The title of this book was misleading. The eight perfect hours were summed up pretty quickly in the first few chapters. After that it just turned into a series of "oh you again in this random place". I never really warmed up to either character because of how they interacted with their exes. By the end of the story it just got too fantastical and the I love yous seemed to happen out of nowhere.

A simple twist of fate? A chance meeting? Ultimately meant to be? Meet Noelle Butterby who gets stuck in traffic on a highway during a snowstorm on her way back from an emotional college reunion. With her cellphone battery running out, no charger and wondering what she can do next enter Sam Attwood with an offer of a charger in his luxurious rental car. Eight hours and lots of lively conversation and adventures later, traffic moves along and so do Noelle and Sam. Is this the end? Not even close, many chance encounters and common connections bring these two together again and again. A delightful and charming British read with real life problems and victories, I highly recommend this book. Are they fated to end up together? Read and find out.

Eight Perfect Hours is such a sweet contemporary romance centered around coincidence and fate.
Noelle Butterby finds herself stuck in her car when a blizzard has shut down access to the roads. Enter Sam Attwood - an American also trapped in his car, who offers to provide shelter in his car and power to charge her phone. Though strangers, Noelle and Sam hit it off immediately. Despite exchanging information and reaching out to Sam, Noelle is certain she'll not see him again. Especially when he doesn't respond. But then they keep running into each other. And the more they allow these interactions to evolve, they entertain the possibility that fate wants them to be together.

We learn about tragedy in both Noelle's and Sam's past, and of course how their tragedies intertwine.
The coincidences, some might say, are too coincidental. But the romantic in me loves this, and so often I find that these coincidences do happen in real life and they make me squee.

It's a sweet love story and I can't wait to read more of Lia Louis.

Another solid adult contemporary from Lia Louis! I definitely don’t believe in fate, but this book made me want to. It felt almost like it had a magical quality and felt very whimsical. This has a cute romance and touched on heavy topics beautifully. My only complaint is that I would’ve liked more time with Sam on the page. Unfortunately we get more time with her ex than with the new love interest. But thoroughly enjoyed this one!

i almost gave up on this one. Two strangers, Sam and Noelle, are stranded on a snowy roadway in Britain and, spend 8 hours together in a car, then go back to their real lives, never expecting to see each other again., Noelle is local, trapped with a housebound, agoraphobic mother. and still smarting from a break-up with her long-term boyfriend, Ed. Sam is from Oregon and is on his way to the airport to head home. And, then, inexplicably, they run into each other again. And, again.

The beginning of this book was promising, the middle dragged on, and the end was freaking adorable! I love the concept of the invisible red thread that connects us with those we love and are meant to be with.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in return for an honest review.

In one word, I found this book: sweet. We have a main character going through, what I think, are very real and relatable struggles of figuring out who she is. She's toeing the line of selflessness and independence in everything that's happening, from her relationship to her mom, to her past romantic relationship, to her potential future one, to her identity and career. For me, this struck a really nice balance to the fantastical element of "fate" and her meeting Sam again and again. Those real relationship conflicts keep the story moving forward and around the more magical-feeling components. Fate and timing are, of course, key to this story, but I enjoyed that we didn't go too far into the realm of magical realism. I enjoyed the character development and writing, and would say this is worth the read!

I really loved this book!!! The story follows Noelle and Sam who we meet stuck in a traffic jam caused by a massive snowstorm. Noelle is frantic to get back to her mother but her phone is dead, so she takes up an offer from the handsome stranger in the car next to hers to charge up her phone in his car. What follows is *eight perfect hours* but then Sam is off back to America and Noelle is left wondering if it was all a dream? What follows is a peek into each of their worlds, and the ways in which they overlap.

This book surprised me! I was expecting a light, fluffy read and it was so much more than that. I fell in love with the characters and was really rooting for them. This is the kind of book that you finish reading and you feel sad to leave this world behind.

Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy. Can’t wait to read this one again!

Noelle is on the way home from an event at her alma mater when she gets stuck on the highway for hours due to snow. With a dead phone and no charger, she meets the man in the car next to her who lets her join him to juice up her phone. They part ways imagining they will never see each other again, but it seems fate has a different idea in mind.

Ok talk about family that holds you back! It absolutely drove me nuts that her brother was such a flake and that her mom looked to her for all her care and financial needs while expecting nothing from her brother. I will say though, can I find a guy this way? It was such a cute story, and while at times felt a bit far fetched, I still really loved reading the story of Noelle and Sam! I absolutely adored Dear Emmie Blue so I had very high hopes going into this one, and I will say while it wasn’t Dear Emmie Blue, I still really enjoyed it!

Noelle Butterby iis a woman in her 30's who has spent her life taking care of family and friends, while never thinking about taking care of herself.. That is until she is stranded with Sam Attwood ,on a highway during a vicious snow storm. They spend 8 perfect hours together and Noelle starts thinking about what she can and should do with her life. Ed, her boyfriend of 12 years until he dumped her, has returned home and wants to start things up again with Noelle She agrees because it's comfortable. Problem is that she and Sam keep running into each other..
Fate has a way of intersecting life roads with certain people. Should Noelle and Sam get the message, or should Noelle continue on with Ed???!!!
thoroughly enjoyable read!

This book was a little bit of a slow start for me, but picked up quickly. It was a feel good book. Stranded in a snowstorm, meet a guy, run into him a few more times, but he’s got another girl… sounds so prescriptive. I can assure you, this book is anything but. I enjoyed he story, the characters, and the author. An especially good job with the postpartum piece, very realistic.

This book was cute! Who doesn't want to believe in destiny and fate when it comes to love. Ed was definitely a twat but most college ex boyfriends are.

This book has all the feels. This is the life of a “giver” living in the world of “takers” and surviving but sometimes just squeaking by. Loved the fate theme and the interaction of the characters. Slow in spots, but worth the patience and time spent. Enjoy.

Noelle’s story perfectly sums up living in comfort of the now and not wanting to change. I related to her. This story was a slow start for me but once i got about 70% or so I read it rather quickly. It was a cute rom com and I enjoyed it.

3.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Lia Louis, and Atria books for this free e-arc in exchange for my honest review

Driving home during a blizzard, Noelle Butterby gets stranded on the side of the road without food or power to charge her phone. Handsome American Sam Attwood is also stranded and comes to Noelle's rescue, offering to wait it out together. When traffic starts moving the next morning, the two part expecting never to see each other again; but fate has other plans.

I loved Dear Emmie Blue, so I was very excited to read Eight Perfect Hours. This book didn't pack the same emotional punch for me as Emmie Blue did, but the way serendipity and fate work together to join two soulmates was still a really sweet and charming story.

Noelle struggles to stand up for herself, both to her mother and her exboyfriend Ed, and honestly that lack of a backbone really frustrated me. Ed is portrayed as being a heartless jerk, and don't get me wrong, he does so some really garbage things. But I think his points to Noelle about striking out on her own, not letting her brother get away with no responsibility, and helping her mom help herself were actually valid.

Noelle's friends Charlie and Theo were the star of the show for me. Lia Louis writes really great supporting characters. Charlie's motherhood journey and love and relationship with Theo were my favorite part of the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lia Louis, and Atria for the eARC in exchange for my review.

This was a beautifully written, heartwarming story that I want to read and re read over and over again. I would recommend this to anyone in need of a feel good romance!

After leaving her school reunion saddened by her inability to retrieve certain items from a time capsule buried years before, Noelle becomes stuck on a highway in the midst of a blizzard with hundreds of other motorists as her phone battery depletes.

But one in particular stands out. The next car over sits a handsome American man named Sam who comes to Noelle’s aid phone charger in hand. Leading to these two spending eight perfect hours together waiting for the storm clear and the roads to reopen.

So begins our story as we see Noelle and Sam run into each other in seemingly random occurrences or are the fates at work here?

🤘 Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

“My life has started. I’m in it. It’s not something I’m waiting for anymore. I’m here. And whatever I wanted for my life, was it this?” Was it this? Was this what I wanted for myself? And what is it that I wanted? Am I still waiting?

We absolutely adore Lia Louis and once again she showed us why, in Eight Perfect Hours. It was a wonderful and emotional story of life, hope, dreams, and relationships. Of the sacrifices, we make for those we love, of pushing ourselves out of a stagnant rut, and of the risks we’re willing to take. It was a story of love and kismet. Once again, this Author wowed us with her beautiful writing, her moments of quirky fun, her strong and relatable characters, and of course a slow-building romance with angst.

“…sometimes it feels like I’m fading into the background or something, and – nobody can see me. You know? But I thought – well, I can see me…”

Noelle Butterly goes through a momentous emotional journey in Eight Perfect Hours. Her shoulders are at a point of collapse from the burdens of others, as well as the ones she’s unwittingly chosen to place upon herself. Living with perpetual guilt, unresolved relationship issues, feelings of failure, and anxiety would break the strongest of people. Yet Noelle refuses to break because who would carry her burdens?

‘…I wonder how often the pair of them think, “Noelle will sort it. Noelle will deal with it.” And I wonder what would happen if I said, “No. Noelle won’t actually. Noelle is sick of dealing with it.” But I don’t.’

At thirty-two she finds herself at a crossroads; does she continue life as she knows it? One that is so far removed from her dreams and aspirations, or does she take a leap of faith and put herself first for a change? Does she stick with what she knows, or does she take a chance on the handsome and mysterious ‘stranger’ she serendipitously keeps meeting in moments of emotional need? We fell in utter love with the wondrous notion of kismet for Noelle and Sam, and how she found a fellow broken soul who understands her, who sees her, and who doesn’t sit in judgement.

“I want you to know something,” he whispers, words barely there, his nose inches from mine. “You said nobody does but – I see you, Noelle. I do.”

We loved the premise of Eight Perfect Hours; it was so deliciously swoony it made us melt into puddles. But this wasn’t just a meant-to-be romance, it was so much more. It was about friendships, grief, family, mental health, and second chances. All weaved together in such an insightful and emotional manner, we were fully invested and captured by this feel-good romance from the first page till the last. If you haven’t experienced Lia Louis’s work yet, you really must add her to your reading list, you won’t regret it!

‘We’re living now. Because now is all there is…the only way to live forever is to leave parts of yourself behind.’

I can't get past how perfect that post-partum scene was. I felt like someone had finally understood everything I've ever felt since having a baby. It wasn't expected, but I very much appreciated.

And overall, an excellent book.

Noelle Butterby encounters every driver’s nightmare getting trapped on a snowy British highway while on the way home from a high school reunion. A late season blizzard snares Noelle in her dodgy car with a bad phone charger, no food, drink, or hope of going anywhere soon. A nearby driver, American Sam Attwood, comes to her rescue with the offer for Noelle to sit in his car to charge up her phone and have some company. Noelle, being a timid person, goes out of her comfort zone to agree. As the long day into night progresses, Noelle and Sam form a sort of bond even thought they do not expect to see each other again.

Noelle put her life on hold, living with and helping out her mother who had suffered a stroke some years before. Noelle’s plans to move to the states with her long-term doctor boyfriend, Ed, ended in tatters; he seemed to leave her behind without a thought. Noelle has also been unable to realize her dream of becoming a florist because she cleans houses to support herself, her mother, and her feckless brother, Dilly, who believes he is a rock star touring constantly with his current mediocre band.

Noelle and Sam keep bumping into each other in odd places and at difficult times for them both; it is clear they have something going on, but each has issues to resolve, not the least of which is Sam’s work in America. He is in Noelle’s village to help his elderly father who lives there move to a different place. Sam gives Noelle some mixed messages, but she begins to hold a slowly burning torch for him which intensifies every time they meet. Her old boyfriend moves back to town further complicating matters although it is clear from her memories that neither he nor his wealthy family treated her well.

Through an odd set of circumstances and clues involving a time capsule from Daisy, her lost best school friend, Noelle and Sam do a complicated dance of being attracted to each other but having obstacles in the way of their coming together. Noelle seems to be one of those people who gets taken advantage of to the extent she has missed out on the life she desired. Sam has family and relationship issues which challenge his feelings for Noelle in this twisty, turny very mostly Women’s Fiction with a little slow burn romance.

Slow to get into but took off after the halfway mark. Great story!
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This author weaves a story that comes from the heart. Featuring two strangers and the complex intersections of their lives, Eight Perfect Hours is about meeting someone that you just know in your heart is someone you should be connected to.

Have you ever met someone you became friends with for life? Maybe there was someone you fell for immediately and knew you could marry and be together forever. That is the deep connection and friendship that was building in this story. But sometimes life gets in the way!

Louis really started to capture me with her intricate weaving of the story; the secrets, the chance meetings, the connections that she built between the two characters. I found the drips and hints along the way kept me engaged and yearning for a fabulous ending and she did not disappoint.

This story brings so many aspects to light that makes it a great choice for a women’s fiction novel with the right amount of romance. It will leave you wondering if there really is such a thing as a chance meeting or a twist of fate.

Noelle and Sam first meet when their cars are caught stranded next to each other in a snow storm. The hours fly by as they talk about everything and nothing. Sam is on his way to the airport to fly home so a few lovely hours is all they have together. Or so they think. However, the universe appears to have another idea in mind as they keep running into each other unexpectedly. I am not someone who usually enjoys easy coincidences used to move a plot along but I found this utterly charming. Along with Noelle I started to see them as signs, neon blinking ones, telling them them to stop paying attention to the complications and start seeing the possibilities. I enjoyed going on this journey with them so much I was sad to see it end.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.