Had to DNF this @40% despite the rave reviews here and on GoodReads. The characters felt too flat and... benign, I guess? I couldn't connect to them or the stories they had to tell. I found Annie to be too conceited and fickle; and Patrick to be too blow hot blow cold and cumbersome with his pretend-philosophical one-liners. The rest of the Wiig herd didn't really make the impact I had envisaged. That said, I liked Adzo, thought she was the most sensible of the lot.

Additionally, the writing was a bit too forward for my liking (maybe that's more on me as I haven't caught up entirely with the contemporary chick-lit lexicon) and the one-off "Daaaaaaad" and "Stooooooop" phrases for added dramatic effect aggravated my reading experience. I'll keep an eye out for the author though as I liked the premise of the novel.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the authors previous work I was very excited to be given the chance to read this and it did not disappoint. A great, if slightly predictable story that has heart, makes you laugh (and cry) and a fantastic cast of characters! I would strongly recommend reading this for sheer escapism in this weird world.

This book was everything I needed at the moment. I have to admit I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. Such a light and easy read and I loved the characters. Definitely recommend this one.

The title of this book and the writing inside provided me with exactly what I needed...an escape. This is the first book I’ve read by Laura Jane Williams and she has earned a new fan!
William’ authentic storytelling was charming and heartwarming. Not just a love story, this novel focused on respecting oneself and the journey Annie takes to discover true happiness. The friendships, family dynamic, and romance worked together to provide a witty and thought provoking escape from reality!

Thank you NetGalley, Avon Books, and Laura Jane Williams for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Fun read about a young girl who makes lemonade out of lemons! When her wedding day didn't go as planned, she decided to still go on her honeymoon....with an old friend she just reconnected with. Was a fun read!

This book was basically three parts: before the honeymoon, during and after. It started out a little slow and I had trouble getting into it. (It didn't help that the e-arc was not formatted properly for my kindle.) Then it got a lot better during the honeymoon portion, and fell completely and totally flat at the end. I felt like I read two different books. The first 70ish percent and then the last thirty.

Things I liked: Annie really did examine her life and she tried for a minute there (literally a minute). The sister was a fun character, and Adzo too. I liked seeing representation for queer and nonbinary people, there was a lot of that which I thought was refreshing.

Things I disliked: First, just one little thing: Annie gets this spectacular honeymoon for free and I kept expecting to meet the in-laws and sort of get this explained or at least see her really thank them, but it never happens except off-screen. That felt like a loose end.

Most of my beef with this story comes from a lack of consistency across pretty much every character.

-----Spoilers Below------
Annie has a 'wow, I'm so strong, I don't need a man!' moment and then proceeds to jump from Patrick to (almost) Jules and then back. For someone who doesn't think she needs a man she isn't contemplating being actually single for a second. Then she wants to quit her job then she decides she doesn't. It's implied she'll switch careers, but the whole 'wow, I'll move to Belgium to have the exact same job!' thing was so odd.

Patrick is all 'go with the flow' and 'do what's best for you, Annie' until she talks about moving and then his personality changes overnight. He becomes petulant and possessive and basically the opposite of the guy she knew and fell for. Patrick is probably the worst character, aside from Annie's Mum. It might be the first time I have actively disliked a love interest in a story like this. He has no redeeming qualities.

Annie decides to go to Antwerp and check it out asking what she was staying in London for, 'my uni friends?' and then when she decides to stay says 'my life is here....[including] my uni friends!' um, what?

Then when she is about to let things with Patrick reach their natural conclusion, her little sister cries and says how much she likes him and Annie says, 'wow sis, you're totally right... I'd better go find him and tell him I love him!' ???

This book tried, but I was really confused by the messaging (and the genre! Romance? WF?) at different points while reading it.

Wow. This was SO sweet. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 because I* fell in love with Patrick. Just stupidly in love with him. This was such a breath of fresh air. WE LOVE OPEN COMMUNICATION. Pacing was great, the love and the squishy heart moments were great, I smiled so much reading this.

Thank you a BILLION to the publisher for this advanced copy 🖤

I just have one word for it: bearable. It was entertaining for sure, but the main character was so boring most of the times; I got and understood she was trying to find herself again, however, everything she did seemed annoying to me. I was glad it was over when I finished it.

In the acknowledgements, Laura Jane Williams says she hopes this book offers joy and escapism. That is certainly what I wanted when I picked this up as my first book of 2021. I think she does deliver on that - Lucky Escape is the very readable and romantic story of Annie who, when jilted at the altar by her university boyfriend, has the opportunity to reassess her life completely when she is offered the chance to go on the holiday of a lifetime to Australia (which would have been her honeymoon). For fans of Laura Jane Williams, Lucky Escape provides a much simpler plot and story arc than that of Our Stop or The Love Square but, like her previous work, she has produced another realistic, likeable protagonist who is experiencing recognisable situations and worries to other 30-somethings living in London. An enjoyable, easy and fast read.

I absolutely loved this book and found the main character Annie very real. A lot of the book happens in Australia which was lovely to read on cold winter days during lockdown - lifted my mood no end.

A light hearted, fun read which I would highly recommend.

I loved it so much that I'm going to get the author's previous book The Love Square.

A great wee escape.

Absolutely loved this! Laura is fast becoming my fave “chick lit” author. Loved seeing Annie’s “awakening” and realising her self worth and absolutely loved the chemistry between her and Patrick, it quite literally leapt off the page. Every book I’ve read by Laura has been a pleasure and this was no difference. Thanks to Avon, the author and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.


The first thing that crossed my mind after finishing this novel is that I should definitely read the author’s other books. I believe if they are as good as this one then I’ll be hooked for life because at this moment I’m over the moon because of this read. It is comforting, romantic, and dreamy, and everything I wanted my last 2020 read to be.

The Lucky escape is a coming of age narrative that tackles womanhood and healthy relationships through its protagonist Annie Wiig. Annie is a self-conscious woman. She’s a victim of her proud, superficial, perfectionist mother who always criticized her for everything she did, and made her feel not good enough. That ingrained self-worthlessness and low self-esteem accompanied Annie to her adulthood, and made her stay in a toxic relationship merely for fear of being alone. Her relationship with Alexander had imbalanced power dynamics where she actively tried to earn his approval, and does everything right in order to keep him in her life. It ticks all of the elements of unhealthy relationships. However, things change when he leaves her at the altar, and she realizes that it’s about time she figured her life out and changed for the better.
In finding love and enjoying adventure, she metamorphoses into an incredible autonomous self-asserted woman. Through the whole of her journey, we get to grasp the little steps she takes to achieve her transformation, the fears brewing in her as a thirty years old woman, and how societal norms shape them.


Annie’s connection to her friends offers an insight into good friendships. The core four are tentative, supportive, and great listeners. They help her out figuring out her emotions, but not too much, they overstep their boundaries or try to overwhelm her with their opinions. As for her love interest, Patrick, he’s just the perfect person for her; he’s perfect in general (ugh! I am biased I know!). He’s funny, carefree, and sensitive. He’s confident, and compassionate, and they fit perfectly together. There is no beating around the bush with him. He communicates his emotion, and responds rather than reacts when she rocks the boat. It is obvious that his attachment style is secure, and he, sure, knows how to navigate relationships unlike Annie whose attachment style is anxious. Patrick is good for her because he inspires her to be herself and seize the moment. Gradually, Annie builds a backbone and learns to express herself authentically.


As women it feels like life ends once we hit thirty, and that only through marriage and family that we can truly worth something in this life, but the author subverts such a misogynistic ideology and lays out alternatives to such stereotypical gender roles.
In The Lucky Escape, we have different narratives that tackle female adulthood. Every friend symbolizes a variant definition of happiness, yet all of them contribute to the belief that there isn’t a single way to find it. We do make our own choices, and we’re allowed to pursue whatever serves us best, and makes our lives fulfilling. There is no right way to do it; whether through marriage, adoption, singlehood, work, or love. Every choice is valid, and as long as it stems from self-actualization and individual happiness.
I love the feminist undertone of the novel, and I do appreciate the author for delivering such a message because we need to constantly be reminded of that.


All in all, I love the plotline, and the characterization. It’s fluffy and romantic, and it warms my heart thinking that there is more to life than we think, that good things can happen out of the blue, that sometimes, bad things are just a blessing in disguise. Annie’s story gives me hope about love and self-growth. The author’s portrayal of her characters is well-crafted. They are flawed, interesting, multi-faceted, emotionally intelligent, and safe. They are a token of healthy relationships, and mature, dependent individuals

I enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Annie, jilted on her wedding day to her longtime university boyfriend.
The story looks at how Annie moves on from this, throwing herself into exercise and meeting an old friend in the process.
I liked the character of Patrick and found this a really enjoyable escape.

Think this would be a great beach read - it explores love after grief, though is not as serious as it sounds! The characters are likeable - which always helps in novels like this! I've read all of Williams' other novels and while I don 't think this comes close to Our Stop, it's still a pleasant, escape read - get reading this on the beach!

“The Lucky Escape” is the latest novel by Laura Jane Williams, author of “The Love Square.” This book is not available until summer but was a perfect escape during the gray doldrums of winter.

We meet Annie, a London scientist, who is about to marry Alexander, who leaves her at the altar. Yes, many novels start with this same premise but Ms. Williams puts a whimsical spin on this tale when Annie runs into an old friend, Patrick, whom she invites to accompany her on her honeymoon in Australia. Like Annie, Patrick is facing his own demons and the two help each other get through the good, the bad and the ugly.

I promise you the premise is not as cutesy as it sounds. While I do think bits of the story lacked believability, if you don’t mind those hiccups, you will enjoy this tale losing a groom but gaining so much more.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy.

After reading the blurb about heroine who gets ditched at the alter and accepts to go to fully paid all exclusive Australian honeymoon with her charming old friend, I high five-d myself and thought I would have a sweet, entertaining romcom experience! But... I got a little disappointed!

If you want to know: at first I have to admit: this is not a bad reading experience. There are so many positive attributes that I fully enjoyed about the story: including side characters starting with heroine’s younger sweet sister, her friends who support her to move on after getting humiliated at her own wedding day. And honeymoon premise of the story, the chemistry between heroine and her old friend/ new potential love interest was flaming hot.

But of course there are so many things put this book at Switzerland border ( I called the books which I didn’t love or hate at the same time as let’s meet in the middle Switzerland reads)

First of all: I found Annie a little disturbing and indecisive. I couldn’t connect with her and her blurry life vision.

Patrick was so much caring, even though he swore not to marry again ( which we learned way too much late) I wish both of them not waste so much time to be together because it was obvious they were each other’s end game so why they procrastinated their HEA!

I was also hoping to read the honeymoon part of the story a little sooner. But it took me so many chapters to read for reaching that juicy part and it ended shortly. I wanted it so much longer. I could have given five stars only for that part of the book.

Overall: it was still well written story even though I didn’t like heroine so much and I thought after returning back to Australia, the book lost its direction and I also lost my interest a little bit because I already guessed the conclusion from the beginning. It was still better read than author’s previous works but I still stick with my three good but it could be better stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Great book! The perfect book to end 2020 and start 2021 with. I loved reading about Annie’s adventures in Australia. I have to be honest - I was quite cynical at the start of the book (for the first half really....). I was thinking:

‘This idiot definitely somehow knew she got jilted and has set himself up for a free holiday.’

‘I’m 30% of the way through and she still hasn’t gone to australia.’

‘WHY would she take him and not her best single friend ? “The core four were not convinced by the whole Patrick shebang” - I bet they werent!’

But. It redeemed itself. Annie is a likeable character (even if I’m not 100% persuaded by Patrick - there’s something weird about him). It made my want to find a personal trainer / bootcamp class to kick myself up the bum for the new year. I am also dying to visit Australia - maybe on a cheaper budget though!

Most of all, the book makes you question what changes you might need to make in your own life - and how you might find the courage to make those changes. Making it the perfect book for the new year.

After being left at the alter by her fiancé, Alexander, who has disappeared without explanation, Annie is left heartbroken in the house they share. To get out of the house, she joins a fitness boot camp, where she reconnects with Patrick, a friend she hasn’t seen in 20 years.Having already paid for the honeymoon and furious that their son left Annie at the alter, Alexander’s parents insist she go without him, so she goes and decides to take Patrick along, as a friend.

You can break the book up into three parts: before honeymoon, during honeymoon, and after honeymoon. The story leading up to the honeymoon felt too long. The book was already 30% of the way through before they even left for Australia. I really enjoyed the honeymoon part of the book and wish there had been more with it. Annie is trying to maneuver single life after being in a ten year relationship and commits to her own happiness by saying yes to every opportunity. After they return, it felt like there was added conflict with Annie and Patrick, just to make there be a conflict. It felt forced and unnecessary, but the conflict goes away almost as soon as it came in. The whole dealing with the fiancée thing and why he stood her up was short, and didn’t feel like a big deal, compared to everything else. The conflict between the MCs gets tied up in the very last few pages of the book and by then, I was just kinda done with it.

I liked the majority of this book, but parts fell flat for me. I thought the story idea was good, but the execution poor. I ended up liking a few of the supporting characters more than I did the main ones and really are the books saving grace for me. I adored her sister, Freddie, and enjoyed the relationships between Annie and her “Core Four” and Adzo. My feelings for Patrick wavered a bit. I thought he was sweet at first, but was annoyed with him by the end (both of them, really). Overall, I think it was a well written book and I would read more from Ms. Williams, but this one was just OK for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Laura Jane Williams for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve now read three of Laura Jane Williams’ books and this is the best one yet. While ‘Our Stop’ and ‘The Love Square’, were perfectly lovely, something about ‘The Lucky Escape’ made my heart hurt the best way.

It might have been the funny and sweet protagonist I really connected with, or her sweet relationship with her sister, or wonderful Patrick, or the slow build relationship... all these things really worked for me and made this book a wonderful, heartwarming story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the premise of The Lucky Escape and it got such great reviews, so I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the story. I'm bummed it wasn't a better fit for me, but I look forward to trying other books by this author.