It’s the kind of novel where the side-characters and the setting are more striking than the actual protagonists. I fell in love with Carmel. It sounds like a dream vacation. Cafe Azure looks like a place I can frequently visit where I can just sip good coffee and write.
The inconsistency in Maya’s characterization puts me off. She is a wannabe-writer excited to get her big break but has never been given a chance. Spending her time observing people, writing about them, and giving them the happy ever that they may or may not deserve make her so relatable. Her martyrdom in her last relationship has made her pityful but the idea that she follows her impulse to change makes any reader root for her. However, reading the first person narration sets a very high standard particularly when the narrator-protagonist appears to be a writer. Perhaps, Maya is the kind of person who can organize her thoughts on paper but find it difficult to do so in her head.

This was a really GOOD cute romance! Strangers to lovers type with a really sweet storyline. It had me hooked and I read it almost in one sitting.
However, if we put aside the romanticised stalking aspect of it then everything else for me was perfect!

This was a cute read and gave me 90s-Meg Ryan rom com era feels (more Sleepless in Seattle than You’ve Got Mail). I’d definitely read this again.

I really enjoyed this book, a really sweet and endearing romance,

I really loved the main characters, so endearing! I’m really looking forward to reading more by the author.

What a delicious, feel-good story! This is a story that is sure to delight all fans of this genre. I found myself unexpectedly pulled into this story and didn't surface until I finished.

• r e v i e w || THE MEETING POINT [thank you to the publisher for the free book] •

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

I kept putting this off because the synopsis wasn’t really jumping out at me, but I’m glad I didn’t. It ended up being really cute and enjoyable with great texting banter (my kryptonite in a rom-com). There was a little mystery in this one - who is the Lyft driver, that slowly starts to unravel as the book goes on. I felt like the big reveal was missing a little more explanation, but overall this was a great read and kept me interested the entire time.

🥰 really liked || 💗 low steam
🤟texting, short chapters, beautiful setting
📚Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousins
🎶Meet Me at Our Spot by The Anxiety, Tyler Cole

Why on Earth did I wait so long to read this?? I was on a book tour back in August but just did a feature - I ended up binging it in one go on our drive to Florida, and I loved it! Thank you so much @ariafiction and @olivialara.writes (and @tlcbooktours) for the gifted #ebook.

Maya flies out to California to surprise her boyfriend, but when she calls him, it turns out that he left his phone in his Lift…when he was in there with another woman. To cheer her up, the Lift driver instructs Maya on a tour of the town and she had the best day. They plan to meet, but her boyfriend shows up, the driver doesn’t, and Maya goes back home to live her life - never forgetting the mysterious driver or her amazing day. Fast forward a year, and Maya heads back to California to try to find him.

I loved reading her adventure, her connection with the town and people in it. The descriptions of all of the things Maya saw were perfect, and I want to eat at the restaurants and see the fairy tale houses! I can’t wait to see what this author writes next.

I adored this book from start to finish. Our MC felt really real to me, like I knew her at one point in my life, or maybe we're even friends now. I felt connected to the setting, the story, and the characters. Definitely one I would recommend to romance lovers.

Okay - if you like Insta love but also love slow burn (emphasis on slow) romances with guys that give you unrealistic expectations for love - PICK THIS ONE UP.

I honestly was worried when it went from instant connection to a slow build because I was beginning to think that I would end up not enjoying this. I’m so glad I wasn’t disappointed.

Set in Carmel by the Sea, this is a picturesque romance with writers and you get different take on dual perspective in this romance!

DNF at 11%
The premise and the cover are extremely appealing. I love a good epistolary romance (I think that's what it is based on the little that I read, at any rate). However, I have tried to pick it up a couple of times and the execution has not been to my taste. The way that it's been written feels a bit discombobulating and lacks a certain fluidity.
The thing I did like about it was the back and forth messaging that was starting between Maya and the Lyft driver, "Max". His sending her on an adventurous day in the middle of her personal crisis was awfully sweet. I may come back to it at some point as it may just be a mood thing over the last several weeks of having this on my Kindle.
Thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I found the concept of this book adorable and I was super intrigued and excited to receive a copy. However, I found the execution lacking in some parts. Something was missing for me and I wasn’t able to fully connect to the characters.
Maya’s internal monologue was juvenile and aloof. I wanted to smack her sometimes. She was irritating. I also felt like we didn’t get enough of a background before we were just rushed into the story. That being said, I loved the text messages and I was hoping the story line would follow. I was disappointed in the predictability of the plot and was hoping for a better twist.
All in all this was a cute read and Celine is probably one of my favorite supporting characters in a novel.
Thank you to NetGalley and Olivia Lara for a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This book was read thanks to NetGalley


I am in love with this book and I am in love with everything in it, but I believe that saying what the book is about or more details could took away part of its magic, I recommend this book to everyone that loves romance, I love romance and I wasn't disappointed with it.

I thought this book had a good idea which was not executed very well. The dialogue was downright cringy at times and the characters were a bit naive. Definitely had potential but needed to be edited a bit more.

What is it with romance books? They give you this warm feeling inside. The Meeting Point was one of those books. It keeps you smiling throughout.

It is a modern day romance with a fairy tale feel to it, The descriptions were amazing, painted such a perfect picture of Carmel.. And to find out that it actually exists!!! It has been added to my must visit locations when I finally get to travel to the US.

the characters were well written. Maya is a sweet girl even though she starts off as being very pessimistic we see her evolve and change to a happy, sweet person.

Even though the story line was pretty predictable (for me at least) I still really enjoyed it.

I really like the way this book begins, and I really enjoy the way Maya had that day in her life almost complete.
I am not against drama but I think the tone of this story is kind of a rom com, so sometimes I feel too much drama from Maya.
I love small town, and the way the author describe Carmel makes me want to be there, enjoy a coffee looking at the sea..
Ethan is a wonderful character, like Celine, so handsome and sometimes quiet.
The way he looks at Maya is swooning, the way he love his town and his family is lovely.
This read was fun, with a lot of photography images, and with the romance in the air., the slow burn get me im afraid, and perhaps the book was too long for my taste.
this is my first book of this author, I really like her style.

I was craving some romance! This was a great start for what I'm gonna call romance month, I'll probably throw a couple thrillers in the mix though.

I was so enthralled by the story, I loved the beginning, the middle and the end, but since I'm so greedy I wanted the happy ending part to be longer, more of Ethan, and more of their in depth conversations, that were kind of glossed over. There is no such thing as too much romance in my experience.

* WARNING soft spoiler ahead! I loved that there was not a dual perspective but we still got that from the book he wrote. I loved that they are both romance writers and a bit of a matchmakers.

The tour bits were a blast, I had never heard of Carmel by the sea, and I'm gonna add it to the places I want to visit. I want to read her previous book about Paris, I mean Paris is ALWAYS a good idea!

I came across this book on a FB add, and then came to NetGalley to find it here. When Maya gets fired from her job and travels to California to surprise her long-time boyfriend on her birthday, she didn’t expect to find out from a Lift driver that her boyfriend was cheating. Maya and the driver exchange texts and he gives her the best itinerary for making her birthday one to remember. Once Maya is back home, she finds herself missing the connection she had with the driver, and sets out to find out who he is. The Meeting Point is a sweet story about two strangers who fall in love before they even meet. It’s also about finding yourself, taking risks, and never giving up on your dreams.

Ok, sister, 100% this is a fantastic book. The romance is so cutesy and the concept is new and relevant to modern times. I think that any hopeless romantic would adore this book. I cannot recommend it enough!

I would like to thank NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I enjoyed reading this novel. The main character Maya is down on her luck. She just lost her job and for her birthday she wants to surprise her boyfriend in California. When she lands she is in for a surprise herself. This is where the adventure of her life begins. This love story is so memorable. Maya did get on my nerves somewhat with her tendencies to overthink and also just jump into situations but overall it was a good book. I'm giving this a 3 out of 5 stars. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What do you do when you fly all the way across the country to surprise your boyfriend and a Lift driver accidentally reveals your boyfriend's cheating on you? When you're the heroine of this book, you apparently decide to follow some unknown random driver's instructions so your trip isn't a complete disaster. But to make it extra interesting, let's not exchange identifying information and let's only talk through texts. So exciting.

I feel like this setup could've worked, but unfortunately the main character was just so bland. And the love interest was bland. Which means that the romance was ultimately missing that oh so important spark. And then you add the fact that the love interest was actually following the main character throughout her visit to the town he made her go to, which upped the creepiness factor by about ten thousand.