Member Reviews
I loved this book. Being a Londoner in my heart of hearts, I loved how this tube romance played out. With the twists and turns, near misses and lost connections I was truly rooting for these two. A heartwarming story that shows the power of a modern love story in London town.
I loved it. It's heartwarming, sweet and fun to read. I loved everything in this book and I hope to read soon other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I was really excited about this book. The synopsis sounded really cute, Nadia saw a post in the local paper,
<i>"To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I'm the guy who's always standing near the doors...Drink sometime?"</i>
She realised it is about her and so began the story...
It was cute, funny and sweet, and parts of it did make me smile. I would say that you would really enjoy this if you liked 'One day in December.'. It was a light read, perfect for the summer.
Unfortunately it just too long to get going for me. The first half of the book was too slow, and more focussed on both of the characters' lives, their families and friends, rather than on them. It focussed on unimportant things, and it dragged. I also rolled my eyes at some of the blatent political statements. I think that maybe this author is anti Brexit and Tory! I mean I am too but i still dont want it shoved down my throat in a romance book. There was also a bit on consent, which is very important, but it was dealt with in such a heavy handed way.
I also felt that there was too much telling and not enough showing in this book. Even the sex scenes were a bit 'fade to black,' and there were so many long, boring monologues, it was a bit frustrating.
The characters were ok? Nothing special, they were likeable I guess, but I proably wont remember them. Nadia seemed quite immature, and her character didnt really develop that much throughout the story. I also really didn't like the way she handled the situation after she was stood up, it felt wrong to me, and made me cringe.
Moreover, I noticed a lot of spelling mistakes and typos, so think that overall the book could do with another really good edit!
To sum up, once this book got going, it was a light hearted, sweet romance book, but for me, there were just too many misses, and it took too long to hook me in. 3⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
What a fun read! As a Londoner who commutes on the tube and has read that section of the newspaper, I could really feel a part of Nadia and Daniel’s story and found myself willing them on through all the missed opportunities! The beginning felt a little slow to start but the pace really picked up in the final quarter or so of the book and I raced to the finish. I’d have liked to see a bit more from Emma and Gaby, Nadia’s friend but it made sense in the context of the book, and feel like the epilogue could have been left off, but this didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book. A must read for Londoners, and one I’m sure will appeal across the country as well.
Our Stop was everything I imagined from Laura Jane Williams, after reading her previous non-fiction books and following her Instagram stories religiously for quite some time now. I'm sure I remember seeing her say that it was a book to read on holiday beside a pool, and she is exactly right - I was definitely wishing that was where I was.
This was the perfect feelgood book that I needed to read just now. It was nothing ground-breaking - you know how it is going to end of course - but it was written in such a compelling manner that kept you reading on regardless. I devoured this in two sittings, only because I started reading at midnight the first night and had to go to sleep.
I did think it took a little bit too long for them to FINALLY make their way to each other after so many near-misses, but I guess that is the premise of the book. Maybe it would've ended too soon or got boring if they had actually spoke to each other sooner than they did.
Laura is one of my auto-buy authors so I would have purchased this regardless of what it was about, so I was so grateful to have been given a review copy. I am all for supporting excellent authors though so I am definitely going to buy a proper copy of this too, despite having my review copy.
This is a very promising delve into fiction for Laura and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!
This is the perfect palate cleanser after you've finished a difficult read or have had a rough week.. It's light, funny and sweet. I thought it took a bit long for the protagonists to reach their goal but it was enjoyable to see them go through their respective obstacles to finally meet. Recommended for those who enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella or Jasmine Guillory.
I am a huge fan of Laura Jane Williams’ writing and have especially enjoyed her column in Red Magazine so couldn’t wait to read One Stop, her debut fiction novel.
It’s about Nadia and Daniel who both get the same tube into work and whilst she hasn’t really noticed him, as she generally too busy trying not to spill her coffee whilst hurtling into the carriage as the doors close, he has spotted her and writes into Missed Connections, a feature in the newspaper.
To the cute girl with the coffee stains on her dress. I’m the guy who’s always standing near the doors… Drink sometime?
And so begins a will they/won’t they romance via messages to one another in the newspaper, some oh-so-close encounters and a big old dollop of fate.
Laura Jane Williams can really write and she taps perfectly into modern life and modern culture with a book that takes two people who are destined to be together and explores feminism, toxic masculinity, gaslighting, emotional abuse and grief.
I really enjoyed this book, it is fresh, zingy and chock full of moments which made me laugh. I loved how apologetically modern it is, and by that I mean, you can tell it is written in a post #MeToo era. The women are successful and accomplished and have full lives and are not prepared to settle for just anybody. I felt that the conversations that Nadia and her friends had could be ones that I have with my friends (and often do, when we swap mansplaining stories) and so Our Stop is more than just your average romance novel.
The stars of the show are Nadia and Daniel though. Both wholly likeable, decent and in Daniel’s case, totally fanciable, they are well written, fully rounded and brilliantly strong leads. Told from both of their perspectives we are right there in the action of the will they/won’t they relationship. I loved the push and pull and really felt that for both of them, the journey was just as important as the destination.
This is a fun book which would be perfect to read on a sun lounger at the pool with a cocktail in hand. Great characterisation and an entertaining plot combine to make this an ideal summer read.
A fantastic telling of a true tale of missed connections. The writing was smart, the characters well developed, and I am thoroughly convinced that English women are way cooler than us Americans. This had a very urban, Sex In The City vibe to it, yet it had a very heartwarming romance at its core. I rooted for our H and h to come together, yet fate kept throwing them a curveball, and they just couldn't get their timing and their own insecurities in check most of the time. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a good romance with a bunch of laughs.
Thanks to Avon Books UK for the ARC!
I didn't know this author before, so I was very curious to see her work. For some reason, I couldn't really feel a connection between me and these characters, but I enjoyed the book anyway. It's fun, light and very romantic. I won't say this story will change your life, but it'll definitely make you smile.
I love the London Underground. I quite enjoy reading well constructed contemporary romances. I like humorous characters. I am a sucker for a slightly convoluted and absolutely awesome dating fiasco. This book delivered in bucket loads and then some.
I was lucky enough to be granted a review copy of this book that I think came largely from my love of the tube and the genre. I have London Underground maps (yes, plural) on my walls at home, a themed pass case, and even used have a London Tube bedspread at uni so was super excited to read a book set around the lives of complete strangers on the tube. The synopsis gave it a feel of Sliding Doors meets Tinder, and I was about that.
The plot surrounds Nadia and Daniel, two strangers who regularly get on the same tube train at the same time, to get to work. Daniel notices Nadia, someone who is described to be very much his type, on the train getting on at her stop. He is regimented in his routine, never misses the train, and so her whirlwind entrance rushing onto the train at the last moment and spilling her coffee down herself caught his eye enough to decide to take action on a longer standing crush and place a message in Missed Connections. (For those of you who are not familiar with this phenomenon – London Tube users can post anonymous messages to other tube users through the column in an attempt to have a chance at making more of a fleeting crush on the commute!).
The book follows their stories from their points of view, and shows how wonderfully different they are, but how amazing they would be together. They proceed to go on with their lives, having near misses and close encounters, all whilst communicating with each other through the Missed Connections column. I like that twitter picks up an #OurStop hashtag and follows their story, and that there are opposites in terms of the public’s view on their story. Is it creepy? Stalkery? Romantic?
Nadia is an absolute firecracker. She has an incredible STEM job working in AI, and she is by all accounts dedicated to her job and the introduction of those from different backgrounds in her work. She is like a whirlwind, a constant ball of energy, emotion, and coffee. Even though I like to be early and she is always running late, I like her dedication to trying to improve herself and her routine, and her constant attempt to make the (relevant) 7:30am train, coffee in hand, in the hope of seeing ‘Train Guy’. Her responses to him via Missed Connections are humorous and don’t pull punches, flirting with the best of them.
She stands up for herself though. When there is an incident midway through the book, she doesn’t hang around and wait for the world to fall into place, she dates and finds people who are nice, and attempts to seek comfort in her (hilarious and amazing) friends. I like that she doesn’t lose sight of who she is throughout, and doesn’t settle or stop looking for what she wants. Her friends genuinely made me snort a couple of times throughout the book and are brilliant. I like the idea of a powerful female trio, made up of personal and work friends that ultimately are brilliant for and to one another. They are an example of what we would all like a gaggle of gal pals to be like.
Daniel, I have to say, sounds like the perfect guy. Smart, funny, tall, attractive, stable career, understanding of punctuality, respect of women, he’s in touch with his feelings and emotions without being controlled by them, and is tidy. He fuels the potential union, he takes a leap, arranges a meeting, and by all accounts is the perfect guy. I love that he is attracted to her physically, obviously, but actually noticed her first when she was giving an impassioned speech on artificial intelligence and lower class involvement in its development,. He clearly notices and respects her as a whole, and not just likes her for how she seems.
He is also pretty great when it comes to those around him. He tolerates his housemate, but is careful to step in and stand up for what he thinks is right to the detriment of their friendship. I don’t want to give away the catalyst that causes the decline in their relationship, but I think we will all agree Daniel is right in taking down Lorenzo. Romeo, on the other hand, is a stark contrast to Lorenzo. He is caring, considerate, and seems to respect and understand Daniel, and their friendship/working relationship is something I ultimately really enjoyed.
In the modern age of online dating and Tinder, there is something really romantic and wistful at the idea of meeting someone by literally encountering them on the way to work. OK, they communicate through an online/journalistic channel, but it is refreshing and funny. The story has a feeling of sliding doors about it, with near misses, and interactions with different players in the story happening all the time, even if we don’t realise it.
The story itself is told cleverly through the points of view of the characters. We learn different things about their lives, their interactions, their friends/relationships, and their lives that are like taking pieces of a jigsaw and putting them together slowly throughout the book. The author had a natural, funny writing style, and captured the different characters with deftness and understanding. She never dampens anyone, or steps on characters to boost others and throughout, she is standing for the morally right course, which is a great thing in what is essentially a romantic comedy.
I absolutely loved this book. I went into it hoping it was good and it surpassed all my expectations. It was funny, thoughtful, witty, charming, and respectful, and was a thoroughly entertaining read that I would really love to see adapted into a film someday!
This is a sweet story for summer that will be great for fans of books like One Day in December and Meet Cute. Nadia and Daniel are MFEO, but they just need to connect. They spy each other on the tube, but the book is a will they/won’t they? I’ll look forward to reading more from Laura Jane Williams.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced read in exchange for this review.
This is a cute story about near misses. Nadia gets the 7:30 train every morning. So does Daniel. He posts a line in the daily paper missed connections section....
I did feel that the story dragged on. and on. and on. JUST SAY HI TO EACH OTHER ALREADY. Overall, a pretty good book story about taking chances to not miss out.
It's true, this is utterly heartwarming and will warm the cockles and de-frost even the most icy of hearts. This book gave me cuteness overload. This is a really cute, feel good, easy read.
This is a perfect book for the summer. It’s charming, sweet and funny but there is a lot more to it. Daniel is struggling with grief, and Nadia is feeling left out of her friendship group. There are a lot of near-misses – if I’m honest I think this happened a few too many times – I’m all for coincidences and it wasn’t unbelievable, but it made the book a bit predictable at times, and I found myself getting a bit frustrated with it. I thought the characters were written really well, particularly Daniel.
Loveeed it! I'm a sucker for a soulmate situation and every page of this was excellent. I loved the pacing of their love story, the near-misses and the messages between them. Sometimes I get a little bored if the leads are taking a little longer to meet, and Our Stop managed it do it perfectly.
I also loved the characters. Nadia and her friends were a nice group to read about. I thought their dynamic was realistic and endearing. Another highlight of this is Daniel, who is kind and generous and has a little bit of a tendency to behave like a little bit of a stalker. By which I mean, his personality and intentions do even it out but in hindsight (and it's mentioned in the book), some things can be taken as an invasion of Nadia's privacy. I guess that's just a danger of the world we live in. I also didn't at any point of the story think he was creepy so there's that too. I guess I really did enjoy how that part of dating in the 21st cent. was shied away from. It's a good balance.
Definitely going to recommend this to everybody I know.
I wanted to like this book. I loved the premise.
The writing felt very elementary. The characters felt shallow and I couldn't relate to them at all. The premise of the book was one that intrigued me.
This book was so fun! This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention.
Having followed Laura Jane's Instagram account for longer than I can remember and having loved her previous book Ice Cream for Breakfast, I knew I had to read her debut novel, Our Stop. It turns out that Laura Jane has a talent for fiction as well. I loved this book. It took me a while to warm to Nadia but I loved Daniel immediately and by the end I was rooting so hard for all of the characters. It was such a feel-good story with the right level of cheese.
This is not your stereotypical boy meets girl chick lit...this is an innovative, modern day 'Sliding Doors' style chick lit where you follow the #OurStop journey with Daniel and Nadia. It is brutally funny (particularly the part about #notallmen - you'll have to read it to get the joke!) whilst also being brutally real and not shying away from serious topics such as consent, bereavement & emotional literacy. A fabulous book for romantics AND cynics which is the perfect read for 2019! Roll on Laura's next book!
I just couldn’t get into this book. It was just so so for me. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC. 2 stars.