The Meeting Point was so cute and fun! Just the kind of read I was looking for this summer.

I loved everything from their first "meeting" which admittedly started off super rough for Maya because her current boyfriend is a terrible person. But everything worked out as Max made her feel better by virtually giving her a tour of Carmel by the Sea.

Things happen, etc, and a year later she finally leaves her cheating boyfriend and on a whim goes back to Carmel by the Sea to see if she can find Max. I wasn't a fan of her subterfuge - if she had just been open on who she was looking for she would have figured things out sooner, but also the book wouldn't have been as long so there's that.

She meets some awesome people along the way, and went on a journey she never expected, but desperately needed.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Maya, an aspiring writer in a job she hates with a boyfriend who she loves more than anything but who seems bored in the relationship. To try and rekindle their romance she flies to California to see him while he is on a business trip but is instead informed by a Lyft driver that her boyfriend has been cheating, so she heads out on a spontaneous adventure that she will remember for a lifetime.

** possible unintentional light spoilers **

This book was really touching and I did enjoy a lot of aspects of it, but I could not get over how slow the main character sometimes seemed in guessing what was going on. I guessed the plot twist as soon as the second act of the book really got going and I sometimes felt frustrated with Maya for not seeing the forest for the trees I guess. I don’t want to post any spoilers so I’ll stop here.

Anyways overall it was a nice story and the banter was enjoyable, a really great beach read if you’re looking for one :)

I would like to start this by saying that I am only giving this 2 stars because I enjoyed Ethan and his sister Celine.

I received an arc from Netgalley for this book and was so excited because the premise sounded so cute!

Wrong.

This was brutal.

This was fight scene in Breaking Dawn brutal.

I’m talking the movie version. Not the book. Brutal.

The amount of errors was just insane. In one part our main character Maya sends her mystery man a picture and the next sentence he wants her to describe the exact thing she just sent a picture of. Later while Maya is reading Ethan’s book the names were messed up. It was as if nobody has screened this book at all.

Speaking of Ethan’s book, it was basically rereading the entire first 20% all over again WORD FOR WORD.

Then we get to the end. The big reveal. Not to be cruel but it was not this giant shock. We all knew who “Max” was going to be. I was giving confused Britney face at such a high level my face might be stuck now.

I really really didn’t like this book.

I literally started this book quite late last night, but I read so much of it before I fell asleep and finished it this morning. I can’t believe how fast I got through it, also quite sad as I was SO invested.  

I loved it. I can’t even describe. I loved the writing, the characters, the story, the ending. ALL OF IT. I normally read thrillers but trying to try get back into my romance books especially and this was amazing. I LOVED Maya. I just wanted to hug her from the very beginning, then her very special birthday, I felt like I was on the journey with her too! It was so beautifully written too; I loved all the little moments. 

I was so invested; I couldn’t put it down and needed to know what was going to happen next. I did kinda guess who ‘max’ was, however I couldn’t wait for the moment for him to be revealed! And it was such a magical moment when it was.  

I'm still feeling so many emotions from this book, and honestly, I say this with every book I've loved, but I NEED a part 2!!! I need to know what happens next... for ALL the characters!

I had a bit of a hard time getting into to the story but once I did, I had a hard time putting it down. The book has a lovely premise; a stranger rescues someone from a difficult and unpleasant situation - and everyone can figure out at least how it's going to end.

I really liked Maya. I enjoyed how she went from secure decisions to doing-what-makes-me-happy decisions, although a few reckless ones (who never?). I just wanted to yell at her multiple times for missing what's right in front of her. It was so obvious what was going on that I was just eager to get to the part where Maya actually figured it all out. We got there eventually, but boy, did it take her some time. She was easy to read about and she had a pleasant, simple point of view.

The love interest was fun, charming and I loved their chemistry and all the building of their relationship. But, reading his point of view regarding the same day, I gotta say that he made some questionable decisions that would raise some red flags for me.

The supporting characters were a plus, giving more substance to the story other than the typical instalove, focused-only-on-the-main-characters plot. I also loved the whole setting. Carmel by the Sea is a real and beautiful city, and I always like to read books that make me want to travel certain places.

This is a great book if you're looking for something simple yet very entertaining to read!

It was good! Felt like brit lit, so a little like sophie kinsella! Just need to add words here because the review needs to be long lol

When Maya unexpectedly finishes a work project early on her birthday weekend, she decides to fly from New York to San Francisco to surprise her boyfriend on his business trip. Except when she gets there and tries to give him a call, all she gets is voicemail. After a few all-caps texts, she finds out his phone has been left in a Lift. Not only that, but her boyfriend was in this Lift with another woman and they looked quite close...Maya is resigned to spend her birthday in the airport alone, but after texting with the Lift driver for a bit, he insists she shouldn't waste her birthday sitting on an airport bench. He gives her an itinerary to explore the small beach town of Carmel by the Sea via text and she follows his instructions, soaking in all that this charming town has to offer. The mysterious stranger keeps her company via text all day and Maya is surprised to feel connected to someone so quickly, just through text. Is it possible to fall in love with someone that you've never met?

The setup of this book was interesting. We get this magical day with Maya at Carmel by the Sea, and quite quickly, it's a year later and the real story begins with Maya trying to find the identity of her sweet Lift driver. I do have a few complaints about this book. The writing felt very basic at times - lots of short sentences and straight descriptions of actions without much interest added to them. I think this story could have benefitted from two POVs - both Maya's and her mystery man, who in fact is not a mystery at all despite Maya's obtuseness. I felt like shaking Maya throughout the book because it was just so obvious. But because we're supposed to be left questioning who her love interest is, we don't actually buy in enough to him. If the goal was to be enemies-to-lovers, it wasn't pushed far enough. I just felt "eh" about both of them.

More than anything, I get frustrated when the conflict in a book could be solved with one simple conversation, and that is the entire premise of this story.

The Meeting Point had a cute premise but fell a little flat for me. However I think fans of Emily Henry's Beach Read will enjoy this new story!

Maya tries surprising her boyfriend on a trip but gets more than she bargains for when he leaves his phone in a Lyft and she was not the woman he just shared the car with. After discovering he was cheating on her she spends a magical 24 hours in a small coastal town enjoying herself and falling for the Lyft driving via text message. After their magical day, Maya goes back to real life but regrets it every day for a year.

The story picks back up a year later with Maya looking for her missed love connection. As you follow Maya on this journey you get to experience beautiful Carmel-by-the-Sea and the great people she meets.

For me this one was hard to get into because I thought the whole story was going to be her communicating with the Lyft driver and that magical day but that was really only the setup. It felt like Maya really should have picked up on what was going on earlier as the big reveal was not a shock as a reader. I didn't really understand her hatred for Ethan, the supposed friend of the Lyft driver who was going to help her find her lost love. I also just really didn't understand how she didn't have his phone number or get his real phone number to be able to continue talking to him.

Overall it was okay but just felt a little unrealistic and had a hard time putting myself in the shoes if the main character. There is a writing aspect to it that I think would make it great for fans of Beach Read though!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Meeting Point is a cute and delicious romantic story that is quickly devoured. I read it in one sitting, because the writing is fluid, but above all because I needed to know how the plot was ending.
Maya accumulates disappointments, she clings to a slight hope: her boyfriend. She decides to go to California to find him to celebrate her birthday with him, but without warning him beforehand.
At the airport, she calls him, but he's not the one answering, it's a lift driver who does. She discovers thanks to this stranger that her wonderful boyfriend is cheating on her. The stranger on the phone feels sorry for her and generously decides to help her overcome her disappointment and have a wonderful day. The two of them text each other, he advises her on places to visit, where to eat, where to relax ... Olivia Lara offers us a sublime postcard from Carmel-on-the-Sea, a small town very popular with writers, full of charms that she describes wonderfully, she makes us want to visit it.
Thanks to a man whose identity she does not know, she has a magical day, the best she has had since a very long time, a day that will change her life. Over the text messages, they get to know each other, they make each other laugh, exchange their feelings ... They therefore decide to meet but ... For unclear reasons, this meeting does not take place. And it is soooo frustrating !
A year later, Maya can no longer bear her disappointing life, especially after having lived an exceptional day several months before. She decides to give up everything and go in search of the lift driver. So she returns to California, to the city where her life has changed ... Conducting her investigation, she meets wonderful and generous people, she can finally let her heart express itself by helping others, by bringing them a smile...
In a way, looking for the man who changed her life, she finds herself, she becomes the real Maya again, a happy Maya.
She meets a writer who can help her find the lift driver but between them the mood is electric, she is angry with him, and he seems perplexed by her. It creates funny and enjoyable to read scenes. The situation of our heroine is more and more complicated.
It's hard to explain what I liked about this book without saying too much. The charm of the small town with its adorable inhabitants offers a very beautiful setting and a familiar and special atmosphere. The secondary characters all bring an additional charm.
Maya is a woman who got lost over the years, her day of discovering Carmel was a trigger, as much by the city as by the exchanges with the stranger of the texts. This day has shown her everything she misses by continuing to live a life that does not suit her. As for the lift driver ... he made me melt with his messages, he helps a woman he doesn't know, he offers her the keys to happiness without expecting anything in return, he has a sense of humor...
Maya falls in love, at the same time as us, with an exceptional man who will know how to make her happy.
There is a lot of magic in this love story, a lot of sweetness and energy too.
I loved discovering the first day from the point of view of the lift driver. Although it wasn't a big surprise, it was still super cute.
We quickly guess the end of the story but despite everything, we find ourselves impatiently waiting for the moment when Maya will understand. And the end does not disappoint at all !
No sex scene here, just seduction, tenderness, humor ... The birth of love, the discovery of the loved one.
In short, this novel is a little gold nugget that will make you smile!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing me with access.

I absolutely adored this book. A serendipitous meeting, missed connections, a case of mistaken identity, and Olivia Lara churns out a wonderful tale that answers the age old question of whether love at first sight exists.

Maya Maas is endearing and charming, and you can't help but root for her as she tries to figure out her life after one day adventure with a complete stranger. I loved everything about her, her story, and how she finally got around to figuring everything out. I loved that Ethan, despite not telling her who he was initially, was still trying to get her to fall in love with him. This book really was a great summer read that hit all the right spots

Fun and yes fairly predictable romcom. I don't mind predictability. I feel thats pretty much a given with romcoms. I DO think though that since it was pretty obvious early on who Max is that we should have gotten more of his POV. I really liked the segments of his book where we got to see what he was experiencing. I do really dislike when there are so many lies and no communication but again thats to be expected sometimes to give some sort of conflict. I do think there was a little too much of Maya's inner thoughts and they were a little repetitive. She was a little immature at times as well, especially for her age. Claire was actually one of my favorite parts of the story and I really wish Maya had confided in her. I disagree with some other reviewers about Maya and Ethan. I really thought they had great chemistry. I was upset that Maya kept denying it so much. I did find it really odd though that Maya was so oblivious. I really think Maya would have at least at one point considered that Max could be Ethan. It was odd that she didn't. Or maybe even have Alisa give that as a theory. The one thing I really don't get though is why David kept calling for so long. It just didn't make sense that he would if he had the attitude Max wrote about in his book. Overall I really enjoyed it! It was a fast and fun read that I would recommend to anyone who loves the movie You've Got Mail, because it definitely made me think of it multiple times.

Maya flys to San Francisco to surprise her boyfriend on her birthday. When she arrives, she gets a call from a Lift driver who has found her boyfriends phone. "You must be the blonde in the red dress?" he says... but no, Maya is the brunette in jeans and a tee! Realising he had stuck his foot in it, the driver suggests Maya make the most of her birthday regardless, and plans an itinerary of destinations she can follow. Could this stranger hold the key to unlocking her broken heart?

Oooh this was a surprise for me... I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I thought 'The Meeting Point' had a very original plot, and I liked how the blurb didn't give too much away about the storyline.

I thought the first half of the book moved very fast! Maya seemed to accept the situation with her boyfriend very quickly... and she goes on to develop feelings for someone she had only text over the space of a few hours. I think I would have found it a little more believable if it was set over a week. That said, I thought the second half moved at a much better pace and I liked the introduction of the other characters.

I absolutely loved the setting 😍. I think the cover had me thinking this would be set in the city... but it actually gave me strong holiday vibes. Think roadtrips along the Big Sur, beachy sunrises and sunsets over Napa Valley ☀️. It made me want to visit immediately and follow Maya's itinerary!

'The Meeting Point' is a refreshing, romantic read... perfect for the summer season!

I enjoyed reading this book, the drama was first rate, and quite fast paced in beginning and end, once I had worked out who Max was I was impatient for Maya to work it out to, which made the story feel a bit slow in the middle for me, I would love to read the spin offs of the other couples who Maya managed to put together.

I loved this book! Olivia Lara has given the romance world a first of its kind—never have a read such an engaging and sweet plot line as this. Would you be tempted to follow the texts of a stranger as they lead you through a perfect day? Maya does exactly this and as the reader we get to ride along with her through the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, meeting “Max” (the Lift driver who found her cheating boyfriend’s phone) only through the texting directions he gives Maya. To say this would be risky in this day and age is an understatement, but Lara swept me away with her magical storytelling and descriptors of Carmel. I found myself falling in love with the town and its residents much like the residents of Gilmore Girls’ Star’s Hollow, and before I realized it, I had finished The Meeting Point in less than 48 hours. Even though I easily guessed Max’s identity (unlike Maya, who seems easily thrown off course), I still kept page turning just to see how the ending would turn out. To be honest I almost wanted to strangle Maya in one of the final scenes, but as we know in any good romance there’s always a HEA right? So creative and a lovely way to tie together both male and female perspectives within a romance, I will definitely be recommending The Meeting Point. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly a huge thanks to the publisher for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is my first Olivia Lara and I want to devour all her books now because she has made me believe in love at first text. The Meeting Point follows Maya an aspiring writer who works for a magazine who takes a trip to surprise her boyfriend. While at the airport she texts the guy only to get the Lift Guy who has her boyfriend's phone. What follows is an adventure meant for the books. But the course of true love never did run smooth as they never get to meet even when the Lift Guy plans a meet up because they just don't . They fall in love via text but Maya does return a few months later to hunt for him. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but this book was sooo good . I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it

The Meeting Point starts with a story within a story as the main character dreams of her next writing project. It is a very fun introduction of a character as it sets up her love of the concept of love and happy endings. The novel is a fun take on You’ve Got Mail and gives the material a new spin with two characters connecting through texting without ever meeting in person. Not only is this a love story, but it is a lovely story about self-discovery as the reader follows the main character trying to figure out her life. Although the story takes place across the United States, including New York, and very brief moments in San Francisco, Connecticut, and Vermont, the main story is set in the gorgeous small-town setting of Carmel-by-the-Sea near Monterey. It has been a while since I have traveled there, so I actually took screenshots of the places mentioned and cannot wait to check out how fiction meets reality whenever I get a chance to go again.

Maya Maas is 26 and approaching her 27th birthday. She loves to write love stories about those that she encounters every day, even if she does not know them. She is currently working as a junior reporter for a Brooklyn-based magazine where she is overworked and not quite happy with her job. She misses her best friend, Alisa, who has moved to London as a senior commissioning editor. Although they met living in dorm rooms next to each other in college, they did not fully connect as friends until after graduation and have been best friends ever since. Maya’s boyfriend of five years, David, is currently in San Francisco, California for an interview, so Maya decides it would be an excellent surprise and birthday present for herself to fly out there to spend a surprise weekend together. When Maya arrives at the terminal, she texts David but is shocked when she receives an unexpected reply. David’s phone was left in the car of a Lift driver, who also lets it slip that David was with another woman. Maya is heartbroken and in an unfamiliar place. The Lift driver and she begin texting and Maya ends up on a text-guided tour of Carmel as she always dreamed of seeing the Pacific Ocean. After an amazing day, Maya and “Max” (the driver) decide to meet. Unfortunately, the meeting never happens as David intercepts and he convinces Maya to return to New York together.

The story flashes forward one year where Maya cannot get “Max” out of her head and cannot get over her unhappiness with David. She also discovers that a novel is in the works about her texting day in Carmel written by author Ethan Delphy, who obtained the story through a friend. Maya takes this as a chance to make changes in her life and she sets out on a journey to finally find out who “Max” is and to attempt to meet him. Maya relocates to Carmel without a plan and now has to navigate how to find out information about the man she connected with yet never met. Through her quest, she ends up meeting Celine, Ethan’s sister, and later Ethan himself along with a fun cast of characters that all live in the lovely beach town setting. Since everyone seems tight-lipped about revealing Max’s identity to this new stranger in town, Maya has the work cut out for her to try to figure out who her mystery man is and if they can still connect a year later.

There is a lot of deception and secrets in this story that was interesting elements. It is predictable as the reader can put the pieces together before Maya, but it is written well to keep me captivated. The novel was difficult to put down as I found myself invested in all of the characters. I even loved the side matchmaking that was taking place with all of the background characters and loved getting to know their stories, even if they were not the focus of the story. The story is written solely from Maya’s point of view, although they do get pieces from Ethan through his novel. I would love a version of this story written from Ethan’s as he and Maya have an attraction when they first meet and I would love to read his side and inner thoughts. Overall, this was a joyous story of how Maya learns what will make her happy in life (job, location, romance, etc.) and a lovely romance story about two people trying to come together even though they never met in person.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, Aria Books, and the author for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I would like to thank Netgalley, Olivia Lara, and Aria Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Meeting Point.

Maya Maas is a late 20 something woman living in New York who is in a dead end journalist job and finds out that she's in a relationship with a serial cheater. How does she find this out? Maya decides she's going to surprise her long term boyfriend, who is on a business trip in California, for her birthday weekend, after she's been fired. When she gets to California, she tries texting and calling her boyfriend, but gets no answer. Finally, she does get a response, but it's the Lyft driver who found her boyfriend's, David, phone in his car after dropping David & a woman off at the hotel. The woman was all over David & the Lyft driver let Maya know. When it slips out that it's Maya's birthday weekend, the driver sends her to picturesque Carmel by the Sea for the day and gives Maya an itinerary for her day. It turns out that the day is one of the best in her life, until the next morning when David shows up & ruins Maya's chance at meeting the mysterious driver. A year later, Maya is back in the dead end job, sitting on a manuscript all about her day in Carmel, and still with David. David proposes and sends Maya into a panic. She hasn't been able to put that day out of her mind. When her best friend, who works as an editor in a publishing house in London, calls her and tells her that she just got an email about a book that sounds exactly like her day in Carmel. Maya decides to drop everything and heads straight to Carmel to try to find the mystery man. Will Maya be able to find out who really sent her on that magical day? More importantly will Maya truly find her purpose in life?

This was a sweet romcom that had me laughing and crying. The characters all felt super relatable and real. I personally don't think I would have the courage to give up everything in my life and move across the country in search of someone I didn't even know. There were times when Maya drove me crazy, but I loved how she just wanted everyone to have their own happy ending & at times helped get them to that point. One thing that drove me INSANE, was the misspelling of Lyft. I don't know if it was done on purpose, but it was driving me crazy. I know it's not a huge thing, but the number of times that it was used throughout the book became a bit distracting. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to all those that love romcoms. It is the perfect summer time read! Check it out in September!

Do you believe in instalove or love at first text? Based on the characters in this book, I absolutely do!

The way Maya tore through June After Midnight is the way I devoured this book- I kept wanting more and more, then when I finished, I still wanted more! This book reeled me in from the beginning and was SO GOOD! From the moment Maya landed in Carmel for the second time, I knew the outcome but I giddily read through each chapter with a huge smile on my face. I loved all of the character interactions with one another, especially Maya, Ethan and Celine, plus the stories and matchmaking. Extra swoon at the wine tour and the hot air balloon ride. Prepare yourself for lots of laughter, smiles, eye rolling (in the best way!), friendship and, best of all, love.

Loved this book! I am a sucker for a sweet romance and this one definitely made the list! A chance meeting, beautiful setting, and entertaining characters? Sign me up! Thank you, NetGalley!

Lately I've been in a pretty bad reading slump.
Ive been starting all these books and stopping around the 10% mark and completely losing interest.
I was so close to also stopping this book but I just had a feeling that this one was going to be good. So I persisted and boy am I glad that I did!
This was an extremely sweet, heartwarming novel set in a beautiful seaside town, that I would absolutely love to visit. Maya is a down on her luck writer with a shitty boss and a gaslighting boyfriend. When a lift driver finds her cheating boyfriends phone he creates an unexpectedly magical day for her birthday, by messaging her an itinerary around the oceanside town.
As a lover of all things slow burn this was right up my alley, it was the slowest of slow burns but oh so good!
I really loved Ethan, and Maya's story and thought Camile was a great secondary character.