A huge thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy of One Night With You by Laura Jane Williams.
Some romance novels just hit a little harder, dig a little deeper, and wind up on another level altogether. One Night With You by Laura Jane Williams is exactly that kind of book.
Laura’s books stood out to me the moment I first read Our Stop a few summers back. From there, I knew I would love anything she wrote – and I’ve now been lucky enough to read several of her novels before their official release! I’ve been anxiously anticipating One Night With You and it was such a pleasure to pick it up early. I flew through it… though I did find myself wanting to slow down towards the last quarter because I never wanted it to come to an end.
This book has a winning combination: witty banter, spicy romance, sweet friendships, real-life hardships, and coping with grief. That might sound like quite the mix, but if you’re anything like me, you enjoy a heavy dose of depth with your sweet and sultry romances. Laura certainly knows how to tug on your heartstrings in more ways than one.
One Night With You is set to hit shelves on May 26, 2022. Make sure you add it to your TBR, pre-order, or pick up a copy when it comes out. You won’t want to miss it.
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My honest review of One Night With You by Laura Jane Williams.
Synopsis:
It’s his first night in London. And her last…
Ruby’s leaving London – she’s not running away from her ex per se, but an exciting opportunity in a new city has landed at the perfect time.
Nic is moving to London. After a bad break-up, he’s excited to see where big city life could take him.
When a chance meeting throws the pair of them together for just one night, it’s clear that this could be the start of something special. But there’s one problem: she’s leaving, and he’s just arriving. So, after tonight, they’ll never see each other again . . . will they?
From the international bestseller comes a story of two strangers, two cities, and one night that changes everything.
Content Warnings: (major) Grief, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Death, and Sexual content, (moderate) Alcohol and Cursing
Laura Jane Williams, you sneaky genius, you’ve done it again. You’ve somehow created another beautifully-written romance with just the right doses of snark, wit, emotion, and wholesomeness.
Let me tell you that when I began this book, I was chortling. Yes, chortling. That’s not a word I use often. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that I let out a guffaw! The early moments between our protagonists were absolutely hilarious. From the best friend/roommate hijinks to the uncomfortable flirting to the admission of social media profile stalking, it was a mess of hilarity and adorableness that I will never forget. Those opening chapters drew me in so fast and I absolutely had to know what happened next for Ruby and Nic.
I was a little wary moving forward. There was an almost insta-love vibe to those first few chapters that had me worrying that the rest of the book would fall flat. I mean, how could the rest of the story live up to the cuteness held in the early moments? But I had absolutely nothing to worry about because the rest of the story was just as phenomenal – if not more so. That’s where the depth happened and it was more than I could have hoped for or expected.
There was no way I could have anticipated that I would adore these characters so much. Every single one of them, from Ruby’s gang of misfit roommates (I especially loved Jackson) and the pals she made during her video project (don’t even get me started on how badly I want to just sit and have a whisky with JP) to Nic and his brother Ollie. There was not a single member of this cast that went unnoticed or unappreciated. Every one of them made this story more enjoyable and emotional. Without giving any spoilers, just know that the final few chapters actually made me cry. Like legit crocodile tears!
The more challenging themes that were faced in this book were handled so well. They made me truly think long and hard about my own life. I absolutely love when a book can make me do that – especially an unsuspecting “rom-com,” you know? The entire phrase “almost doesn’t count” was on repeat in my head throughout the time I was reading this… and beyond. I’m still thinking about it on occasion. I love the realizations that Ruby came to about this phrase and how JP impacted her life so much.
If I look back at this, I’m slightly surprised to note that the romance wasn’t actually what stood out to me the most. While the book is titled One Night With You, it focuses on far more than just Ruby and Nic’s whirlwind one-night stand. I hope that those who choose to read this go into it with an open mind, willing to learn from it because there is so much to gain. Of course, the romance is adorable too and not to be forgotten, but I just love that there was such fantastic depth along with the swoony, steamy bedroom scenes.
This is another LJW book that I will be eagerly adding to my shelves! I’m so thankful that I got the chance to read it a little early because I loved every second of it and I’m thrilled to share it with all of you and tell you that you need to read it too!
This book sounds stunning! I confess myself not sold on the plot, so it is really your review that has me wanting to start turning these pages. Your thoughts on the characters and references to scenes and people I want to know are splendid. 🙂
This sounds wonderful and just my type of book!
Awww this sounds like such s sweet story! I love when books go more in depth rather than stay on the surface. Sounds like my kind of book!
Lizzie
http://Www.Lizzieinlace.com
Great review! I love my romances with depth too, so I’m glad to hear that’s the case here. The fact that you still sometimes think about it “almost doesn’t count” is such a good sign, I think that truly demonstrates how thought provoking it is! I’m sold on the characters too haha. Thank you so much for sharing x
I have this on my kindle app and haven’t read it yet! Can’t wait to dive in!
This sounds like a really great book, thank you so much for sharing with us lovely. I’m not usually a romance book kinda gal but I do find myself reaching for certain ones which cut a little deeper haha. I’ll defiantly be checking out this book! Great review xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com