I think this book has a lot of potential - I enjoyed the premise of it but I think it fell a bit short for me. I found it rather refreshing how Jim and Zara met and their story. I didn't really like how the flashbacks happened but I really liked Jim's friends and how they were woven into the story. I definitely enjoyed the ending more than I thought I would!

Have you ever heard a little kid tell a story? It meanders all over the place, adding in details seemingly at random, zipping here and there with no discernible endpoint in mind. That's what this book reminds me of. The writing is fine, but I didn't really get invested in the characters and so I couldn't really care where the mishmash of a story was going. That may very well be a "me" issue and not one with the book itself. Plenty of other reviewers seem to be enjoying it. But for me, this one was a little too slow with not enough direction.

**Thank you to NetGalley and AvonBooksUK for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

I didn't really like either of the main characters, Nick and Zara, or find them particularly compelling or sympathetic. However, I thought the storyline was unique and interesting.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

DNF @ 25%

I so very much wanted to love this one, but it didn't hit me in any of the right ways. I pretty much immediately disliked both of the main characters, and that didn't change by the second quarter of the book. I wasn't invested in either of their individual stories, or looking forward to them eventually coming together. (Not to mention that the male MC does something kind of scheisty, and I wasn't about it.)

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I wasn’t particularly enthralled by this book, I could see what was happening with the story line before it happened. I liked the main male character but couldn’t take to Zara. It was well written but sadly just wasn’t one I would put in my book list recommendations.

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

Zara decides to leave her life of privilege in Dubai to travel to England to surprise Nick who she met at a party in Dubai and has been conducting an online romance with him since his return home.
Jim has won a high end car in a phone in competition which he plans to sell to get away from his dead end job.
A collision sees Zara and Jim meeting, and he ends up helping her find Nick - who turns out to be married with children and has been stringing her along, never expecting her to turn up on his doorstep. Zara and Jim get to know each other through their travels as he tries to help her, and make some money for himself.
Good relatable characters, a good storyline, decent read.

When Zara makes the trip from Dubai to Liverpool to surprise the love of her life, things don’t exactly go to plan.

Jim is stuck in a dead end job, caring for his Mother and has little ambition to change his life. Fate steps in when he wins a brand new car, on his way to sell the car Zara crashes into his life - quite literally.

While I did enjoy aspects of this book, it was very slow.

The story follows Zara who travels from Dubai to Liverpool to meet up with the love of her life. Events ensue and she ends up meeting Jim, a local lad, in difficult circumstances. I won’t give away much more of the plot though as I don’t want to ruin it.⁣
⁣
I’ll be honest, I have mixed feelings about this book. It started very slowly and I felt that the first chunk of the book dragged. I nearly gave up a number of times but I was determined to carry on. Ultimately I am glad I did as it was enjoyable, but I wish that I hadn’t spent the first third of the book not sure whether I wanted to read it.⁣
⁣
It was mostly entertaining and well written, and the author clearly knows both Dubai and Liverpool well so I appreciated the detail. However I do not think it’s a book I would ever reread as it felt overly long for what it was.⁣

Really enjoyable contemporary, with a very original 'meet cute' storyline. I loved both Zara and Jim, their alternating chapters were really well written and kept me reading. I really felt for Zara, you could really sense her loneliness, and at the same time, you could feel how loved Jim was, from both his Ma and his friendship group.

The road trip was really well done, though I did wish they'd moved things along a bit quicker, but the anticipation was drawn out and the book had a satisfying conclusion for me.

4*

I also got the chance to review the debut from Hayley Doyle 'Never Saw You Coming'  and I loved the story. It did take a while to really get going and perhaps the beginning could have had some of the padding taken out but once it got really started (about 15-20% through) then I couldn't put it down. I did feel the ending was a little rushed though. 

If you love a fun rom-com then this is ideal for you! I'm looking forward to reading more from this author too.

Hayley Doyle’s Never Saw You Coming is a witty, engaging and immensely enjoyable debut that pulls you into the story from page one and keeps you entertained and engrossed until the very last word.

Zara Khoury is ready to give up her life in Dubai for love. She has met the most wonderful guy who makes her feel like she is on top of the world. A guy who promises her the moon and the stars and whom she is sure would make her world complete. There is only one problem though: Nick, the guy she is head over heels in love with, is somebody she has never met in the flesh. Sure, they communicate all the time online and he seems kind, caring, funny and gorgeous, but she has never actually seen him – until now. Fed up of living a life without the man she loves by her side, Zara decides to leave her life in Dubai behind by surprising her man in Liverpool, where they can then start to live a life full of love and happiness. Having crossed continents, Zara is finally in Liverpool only when she knocks on the door to Nick’s house she is greeted by a woman with two small kids…

Jim Glover is living a life that seems to be going nowhere. When he had gone to University to read English, he had been full of hopes and dreams for the future, but the reality turned out to be far different. Stuck working in a dead-end job with no girlfriend and a not exactly exhilarating social life, Jim’s life has not panned out as he thought it would. He hates his job and has started to grow resentful of the inertia that has consumed him. Maybe the time has come for him to stop waiting for something to happen and to take the bull by the horns and start living. Yet, little does Jim know that his life is about to be turned upside down by the arrival of Zara Khoury in his life.

Jim and Zara should never have met, let alone strike up any kind of relationship, but when theirs fates – and their cars – collide, it is going to be the start of a strange, bizarre and exhilarating journey that is going to change them…forever!

Never Say You Coming is a brilliant romantic comedy that will have you laughing out loud. A fantastic, captivating and hilarious tale about taking risks, grabbing life by the horns and finding the courage to fight for your heart’s desire, Never Saw You Coming is a stylish, uplifting and feel-good romantic comedy that is the literary equivalent of a Richard Curtis film.

I absolutely loved Zara and Jim’s story. Funny, heart-warming and so brilliantly told, Zara and Jim are two fantastic characters you will fall in love with and root for.

An absolutely fabulous read that delivers on all counts, Hayley Doyle’s Never Saw You Coming is a wonderful romantic comedy Sophie Kinsella fans are going to lap up.

This book was an unexpected delight! Thoroughly enjoyed it and could picture the sights and sounds of Liverpool, as I have family there. Devoured this in one sitting. Was great!

A superb book that I loved from start to finish, I loved getting to know Jim & Zara whilst reading this story. The story is told from both of their perspectives so you get to know them both and their separate thought processes.

I flew through the pages and loved the style in which it was written and the differences in terminology determining the different cultures they had grown up in.

I love a book that makes me want to pick it up and the characters were so relatable that it was an absolute pleasure to keep reading. A true feel good read proving that anything can happen if you instigate the change.

When Zara, having left Dubai to be with Nick, a man she’s been having an online relationship with, she discovers that things are not always what they seem on screen. What can she do now except return to Dubai with her tail between her legs. At the same time Jim, stuck in a boring job, wins a brand new car and his life seems to be on the up. But when Jim and Zara’s lives collide, nothing will be the same again.

Sadly I found Never Saw You Coming rather predictable and at times tedious. Jim’s character didn’t really lend itself to being the hero, and Zara came across as a spoilt child (but not in a positive way) and by half way through the book I didn’t really care what happened to the pair. The ongoing issues with the car were signposted and didn’t help.

Sorry, just not a book I would want to read again,

Zara gets help from a night in shining armour, following an accident in Dubai. They start a long distance relationship but when Zara turns up unexpectedly to see him she finds out that he is not what he seems. A chance meeting with Jim opens up a journey of mishaps and fun. A light hearted read.

What a beautiful story!. Thoroughly enjoyed the love hate relationship in the beginning. It was brilliant. Got a few giggles from me. Also found it very refreshing to other love stories. The ending..I was shocked to begin with, but again it's not the typical love story. Brilliant read. Loved every minute of it.

Loved the story, loved the characters. It felt very authentic and I read it really quickly. I must say, without giving anything away, that I didn't expect the ending though and it's taken me little while to process it. Can't really fault it apart from it felt at time a bit gloomy at times.

This is possibly a 2.5 stars Out of 5. It was a bit dull and I didn’t warm to the female main character at all. I didn’t particularly care about the male much either. I feel bad being negative when the author has clearly put a lot of time and effort into a book but I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s very forgetful.

I liked the storyline of this book, found it engaging. However I found the language style a bit difficult at times and the story could have been covered more quickly. I liked the main character, found her somebody I could identify in terms of age and stage of life. Some of the language was a bit much and slightly too floury almost like somebody trying to prove that they are a good writer.

Never saw you coming by Hayley Doyle

The story about Zara and Jim’s chance. Jim is in a dead end job and a life is going nowhere. Zara is trying to find love with lying worthless men .

Story very slow had a little humour. It would have had more if it didn’t keep being so repetitive. Aldo it would have held more interest. The bone of the story and characters were good but was too slow to start. It ended very abruptly not really giving an out come. Promised a lot I felt it didn’t deliver.