The Love Square

By: Laura Jane Williams

Narrated by: Carrie Hope Fletcher

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

She’s single. But it can still be complicated....

Penny Bridge has always been unlucky in love.

So she can’t believe it when she meets a remarkable new man.

Followed by another.

And then another....

And all of them want to date her.

Penny has to choose between three. But are any of them 'The One'?

The best-selling author of Our Stop will have you laughing, crying and cheering Penny on in this funny and feel-good exploration of hope, romance and the trust it takes to finally fall in love. Perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane’s If I Never Met You and Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare.

©2020 Laura Jane Williams (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"Joyful and romantic...tailor-made for summer!" (Cosmopolitan)

 "Fresh, funny and smart." (Beth O’Leary, best-selling author of The Flatshare)

"Charming and full of warmth. I loved Penny (and her hair), and laughed a lot at her misadventures. This is the book equivalent of a big hug." (Sophia Money-Coutts, best-selling author of The Plus One)

Too many things happening at once

Tue performance is great. I loved Carrie Hope Fletcher in The Flat Share.

In this book, too many things are happening that contradict each other. The main character, Penny, has no redeeming qualities and has a lot going on. The description is that there are three men after her and she has to decide which one to BE with. (But my question is, why does she have to be with any of them?) Frankly, there isn’t enough room in this story to develop a relationship with any of the men, except maybe the first one. The other two? There’s nothing there, so why would she choose either of them?

Then there is the business of her uncle who doesn’t ask her to do something for him but she feels obligated anyway. There’s never a conversation with him about this big favor, yet she does it anyway and resents doing it!

Lastly, there is a health issue that Penny deals with that needs to be considered by anyone with whom she has a relationship. I think that if the author dealt with that in a bigger way (instead of the uncle’s favor) you’d have enough of a storyline.

I really disliked this book and will return it for sure.

Disappointing

This book is not nearly as good as The Flat Share. It’s a long, drawn out template story that’s difficult to care about. I finished listened (a struggle) so I could be sure of my opinion before writing this review and returning the book. I would never want to listen to it again.
Carrie’s performance is great, as usual!

Another hit for Laura Jane Williams

Absolutely loved it!! Just as I did Our Stop! Beautifully written and just what I needed in a feel good storyline! Really liked how ‘in with the times’ the story was too with some of its characters and Penny’s decision at the end. Write more please!!

Great book!

Another great book from LJW (yeah, that’s what I call her now) Think I might be in love a little bit with Carrie Hope Fletcher’s voice. Really enjoyed this book.

Disappointed

Sooo cheesy. Irritating and weak main character and superficial story. The writer tried to give it some depth with cancer story but it didn't really help in my opinion. I expected a relaxing book but this irritaded me more than relaxed me.

Awful, clichéd and dull

Don't buy it... It's just one of those book where the publishers have said write a book like Beth O Leary's The Flat Share or X generic contemporary chick lit... so that we can sell lots.

A joy!

Penny is pure joy - I adored her and her story. Exactly the feel good story for a difficult year.

Easy and enjoyable listening

An enjoyable listen! So rarely are the Midlands and the Peak District mentioned in chick lit. It all happens in London so I was appreciative of things happening in quieter areas. Love Carries narration. Another enjoyable listen from Laura Jane Williams I will be looking for her next one!

It's nice. It's funny. It's sweet.

It's an easygoing novel that's fun to listen to. My facial expressions I'm sure were something to behold during particular hairy moments of this audiobook and I'd recommend it as a light read. I can confirm it was definitely enjoyable. Some of the accents were a little annoying at times but at least you knew which character was which.

2021 Reads: Didn't Expect To Love This, But I did!

A combination of an interesting premise and online hype drew me to this title. I unexpectedly found myself quite emotionally invested, in the life and relationships of Penny Bridge. I found it compelling listening and genuinely couldn't stop - thoroughly enjoyable.

Although I did feel the confrontation or resolution scene in the bar was, for me personally, a little far-fetched. I'll definitely look out for more titles by Laura Jane Williams in future. Carrie Hope Fletcher's narration style was a perfect fit for the project.

A surprising hit all round!

A mixed bag really!

I enjoyed this book from the beginning until the events leading to Penny’s move. It then took me a while to get back into the story. I was so invested in her story with Francesco, I lost interest in the muddle of her story with the other men. I was frustrated at her reaction to Francesco’s declaration but glad they managed to sort things out and I feel that things probably happened in the right order for Penny to know her authentic feelings in the end.

However, due to the lack of momentum in the middle, I would’ve probably put this down had it not been read by my favourite author/actress Carrie Hope Fletcher with her excellent tone and pace. The way that Carrie read the story was the reason I stayed.

Meh

It was okay but bit hit and miss really. Not much of a story to it bit smutty in places but if you like that kind of thing it's OK.