Overall, it is a good read! It didn't grip me, and I couldn't connect to the main characters, but overall, it was a fast-paced, enjoyable read. At points the storyline felt a bit unrealistic, which took me out of the story. It's a fun summer read and would recommend for your next beach read!

The Near Miss was the perfect palate cleanser after reading so many thrillers of late. It's a contemporary romance that's both extremely enjoyable and entertaining.

Do you believe in fate? It plays a heavy part in the story as it brings together Wren and Nick in a series of narrow escapes.

Wren and Nick were such likeable characters and I'd love to read more about them in a future read. The absolute star of the show for me was Edie, she was my Nan all over.

It's a brilliant debut from Joseph, it's cute, fun and you won't want it to end, I didn't.

This was a good read! I struggled personally connecting to the characters and the story but that is the only thing affecting my rating. The pacing was great, the development for the characters was there, and they had good chemistry! I tried super hard to love it but I just couldn’t connect with them enough. Still a book I would recommend though!!

Wren and Nick cross paths in the most unusual way, coming close to near-death experiences.

But the two may have more in common than they think and it may be fate pushing them together.

This is an easy read but a slow burn, which made me desperate for our main characters to get together. I loved that Joseph has the reader questioning when they will meet through the novel, as they don't meet until 50% in.

This was a clever narrative as scenes were intertwined throughout with 'near misses' of the main characters meeting one another as well as near misses/brushes with death.

This is told in the third person point of view with alternating chapters split between Nick and Wren. I really liked this as you got to see the different sides to the narrative, but also the similarities in the two main characters where they both need to find out the truth.

3.5 stars!

this was such a quick, easy read!! while i found parts of it super cute and really wanted to love it, overall this fell a bit flat for me.

i think this had a ton of potential, but waiting until almost 50% into the book for our main characters to officially meet made it feel a bit slow.

once they did meet, i loved the discovery of just how intertwined their lives really were. talk about invisible string!?

wren and nick were cute once their story really took off, and i especially loved the dynamic of wren and libby!! i wish we got to see more of her throughout the book.

this would be a great feel-good summer read, so definitely check it out if you’re looking for a book to read by the pool or on your summer vaca!!


thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have not read a book by Lily before and this book was okay. I liked Wren and Nick's story with how they kept almost meeting but would miss each other. I did find this book a bit hard to follow at times as it was just bad luck after bad luck. I felt like it was well written but there was a lot going on. There was also a lot of different characters weaved into the story that kept coming back but I found there was just a bit to many to keep track of. I had to go back and figure out who was who. I did find this book hilarious with how many misfortunes they had to go through to end up meeting each other. I did like how the book ended though.

An endearing story of two ships that continually pass in the night. It seems Nick and Wren are always near each other when disaster happens but they never meet. Long held secrets by people dear to Nick and Wren whirl around them and never seem to get answered. It is very witty how the author played with the theme of passing ships with Nick and Wren always close but never close enough.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A surprisingly lovely read despite all of the mishaps that happened to Wren and Nick throughout the book. Possibly could have done with less of these coincidences as they did cast a sad light over the whole story instead of an uplifting feel. The ending was satisfying despite some tragedy. An easy beach read.

Wren is leaving her pregnant friend Libby’s bookstore when a sheet of glass falls in front of her, and she realises how lucky she was that she paused for a moment so that it missed her. By the time Nick, the glazier, gets downstairs to apologise, Wren is gone.
The pair continue to cross paths without actually meeting but each time they accidentally cause a mishap for the other.
This was an endearing story about a series of unfortunate events and fate, told from both point of views. The anticipation builds through all the near-misses as you wonder how they will eventually meet. A really strong debut that's more hit, than miss.

Nick and Wren had never met. The close calls they had due to something the other did were many. It's like someone had it out for them and didn't want them to ever meet but to be continuously plagued by each other's unintentional mistakes.

The number of times I wanted to DNF was a lot, but I stuck it out just to see how they'd finally end up together. Funny thing is, they got separated after they got together.

A few more disasters later and they got their HEA. Someone else might enjoy this, but I honestly didn't. Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wren and Nick seem to have fate on their side or do they? After multiple near miss accidents they always seem to be in the same place at the same time. Wren is walking out of her favorite bookshop when a sheet of glass falls from a window above her. It shatters into a million pieces at her feet. By the time Nick arrives on the street below to apologize, Wren is already gone. But this isn’t the last time they have a “run in” with each other. They always seem to meet by accident, but is fate ever going to be on their side or will it always be an accident?

The Near Miss written by author Lily Joseph is a wonderfully written rom-com. I really enjoyed this story and Wren and Nick were utterly delightful. I loved the banter between the characters and this book had me laughing out loud. I really enjoyed never knowing how they would meet again as it added mystery to the storyline. This lovely story is fun and a definite must read. I loved it and I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I did not finish everything, because of personal problems in my life. I read 61 percent and loved everything about it. If possible I will read the remaining of the book, because I want to know how it ends!

This is a sweet, slow-burn story about fate bringing people together. Wren and Nick are linked by a series of near misses (some of them near fatal!) but don’t actually connect until their paths cross in Italy. The writing style is engaging and the Capri setting is vividly depicted. The main character development is great, and there are lots of appealing supporting characters too. Fans of feel-good, serendipitous stories are sure to enjoy this one.

. I did like the premise as its something slightly different. Though For me the start was repetitive and didn't easierly grip me. But when Nick and Wren holiday in Italy, the story picked up and peaked my interest. The desciption of the setting did add some magic to the story that you could visualise the locations. So overall I did enjoy this, and the fact that it's Lily debut shows there is potential that I would give her next book a read

Firstly thank you to @lilyjosephwriter & @netgalley for my arc I absolutely loved it!! I loved how Wren & Nick were always destined to be! I found this a quick pace, cute, funny with laugh out loud moments, rom com vibes read 🫶🏻 also single dad hello!! Loved the will they won't they moments this was a different read for me in this aspect but I couldn't stop myself turning the page to see where it went! I thoroughly enjoyed it and would most definitely recommend reading!

The Near Miss

The idea of The Near Miss piqued my interest so I was really happy to get approved for an ARC from @netgalley and @bookouture. I would be reading along and think "ooh this is it!" Then bam!! Someone is doing first aid or eating shrimp or whittling sticks that almost impale someone and then I'd be all "noooo!!" Slowly but surely our main characters cross paths for real and sparks immediately fly… well once they’re not about to drown.
I REALLY need a ‘Nick meets Alan’ scene courtesy of Wren and both men are like: "what?!" An enjoyable read, a bit of “ugh you’re kidding me?!” because it really feels like when you’re angry and then your hoodie pocket gets stuck on a door handle and you think “nup surely not, this isn’t happening” because it feels like that after each Near Miss but super worth it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- Rom Com
- Fated Lovers
- Slooowww burn
- Single dad
- Dual POV

I was instantly intrigued by the concept of this book and once I started I was sucked in! Let me start by saying the Wren and Nick are the definition of invisible string theory! I absolutely loved seeing how their lives and their bad luck streaks were so intertwined with one another!!
This is definitely a sloooowww burn as the main characters don’t meet until well into the story. Even though Wren and Nick don’t have face to face interaction until later in the book, it was so enjoyable to see how closely they were to meeting throughout the story through friends and near death experiences 😅. This book felt like solving a puzzle!! I loved trying to figure out how they’d ALMOST run into each other next! Once these two did meet the connection between them was so beautiful! They had been cracking up and rooting for them from start to finish.
Not only were the main characters captivating, but so were so many of the side characters! Specifically Edie and Libby! I’m all for great main characters but there is something special about a side character that you just absolutely love!
The Near Miss is such a light and funny summer read 📚 I hope to read more from Lily Joseph (maybe a story about Libby or Travis?🤭)

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this e-ARC! I voluntarily read this book, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The Near Miss" was, unfortunately pretty much a full miss for me. FMC Wren is with someone else for the first third of the book. She doesn't actually meet MMC Nick until around the 50% point of the book, though they almost cause each other's deaths in ridiculous manners several times before then. It just didn't scream romance. And even after Wren and Nick do finally meet, they don't seem to have a lot of chemistry. Some of this lack might be due to the sheer number of things going on in this book. Just some of the things touched on include hoarding, addiction, parental death, borderline DV, infidelity, divorce, child custody concerns, electrical fires, and obviously all of the various near death shenanigans. I just didn't connect with the characters.

2 stars. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

This was a super cute premise and the "near misses" had me at the edge of my seat, however, most of the instances seemed a little bit too far fetched. There is no way they would have survived had this been a real life story. It was cute. I liked it.

I loved this!! The suspense of all the near misses had me hooked and I was desperate to reach the point that they met. All the little pieces adding up felt like puzzle pieces fitting together. It was cute, fun and I didn’t want to put it down! 4.5/5 stars and would recommend for a fun romance read. Would be a fab holiday read!