brief summary:
francesca, gemma and leon are all on the way to barcelona for a wedding and they are all unhappy about it. when their flight has to emergency land in france due to the weather, they are forced to spend the night in the airport together until their flight out to barcelona. in this time they share their reasons for not wanting the wedding to go ahead and get to know eachother.

this book is promoted as a romance but it honestly is secondary in most of the story and doesn't start until late into the book. i REALLY enjoyed it! i loved that we were in all 3 perspectives and that there were so many back stories and connections between them. i would 100% recommend.

This was a mixed bag for me. I started off hating everyone and, whilst Gemma, Francesca and Leon grew on me I didn't LOVE any of them. 3 narratives in a short book made it hard to fully connect with the characters.

I did enjoy the story, but overall it was just fine.

The Layover was a quick, fun read with an engaging plot and layered characters.

The story follows Francesca, Gemma, and Leon—three strangers who bond over their shared goal of stopping the same wedding. When their flight is delayed, they spend ten hours plotting, questioning their motives, and realizing revenge may not be as satisfying as they thought.

Gemma is blunt and confident, seeking revenge on Kayleigh, a toxic friend who stole her wedding idea, flat, and promotion. Leon, Kayleigh’s brother, struggles with loyalty, torn between family expectations and the truth about his sister. Francesca, the least compelling of the trio, is convinced Marcus (the groom) is her soulmate, despite evidence to the contrary.

While the pacing dragged at times, the book had entertaining moments and a surprising, humorous plot twist at the end. However, the lack of closure—especially regarding Kayleigh’s actions—left me unsatisfied. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

3 separate people who are all ultimately trying to sabotage the same wedding find themselves banded together, when their plane ferrying them to the destination unexpectedly needs to detour. What could possibly go wrong?

I was initially drawn into this for its fun sounding plot but this actually has a lot of emotional depth. It looks at self worth, confidence and manipulative relationships among other things. It was nice to see the characters have fun moments such as boozy airport picnics but was also great to see them talk about insecurities, how friends can belittle you, how it’s hard to go against the norm.

Thanks to the publisher for my copy via Netgalley.

Thanks to the publisher for the chance to read this book in advance.
**DNF
I was really curious about this book, because the premises seemed fun. Unfortunately, since the very beginning, I wasn't very fond of the main characters. I totally understand their motivations (and the bride and the groom are absolutely the worst!), but the author wasn't able (for me) to make me fully empathize with them. It was like looking this story through a thick glass, instead of being totally into it, and I gradually got bored. Same for the romance. It was a sort of background element and it missed something to become memorable to my eyes and at the end I just lost interest to go on.

The Layover by Beth Reekles is the first novel I've read by this author although she is well established in the romance genre.
It tells the story of Gemma, Leon and Francesca, three relative strangers all trying to get to the destination of their friends (or sister) Kayleigh and Marcus.
Due to crazy weather, their flight from London to Barcelona is re-routed then grounded at Paris Orly Airport, and the trio need to pass the time before they are allowed to leave again at a yet unspecified time.
During the first third of the novel, i thought there couldn't be legs that would propel this through the remainder of the story and couldn't quite believe that there was still so much of the book left to go. However, Reekles is very clever, just giving enough drama and emotion to keep her reader guessing and turning the pages. The chapters vary from the perspective of each of Leon, Gemma and Francesca and the secrets they are all holding on to begin to unravel as the night they spend in the airport unfolds..
I really enjoyed the twist at the end which had me giggling but I would have really liked an epilogue as well to see the bride and groom get what they really deserved too.
Better than 3.5 so rounded up to 4. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favourtie Quote: "It is not the first time we have had a fistfight between Disney parents. The first time it was over who was the better Genie, though"

A big thank you to the Little Brown Book Group and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Layover perfectly encapsulates the absolute lawlessness that reigns supreme during every airport wait. Gemma, Leon, and Fran are all heading for a dreaded destination wedding that they're all scheming to get cancelled. Each character has their own motivations, and differing viewpoints despite their common goal. Reekles somehow manages to get these characters to develop in amongst serious conversations, shopping and airport obstacle courses. I actually started this book with a lot of doubt in the first few chapters as I wanted to shake the characters but the more time I spent with them and got to see their own struggles and reasonings, and more importantly their growth I became so invested in the story. I enjoyed the found family camraderie which built up between the trio and the fact it feels like so much occurs in this book despite 90% of it taking place in the same airport terminal. By the end I was so glad for each character to have found their own sense of self-worth and realise that you can't always save every relationship in your life. Sometimes ending these is the best way to get what you truly deserve and this showed true for all our little gang!

Special shoutout to the Easter Eggs that had me giggling throughout when the ceremony reveal occurred.

4⭐

A wedding. The brother of the bride, the bridesmaid and the work wife stuck in an airport waiting for the weather to change so they can get to Barcelona... all going to the wedding with one similiar purpose. I won't spoil it.

I won't lie, it took me a while to get into the book but once I did I enjoyed it a lot. I enjoyed the different POV's. We got to know all the group and all the "baggage" they were carrying.

I was expection a fun and cute romace, and we got that and much more. Loved that it talks about topics like self worth, believing in yourself and how traumatic family and relationships can be.


This comes out June 2025. Perfect summer read to maybe it read during a layover, maybe even in France! :)

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and could not put it down!
Whilst it takes a while to warm to the characters, as they all come across as awful at the start, i came around to really like them and relate to them in a lot of ways.
The author does a good job of making one location not boring, and has clearly done her research on the airport!
My only criticism is the description. I wouldn't call this a romance, as there is actually very little romance, and takes a backseat to the character's individual development and growth throughout the book

Three strangers forced together by a delayed flight with one common goal - to stop the wedding.
This gave me early 2000's British rom-com vibes in the best way.
It took me a second to find my footing with the multiple pov changes straight out of the gate, but once I was in it, I was in it!
The characters are all flawed, distinct and *real* which I greatly appreciated. Incredibly funny at times and surprisingly moving at others, The Layover was a thoroughly enjoyable read.
3.5 stars

Thank you for the e arc.

This was such a nice fun quick read. I loved the flawed layered personalities of all 3 characters. Spent the whole book laughing read within 24 hours! Highly recommend especially after a heavy book

3.75☆

This was a quick, and fun read!

I really enjoyed the plot, as well as most of the characters (not you, Kayleigh).

This book is centred around three characters, Francesca, Gemma, and Leon. They all want to stop or ruin the same wedding. When their flight is delayed, they spend ten hours plotting, getting to know each other, and understanding that maybe their revenge won’t feel so sweet.

I enjoyed the characterisation of Gemma, Francesca, and Leon. They all had layers to their personalities, and valid reasons to want to stop the wedding.

Gemma. She is a very confident and blunt woman. She seeks revenge because Kayleigh has taken her wedding idea, her flat, and now her promotion that she set up. Kayleigh has been a terrible friend.

Leon, the poor thing, is Kayleigh’s brother, and is trying to break up the wedding because their family think Marcus (the groom) is a bad fit for Kayleigh. He’s torn between holding on to the hope that his sister actually is a good person and doing as his Nana told him, and then figuring out that maybe there is a reason Kayleigh has been blowing off the family, and has suddenly turned into a mean person.

And Francesca. I understand her the least. I honestly thought she was delusional, and a pushover. She believes Marcus is the love of her life, and wants to confess to him, thinking he’ll choose her over his bride. Honestly, I didn’t care much for her character and at times she was annoying with how she was constantly defending Marcus, even when given other peoples’ perspectives of him.

Honestly, I was not satisfied with the ending. I wish we could’ve seen the aftermath of everything, and the effects of Kayleigh being a mean person. I would’ve enjoyed seeing her get what she deserves, and see her struggle as a consequence of her own actions.

Also, this book mentioned Nesta and ACOTAR multiple times, and given I hate that series and the author is a Zionist, I did not like that.

Overall, this was a fun read (some parts felt slow in terms of pace) and there’s a funny plot twist at the end which I laughed at.

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was fun and easy to read. The characters really grow on you and you will be hooked. Great storyline.

In a fun twist on a common trope - forced proximity - the story follows Gemma, Leon and Francesca.

Gemma, the maid of honour, wants to get even with the bride. Leon wants to save his sister from a disastrous marriage. Francesca wants to win back the groom. When bad weather forces them into a ten-hour layover, their plans collide—giving them just enough time to scheme, sabotage, and stop the wedding.

A delayed flight won’t stop them from crashing the wedding of the year…

Honestly by the time I was half way through I really wanted Kayleigh and Marcus to get their just desserts and a ruined wedding.

I like how each chapter is told from one of our three character's perspectives and each segment of the book is 'x' hours until the wedding - it works well. Especially as each character has their own distinct voice and personality.

I will say all the characters are flawed but initially I found Gemma just unlikeable. However they all develop as the story progresses.

The story is easy to read and has steady pacing, maybe a little slow in the beginning. If you're looking for an enjoyable and easy read - this is a good one.

The end felt a little anticlimactic but was actually very satisfying.

I saw this marketed as a romcom but it's more a somewhat comedic tale of unexpected friendship and self discovery which is lovely.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Beth Reekles' The Layover starts off slow, but once it finds its rhythm, the story becomes much more engaging. The second half, in particular, picks up the pace, making it hard to put down.

One of the highlights of the book is the triple POV, allowing readers to see the unfolding events from multiple perspectives. This added depth to the characters and their interactions, making their emotions and decisions feel more layered and real. Francesca and Leon have a natural chemistry that makes their moments together really enjoyable, while Gemma… well, she deserves better in life. Makes me sad we didn't see more of her.

Overall, The Layover is a solid read with an interesting structure and a rewarding second half. If you enjoy multiple POV romances and slow-burn storytelling, this might be worth checking out.

I read an ARC. My opinions and thoughts are my own.

Firstly, thank you so much to Netgalley & Little Brown Book Group, UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

If I'm really honest, I disliked all 3 characters until about 40% in - I feel this may be intentional though? It's all part of the character development! They were either mean, b*itchy or miserable - quite a trio! I understand they were having a bad day, but still! Despite this, I found that I wanted to keep reading to see where it ended up & I'm so glad I carried on.

The growth of the 3 main characters from start to finish was huge & I found myself completely changing my opinion on them all once we learned why they are the way they are. It shows us we should never judge a book by its cover because we never know what's going on in people's lives... However, Kayleigh is definitely a bad egg and you can't change my mind on that!

Overall, a good story with a different storyline & the cover is beautiful!

a quick witted book of gemma, wanting to get revenge on her so called “best friends” wedding to her crush … until she meets her best friends brother, whilst on a delayed flight.

a lot of the characters in the book are deeply flawed which makes the story an interesting read. i loved how they all bonded with each other throughout the story.

this was a really cute story of relationships developing when you least expect it. my only complaint is the ending felt slightly abrupt.

Gemma, Leon and Francesca are desperately trying to stop the same wedding for varying reasons but are stuck in a long layover.

The Layover is a fun and breezy page turner that had me chuckling at times and turning the pages quickly. I liked the slow reveal behind each character's rationale for their motivations. At first they come off as a big unhinged, but then, slowly, as we see the marrying couple through their eyes I couldn't help but root for them. I was certainly kept guessing how it would resolve (Reekles sticks the landing).

A sharply written ensemble comedy that had me cheering all three character's growth arc.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK, Sphere and NetGalley for the ARC.

Gemma, Francesca and Leon all have their own reasons for not wanting this farce of a wedding to go ahead but when a freak storm grounds them with in an airport with no other familiar faces around they swap stories and reality sinks in.

Good bits? The humour in the book. Little snippets that caught me off guard and mad me laugh out loud.

The bad? The characters unfortunately were not all that memorable. Or redeemable.

The Layover by Beth Reekles

⭐⭐⭐.5/5

I've not read anything by this author but this was a quick funny book to read. You meet the main trio in an airport as they wait for their flight to a destination wedding. Each character is connected to the bride and groom, and each one of them has certain motives to ruin the wedding. This premise in itself makes for an exciting and somewhat rom com read. At first their motivations appear morally grey but you gradually start to connect with each of them. It was a light hearted read perfect for the summer season.

Thank you to Little Brown Book and Netgalley for sending me the ARC.