Penny runs a little cafe. One day the bread is delivered by someone different - Francesco who Penny starts a relationships with. Penny, who has beaten cancer seems to love Francesco and enjoys this relationship. Her uncle, suffers a heart attack and asks her to go and run his pub, The Red Panda, which she does, leaving Francesco behind, somewhat under a bit of a cloud.
Penny then forms relationships with 2 other men when Francesco reappears on the scene and it all becomes a bit of a muddle.
I'm afraid I found the second part of the book far less enjoyable than the first. I did not enjoy the main character's change in personality or the extra characters who I didn't feel added anything to the storyline. Penny has been spoken about as a girl who finds it hard to trust men as she had been abandoned in the midst of a cancer diagnosis who suddenly changed into someone who falls rapidly into several relationships, someone who tires easily and needs to plan in periods of rest, to it never being mentioned in the new half of the story. I did not feel that the 2 halves merged happily together.
I would leave it up to you to decide if this book is one for you.

The book seems interesting but I have to admit, I found myself a little bit bored already at the 11% of the book, so I'll think I'll put it aside and try again within some time. I don't know if that sort of multiple point of views (even if the main character is Penny alone) aren't my cup of tea or it is just the wrong moment to read it.

I absolutely loved Laura Jane Williams’ first novel, Our Stop and was curious to see whether her 2nd novel would be as brilliant as her first and let me tell you, it most definitely is! I loved how it wasn’t your typical love story and reflected the modern-day dating scene. I found it refreshing that finally there is a book where the woman is in control and has options instead of the men, although a certain scene did have me cringing (if you know, you know!!). Laura always creates such an amazing support network for her characters which include the most amazing friends and family and I just love how diverse they all are. The book touches on some delicate subjects such as cancer and infertility but was written in such a respectful way.

The Love Square follows Penny, a thirty-something cafe owner who has been unlucky in love. That is until she meets Francesco. However, after a whirlwind three-week romance, she has to unexpectedly leave London and manage her uncle's restaurant in Derbyshire after a health scare. Now, all of sudden she has not one but three men in her life, which equals a very complicated love square.

I loved the elements of family and friendship sprinkled throughout The Love Square. I also think Williams' has a knack for creating interesting characters. However, I felt this book would have been a five-star read with a little more depth. As although the romance chaos of her life is one part of the story, so is the fact she's in remission from breast cancer and wants to start a family. I would have loved if Williams' delved deeper into this aspect of her life. But if you're a fellow fan of British rom-coms, I definitely recommend The Love Square and Williams' 2019 release, Our Stop.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.

I was very excited to read Laura Jane William’s second book The Love Square. Her first book, Our Stop is one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. Williams chronicles Penny Bridge’s relationships with three very different men. She’s a chef with a cafe in London, but takes over her uncle’s pub when he is sick and cannot work any more. This book certainly takes the romance factor up a notch and contains more spice and sizzle then Our Stop, but with the same character development and growth that I’m coming to associate with Williams. Penny is dealt several hard hands, but she plays them beautifully and I loved seeing where she ends up. It’s not exactly what I would have chosen for her, but I can see the beauty in it. Penny reminded me the importance of creating the family and life for yourself that you want and of examining if what you’re doing is going to get you there.

This is the follow-up to Our Stop, which I really loved. It is full of all the lovely character details that I found so enjoyable in Our Stop – Laura’s characterisation is both varied and believable, which makes it a real treat to get to know her characters and the people around them. Despite the title, it’s more about Penny, the protagonist, deciding whether she wants a serious relationship at this point in her life than about her choosing between three men. She is a very flawed, yet sympathetic person with a lot going on in her life. She wants to have a child and she also wants to keep running her business. But her uncle wants her to take over his business and she can’t carry her own child, she needs a surrogate because of having had breast cancer. She froze embryos, so any partner she has in the future won’t be biologically related to her children and that adds an additional complication to any relationship she might pursue. I thought it was really interesting and it absolutely lovely to see that explored in a book, even though I’m somebody who normally is like ‘Ugh motherhood in the plot? Get it away from me!’ I’m looking forward to seeing what Laura writes next.

Having absolutely loved debut novel Our Stop I was eager to sink my teeth into The Love Square, ready for the characters to lift my spirits and put a smile on my face, thankful that in the world of romantic fiction all remains lighthearted and breezy.
Penny, owner of Bridge cafe in Stoke Newington is more or less happy in her surroundings, comfortable in her own skin but unlucky in love. The icing on the cake would be to find the man she could share her dreams with but finding a soulmate isn’t easy. As the saying goes, things happen when you least expect it so when Francesco breezes into her cafe, a whirlwind romance ensues. However, life can’t be without complications otherwise this would be a very short read! When Penny is temporarily forced to move away from London to take up the reins in Uncle Davy’s kitchens at the Red Panda in Havingley Derbyshire, she reluctantly decides to put a full stop to this budding romance.
Up until this point I liked both characters, feeling that I was going to enjoy their romantic adventures and possibly lose my heart to Francesco along the way. Unfortunately I felt Penny underwent a personality transplant with her move to Derbyshire and her temporary life as head chef. Whether or not this had relevance to her life being blown off course so she’s unable to follow the path she’d set her heart on I’m not sure. From being unlucky in love she’s suddenly part of a love square, enjoying the attentions of Thomas and Priyesh as well as Francesco. It’s a bit like waiting for a bus;when one finally appears there’s another two in quick succession! I understood her need to let off steam given the high pressure nature of her job and revel in some lighthearted welcome distraction but I started to find Penny frustrating. Constantly bemoaning her lack of love, she can’t appreciate that there are plenty of men around who long for and thoroughly enjoy her company. Was I a teensy bit jealous of her abundance of suitors? maybe. Did I think she was being greedy? maybe. Did I think she was hurting Francesco’s feelings as well as her own? Definitely! I wanted to yell at Penny and tell her to wake up and smell the roses. Why alienate a perfectly wonderful friend and possible long term partner for the sake of playing the field, being tempted by the temporary gifts of great sex and great banter that Thomas and Priyesh were offering?
Unlike some reviews, I quite liked Thomas and Priyesh as love interests as they were both very different characters from Francesco who had to my favourite by far. Genuine, hardworking, romantic and all round nice guy, how could you not fall for his obvious charms? Stu and Charlie I thought were interchangeable and one dimensional, both acting as Penny’s right hand men, willing to give dispense words of wisdom but as they have supporting background roles I wouldn’t expect these characters to be fully developed. I loved the idea of personal podcasts between Penny and her sister Clementine, with their relationship heartwarming and instrumental to Penny’s future happiness.
Penny becomes a lost soul, wandering so far from her goals and ambitions in life that she suffers from crippling indecision. In this sense she’s a relatable character for how many of us experience similar feelings? I was glad she has a wake up call, a light bulb moment when all becomes clear as it doesn’t necessarily follow that we can all find our way through to the right path.
The Love Square is a romantic tale that is bang on trend. It celebrates the diverse nature of relationships and family life beyond the stereotypical boundaries of a heterosexual couple with 2.4 children. The author’s approach to infertility and IVF and surrogacy proves there’s more than one way to satisfy dreams of motherhood which in Penny’s case is conveniently and predictably wrapped up.
In what is a well written, easy to read novel, I will take issue with the use of ‘Gah’ as an exclamation and ‘Let the record show’. Do people really say these things??? I’m probably being overly critical as they only cropped up a few times in the narrative but I found it irritating!
Overall this is a lighthearted romantic read yet due to its lack of humour didn’t quite live up to my expectations. My mood wasn’t lightened as I’d hoped and by the end my overwhelming feeling was one of disappointment. To emulate the success of Our Stop was always going to be a difficult task and for me it didn’t entirely sate my craving for the kind of gooey, slightly too sweet, funny uplifting romance that I wanted. Still I can’t fault the author for creating a storyline that captures the essence of family and friendship and love in all its variations. Rather than the 5 star rating I’d been imagining for this book, I’ve nonetheless thought it worthy of 4 stars.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC.

I really enjoyed this, an easy read with great likable characters. My first book by this author but one of her others is already on my tbr list and now I can see why after reading this.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Penny and rooted for her from start too finish. I think it's any womens dream that she could go from an unlucky love life too having multiple men fighting for your attention. The likelyhood of that actually happening is slim so reading about it in a book is kind of nice. The Author did not make a bunch of extremly liked characters who were perfection. Laura Jane Williams created flawed but good hearted characters that had you liking them one minute and hating them another, but that just keeps things interesting. Overall great read!

2 Stars
I'm sorry but this book wasn't for me. I struggled to get into the book.

Penny is a cancer survivor and also has had a lot of bad luck when it comes to love. That is, until she doesn't. She has three men to choose from. Yip, three! Not so bad with the luck now?

This love triangle (Square) just didn't work for me. I thought the characters were unappealing and I struggled to see what Penny was attracted to. (Sorry). The flow of the book started great, however, after I while I wanted to skim chapters. I had to push myself to stay on track. Even though the start of the book flowed, I just couldn't connect with Penny! Sharon, on the other hand, I loved her! She was the soul of the book.

I don't recommend this book, sorry.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Avon for providing me with an opportunity to read this romantic comedy.
Overall, this book just wasn’t for me. I had the hardest time getting into it and actually struggled to finish it. Why? As a fan of RomComs as a whole, it’s the tension between the two protagonists that ends up spilling over into romance that I love. This novel just seemed flat to me. The tension was contrived and just wasn’t there. The characters were flat and one dimensional. They didn’t seem real or fleshed out. I felt annoyed that the main character seemed to have men falling at her feet when her character just seemed so bland. One endearing part of the novel to me was the main character’s relationship with her sister. I loved her “podcasts” with her. I love a good British romantic comedy, but this one left me hanging.

Firstly a big thank you to Avon for my netgalley copy to read and having me on the tour. Im outraged to say ive still not read Laura’s debut!

This was a great book,packed with wit and warmth. Friendships,family,love and lots of sex..

Its fun and modern.

Highly entertaining read

Published ebook 29th june

Paperback August 6th

Do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour.

Oh man, I LOVE LJW! A sassy, modern, Lizzo-filled take on Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd. Absolute class.

I felt very uncomfortable reading this. Unintentionally, I believe, one character appears to be very predatory and I felt very much put off from continuing the book.

I’d say the first third was amazing. It kind of went downhill after that for me. If there was an alternate version of this book that had Penny navigating family, friendship, and the two businesses without the added romance, I would’ve loved it, I think.

The Love Square is the perfect modern rom-com read - essential for summer (even if we can't read it on holiday). Penny is a loveable character, but thankfully not perfect. Her journey and character development is so much fun to follow and the whole cast of the book is incredible. I love how effortlessly diverse and inclusive this story is - it is the best way to naturally include so many different types of relationships.

Ultimately, this book is not just about romantic love. It's about friendships and siblings and parental love and it's such a heartwarming, beautiful novel. I cannot wait for more books by Williams. She's unstoppable!

I generally try to review books based not only on how I liked them, but on whether I could recommend them to friends based on their reading preferences. With this book, there were some problematic themes that I can't get past. I do appreciate the main character's journey after cancer treatments and how it affects her life as well as the inclusion of supporting characters who are gender non-conforming or in LGBTQIA+ marriages. I also enjoyed that Penny seemed to learn something from each relationship. However, I felt that slut-shaming and emotional abuse were normalized and romanticized between the couple that the reader is supposed to cheer for, which is not something I can get behind.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

As soon as I saw the title I had this feeling that this book will be one of these amazing, all over the place novels. Instead of a love triangle its a love square, OMG!!!

Any I love Penny, she has gone through one of the worst things that can ever happen to a woman, she had breast cancer, which she beat, but she also lost so much more, the ability to be a mother, and wanting to find love, but not having the best of luck with that.

Until she meets Francesco,. One thing I like about him is how real and raw he is as a character, he has these outbursts but when he's called out on them, he admits his guilt.

Penny, given everything she has been through, is very scared of being in love with someone who might end up leaving her in the end when things get tough. After meeting Francesco she has to leave and help her uncle, and that's where the story really begins. She meets two other men, and still keeps in contact with Francesco, as friends of course. Until he does something that, wasn't bad at all, but I knew that something good is going to happen, she will realize that the man of her life has been standing there right in front of her all along, and she can finally get her happy ending.

I wont give too much away, I feel its worth the read. Laure Jane made me really fall in love with the characters and also hate some of them and like them again all in the same sentence. That's hard to do when it comes to me, haha.

I read Our Stop with my book club recently so I had high hopes for The Love Square, however I felt this one fell a little flat.

I enjoyed the premise of the story however I was never fully invested in the characters and it took me a while to want to start reading and I struggled to connect with Penny as a main character, she wasn’t unlikeable she just wasn’t loveable. However I enjoyed Charlie, the first non binary character I had ever read and i enjoyed the diversity of the book.

This book would be great as a summer read by the pool and is enjoyable, humorous and also deals with a lot of difficult themes such as fertility and cancer.

Thank you to Avon books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve got to admit it, I was rather disappointed by this book. The cover implied a book rather upbeat and light-hearted. However, this was definitely not the case. I found Penny’s circumstances rather miserable and her love-life was irritating. The outcome was predictable and I could not connect with her as the main character.

So, it becomes clear from the outset that Penny is unfortunate in love. She has had a difficult life with being ill from cancer and losing her mum to the same disease. Add in the fact that she can’t seem to find Mr Right and Penny is, naturally, rather frustrated. As her circumstances change over the novel, Penny manages to find herself involved with three very different men – all offering opposing relationships. From the beginning there is Francesco, a fellow chef and attractive Italian. Moving to Derbyshire, Penny gets involved with Thomas who is rakish, unpredictable and not at all interested in monogamy. Finally, Priyesh offers a wild but what felt a desperate attraction that obviously does not have any future to it. When the three men eventually meet in the closing chapters of the story, it is naturally very awkward and I found my toes curling at the atmosphere – I just wanted Penny to hurry up and make her mind up!

It is obvious who Penny should make a future with and I feel the author could have either surprised the reader more at the end or, simply reduced the length of the story. It did feel like it dragged on a bit at the closing and I was relieved when I reached the Epilogue. This was really disappointing myself because I had had such high expectations. I didn’t really appreciated Penny’s infidelities and was frustrated she was quite happy to jump between different men – I guess I was hoping for a heroine with more morality?!

Undoubtedly, Williams’s cast of characters is diverse. Penny’s friends and family are fun and supportive. I liked Sharon and I think Thomas had potential to be the more interesting of boyfriends – it’s a shame neither featured more in the story. Charlie, a colleague working with Penny in Derbyshire, is Williams’s most diverse character and as a gender non-binary, I found myself most surprised to see this representation. My brain struggled to process this (I’m sorry!) and I could not move beyond this.

There isn’t much laugh-out-loud humour in the story but the banter is refreshing and helps break the damp atmosphere. Many issues are running through Penny’s story and this adds depth to something I anticipated being a funny example of women’s fiction. I hope Williams’s other novel is more light-hearted and warming because this one, sadly, to not live up to my expectations.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The Love Square follows Penny, a 31-year-old successful business owner of a small cafe in London, who after breaking up with her long-term boyfriend 5 years ago, hasn't really been lucky in her love life. After battling with cancer in her 20's she decided to freeze her eggs in case she decided she wants to be a mother as cancer reduced her chances. Penny starting to come to terms with the fact that she may not find love stumbles upon Francesco, and then another potential love interest, and then another.

This follows Penny's journey in finding the right guy, as well as figuring out what the next step is going to be for her life. As someone who has just started reading woman's fiction, I really appreciate this genre as it focuses' on the main character's journey rather than her love life, which was a big part of this book, and I loved every minute of it. but I felt as if Penny was being a little bit too indecisive about her love interests. I liked the beginning of the book at the start of her figuring out what she want's but by the middle, I felt as if Penny's indecisiveness was something that hindered the book rather than enhanced it, I found myself not caring as much with who she ended up with, this was sad for me as the romance is usually what draws me into a book and there was just so much going on in her love life that I felt kind of distance from her character rather than connecting with her as this seemed very unrealistic in my opinion. I did end up enjoying it as I felt for her character throughout the novel even though some instances felt unrealistic at times, I did like the story overall.

I liked this book and I would definitely recommend it to someone who maybe is a little bit older than I am as I feel it would relate to their life a little bit more but over it was a sweet contemporary novel that I found to actually be perfect for the summer.