Thank you to Boldwood books and NetGalley for the Advanced copy of this title.
This is a second chance romance set in Rome. The main characters are forced together as they are left no other options than to travel via van to their separate destinations. The problem is they haven't seen each other since they broke up. Their break up was less than amicable with a lot of unresolved feelings, so the dynamics between the two are less than desirable.

I found this book to be a little slow with a lot of miscommunication. It is my least favorite book trope and this book had a lot of it. Callum's entire reasoning for never reaching out to Emma following their breakup was lackluster and only added to the leaning tower of miscommunication.

If you are a fan of road trips and second chances, you would likely enjoy this novel.

Due to volcanic ash, Callum is stranded in Rome. His friend Azim said that he has a friend who is driving from Rome to London and he can get a ride with her. Callum agreed. What he didn’t expect when he showed up at the van for the ride back to London was Emma, his ex girlfriend. The ex girlfriend that he proposed to the night he got his driver’s license and try to drive drunk. When Emma sees Callum she’s stunned. She’s spent years getting over him, and she doesn’t want to be stuck in a van with him for days. She always expected him to come back to her, but he never did. Will she finally learn the truth? Will they find their way back to each other?

This was a cute rom-com book. It’s a light, fun read. I love second chance romances, and forced proximity. There’s nothing more forced then being stuck in a van together! I enjoyed the chemistry between Callum and Emma. Their history made it easy to fall back into each other.

It was a little drawn out for me, and a little repetitive. Callum had a “wild” side when he was younger, drinking a lot. But he claims it wasn’t an addiction and just “stopped.” That felt like a lost opportunity.

When you pick a title like this, which is a pretty famous line from a TV show for some, you expect more discussion about what was happening when one thought they were on a break. The line is said, and then thrown away. Again, another missed opportunity.

This wasn’t a bad book by any means, and I think a lot of people who love a slow burn, second change romance will like this. It just didn’t wow me.

3.5 stars. While the concept was fun, it got very repetitive very quickly. They wanted to be together, then they didn’t, then they did…. The back and forth didn’t make sense for such a short time frame? Emma & Callum’s inner monologues ended up turning me off from the characters, I almost wanted to read the dialogue only.

This Second chance romance with Emma and Callum was a slow burn but takes you on a lovely road trip. The will they won't they of it all is a little slow at times but the initial blurb of the book drew me to these characters and I loved taking this journey with them from Italy back to London. I will definitely recommend this book to my girlfriends who need a beach read on vacation or who need a fun book to curl up with on a nice day in.

I really wanted to love this book - I read the blurb for the book and immediately requested early access to the book. Unfortunately I have struggled to make it through the entire book. I keep having to stop because the scenarios keep repeating themselves. They both start out appalled they they’re in a situation where they have to spend so much time together, then they warm up to it to the point the male POV starts freaking out about his feelings and the female POV is falling head over heels. Every chapter is told from the alternating POV and hers felt very saccharine and his felt like I wanted to roll my eyes because of his hang ups.

Overall it was a cute book, it just felt long and I predicted half of it. If you need a cute, easy book where you don’t have to pay a lot of attention to it this is the book for you!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced e-copy of We Were on a Break, in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine being stuck in a van with your ex-boyfriend for days while traveling through Italy. That's exactly what happens in Jo Lovett's new novel, 'We Were on a Break.'
The premise is intriguing, but unfortunately, the execution falls short. The characters and plot have a lot of potential, but they're not fully developed.
Callum, Emma's ex-boyfriend, is an alcoholic. His addiction is supposed to be a major obstacle to their relationship, but it's resolved too easily. He just decides to quit drinking and that's it. It's anticlimactic and makes the whole plot of them not getting back together because of his addiction seem silly.
The story also becomes repetitive. Emma and Callum break up and get back together over and over again. It gets tiresome after a while. Plus, reading both of their internal monologues listing all the reasons why they can't be together gets old fast.

Overall, 'We Were on a Break' is an easy, quick read. If you're looking for a slow-burn, closed-door, second-chance romance, this might be the book for you.
3.5 Stars!

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Callum and Emma break up and never speak again.

It’s been 12 years and now, they meet again when Callum needs to get back home and Emma is the person who is taking him in her van. There is a lot of stuff that they’ve not talked about when they ended the relationship. Now, they look back at where they were then to where they are now, and reasons why they aren’t together.

We read their own viewpoints on the past.

They eventually get together, but not before the bumps are overcome.

I recommend this book.

I just loved this book! It was so good and I just couldn’t put it down.. It was just such a heartbreaking and heartwarming read about a former boyfriend and girlfriend who’s relationship ended in a weird way.. Callum needs a lift and little does he know that his lift is going to be with his former girlfriend Emma much to the surprise of both of them. This then ensues a wonderful trip home with up and down’s for both of them and I just loved it.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a book that has a good story with up’s and down’s but essentially is just beautiful.

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Callum is an idiot, Emma is just crazy - and both are hopelessly in love with the other. Neither knows the other is their first love when they agree to travel together from Italy to London and what might happen on the way.

You hope for the happy ever after but are unsure if it’s ever going to happen. I love the pair of them and their dynamic together, but they are so different too. He’s eager to get back, she’s continuing her sightseeing trip at her own pace no matter what and this does cause some friction to begin with.

This story is your typical long lost love, cutesy, “will they won’t they” story that is just lovely and easy to read, and has everything you want too - fun, laughter, sarcasm and serious bits. Perfect summer cosy read that will give you all the feels.

The cover and the blurb is what originally drew me to this book. But it was a little slow in places. The story was ok but the characters felt a bit flat. It just wasn't for me, other readers might like it though.
💖 Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! I love a good second-chance romance and one full of tension is even better - this fit that bill perfectly! Loved!

Twelve years ago, Emma and Callum decided to take a break... and then never spoke again. Until Callum arranges a ride from Italy to London with a friend of a friend, and shows up to discover the woman taking him home is the ex he never fully got over.

I loved the tension between Emma and Callum, and how it ebbed and flowed throughout--both the conflict and the feelings were great. I sometimes have a hard time with second-chance romances, but this one felt very real and authentic to me, and I was actively rooting for them. There were a couple moments it got a bit overly internal or repetitive, but overall it was a very lovely read.

3.75
A second chance romance between two exes that never quite had closure. We meet Emma and Callum while they’re driving back to London from Italy. They don’t want to be interacting after 12 years of not seeing each other but they’re stuck together. They seemed to have changed a lot on the outside but they still have a lot of the same doubts and insecurities they’re still growing from.

It was a fast and quick read. Enjoyable

This was told between the two main characters in chapters . Took a while to get into . A clever story as two x’s meet while you can’t fly . One has a camper van. There are some laugh out moments. I liked the monastery chapter. You kind of guessed the secret. A clever good neat ending .

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Ebook ARC of this book, this is my objective review. Callum and Emma are ex-partners who broke up 12 years prior, and in a surprising turn of events they must share Emma's van on the way home from Rome. There are old, unresolved feelings, and there's a LOT of history here. Being thrown together it's inevitable that they compare how they are today with themselves from 12 years ago, and they reflect on why they didn't work back then. I like the concept of second-chance romance, but I don't know that it always works in execution. Can people ever really change enough to avoid making the same mistakes all over again? There's an HEA here but it was a bit rocky getting there, which felt realistic. Some nice moments of humor, which are always welcome. New-to-me author, I would read her again.

When European air travel is grounded due to volcanic ash from Iceland, Callum and Emma find themselves on a roadtrip through Italy and France. Emma has planned a meandering journey in her unreliable van, and Callum needs a ride, so mutual friends (secretly hoping to make a match) connect them. Little did they know Callum and Emma were previously in a relationship that ended badly. Over a couple of days, Callum and Emma learn a lot about each other, and eventually about their past. And we hope, hope, hope they get together. But their journey is not without set-backs and disappointment.

Second chance romance, traveling through Europe, endearing characters.
Fun story (but a bit slow at times!) that is perfect for summertime.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

A cute slow-burn second chance romance.

Callum is stranded in Rome and desperately needs to get back to England, through his friends he manages to acquire a lift that will get him back to where he needs to go within a few days, only problem is when he arrives the beautiful woman who he will spend countless hours in close proximity happens to be his Ex girlfriend Emma who he never truly fell out of love with and it seems like she's not looking forward to the journey either.
This book includes:
- second chance romance
= grumpy sunshine
- the one that got away
- right person wrong time

Overall I did enjoy this book but I don't think it was Lovett's strongest work. It was pretty 50/50 for things I loved and things I hated. The scenes of the two travelling together were beautiful and made me want to immediately jump on a plane to do some travelling. it was also really nice to see the way the two had changed over the years they hadn't been together and separately grew as people.

However there was a lot of miscommunication throughout the entirety of the book and the kept so many important things from each other where they could have just been open and honest that it became frustration with how long it went on for.

it was however a nice story and I do usually enjoy Jo Lovett's books.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Jo Lovett did a great job of writing in a way that captured my attention, and made me not want to put it down until I was finished! I would highly recommend it!

A true "one that got away" and "right person, wrong time" read!

Emma and Callum meet again after 12 years apart when a mutual friend pushes the two together to take a road trip from Rome to London. Through ups and downs, they trek across Europe while experiencing both love and heartbreak in just one short week.

There were parts of this story that I adored, but the slow start is KILLER. I needed to get halfway into the book before I became interested in Emma and Callum at all. I think if the story didn't take so long to get interesting, I would've really enjoyed this second chance romance.