An excellent book! Funny, fast-paced, a romantic comedy for those people (like me) who don't really like romantic comedies.

I really enjoyed this!! Fun, an easy read and has the ability to whisk you away from the dreariness of real life for a couple of hours.

Annie sadly gets jilted on her wedding day, but her in-laws are kindly insisting she still goes on the all-expenses paid, luxurious 3 week trip to Australia. The only question is, who should she go with? When Annie randomly runs into an old male friend from her teen years, the pair strike up a friendship and she invites him to accompany her on the trip. Of course, the question is whether their friendship will turn into something more...

I enjoyed this, it has a lovely premise and some great moments for each character. There are good discussions about the idea of moving on, especially after the death of a partner, but some moments felt as if Williams was trying to assert how socially conscious she was rather than writing how her characters would sound? One moment Annie talks of body positivity, the next she discusses her constant crash dieting before the wedding and how she's glad she is putting on weight on the honeymoon. There were some very cringe lines as well, but that's kinda expected in this style of book!

I love Laura's work and I loved this book.

I love Patrick and Annie's story and the slow. ish burn we had for them both. I loved how Annie was on a journey of self discovery and I loved that for her.

The whole story was just amazing and I didn't want it to end xx

When Annie is left at the altar, she is understandably heartbroken. Unsure how to get her life back on track, she signs up for a fitness class at the gym where she runs into an old friend Patrick, who she hasn't seen since she was 15.

When Annie's ex-fiancé's parents insist she goes on her honeymoon anyway, Annie spontaneously invites Patrick to go with her...

Ok, so this is one of those books where you do have to suspend disbelief that it could *actually* happen. Overall it was a fun and light-hearted read and I appreciated the discussion around moving on after a long-term relationship.

However I did find the ending dragged a little and the characters felt a little flat and underdeveloped, especially the side characters.

Not my favourite LJW book but I'd still recommend it if you're looking for a quick beach read

The Lucky Escape is the third book by Laura Jane Williams and came out last month.

I won’t explain the synopsis in too much detail, but in short it follows the story of Annie, who was left at the altar going on her honeymoon with a different man.

Overall this book was fine, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me. I liked the idea of a jilted bride going on her honeymoon but ultimately I was a bit disappointed.

I felt like the blurb and the plot relied so heavily on Annie going on this honeymoon, but I’d estimate that at least half of the book wasn’t in Australia at all. This meant that the book felt very slow-going and the pacing was off in the latter part. The conflict also felt pretty forced and I wasn’t really bothered about a resolution.

I did like the array of characters in The Lucky Escape with the Core Four and her sister Freddie being particular highlights, and I think Williams writes friendship groups really well. I’m just sorry I didn’t enjoy it more!

Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well this book was just a cute, fun read. I whizzed through it in no time at all. Yes it was your stereotypical Chick lit. No I didn't really care for the section in Antwerp. Patrick is in all honesty one big cliché and I don't feel like Annie's relationship with her mother was properly resolved. A little bit wishy washy in those aspects. But if you read it for what it is a fun female contemporary with a bit of added romance thrown in then it's enjoyable.

I really struggled to connect the the main character. The premise was so good, but I am a reader driven by character progression and this one did not have it for me.

I adored the beginning of The Lucky Escape. It's so easy for me to automatically be outraged on the MC's behalf when she's left at the altar. How dare he??
Ultimately though, I lost my girl-power, rooting for the heroine mojo. Some of my sympathy for Annie went out the window as she went through the first several weeks of after-wedding motions. I'm attempting to avoid spoilers, but a rebound should be a rebound and not insta-love. It's hard to wrap my mind around ending a relationship so devastatingly to jump right into "the one".
I'm rating four stars because I feel like the strong beginning and satisfactory ending make up for the middle. The female friendships and the relationship arc with Annie's family was pretty great.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Ok, so this book was a typical romcom which was fun and interesting
I'm always a fan of the 'jilted wedding, and then ends up falling in love with the old flame' trope and this did not disappoint.

Annie was going to marry Alexander, only for him to leave her at the altar, having suffered a severe case of cold feet. A little while later, (coincidence) she meets Patrick! Her old childhood acquaintance who is totally surprised by her 'unadventurousness' as he remembers her as a lively person. This sets Annie thinking...
And, with one spare honeymoon, she takes the plunge and invites Patrick along with her!
Bonding over her honeymoon, Annie and Patrick succumb to the growing attraction between them. But will it last beyond their dream holiday?

I thought this was a good book with a solid plot. The writing was good and Annie was a cute and funny protagonist. I was a bit annoyed by her passiveness at the beginning of the book, but her character developed so well! The book was pretty diverse, even if glaringly so, and I'm likely to read previous books by the author.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good rom-com!

Annie is jilted on her wedding day, her now ex contacts the wedding planner to give his excuses. After trying to come to terms with what's happened, memories of how she and Alexander met, their past, Annie needs to decide what's next... After bumping into a face from her past, Patrick whom she knew from her childhood, a night of free flowing conversation and alcohol, Annie agreed to take Patrick on her non honeymoon.
The Lucky Escape is full of highs and lows for Annie, events over time eventually making her take a look at her life and stand up for herself, where the old Annie would've let it go. A great read with humour, romance and heartbreak, a book you can lose yourself in.

A lovely cute romance set in Australia. A great holiday read. I would definitely recommend the book.

This book is pure and wonderful escapism. What a lovely, uplifting, travel-filled contemporary romance – I really enjoyed it!

I’ve never been to Australia but this book made me want to pack a suitcase and jet off there immediately (remember having the freedom to do that?! Nope, me neither 😂).

The two main characters, Annie and Patrick, have some great chemistry (🔥) but are also just really likeable, well-rounded people in their own rights. What Laura Jane Williams does really well in all of her novels, this one being no exception, is allow her female leads to really grow over the course of the narratives, so that, by the end at least, they really know their own minds. They definitely don’t need a partner in order to be happy, but if the right one happened to come along… ❤️

With thanks to Avon Books for gifting me a digital copy to review.

The Lucky Escape was a book that I was really looking forward to reading. The description hooked me! However the actual book seemed to drag on a bit. Overall the story was very cute and had some great parts showcasing the relationship. I just wanted a little more! Thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the arc to review.

This was one of the best books I've read in a very long time. Annie, the protagonist, is stood up at the altar and we follow her journey as she recovers from that devastating event and learns a lot about herself. When she runs into an old acquaintance from her teen years, she finds someone to share that journey, including using up a honeymoon trip to Australia that would otherwise go to waste. It's an intriguing study into the influences that cause us to be who we become. The characters are delightful and the book mixes family drama with romance in a realistic manner. Loved this book!

A quite predictable story line I found but sometimes I find with simple romcoms this doesn't always matter.

The honeymoon part of the book was my favourite part of the story. It gave you that escapism feeling and made me feel like I was exploring Australia too.

Overall it was an okay book, but there was nothing really amazing that I thought about it.

This book is the classic woman was left on her wedding day and goes on her honeymoon anyways. The main character is Annie and she was devastated when Alexander didn't show up for the wedding they have been planning for forever. Alexander's parents insisted Annie still go on the honeymoon they bought without their son (go them)!

This book was so delightful and I wish I would have read it on the beach, but the book brought the beach to me.

This is the first book I have finished in one day and I can't wait to read more of Laura Jane Williams' work. I recommend this to anyone looking for a quick beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this advanced copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. it would make a perfect holiday read, curl up on the beach and just read.

A woman gets stood up at the altar so goes on her honeymoon with a hot friend she hasn’t seen since childhood. The book has a romantic plot line but is mostly about the main character re-evaluating her whole life and starting over. Kind of a coming of age story for a 30 year old. The premise of the book sounded interesting to me.
Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found the main character very irritating, the side characters one dimensional and the dialogue unbelievable and sometimes annoying. The main love interest was ok but was kind of too perfect which felt unreal. Overall I just wasn’t a fan and probably wouldn’t recommend it.

Well written and entertaining story about throwing caution to the wind and making lemonade when life gives you lemons. Would be a great holiday read.

This was a lovely, fluffy rom com. It has everything you want in a chick lit, jilted bride, old friend, still taking the incredible Australian honeymoon package with said old friend, who happens to be very handsome. I’m a big fan of Laura’s previous books but this one just ever so slightly missed the mark for me. I can fluffy rom com with the best of them but this was a little to much even for me. I think it’s just that honestly I found the character of Patrick kind of unlikeable, which is not common for our romantic male lead. Maybe it’s just me but I felt like he was acting like a bit of a twat, blowing hot and cold and acting weird when Annie said maybe they were moving to fast, or that she was considering a promotion abroad. Anyhow, as predictable and fluffy this is, it’s still a gorgeous, light summer romance read so I highly recommend if that’s your vibe!