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.

I always love a good Williams book and this one certainly did not disappoint. I am a sap for vacation romances which is what led me here to begin with, but I am definitely glad I stayed.

Annie ends up being dumped at her own wedding and left not knowing what to do with her life. When she bumps into an old friend, Patrick, she decides to be a bit more spontaneous. Annie’s would be in laws are adamant that she should go on the honeymoon anyway and has no problems with her taking Patrick with her.

This book had such a fun idea behind it. I imagine that if I had been in Annie’s situation then I would like to think that I’d take up the honeymoon as well, rather than it go to waste. It was nice that there was a bit of a lead up to this part of the story though instead of it just being rushed into.

I loved the Australian setting but I wanted more. Some parts, Sydney in particular, seemed really rushed. Certain parts of the story could have been fleshed out a little more, just so it didn’t seem like some parts were skipped.

I also thought that there was a bit too much emphasis on the diversity of characters. Everything seemed a bit overkill for me. Some things could have been added in a more subtle way without it seeming like something was being forced.

However, although I had a few niggles, I did really enjoy this book. It was a fun read,

I loved this book! It was heartwarming and strong. It was exactly what I needed with everything going on in the world! A happy little escape!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Annie was excited about marrying Alexander, but was shocked when he left her at the alter. Annie decides to say to every opportunity she is offered. I enjoyed the chemistry between Annie and her friend Patrick.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me read an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lucky Escape is an enjoyably fluffy rom-com read, but at times the storyline felt just a little too predictable for me to rate it higher than 3 stars. I have really enjoyed all of Laura Jane Williams’ books, and I do really like the fact that they all cover themes of finding your own happiness and learning to love yourself, but I think sometimes this narrative can feel like it’s being hammered home a bit too much? That’s definitely what I felt was the case with this book.

The portion of the book where the honeymoon takes place is super enjoyable to read, and the flirty tension between Annie and Patrick is great. I was a bit disappointed by the last third of the book when they return from the honeymoon, and then the plot threads seem to get a little bit messier. The final-act conflict between Annie and Patrick felt too easily resolvable and inconsistent with how well there characters had been communicating previously.

However, despite these grievances I would still recommend The Lucky Escape as an easy-to-read escapist (literally) romance.

The Path Of True Love Never Did Run Smooth❣️

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. With a start of the new day and a clear head, Annie's not so sure this is a good idea. After much deliberation, Annie decided to go with it, and the story unfolds from here...

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. For me this is my favourite book from Laura Jane Williams so far, would be good to read a sequel to this to see where the main characters go. Look forward to reading more from this author.

I DNFed this- it was not my favorite and I couldn’t get into the story. I feel like the plot moved fairly slow and I had a hard time relating to any of the characters.