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The Lucky Escape
‘It whisked me away on a much-needed holiday’ Beth O’Leary ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me forget I had a phone’ Stacey Halls ‘What an absolute delight!’ Emily Henry ____________________________________ One cancelled wedding When the day finally comes for Annie to marry Alexander, the last thing she expects is to be left standing at the altar. She was so sure he was Mr Right. Now, she has no idea how she could have got it so wrong. One unexpected encounter After a chance meeting with Patrick, an old friend who reminds her of who she used to be, Annie takes a vow of her she’ll say yes to every opportunity that comes her way from now on. One spare ticket for the honeymoon Could a spontaneous trip with Patrick be the way to mend Annie’s heart? She’s about to find out as she embarks on her honeymoon – with a man who’s not her husband…
____________________________________ Praise for The Lucky Escape : ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me forget I had a phone. Pure escapist fiction !’ STACEY HALLS , author of Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick The Familiars ‘ The Lucky Escape is Laura's best book yet. It whisked me away on a much-needed holiday – this is exactly the book we all need right now !’ BETH O’LEARY , Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flatshare and The Road Trip ‘ What an absolute delight ! A romantic, relaxing, inspiring not-quite-honeymoon in book form, with a surprising emotional heft behind it. I love it!’ EMILY HENRY , New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read ‘Smart and funny. The perfect escape .’ SARAH MORGAN , bestselling author of The Summer Seekers ‘This was exactly the escapist book I've been craving . Full of fun and charm, I'd recommend it to anyone wishing to be whisked away by an utterly feel-good love story .’ HOLLY MILLER , author of Richard & Judy Bookclub Pick The Sight of You
____________________________________ Praise for The Lucky Escape : ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me forget I had a phone. Pure escapist fiction !’ STACEY HALLS , author of Sunday Times bestseller and Richard & Judy Book Club Pick The Familiars ‘ The Lucky Escape is Laura's best book yet. It whisked me away on a much-needed holiday – this is exactly the book we all need right now !’ BETH O’LEARY , Sunday Times bestselling author of The Flatshare and The Road Trip ‘ What an absolute delight ! A romantic, relaxing, inspiring not-quite-honeymoon in book form, with a surprising emotional heft behind it. I love it!’ EMILY HENRY , New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read ‘Smart and funny. The perfect escape .’ SARAH MORGAN , bestselling author of The Summer Seekers ‘This was exactly the escapist book I've been craving . Full of fun and charm, I'd recommend it to anyone wishing to be whisked away by an utterly feel-good love story .’ HOLLY MILLER , author of Richard & Judy Bookclub Pick The Sight of You
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 10, 2021
165 people are currently reading
12383 people want to read
About the author
Laura Jane Williams
27 books690 followersLaura Jane Williams (she/her) is known as the queen of the meet-cute. She is the author of six rom-coms, as well as the forthcoming Lovestruck (June 2023). She is also the author of three works of non-fiction.
The rights to Laura's international bestseller Our Stop have been sold for television, and her books have been translated into languages all over the world. She loves romance, being a parent, and lifting very heavy weights.
Find out more about Laura on www.laurajaneauthor.com
The rights to Laura's international bestseller Our Stop have been sold for television, and her books have been translated into languages all over the world. She loves romance, being a parent, and lifting very heavy weights.
Find out more about Laura on www.laurajaneauthor.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,241 reviews
February 8, 2022
After reading the blurb about heroine who gets ditched at the alter and accepts to go to fully paid all exclusive Australian honeymoon with her charming old friend, I high five-d myself and thought I would have a sweet, entertaining romcom experience! But... I got a little disappointed!
If you want to know: at first I have to admit: this is not a bad reading experience. There are so many positive attributes that I fully enjoyed about the story: including side characters starting with heroine’s younger sweet sister, her friends who support her to move on after getting humiliated at her own wedding day. And honeymoon premise of the story, the chemistry between heroine and her old friend/ new potential love interest was flaming hot.
But of course there are so many things put this book at Switzerland border ( I called the books which I didn’t love or hate at the same time as let’s meet in the middle Switzerland reads)
First of all: I found Annie a little disturbing and indecisive. I couldn’t connect with her and her blurry life vision.
Patrick was so much caring, even though he swore not to marry again ( which we learned way too much late) I wish both of them not waste so much time to be together because it was obvious they were each other’s end game so why they procrastinated their HEA!
I was also hoping to read the honeymoon part of the story a little sooner. But it took me so many chapters to read for reaching that juicy part and it ended shortly. I wanted it so much longer. I could have given five stars only for that part of the book.
Overall: it was still well written story even though I didn’t like heroine so much and I thought after returning back to Australia, the book lost its direction and I also lost my interest a little bit because I already guessed the conclusion from the beginning. It was still better read than author’s previous works but I still stick with my three good but it could be better stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
If you want to know: at first I have to admit: this is not a bad reading experience. There are so many positive attributes that I fully enjoyed about the story: including side characters starting with heroine’s younger sweet sister, her friends who support her to move on after getting humiliated at her own wedding day. And honeymoon premise of the story, the chemistry between heroine and her old friend/ new potential love interest was flaming hot.
But of course there are so many things put this book at Switzerland border ( I called the books which I didn’t love or hate at the same time as let’s meet in the middle Switzerland reads)
First of all: I found Annie a little disturbing and indecisive. I couldn’t connect with her and her blurry life vision.
Patrick was so much caring, even though he swore not to marry again ( which we learned way too much late) I wish both of them not waste so much time to be together because it was obvious they were each other’s end game so why they procrastinated their HEA!
I was also hoping to read the honeymoon part of the story a little sooner. But it took me so many chapters to read for reaching that juicy part and it ended shortly. I wanted it so much longer. I could have given five stars only for that part of the book.
Overall: it was still well written story even though I didn’t like heroine so much and I thought after returning back to Australia, the book lost its direction and I also lost my interest a little bit because I already guessed the conclusion from the beginning. It was still better read than author’s previous works but I still stick with my three good but it could be better stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
May 24, 2021
Unfortunately this book is falling somewhere between 2-3 ⭐ for me.
There's things I did like about it - Annie is jilted on her wedding day and uses that as a wake-up call to improve her life and see the positive side to things.
It's a great premise but the execution is really messy.
Most of the characters are wishy-washy and hard to understand, but Annie is truly the most bizarre.
It's as if the author had half a dozen personality types in mind for her, but instead if choosing one, she mashed them all together into a single person.
As an example -
Annie has just bumped into a guy she hasn't seen in 20 years and they're at a gym's smoothie bar and he says...
" 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺'𝘴"........
" 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥, " 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. " 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺. "....... " 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, " 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. " 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺. 𝘚𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴. "
But then a couple of pages later....
𝘐 𝘨𝘭𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦.
" 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, " 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.
What?? She makes a point of being offended by the term LADY but apologizes when she considers herself to not being like a lady. It's weird.
Another example.....
𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.
Then later on the same page.....
𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.
So does Annie have a body-positve mind frame or is she the type who crash diets for her wedding? Who knows?! Either is fine with me but really, pick a lane.
This contradictory behaviour is repeated throughout the entire book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Released June 10
There's things I did like about it - Annie is jilted on her wedding day and uses that as a wake-up call to improve her life and see the positive side to things.
It's a great premise but the execution is really messy.
Most of the characters are wishy-washy and hard to understand, but Annie is truly the most bizarre.
It's as if the author had half a dozen personality types in mind for her, but instead if choosing one, she mashed them all together into a single person.
As an example -
Annie has just bumped into a guy she hasn't seen in 20 years and they're at a gym's smoothie bar and he says...
" 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺'𝘴"........
" 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥, " 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. " 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺. "....... " 𝘖𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥, " 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. " 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺. 𝘚𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴. "
But then a couple of pages later....
𝘐 𝘨𝘭𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘺𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘦.
" 𝘚𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺, " 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.
What?? She makes a point of being offended by the term LADY but apologizes when she considers herself to not being like a lady. It's weird.
Another example.....
𝘐 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴.
Then later on the same page.....
𝘐'𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.
So does Annie have a body-positve mind frame or is she the type who crash diets for her wedding? Who knows?! Either is fine with me but really, pick a lane.
This contradictory behaviour is repeated throughout the entire book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.
Released June 10
February 6, 2022
Ein Albtraum für wohl jede Frau: direkt vor dem Traualtar sitzengelassen zu werden. Genau das passiert Annie hier im Buch. Alle Gäste sind da, die Braut ist da, der Bräutigam ist verschwunden... Hat sich abgesetzt nach Singapur, und Annie muss ihr Leben nun erst einmal neu ordnen.
In dieser Situation trifft sie wieder auf Patrick, einen Freund aus Jugendtagen. Die beiden erneuern ihre Freundschaft, und gemeinsam fliegen sie für drei Wochen nach Australien - das sollten eigentlich die Flitterwochen für Annie und Alexander werden...
In Australien ist alles traumhaft schön, und Annie und Patrick kommen sich näher, verlieben sich, doch kann diese neue Liebe auch im Alltag Bestand haben? Und was ist mit Alexander?
Eine romantische Komödie, eine humorvolle Romanze...? Hhm, so ganz übergesprungen ist der Funke bei mir nicht, aber das Buch hat mich doch ganz gut unterhalten.
Die Charaktere sind mir nicht ans Herz gewachsen, aber sympathisch waren sie mir schon. Leider hat mich die Geschichte aber nicht so berührt, wie ich es mir erhofft hatte. Manches Mal habe ich mich dabei ertappt, dass meine Gedanken nicht beim Buch bzw. bei der Geschichte waren. Aber eine schöne Unterhaltung war es allemal.
In dieser Situation trifft sie wieder auf Patrick, einen Freund aus Jugendtagen. Die beiden erneuern ihre Freundschaft, und gemeinsam fliegen sie für drei Wochen nach Australien - das sollten eigentlich die Flitterwochen für Annie und Alexander werden...
In Australien ist alles traumhaft schön, und Annie und Patrick kommen sich näher, verlieben sich, doch kann diese neue Liebe auch im Alltag Bestand haben? Und was ist mit Alexander?
Eine romantische Komödie, eine humorvolle Romanze...? Hhm, so ganz übergesprungen ist der Funke bei mir nicht, aber das Buch hat mich doch ganz gut unterhalten.
Die Charaktere sind mir nicht ans Herz gewachsen, aber sympathisch waren sie mir schon. Leider hat mich die Geschichte aber nicht so berührt, wie ich es mir erhofft hatte. Manches Mal habe ich mich dabei ertappt, dass meine Gedanken nicht beim Buch bzw. bei der Geschichte waren. Aber eine schöne Unterhaltung war es allemal.
May 16, 2022
This was a lighthearted, quick read. It was more slow paced than I would have liked and the storyline was lacking just a bit. The characters were okay but I didn’t feel myself connect to them at all. I didn’t feel the sparks and chemistry between Annie and Patrick. This book would be a good poolside read for someone looking for an easy, romance book. Overall, It was a decent read and I would give it 3 stars.
Thank you Net Galley and Harper 360 for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
Thank you Net Galley and Harper 360 for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.
July 17, 2021
I am so, so happy to report that I really enjoyed this latest installment from Laura Jane Williams! I had originally LOVED her first book, but her second left a lot to be desired for me so I was a little worried going into this one. Luckily (heh), this one ended up being pretty much exactly what I wanted and I am so happy that I read it! This ticked all of my vacation/honeymoon romance boxes, while also delving deep into the complexities of losing a loved one and it just worked really, really well for me. I definitely recommend if you're looking for a fun summer read that also has a little bit of emotional substance to it. Laura Jane Williams has absolute become and auto-read author for me now and I cannot wait to read whatever she comes out with next!
CW: death of a loved one, dieting, food shaming, toxic/unsupportive parental figures
CW: death of a loved one, dieting, food shaming, toxic/unsupportive parental figures
November 8, 2021
The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams is a contemporary romance novel. The story is somewhat one of a second chance romance but not quite as the couple in question did once know each other but not in a romantic way.
Annie is with her family getting ready for her wedding when the wedding planner tells her she has a message for Annie from her fiance, Alexander. You see, Alexander has decided he is not ready for marriage and passed that information on through the wedding planner leaving Annie at the altar alone.
Annie is of course devastated. Hiding away for days Annie doesn’t know what happened or why but eventually knows she needs to get on with her life. Annie decides to start a new exercise class where she runs into an old campmate. Patrick is fun to be around and doesn’t look at Annie with pity not knowing her current situation so when she needs a travel mate for her ruined honeymoon she invites Patrick along.
Being someone that loves to travel I love to also read about characters traveling so The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams immediately caught my attention. Now I’m not a huge fan of a rushed relationship where someone just ended something and immediately meets someone else but for a luxury trip I overlooked that fact in this book. The thing that brought my rating down to three and a half stars with this one really was there just wasn’t enough of the trip spending time leading up to it then it was over in a blink. Annie was also a bit scattered as a character but I’d like to think the author chose that personality due to the break up but otherwise this one was a nice read despite wanting more with the trip.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Annie is with her family getting ready for her wedding when the wedding planner tells her she has a message for Annie from her fiance, Alexander. You see, Alexander has decided he is not ready for marriage and passed that information on through the wedding planner leaving Annie at the altar alone.
Annie is of course devastated. Hiding away for days Annie doesn’t know what happened or why but eventually knows she needs to get on with her life. Annie decides to start a new exercise class where she runs into an old campmate. Patrick is fun to be around and doesn’t look at Annie with pity not knowing her current situation so when she needs a travel mate for her ruined honeymoon she invites Patrick along.
Being someone that loves to travel I love to also read about characters traveling so The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams immediately caught my attention. Now I’m not a huge fan of a rushed relationship where someone just ended something and immediately meets someone else but for a luxury trip I overlooked that fact in this book. The thing that brought my rating down to three and a half stars with this one really was there just wasn’t enough of the trip spending time leading up to it then it was over in a blink. Annie was also a bit scattered as a character but I’d like to think the author chose that personality due to the break up but otherwise this one was a nice read despite wanting more with the trip.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
June 10, 2021
This cover is absolutely delightful and made me want to read this book. But unfortunately, it misled me at the same time. Because I was expecting a light, funny romantic comedy, and this book is not exactly the one.
This is not only a romance, but also the story of Annie who, after being abandoned on her wedding day by her fiancé, tries to find herself and bring back the person she was as a young girl. It's a good story and a solid message, but that's not what I was expecting and that's not what I was looking for in this book.
Shortly after the failed wedding, Annie meets Patrick, who knew her at a time when she was much more self-confident and hard-charging. Unfortunately, Patrick is exactly the kind of hero that gets on my nerves. He's a goofball who makes silly jokes all the time. Annie finds it cute most of the time. I, unfortunately, find it irritating.
From the very beginning, we can clearly see that Patrick is into Annie. I know it's a romance novel, but I think he made a terrible time to hit on her. This girl had just been dumped by her longtime partner with whom she planned to spend the rest of her life. She clearly says that she doesn't need another relationship, but rather a friend. And here is Patrick making moves on her on the very first day of their “honeymoon”, on which they go together. Okay, she doesn't mind, but as a reader, I felt that she wasn't emotionally ready to really get into another relationship, at least intentionally. At least in the beginning, I couldn't help feeling that Patrick was just another way for Annie to deal with her love life situation, a phase in her dealing with the breakup, a replacement rather than not a serious relationship.
It's not a bad book, but unfortunately it wasn't a book for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is not only a romance, but also the story of Annie who, after being abandoned on her wedding day by her fiancé, tries to find herself and bring back the person she was as a young girl. It's a good story and a solid message, but that's not what I was expecting and that's not what I was looking for in this book.
Shortly after the failed wedding, Annie meets Patrick, who knew her at a time when she was much more self-confident and hard-charging. Unfortunately, Patrick is exactly the kind of hero that gets on my nerves. He's a goofball who makes silly jokes all the time. Annie finds it cute most of the time. I, unfortunately, find it irritating.
From the very beginning, we can clearly see that Patrick is into Annie. I know it's a romance novel, but I think he made a terrible time to hit on her. This girl had just been dumped by her longtime partner with whom she planned to spend the rest of her life. She clearly says that she doesn't need another relationship, but rather a friend. And here is Patrick making moves on her on the very first day of their “honeymoon”, on which they go together. Okay, she doesn't mind, but as a reader, I felt that she wasn't emotionally ready to really get into another relationship, at least intentionally. At least in the beginning, I couldn't help feeling that Patrick was just another way for Annie to deal with her love life situation, a phase in her dealing with the breakup, a replacement rather than not a serious relationship.
It's not a bad book, but unfortunately it wasn't a book for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 23, 2021
3 stars.
*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW :
True to its name, this book was a light-hearted travel rom-com that was much-needed amidst such dark times -- a lucky escape indeed.
Our protagonist, Annie, experiences a life-altering experience : being left at the altar. She is devastated & confused. Just then, life throws her a lifeline, an opportunity to reinvent herself by embarking on the honeymoon regardless. Alone? Of course not. 😉 This book follows Annie, not only on her honeymoon, but also her eventful journey towards self-love & self-discovery.
↪︎ This book transported me to the sandy beaches & iconic wineries of Australia all from the comfort of my bedroom. I loved THE ESCAPISM of it all. Probably my favourite part of the book. The travel aspect was invigorating, much amplified by the Annie's boundless enthusiasm. I loved Annie's relationship with Freddie, her little sister, & also with her friends, Core Four. It gave Annie a lot more depth as a character. Despite being an adult fiction novel, the characters felt very youthful, witty & animated.
↪︎ THE ROMANCE was so well set-up. The meet-cute was to die for. I loved the way Patrick was introduced. There were definitely moments that were squeal-worthy There was a bit of a slow-burn and I loved it! The writing was so easy to read, fun & fluffy. I really did breeze through the pages!
If you're looking for a quick, fun and light read, this is perfect!
↪︎ My main criticism would be the lack of development of the conflicts. The conflicts arose & were solved a little too quickly so it meant the book wasn’t as engaging as it could’ve been, especially as we approached the end. Although it is an escapist romance, I am a sucker for heavy conflicts & impassioned resolution so it lacked the OOMPH factor.
↪︎ Another main problem was Patrick. I loved him. He came out with a strong voice ; daring, bold & witty. Over the course of the book,I felt like he evolved into a plain Jane. He was perfect & all but began to fade into the background. By the end, it felt very much like Patrick was a supporting character to Annie, making him feel very 2D.
Overall, I would still recommend this book to lovers of rom-coms (specifically, Sophie Kinsella)! It is a great book to remind us of the joys that lie beyond this pandemic, so stay home, wear your masks & wash your hands!
〖 Follow me on Instagram (@shashaybooks)! 〗
Thank you so much Avon Books UK & Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are genuine & entirely my own.
-written on 9 June, 2021-
*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW :
"[...]Life's highs and life's lows are so entwined, the happiness and sorrow is so interconnected, that it's impossible to ever just be totally happy or totally sad. It's good and bad, light and dark."
True to its name, this book was a light-hearted travel rom-com that was much-needed amidst such dark times -- a lucky escape indeed.
Our protagonist, Annie, experiences a life-altering experience : being left at the altar. She is devastated & confused. Just then, life throws her a lifeline, an opportunity to reinvent herself by embarking on the honeymoon regardless. Alone? Of course not. 😉 This book follows Annie, not only on her honeymoon, but also her eventful journey towards self-love & self-discovery.
↪︎ This book transported me to the sandy beaches & iconic wineries of Australia all from the comfort of my bedroom. I loved THE ESCAPISM of it all. Probably my favourite part of the book. The travel aspect was invigorating, much amplified by the Annie's boundless enthusiasm. I loved Annie's relationship with Freddie, her little sister, & also with her friends, Core Four. It gave Annie a lot more depth as a character. Despite being an adult fiction novel, the characters felt very youthful, witty & animated.
↪︎ THE ROMANCE was so well set-up. The meet-cute was to die for. I loved the way Patrick was introduced. There were definitely moments that were squeal-worthy There was a bit of a slow-burn and I loved it! The writing was so easy to read, fun & fluffy. I really did breeze through the pages!
If you're looking for a quick, fun and light read, this is perfect!
↪︎ My main criticism would be the lack of development of the conflicts. The conflicts arose & were solved a little too quickly so it meant the book wasn’t as engaging as it could’ve been, especially as we approached the end. Although it is an escapist romance, I am a sucker for heavy conflicts & impassioned resolution so it lacked the OOMPH factor.
↪︎ Another main problem was Patrick. I loved him. He came out with a strong voice ; daring, bold & witty. Over the course of the book,I felt like he evolved into a plain Jane. He was perfect & all but began to fade into the background. By the end, it felt very much like Patrick was a supporting character to Annie, making him feel very 2D.
Overall, I would still recommend this book to lovers of rom-coms (specifically, Sophie Kinsella)! It is a great book to remind us of the joys that lie beyond this pandemic, so stay home, wear your masks & wash your hands!
〖 Follow me on Instagram (@shashaybooks)! 〗
Thank you so much Avon Books UK & Netgalley for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are genuine & entirely my own.
-written on 9 June, 2021-
June 22, 2021
This is a Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit/Romance. I have to say I found this book to be very slow moving, and I also found this book like a lot of other romance books. This book I found just ok. The characters did not pop off the page. I just wanted more from this book. I listen to the audiobook for this book, and I really think the narrator did a good job with the audiobook. I was kindly provided an e-audiobook of this book by the publisher (Avon) or author (Laura Jane Williams) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.
August 17, 2021
Didn't I already read this newly released 2021 book?
Kind of, sort of.
THE LUCKY ESCAPE and Christina Lauren's THE UNHONEYMOONERS (2019) share a very, very, very, very similar "bride left at the altar, goes on the honeymoon, falls in love with her honeymoon traveling companion" premise.
Cheers to Christina Lauren for showing us that a "bride left at the altar" premise could work with a well-orchestrated plotline.
THE LUCKY ESCAPE started off strong. The book's first three chapters were witty and compelling. The author did a brilliant job of portraying a "jilted bride wedding scene" and voicing the jilted bride's surprise and despair.
After Chapter 3, the book took a huge nosedive. The storyline dragged and lacked substance. The book's pacing was poor and uneven: Too many details were provided in some chapters while other chapters suffered from incomplete information.
The author's character development was shallow. I would have liked to hear more about the jilted bride's toxic relationship with her mother instead of just listening to her mother's caustic and disparaging remarks. The bride's teen sister acted like a 5-year old and sounded like one, too.
Also, I failed to "connect" with the jilted bride and her new love. When I FINALLY reached the last chapter, I still did not feel like I really "knew" the two MCs.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good, not great.
Unfortunately, THE LUCKY ESCAPE was not a "lucky escape" for me.
Perhaps I needed to be on a beach to enjoy this one.
Two stars rounded up.
Kind of, sort of.
THE LUCKY ESCAPE and Christina Lauren's THE UNHONEYMOONERS (2019) share a very, very, very, very similar "bride left at the altar, goes on the honeymoon, falls in love with her honeymoon traveling companion" premise.
Cheers to Christina Lauren for showing us that a "bride left at the altar" premise could work with a well-orchestrated plotline.
THE LUCKY ESCAPE started off strong. The book's first three chapters were witty and compelling. The author did a brilliant job of portraying a "jilted bride wedding scene" and voicing the jilted bride's surprise and despair.
After Chapter 3, the book took a huge nosedive. The storyline dragged and lacked substance. The book's pacing was poor and uneven: Too many details were provided in some chapters while other chapters suffered from incomplete information.
The author's character development was shallow. I would have liked to hear more about the jilted bride's toxic relationship with her mother instead of just listening to her mother's caustic and disparaging remarks. The bride's teen sister acted like a 5-year old and sounded like one, too.
Also, I failed to "connect" with the jilted bride and her new love. When I FINALLY reached the last chapter, I still did not feel like I really "knew" the two MCs.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was good, not great.
Unfortunately, THE LUCKY ESCAPE was not a "lucky escape" for me.
Perhaps I needed to be on a beach to enjoy this one.
Two stars rounded up.
May 25, 2021
After being left at the alter by her long-term partner Alexander, Annie embarks on her would-be honeymoon with an old friend. They flirt, try to heal from their pasts, fall in love, etc, etc. This is all fine and dandy and something I would've usually loved, but I wasn't a fan of the romance in this book. Their personalities and beliefs are inconsistent (often in order to create drama), their communication skills leave a lot to be desired, and I didn't feel any chemistry between them. Like, at all.
The feminism and diversity also felt forced. These are both things I love to see in books, but it's painfully obvious when they're added just for the sake of seeming more inclusive. (At least it's better than having no diversity, I guess?)
And what millennial doesn't know what GTG means? Did Annie have no internet presence whatsoever until adulthood?!
Overall, this book was okay. It's a light tale of self-discovery and, although it's not exactly my cup of tea, I'd recommend it to those wanting a fun, quick read.
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review :)
The feminism and diversity also felt forced. These are both things I love to see in books, but it's painfully obvious when they're added just for the sake of seeming more inclusive. (At least it's better than having no diversity, I guess?)
And what millennial doesn't know what GTG means? Did Annie have no internet presence whatsoever until adulthood?!
Overall, this book was okay. It's a light tale of self-discovery and, although it's not exactly my cup of tea, I'd recommend it to those wanting a fun, quick read.
Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review :)
August 8, 2021
Blog Review: https://trishadoeseverythingbutstudy2...
I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review:
I really enjoyed it!
I'll be honest, this book was probably too fast on a lot of fronts, but since I listened to all of it, and listened to it over 7 days (it usually does not take me this long to get through books), it seemed a lot slower to me, which is probably what added to my enjoyment of this book. I can guarantee that the insta-love would have irritated me a lot more had I read this.
I loved the premise of this; I really need some escapism in my life right now, having been cheated out of so many vacations by now, and this really delivered on that front. The audiobook did an amazing job really immersing me into Australia, and now I really want to visit the places I read about some time after this pandemic.
The romance was something I wasn't completely keen on? Like yeah, I get where this was coming from, but I had numerous bones to pick it.
The first and foremost was that why would a woman invite a man she hasn't known for some 20 years, and at the 20 years past time we're talking about was when they were children, with her on a vacation. Disregarding all the issues about not knowing the person, why does she not have any care for her safety? Do people really invite long lost friends to expensive honeymoons?
The second issue I had was that the vacation didn't actually take as much of the book as I had been hoping and expecting it to take up. We came back to real life pretty fast, and we spent quite a lot of time in London after, and before the vacation. While I stand by the opinion that this did wonders for the story, making it more realistic and plausible by exploring all the downsides to a whirlwind relationship, I was also promised a getaway, and the synopsis makes you think that that getaway would start within the first 10-20% of the book, and end near 90%, which is not exactly what happened.
Another issue I had, which is more a personal failing, was the dealing with grief part. I personally avoid books that deal with grief unless I'm in the correct mindset for it and actually go out and request the book despite it. So, the whole grief aspect really threw me off because I was not expecting it. Still, I felt it was done very well, and did not make me feel as depressed and awful as I sometimes end up feeling with books that deal with grief.
Now, the romance itself: I was completely happy with this not remaining a romance, okay? I get that I only picked this up for the romance, but some halfway though this, I really only wanted the friendship. The romance didn't even take up as much of the book as I expected it to, and so it didn't feel as authentic and enjoyable to me.
I loved the friend group that Annie had, her relationship with her family (more or less excluding her mother, more on that later); I really enjoyed the platonic and supportive friendships this book had, even with Annie's sister Freddie, who was probably my favourite character. Which is also one of the reasons I only wanted Patrick's relationship with Annie to stay a friendship, because this book was really doing good with that.
Now, Annie's relationship with her mother: I did enjoy their journey, but I didn't completely love the resolution of it? I related quite a bit to it, and sometimes I was even agreeing with her mother because she was making sense, like in the instances of when she said Annie's romance was too fast. Still, I didn't completely love that she didn't completely understand how hard she was making Annie's life, how hard she had made Annie's childhood. Everyone has a slightly difficult relationship with their mothers, I think that's just the way it is; we will always disagree on something under the sun. So, that was very relatable, but the resolution of their fight was a bit underwhelming.
I also think that Patrick forgave Annie a bit too fast, because she was seriously messing up her relationship with him and definitely not being sensitive (which I'm glad she realised it later), but I would have liked a bit more hammering into Annie's head.
I simply loved the audiobook narration, I will definitely be checking out more books with the narrator, Carrie Hope Fletcher, the pacing was absolutely perfect (I usually have to speed up the narration for me to not get distracted, but this was the perfect pacing), and I loved the way different voices were done, because it really let me have different voices in my head. Even now, when I reread my status updates to write this review, I could recall to astonishing detail the way those dialogues were said the first time I listened to them.
On the whole, an amazing book, with much-needed escapism and awesomely done found family and friendships. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys vacation rom-coms, focus on mental health, books dealing with grief, and do check out the audiobook if you can, it's worth it.
Pre-reading update #2:
I just got approved for the audiobook too, so now I can read and listen at the same time when I walk, which is going to be an amazing experience because a) I can just listen, and b) my review ratio will benefit from this a lot.
Pre-reading update #1:
I actually got approved for this a couple days back, but because I got distracted *cough*fanfiction*cough*, I forgot to update GR with it. Can't wait to start!
I received a free e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Review:
I really enjoyed it!
I'll be honest, this book was probably too fast on a lot of fronts, but since I listened to all of it, and listened to it over 7 days (it usually does not take me this long to get through books), it seemed a lot slower to me, which is probably what added to my enjoyment of this book. I can guarantee that the insta-love would have irritated me a lot more had I read this.
I loved the premise of this; I really need some escapism in my life right now, having been cheated out of so many vacations by now, and this really delivered on that front. The audiobook did an amazing job really immersing me into Australia, and now I really want to visit the places I read about some time after this pandemic.
The romance was something I wasn't completely keen on? Like yeah, I get where this was coming from, but I had numerous bones to pick it.
The first and foremost was that why would a woman invite a man she hasn't known for some 20 years, and at the 20 years past time we're talking about was when they were children, with her on a vacation. Disregarding all the issues about not knowing the person, why does she not have any care for her safety? Do people really invite long lost friends to expensive honeymoons?
The second issue I had was that the vacation didn't actually take as much of the book as I had been hoping and expecting it to take up. We came back to real life pretty fast, and we spent quite a lot of time in London after, and before the vacation. While I stand by the opinion that this did wonders for the story, making it more realistic and plausible by exploring all the downsides to a whirlwind relationship, I was also promised a getaway, and the synopsis makes you think that that getaway would start within the first 10-20% of the book, and end near 90%, which is not exactly what happened.
Another issue I had, which is more a personal failing, was the dealing with grief part. I personally avoid books that deal with grief unless I'm in the correct mindset for it and actually go out and request the book despite it. So, the whole grief aspect really threw me off because I was not expecting it. Still, I felt it was done very well, and did not make me feel as depressed and awful as I sometimes end up feeling with books that deal with grief.
Now, the romance itself: I was completely happy with this not remaining a romance, okay? I get that I only picked this up for the romance, but some halfway though this, I really only wanted the friendship. The romance didn't even take up as much of the book as I expected it to, and so it didn't feel as authentic and enjoyable to me.
I loved the friend group that Annie had, her relationship with her family (more or less excluding her mother, more on that later); I really enjoyed the platonic and supportive friendships this book had, even with Annie's sister Freddie, who was probably my favourite character. Which is also one of the reasons I only wanted Patrick's relationship with Annie to stay a friendship, because this book was really doing good with that.
Now, Annie's relationship with her mother: I did enjoy their journey, but I didn't completely love the resolution of it? I related quite a bit to it, and sometimes I was even agreeing with her mother because she was making sense, like in the instances of when she said Annie's romance was too fast. Still, I didn't completely love that she didn't completely understand how hard she was making Annie's life, how hard she had made Annie's childhood. Everyone has a slightly difficult relationship with their mothers, I think that's just the way it is; we will always disagree on something under the sun. So, that was very relatable, but the resolution of their fight was a bit underwhelming.
I also think that Patrick forgave Annie a bit too fast, because she was seriously messing up her relationship with him and definitely not being sensitive (which I'm glad she realised it later), but I would have liked a bit more hammering into Annie's head.
I simply loved the audiobook narration, I will definitely be checking out more books with the narrator, Carrie Hope Fletcher, the pacing was absolutely perfect (I usually have to speed up the narration for me to not get distracted, but this was the perfect pacing), and I loved the way different voices were done, because it really let me have different voices in my head. Even now, when I reread my status updates to write this review, I could recall to astonishing detail the way those dialogues were said the first time I listened to them.
On the whole, an amazing book, with much-needed escapism and awesomely done found family and friendships. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys vacation rom-coms, focus on mental health, books dealing with grief, and do check out the audiobook if you can, it's worth it.
Pre-reading update #2:
I just got approved for the audiobook too, so now I can read and listen at the same time when I walk, which is going to be an amazing experience because a) I can just listen, and b) my review ratio will benefit from this a lot.
Pre-reading update #1:
I actually got approved for this a couple days back, but because I got distracted *cough*fanfiction*cough*, I forgot to update GR with it. Can't wait to start!
March 30, 2021
When Annie is set to marry her long term partner Alexander, the worst happens for a bride, he does not show and jilts her on her wedding day.
Trying to heal her broken heart, she takes up to fitness and joins a boot camp where she runs into an old friend. Patrick and Annie gel and she soon feels her heart mending day by day. A boozy day in the pub leads to Annie inviting Patrick on the honeymoon of a lifetime. Thats right, the honey moon she should have taken with Alexander. Will this bring them closer together or will it be a disaster waiting to happen?
I loved this book, and Laura Jane Williams is fast becoming my favourite author. I found myself literally laughing out loud and I love how I can envision everything she writes about. All of the characters were wonderful and likeable and I got “sex and the city” vibes with the core 4 friendship group.
I loved how the book explored a number of important relationships Annie had. Especially her Mum, who I found infuriating at times.
This is a book I would hands down recommend to anyone looking for a light hearted escape. I loved every minute.
Thank you Netgalley for sending me this copy in return for an honest review.
Trying to heal her broken heart, she takes up to fitness and joins a boot camp where she runs into an old friend. Patrick and Annie gel and she soon feels her heart mending day by day. A boozy day in the pub leads to Annie inviting Patrick on the honeymoon of a lifetime. Thats right, the honey moon she should have taken with Alexander. Will this bring them closer together or will it be a disaster waiting to happen?
I loved this book, and Laura Jane Williams is fast becoming my favourite author. I found myself literally laughing out loud and I love how I can envision everything she writes about. All of the characters were wonderful and likeable and I got “sex and the city” vibes with the core 4 friendship group.
I loved how the book explored a number of important relationships Annie had. Especially her Mum, who I found infuriating at times.
This is a book I would hands down recommend to anyone looking for a light hearted escape. I loved every minute.
Thank you Netgalley for sending me this copy in return for an honest review.
2021-releases-tbr
June 6, 2021Sooo this sounds like something I’d normally never pick up, but I’m reading books I normally won’t read these days, so maybe I guess? We shall see...
[Nothing against the book, it just isn’t the usual kind I’d read according to my reading taste :) ]
[Nothing against the book, it just isn’t the usual kind I’d read according to my reading taste :) ]
January 28, 2021
I would put The Lucky Escape in the "beach reads" column. It's light, frivolous, and there is not much to it. In fact, if you liked the first "Sex and the City" movie, you will love this book -- the first third of the book is textbook SATC, with the heroine (Annie) being left at the altar by the long-time boyfriend. There are lots of tears and convos with girlfriends and Annie's precocious 13-yr. old sister handing out advice worthy of a woman three times her age. And instead of NYC, our characters live in London.
What follows is fantastical to say the least: the erstwhile groom's parents encourage Annie to go on the paid-for-by-them honeymoon to Australia with a man she has connected with at a fitness class. They used to be in drama camp together twenty years prior, and he always had eyes for Annie. So they go to Australia, flirt a lot, they both act the fool, and end up between the sheets. And the sex scenes are graphic, unrealistic and nauseating. Annie and Patrick seemed to have consumed enough Spanish Fly for a dozen people.
The third segment of the book is the return from Australia and what happens to Annie and Patrick once they return to the "real world" in London. I was not impressed. They both were wishy-washy, fickle, non-communicative, and what conversations they did have were penultimately trite, shallow and selfish. Annie doesn't seem to know what she wants until she takes a self-help/empowerment course (miraculously fixing the terminally bad maternal relationship she endures.) In the meantime, she plays with a vulnerable man's emotions and behaves like an immature high-schooler. They both behave like high-schoolers to be clear. Goodness. I somehow made it to the end, and was so happy to have gotten there.
If you are a Kristin Hannah fan, but want a little less tragedy in your latest reading selection, this is a great choice for you. If you like the types of books I usually give 4 and 5-stars, then skip it.
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for my advance copy and for allowing me to give an honest review.
What follows is fantastical to say the least: the erstwhile groom's parents encourage Annie to go on the paid-for-by-them honeymoon to Australia with a man she has connected with at a fitness class. They used to be in drama camp together twenty years prior, and he always had eyes for Annie. So they go to Australia, flirt a lot, they both act the fool, and end up between the sheets. And the sex scenes are graphic, unrealistic and nauseating. Annie and Patrick seemed to have consumed enough Spanish Fly for a dozen people.
The third segment of the book is the return from Australia and what happens to Annie and Patrick once they return to the "real world" in London. I was not impressed. They both were wishy-washy, fickle, non-communicative, and what conversations they did have were penultimately trite, shallow and selfish. Annie doesn't seem to know what she wants until she takes a self-help/empowerment course (miraculously fixing the terminally bad maternal relationship she endures.) In the meantime, she plays with a vulnerable man's emotions and behaves like an immature high-schooler. They both behave like high-schoolers to be clear. Goodness. I somehow made it to the end, and was so happy to have gotten there.
If you are a Kristin Hannah fan, but want a little less tragedy in your latest reading selection, this is a great choice for you. If you like the types of books I usually give 4 and 5-stars, then skip it.
Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for my advance copy and for allowing me to give an honest review.
January 5, 2021
I received an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK.
I would give 2.5 stars if I could. This book was basically three parts: before the honeymoon, during and after. It started out a little slow and I had trouble getting into it. (It didn't help that the e-arc was not formatted properly for my kindle.) Then it got a lot better during the honeymoon portion, and fell completely and totally flat at the end. I felt like I read two different books. The first 70ish percent and then the last thirty.
Things I liked: Annie really did examine her life and she tried for a minute there (literally a minute). The sister was a fun character, and Adzo too. I liked seeing representation for queer and nonbinary people, there was a lot of that which I thought was refreshing.
Things I disliked: First, just one little thing: Annie gets this spectacular honeymoon for free and I kept expecting to meet the in-laws and sort of get this explained or at least see her really thank them, but it never happens except off-screen. That felt like a loose end.
Most of my beef with this story comes from a lack of consistency across pretty much every character.
This book tried, but I was really confused by the messaging (and the genre! Romance? WF?) at different points while reading it.
I would give 2.5 stars if I could. This book was basically three parts: before the honeymoon, during and after. It started out a little slow and I had trouble getting into it. (It didn't help that the e-arc was not formatted properly for my kindle.) Then it got a lot better during the honeymoon portion, and fell completely and totally flat at the end. I felt like I read two different books. The first 70ish percent and then the last thirty.
Things I liked: Annie really did examine her life and she tried for a minute there (literally a minute). The sister was a fun character, and Adzo too. I liked seeing representation for queer and nonbinary people, there was a lot of that which I thought was refreshing.
Things I disliked: First, just one little thing: Annie gets this spectacular honeymoon for free and I kept expecting to meet the in-laws and sort of get this explained or at least see her really thank them, but it never happens except off-screen. That felt like a loose end.
Most of my beef with this story comes from a lack of consistency across pretty much every character.
This book tried, but I was really confused by the messaging (and the genre! Romance? WF?) at different points while reading it.
May 20, 2021
This book was fun and cute. It’s a self discovery tale more than anything which was awesome to see. Annie life is turned upside down when she’s left at the alter, she decides to go on her honeymoon with an old friend.
The perfect beach read for summer.
I did find the story lacking in some way, I wanted to get to the honeymoon part sooner and the romance was frustrating in a lot of ways.
Let’s talk about the things I enjoyed.
The writing it flowed well. The side characters are awesome including Annie’s sister Freddie and Patrick.
While it lacked in some places it made up on heart and was a quick read for me, I’d pick up something else by this author in a heartbeat.
3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out on the 10th of June 2021.
I wanna thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
The perfect beach read for summer.
I did find the story lacking in some way, I wanted to get to the honeymoon part sooner and the romance was frustrating in a lot of ways.
Let’s talk about the things I enjoyed.
The writing it flowed well. The side characters are awesome including Annie’s sister Freddie and Patrick.
While it lacked in some places it made up on heart and was a quick read for me, I’d pick up something else by this author in a heartbeat.
3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out on the 10th of June 2021.
I wanna thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 22, 2021
I loved this book! If you are a fan of Laura Jane Williams you will love this book or if you're into RomComs.
I loved the slowish burn of Annie and Patrick and how the book kept me guessing until the end about whether of not they'd end up together. Usually with a romcom you can tell from the very begging however not this one!
I also really enjoyed Annies journey of self discovery throughout. By the end she is putting herself first and it is truly the love story of this book!
I loved the slowish burn of Annie and Patrick and how the book kept me guessing until the end about whether of not they'd end up together. Usually with a romcom you can tell from the very begging however not this one!
I also really enjoyed Annies journey of self discovery throughout. By the end she is putting herself first and it is truly the love story of this book!
Read
May 25, 2021DNFed, only read like 2 chapters but this was really boring. The female lead has no substance and I couldn't connect with her at all
May 10, 2021
Book release date 10th June 2021
The lucky escape a feel good romcom for all. Annie Is getting married little does she know her finance Alex isn't. So after Annie is informed by her wedding planner the wedding is off she ofcourse is a mess Skip forward she bumps into a friend from drama camp who she hasn't seen in 15 years but they get on really well, so when she drunkenly invites Patrick to go on her would be honey moon with her they think its a great idea. Post booze they decide to YOLO it and go As this is a romance book you can see where we are going with this storyline.
I really liked this book, Annie is such an incredible protagonist. She is smart beautiful funny and so much more yet she is so insecure. No one had ever praised her they have always pulled her down. So being able to read her transformation throughout this book is almost inspiring. Although Patrick is a huge influence I kinda liked the independent growth she does as well. Plus her inner monologue are so flipping funny I laughed so much throughout this book.
Annie's relationships with her Sister and the Fab Four (her friendship group) is the polar opposite to Alex or her mother these are healthy relationships and it Is great to read about how close a elder sister can be to a still young teen sister. Plus I loved the mix of the friendship group. Also how they come first before the men in their lives its great. Its also great that this friends are hilarious Plus they quoted one of my favourite Grey's Anatomy lines he might be dreamy but you're the sun. So that right from the very beginning was a great sign me and this book would get on well.
Patrick is a great male character. To start with I thought he was a creep but my opinion changed very quickly. I loved how encouraging and supportive he is to help guild Annie through her healing process. Plus he is hilarious like I was doubled over when his airport outfit is being described. Honestly I think I fell in love with him myself at that moment. He is such a funny character I appreciated that within what could be quite a depressing topic.
Would I recommend this book?
Yes I would. For an easy light hearted romantic comedy look no further the lucky escape is the perfect book for you. It has a bit of everything. I must say relatistically I would totally discourage any newly single woman to fly to Australia for a 3 week all expense paid holiday with a guy you knew at 15 and bump into at the gym 15 years later. So for Annie it will ofcourse not end in a serial killer situation but it could ha. Honestly the characters are relatable and that's what I often find is missing in this genre so I really loved this book for keeping it real.
Happy to rate this book 4 stars
Thank you to netgalley, Avon publishers and the very talented author Jane Williams for the digital advanced copy of the Lucky Escape. I would totally suggest that Annie and Patrick get their very own series because I want to read about milestones they hit. Title suggestions Happy go lucky, lucky lovers, luck runs out, all we need is luck, time to get lucks. Just a few ideas. Ha
The lucky escape a feel good romcom for all. Annie Is getting married little does she know her finance Alex isn't. So after Annie is informed by her wedding planner the wedding is off she ofcourse is a mess Skip forward she bumps into a friend from drama camp who she hasn't seen in 15 years but they get on really well, so when she drunkenly invites Patrick to go on her would be honey moon with her they think its a great idea. Post booze they decide to YOLO it and go As this is a romance book you can see where we are going with this storyline.
I really liked this book, Annie is such an incredible protagonist. She is smart beautiful funny and so much more yet she is so insecure. No one had ever praised her they have always pulled her down. So being able to read her transformation throughout this book is almost inspiring. Although Patrick is a huge influence I kinda liked the independent growth she does as well. Plus her inner monologue are so flipping funny I laughed so much throughout this book.
Annie's relationships with her Sister and the Fab Four (her friendship group) is the polar opposite to Alex or her mother these are healthy relationships and it Is great to read about how close a elder sister can be to a still young teen sister. Plus I loved the mix of the friendship group. Also how they come first before the men in their lives its great. Its also great that this friends are hilarious Plus they quoted one of my favourite Grey's Anatomy lines he might be dreamy but you're the sun. So that right from the very beginning was a great sign me and this book would get on well.
Patrick is a great male character. To start with I thought he was a creep but my opinion changed very quickly. I loved how encouraging and supportive he is to help guild Annie through her healing process. Plus he is hilarious like I was doubled over when his airport outfit is being described. Honestly I think I fell in love with him myself at that moment. He is such a funny character I appreciated that within what could be quite a depressing topic.
Would I recommend this book?
Yes I would. For an easy light hearted romantic comedy look no further the lucky escape is the perfect book for you. It has a bit of everything. I must say relatistically I would totally discourage any newly single woman to fly to Australia for a 3 week all expense paid holiday with a guy you knew at 15 and bump into at the gym 15 years later. So for Annie it will ofcourse not end in a serial killer situation but it could ha. Honestly the characters are relatable and that's what I often find is missing in this genre so I really loved this book for keeping it real.
Happy to rate this book 4 stars
Thank you to netgalley, Avon publishers and the very talented author Jane Williams for the digital advanced copy of the Lucky Escape. I would totally suggest that Annie and Patrick get their very own series because I want to read about milestones they hit. Title suggestions Happy go lucky, lucky lovers, luck runs out, all we need is luck, time to get lucks. Just a few ideas. Ha
Want to read
April 8, 2021Thank you so much for your interest in reviewing The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams.
Unfortunately, we've had to decline your request this time.
This title has proven extremely popular and we get so many requests every day that we're unable to approve everyone, but do keep requesting books you're interested in! We'll do our best to approve you in the future.
In the meantime, if you'd like to be the first to hear about our new NetGalley releases, follow us on Twitter @AvonBooksUK so you don't miss anything!
AHAHAHA
I hate Netgally for this! I hate the publishers but I still don't hate the book.
I'll be honest with y'all, after this got declined. I deleted my Netgally account because my self confidence was declining because of it<33
Unfortunately, we've had to decline your request this time.
This title has proven extremely popular and we get so many requests every day that we're unable to approve everyone, but do keep requesting books you're interested in! We'll do our best to approve you in the future.
In the meantime, if you'd like to be the first to hear about our new NetGalley releases, follow us on Twitter @AvonBooksUK so you don't miss anything!
AHAHAHA
I hate Netgally for this! I hate the publishers but I still don't hate the book.
I'll be honest with y'all, after this got declined. I deleted my Netgally account because my self confidence was declining because of it<33
dnf
August 5, 2021DNF @ 13%
The Lucky Escape wasn't terrible, it was just mediocre in the worst of ways. I felt absolutely no inclination to pick it up and I was bored while reading. Maybe it just takes a bit to get into it, but I don't really have the patience to wait for it.
The Lucky Escape wasn't terrible, it was just mediocre in the worst of ways. I felt absolutely no inclination to pick it up and I was bored while reading. Maybe it just takes a bit to get into it, but I don't really have the patience to wait for it.
September 10, 2021
I really loved this. It was a real feel good book.
I found d myself laughing out loud and grinning to myself in many places. A real joy to read, I couldn't have asked for more.
The characters are so well written, and so easy to relate to.
I loved our stop too. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
I found d myself laughing out loud and grinning to myself in many places. A real joy to read, I couldn't have asked for more.
The characters are so well written, and so easy to relate to.
I loved our stop too. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author.
January 9, 2021
Kindly provided for free by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Oh boy. Unfortunately I just didn't get on with this one.
First, a few things I did like before I get into what I didn't: I enjoyed that the story was for the most part about Annie reassessing her life and realising that, at thirty, it was by no means too late to do things differently or learn a new way of doing things. I would have preferred if the book was all about that really. I also enjoyed Annie's relationship with her sister and her best friend.
Patrick's backstory is interesting and gives a layer to the romance that I thought was well handled and worth exploring.
The story didn't really lean into any of the tropes that you might expect with this premise (fake dating, only one bed etc) which was refreshing. But tropes are tropes for a reason. People like them and may have expectation of seeing them.
Ok so what I didn't like:
The big one is I didn't like the love interest, Patrick. Which is very unfortunate in a romance. For one thing they have no chemistry together. For another Patrick acts like one thing for most of the book and then seems to have total 360s in character whenever there is a need to create drama.
I kept getting dragged out of the story by these completely weird asides that Annie would have. Like there is a paragraph about how awful and patriarchal the institution of marriage is and it's kind of whiplash when she was just on about how much she was looking forward to getting married. At one point she says her little sister had to tell her what G2G meant and I again that dragged me out because this character is thirty or early thirties at most. She's a millennial. Our generation INVENTED G2G. I know these things sound petty, they're just examples of what kept from getting fully immersed in this book.
The pacing was just all over the place. The trip to Australia is like the middle third of the book. I thought it would take up most of it. The first third was too slow getting to the point. The middle third was the best bit but went by too fast and the final third felt like it was telling a completely different story that basically just baffled me from start to finish.
None of the characters really interested me. Patrick was the worst but no one else was really interesting either. There was a lot of diversity in the supporting cast but none of them ever DO anything. It feels like the uni friends just exist to make Annie feel like she's not doing well at life. They could be removed and lose nothing from the story. The only important ones are Freddie and Adzo and and a result were the ones I liked the most.
I don't think the author is bad writer by any means and I think the plot had the potential to be great it just wasn't it this time.
Oh boy. Unfortunately I just didn't get on with this one.
First, a few things I did like before I get into what I didn't: I enjoyed that the story was for the most part about Annie reassessing her life and realising that, at thirty, it was by no means too late to do things differently or learn a new way of doing things. I would have preferred if the book was all about that really. I also enjoyed Annie's relationship with her sister and her best friend.
Patrick's backstory is interesting and gives a layer to the romance that I thought was well handled and worth exploring.
The story didn't really lean into any of the tropes that you might expect with this premise (fake dating, only one bed etc) which was refreshing. But tropes are tropes for a reason. People like them and may have expectation of seeing them.
Ok so what I didn't like:
The big one is I didn't like the love interest, Patrick. Which is very unfortunate in a romance. For one thing they have no chemistry together. For another Patrick acts like one thing for most of the book and then seems to have total 360s in character whenever there is a need to create drama.
I kept getting dragged out of the story by these completely weird asides that Annie would have. Like there is a paragraph about how awful and patriarchal the institution of marriage is and it's kind of whiplash when she was just on about how much she was looking forward to getting married. At one point she says her little sister had to tell her what G2G meant and I again that dragged me out because this character is thirty or early thirties at most. She's a millennial. Our generation INVENTED G2G. I know these things sound petty, they're just examples of what kept from getting fully immersed in this book.
The pacing was just all over the place. The trip to Australia is like the middle third of the book. I thought it would take up most of it. The first third was too slow getting to the point. The middle third was the best bit but went by too fast and the final third felt like it was telling a completely different story that basically just baffled me from start to finish.
None of the characters really interested me. Patrick was the worst but no one else was really interesting either. There was a lot of diversity in the supporting cast but none of them ever DO anything. It feels like the uni friends just exist to make Annie feel like she's not doing well at life. They could be removed and lose nothing from the story. The only important ones are Freddie and Adzo and and a result were the ones I liked the most.
I don't think the author is bad writer by any means and I think the plot had the potential to be great it just wasn't it this time.
November 4, 2021
Dieses Buch wurde mir im Rahmen einer Lovelybooks-Leserunde kostenlos zur Verfügung gestellt. Vielen Dank!
Oh je, oh je wo fang ich da an? Ich hatte mal wieder Lust auf eine etwas leichtere Lektüre und habe mich sehr gefreut, als ich das Buch bei Lovelybooks gewonnen habe. Die Geschichte klingt ein bisschen Klischeehaft, aber das darf es doch auch gerne mal sein.
Der Schreibstil ist schön flüssig zu lesen, die Charaktere größtenteils sympathisch und die Geschichte beginnt rasant. Am Tag ihrer Hochzeit sagt Annie's Verlobter diese kurzfristig ab und lässt die Protagonistin schockiert zurück. Als Entschädigung bitten ihre Beinahe-Schwiegereltern sie, die Hochzeitsreise anzutreten und trotz allem 3 schöne Wochen in Australien zu verbringen. Mit dabei ist ihr Jugendfreund Patrick und mit ihm ist der Trennungsschmerz überraschend schnell vergessen...
Auch, wenn ich die Geschichte grundsätzlich schon irgendwie gerne gelesen habe, hatte ich so meine Probleme damit. Für mich hat es sich die Autorin an einigen Stellen häufig zu einfach gemacht, weshalb der ein oder andere Punkt der Geschichte auf mich sehr halbherzig bzw konstruiert gewirkt hat. Allein die Tatsache, dass die Protagonistin der Meinung ist, dass man 20 Jahre lange schwere Komplexe mit 3 Wochen Australien und einem tollen Typen heilen kann und diese dann ausgerechnet auch noch den Wunsch hegt, Psychotherapeutin zu werden, grenzt schon an Ironie.
Auf die Ursache ihrer Komplexe wird dabei nur wenig eingegangen, meistens nur nebenbei kurz mal erwähnt und das muss dann halt eben reichen. So hat der Charakter nie wirklich an Tiefe für mich gewonnen und dieses Problem zieht sich leider durch die ganze Geschichte. Denn grundsätzlich geht die Autorin nie in die Tiefe. Sie baut viele Dinge ein, nur um sie mal erwähnt zu haben.
Das Ende konnte mich dann allerdings wieder etwas mit der Geschichte versöhnen. Ja, das vorherige Hin und Her hätte nicht in dem Ausmaß sein müssen und die Protagonistin wirkt hier oft wie eine 15 Jährige, aber es endet dann doch einigermaßen realistisch und entsprechend der vorherigen Ereignisse. Und das ist in diesem Genre keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
Oh je, oh je wo fang ich da an? Ich hatte mal wieder Lust auf eine etwas leichtere Lektüre und habe mich sehr gefreut, als ich das Buch bei Lovelybooks gewonnen habe. Die Geschichte klingt ein bisschen Klischeehaft, aber das darf es doch auch gerne mal sein.
Der Schreibstil ist schön flüssig zu lesen, die Charaktere größtenteils sympathisch und die Geschichte beginnt rasant. Am Tag ihrer Hochzeit sagt Annie's Verlobter diese kurzfristig ab und lässt die Protagonistin schockiert zurück. Als Entschädigung bitten ihre Beinahe-Schwiegereltern sie, die Hochzeitsreise anzutreten und trotz allem 3 schöne Wochen in Australien zu verbringen. Mit dabei ist ihr Jugendfreund Patrick und mit ihm ist der Trennungsschmerz überraschend schnell vergessen...
Auch, wenn ich die Geschichte grundsätzlich schon irgendwie gerne gelesen habe, hatte ich so meine Probleme damit. Für mich hat es sich die Autorin an einigen Stellen häufig zu einfach gemacht, weshalb der ein oder andere Punkt der Geschichte auf mich sehr halbherzig bzw konstruiert gewirkt hat. Allein die Tatsache, dass die Protagonistin der Meinung ist, dass man 20 Jahre lange schwere Komplexe mit 3 Wochen Australien und einem tollen Typen heilen kann und diese dann ausgerechnet auch noch den Wunsch hegt, Psychotherapeutin zu werden, grenzt schon an Ironie.
Auf die Ursache ihrer Komplexe wird dabei nur wenig eingegangen, meistens nur nebenbei kurz mal erwähnt und das muss dann halt eben reichen. So hat der Charakter nie wirklich an Tiefe für mich gewonnen und dieses Problem zieht sich leider durch die ganze Geschichte. Denn grundsätzlich geht die Autorin nie in die Tiefe. Sie baut viele Dinge ein, nur um sie mal erwähnt zu haben.
Das Ende konnte mich dann allerdings wieder etwas mit der Geschichte versöhnen. Ja, das vorherige Hin und Her hätte nicht in dem Ausmaß sein müssen und die Protagonistin wirkt hier oft wie eine 15 Jährige, aber es endet dann doch einigermaßen realistisch und entsprechend der vorherigen Ereignisse. Und das ist in diesem Genre keine Selbstverständlichkeit.
June 12, 2021
Hmm… this didn’t meet my expectations in the end and I thought Williams’ book was quite similar to many other ‘jilted bride’ stories.
Firstly, I thought this novel took a really long time in getting going. Once it was clear that Annie is going on her honeymoon and that it was going to be an exotic, lavish adventure, I just wanted to see her and Paddy on the plane! It took several chapters too many for the story to get started and I felt the moments leading up to the honeymoon were a bit on the tedious side. Although they helped establish Annie’s character and introduce friends and family, I didn’t find I connected with any of them.
Paddy is a sweet character. I think the story would have become more interesting by switching to his perspective. Throughout the story, we read of Annie’s reactions to Paddy and how she keeps remembering her relationship with her ex-fiance. Unsurprisingly, Annie comes to the realisation that actually, Alexander was not the best match for her. However, I grew frustrated with Annie’s repeated selfish attitude. She frequently bemoans about her failed wedding day, not seeming to care how this impacts Paddy. It is clear from the beginning that Annie and Paddy will become a couple but I wanted to see the writer focus more on this developing relationship. Sure, Annie has just left a long-term relationship and it is expected she won’t move on so quickly however, I wanted her to be more self-aware of others around her.
The chapters spent in Australia were my favourite. I wish the writer had added to this element further, rather than seeing the characters return home. Personally, I think this would have added to the holiday vibe that is emphasised by the novel’s cover. In addition, it would have been great if readers were taken on more of a journey around Australia. I’m not expecting travel-guide standards, but adding to this environment would have given the readers a chance to share Annie’s holiday experiences.
Finally, I was extremely frustrated by the over-used character-type of the unsupportive, horrid matriarch. I think this has been done too much. Why can’t we see mother-daughter relationships as positive and supportive? Instead, Annie barely gets on with her mother, with awkward exchanges between the two after Annie’s return home. I was disappointed by this relationship because it really brought down the ‘feel-good’ vibe of the story and it’s a feature I’m seeing more and more in stories featuring families. Honestly, it’s giving us mothers a bad reputation!
However, despite my criticisms, I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Annie and Paddy develop. They seem like the perfect match. Paddy is so sweet to Annie, (I actually thought he could do better!) and he was so caring and thoughtful. I felt it was lovely that the two characters already knew each other from childhood and liked watching them reconnect. It is obvious how the story will conclude and, even though I guessed the conflicts that would add bumps to their relationship, I wanted to see a happy ever after for Paddy and Annie.
Therefore, although this book feels tried and tested before and doesn’t appear to provide anything new, it certainly gives readers the opportunity to travel to Australia on an all-expenses-paid honeymoon. The romance element to the plot was the best part; I was mostly disappointed at my lack of connection with Annie and her friends.
With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, I thought this novel took a really long time in getting going. Once it was clear that Annie is going on her honeymoon and that it was going to be an exotic, lavish adventure, I just wanted to see her and Paddy on the plane! It took several chapters too many for the story to get started and I felt the moments leading up to the honeymoon were a bit on the tedious side. Although they helped establish Annie’s character and introduce friends and family, I didn’t find I connected with any of them.
Paddy is a sweet character. I think the story would have become more interesting by switching to his perspective. Throughout the story, we read of Annie’s reactions to Paddy and how she keeps remembering her relationship with her ex-fiance. Unsurprisingly, Annie comes to the realisation that actually, Alexander was not the best match for her. However, I grew frustrated with Annie’s repeated selfish attitude. She frequently bemoans about her failed wedding day, not seeming to care how this impacts Paddy. It is clear from the beginning that Annie and Paddy will become a couple but I wanted to see the writer focus more on this developing relationship. Sure, Annie has just left a long-term relationship and it is expected she won’t move on so quickly however, I wanted her to be more self-aware of others around her.
The chapters spent in Australia were my favourite. I wish the writer had added to this element further, rather than seeing the characters return home. Personally, I think this would have added to the holiday vibe that is emphasised by the novel’s cover. In addition, it would have been great if readers were taken on more of a journey around Australia. I’m not expecting travel-guide standards, but adding to this environment would have given the readers a chance to share Annie’s holiday experiences.
Finally, I was extremely frustrated by the over-used character-type of the unsupportive, horrid matriarch. I think this has been done too much. Why can’t we see mother-daughter relationships as positive and supportive? Instead, Annie barely gets on with her mother, with awkward exchanges between the two after Annie’s return home. I was disappointed by this relationship because it really brought down the ‘feel-good’ vibe of the story and it’s a feature I’m seeing more and more in stories featuring families. Honestly, it’s giving us mothers a bad reputation!
However, despite my criticisms, I really enjoyed watching the relationship between Annie and Paddy develop. They seem like the perfect match. Paddy is so sweet to Annie, (I actually thought he could do better!) and he was so caring and thoughtful. I felt it was lovely that the two characters already knew each other from childhood and liked watching them reconnect. It is obvious how the story will conclude and, even though I guessed the conflicts that would add bumps to their relationship, I wanted to see a happy ever after for Paddy and Annie.
Therefore, although this book feels tried and tested before and doesn’t appear to provide anything new, it certainly gives readers the opportunity to travel to Australia on an all-expenses-paid honeymoon. The romance element to the plot was the best part; I was mostly disappointed at my lack of connection with Annie and her friends.
With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 26, 2021
Really adorable romance
May 3, 2021
"There are no prizes for playing it safe. Life is short, and precious, and we get only one. It could end tomorrow. I won't be the guy who has it end on his way back from the office, thinking about all the could-have-beens."
Argh. I hate when I don't like a book I'm super hyped about. Unfortunately, this one didn't really click with me. Sorry, gifs are needed for this review.
The story is cute and has all premises to be the perfect read for summer. Annie is ready to get married to the love of her life, only to be left at the altar. Or, well, standing outside the church in her white dress because her now-ex didn't show up. Or even text her to notify about his change of heart.
Annie is forced to pick up the pieces of her life, understand where to go from there. To find a way to rebuild herself, she decides to still go on her Honeymoon to Australia, and she goes with a childhood friend she meets at the gym because the new Annie is all about being spontaneous. Cue they get to know each other better and all of that.
As I said, cute, but there were too many things that didn't sit right with me.
First the characters. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't connect with the writing, but I felt like the author had a list to follow, let's add the black best friend, the one who's bi, the one who wants to adopt and be a single mother because fuck men, the sister who wants to be called like a guy to fight gender pay gap (and she is thirteen) etc etc.
It was just this overload of inclusivity and feminism that felt very forced to me. Including Annie herself and all her cringy lines that were the total opposite of what she was preaching. "I actually found huge comfort on the age-old tradition of a conventional wedding day and gave in to almost all of them without much of a fight.".
Nothing wrong with a traditional wedding but then don't throw down my throat that you are this Strong Independent Woman (caps not mine, caps in the book) who doesn't give a shit about anything like it's the only way to be. It's not and there is nothing wrong with it, if you don't annoy me.
Then Patrick. I liked him enough but I didn't feel the connection, the romance. They met 20 years ago at theatre camp and she doesn't even recognise him, and all of a sudden he is this amazing perfect guy who's all about YOLO (again, not me, it’s the book) and can't do anything wrong. Mmmm. Not sold. Also, you lost me with "He smelled manly. Potent. Paddy Hummingbird.". I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing over this.
Overall, I just felt like everything fell a little short, including the parts I'm assuming were supposed to be dramatic. Let's take Alexander, the infamous ex who leaves her at the altar and runs to Singapore.
Same with the mother. Annie has a very difficult relationship with her mother, who basically made her feel inadeguate, wrong, not enough for her entire life. And what happens? Mmmm.
In conclusion, not the book for me but I think it makes for the perfect summer read if anyone is looking for something easy and fun.
"I couldn't control anything except my own happiness."
[Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.]
-
Argh. Odio quando un libro che mi ispira tantissimo finisce per non piacermi. Questo davvero non faceva per me.
La storia è carina e ha tutte le premesse per essere una perfetta lettura estiva. Annie sta per sposarsi, solo che viene lasciata all'altare. O per meglio dire, fuori dalla chiesa mentre indossa il suo vestito bianco, perché il suo adesso ex non si presenta, e non ha neanche la decenza di mandarle un messaggio per dirglielo.
Annie si ritrova costretta a rivalutare e ricostruire la sua intera esistenza. Per cercare un modo di superare il trauma, decide di fare comunque il viaggio progettato per la sua luna di miele in Australia, e decide di portare con se un amico d'infanzia che incontra in palestra, perché la nuova Annie è tutta concentrata nell'essere spontanea. Ovviamente tra i due scatta la scintilla.
Come dicevo, la storia è carina ma ci sono state troppe cose che non mi hanno convinto.
Primo fra tutti i personaggi. Sembra che l'autrice avesse una lista davanti a sé, aggiungiamo la migliore amica nera, quella bisex, quella che vuole adottare da sola perché gli uomini sono inutili, la sorella che vuole essere chiamata con un nome maschile per combattere la disparità di stipendio tra uomini e donne (e ha tredici anni eh, io giocavo con le Barbie e non sapevo neanche cosa volesse dire la parola stipendio ma ok) etc etc. Tutto questo femminismo e l'essere inclusivi l'ho sentito molto forzato. Incluso Annie stessa e tutte le volte che mi ha fatto storcere il naso. "I actually found huge comfort on the age-old tradition of a conventional wedding day and gave in to almost all of them without much of a fight."
Niente di male in un matrimonio tradizionale, ma non cacciarmi in gola ogni due righe il fatto che tu sei una Forte Donna Indipendente (caps non mie, sto quotando il libro).
Poi Patrick. Lui mi è anche piaciuto ma non ho sentito la connessione, la storia d'amore mi è parsa un po' campata per aria. Patrick ed Annie si incontrano vent'anni prima in un campeggio e quando si rivedono Annie non lo riconosce neanche. E all'improvviso Patrick si trasforma in questo uomo perfetto che non fa niente di sbagliato e che le era mancato e mmmm no. Senza contare che mi ha perso alla riga due di presentazione di Patrick quando lo descrive con "He smelled manly. Potent. Paddy Hummingbird.". Non riesco a smettere di ridere.
Tutto mi è sembrato abbastanza forzato, incluse le parti che dovrebbero essere state drammatiche.
Prendiamo Alexander, l'infausto ex che la molla all'altare per scappare a Singapore.
Oppure il rapporto con la madre. Annie ha un rapporto difficile con la madre, che l'ha fatta sempre sentire inadeguata, sbagliata, non abbastanza. E che succede? Mmmm. Di nuovo, non convinta.
In conclusione, non il libro per me ma penso possa essere la perfetta lettura da ombrellone se non si vuole pensare a niente.
[Grazie a Netgalley e Avon Books UK che mi hanno fornito una copia gratuita di questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta. Tutte le opinioni sono personali.]
Argh. I hate when I don't like a book I'm super hyped about. Unfortunately, this one didn't really click with me. Sorry, gifs are needed for this review.
The story is cute and has all premises to be the perfect read for summer. Annie is ready to get married to the love of her life, only to be left at the altar. Or, well, standing outside the church in her white dress because her now-ex didn't show up. Or even text her to notify about his change of heart.
Annie is forced to pick up the pieces of her life, understand where to go from there. To find a way to rebuild herself, she decides to still go on her Honeymoon to Australia, and she goes with a childhood friend she meets at the gym because the new Annie is all about being spontaneous. Cue they get to know each other better and all of that.
As I said, cute, but there were too many things that didn't sit right with me.
First the characters. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't connect with the writing, but I felt like the author had a list to follow, let's add the black best friend, the one who's bi, the one who wants to adopt and be a single mother because fuck men, the sister who wants to be called like a guy to fight gender pay gap (and she is thirteen) etc etc.
It was just this overload of inclusivity and feminism that felt very forced to me. Including Annie herself and all her cringy lines that were the total opposite of what she was preaching. "I actually found huge comfort on the age-old tradition of a conventional wedding day and gave in to almost all of them without much of a fight.".
Nothing wrong with a traditional wedding but then don't throw down my throat that you are this Strong Independent Woman (caps not mine, caps in the book) who doesn't give a shit about anything like it's the only way to be. It's not and there is nothing wrong with it, if you don't annoy me.
Then Patrick. I liked him enough but I didn't feel the connection, the romance. They met 20 years ago at theatre camp and she doesn't even recognise him, and all of a sudden he is this amazing perfect guy who's all about YOLO (again, not me, it’s the book) and can't do anything wrong. Mmmm. Not sold. Also, you lost me with "He smelled manly. Potent. Paddy Hummingbird.". I'm sorry, I can't stop laughing over this.
Overall, I just felt like everything fell a little short, including the parts I'm assuming were supposed to be dramatic. Let's take Alexander, the infamous ex who leaves her at the altar and runs to Singapore.
Same with the mother. Annie has a very difficult relationship with her mother, who basically made her feel inadeguate, wrong, not enough for her entire life. And what happens? Mmmm.
In conclusion, not the book for me but I think it makes for the perfect summer read if anyone is looking for something easy and fun.
"I couldn't control anything except my own happiness."
[Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.]
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Argh. Odio quando un libro che mi ispira tantissimo finisce per non piacermi. Questo davvero non faceva per me.
La storia è carina e ha tutte le premesse per essere una perfetta lettura estiva. Annie sta per sposarsi, solo che viene lasciata all'altare. O per meglio dire, fuori dalla chiesa mentre indossa il suo vestito bianco, perché il suo adesso ex non si presenta, e non ha neanche la decenza di mandarle un messaggio per dirglielo.
Annie si ritrova costretta a rivalutare e ricostruire la sua intera esistenza. Per cercare un modo di superare il trauma, decide di fare comunque il viaggio progettato per la sua luna di miele in Australia, e decide di portare con se un amico d'infanzia che incontra in palestra, perché la nuova Annie è tutta concentrata nell'essere spontanea. Ovviamente tra i due scatta la scintilla.
Come dicevo, la storia è carina ma ci sono state troppe cose che non mi hanno convinto.
Primo fra tutti i personaggi. Sembra che l'autrice avesse una lista davanti a sé, aggiungiamo la migliore amica nera, quella bisex, quella che vuole adottare da sola perché gli uomini sono inutili, la sorella che vuole essere chiamata con un nome maschile per combattere la disparità di stipendio tra uomini e donne (e ha tredici anni eh, io giocavo con le Barbie e non sapevo neanche cosa volesse dire la parola stipendio ma ok) etc etc. Tutto questo femminismo e l'essere inclusivi l'ho sentito molto forzato. Incluso Annie stessa e tutte le volte che mi ha fatto storcere il naso. "I actually found huge comfort on the age-old tradition of a conventional wedding day and gave in to almost all of them without much of a fight."
Niente di male in un matrimonio tradizionale, ma non cacciarmi in gola ogni due righe il fatto che tu sei una Forte Donna Indipendente (caps non mie, sto quotando il libro).
Poi Patrick. Lui mi è anche piaciuto ma non ho sentito la connessione, la storia d'amore mi è parsa un po' campata per aria. Patrick ed Annie si incontrano vent'anni prima in un campeggio e quando si rivedono Annie non lo riconosce neanche. E all'improvviso Patrick si trasforma in questo uomo perfetto che non fa niente di sbagliato e che le era mancato e mmmm no. Senza contare che mi ha perso alla riga due di presentazione di Patrick quando lo descrive con "He smelled manly. Potent. Paddy Hummingbird.". Non riesco a smettere di ridere.
Tutto mi è sembrato abbastanza forzato, incluse le parti che dovrebbero essere state drammatiche.
Prendiamo Alexander, l'infausto ex che la molla all'altare per scappare a Singapore.
Oppure il rapporto con la madre. Annie ha un rapporto difficile con la madre, che l'ha fatta sempre sentire inadeguata, sbagliata, non abbastanza. E che succede? Mmmm. Di nuovo, non convinta.
In conclusione, non il libro per me ma penso possa essere la perfetta lettura da ombrellone se non si vuole pensare a niente.
[Grazie a Netgalley e Avon Books UK che mi hanno fornito una copia gratuita di questo libro in cambio di una recensione onesta. Tutte le opinioni sono personali.]
August 24, 2023
I liked following Annie and Patrick's story. It was the first book I've read by Laura Jane Williams and I really enjoyed it. Last night I only had 80 pages left, so I decided to finish it and by 1 a.m. I had it finished. Accidentally this is also the second book that has a good portion of it set in Australia that I've read this month.. Annie was a bit frustrating at times but I still enjoyed reading about her coming to terms with her situation. I loved her relationship with her sister, Freddie,
May 30, 2021
First of all, Thank you to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the ARC of The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams in exchange for an honest review.
Publishing Date: June 10, 2021.
I was very excited for The Lucky Escape because I mean look at the cover and a canceled wedding? It gave me major Unhoneymooners vibes which was a five-star read for me.
However, The Lucky Escape seemed to just DRAG on, the story was so cute and I absolutely loved the characters and the boujee vacation vibes but it could have been so much shorter. I felt I was getting super bored halfway through but I didn’t want to put this one down in order to see how it ended.
It was a cute second chance romance, perfect for a beach read this summer, especially if you love a vacation romance.
Publishing Date: June 10, 2021.
I was very excited for The Lucky Escape because I mean look at the cover and a canceled wedding? It gave me major Unhoneymooners vibes which was a five-star read for me.
However, The Lucky Escape seemed to just DRAG on, the story was so cute and I absolutely loved the characters and the boujee vacation vibes but it could have been so much shorter. I felt I was getting super bored halfway through but I didn’t want to put this one down in order to see how it ended.
It was a cute second chance romance, perfect for a beach read this summer, especially if you love a vacation romance.
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