This book was interesting. I loved seeing the characters grow and become happier with themselves. That being said it was pretty angsty to see them keep missing each other over the years based entirely on one lie and some miscommunication.

This was a super clean romance that dealt with grief, anxiety, and depression in a pretty healthy way. I enjoyed the way the author tackled all of these issues in natural and non-overwhelming ways. Overall though their arcs and their growth was really great.


Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review!

Jess is a comedian, Tom is a musician. They literally bump into each other one night and are instantly attracted. But when Jess finds out he has a girlfriend, she refuses to speak to him again. Now a year later, Tom's band is famous and he's writing songs to her hoping she'll hear them and contact him. Due to his anxiety around women, he had created a fake girlfriend to keep his friends off his back, and the song Sarah's Not Real finally gets the message across. But through a series of meetings and missed opportunities the timing just never seems right for them. They have to work through their own issues before they can finally grow and be together.
This book is really hard to describe, but I thought it was a beautiful love story, not a romance. I thought it was a little like When Harry Met Sally, that over the years while they keep meeting, they change and grow, and in the end their relationship was deeper and more meaningful.
I received an advance review copy of this book through NetGalley. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

I liked the premise of the book, but the story could have been much shorter. There was too much back and forth with missed opportunities and poor timing that it became repetitive and frustrating to read.

"Perfect Timing" is a story of not-so-perfect timing and missed opportunities. Tom is an aspiring musician who hopes that his band can get their big break and be a big success. However, it is important to them, especially Tom, that they do it "their way", making the type of music they want, and not become corporate sell-outs. Tom also has crippling anxiety at times -- panic attacks with fainting spells sometimes, but generally a lot of "gut" trouble and difficulty saying the right thing. Jess is an up-and-coming comic and part of a comedy duo with her best friend Julia in Sheffield. They have had some success, but have yet to really take off. After a particularly successful show, they are approached by a talent agent who wants them to appear on a talent show in Edinburgh. Tom and his band are Edinburgh locals and are also appearing on the talent show; much to Tom's dismay.

Tom and Jess have their first proper meeting at the venue for the talent show; they had an encounter earlier in the day that was brief and unpleasant. Tom is normally very anxious around women, especially those he finds attractive, but when Jess refers her to friend (Julia) as her partner, Tom assumes she means "partner" in the romantic sense. As this means Jess is unavailable to him, he is able to relax somewhat around her and be more himself. The mistaken impression is soon corrected, but they hit it off and after watching each other perform, they decide hang out some more. However, while they are out walking, Tom is attacked by two football hooligans. Tom has Jess call his best friend Scott to have him meet them at the hospital. When they meet, Scott asks Tom if he should call Sarah, Tom's girlfriend. The mention of Sarah is highly problematic, as Tom has told Jess that he is not seeing anyone (which is true), and as Jess had a previous relationship where her boyfriend cheated on her. When confronted, Tom tells Jess, "Sarah isn't really, silly-pants." However, Tom is high as a kite on nitrous oxide to help him deal with the pain, and not able to explain himself.

Tom was telling the truth. Being embarrassed by his anxiety around women and not wanting to admit it to his bandmates, Tom has invented a girlfriend, Sarah, who lives in Sheffield. The trip from Edinburgh to Sheffield is long enough that the band is unlikely to ever play a gig in Sheffield, and the fictional Sarah is a junior doctor who works a lot, so it easy to invent excuses for why the band has not met her or why planned meetings do not occur. Tom makes regular trips to Sheffield to visit the grave of his grandfather, who was a successful, albeit not very famous, musician, and who is Tom's inspiration; and the band assumes his visits to Sheffield are to see Sarah.

The misunderstanding over the fictional girlfriend is the first of multiple misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Tom wants to reach out to Jess and explain himself, but he does not know how to do so. However, following the festival, the band managed to land an agent and produce an EP. Tom titled one of the tracks with a highly specific title that would only mean something to one other person -- Jess. While things are starting to look up for Tom, the same cannot be said for Jess. She is struggling to hold down jobs, both comedy and non-comedy related. An opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding finally occurs, but it is right before Jess leaves for a four-week comedy tour in Australia. However, further misunderstandings occur and Jess heads to Australia seething with anger. She will end up embracing the anger in her act and become highly successful with a very angry and mean show. However, she will eventually take things too far. Also, her anger is rooted in unresolved issues surrounding the father who abandoned her.

Tom and Jess will cross paths multiple times, but something always happens to prevent a relationship from developing. Ultimately, Jess will hit rock bottom and Tom will be faced with the choice to hit rock bottom or change his life. It is only when they each allow themselves to be who they really are, including the flawed parts of themselves, that they have a chance of possibly making a go of a relationship. A major aspect of the book is about self-discovery -- figuring out who you really are and what you really want. There are a lot of humorous moments in the story. There is also a lot of cleverness with use of song titles, band names, jokes, etc. "Perfect Timing" was a really fun book to read.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This is a great book. Tom and Jess literally run into each other in Edinburgh, when both are there to compete in a televised talent completion (Jess as a comedian and Tom with his band). The two have an immediate spark and, though they just met, see a future together. When Tom unexpectedly ends up in the hospital, Jess meets Tom’s band mate and best friend and, in an unfortunate miscommunication, believes Tom has been lying to her since they met. She decides that she wants nothing more to do with Tom.

But neither Jess or Tom can shake their initial feelings of connection. Over the course of the next few years, they find themselves drawn to each other — but, for various reasons, never at the same time. These timing issues seem destined to keep them apart, unless the two can finally change their pattern.

This was a good read. The two main characters were well developed — warm and complex. I was rooting for them throughout the book. I also enjoyed how they were both in creative fields, and the insights the author offered into working in those areas and the impacts that can have on relationships.

Recommended!

Perfect Timing by @owenpaulnicholls is a non-smutty love story about two fated mates who’s lives intersect over and over again over the course of what feels like a decade but is only three years.

When Jess and Tom meet they are both fledgling entertainers on the cusp of stardom. Tom is in a band and Jess is a comedienne, both participants a talent show in Edinburg. After said show they spend an amazing night on the town but bad luck and lies of omission drive them apart. After that night they continue to move in and out of each other’s lives while they find fame, but can never time it right to be bf/gf. Despite spending very little time together and mostly fighting with each other when they are together, Tom and Jess fall in love over the years.

The relationship that Tom and Jess have- this weird fated mates, enemies to lovers, slow burn amalgamation is not nearly as interesting as the journey each character takes separately over the years with their careers, personal relationships, and self actualization. As I neared the end I wasn’t even sure if Tom and Jess would get together and I didn’t really care. This book is very chaste, which I expected.
I liked this sweet little story and recommend it as a smut palate cleanser. Overall it was a nice, fast read for those of you looking for a clean, well told love story.

Smut- 0.5 stars (barely)
Romance- 3.9 stars
Story- 4 stars
Smuttybookreviews review with like 2 kisses total and that’s it- (a sad) -5 stars

I want to fist say thank you to the author and for giving me the eARC. Este libro es algo diferente a lo que estoy acostumbrado a leer, pero no si se me gusto o no me tiene un poco confundida. Varias veces que quise parar de leer pero gracias a dios lo pude terminar. Esta no es una historia de romance, y la relación se siente muy messy si me lee gustan a mi y eso es solo not my cup of tea. Este libro habla de anxiety, papas ausentes, de problemas de alcohol y más. No me gusto mucho bye

this book was everything I wanted from Normal People and This Time Next Year! told over the course of a few years as Jess and Tom continue to run into each other and fall in love. I'm not sure if this story set up is for me, but I am glad that I read this book. I really liked how there was an actual resolution to (most of) the issues and conflicts brought about over the course of the story and there weren't too any loose ends left.

overall, I think if you enjoyed Normal People, This Time Next Year, and About Last Night, I would definitely recommend this book!

3.5 stars rounded up

I'm not really sure what to think about this book. I liked it just enough to finish it, but overall, it didn't really feel like much happened. Some of the themes were a lot heavier/deeper than I expected, as I thought this would be more of a romance. I usually like alternating points of view/perspective, but I really had a hard time with Jess and I struggled to relate to her. Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

3.5/5⭐️

Jess is an up-and-coming stand-up comedian. Tom is in an up-and-coming band. They meet at a talent show in Edinburgh, spend several hours walking and talking but are on their way in two different directions. They can’t forget the other, and there are several accidental meetings, but it’s never the right time for them (other relationships, career issues, etc.).

Yes, this is a romance but a bit broader than that. Tom suffers from panic attacks, low self-confidence and a distant relationship with his parents. Jess has issues with a father who abandoned the family when she was 2, and she goes down a dark hole in order to further her career.

I found both Jess and Tom (especially Jess) a bit immature in some of their actions (both are almost 30), and I got a bit anxious for their eventual growth and “perfect timing”. Overall, this book was just an OK for me.

Much thanks to #NetGalley and #Dell for providing me the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I really wanted to love this one, but the writing felt overly simplistic and I didn't care for either of the main characters.

3.5 stars
Jess is a comedian, and Tom is a musician. Because of them both being in entertainment, they continue to run into each other over the years after their first meeting. There's mutual attraction/interest, but each time some factor exists that keeps them from acting on it.
The book was not as carefree/light as I anticipated it would be. Tom has significant anxiety, and Jess struggles with her identity.
It was an interesting book but went too slowly at times for me. There were also points where I wished both of them were more mature.

This was not the story I was expecting. It was beautifully written and the storyline was well thought out. The characters were not perfect humans but I like that in books. It makes them seem more realistic and honestly, I think it makes the characters more likable.

A charming and devourable love story, with a ton of will they won’t they and a bunch of frustration. Almost too much frustration at times, with the switching points of view. The writing must have been well done for me to put up with the suspense, though. So kudos to that! Tom is in an up and coming indie band, on the verge of great success. Jess is a stand up comedian, on the edge of success if she could just dedicate herself to her work and leave her best friend, Julia, and their double act, behind.

One of my hang ups about the story is that Jess was so caught up with Tom and his supposed girlfriend that she started to tank her career. He got a great record deal at an indie label, and she was getting fired from gigs, both comedy and minimum wage. So, the woman is the one all hung up on the man, so much so that she can’t focus on anything else. Sure, she is the confident one, the brash one, subverting some stereotypes about women that you often see in romance novels. But still, I felt extremely uncomfortable with how much her career fell apart over the course of the eight months Tom and Jess were pining for each other. And then she completely abandoned her morals to become funny at the expense of other people.

Tom is an anxious mess, panic attacks and anxiety so bad he’s tied to the toilet. I appreciate the reality of his anxiety, and how it affects not only his musical performance, but his romantic one, too. Jess is incredibly brash in response, stating that she doesn’t suffer humiliation and somewhat discounting Tom’s experiences. Not only is anxiety represented accurately, alcoholism is as well. Jess’s mom is a recovering alcoholic and she’s on edge every time she’s over there and her mom is experiencing any kind of stress, assuming she’ll turn to alcohol to cope. Jess herself struggles with using alcohol as a crutch, and so does Tom. Given how they make their livings, it makes sense that alcohol would play a prominent part in their lives. It’s an unfortunate consequence of being in the spotlight, and an added benefit of the venues they typically perform in.

Though large chunks of time are skipped, months at a time, it makes sense for the growth the characters experience. Jumping from points in time to when they will meet each other again, with a little fluff around those moments to flesh out their progress and personal growth. The ending was predictable but enjoyable, though it missed the mark on a couple of counts that I won’t discuss because of spoilers. I will say that I wished more emphasis had been placed on a certain object that was deemed super important by both parties and then was pushed aside and never really talked about again. And Jess was often too brash to be enjoyable as a character, her interactions with Tom more annoying and awful than endearing. Her personal life counteracted her horribleness somewhat, but she still said many things that may be considered unforgivable. I think what made me like this book so much was that it was very serious, yet had romantical aspects that just made sense. Even though their attraction began from the moment they met, it wasn’t love at first sight, a trope I loathe.

Overall, Perfect Timing was well written, well paced and characterized; a love story that deals with darker subject matter as well as forming an undeniable connection between two characters who seem destined to keep missing their chance at love.

***3.5 rating
This is an emotional story about two people, Tom (a musician), and Jess (a comedian), who, throughout the span of 4 years, come in and out of each other’s lives, but their timing is never right. The story focuses more on the individual lives of Jess and Tom and their struggles than the romance between them. It focused on heavier topics like addiction and mental illness, but also had really funny moments. Overall, I enjoyed this book and found myself not being able to put it down. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I can not recommend this book enough! I read Perfect Timing in one day. This romance book is one of best books of 2021.. I appreciate net gallery and selected publishers for this early copy

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided to me through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

It’s all about finding the right timing for Jess and Tom in Owen Nicholls’s “Perfect Timing.” From missed moments, to misunderstandings, and everything in between Jess and Tom are never far from each other’s thoughts and really from each other in this modern-day mix up.

From the moment Jess and Tom meet you just know they have an instant connection, and this was clearly displayed throughout the book. The character development and growth that they each went through, just made me want to keep reading to find out exactly how it was going to end and what would happen to Jess and Tom. If not for having a job, I probably would have had this one finished in a day -- I enjoyed reading it that much (but it still only took me 3 days to read!). The author does touch on some issues that might be triggering for some, including alcoholism and suicide.

Overall, I definitely will be recommending this book to my friends!

This book beautifully covered a romance that just kept missing the mark. The timing was never quite right for various reasons and in the end when they finally did get together they were better for having gone through their struggles.

I have to say also - this book created that instant connection that some books just can't master. Throughout the story I could feel their internal angst and pain at the bad timing and the failed attempts at a relationship. The love was a tangible object on every page, a heavy weight holding them down and propelling them forward.

I adored how the author created their character development arcs for each character and gave them each ample opportunity for growth. The author leaned into their flaws in such a way that they were both self-destructive in very subtle ways that the reader almost did not realize what was happening. BUT as the story progresses and those behaviors are given more page space and the missed opportunities keep piling up the anticipation for a happy ever after was exciting to read.

The author did an amazing job in covering so many delicate topics with a great level of care such as: mental health, panic attacks, anxiety, alcohol abuse, self-sabotage. This book was funny, sweet, romantic, and gave the reader a feeling of catharsis.

I enjoyed Perfect Timing. However, it was a little slow at times. The overall message of the story was great too.

Perfect Timing was a women’s fiction novel with a sprinkle of romance. Tom and Jess meet and they hit it off immediately, but the timing is not right in that moment. This book is all about timing, which is extra comical because Jess is a comedian (and of course the book title). I enjoyed Nicholls’ writing style, and how the chapters bounced back between narrators. I love hearing from both sides, it makes you feel like you are hearing everything and how both characters are feeling. I did think it was a little excessive to have six parts…but at the same time, I understood how each part was a different time in Jess and Tom’s lives. I also expected this to be more of a romance than what it really was. Tom and Jess have chemistry, but they don’t act on it for many different reasons, until the end of the book. I was a little let down by that aspect. I loved that both characters showed growth and became more likable as I read on. It was a book that seemed realistic, rather than a true work of fiction and I appreciated that! Overall, I give this book 7/10. I will definitely read more by this author!