3.5 stars. After reading Dear Emmie Blue I was very excited to download this new release from Lia Louis. I wanted to get lost in the pages of Eight Perfect Hours the way I did with Emmie. Unfortunately, I didn't get lost, but instead felt like I was climbing a hill in trying to make my way through this story.

The beginning really dragged for me, and I kept having to stop myself from jumping forward in the story, for fear I would miss some little detail that would inevitably be important later on. Don't get me wrong, this was a very sweet book with a lot of emotion, but for whatever reason, it just did not pack the same emotional punch for me as Emmie's story did.

Serendipitous is the word that kept coming to mind as I was reading, as Fate seemed bound and determined to bring Sam and Noelle together, even though after 8 hours in a car together, they went their seperate ways without even exchanging any contact information. Throw in the boundless amount of coincidences that seemed to occur throughout the story, and it was obvious these two people were supposed to be together. They both carried a lot of baggage which was hindering their lives, their relationships, their mindsets and they needed to overcome all of that in order to see they were destined to be together.

Overall this was an enjoyable read albeit it took me a while to read since I wasn't lost in the story.

Many thanks to Atria and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I wanted to LOVE this story, but for some reason I just didn't. It just never really grabbed me. I felt for Noelle and her situation. She had something happen to her that was out of her control and completely affected her life. Sam was a bright spot in her world. She felt inexplicably attracted to him after such a short period of time. Alas, life keeps moving forward and yet, Sam was never very far away. I did enjoy how their paths kept crossing and twists were unveiled to the reader. It was a cute read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

Eight Perfect Hours is the follow-up to the adorable and heartwarming Dear Emmie Blue and I’m happy to say this one is just as sweet and romantic. Eight Perfect Hours follows Noelle and Sam, two people who keep being brought together by fate. Is it true love or just coincidence?

This is such a perfect Winter read. Always after spooky season ends, I am in desperate need of a warm, cozy romance and this one is perfect for that. Lia Louis writes such endearing characters and heartfelt romances. This one was slightly less bittersweet than Emmie Blue and I loved how Louis really leaned into the romance of it all. I highly recommend cozying up with this romance this holiday season.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this one!

A huge thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy of Eight Perfect Hours!

Lia Louis has done it again! She is officially an auto buy / auto read author for me.

What I Loved-

✨ The Setting- Lia Louis is from the UK and her books are set in the UK. I tend to read a lot of fiction set in the US.
Picking up Eight Perfect Hours was a nice escape abroad..

✨ The Characters- Noelle ♥️. She was everything. Such a tender hearted and caring person and not at all perfect. None of the characters in this book were perfect but they were all enjoyable to read.
Lia Louis writes the best characters. I was so attached.

✨ The Romance- I adored the friendship / relationship between Noelle and Sam. I loved how the author had them cross paths at various points in the story. These two had believable links to each other prior to meeting that made me believe in the magic of fate.

✨ The Feels- This book had it all. There were times I was laughing out loud and times where I was in the thick of the characters grief. This book left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling by the end. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

Overall- Highly recommend. As I am writing this review this book is not yet published but I am hungry for more by this author. I have a feeling the wait will be well worth it.

Oh my heart ❤️

I absolutely 100% adored every moment of reading this book. I devoured it in just a few hours and have been thinking about it ever since. If you have followed me for long, you know that I love British romance/women’s fiction books and this story is the PERFECT EXAMPLE of why!

Louis wove a heartwarming and serendipitous love story of self discovery and eventual romance. There were some very heavy topics, but the overall feel of the book stayed light. I found myself so connected to and invested in Noelle’s happiness, I just adored her strength and caring nature. Sam was just a dream guy and the way the two of them interacted felt so natural and perfect ❤️ I can’t recommend this book enough!

This book is just so cute. I was a little hesitant going in because, based on the cover, I thought it was a Christmas book. I was expecting a Hallmark Movie type of story, but this really had so much more going on. This was not a perfectly laid out romance, but instead had plenty of road blocks. I really liked these characters and wanted to best for them and at points, that meant I didn't want them to be together.

Overall, this was a good and satisfying story.

Are you drawn to a book because of its cover? I know I am. This is really not a Christmas book. Though a blizzard is involved.

I read and enjoyed this author's previous book Emmie Blue and was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. When a rare March blizzard strands 32-year-old Noelle on the highway, a fellow motorist named Sam offers help. After 8 perfect hours together the roads are clear and the two part ways. But as coincidence would have it Noelle and Sam keep running into each other. Is it fate?

Both Noelle and Sam have baggage from their pasts. Sam deals with it by becoming a mountain guide and traveling the world. Noelle feels she needs to stay close to home. The author addresses some serious topics such as depression and anxiety in this book.

There are also some great secondary characters in this story. I especially enjoyed the dialogue and humor. I liked seeing Noelle and Sam work through things in their lives. Noelle especially showed a lot of character growth and it was good to see her find her path and become open to saying yes.

Thank you to the publisher for my ecopy of this book.

Sorry I DNF (Did not finish) this one, I made it to 42% and it was not bad, it was just boring and this twit kept going back to a guy who had dumped her which made it even worse reading IMHO. If I did not have a many better books to read I might have finished this one but I have some great books waiting on me and this is not one of them sadly.

Fate, chance encounters, moments in our lives that shape the experiences we have become the driving force for Noelle and Sam’s story. It all starts when Sam knocks on Noelle’s car window in a blizzard and offers her a way to charge her phone, will Noelle take that chance and trust a stranger during this crazy situation? When she does, why does sitting in Sam’s car feel comfortable as they chat and share this crazy experience together? But then it’s over and off they go back to their lives. Yet something says that’s not the end for them and more chance encounters happen as their lives continue to intersect. I loved how this story unfolded. Both of them have lost someone important in their lives which seems to have shifted their trajectory as they deal with their grief. For Noelle she has become her mother’s care giver which has caused her to put her dreams on hold. Meeting Sam and having her ex-boyfriend reemerge in her life becomes a catalyst for her to take stock of her life. Is she living her best life? I’m glad I got the chance to experience this journey as it made me laugh, cry and believe in fate. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.

One charger.
Two people.
A Blizzard.
A chance encounter.
Eight Perfect Hours.

This novel is sheer romance perfection and perfectly paired for a cozy blanket, a steaming latte and a snowy day. For eight perfect hours, Sam and Noelle are stranded on a highway, stuck in a snow storm. They part with a simple goodbye, but somehow the universe keeps bringing them back together.

Louis does an amazing job connecting small moments to one another, from the past to the present demonstrating fate does exist. You'll feel for these characters as they both have lost a cherished person in their lives and struggled to reconcile the lose. Eight Perfect Hours is more than just another romance novel, rather it is a story of finding yourself.

It is a heartwarming story, PERFECT for a holiday read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the complimentary copy.

If things had been normal, Nicole Butterby and Sam Attwood never would have met. Fate, however, had different plans. A freak snowstorm strands hundreds of motorists, among them Nicole and Sam who wind up sharing eight perfect hours, thinking they will never see one another again. EIGHT PERFECT HOURS by Lia Louis is the magical result of that fortuitous meeting where what is supposed to happen and what actually happens can be very different and often are. I so enjoyed the pace, the people, the twists and turns I never saw coming -- it was a lush, wonderful escape into Louis' fantastic story. I will remember this story and keep my imagination open for that chance encounter that may or may not be destined to happen. I received an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased review.

Eight Perfect Hours is a sweet, serendipitous romance. On her way back from an event at her old college a blizzard closes off the road stranded Noelle on the side of the road. A handsome American stranger, Sam, who is also trapped on the side of the road offers Noelle assistance leading to them spending the night together. Going in different directions, they say goodbye with no plans to see each other again, until fate steps in and Noelle and Sam keep bumping into one another.

I really loved the premise of this book. I love serendipity and fate and how chance encounters can change your life, but this book was not for me. Although I liked the characters, and the storyline, it just moved way too slow to keep me interested. I enjoyed the first meeting and how the story ended up but the long way of getting there just wasn’t for me.

I think because Sam and Noelle spend most of the book apart their real story didn’t come together as much as I felt it needed to. There is chemistry between the two, but I found it hard to believe the insta-love feeling Noelle had for Sam when she hadn’t spent much time to get to know him.

I felt a lot of side characters had more depth storylines then needed to support the main story. Then there were side characters like the mom’s neighbour/ love interest that felt like it was rushed. The neighbour all of a sudden decided to move back and it felt like it was done just so Noelle could move forward in her storyline.

I feel this book will work for someone who likes romance books where the characters have to struggle to get to their love interest. A reader who enjoys many side characters with detailed storylines will also enjoy this story.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for review of my honest opinions.

I love love loved this book! The premise is two strangers meet while stuck in a closed snowy highway. After they go their separate ways, they keep bumping into each other.

I loved everything about this book. The writing is amazing and the characters are very relatable. My favorite scene in the book was not part of the core story but Noelle helps a friend in need.

I devoured this book in a few hours with a mug of white pumpkin tea in my hand, which I think suited the book perfectly. I had “invisible string” by Taylor Swift playing in my mind while I flipped the pages.

We start with Noelle Butterby slightly panicking while stuck in a traffic jam during a blizzard. Running out of charge on her phone, upset about a college reunion, hungry, cold, and tired. In comes Sam Atwood with a phone charger, warm car, and amazing conversation. Sam is trying to make it to the airport to hop on a flight. They spend eight perfect hours hanging out in the cold waiting for the motorway to reopen. At the end of the night (wee hours of the morning), the motorway reopens, their bubble has burst, and they part ways for good. (Or do they?)

I thought it was a delightful little pick-me-up (I really needed it!) that handled grief, family matters, and past loves in such a comforting manner. As always, I am a sucker for any novel set in the UK. I can’t wait to go back and read Dear Emmie Blue!

This was an interesting story all based off 8 hours stuck in traffic between two people. I don't know what I thought it was going to be, but when I put the book down I found myself not wanting to go back to it. I needed more romance, steam something to tell me it was going to make me swoon at the end, and I just didn't get it.

Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis is a sweet dive into a story of fate in a snowstorm. Touching on many complexities of life including grief, family, hope and of course love.

If you're looking to escape into a wintery world this is a good story to get swept up into.

I started reading this beautiful book at the beginning of a road trip from hell. Coincidentally I was also stuck in my car, not for 8 hours, only for 2 thankfully. I had the pleasure of this book while waiting for road side assistance. This book is very sweet, I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting. Serendipity is one word I love and this book is all about it. I recommend this to anyone who wants a feel good love story.

After loving Dear Emmie Blue last year, I was excited to dive into Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis! Thank you to Atria Books for an ARC of Louis' latest novel, out September 28, 2021.

Noelle Butterby coincidentally meets Sam Attwood when they are both stopped in a traffic jam resulting from a winter storm. They hit it off, and once they part ways, Noelle can't help but think that it was the perfect evening. She later reunites with her old flame Ed, but can't stop thinking about Sam. As time passes, Noelle and Sam keep running into one another - is it fate?

This book was heartwarming and a sweet love story that sweeps you up. I read it in 24 hours! Noelle is a sweet protagonist - I laughed at her sometimes awkward antics, while rooting for her to follow her dreams of becoming a florist, rather than let her family responsibilities hold her back. The love story was endearing, and I loved how Noelle and Sam connected over shared emotional trauma. The pair seemed destined to be together, yet their past relationships kept blocking this destiny. There are also more serious topics woven in that elevate the story. I highly recommend Eight Perfect Hours!

Noelle and Sam meet on the highway while stranded in a wintry traffic jam. Throughout the months that follow, they continually are drawn in and out of each others' lives, "like magnets". Noelle and Sam eventually have to decide to give into fate or run from it.
A little wordy at times, but an enjoyable read.

This is a story about having the patience to wait on what is coming to you. Noelle is looking back at her past while facing her future. Sam is closing out a piece of his past. The story is easy to read and introduces you to some witty characters. It is about self discovery as Noelle has to learn to trust herself and her feelings for Sam. It is also about family and friendships.