The Meeting Point is a book that will make you believe the statement: if Love is meant to be, it will. Maya Maas' story is one of missteps and mistakes. It is a journey of losing and subsequently finding herself. It is a story of a chance encounter on the worst day of her life - a story of her willingness to let fear go and to see where the moment leads.

I cannot say more than that without spoiling the book. So, I will just say that there are many layers to The Meeting Point. The places Maya finds herself are probably relatable for most of us at some point in our lives. What I admired most about Maya is her courage to let go of her fears and the security that they brought to her life in order to find herself.

Olivia Lara has taken us on an unforgettable adventure via writer Maya Maas. It was both painful and magical. Her characters brought to life the insecurities and desires that most people feel. Her characters help me to belive that Love is out there for all of us, if we just believe.

The Meeting Point is a fun premise with breathtaking descriptions of the seaside in Carmel. A cute beach read.

When Maya flies to California to surprise her boyfriend for her birthday, she does not expect someone else to answer with a text from his phone. What follows is a wonderful day of adventure and shared texts. Can you fall in love with someone you have never met?

A year later, Maya still hasn't forgotten that day and has even written a manuscript about it. When her best friend (from the publishing world) calls her to tell a well-know author has a new book soon to be published about the exact same subject - Maya knows she needs to find that author and ask him who this friend is that told him te story. Because that friend is the 'Max' Maya is looking for. She flies to Carmel to meet this Ethan, but how can she make him disclose this secret. In the meantime she makes new friends, gets a new job and awfully close to Ethan.

I really loved the writing of this author. Even though it was a bit predictable it was such an endearing and warm story. The descriptions of Carmel, the struggles of Maya, her friendship with Alisa and later Celine.... Very enjoyable!

From the beginning, I was rooting for Maya to get her happy ending. This poor girl is down on her luck. No job, cheating boyfriend. As an aspiring romance writer, her character was a bit naïve and expectedly over romanticizes a lot but we don't blame her.
It probably didn't help that this book takes place in the most Hallmarky romantic beachside town ever. The setting plays its own special character in this novel (I love when this happens). It makes you feel like anyone can fall in love there. Enter the mystery man- and although the circumstances we're a bit far fetched I am a little bit of a sucker for a mystery romance. The build up and anticipation was fun.
I mostly enjoyed Maya's character growth throughout. There were also a lot of great secondary characters in this book. At it's core this is a fun creative story about the crazy irrational things people do for a chance at true love.
Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Olivia Lara just became my newest favorite author! I didn't know what to expect when I picked this up, but I loved it from page 1!

Lara's ability to keep the reader engaged was impeccable and I couldn't put this one down!

What if you find out that your boyfriend is cheating on you through a Lift driver? Maya is a twenty-seven year old journalist. She loves writing but couldn’t commit to 90.000 words so she make do with her current job. Although she has been working for years, her boss never give her the opportunity to shine. Until one day, she got it and have to fly over to Vermont for an interview with Nakamura, a bestseller author. Though happy, it means she has to sacrifice her surprise plan to visit her long-term boyfriend in California.

Once she got there, it turns out that Nakamura has another appointment and so she was fired. Losing her job is not what she imagined to be as her birthday present. With the help of her friend, she decided to go with her plan and visit David. Little did she know, that decision only worsened her day. Someone else, Max, is replying to her messages to David and tell her that her boyfriend left the phone in the car while he is too busy making out with another girl to notice.

Jobless and heartbroken, Maya took Max’s offer to go to Carmel to spend her birthday. Taking directions from Max through texts, she explored the beautiful place. They only talk through words yet Maya never felt so happy, her broken heart healed. When they agreed to meet up, David suddenly came to take Maya back to New York. Angry and confused, she went back home and lose a chance of happiness. But one year later, she finally has the opportunity to revisit Carmel and looking for the person she left behind.

I was having some little problems in real life that left me feeling blue. A sweet and hopeful contemporary romance book is what I needed and The Meeting Point managed to lift my mood. The story of meeting the one through one of the worst things that could happen in a relationship intrigued me instantly. My days were filled with hope and love thanks to Maya’s extraordinary adventure in Carmel.

That’s exactly what I loved most about this book, that I got to explored Carmel-by-the-sea. Along with Maya, I fell in love with the city as soon as she got there. The time she spent visiting many places in Carmel felt like a beautiful dream for me. I liked how Maya followed Max’s direction through texts because her excitement could be felt seeping through the pages. The writing helped me envision Carmel, it described the town beautifully by highlighting its uniqueness.

As for the characters, they were all nice and sweet, just like the whole vibes of the book (except for David, of course). Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about Maya. She has some qualities that I admired, like her persistence and strength. But other times, I couldn’t stand her inner monologue. The same thing could be said about Max. I liked him but some of his decisions didn’t sit well with me. Thankfully, the side characters were great. I loved Celine so much! Her kindness and her talent as a race car mechanic won me over. I wouldn’t mind reading her story with Aaron. It seemed like they have an interesting history.

Although predictable and sometimes too cliche for my taste, I liked how Maya and Max’s story went. I don’t know why but they screamed soulmate for me. With only interacting through text, they developed a special connection that hooked me from the start. I didn’t think it would involve an author and their upcoming book but I loved it. So many cute moments with manuscripts! I wish I could talk more about this but I guess you should read the book to find out.

Overall, The Meeting Point was a heartwarming read that made my heart swoon. Set in a beautiful small town, Carmel-by-the-Sea, with Lara’s wonderful writing, this story of finding love through an accident would make you smile and cry with the characters. If you love contemporary romance with HEA and falling in love at first sight this book is perfect for you.

This is a heartwarming romantic comedy with an element of mystery set in California. Maya's life is not turning out how she planned. When a career-making assignment implodes, Maya decides to surprise her boyfriend in California. Maya's text to her boyfriend is answered by a stranger who has unwelcome news but offers a chance for fun that she decides to accept., Vividly created characters immerse the reader in their story. The romance is gentle, and there's a mystery to solve. With lots of heartache and humour, this is a lovely escapist read for those who believe in love, serendipity and soulmates.

I received a copy of this book from the author and Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was not a fan of the story line in the beginning. Finding out your boyfriend is cheating on you from an uber driver was not great. But I liked where the story went from there. It was a cute rom com and I liked the characters.

What an interesting premise for a storyline! I was intrigued by the blurb about the book and was not disappointed at all.

In a whirlwind of circumstances, Maya finds herself without a job, without a home and without her cheating boyfriend all happening on her birthday. A chance encounter with a perfect stranger- all via text- leads her on an adventure in self-discovery and perhaps even love.

I enjoyed this book even though the ending was a bit predictable...but I had to keep reading just to find out how they reached that end. As an ardent fan of Hallmark movies, I can see how this plot could easily be adapted to film. It is an easy read and one I would recommend. I will be looking for others by this author.

This book took me a bit by surprise in a very good way. When I first started this book I had an expectation of how this book was going to go and then it did something different and better. I really liked this book and once I properly got into it I just couldn't let this book go at all. I absolutely flew through it. I really liked the main character and all of the side characters. I felt really invested in this romance and I quite liked the small town setting. Even though I really loved this book while reading it I do have some problems with it upon finishing. I felt like there were some threads introduced in this book that I felt like weren't wrapped up properly and I just wish we could have gotten more from. I also think the actual ending was a bit quick and abrupt and I would have liked it a bit more if there were just a couple more pages to be able to sit with it a bit more I guess. I also think this book could have benefited from the inclusion of the love interest's POV. I don't know why. I honestly almost never say this but I just felt like that was missing from this book. I still highly recommend this book though because it has a really good romance at the centre of it with some really fun characters.

i learned some time ago not to have huge expectations when it comes to books i want to read, because - sadly - they often tend to disappoint me. so when i picked up this book, though i was still excited about reading it (as i always am) i did not expect anything. yet somehow it still managed to belie me.

it turned out that the whole concept of the book didn’t work for for me. after reading the blurb i was aware that texting will be the basis of their relationship; but i did expect that it will develop further than than. i did not expect that it would end at exchanging messages for a night and that this would be enough to fall in love and change the main characters’ lives forever.

speaking about main characters, i unfortunetely was not the biggest fan of either of them. it’s not that i disliked them; i just didn’t care about any of them really. they were bland, uninteresting, without any character traits that could get me to like them. the same with with romance, i didn’t really feel any chemistry between maya and ethan, not even a spark. and though they did had some growth, they were spending time together and getting to know each other at some point of the book, but there was no big development here, nothing that could let me believe that they were deeply in love with each other.

apart from that, there were some things that i had problems with or found weird/annoying while reading. they really made it harder to like this book. here are some of the notes i took:

[spoilers!]

— it was a little creepy, how he watched her when she didn’t know, how he followed her through the whole city and observed her every step while visiting. it made me really uncomfortable to read, because it was the beginning of the story, when they didn’t know each other at all. the author was trying to sell this as romantic, but it is not how it felt to me.

— i didn’t like the texts they were exchanging at all, they felt more cringey than funny. the author was trying too hard to make them special, impactful enough to change their lives and they ended up being very unnatural.

— she claimed that he had broken her heart when he didn’t show up. broke her heart ! after a day of exchanging messages, nothing more.

— the fact that after a year she still thought about those texts and this man who she finally haven’t even met. she didn’t move on, she didn’t stop thinking about all the things that he made her feel and how incredible and meaningful their conversations were, how connected she felt to him etc. it was really unbelieveable to me, especially because i did not feel anything like that when i was reading. and all her thoughts of him after a year has passed made me roll my eyes real hard.

— i didn’t like the way maya was acting, when she came back to carmel. getting close to people just to get information from them? that’s was a really shitty thing to do. it was mentioned a few times that she felt guilty, but it still didn’t stop her from continuing her charade.

— the whole ethan/max & publicity situation : i was so annoyed with maya. true, ethan also wasn’t acting mature, but she was the narrator, so her behavior pissed me off way more. how angry she was with ethan, how she accused him of lying, when she was the one lying, manipulating and plotting ever since she got to carmel.

— the june after midnight by ethan .. thank god it’s not a real book. it was bad.

of course, there were some good things too. in opposite to ethan’s writing, i actually enjoyed maya’s love stories; they were simple, but very enjoyable. i really liked the carmel city as well. the variety of places to go and visit, lots of friendly people and all of it described in a very pleasant way, easy to imagine. i truly wanted to go there and see it for myself. i also really enjoyed some background characters, like celine, for example. she was incredibly sweet and likable and (i must say) her little romance with aaron was much more interesting than the one between maya and ethan (and it only took like two chapters).

so, though i wouldn’t call this book horrible, it was definitely not for me. romance is the main plot of it and maya and ethan’s relationship did not make me feel anything. besides, because of all the little things i had problems with and that i have mentioned above, i could not enjoy the story as much as i wanted.

Lovely Book. I had been really looking forward to reading this book and may I say- it did not disappoint at all. I would reccomend it to all book lovers for the perfect plot and amazing writing and a nice storyline.

3 Stars for me!

I was very intrigued by the concept of this one, the mystery of the lift driver who led Maya on a perfect day in Carmel. The setting was lovely and I really enjoyed the cast of characters. Celine in particular was fun to read about!

However, there were several things I did not like. First of all, the writing style was hard for me. This book has something like 80 chapters for a 350 page book. This made things feel choppy, chapters would come in the middle of conversations, but then sometimes days would pass in the middle of a chapter. The pacing needed help. Second, Maya was incredibly naive and moody. She would fly off the handle with the smallest inconveniences and make things 10 times worse for herself, but usually not have any consequences.
Her naiveté was most clear when she did not see who the mysterious lift driver was earlier on in the story. I figured out the plot twist by 50% into the book, but was really disappointed when we don't get to spend any time with Maya and her man at the end of the book. The last 3 pages of the book were a whirlwind and rather off-putting. I wish that Lara had taken out some of the middle fluff to give Maya a better ending.

Overall, the premise was unqiue, the setting was fun, but Maya as a character was kinda annoying.

This story starts off with a chance text encounter with a Lift driver and a one day adventure through the idyllic, artistic village of Carmel by the Sea, CA. That day shifts Maya’s perspective and shakes up her status quo. The Meeting Point is a romance, and also a journey of self-discovery. I loved the cast of characters, literary and food references, and the beautifully depicted details of Carmel - now added to my bucket list!

I am not much into romance books but there some which just make me feel like I will absolutely like it and this book was one of those books.

The Synopsis of the book was so good that i was intrigued to read this book.The story picks up quite quickly we meet our main character, Maya who wants to be an write books but is stuck writing for an magazine which doesn’t pay her much and she ends up going to San Francisco to surprise her boyfriend but it doesn’t go the right way but instead she ends up exploring the city of Carmel and it changes her. The story is from her point of view and she is relatable in some ways, and there are times when you feel second embarrassment for her.

The story was written very well there wasn’t a chapter which are slow, the story got over to quickly and I was like want to read more of this story but it is over.

Overall the book was cute and if you just want to relax then this book is for you so go ahead and read it.

An excellent Romantic book by Olivia Lara. I found it to be funny and entertaining and highly enjoyable. I would highly recommend this book for romance lovers.

Did you know that August is romantic read month?! I am SO thrilled to share one of my favorite August romcom reads, The Meeting Point by @olivialara.writes. This story has sass, adventure, comedy and everything else you'd want in a romcom!
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Maya Maas is an aspiring writer. She dreams up love stories plots for EVERYONE she meets and hopes for her own. Sadly, her world comes crashing when she hears her boyfriend of five years is cheating. Maya won't let things drag her down and sets off on an adventure, over the phone. The catch: she's never met the guy telling her directions and He has her ex boyfriends phone.
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Readers will delight with Olivia's writing and characters. This tale drops this Tuesday, September 2nd!
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Thank you @tlcbooktours and Aria publishing for this e arc in exchange for my honest review! 💙

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was like nothing that I have read before, which is rare. In this story the main character Maya, meets a guy who sends her on a wonderful adventure for her birthday. She is new to the city, and after she gets her heart broken, by an ex who gets caught cheating on her. This story showed me that you can find love in the most unexpected places. It also showed me that love is worth all the drama.

This was a very refreshing story and is a must read for all.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. Wow what a fun action packed romance!! It was so fun. Maybe not so believable but fun. The chemistry, the setting (no way could an average person afford Carmel-by-the-sea). Just a good romance-no sex-just romance. It was a nice change. The characters are so unique and quirky. Maya, Celine, and Ethan. Great read. 4.5 stars I think that most romance readers would fall in love with this book. I plan to read other books by this author.

This was a cute and light hearted book. But I will say, I felt the connection was too instant yet at times the story felt too slow. I did really enjoy the setting. I just wanted to feel more from the characters, less fluff and more depth.