I felt like the description is misleading. The book is really more of a downer about relationships, alcoholism, absent parents, and anxiety than the romance./relationship book the cover and text imply. It was okay but it was slow and had quite a few continuity errors which was odd for a book that had time as one of the themes.

Up-and-coming musician Tom thinks he met the love of his life one night a year ago, but thanks to a made-up girlfriend, he’s pretty sure he’s never going to see her again. If it weren’t for the painkillers the doctor had given him for his dislocated shoulder, he could’ve explained what really happened. But now the moment for explanations has gone, so he just keeps writing songs about her in the wild hope that she’ll hear one on the radio and understand.

Jess thinks she met a cheating liar one night a year ago, but much to her chagrin, she can’t seem to stop thinking about him. When she finally decides to take it upon herself to tell Tom’s girlfriend what happened that night, she finds out that the truth isn’t quite what she thought it was. But by then it’s too late—she’s headed to the other side of the world to launch her comedy career.

As the years go by, Tom and Jess are never far from each other’s thoughts. But every time it seems that there might be a way for them to move forward, something else conspires to keep them apart. In life and in love, timing is everything—but will Tom and Jess ever manage to get it right?

It's fun and I've enjoyed it more than I thought! It's also very funny
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy!

Whereas I enjoyed Love, Unscripted, I found myself reading this just to read it. The beginning didn't capture my attention, and it took a few chapters for this book to find its groove. Even then, I didn't really connect with Tom or Jess as they were both really just intolerable a lot of the time. As someone else said, this wasn't a rom-com, more of a love story that touches on a lot of heavier topics. Jess and Tom also don't spend a lot of time together. When they are in the same city or within each other's vicinities, it just seemed like one misunderstanding after another that kept them from "being together". If they had an actual grown up conversations, then perhaps half of this book wouldn't be needed. I wasn't invested in their love story, but I did enjoy reading about their lives.

I couldn't relate to the characters, and had a hard time getting into the story. I guess just not a good choice for me.

Tom is a musician and Jess is a comedian, both in their 20s trying to be successful in the entertainment industry. They keep running into each other over several years and Tom tries to convince her they finally have the perfect timing to be together. Not really a rom-com, deeper and more serious underlying themes. .

Perfect Timing is a book that I expected to enjoy more. This story focuses on our two main characters, Tom and Jess. Both characters are flawed to various degrees, but that's not a downside at all. I just didn't feel all that attached to either character. The book touches on depression, anxiety, and substance abuse making this much heavier than a romcom, however it did have bits of wit and banter throughout which I appreciated.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to like this one more than I did. Jess and Tom were... interesting characters to say the least and I struggles to connect to either of them. Overall I'dd say this was okay. If you are looking for a light and fun rom-com this isn't it as it touches on some serious topics (suggest checking TWs).

The best thing about Perfect Timing is that the characters are fully adult and it’s fun to read a love story with a realistic challenges. The drawback is that Jess and Tom are almost too adult! I kept wishing for them to get a little more caught up in their emotions and that just isn’t this book.
ARC provided by NetGalley.

Perfect Timing is a romance read about Tom and Jess who should have been together living their happily ever after but a series of miscommunication pulled them apart. Tom still thinks Jess is the love of her life, and Jess can't stop thinking of him. Through the years, Jess in the other side of the world is growing her comedy career, while Tom writes songs about her in hopes that jess will one day hear his explanation.

This contemporary romance also tackled serious themes which I thought brought this story to another level.

I thought this was an entertaining read and I am glad to have read another Nicholls novel.

Could not get into this. I tried picking it up multiple days over a month and it just didn’t grip my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

I have issues with love stories.
This is a love story, I wanted to connect to the MC more but I really couldn't.
It had some heavy themes which were handled very well.

I went into this book with zero expectations and was really pleasantly surprised. Perfect Timing tells the story of Jess, a comic, and Tom, a band member, who share a night together then spend years hating/pining after each other.

Similar to Love, Rosie, the missed opportunities will annoy you, but worth it all in the end. I loved the writing style in this book and the banter between Jess and Tom.

Some of the characters annoyed me but understood the roles they played. The book also touches on some heavy topics, but overall still make for a good romance.

The first chapter was a bit slow for me, but after that it really steamrolled into a warm ball of missed connections, and likable characters with real flaws most of us can relate to. There’s heavy, raw themes of alcoholism, mental health / anxiety and parental issues beautifully touched on as well that really give this book more depth than a traditional rom-com.

I enjoyed the writing style and will read his first book now as well.

I recommend reading, especially if you need a palette cleanser in between all the spooky books this month! 🤗

While overall the premise of this book is completely realistic and morally good - the book dragged on and on and on. It didn’t feel like there was ever any climax in it and if there was it wasn’t until the very end. I would also say this book should have a TW since it does deal with mental health, alcohol abuse, and suicide. It was a cute story but too drawn out.

3.5 stars. I went into this book semi-blindly. I thought it was going to be a funny rom-com and while it had some of that, most of the story was about heavier topics. The story is about Jess and Tom. Jess is a stand up comedian with her best friend Julia, and Tom is in a band. They meet one night at a festival that neither of them wanted to go to. When they meet there is instantly something there. Their story begins from there, and after some years of things not working out, poor communication and mishaps will these two ever get to be together? Jess and Tom are both very flawed characters. The book centers a lot around their flaws. The story touches on anxiety, depression, substance abuse, suicide which make it more dramatic then just a rom-com. I enjoyed the writing, but I can’t say that I really fell in love with the characters. The story was interesting, and I found myself wanting to read it to see what was going to happen. Overall, if you’re looking for a cute, fun rom-com I would not recommend this one, but if you’re looking to read a book with heavy topics and some romance mixed in then I would recommend it.

Honestly, the premise of this is so interesting but the actual excecution felt a bit flat for me. I didn't dislike this book at all. I had a real fun time reading this book and absolutely flew through it. However, I was just expecting a bit more. My main problem with this book was just that I didn't feel the chemistry between our two main characters. I just feel like all their interactions were such small moments and I just couldn't really understand how both of them were so immensly hung up on each other. So yeah, I just wish we got a bit more moments spend between them. It would have made me root more for the two of them to get together. However, I did quite like following our two main characters and their lives. Especially seeing how they kept coming into each others lives at different points over time. I really liked the developement our two main characters went through. I loved the passion both of them had for their profession. It was all just very interesting. I do wish there was a bit more developement given to the side characters as they were just really flat characters.

I loved this book. Yes, its a romance novel and i knew from the start that by the end Jess and Tom would be a couple but the way there was so original. Both protagonists are flawed, lovable people. I love that timing was the central theme, something that is so important in both music, Tom's profession, and even more so in comedy, Jess's profession. Great character, great setting.

Perfect Timing by Owen Nicholls follows the story of Jess, a comedian, and Tom, a musician. They meet and meet again, will they ever get the timing correct?

Perfect Timing by Owen Nicholls is a charming book about two people that have an instant connection but just can’t seem to get things right. The book features the perspectives of two twenty-somethings pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. Tom is a musician in an up-and-coming rock band and Jess is a devoted stand-up comedian whose career is on the rise. They meet at a talent show early in their careers. I loved the dialogue and how Jess and Tom connected each time they met. I really felt it. They’re imperfect, but charming characters and I loved being part of their worlds. The plot was a little meandering and sometimes slow. This is one of those books where the main characters could have been together multiple times if they had communicated more honestly with each other. However, the plot is more than just about Jess and Tom being together. We see their journeys and self-growth. I really enjoyed reading this and the book really popped whenever Tom and Jess were together. The author did such a wonderful job bringing to life a relationship with an inexplicable instant connection. I absolutely loved the writing style and I can’t wait to read more from Owen Nicholls.

Thank you Ballantine Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Should have been a great read but ultimately ended up being boring. Both of the main characters were very flawed and not in an endearing way. I didn't connect with either of them so they didn't keep my interest at all. I didn't love the premise of two people who break up and get back together a lot. I also thought this would be a lot funnier and it just wasn't. Overall is was a letdown for me.