Reviews

The Love Square by Laura Jane Williams

somethingarosie's review against another edition

2.0

Laura Jane Williams' ‘The Love Square’ takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through the tangled web of relationships, but unfortunately, it's a ride with its fair share of bumps.

The story revolves around Penny Bridge, whose romantic life becomes a whirlwind when she finds herself entangled with three men: Francesco, Priyesh, and Thomas. While the premise promises intrigue, the execution falls short in several aspects. All of the love interests have their own red flags and it was all thoroughly disappointing.

The mens’ outrage after discovering Penny is involved with the three of them was so unreasonable because Thomas and Priyesh had vocalised their wish to be non-monogamous. Talk about double standards! Additionally, Francesco and Penny weren’t even together at that point. He kissed her once & expected her to drop everything and run into his arms…no sir! Of all the men, Francesco is the one I liked the most. That was until he lashed out at Penn and said she was ‘broken’ & ‘selfish’ for dating other people, despite the fact he had also been dating other people! Not a single cell of emotional intelligence to be found between these men!

One of the main issues lies in the character dynamics, particularly Thomas' supposed relationship with Lizzo. Yes, as in, - I just took a DNA test- Lizzo! His relationship with Lizzo feels uncomfortably forced, akin to something out of fanfiction rather than a believable subplot. Additionally, some of the dialogue throughout the novel comes across as cheesy and even downright cringeworthy, detracting from the overall immersion.

Despite these drawbacks, "The Love Square" does have its redeeming qualities. Williams adeptly navigates sensitive topics such as cancer, grief, and IVF, adding depth to the narrative. The discussions surrounding autonomy and solo parenting were wonderful to see! However, these poignant moments are overshadowed by the lack of consistency and believability in the character interactions.

In summary, ‘The Love Square’ offers a mindless and fun escape into the world of romance, but falls short of leaving a lasting impression. While it may provide moments of enjoyment, the overall quality and memorability are lacking. Readers seeking emotionally intelligent characters and believable relationships may find themselves disappointed by the unrealistic portrayals presented in this novel.

2⭐️

suzyq436's review against another edition

DNF 37%
I just can't get into this story for the life of me.
The way it's written throws me off because the story will jump from one scene with one person to another scene with another person without any clear distinction. Conversations at times would bounce from topic to topic without any clear flow.
The way the first relationship was set up just did not help with me. Maybe that's the point but I just could not continue on with this anymore.

alanaheade's review against another edition

2.0

I didn't hate this, but I didn't love it. I found a lot of it to be sort of cringe and even though there's a 'love square' going on, there's clearly only one choice of who Penny (the protagonist) should end up with. I didn't particularly like any of the main characters either. This book seemed to also try too hard to be feminist and woke which annoyed me. Also there was a weird thing with Lizzo, I hate it when fiction books include real celebrities as characters. Reading this straight after Beach Read, which I loved, probably didn't help either

shell_hazell's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

marieintheraw's review against another edition

1.0

Whelp. Honestly, when you have this many love interests things can get messy, but I was not expecting a basically uncleanable mess by the end. This started off so strong, but by the end with all the slut-shaming weird jokes and chaos that ensued I am starting to lose faith that I even enjoyed the first bit as much as I did.

I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own.

valentino3's review

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

If it was a movie it would be a messy hallmark romcom. Easy to read and digest. 

greggles_93's review against another edition

4.0

A really easy, fun read. Exactly what I needed after all of the more serious, academic material that I have been reading of late. Would highly recommend as a good holiday style read.

hannahc_1's review

adventurous emotional inspiring relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Amazing book. So inspiring and gives hope on future love! 

distant_ships's review against another edition

2.0

This is not a light hearted read

remyty's review against another edition

3.0

This book was cute and a nice easy beach read but Francesco was such a jerk near the end that I couldn’t agree with them ending up together!