This is my first book of Beth's and I loved the outline of the book from the moment I picked it up. This is a quick, easy read from Beth with characters that I wanted to keep reading about, The writing is in such a fun, entertaining way that keeps you hooked and wanting to keep reading about the schemes of the three.

Looking forward to more books by Beth. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance reader copy.

This is such a fun and relatable read.
It’s a romance book but it’s also about friendship and family relationships too.

Three people, all bound for the same wedding, find themselves stranded at an airport, unaware that they each have their own secret plan to stop the ceremony.

I really enjoyed reading all three different POV and the references to films (Harry Potter), TV shows (hello the Vulture from Brooklyn 99) and even MSN made the millennial in me feel more connected to the characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and I felt invested in the characters. It seems to be an odd choice to have the maid of honour, brother of the bride and the groom’s work wife all stuck together but it worked and just showed how we can often misjudge people.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early.

I had a good time with this one! The triple POV worked well overall—it gave the story some nice depth and allowed space for each character’s backstory and perspective to unfold. That said, I did find all three main characters a bit irritating at times (Kayleigh in particular is a lot, and Marcus definitely gave me the ick), but somehow I was still rooting for them to figure things out. Maybe not happily-ever-after exactly… but something.

The writing style is accessible and easy to get into, even if some of the dialogue felt a little stiff here and there. The pacing dipped in spots, but not enough to throw me off.

It’s worth noting that although this is marketed as a romance, the romantic plot is definitely more of a slow build and takes a backseat for much of the book. That didn’t bother me too much, but it’s something to be aware of going in.

Overall, a fun, readable story with some great character connections and layered perspectives. I’d recommend it if you enjoy contemporary fiction with a light romantic thread.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed the triple POV and while I found all three characters slightly irritating at times, I was generally rooting for them. Kayleigh is an absolute piece of work, and Marcus made my skin crawl, so I’m a bit gutted that more didn’t go wrong for them in the end.
The writing style was good and, although at points I felt the pacing was a bit slow and some dialogue was a bit stilted, I found this easy to read.
My main issue was that the romance felt a little rushed at the end, it was built up well but Fran’s seemed to get over Marcus quite abruptly in the end.
I also would have liked an epilogue to see how the three characters ended up a few months to a year after the wedding.

Thanks to Little Brown Book Company and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Layover is a quick, fairly easy read where three individuals heading to the same wedding get stranded overnight in France. There is a bit of romance and a lot of introspection, and a satisfying amount of character development. Not a book I'd go back to, but I did really enjoy it while I was reading!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

While I liked the idea of the story, I don't think the execution of it was the best.
The ending was very anticlimactic and at points the wiring style of this author was not enjoyable, although I can see growth from it,
The book also makes several pop culture references which I did not find funny and will date the book by the end of this year.

Imagine three people, not perfect, right? They're kinda messed up. But, get this, they become friends! Like, real friends. They learn what it means to actually be friends.

It was funny! And I could see myself in them. Also, they talked about hard stuff, like people who are bad for you, but in a light way.

The people in the story felt real, like people you know. And the story itself? It was like a puzzle, but a good one!

I thought the premise of this sounded really fun, but although I enjoyed part of this book - it ultimately just didn’t work for me.

I liked the airport setting, and I liked how we kind of got snippets of each of the three main characters and their plans to sabotage the wedding - I think it was paced well and I was definitely intrigued to see how it all panned out. There were some really fun parts of their layover at the airport that had me giggling: the picnic, the obstacle course especially.

My main issue with the story was that there was no action taken for the bride and groom in the end? I just felt like there was so much build up about how terrible they were and then they just…lived happily ever after I guess? Bit anticlimactic?

I also felt like there story ended at a weird point, it would’ve been nice to have an epilogue showing where all the characters ended up.

The pop culture references really gave me the ick too, there was SO MANY (Brooklyn 99, Taylor Swift, TikTok, Vines, ACOTAR, Harry Potter, Dua Lipa).

This was an entertaining read overall, and I did devour it pretty quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Little Brown Book Group for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

a big thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
unfortunately, this story was not for me… I didn’t really connect with the characters and the plot line didn’t really effect me.

Ah I loved this book! It might be my favourite Beth Reekles book so far!

I’m a sucker for a dual PoV so having three was even better 🤣

Grumpy x sunshine is one of my favourite tropes and this was executed brilliantly, making me laugh out loud too.

Perfect holiday read!!

This was such an entertaining read.
We have three different characters, all with their flaws who come together in the most unexpected way to form a friendship that makes them realize what the meaning of a true friendship is!
Very funny, very relatable. A slightly entertaining way to talk about heavy topics such as toxic people and toxic relations.
The characters are raw and realistic and the plot is intricate in the best way possible.

Okay, I loved this book! Seriously, I could not put it down. It was fun, chaotic, and full of drama in the best way possible.

The premise is so entertaining—three strangers, all on a mission to crash the same wedding for completely different reasons, get stuck together during a ten-hour layover. Gemma, Leon, and Francesca don’t seem like they’d click at all at first. Honestly, they’re all a bit unlikeable in their own ways. But as their stories unfold, their shared goal bonds them, and suddenly, they make the perfect (if slightly dysfunctional) little team. Their dynamic was one of the best parts of the book!

At first, this seems like your typical lighthearted romcom, but there’s actually way more emotional depth than I expected. Each character brings something personal to the table—self-worth, complicated family relationships, regrets. It makes you root for all of them, even though technically, they’re all trying to sabotage a wedding! Seeing everything from their POVs really added to the story, making each of their motivations feel real and justified.

The pacing? Perfect. This book flies by (pun intended). But the ending… I have thoughts. Leon and Francesca’s stories wrapped up nicely, but what about Gemma? What happened between her and Kayleigh?! Did Kayleigh get what she deserved?? I need answers!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and Beth Reekles for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

‘The Layover’ is a well paced, light hearted read that I had a great time reading. I really enjoyed the unique setting, which is what initially drew me to the book. We all have such a love/hate relationship with airports, and it was a great place to produce a twist on the forced proximity trope, and to nurture the relationships between our three main characters.

Gemma, Leon and Francesca all happen to be travelling to Barcelona for a wedding that they want to stop for different reasons. Unfortunately, they get stuck at Orly airport in France due to bad weather conditions.

The reader is able to experience this page turner through their three POV’s, as events tick steadily on in a countdown to the ceremony time. We are here to find out more about why all three of them want to stop this wedding - and during this process we learn more about the lives of each character in relation to the bride, Kayleigh.

I was pleasantly surprised to read a nice mix of laughable, sad and relatable moments in this book. It flowed very nicely from start to finish and although I was personally a tad disappointed at the conclusion of the ‘event that we were waiting for’, it was a somewhat satisfying conclusion. Gemma, Leon and Francesca are characters which are multilayered and ‘real’. What I mean by this is that there are moments where you don’t like them, and over time you change your mind. It makes for a very ‘human’ story, which made it all the more enjoyable.

If you like character development, pop culture references, a sprinkle of romance and an all-round fun journey then this is the book for you! Definitely recommend.

Just a little positive note about the ARC cover too, which I adore! The little references to each character on it are wonderful!

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⭐