After being with her boyfriend for ten years, Annie is left with the realization that she has literally been left at the alter. After confronting this devastation, she quickly realizes she needs to make some changes within herself. One of those changes involves an old friend named Patrick. Patrick reminds her of a simpler, more freeing time so she takes the plunge and brings Patrick along on her solo honeymoon.

The Lucky Escape is a feel good rom-com while also going more in depth and showing the growth process of Annie. She makes mistakes, says things she regrets, and is extremely indecisive. This is not an awful thing but it made me not connect with Annie as I would have liked to. Her journey is her own. Ultimately it helped her get to a place where she was happy with herself.

Overall, it is a great read and I finished it in one sitting. It is well written with many great characters. It has the humor but also a journey to Annie’s self-love, wherever that takes her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the advanced copy for an honest review.

Seeing all of the great reviews for The Lucky Escape makes me realize that I glossed over the part describing the novel as "women's fiction." The novel has charm, but much of that, in my male opinion, relies on silliness. I don't begrudge anyone their enjoyment of this novel, it just didn't resonate as well with me. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

After being jilted on her wedding day Annie doesn't know what to do with herself so after a while decides to get fit to try and take her mind off it and joins a bootcamp. After a couple of sessions she bumps into an old friend Patrick who used to go to a drama group in the summer when they were at school.
They start to meet up after the bootcamp classes as just friends but when he ex's family insist she goes on the honeymoon to Australia. After a boozy evening Patrick suggests he goes with her to keep her company and Annie agrees.
A lovely story of 2 people getting over a broken heart and discovering each other

Annie Wiig is excited that it’s finally her wedding day. She has been with Alexander for ten years, and she ready to make this huge leap into marriage. After getting ready with her sister and best friend, she arrives at the church to see her wedding planner looking worried. She is told that Alexander is not here and that he sent a simple text saying that the wedding is off. Devastated, Annie has to move on from being stood up at the alter. While moving on, she goes to fitness classes and meets a guy she used to know from drama camp in high school. The two pick up right where they left off. When Annie’s almost mother in law asks her to take her honeymoon, Annie mentions it to Patrick, who wants to come. The two embark on a three week all inclusive vacation to Australia. Annie learns that she has been holding herself back for 10 years and that she’s ready to let go of her insecurities and really live, and find true love.

I thought this book was adorable. I was hooked from the very first page. Laura Jane Williams writes with such authenticity that I felt that these characters were real people. The conversations and witty banter were charming, realistic, and hilarious. The situations the characters got themselves into were relatable and so funny. I loved that the author blended raw emotions and heartbreak with silly scenes and funny characters. This book was a pleasure to read and I will be thinking of it for a long time!

Thank you to net galley for the E-Arc of this book.

I enjoyed this. It was a lovely sweet, predictable romance. Yes you know where it’s going but there’s nothing wrong with that - I’m quite partial to that at times!

If I’m honest, it didn’t blow me away but it was still a pleasant read and I would pick up another book by this author.

@what_gemma_read21

This book is about Annie, who is left at the alter by her long time boyfriend and how she recovers from that. It starts out well but after the "honeymoon" I got a little fed up with her. It did end well and overall I enjoyed this book.

If you are looking for a light summer beach read this is good. It was a quick read and easy to follow. Could be a bit predictable but that is not a bad thing at times.

Annie is jilted at the alter by her boyfriend Alexander. She then reconnects with old friend Patrick and they go on the honeymoon together. Will they survive their friendship or more?
It was a bit of a slow start but once I got part of way through it it was a good read. Thehoneymoon chapters are pure escapism. The story had good characters, fantastic locations and was well written.
I would recommend to others that enjoy a good rom com or romance. This is the first of this authors I have read and I will give others a go.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for ARC in exchange for an honest review

Another unconventional romance from Laura – this one follows a jilted bride who goes on her honeymoon with a childhood friend she re-met at the gym! Unlike her previous novels, this one is in first person, which I think really helps you get inside the heroine’s head as she has to figure out her new life. And the honeymoon chapters are absolutely perfect escapism, lots of luxurious hotel rooms, delicious meals, and wine-tasting adventures.

When the lovely folks at Avon Books asked me if I was interested in reading an ARC of her forthcoming novel, The Lucky Escape, I absolutely jumped at the chance.

Our narrator Annie is so excited about her dream wedding to her university sweetheart Alexander, but, when she arrives at the church in her designer dress, she finds out that he has left her at the altar. She is understandably devastated. A chance meeting with her old friend, Patrick, reminds Annie of the girl she used to be when they knew each other in their teens. In a spontaneous moment, Annie decides that she will still take her all-expenses-paid dream honeymoon to Australia and asks Patrick to come with her.

In all honesty, I think this is the author’s best work yet. The character development is incredibly strong and I could really relate to the journey of self-reflection and discovery that our protagonist Annie goes on. (I wouldn’t be sorry to be able to relate a little more to the all expenses paid holiday bit but a girl can dream!) The main characters are messy, flawed and complicated and that, for me, is what makes them so very human. This isn’t a picture perfect romance but it feels real and that is one of the things I loved most about it.

If you want a nice, light summer holiday read then you can definitely enjoy The Lucky Escape on that level. There are some sections that are laugh-out-loud, spit-your-drink-over-yourself funny and there are some really tender moments too. Underneath that though, there are some deeper questions around personal development and fulfilment that are really carefully handled by the author. It left me feeling all the feelings, but the overriding emotions were of joy and hope.

This is my first Laura Jane Williams book (I know, I know, I can't believe I haven't read One Stop). But it won't be last (looking at you, One Stop).

This book was full of fantastic characters, with a fun narrative and BRILLIANT locations. The author really knows how to conjure a setting and pull you in.

At times I felt as though the relationship didn't quite have the chemistry I was looking for, but that's very much a personal preference and the romance still shined through. I was invested in the entire journey though and I loved the premise, Annie jetting off on our honeymoon without Alexander - realising that he was not, in fact The One, was just wonderful.

I highly recommend and this is a perfect summer read.

In the acknowledgements LJW says she hopes it’s her most joyful and escapist novel to date, and that sums it up perfectly. A wonderful antidote to ‘stuck at home and can’t travel anywhere’ my only criticism is that I now have acute FOMO in the knowledge that I will never be able to afford a luxury business class trip to Australia. Annie and Patrick are incredibly likeable and this is a gorgeous easy to read story that is devoid of trauma - it was like a hug - which is exactly what I needed, and I read it in one go.

I read this book in 24 hours, literally binged it.

I initially was not a fan of Annie the protagonist, but as her character developed and she found herself during her escape away I could relate with her regards a lot of her life decisions.

Why can’t I find a Patrick? Annie is a very lucky lady and I found the creep up of romance between the pair very exciting.

It made me more confident in my decisions confirming that I don’t need the worlds approval!

A very easy read and very enjoyablex I would recommend.

The Lucky Escape was nothing that I expected.
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Annie is dropped off at the church door by her boyfriend of ten years with no explanation other than an email to her wedding planner.
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I expected laughter and situations that would give meaning to the actions of the characters but I found a book full of reflections on becoming of age, what society expects of her as a woman, sister, daughter and girlfriend, Conversations about happiness and fulfillment of the life.
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While Annie is trying to process what happened without any clues, she bumps into a former acting camp friend from her teenage years, they immediately connect and resume the friendship they had but with greater force, and in that relationship is where she finds the point neutral to get everything off her chest and want more of life while taking advantage of the already booked honeymoon.
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The journey brings them closer together and then that's where I started to get away from Annie and her actions, those of her ex-boyfriend, and her mother ... they didn't give me much sense of where they came from and where they were going. It only made sense to Patrick and it made me want to give him a high-five several times, even though he didn't have much space or his pov the book left me wishing good things for him page after page.
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Maybe it was that Annie was overthinking or easily swayed, I don't know. This book is a RomCom with two or three comedy situations and the rest is soft, sweet romance followed by reflections on life and the people around us, a book about friends , family and the beautiful Australia
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Thanks to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for give me this book in exchange for my honest opinion

I found this book slow to start and hard to connect with the character however I persevered and it was a great read. I loved the "honeymoon" made me want to visit Australia and I loved the relationship between Annie and Freddie

I liked this book but didn't love it. While I found it a fun read, definitely a summer read, I found the plot quite predictable. However I did love the characters and found them very relatable and overall enjoyed the experience of reading this. This book is perfect for sitting by the pool on a summer holiday, a fun read with a little bit of romance.

The story of one cancelled wedding which leads to an unexpected honeymoon!
Annie has to deal with the repercussions when her fiancee leaves her at the altar when realizes he doesn't want to get married. To treat herself, she decides to go on their honeymoon to Australia anyway, just with someone else. Enter Patrick, her friend from drama camp that she just bumped into and they make an impromptu decision to go on this honeymoon and enjoy themselves, but as "friends".
This book was sort of a mix of a Bollywood movie called Queen (2013) (in which the woman goes on her honeymoon on her own) and The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (in which two acquaintances go on a honeymoon instead of the bride and groom) and I enjoyed it a lot!
I loved Patrick's character so much and I wanted him to get all the happiness in the world. Annie was a really strong character as well and I loved the romance that eventually blossomed between the two.
Highly recommend if you want a light, fluffy book that takes you on a vacation in Australia while staying at home haha!

I truly tried to finish reading The Lucky Escape but unfortunately I really couldn't get past Annie and how she was written. She was her own worst enemy and I didn't enjoy reading about her. It was a super promising book but I had to DNF it.

Cute and quick to read book!
I really like the hero of this book but I have a problem to click with the heroine
Love the plot though!

One of my favorite romantic tropes executed in a charmingly heartfelt and awesomely diverse poolside read. A little fluffy in how they didn't consider the things they'd need to address when they got back to a post-vacation rhythm, and once they did, how seamlessly things worked out with simply space. Yet, feel good nonetheless. Add this book to your must read list when it comes out in June 2021 and thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

After reading Our Stop and The Love Square I was so excited when @avon_books approved my request for an arc of Laura’s upcoming release on @netgalley 🥰

Annie is jilted at the altar by her university sweetheart. She’s distraught that the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with would be so cruel to not even express his doubt before she arrived at the church. In attempt to recover, she takes 6 weeks off work and begins her journey of being the “new Annie” starting off with going to boot camp where she reconnects with Patrick from her days in summer camp. Her in-laws encourage her to take the honeymoon to Australia as its non refundable so after many drinks, Annie and Patrick decide to go together. Is this a disaster waiting to happen or are they both just what the other needs?

I loved the idea of this novel. A woman finding her independence after being jilted? Sounds just like an episode of Sex and the City which I’ve been binging this lockdown. I really enjoyed seeing the relationship between Annie and Patrick blossom and her evolving as a character. However, the last third of the novel when they are back home just felt really rushed and thrown together? Annie’s relationship with her mother becomes miraculously fixed after one wishy-washy argument/conversation. I feel like if the author had reduced the descriptive language used throughout the first half of the book that this part of the story could have been developed further without verging on being longer than her other books.

Overall a very cute read and this would have been an ideal novel for the side of the pool/beach if we were allowed on holiday right now