LAURA JANE. WILLIAMS

THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR STOP, TAKING OFF JUNE 2021...

The Lucky Escape

Laura Jane Williams

‘This is exactly the book we all need right now’ Beth O’Leary ‘I can’t remember the last time a book made me forget I had a phone’ Stacey Halls

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

"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."

With the synopsis and the beautiful cover, I thought this would be an enjoyable and nice summer read, but boy was I wrong.
The MC is truly bizarre. Like, I cannot even put into words how much her actions throughout the book are weird and unrealistic. Also, the pace of the book isn't good, and I thought the plot was all over the place, as well as the execution. Simply not for me.

Jennifer mitchell

Thank you NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

DNFing at 50%. I just can't force myself to read any more of this book. Life is too short to read books you don't enjoy!

I don't typically DNF books, but this one just didn't sit right for me from the very beginning and I finally had to give up and realize this just wasn't going to work for me. I was instantly turned off by the main character - the story starts as she's prepping for her wedding day and there were constant mentions of her starving herself to fit into her dress. Within a few chapters, that turned into excessive exercise with descriptions of her bones showing through her skin. There is nothing I hate more in the world than women thinking they need to change their bodies to look a certain way.

After that, I could never really get into the story because I was so turned off. The plot seems cute enough, and I'm sure the pay off is probably good, but the pacing was too slow for me. I was not invested in the characters at all and found that I was forcing myself to pick the book back up to read, when I really didn't care about any of these characters.

There's probably a target audience out there who will enjoy this story, but I was not it.

Janna Niemi

This book is so great! 

I liked how the relationship between Patrick and Annie grows and how much they enjoy each other’s company during the holiday. I also really love how after they come back things turn real really quickly and while they struggle, they still manage to fight for what is good. 
All in all the plot is great and the characters are greater. And this is overall a brilliant book!

*ARC received from publisher via Netgalley and review was written voluntarily.

Samantha King

I flew through this book in a day, I loved every second of it.
I loved the characters Annie and Patrick.
Loved Annie's sister Fredsy...she's such a cutie.
Loved that we get to see the characters journeys of healing 

I just wish we had more of the honeymoon parts. I craved for mote.
This book also made me want to go Australia even more than I did.

This is honestly the oerfect summer read. 

Jana Jenkinns 

Laura Jane Williams does it again. I picked up one of her other novels (Our Stop) on a cover buy whim and I was pleasantly surprised by Williams' writing style. In The Lucky Escape, the author again does not disappoint. I absolutely loved this, everything about it was all I ever want in a romance book and it was the exact read I needed at that moment in time. I devoured every page and couldn't put it down. The characters were instantly likeable and relatable. To classify this novel as a romance is neglecting all the other wonderful aspects of this book. While yes, the romance is there and made my knees weak and my heart race, there is also these absolutely amazingly cultivated friendships and elements of family dynamic that are just such wonderful additions to this book. The book moved at a comfortable pace, and kept my interest from start to finish. Laura Jane Williams slays again, and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a new contemporary romance to binge.

Jelke Lenaerts

I received a galley of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 


I have some mixed feelings about this book. I mean, I did really enjoy the first half but the second half had me quite bored and I didn't like it as much. I really liked the dynamic our main character had with our love interest in the first half. They bounced off each other really well and I thought they had a lot of chemistry. However, as soon as they got together that chemistry seemed to dissapear. I also stopped liking the main character in the second half. She was very hypocritical and overreacted at moments. I also think at times this book went a bit too preachy about living in the moment, feminism and even social media. It was a bit jarring and I didn't like it much. All the side characters were also just very one dimensional and I just feel like this book went on a bit too long.

Pam Sartain

The Lucky Escape is Laura Jane Williams' third novel, and is just as good as the others!

Annie was due to marry Alexander, but he doesn't show up for the wedding, so when she ends up going on her honeymoon with an old friend, Patrick, it's not quite the honeymoon she had thought she was going to have!

Annie is reminded of who she used to be, pre Alexander, and this is the perfect trip to reset herself.

This is a romance, with unexpected moments, sadness and joy.  I really enjoyed reading Annie and Patrick's journey.

The Lucky Escape was published on 10th June 2021 and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow Laura Jane Williams on  Twitter ,  Instagram  and her  website .

You can read my reviews for Laura Jane Williams books:

 Our Stop 

 The Love Square 

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Avon Books .

Karolina

Synopsis:

We all know the stories of Runaway Brides, however, at Annie's wedding, it’s the groom who doesn’t show up at the altar. On the first days after the canceled celebration, she feels like her life is ruined. With time she tries to get her life together. In one of the classes, she takes she meets Patrick, an old friend she knew from the summer camp. He reminds her of the person she’s been in the past. Thanks to him, she decides to make a vow that from this time on, she will say yes to every opportunity that will come her way This leads her to the decision of going for the before-hand planned honeymoon. However, instead of Alexander, Patrick will accompany her. 

Book review:

The book represents young women’s journey to find her way in the world. Before her life was focused on her fiancé’s life but when he did not show up at the altar, she decided that it’s time to change something in her life. Her old friend Patrick showed her a way to start living by saying yes to everything. She started her adventures by going on the planned honeymoon and taking Patrick with her. 

This vacation helped her to recognize that her relationship with Alexander was right to end. They wouldn’t be happy together, and they would hold each other from living the way they wanted to. During the vacation, she learned a lot about herself but also about Patrick. Even if she didn’t want to jump from one relationship to another, she couldn’t help herself to start feeling more and more attracted to her friend. 

This book is a sweet and sour story about a grow and looking for happiness. Annie was always influenced by what other people will think about her, but Patrick taught her that her opinion should be the one that actually matters. She needs to live her life in a way to be satisfied with the outcome. 

In my opinion, Annie was an annoying character, but I could see myself in her behavior which is quite funny. She didn’t know what she wanted and tried to do everything to satisfy other people instead of herself. I feel like a lot of young people feel this pressure since there is this major stigma to be successful and make the parents proud. Especially in Europe. But this book gives us a nice result for these situations. 

I would recommend this book to all new adults, that start their life after college. I would like to thank Laura Jane Williams, Avon Books UK, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I hope other readers will enjoy it as much as I did.

Anika | @chaptersofmay

The Lucky Escape is a classic beach read with a romantic lift, but laced with a beautifully inspiring coming-of-age element that makes it my favourite Laura Jane Williams novel yet.

Annie Wiig was abandoned by her ex, Alexander, on her wedding day. Nearing 30, single, and now more insecure than ever, she feels as if she has lost her grip on life. So she decides to make a promise to herself: stop trying to be perfect and just say yes. At a spin class she meets, or rather becomes reacquainted with, Patrick. He's an old friend from her childhood theatre camp, and a refreshing reminder of the simpler times. When Annie gets the opportunity to take her honeymoon sans ex-fiancé, she decides to take the chance. And while she's at it, she takes a chance on Patrick too.

This book is nice and light, the perfect story to relax and enjoy. Laura Jane Williams has a quality to her writing that's friendly, humorous, and effortlessly charming. But in contrast to Our Stop and The Love Square, The Lucky Escape has a deeper, heavier layer added that is explored through the protagonist’s expressions and development. 

Annie has plenty of humour and wit, even though she has spent much of her life living to please others. She is easily the most complex character I have met in Williams’ novels. I loved how human and authentic her personality felt, especially when it came to comparing her past with her present and future. She has inner conflicts with herself, she says the wrong thing, she makes realistic mistakes, she has genuine timidities, and she has imperfect reasoning. Her development is the best part of this story. While the plot has some cringe rather than swoon moments, Annie's character is strong and compelling as she leans to love exactly who she is. Additionally, the loyalty in her friendship group and the bond with her sister is wonderfully uplifting.

Patrick really is a breath of fresh air. He's naturally adventurous and confident. And he brings a nice stream of maturity to this novel. I love that he has a completely different approach to life compared to Annie. Their romance is sweet, and their adventure is engaging, but sadly not the most memorable. The pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning of the book. It takes a while for momentum to build, and I did actually consider giving up around 30% of the way through. But I’m glad I stuck with Annie and her courageous advance to another year of adulthood. 

Overall, I liked reading The Lucky Escape. It’s light-hearted mixed with the right amount of depth without straying too far from the romance. It has plenty of laughs, truthful heartbreak, colourful characters, and a gratifying journey to self-acceptance. 

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Emma-Leigh Pedder

Get me to Australia please 😭

I ended up really enjoying this book, I have to admit it was a little slow starting for me, but once we met Patrick I couldn’t put it down! I loved coming along the journey with Annie as she slowly realised the toxic relationship she’d been in. Her disbelief that everyone except her had seen it was really relatable, and I loved her character development that comes from it.

Patrick and Annie’s chemistry was one of my favourite parts of the books, There was a lot of funny moments that made me laugh out loud during their time in Australia, and easy banter between the two. The eventual love story is done perfectly and with care, navigating all the baggage the pair carry. The book also deals with some heavier themes, which I felt was navigated really well, It was nice to have another element to the romance plot.

Once they got back from the holiday the book slowed pace a little again for me, which is why I have dropped a star. But overall I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it as a summer beach read!

Thank you to Avon Books and Netgalley for the ARC 🥰

Get me to Australia please 😭

I ended up really enjoying this book,, I have to admit it was a little slow starting for me, but once we met Patrick I couldn’t put it down! I loved coming along the journey with Annie as she slowly realised the toxic relationship she’d been in. Her disbelief that everyone except her had seen it was really relatable, and I loved her character development that comes from it.

Patrick and Annie’s chemistry was one of my favourite parts of the books, There was a lot of funny moments that made me laugh out loud during their time in Australia, and easy banter between the two. The eventual love story is done perfectly and with care, navigating all the baggage the pair carry. The book also deals with some heavier themes, which I felt was navigated really well, It was nice to have another element to the romance plot.

Once they got back from the holiday the book slowed pace a little again for me, which is why I have dropped a star. But overall I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it as a summer beach

Alizée Euphrosine

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK to send me a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I had a great time reading this book. It makes me feel things, primarily due to this wedding. Like NO! I wasn't okay at all, even if I knew what will happen. 

I feel like the novel is divided into two parts. The first one is for the honeymoon and the second is set in London. I liked that aspect as you continue to follow Annie and her new self back to London. However, I wasn't interested in some elements, and also, it feels like this part take a lot more space in the book than the Australian honeymoon. In the end, even if I understand the importance of these holidays, it doesn't feel that important.

I wasn't a big fan of the romance between Annie and Patrick at the beginning. I found it was too fast and quite unbelievable (she was just dumped at the church.) However, I liked how it slows down a bit but still being present throughout the story, especially in the second part of the novel. I also like that you don't have a big problem creating tension in the story; it's a lot more subtle.

I connect right away with Annie; I share a lot of the same traits with her, so for me, the story has another meaning; it's more than a story. I love her evolution toward herself, but also other people. I just found that sometimes the wrap up is too fast, easy and always happy. I am meh about Patrick. It's not that I don't like him; I like how he sees life and his history. However, sometimes I didn't understand his way of thinking. I like the group of friends Annie has. It was like having a drink with them. For me, except for Alexander and Annie's mom, I like that diverse cast of characters. 

Overall, this story is uplifting and a good summer reading.

Dani C

I received a copy of The Lucky Escape from Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.

The Lucky Escape is everything I hope for in a romance novel: 
✔️ Envy worthy vacation location
✔️ Sweet, sexy man from the past, before adulting complicated everything
✔️ No artificial drama for drama's sake!
✔️ A protagonist female who not only figures out her life on her own, putting her wants and needs first, but is ENCOURAGED to do that by the overwhelming majority of support characters.

Williams did an incredible job creating a love story for the modern day reader. This was the perfect "living well is the best revenge" story without revenge actually being part of the story. The only reason this isn't a five star read for me is because there were several points where I was confused due to a time shift or an editing typo and it took me more than a few seconds to pick up what was happening. I will ABSOLUTELY be recommending this to all my romance loving friends because Annie is the gal we all root for because we can relate, but are too afraid to do the things we actually cheer fictional characters on to do. Yet Annie shows us that we CAN do what we want and thrive as we do it!

Ewelina 

Meghna Sunny 

'Laura's best book yet' Beth O'Leary 'I can't remember the last time a book made me forget I had a phone' Stacey Halls PRE-ORDER THE BRAND NEW NOVEL FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF OUR STOP, TAKING OFF JUNE 2021... 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 own: 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... Perfect for fans of Beth O'Leary, Mhairi McFarlane and Anna Bell!

The Lucky Escape

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