The Lucky Escape is a classic beach read with a romantic lift, but laced with a beautifully inspiring coming-of-age element that makes it my favourite Laura Jane Williams novel yet.

Annie Wiig was abandoned by her ex, Alexander, on her wedding day. Nearing 30, single, and now more insecure than ever, she feels as if she has lost her grip on life. So she decides to make a promise to herself: stop trying to be perfect and just say yes. At a spin class she meets, or rather becomes reacquainted with, Patrick. He's an old friend from her childhood theatre camp, and a refreshing reminder of the simpler times. When Annie gets the opportunity to take her honeymoon sans ex-fiancé, she decides to take the chance. And while she's at it, she takes a chance on Patrick too.

This book is nice and light, the perfect story to relax and enjoy. Laura Jane Williams has a quality to her writing that's friendly, humorous, and effortlessly charming. But in contrast to Our Stop and The Love Square, The Lucky Escape has a deeper, heavier layer added that is explored through the protagonist’s expressions and development.

Annie has plenty of humour and wit, even though she has spent much of her life living to please others. She is easily the most complex character I have met in Williams’ novels. I loved how human and authentic her personality felt, especially when it came to comparing her past with her present and future. She has inner conflicts with herself, she says the wrong thing, she makes realistic mistakes, she has genuine timidities, and she has imperfect reasoning. Her development is the best part of this story. While the plot has some cringe rather than swoon moments, Annie's character is strong and compelling as she leans to love exactly who she is. Additionally, the loyalty in her friendship group and the bond with her sister is wonderfully uplifting.

Patrick really is a breath of fresh air. He's naturally adventurous and confident. And he brings a nice stream of maturity to this novel. I love that he has a completely different approach to life compared to Annie. Their romance is sweet, and their adventure is engaging, but sadly not the most memorable. The pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning of the book. It takes a while for momentum to build, and I did actually consider giving up around 30% of the way through. But I’m glad I stuck with Annie and her courageous advance to another year of adulthood.

Overall, I liked reading The Lucky Escape. It’s light-hearted mixed with the right amount of depth without straying too far from the romance. It has plenty of laughs, truthful heartbreak, colourful characters, and a gratifying journey to self-acceptance.

A light- hearted, feel good read that I really enjoyed. Yes there was heartache but there were also plenty of laughs along the way!

Amazing book!! You will fall in love with the main character! She is so spunky and sweet. This book was perfect beginning to end.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Release Date: Expected 10th June 2021 (Avon Books)


Annie is getting married today. After nine years of being with her university sweetheart Alexander, she's now finally a "Strong Independent Woman Who Just Happens To Be Committing Her Life To Someone". She's in her beautiful dress, and stepping out of the car to the chapel to meet her Wedding Planner ... who just recieved a text from the Groom who isn't coming.

Along with her best friend Azdo; a fellow theoretical scientist who's pretty handy with a countour stick, her wickedly clever little sister Freddie and her eternally supportive Dad, they all manage to escape the ceremony before the guests can even realise what's going on. Everything has changed. Her home, her plan, her future ... they're all so very different and she doesn't even know why. So when her feiry former-mother-in-law-to-be calls and insists she takes the all expenses paid honeymoon to try and relax, she can't say no. Along with her newly found Confidant and recent broken heart, former theatre school friend Paddy, they set off for a strange adventure of self-discovery and heartbreak.

Full of a cast of colourful, beautifully vibrant and unapologetically real women who I fell in love with right away - this book was full of everything. Hilarity, heartbreak, rage and romance all wrapped into one. Every single character had a whole life of their own and came to life on the pages in front of me.

This was honestly a feminist dream of indulging in a devilishly dramatic romance without having to deal with the age-old cliches and stereotypes of perfect women whose personalities exist solely based on their boyfriends.

Absolutely refreshing and hilarious charming, this was such an easy read that I finished in one sitting.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Thank you to NetGalley and Laura Jane Williams for this ARC.

Annie gets jilted on her wedding day. Her future in laws gave them a gift of a honeymoon to Australia and urged her to still go. Anni decided that she was changing her life and when she met Patrick whom she'd known years ago she asked him to go with her on o non honeymoon. Great book

The Lucky Escape follows the story of Annie who having been left standing at the altar, realises Alexander might not have been the right man for her. After a chance meeting with an old friend, Patrick at the gym, Annie decides to head off on her would be honeymoon. She has a spare ticket, could embarking on this trip with Patrick help mend her broken heart or will spending three weeks with a man who’s not her husband be a mistake?

I enjoyed this book, found the characters to be both likeable and relatable and thought the book progressed at a steady pace. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

I received this eBook on @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of the books I was most looking forward to reading in 2021 and it has 100% exceeded my expectations.

I absolutely loved the storyline and the fact that there was just as many downs as ups. It is hilarious and sad all in one, I laughed and cried throughout and then laughed a little more and cried from laughing. My favourite part has to be Willy-gate, I literally died of laughter.

The concept of the story is mortifying and you can only feel so sorry for Annie, and I loved that there was a very ‘Will they/ won’t they” throughout the story. What an amazing non-honeymoon, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous!

Publication Day - 10th June 2021

I really recommend this book!

I loved Our stop so was really pleased to get the ARC of this one- i thought it would be such a lovely light hearted read and it was just that and more! With likeable characters driven by a predictable yet one of kind plot at the same time, The Lucky Escape left my heart warm whilst also covering some deeper topics like loss and lack of self esteem. I really enjoyed this book and lapped it up over a few winter evenings and will definitely purchase it upon release as a feel good read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a perfect chic lit beach read. The story kept me interested. Who doesn't love a story about starting over and embracing your inner badass self.

Annie was about to be married when her fiance tells the wedding planner it's not happening. Annie is left broken hearted. Her not quite in laws urge her to take the honeymoon trip. Annie decides to go with Patrick, a man she has run in to that she knew from when she was a kid.

I won't give away anymore. Definitely worth the read!

#LuckyEscape #NetGalley

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I always struggle when starting new ones, but this had me hooked immediately. It’s totally predictable, but I enjoyed the escapism. The characters were great and the settings amazing (I had to look them up and the images didn’t disappoint). I’d recommend this book for some well deserved positivity right now.

First off I wanna say thank you to Avon books uk for allowing me to read this arc for an honest review. I really did like this one it made me want to book a holiday vacation other than that it was just okay to me

this pains me to write this, but I struggled SO hard with this book.

I am one who is an all consumed reader. I pick up a book and have a hard time putting it down for anything until its done. This one I found myself losing interest in as soon as I picked it up - it never kept my attention and I had a hard time sitting still.

The premise was fun, the characters were likeable, but I felt lost in details that didn't really matter and story lines that didn't add to the story in any way.

I've finished it and hope to re-read a later time, maybe on a beach somewhere when I can really get into it.

This book was not my favorite read but I got through it and overall it was okay. This book took me a lot longer to read than others, I just couldn’t get as connected as I’d wanted to. The Lucky Escape is in the romance category, although it has some romance between the characters I feel like it could have been better.

Annie gets left at the alter on her wedding day to Alexander. He up and leaves with no communication to her. This part was not my favorite and obviously it make you hate Alexander, but we do get some answers later in the story.

I enjoyed the character of Patrick the most throughout the book. He was a very go with the flow person who had some trauma in his love life which makes him who he is. The honeymoon in Australia is where the book starts to come together, it seems like a different book while they’re together and that’s where we see the romance parts.

After the honeymoon we start to see developments with Annie and her character. Her mom becomes better in the end of the story and we get some closure with the characters. Overall a okay read that just didn’t live up to what it could have.

I received a ARC copy of this book from Netgally and Avon Books UK for my honest options. Thank you!

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Avon for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book!

It was a very light and easy read, with some cute tropes. I particularity really loved reading the description of the scenes in Australia, they really added a lot to the book.

Really liked the buildup of the story, and loved seeing these two explore their chemistry. The middle-end of the book did get a little slow, but it definitely picked up by the finale.

The Lucky Escape is a cute, easy read about a woman who is left at the alter and goes on her honeymoon with an old friend she reconnected with during the aftermath of her break up. While this book did lose a little steam towards the end, I loved it and think it should be in everyone's beach bag this summer as it is the perfect book to read while enjoying some sun.

Thank you Avon Books UK and NetGalley for my copy of this book!

Annie is jilted on her wedding day, and her world is turned completely upside down. A chance meeting leads to her being reunited with childhood friend Patrick, and in a twist of events, ends up taking him on her honeymoon.

There were some really nice relationships in this book. Annie's friendship with her Core Four as well as Adzo, just felt so real. I adored her and her little sister Freddie, too. My favourite of all though, was Patrick. What an actual dream.

The descriptions of Australia were stunning and I loved reading about all of the places Annie and Patrick visited. Seeing Annie go from being such a people pleaser scared to do what she really wanted, to actually putting herself first was so refreshing.
Overall this was the perfect summer read, with fantastic characters and I found it hard to put down. This was my favourite book of Laura's yet, and I'll definitely be reading more!

A massive thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one book that you feel like you have read before. It was a good read but I felt like I knew what was going to happen.

Rating: 🌹🌹🌹🥀 3.5 roses / 5

✓ Childhood Friends to Lovers, ✓ Vacation Romance, ✓ Close Proximity, ✓ Second Chance Love

After Annie is left at the alter on the day of her wedding by her university sweetheart and fiancé, Alexander, her whole life is turned upside down. She’s left to contemplate their whole relationship and what went wrong. For the coming weeks in the aftermath, she lives in the midst of the remnants of their old life, waiting for him to come back and make things right. In an attempt to find some sense of her old self, one morning she takes an early morning run, when she comes across a building that runs bootcamp classes. Intrigued, she decides to sign up for classes. It is after one of those classes that she bumps into Patrick, an old friend from Yak Yak—an old summer drama camp she went to up until the age of 13. Patrick remembers her for who she used to be then—carefree and confident in who she was, and not as a jilted woman, as others see her now. Annie’s would-be MIL insists that she take the honeymoon and she thinks Patrick is just the companion she needs to take the escape with. But Annie isn’t the old one who needs an escape.

😘What I liked:
The love interest. I don’t care what others say; I loved Patrick as a love interest. He was a sweet and gentlemanly love interest. He pushed Annie just enough and really allowed her room to find herself. When Annie first reunited with Patrick, the author hinted about his past and I caught on right away as to what it was, but it was drawn out for a while as to what it was. It gave his character more depth and gave me more understanding as to who he was and why he acted how he did.

The chemistry. I think the chemistry between Annie and Patrick was very genuine and palpable. I like that they had a shared history, which added to the realistic factor. If they had just met and then decided to go on her honeymoon together, it would have not been as believable and it would have been way too rushed, I think. Their relationship building was very well-developed, even given that she just broke up with her fiancé.

The sisterly bond. I really enjoyed the attention the author gave to the relationship between Annie and her 13-year-old sister, Freddie. They had a very sweet and heartwarming bond and it really shined in the book.

😕What I Didn’t Care For
The forced diversity. There are books where the diversity forced and it seems to be checking off boxes for “woke” points. This was one of those. In this book, the author made clear to state the race of each character that came up but it didn’t really add anything to their character. Also, when her and Patrick went to get massages, each staff member at the spa introduced themselves alongside their pronouns but it never came up again (they didn’t even call out to them, so what was the point?). Now, I’m all for diversity, but this felt way too forced to me. And sometimes it sounded like buzzwords were used just for using them.

Annie’s mother. Judgmental and rude. Annie put way too much thought into what her mother says and it is what caused the big conflict at the end. And then the conflict between them is just quickly smoothed over and all the years of doubt she put in Annie’s head is forgiven? Umm what.

The main conflict at the end. I feel like the conflict is a make-or-break for me as to whether I enjoy a book or low key want to run to the nearest mountain, rip my shirt off and yell into the void. This, unfortunately, was the latter. Annie was given an offer to be promoted and moved to a different country (she lives in London) and they asked her to go on a short trip to check out the offices. Okay, cool! A chance at a promotion! But she all but takes the promotion makes plans to move away without even thinking about her own boyfriend? Annie framed it as she “doesn’t need his permission” but isn’t it common courtesy in a relationship to talk about those things with someone you’re fairly serious with? Like, it’s a pretty big decision to make and to have your significant other be a passing thought in back of your mind through it? Pretty terrible, if you ask me. Patrick was justified with his reaction. Don’t at me! That’s what had me annoyed with Annie and ultimately bumped down my rating.

Overall, it was a cute read and I enjoyed reading about Annie and Patrick’s adventures in Australia. They had a lot of chemistry and they both took a big leap of faith to be together after what life has thrown at them. Enjoyable read and perfect as a beach read!

Really enjoyed this book. Slightly predictable but still a great read. Scenes were set brilliantly. Plot flowed and never got boring

I enjoyed Our Stop and was excited to receive an arc of Laura Jane Williams latest novel, of the Lucky Escape. Annie had spent the majority of her adult life with Alexander. When he doesn’t show up for their wedding, her life is thrown into complete disarray. When she runs into her old friend Patrick, he convinces her to go on her honeymoon trip to Australia to take some time to process everything. He even decides to go with her for moral support.

I really loved the majority of this book, especially the time that was spent in Australia. The trip was filled with laugh out loud moments, charm and great romance development. I felt like things in the book somewhat fell apart after they got back. It was almost like the last third or so of the book was written by a different author because the characters didn’t seem like themselves. I loved the side characters, sometimes more than the main ones. However, there was a lot of character development and I was happy with the end. Overall, The Lucky Escape was a fun summer beach read and I look forward to Laura Jane Williams next novel.

3.5 Stars! Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.