This book was a really slow start for me (so much so that I put it down and finished another book first). I came back to the story and once I got to the honeymoon part it picked up. I just wish the backstory wasn’t as long, I almost put the book down and did not finish. Overall the second third of the book flew for me and I enjoyed the ending. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the advanced read.

I haven't read much till I started this book and it's given me the push to read again it's brill and the characters really are set out in this.

Cant wait to read more.

The Lucky Escape had The Unhoneymooners vibes but set on the opposite side of the world.

When we first meet Annie, she's in absolute shock after being left at the altar. Not too long after reconnecting with an old camp friend, Patrick, she's given the opportunity to take her three week honeymoon anyway. Of course, she takes Patrick as her plus one. And the rest is history.

What I liked most about The Lucky Escape was Annie's character development. Over the course of the story, she learns to love herself for who she is and she learns to stand up for herself and what she wants. She learns to advocate for her wants and needs, instead of constantly submitting to everyone around her.

While I liked the relationship between Annie and Patrick, Annie's inner dialogue when they first got together was a bit juvenile. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book.

Overall, though, this was an enjoyable read and my favorite so far by Laura Jane Williams.

THE LUCKY ESCAPE - LAURA JANE WILLIAMS 3.5/5 ⭐️

When the day comes for her to marry her longtime sweetheart, Alexander, Annie gets unexpectedly heartbroken when she is left at the altar with little more than an email sent to the wedding planner by way of explanation.

After reuniting with a friend from long ago, Patrick reminds her of how she used to be: more carefree, less calculated. She makes a vow to herself that she will say yes to every opportunity that comes her way, including her honeymoon. Patrick convinces her to allow him the extra ticket to Australia, where they slowly but surely seek solace in the heartbreak that they have endured.

Could this “yes” be the change Annie has been looking for her whole life, or is she setting herself up to suffer through another broken heart?

It took a while for my attention to be grabbed when I started this book. The first third of the book is mostly Annie discussing her heartbreak with her close friends and sister, the second part is the honeymoon, and the last part is when they return. The first part of the book was pretty boring and repetitive, but when I got to the honeymoon is when things started getting interesting. When they got home from Australia, the book fell really flat unfortunately. The sweet and bubbly relationship that formed between the couple suddenly becomes flighty. I was happy with the ending, besides feeling that it was abrupt and we didn’t really get to see anything bloom.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Avon books, and Laura Jane Williams for an ARC!

I loved loved loved this book! The setting of Australia, Annie finding her. True self, and Patrick learning how to respect his past while moving on in the future just made the story brilliant! I laughed out loud, I felt sad, and most of all I smiled with glee. This will become one of my most recommended rom coms!

3.5 stars.
Having heard mixed to good things about Laura Jane Williams' previous books, I was excited to give this one a read.
Given the current situation that we are in, where we can't travel, this sounded like it was going to transport me somewhere warm and sunny and it did.
But sadly it wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be.
The premise was one that was really interesting and sounded like a great idea for a rom-com-style story. But it just lacked some things for me.
The pacing was off a bit and I feel like the two main characters lacked the sort of chemistry or longing that I look for in these types of books. As a result, them getting together in the end felt quite anticlimactic.
That being said, I am intrigued enough by what I read in this to go back and read her earlier books.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very light romantic read.

Annie is left at the alter, her future mother-in-law said she should use the honeymoon tickets they had bought for the couple, !st class tickets to Australia.
When Annie meets an old school friend Patrick she invites him to Australia with her.
Patrick is a very loveable character, though Annie can get on your nerves at times.
You know where this story is going so it`s no surprise where it ends up but a good journey on the way.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

The Lucky Escape follows Annie who left at the altar on her wedding day by her university sweetheart as her goes on her honeymoon with someone else. While on her honeymoon, Annie rediscovers herself and must decide if she moves forward or fall back into her own way. I enjoyed the story of Annie and Patrick and it was an overall enjoyable read. I just wish that the beginning of the story wasn’t so weighed down with excess and we got to the honeymoon portion sooner.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Rating 3.5

The Lucky Escape by Laura Jane Williams was just what I needed after two months of snow, a lockdown winter, and a struggle to focus on reading. The story is everything I've come to expect from Laura's take on modern romance, with a bit of a twist: Annie is stood up at the altar by her parter of 10 years, but in the aftermath decides to go on the five star honeymoon to Australia anyway – with an old friend she’s recently reconnected with. There are family, friendship, and career storylines interwoven around the central romance too, and overall this really was the fun, lighthearted virtual "escape" to the sun I needed!

DNF. I chose this book by the cover and when I started reading it I just couldn't relate to the characters. Maybe later I can try reading it again but I'm not sure. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

I was excited to read The Lucky Escape as it seemed like the perfect escapism from these current dreary, uncertain times. When Annie experiences the absolute worst of breakups - getting jilted at the church on her wedding day - she feels her life can't get any worse. But when her lovely in-laws insist on her taking the all-expenses paid dream honeymoon in Australia, Annie decides to go.

After a chance meeting with Patrick, an old friend from drama school, Annie asks Patrick if he'd like to accompany her. After all, they're just friends, and it would be nice to have some company. But as the holiday progresses, the pair get along better than ever - could it lead to something more?

I loved the premise of this book, however I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I'd hoped. Judging by the reviews though, and seeing how many people love it, it's probably just down to personal preference. I ended up skim-reading quite a few chapters as this book just wasn't my kind of read. I think the main issue for me was that there wasn't much conflict in this book at all; it was mainly Annie getting jilted, Australia, the getting-to-know-you chapters and then back home, where the pacing seemed to be quite off. Admittedly, I enjoyed the end more - I think it's because Annie had learned a lot about herself during the trip, and how she wants to change her life and attitude and not be so willing to please others.

Personally I think the book needed more. For example, I was curious about Alexander (Annie's ex). He didn't really feature much in the book at all besides to leave Annie and then turn up later to get annoyed at her being with Patrick. I knew nothing about him really, which felt strange that Annie was so quick to move on from Alexander; their feelings seemed to only be explained briefly towards the end. There were opportunities for more to happen, when instead the novel focused mainly on the new relationship, which was entirely predictable.

This is a sweet, heartwarming and funny read, but sadly I don't think this was for me.

This was a fast, fun read. I loved how both the characters grew separately and together. I would hope for it to resonate with some readers who find themselves in Annie's spot to see things can be changed anytime. Also Patrick sounds dreamy!!

Thanks to #netgalley and #avonbooksUK for this #arc of The Lucky Escape. After her wedding gets cancelled Annie has a chance meeting with Patrick, a friend from her past. They decide to go on her pre-planned honeymoon together. What follows is a lovely book about second chances, true love, and finding our true paths.
I enjoyed this book, but honestly felt like Williams took a bit too long to get to the actual honeymoon part, and then it was over a little too soon. Parts of the book felt a bit out of place, Annie's job was important in the plot, but needed to be fleshed out a bit more. All in all, I enjoyed this book and would read more of Williams's books.

I just loved this book. So what ...it was predictable?! That did not take away from the story but rather allowed me to sit back and enjoy the goings on. Thoroughly recommended

This was such a cute quick easy book! I will say it was bit predictable but that never took anything away from the book.
I love the story of this book! The characters were also a favorite of mine! The way they grew.
Overall this book is a must read!

I’ve read both of Laura Jane Williams’ other books and enjoyed them but this was my favourite of the the three. It made me feel like I’d had a holiday! I warmed to the main characters and really enjoyed their travels in Australia. Sure it was quite predictable but that’s what I wanted when I picked this up, a nice easy feel good read!

On the day that Annie is meant to marry her university sweetheart, Alexander, she is left at the alter and left wondering if her relationship wasn't as perfect as it seemed. She can't seem to see a way out of the pain and is questioning her life choices. Whilst trying to cope with what happened, she meets an old theatre friend, Patrick, at a bootcamp session and suddenly she is trying to be as carefree as he is. She vows to take life by the horns and do what actually makes her happy.

Annie decides to go on the honeymoon to Australia after persistence from Alexander's parents and after a drunken decision she takes Patrick along for the ride. Along the way, she discovers that there is more to Patrick than meets the eye and he is struggling with his own pain. Will they help each other to move on or will the holiday make things more complicated for when they get back home?!

I really felt for Annie and I cannot imagine how humiliating it must be to have been left at the alter. I thought Alexander was spineless and definitely not the star in the relationship. She was quite an indecisive character but I think she is so lost and unsure of herself that she doesn't want to make the wrong decision. It's hard knowing what is the right decision and making changes when you are settled in your life can be tricky. I also really wanted to steal Annie's dog Carol, I absolutely adore King Charles Spaniels and it made me want one even more. Patrick was an incredibly patient guy and very mature for a male character. He was supportive, cheesy and cracked me up at times.

I loved Freddie who is Annie's little sister and am secretly hoping that Laura Jane Williams will write a book about her, she sounds like she is going to be a force of nature and definitely a handful as an adult. I definitely feel there is a story there and it would be nice to see Annie again down the line. Annie's mum was a piece of work and I was jumping with joy when she finally stood up to her!

I really enjoyed reading The Lucky Escape, it was an easy-read and I got swept up in the story. It was all very Sex and The City like and the perfect escape from reality. It was an entertaining romance story and it will be a lovely beach read in the summer.

A good light read which would be ideal when on holiday. Annie is jilted on her wedding day and reacts like you would expect, however I was surprised at the amount of time between the wedding day and the planned honeymoon. Were the newlyweds going back to work between the two? I can only imagine they were as Annie was given extra leave on top of the planned time off for going away. The idea of her (should have been) future in-laws telling her she should still go and paying for the first class airline ticket name change for another man to go with her did seem rather unbelievable but then if the were rich enough to do so, why not.
The honeymoon was good and enjoyable to read about with the characters easy to empathise with.

So cute! I laughed out loud during several parts and had a goofy smile on my face during a lot of this book! It is the perfect pick me up book! Light fun easy read highly recommend!

This book sounded so cute when I first heard about it. Unfortunately the beginning was so slow and dragged on I just lost interest. I ended up skimming most of the way through this one.