I was given and ebook copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book. Lately it has been difficult for me to get lost in a book and to really get hooked. The love square was this type of book for me.

The love square is about Penny a cancer survivor,chef,and café owner that has not been able to find love or even get more than a few dates in before the guy ends it. So she starts to start think about getting surrogate to have her baby. Because she's ready for motherhood with or without a partner to help her. But then she meets Francisco.
Francisco is a baker who wants to find someone to fall into friendship with first then to fall in love. Basically he wants the type of marriage that his parents had.
Francisco and Penny hit it off and it looks like they are going to live happily ever aftee but then fate has other plans.
Penny's uncle has a heart attack which forces Penny to move away and run the family pub for a year. Then everything goes awry with her and Francisco.
So while Penny is away running the pub she ends up seeing two other men. Then Francisco comes back into the picture. And things just get a little messy.

I didn't love Penny but I understood her. She frustrated me at times with just not going after what she wanted but I understand why it was hard for her to do that. The book ends wonderfully and I really just enjoyed the read.
I also love how the author represented LGBTQ+ community was represented in the story. This was my first read from this author and I don't think this will be my last.

2.5 / 5 stars.

The basics: Penny Bridge hasn't had good luck with relationships. As soon as she decides she's okay without one, a series of three men come along. Obviously this ends in drama and some soul searching. In the end, she does get her happily ever after (of course).

The good: I liked that Penny was shown as a bad*ss b*tch who not only owned her own business but was a fantastic business owner. I also appreciated the strong family ties between her and her sister, but also her and her uncles. Not to mention, I have major respect for any woman even considering raising a child on their own.

The bad: I had a hard time rooting for any of the men. None of them seemed right for her, and while I liked the one she ended up with at the start of the book, I really didn't like him at the end.

The ugly: Diversity is great. Representation is great. But not when it feels forced. It seemed like the author tried to include every type of person and relationship in this book: lesbian, gay, age difference, non-monogamous, etc. If this was done well, it would be one thing. But it felt so forced that it didn't seem realistic. I love reading books where the representation feels natural and is really celebrated, not mentioned in passing or making it seem like we are trying to check as many sexual preferences or gender identities off a list.

Overall, I'd give this book 2.5 stars. It had a strong female main character but missed the mark.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of The Love Square.

Thank you for NetGallery and Avon for an E-Arc for an honest review.<


My Review:
This story was in the middle of things. I thought it had some good and not so good parts but I like to focus on all the good things. It gave me a feeling of fun, adventure and an escape from the dark reality that has been going on.

The story follows Penny who gets tangled in a triangle of love. Three different suitors which ends up being a square. She meets Francesco who she connects with immediately but things happen and she has to depart due to changes in her life. While she is gone, she meets two other two men that spark something in her. It was interesting to see how different the other men were. I think I favored Francesco the most. During through the entire process, Penny seems like she does not know what she wants in life and dating. She feels like she has to figure things out. (Aren't we all doing that?) So while she is figuring her dating life out, she also reflects on the loss of her parents and her battle with cancer. She is human who has feelings.

I think the story was a ride of life for Penny. An emotional roller coaster ride. Up and down and all around. It was a good and interesting read. It was a soft type of rom con story. I liked the story but it wasn't a feeling of falling in love with the story for me. I am glad that I read it. I look forward of more stories from this author.

Go pick it up when you get a chance if you are looking for a light easy read!

Thank you to Harper 360 for gifting me a free copy of this book in return for an honest review. This story follows Penny a chef and cancer survivor who has all but given up on love when 3 very different men all meander into her life, creating the love square. All three men fulfill such different roles in Penny's life as she struggles to find out what it is she is truly looking for. Through changes in her love life, her professional life, and her family Penny uses the adversity to truly learn about herself.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this novel. It was the perfect blend of a light romance while also dealing with reality. The dialogue felt realistic and fresh which is an issue for so many contemporary romances. These conversations actually felt like ones I would have in real life. The diversity and LGBTQ visibility was well highlighted. I truly adored how the book was able to include romances but made clear that there were still so many other important things in Penny's life that needed to work in tandem (motherhood, family relationships, professional accomplishments). My only complaint with the book is that the climax felt very rushed and poorly constructed. The author spent so much time beautifully crating the characters only to have it all crash down in a poorly drawn moment. The resolution was fulfilling and made up for a lot of it, I would have just liked a longer and more drawn out climax to really pull together the three ongoing storylines. The book was very enjoyable and will make a perfect light beach read, but the climax/pacing could have been constructed differently.

Reminiscent of Jill Mansell, this novel humanizes the characters and shows their flaws in ways that make you fall in love with them, despite yourself. Misadventures and miscommunications are wrapped up in a believable bow, something that is hard to find in modern literature.

This book was a fun, fast read! I loved the main character, Penny, immediately and enjoyed the lighthearted banter between her and the several men in her life. Realistic? Not totally. But it was an entertaining book that i flew through!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I like books about chefs and their restaurants so this book was very appealing to me. I also liked the main character, but as the book progressed, I disagreed with many of her choices. I also didn't like her choices in "alternate men"; they had no depth and what we did learn about them wasn't likeable (and I have no idea why Lizzo was brought into the story!). However, with all that being said, there were many aspects of this book that I liked. The dialog was snappy and realistic. The food descriptions, especially the Italian dishes, made my mouth water!! Overall, I enjoyed this book. 3.5 stars, rounded up to .4,

I absolutely loved this book! I loved how real Penny is and how she’s struggling with trying to find love. I loved how she was still coping with the death of her mother from breast cancer, and dealing with her own aftermath of that diagnosis. I love how she wants to find that one person she can be real with, regardless of whatever situation she’s been going through.

This book completely blew my expectations away. The writing is phenomenal, the story is beautiful and poignant, and the characters are well thought out and well rounded. I couldn’t put this book down, and I loved going on Penny’s journey with her.

Penny has given up on love when she meets Francesco and they become friends. Just as they are beginning to become more when Penny leaves London to help her family. It has only been a few weeks so she can't ask Francesco to give up his life. While running the family restaurant she meets 2 more men who bring out different sides of her. But who is she the real Penny with? A story of family and finding your true self.

A fun, breezy spin on a love triangle with a highly likable main character, Penny. Laura Jane Williams brings the same whit and whimsy of her previous book, Our Stop, which makes for an all-around delightful romance read.

A sweet story of a woman figuring out what makes her happy, as she dates three different men. This was a well-done version of “multiple suitors”. There’s the one she’s meant to end up with, but they both have to figure things out along the way. Penny is a great heroine, real and flawed.

Was provided with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of The Love Square. This was a cutesy fun romance to read. I liked the first half better than the second. I thought there were too many twists in it.

Penelope (“Penny”) Hermione Bridge is the chef and owner of her café, Bridges, in London. After beating cancer at 25, she’s found herself at 30 missing love. Her luck in the dating world hasn’t been that great, until she meets a pastry chef named Francesco. Could he be worth the chance or is he just like all the others before him? Penny’s past has suppressed her ability to trust in love and she has a hard time working through these issues. As a character, Penny is a walking contradiction as one minute she’s super dependent on those around her and the next she’s claiming she’s independent. Her character is a serious roller coaster and it’s almost impossible for every reader to draw the same conclusions as some will see her one way, but other readers will see her another way.

Penny’s one consistency throughout was the love and bond she shared with her family. Although her sister, Clementine, travels around the world for her job, the two of them keep in touch through voice notes. (The reasoning behind using voice notes is sweet once you find out the backstory.) It inspired me to try out some voice notes with my siblings instead of our usual texting. Although it wasn’t a main theme, it was one that shined through while reading and one that truly enjoyed. There were issues (minor ones) along the way, but the family always got through them together and it was very heart-warming.

Penny takes a chance on starting a relationship with Francesco and the two of them begin to form a relationship. Before things become official, Penny’s uncle suffers a health crisis which forces Penny to take a sabbatical from London and relocate to the countryside in Derbyshire to temporarily run her uncle’s restaurant, The Red Panda. As Penny does not want to endure the long distance, she and Francesco end their romantic relationship. While running the restaurant, Penny comes across suitors two and three. Thomas is a music agent for Lizzo (I really really really had a hard time with this as I just am beyond curious why the author chose Lizzo and not a made up artist – especially given how close Thomas is to his artist – it seemed distracting to the story as naming a real life artist just didn’t seem necessary). Our last suitor is Priyesh, an older gentleman, who happens to supply the wine to the restaurant.

Penny dates both of these other suitors and soon Francesco makes his way back in the picture. With feelings for three different men who all have their pluses and minuses, Penny must try and choose which one will truly make her happy. As a reader, you will definitely have your favorite that you prefer, even if he’s not the one Penny ends up with. For me, I felt that the connections were all over the place and because we spend most of the first part of the novel with Francesco, the reader is skewed towards him when Thomas or Priyesh should’ve been given more time. Thomas and Priyesh’s portions all felt rushed so it was hard to form the same connection with them that you do with Francesco. When I read the description of the novel, I thought it was going to be equal between the three men and the reader could then compare each equally rather than have almost an entire novel dedicated to only one of them. Every time I turned a page, I kept anticipating the second suitor to show up so it just frustrated me at times.

The cast of side characters are what add dimension to this story and were very entertaining. I loved Sharon, Penny’s best friend, as she just brought levity and heart to any paragraph she was mentioned. Charlie was a fantastic addition as they (a gender fluid individual) gave representation where novels typically leave them out. Not only that, but Charlie was witty and was a great sounding board for the characters at the Red Panda. Clementine and her wife Rima were great additions to, although you don’t get to know Rima that well. You also of course have Uncle Dave, the owner of the Red Panda restaurant, and his husband Eric. These side characters were interesting and helped keep the story going, especially during the times where the main story seemed to drag a bit. The only issue with the side characters is that they exist in the story as supporting roles for Penny and it’s difficult to see them as multi-dimensional when their interactions all revolve around the main character.

The writing itself flowed well as it was easy to understand and the word choices were relatable to real world type use. The pace of the story is a little hard to accept as it felt unbalanced as it was slow where it should have been sped up and faster where it should have taken more time. The author’s other novel, Our Stop, was slow in the beginning and then picked up. This novel had the opposite problem as it was extremely captivating in the beginning, lost my interest a little towards the middle-end, and then picked up slightly to reach the conclusion.

Despite all my negatives, I did actually enjoy the story and think others should give it a try. I don’t think it would be on my list of re-reads any time soon, but it is one that I’m glad I took a chance on. The banter is a huge positive and there are many heart-warming moments to help balance out the more serious undertones. To any future reader, I would say to read this novel with an open-mind and not to go in with too high of expectations as I feel that I was biased and expected one type of story going into reading and this certainly was not it. Maybe if I didn’t think about it before reading, perhaps my final opinion would be different. Overall, I think this writer deserves a chance so I will be reading her next novel, The Lucky Escape, in summer of 2021!

** Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this novel. Opinions expressed are completely my own.**

This started out strong but just kind of derailed. I don't think we got another member of the love square until maybe 40% of the way in, and Thomas and Priyesh were one-dimensional. I also thought the Lizzo angle (especially at the end) was awkward. I also thought this was going to be more lighthearted but it delved into cancer, IVF, death of a parent, etc. I did like the diversity in the characters though and applaud the representation.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sadly, The Love Square just fell flat for me. While an interesting read and concept, I thought it just wasn't as witty or fun as I had expected. I found the main character to be unlikeable, and for that, I just couldn't really get into The Love Square. However, other readers might love it for the will-they won't they storyline, or the representation that some of the side characters have.

"The Love Square" by Laura Jane Williams was an interesting read, though not as funny or dynamic as I would have liked. While it had a diverse cast of characters, the lead felt hollow in her path to find love. Her struggles with cancer were realistic and relatable, which was a step up for the book, but I felt as though what is described as summary isn't exactly what is delivered on when the book is actually delved into. All of the relationships weren't fleshed out so the main one was obvious from the get-go. As someone who likes rom coms I was hoping for more and slightly let down, but it was well written and kept my attention, at least in the beginning.

This book is everything I look for in a rom-com. A realistic, strong main female character who is trying to find happiness. Respectful men. Three-dimensional LGBTQ+ characters in happy relationships. A fantastic non-binary character. A will they or won’t they storyline. From beginning to end, it was absolutely perfect. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Penny Bridges hasn't had a real relationship since her ex boyfriend left her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in her young twenties. She owns a successful small restaurant in London and has friends and family that support her. One day a new love interest literally walks in her door. When her uncle's medical emergency causes her to leave London to help run his village pub she feels she must leave her new relationship behind. If you read the cover blurb you know that two more men are on the horizon.

I thought the history with cancer was interesting and added complications to establishing a long term relationship. It is dealt with honestly and not with some magic quick fix. It also made Penny's character very realistic and relatable. I breezed through the first half of the book. The second half slowed down for me. This novel is promoted as a rom-com but there isn't much humor. I felt it was more of a woman's fiction than a romance even though a lot of time is spent on the relationships. Penny isn't dating all three men at once but there is overlapping that makes sense in the book. It is pretty obvious who she will end up with which weakens the tension in the story.

Overall I liked the book. I enjoyed being in London and the restaurant and pub world. The author makes the kitchen work of a chef very real with details like basic cleaning between service times. But the story fell short to me in the relationships. I didn't like or care about a couple of the men. I loved Penny's choice for happiness for herself and even teared up at her relationship with her sister but that isn't the point of a romance. Content warning for mild cursing and a lot of frank talk about sex but without explicit descriptions. There is also positive representation with family and friends that are gay, lesbian, bi, and non-binary.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360 for the ARC ebook in exchange for a honest review.