The Love Square

The book started out well with seemingly engaging and interesting main characters and a developing love story but it quickly devolved into a melodramatic, unbelievable tale about a narcissistic, self-centered, weak woman. It became impossible to like the main character and the romance storyline was completely unbelievable – no self-respecting person would stick around for the kind of treatment she was dishing out. It was available on Kindle Unlimited so I guess I got what I paid for.

I would like to start by saying that I felt like the summary was misleading. I expected something a lot more fun and light hearted. While there are some funny scenes, theres more pain, bad decisions, and growth. I cried more than I laughed.

I really liked Penny, for the most part. She was definitely problematic- low self esteem, inability to say no, and shes often lost in her own mind and past. On the other hand, she was willing to learn and grow- to see people and change her opinions. Her loyalty is also one of the things I loved about her, even when it frustrated me because her loyalty to her uncle got in the way of her living her life. Through out the book she met three very different men that showed her very different parts to relationships. She fell into friendship with an Italian chef who, if not for bad timing and a huge misunderstanding, could have been love. Then there was the blonde in the music industry that introduced her to ten mile hikes and non-monogamy- sweet, funny and charming, he helped her find herself again. Lastly, the older, serious man with a naughty streak. A physical match made in heaven but can any of these men become her everything?

The book spent a lot of time going through the different relationships, but also going over her past, the loss of her mother and her own status as a cancer survivor. When David got sick she had to set her own dream of motherhood (as she is now infertile, she had her eggs harvested and fertilized; ready for a surrogate), and her three week relationship with the Italian to head to her home town and run his pub. She would have brought Francisco, but misunderstandings. Six months later shes met Thomas and Preyesh. Thomas is on the road again and she and Preyesh are a thing. but suddenly she and Francisco are not only talking again but friends who decide that he would be the perfect pastry chef for the pub. What? The man hurt her, deeply, and it only just got to the point that she can even say his name and then this? She could have handled everything better, differently. The relationships, and how they found out about each other, was definitely off putting. Also, she was lost and maybe using these men to make herself feel better. I liked that once she saw what she had done, though, she owned it. She went to therapy, she got help, she thought hard about what she wanted in life. The amount of character growth in the last third of the book alone made up for a lot of the messy drama. In the end I was actually sad to say goodbye to these characters, I would have loved to see more of Preyesh especially, and hope he gets a love story down the line.

As far as the writing goes, there was no real flow to the book. There were times where it dragged so badly that I had to set it aside, and there were times where it flew by things that I really wanted to explore. Most of the narrative revolves around Penny (third person), but there are times where you see thoughts and feelings from others even though it doesnt seem like the author meant to break the narrative. Its a bit sloppy, but forgivable- small issues, really, when you think about it. For me, this is a four star book.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
On the adult content scale, there is a lot sexual content, but none of it is too explicit. Theres language as well. I would say that this one is for a more mature crowd. PG17 at the very least.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Harper 360 in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

A cute and quirky English friends to lovers romance filled with cooking, lots of relationship mishaps, and two cooks falling in love. Even though Penny drove me bonkers, the over all character driven charm of this book made it a delightful and quick read.

Penny has always known what she wants, but when tragedy strikes and throws her off course, Penny gets inserted almost overnight into a situation that is less than ideal. She finds herself away from her restaruant, without her best friends, and stuck working for her uncle in the countryside. And to top it all off she ends up in a relationship with three different men. Whatever will Penny do?

I really loved the English setting, the sense of humor of each character, and the exploration of each relationship. The best part of this romance was Francesco, who wins all the best book boyfriend awards. The only negatives were the Pennys constant assumptions about Francesco and the use of they when one person is being referenced. The they was a bit confusing with Charlies character. Even with the unconventional aspects of this book, it was still an easy and enjoyable read!

I really enjoyed the author’s first book, Our Stop. In that book, you had to wait until the very end for the love interests to connect in person. In this book, our protagonist, Penny, meets a wonderful man early on, but a family obligation compels Penny to leave London and Francesco and despite the newness of their relationship, there was a real connection there.

Once Penny gets to her uncle’s pub, she meets new men and explores her feelings, and I loved the reality of Penny’s mixed feelings and emotions. I loved that Penny isn’t perfect and neither are the men, they all felt very real.

I saw this as a book about a woman looking for happiness and ultimately taking the path that would make her happy. And it has a happy ending, too!

A wonderful read and I look forward to reading Ms. Williams next book.

Really enjoyed this book. In these dismal times I seem to need a little lift and this story provided that. The characters were charming and had the depth necessary to allow me to remember them. Besides, I learned some new words since I am not British. Fun read!!

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