Another winning book from Laura Jane Williams! I love the way she writes and the beautiful way she weaves the characters together. I shipped Annie and Patrick from the moment they reconnected at bootcamp and I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in their love story. I laughed out loud during the naked spa scene and when Annie texted Patrick instead of her friends (still laughing as I recall those scenes!) I smiled with glee when Patrick got along Annie's little sister, Freddie. Great characters, great story and lots of love and fun in the sun- I really want to travel to Australia now!

She’s done it again, folks! I have been a fan of Laura for a while now, and I love her quirky romance novels more than I can express in words. And I have to say, her newest book The Lucky Escape did not disappoint.

In The Lucky Escape, we follow the story of Annie, a woman left at the alter by the perfect man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Unable to get a hold of him for an explanation, Annie does what any jilted bride would do: she wallows in her sadness, and then pulls herself up by her bootstraps to get her life back in order. Part of this is figuring out what to do with the all expenses paid honeymoon to Australia her would-be in-laws insist she still goes on. Little does she know that she would meet an old acquaintance who would join her on this trip, and change her life forever.

Laura has this way of making you feel all the emotions her characters are feeling through her writing. I felt myself getting weepy alongside Annie, feeling butterflies alongside Annie, and falling in love alongside Annie. While the plot does follow the general romance novel trope, therefore making it slightly predictable, I find that my joy when reading this book came not from what was happening, but who it was happening to.

This was a beautifully written quirky romance novel, that is the perfect summer read. So grab yourself a copy of the book, lay out next to the pool, and sip that blended adult beverage. I promise, you will not regret it.

DNF for me.
Within the first 10% the main character fat shames herself (it's her first thought of why she was stood up at the altar) and describes herself as literal wallpaper. The mother character is obnoxious and toxic. The 13 year old girl reads as if she is seven years old. I also didn't realize "Black cheekbones" were a thing with regard to the Adzo character - don't reduce a person of color to her cheekbones and hair. I do not like this book and I refuse to finish it. It is a shame because I enjoyed the author's other books.

I've been following Laura and reading her books for years, and everything she writes is an absolutely delight, so this one was no surprise. It's hard to match the chemistry and utter joy that she captured in Our Stop, but The Lucky Escape manages to do it. The plot of this one was light, but her characters--Annie in particular, are relatable, and I can root for them while seeing pieces of them in myself. Annie finds herself alone at the church on her wedding day, her fiancé having fled and having to pick up the pieces herself A chance meeting with an old friend and a honeymoon across Australia not gone to waste take the reader from London, around the world and back. Thank you Laura for writing stories where not every piece of the characters' lives are perfect by the end, but the main character grows and learns things about herself, and the reader has so much fun along the way.

This was such a cute read! I loved the dynamic and the chemistry between the characters, and the story itself of course. Annie was so relatable, and her character development is excellent. Her and Patrick definitely make a great couple. I think that I might actually try to read other books by this author since I adored this one.

In The Lucky Escape Annie is left at alter and he didn't have the nerve to tell her he wasn't coming. He told the wedding planner through....text. His parents reach out to her and encourage her to go on the honeymoon to Australia that they have already paid for. After some soul searching Annie decides to go and she takes a long lost friend from her childhood....another man. This is a great story about allowing yourself to be happy and how the choices we make might not always be popular but we really do need to do what is best for us. There is a plan for our lives and it might not be what we thought at first!

Jilted at the alter, Annie thinks her life is over. She's spent the last 10 years giving everything to her relationship.
When her nearly mother-in-law tells her to go on the honeymoon anyway, Annie invites an old school friend that she has recently become reacquainted with.
An emotional, funny rollercoaster extremely enjoyable read.

This hit every good spot for me. I cared for the characters. It felt like going on a long vacation. The romance had some of those fun situations that make a rom com so fun (non-honeymoon honeymoon, naked spa, sharing a hotel room) but it was also paced out really well so that it felt organic and like it was being set up for something long-lasting. And Patrick, my gosh. I have a feeling like he’s going to be one of those characters that stays with me, and hopefully his way of living in the moment and not taking life too seriously will too.

On its surface this has the romance and lightness that we need in a dark time (and travel!) and I was telling myself “one more chapter” long past my bedtime, but it’s also a book filled with great conversations, which is pretty much my dream. (And is something that I’ve found to characterize Laura Jane Williams’ books.) Conversations about life, expectations, friendship, jobs (how it’s okay not to love what you do, and it’s okay to want to enjoy something you spend so much of your time on), being adventurous sometimes and choosing to stay put when it feels right, and doing what makes you happy without needing to ask permission. (I’ve also recently re-discovered my love for Sheryl Crow’s ‘If It Makes You Happy’ so it was a thrill to see it in this book.)

I enjoy having these conversations with books just based on what the characters themselves are going through, so I loved seeing them have conversations about these insecurities and perspectives and figure out what it meant for the choices they made in their lives. I’m on a high after reading this and determined to be more confident in my own choices and less concerned with “should.” I know that sounds like a big thing, but it’s books like this that remind me and help me be more confident in myself.

‘The Lucky Escape’ is the newest story from Laura Jane Williams. It’s a pretty solid romance novel that follows Annie who gets jilted at the alter by her University sweetheart. In a quest to discover herself she runs into an old friend from theatre camp and when the time comes for her honeymoon to Australia she drunkenly decides to take her old/new friend Patrick with her. Patrick reminds her of the girl she used to be and with his easy-going, positive outlook on life she begins to find herself again.
This was a really quick read and it was easy to keep turning the page. Does this stand out from the other hundreds of romance books that have been recently published? No, it doesn’t. This is a plot we’ve read time and time again, so if this is a particular plot you look for then definitely check this out. It’s the kind of book you can consume by the pool on holiday - it’s fun, readable, quick-paced but ultimately it’ll fade from memory.
I would definitely say I enjoyed ‘The Love Square’ more, that is also by this author. It just felt stronger in every sense particularly with plot and characters. However, if you are someone who just loves a feel-good romance then this is a decent read that might be worth your time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This story starts off as a complete nightmare. Annie is set to marry her long-time partner Alexander in a few hours. She is getting ready with her best friend and sister, has an emotional moment with her dad, and then heads to the venue. When she gets there, she discovers that Alexander is not coming. He stood her up.

Annie is as heartbroken as you would expect. She spends the next few weeks trying to pull herself together and figure out what she’s going to do with herself. She decides to join a fitness bootcamp, where she runs into her old friend Patrick. They instantly become close as he helps her heal from the heartbreak, so much so that Annie invites him on her honeymoon! The one she was supposed to take with Alex.

Being a person going through their 20s currently, I found this story to be very relatable. At this age, some people seem to have found their path whether it be settling down with a partner, children, dream job, etc., and some are still figuring out where they want to go, and which path might be best. This book did a great job at showcasing this and really exploring the FACT that there is no timeline, everyone is different. Annie really reassesses her life after her almost wedding and discovers that at 30 there is still plenty of time to figure out where your going – despite what we may sometimes be led to believe.

Something I didn’t like was that at the beginning Annie is described as a strong independent woman, or at least definitely gives off that vibe. I give her credit because going through heartbreak like that would leave anyone in a bad emotional state, but I felt like when she started growing closer to Patrick, she changed. Annie began to feel confusing and indecisive at times and it made her character feel a bit inconsistent.

One thing I really enjoyed about this book is the author’s writing. I can tell through her writing that she is friendly and humorous, and it made the book so enjoyable to have these characteristics woven into the story.

Annie left on her wedding day, meets an old friend Patrick, while trying to change her life. In a drunken moment Annie and Patrick decides to go on the honeymoon of a lifetime. There Annie learns about herself, Patrick and her direction in life. Slow at times but mostly enjoyable, nicely descriptive with rounded believable characters.

I escaped with this gem of a book over the weekend, adored it!

What would you do if you were jilted at the Aisle on your wedding day? Annie finds herself in this predicament and a few weeks later, she sets off on her planned honeymoon with a handsome man, who isn’t the one she intended to marry...

I loved the scene setting, the romance, the back stories.. absolute belter of a book!

This book was so much fun! The non-honeymoon trip with a long lost friend, there was so much chemistry between Annie and Patrick and plenty of funny moments along the way.
I loved reading from Annie’s perspective and really enjoyed seeing her transform back into the person she used to be before she started to dim herself to please everyone else.
I also really loved the chemistry between Annie and Patrick from the moment they reconnected and enjoyed seeing it play out and it was great to see their relationship blossom from lingering looks and flirty banter into so much more.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it’s a perfect summer read and I definitely recommend it!

This unique rom-com will appeal to romance readers everywhere! Lovable characters, and it makes the reader feel as if they are on their own vacation.

After being jilted at the altar, Annie decides to take every opportuniy she gets and goes on her honeymoon with an old friend. There is a lot of potential there. Great characters and nice plot. After Australia the chemistry between Annie and Patrick felt missing though, which was a shame. I think this book was a nice summer read.

A huge thanks to Avon for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was the blurb that sold it for me- a woman ditched at the altar? Sign me up!

The book tells the story of Annie Wiig who was abandoned by her ex, Alexander, on her wedding day. A chance encounter with a former acquaintance with an old friend leads to her finding herself and finding love when she decides to go on her honeymoon. This book is a delight and the perfect read on a cold day or just a sunny day. The author captures you with a plot that captures you and her humor is priceless. What a delightful read!

This was too cute! I wanted to read a book that I knew I would love so I picked this one from my NetGalley account.

First off I related to Annie so much! She is so hard on herself and doesn't know what she deserves. She believes she has to be perfect and literally always helps others without taking care of herself. I feel like EVERY girl can relate.

Also the fact that she did drama camp was a bonus cause drama camp when I was in grade school was THE SHIT!

But this was Annie's book. It had romance, but it was her journey. Sure she finds love, but she is finally putting herself first and that's what we all need to learn from her. That you don't need to worry about what others think or what society pressures us to do. Do what you love and do what is right for you. Who cares what other people think. I LOVE THAT. I love reading a book and feeling like I'm learning more about how to be a badass boss who knows what she wants. Don't do what's expected all the time. Even if you family thinks a certain way or there are road blocks- you know what is right for you.

So, yes this book was about Annie, but we have to talk about how awesome Patrick was. He was exactly what Annie needed. He even got frustrated with her being so hard on herself. And he reminded her of how amazing she was and how she can find that again. He was a free spirit and almost Annie's opposite at times, but they really just worked together.

So this book was so sweet and so inspiring. I thought I would be bored because I've read books with he same kind of idea, but I really liked how it wasn't as basic as I thought it would be.

So five stars! And I need to look more into this author for sure!

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams was a cute and fun book, not heavy on romance but more on self-discovery and getting over life's hardships. Annie is left at the altar on her wedding day and then goes to her honeymoon with an old friend. While I found it lacked some romance, it did make me want to travel. It also very description heavy and there isn't a lot of things going on. It was lovely either way, perfect beach or summer read.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy in exchange of an honest review.

So who's taking me to Australia?! The Lucky Escape has Annie making lemonade from lemons after getting left at the altar and being presented with the opportunity to still take her honeymoon.

Annie, has a meet-cute with an old friend at the gym, and after some drinks decides he will accompany her on her un-honeymoon. Patrick and Annie have a magical time in Australia and learn a lot about each other and themselves on the way.

Williams does a great job capturing the beauty of going on a holiday and leaving your life behind, even if for a few short weeks. That 'coming home' feeling has Annie questioning all of her decisions and does a lot of growing up throughout the course of the story.

I loved Annie's close friends and little sister, all such strong women who had her back no matter what. Something we all need. I could have done without the toxic mother relationship that seemed to be resolved after one confrontation. The steam was minimal, not a completely close door romance, but not overly detailed in that regard.

This is a great pool or beachside read and can see fans of The Unhoneymooners or Float Plan giving this one a try.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author, it made me laugh out loud throughout, a really feel good read.

I would highly recommend this book to my friends.