Some nice moments of humor, which are always welcome. New-to-me author, I would read her again.

When European air travel is grounded due to volcanic ash from Iceland, Callum and Emma find themselves on a roadtrip through Italy and France. Emma has planned a meandering journey in her unreliable van, and Callum needs a ride, so mutual friends (secretly hoping to make a match) connect them. Little did they know Callum and Emma were previously in a relationship that ended badly. Over a couple of days, Callum and Emma learn a lot about each other, and eventually about their past. And we hope, hope, hope they get together. But their journey is not without set-backs and disappointment.

Second chance romance, traveling through Europe, endearing characters.
Fun story (but a bit slow at times!) that is perfect for summertime.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

A cute slow-burn second chance romance.

Callum is stranded in Rome and desperately needs to get back to England, through his friends he manages to acquire a lift that will get him back to where he needs to go within a few days, only problem is when he arrives the beautiful woman who he will spend countless hours in close proximity happens to be his Ex girlfriend Emma who he never truly fell out of love with and it seems like she's not looking forward to the journey either.
This book includes:
- second chance romance
= grumpy sunshine
- the one that got away
- right person wrong time

Overall I did enjoy this book but I don't think it was Lovett's strongest work. It was pretty 50/50 for things I loved and things I hated. The scenes of the two travelling together were beautiful and made me want to immediately jump on a plane to do some travelling. it was also really nice to see the way the two had changed over the years they hadn't been together and separately grew as people.

However there was a lot of miscommunication throughout the entirety of the book and the kept so many important things from each other where they could have just been open and honest that it became frustration with how long it went on for.

it was however a nice story and I do usually enjoy Jo Lovett's books.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Jo Lovett did a great job of writing in a way that captured my attention, and made me not want to put it down until I was finished! I would highly recommend it!

A true "one that got away" and "right person, wrong time" read!

Emma and Callum meet again after 12 years apart when a mutual friend pushes the two together to take a road trip from Rome to London. Through ups and downs, they trek across Europe while experiencing both love and heartbreak in just one short week.

There were parts of this story that I adored, but the slow start is KILLER. I needed to get halfway into the book before I became interested in Emma and Callum at all. I think if the story didn't take so long to get interesting, I would've really enjoyed this second chance romance.

I really enjoyed this story of Callum and Emma who find each other after a break became a de facto break up 12 years earlier. Great chemistry and a sweet story. The end was a bit abrupt but otherwise lovely.

- second chance romance
- closed door romance
- easy fun read

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

The first book I read of Lovett's was "The First Time We Met", and I loved it. I read it several times. Her other books have not come close to this one for me. As for this latest book, it was okay, but I was underwhelmed by the ending. I felt it was rushed. Whilst I felt some of Emma's emotion, I never really felt Callum's. I did not feel his angst at all. The author did not sell him to me (he's no Sam from "The First Time We Met"). Instead I thought he was immature and a jerk basically. There were too many internal monologues, which made the pace slow. I liked Emma, but wasn't she a bit too perfect? Aren't our female protagonists supposed to have flaws? There was enough there to make me want to read until the end, but it did not leave a lasting impression. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to like this book, the concept and title intrigued me right away! I mean 2 exes stuck together in a van and the title making me think of Ross from Friends, I had some high expectations for this one, but it fell a bit short for me. I loved the beginning and found it very funny and sweet. As the book went on it felt like it dragged. I usually do love slow burn and second chance, but it was too slow that I found it boring and there wasn't enough detail of the previous relationship to set up a really good second chance trope. I also didn't like how Callum's addiction struggles were super glossed over, it felt weird to me. It was mostly a cute read, but just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Boldwood Books for the ARC of this book. I would say that I enjoyed it overall for what it was. I do typically love a second chance romance and that's exactly what this story is. The main characters seemed quite likeable especially Emma. That being said, there were parts of it that fell flat for me. For a second chance romance to be really well done, I feel like you need to have a lot of details about the previous relationship. In this case, I felt like the details of their love over a decade ago were very glossed over and not detailed at all. I found myself wondering why they couldn't make it work in the first place for most of the book. There was also just a lot of miscommunication in general which can be frustrating to read about.

I do enjoy the author's writing style and think I would be interested in reading other books by her. The background details were just missing for me in this book. Thanks for the opportunity to review it!

I really loved the idea of this book but unfortunately the pace was way too slow, the characters lacked depth and felt very immature. I had to dnf at 20%.

First I have to say the books title reminded me of Friends Rachel And Ross lol
When two old romantic people find themself in an unexpected predicament and
Are Stuck together for a long miserable ride home.
But the more they travel the more they start to wonder if things might work this time.
Ride along with them as they have to deal with all sorts of situations.
This is a cute and lighthearted funny romance you will be rooting for them.

We Were on a Break by Jo Lovett is a charming and heartwarming story that delves into the complexities of relationships and the difficulties of second chances.

The plot centers on Liv and Nate, a couple who decide to take a break from their relationship. We are shown both sides of the story, giving a lot more depth by dual narrative & making their journey feel genuine and relatable.

I found this story starts off with a witty dialogue (which caught me straight away) and situations that many will find familiar. I found the middle section to drags a bit - thankfully I pushed through until the end, which picks up and leads to a satisfying and emotional ending.

Jo Lovett's writing is both engaging and insightful, making this a great Summer read!
Its delightful for anyone interested in the ups and downs of love and the possibility of rekindling old flames. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC.

I was really looking forward to this book, I loved the "blurb" and the tag line, but unfortunately it really didn't hit the mark, there was so much promise and it felt like there was something missing and a lot more could have been explored but the commitment to the story just wasn't there, just didn't hit the mark for me, sorry.

I really loved this book! The romance was so cute and I loved the story so much. Thank you netgalley for this arc. I would highly recommend this book.

Loved this one! Great and fun read. Highly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for my ARC.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Up front, I have to admit that the statement, “We were on a break” make me think of Ross and Rachel from friends and this book brought all of those fun and familiar vibes with it, with the wanderlust fun of travel through Europe! All of those components made for an absolutely fun read about the decisions we make in life. We Were On a Break makes you want to say “cin cin” or “cheers” to adventure and second chances!

Review is on Goodreads and will be posted on instagram closer to publication date and on Amazon when published!

I read We Were on a Break in one sitting...during work hours, simply because I couldn't put it down. I'm not usually a fan of travel novels but I loved this one and the places the characters visited.

The book made me cry, several times, but also laugh and swoon in equal measure.

I can only recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and believes in second chances.

Emma and Callum have history, and they never intended to run into each other again...much less be stuck in a small van travelling together for several days, forcing them to rehash the past and move forward. I was not as much a fan of this story as the introductory blurb led me to believe I would be, based on my love of romcoms. It wasn't predictable, so that wasn't it, but I just couldn't get into the characters. There was a lot of 'me' focus from each of the main characters that was interesting at first, but became annoying. One of the things I wasn't a fan of was the alcoholism...for anyone whom that is a trigger, just know that it's a big part of the underlying storyline.