[Review] The Love Square - Laura Jane Williams

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? (Pub Date: Feb 09 2021)

I really wanted to like this one because a romance was just what I needed, and this seemed quirky enough from the summary. 

You see, our main character Penny was so desperate because she couldn't keep any man she was texting for feedback a jerk who ditched her mid-date for Tinder. Suddenly, she starts meeting guys, one after another, who actually want to be with her.

2.5.

It's that, for a book with that summary and that title, it took more than a third for the second man to show up and the third one only comes around midway—read this line again after finishing the book because I'm too proud of this. It wasn't just slow-paced, I felt the conflict didn't keep me interested enough either and nor did the romance. 

So why am I giving it the average rating?

Although I'm not super into slow-paced reads, this had some good points. I understood Penny and could even relate to her. She's hard-working and can't have children anymore, but she's frozen her ovaries so she could one day. Even though she isn't getting any younger, she can't even keep a partner yet, how can she feel ready to be a mother when she's all by herself? I also liked how her family built, it's quite heartwarming, to be honest. 

Also out of the three, I liked two very much and it's impossible to hate the third one, although I could never see him as a powerful contender. Because of the pacing, though, her final choice is obvious from page one. The question was actually whether she'll end up with him or alone, which with a better formulation of the book could have made for something entertaining—watching Penny getting into the whole conundrum and ultimately finding out more about herself. Maybe the publisher thought this had been overdone and pushed for the square idea? 

I feel this is a book for slow readers, to be honest. You get to enjoy each stage Penny's love life goes through, as it snowballs into the climax. I can't speak from a slow-pace book lover perspective, but I don't think many will find this one a 5-star read. At the same time, I can't find much fault either. It's a cute story, that simply lacked something more but that will surely make you feel good by the end.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley and Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 3 out of 5.