The Meeting Point is a cute rom com following a hopeless romantic turned cynic in an entanglement.

This was a really cute concept, and I wanted to love it! It was just okay for me. I found the dialogue to be a bit too far fetched for me. The character was likeable, but it was still a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story hooked me from the first sentence! I loved how it started and I enjoyed the rest as well. Romance books are my favourite genre and this book proves why

I liked this! It wasn’t so amazing that I’d drop everything and read the author’s entire catalog, but I really enjoyed it.

Ahh! This book was so cute. I love romcoms and this filled the romcom void I’ve had. It was cute and even when I thought I predicted where the story was going, I didn’t!

Thanks to NetGalley for my gifted copy of this book.

The Meeting Point is an adorable rom com about Maya, an aspiring write turned journalist after too many rejections. The story which covers one year, birthday to birthday, is told from her perspective. After being fired from her crummy job, she decides to fly out of NYC to California to surprise her boyfriend. After receiving a text from the Lyft driver who found said boyfriend’s phone that indicates the boyfriend has weekend plans with another women, Maya finds herself on a cute adventure to Carmel by the Sea curated by that Lyft driver. Chemistry, banter, and a push out of her comfort zone later, Maya is at a fork in the road and has to decide on taking a leap of faith and take the road less traveled or continue down the safe and predictable road she’s been traveling.
This story was cute, although I did “figure it out” very early on, but I thoroughly enjoyed it beginning to end. Highly recommend!

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

This book was a really cute, quick read but was so extremely predictable that it made me want to scream at times. It also somehow managed to be both insta-lovey and super slow burn at the same time.

What I didn't like:
-THE PREDICTABILITY. Can you even consider something a plot twist if it's completely obvious from the very beginning of the book? Granted, I still liked the "twist" and thought it was really cute, but there was a huge gap between what the reader knew and what the characters knew which made this a frustrating read at times. I rolled my eyes so hard at certain points in this book I was scared they would get stuck in the back of my head. Maya was just so dense and oblivious throughout the entire book and I wanted to scream at her to open her eyes.
-Pacing at the beginning of the book was odd and threw me off a little. I ended up enjoying the story a lot more towards the end, but at first I was really confused.
-Small, unnecessary details thrown in throughout the book that made it more confusing to the reader and took away from the overall story. This pairs with my previous point, but at the very beginning a co-worker character is introduced, and I thought that was going to be the main male character (went into the book blind). Turns out, he was completely irrelevant to the story. There were quite a few characters/moments like that one where I feel like the story would have flowed better if they were removed.

What I liked:
-The chemistry between Maya and Ethan was really well written. I was rooting for them the whole time and read the book pretty quickly because I wanted to see them get their HEA.
-The initial text exchanges. While I normally hate insta-love stories (and I still didn't love that aspect), I thought the texts were really cute and well placed and it was a fun plot to follow.
-The setting of the book was beautifully described and really great to read about.

Overall:
I went back and forth between rating this 3 or 4 stars while reading this book. I'm sticking with a 3 rating simply because the predictability and denseness of the characters were super frustrating to me. But I really did enjoy the story and it was a super quick read, which I always enjoy. I would recommend to anyone looking for a simple, lighthearted romance.

I really enjoyed this lighthearted romance and found it the perfect read on a rainy day. While I saw the final twist coming, it still brought tears to my eyes.

Great story! I really enjoyed this book. I thought the story was original and even when I thought I had it figured out, the author would give a little more information to make me question what I thought I knew.

Maya flies cross country to surprise her boyfriend on her birthday. The surprise is on her when another guy responds to a text she sends to her boyfriend's phone to let him know she arrived. "Max" tells Maya that her boyfriend left his phone in Max's rideshare car, where the boyfriend was making out with another girl.

Through texts, Maya spends the day with Max and has so many new experiences. Even thought it happens fast, their feelings grow. Maya ends up going back home with the boyfriend, but about a year later realizes that she needs to find that guy who she fell for through text messages that one day. She sets off on an adventure to find him.

I loved the images created by the author when describing the towns and scenery in the story. I also loved the dialogue and relationships between characters. It felt real and not contrived or forced. I was guessing til the end and the story kept my interest all the way though. Wonderful book!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

Cute, heartfelt and special, The Meeting Point is an adorable read with a original and unique story.

Capturing the essence of a perfect day, in a charming and picturesque little town, this book was such a pleasant surprise. The twist might have been obvious, but like Olivia says, although some things in the novel were far-fetched, they didn't take away from the beauty of the story or from hoping the characters would find a way to get past their heartbreaks and fears and just take a chance on each other.

4.5 stars and a day

This was a great read! I really really enjoyed it! The concept was different which is what drew me in at the start. Such a fun read

This was such a sweet and heartwarming story of love and adventure. I'm a sucker for scavenger hunts and this book sort of fit that bill with the text messages taking Maya to her next mystery location.

I love the bookception in this story with a book within the book telling the story we are reading. I also really enjoyed that this book was set in Carmel which is a cute town I grew up near so that extra dose of small town cuteness was nice. This book has miscommunication, sort of enemies to lovers, and just an overall lovely tale of following your heart and being adventurous.

I first want to thank Net Galley for allowing me to read an ARC of The Meeting Point. This book was super cute! I was totally drew in after reading what it was about and it didn’t disappoint! This book is the perfect beach read!

The premise of this book was very cute. The setting was also great. And I did find myself eager to see where the story went. But the execution was clumsy. Some awkward turns of phrase ("the Yankee Stadium") and plot blips (just in the first few chapters: the first time Celine's name is mentioned is with no explanation of how Maya would know her name, $25/hour + tips working at a cafe?!) Instalove can work in some circumstances but I wasn't buying it here. And the twist is so obvious so early on that it is frustrating to watch the heroine be oblivious for so long. Ultimately, I found myself skimming because I really did want to see how it turned out but the writing style.

I’ll be honest, when I saw this was 88 chapters, I was a little worried. But, they went by fast and I quite enjoyed the story! The premise had me thinking romcom, but the story is actually pure romance; kept thinking this would make a great Hallmark movie. The way the story unwinds, you can guess everything that happens, but it’s unraveled in a way that explains so much. I recommend this to romance lovers.

3.5 stars!!

I stayed up til 2am to finish this one, I couldn’t put it down!!

To start with, things I loved: the setting - Carmel by the Sea sounds so quaint, the premise - someone who takes you on a much needed adventure even when you’re not together is so heart warming, the secondary cast - they all have stories that I am invested in and personalities that I (mostly like), the love interest - the man of my dreams and I would do anything to find him, he is kind and funny with just enough mystery

Things I didn’t love: the main character - Maya is extremely frustrating, she prides herself on the advice she gives her friends but doesn’t seem to take it, she has a lot of understandable frustration but doesn’t stop to think about any possible alternatives, the first person pov with Maya as the narrator is difficult because she is the last to realize things and is openly a bit selfish, so I wish we could see her from other points of view; the plot twist - it is obvious to everyone who the mystery man is, which is fine!! What’s frustrating is how long it takes Maya to realize

Overall I struggled to get into this book because Maya and I simply don’t mesh, but the rest of the story stole my heart and kept me invested until the very end!

The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara is all about chance encounters, hidden identities, and a cute little California town. Maya tries to surprise her boyfriend on a trip when everything goes wrong. A mysterious lift driver, Max, then takes Maya on an adventure all through Carmel by the Sea through text messages. One year later Maya goes back to California to find Max. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and I thought Maya was very immature and problematic. I liked the initial texts but after 20% I couldn’t seem to get back into the book. I do love how I felt like I was in the town throughout the whole book!

4 stars!!

This was such a cute book!! This genre has been really hit or miss for me lately, but I actually really enjoyed this book. My favorite aspects were definitely the settings and the quick and short chapters. The author did an amazing job with developing the surroundings and putting a perfect image in my head of Carmel. And the quick chapters made the book such a quick read, and I was constantly wanting to start the next chapter to see how the story would progress on. I think a lot of people can relate to enjoying short quick chapters, especially with this genre, so I think that will really help this book stand out.

However, I did have some issues with this book. None that drastically changed my rating, but they are certainly what made this a 4 star read instead of a 5 star one. My main issue was just how obvious the "plot twist" of the story was, it was so obvious that I actually wondered if it was even meant to be a plot twist at all. It was basically more of a plot twist for the main character, not actually the readers, which is fine, but true plot twists in novels can make them much more entertaining. I also thought it was really repetitive at times. I do understand that going to the Café and calling her best friend were crucial parts of the story, but they were both happening so often that I wondered if they could have been incorporated in differently somehow.

Nonetheless, I did really enjoy this. I thought the chemistry between Ethan and Maya was really well executed, and their adventures throughout the story were some of my favorite parts of the book. I thought they made a really good pair. The first part of the story, where Maya and Max first meet, and spend their day together virtually was also one of my favorites. I think it started the story off really strong, and really made me want to keep reading.

Definitely recommend checking this out on its release date, September 2nd. If you like virtual relationships. slow burns, a main character who also loves books, and a lot of beautiful California settings I think you would really enjoy this book.

The Meeting Point drew me in and did not let me go until I had finished it. I’ve got myself into a bit of a habit of starting books in the evening and finishing them the following day. I couldn’t put this down and was desperate to follow the relationships between the characters.

This book follows Maya, a journalist and aspiring author, who flies to San Francisco to surprise her long-term boyfriend on her birthday. Except when she gets there, a Lift driver answers her boyfriend’s phone and informs her that he had been cheating on her. Maya then proceeds to have a whirlwind day out directed by the Lift driver from text, who she calls Max. Flash forward a year later and Maya is still thinking about that day and wondering what life would be like if the outcome was different. She goes back to the town she visited in order to find her mystery Max and I was 100% invested in search. However, her search was not that simple as she becomes attached to the town and a certain man living there called Ethan.

'"Who knows where life will take me?" Wherever you want it to take you," he said. "You're not a feather in the wind."'

I didn’t want this story to end and there were so many cute bits and lots of tension between Maya and Ethan. Whilst it was predictable and I could tell what was going to happen, I still couldn’t stop reading and wanted the characters to realise how they felt. Maya grows during this story and discovers who she is and the path she actually wants to take and I loved it. She was a likable and real character who you couldn’t help rooting for. Celine, the Café owner who takes Maya in, was a great character also, and I loved following her own little romance story.

All in all, this book was a great lighthearted romcom and I couldn’t recommend it more! I really enjoyed it and would happily read it again.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57602134

🎶 ℍ𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕘𝕠 🎶

Yes. Always read that with *NSYNC in mind. As you should. ANYWAY, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for booking a sister up with a free e-ARC for an honest review from me.

The premise of this book had me hooked.

𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒾𝒻 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐿𝒾𝒻𝓉 𝒹𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝒹𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒸𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝑜𝓎𝒻𝓇𝒾𝑒𝓃𝒹'𝓈 𝓅𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝒾𝓇𝑒𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝓇𝓊𝑒 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒?

I mean, COME ON! Chance encounters? A romance blooming because people took the road less traveled? SIGN ME UP! Unfortunately, the book didn’t land for me. While I appreciate the obvious labor of love this book was for the author and it had its shiny moments, it also had a lot of not shiny moments.

Things I enjoyed:
- the initial text exchanges—magic
- The very end. After all that build up, the big reveal was literally the only thing keeping me invested in the book.
- The setting. Carmel seems sooo freaking cute and I want to go there ASAP.

Things I didn’t love:
- instant love via text in a 24 hour period.
- The stalkery nature of the whole story. Following someone isn’t a cute look no matter how attractive you are. It’s creepy and weird.
- The main character. There were so many moments where she shamed women—a woman who was once beautiful but who didn’t take as much care of herself as she could (literally what the MC said) and this notion that 27 was ancient and that it’s shameful to not have your life figured out by then. Honey I changed careers at 31! And she never really recovered from that thought.
- The dialogue got confusing a few times with the lack of tags.
- The over abundance of reading about menial tasks that weren’t necessary to further the story and just took up space on the page.

I also felt like I was suffering from whiplash during the first 30%. It was challenging to follow the storyline or get a feel for the pacing.

This book has a lot of good ratings, which is great for the author! This book wasn’t for me.

⭐️⭐️.5 stars

Thanks again for the free copy of the book.

The Meeting Point is a fun, romantic tale that gives off a You’ve Got Mail sort of vibe. Maya, a girl who jets off to San Francisco to surprise her boyfriend, gets a surprise of her own. He’s cheating on her. But what follows is an amazing day around Carmel, California spearheaded by an unknown Lyft Driver.

The setting is a quaint new by town that I now want to run off too! The characters are deep and real. While it seemed obvious who Max really was, the winding road to get there keeps you engaged and maybe a tad frustrated (in a good way) to see this story end with people in love!

On the surface The Meeting Point was about chance encounters and live at first sight. It was also about building strength of character in the lowest lows, and riding the highest highs.

This book is a must read summer beach read! It keeps things moving and has you jumping up and down rooting for Ethan and Maya!

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and words are my own.