Blog Tour: The Meeting Point by Olivia Lara (@olilara_writes @Aria_Fiction @The_WriteReads #UltimateBlogTour)

Hi Blisses,

TITLE: The Meeting Point
BY: Olivia Lara
GENRE: Contemporary Romance
PUBLICATION: 2^nd September 2021 by aria Fiction
WARNINGS: Divorce, cheating, heartbreak
NOTES: I received an e-copy from the author, publisher, and blog tour host via Netgalley in exchange for promotion and honest review. This doesn’t affect my opinions regarding the book in any way.

I’m here for another blog tour. I’m really grateful to Dave @The_WriteReads and Aria for letting me join this blog tour. I’m currently binge-reading contemporary romances so this blog tour is on time.

BLURB

What if the Lift driver who finds your cheating boyfriend’s phone holds the directions to true love?

‘Who are you and why do you have my boyfriend’s phone?’

‘He left it in my car. You must be the blonde in the red dress? I’m the Lift driver who dropped you two off earlier.’

And with these words, the life of the brunette and t-shirt wearing Maya Maas is turned upside down. Having planned to surprise her boyfriend, she finds herself single and stranded in an unknown city on her birthday. So when the mystery driver rescues Maya with the suggestion that she cheers herself up at a nearby beach town, she jumps at the chance to get things back on track. She wasn’t expecting a personalised itinerary or the easy companionship that comes from opening up to a stranger via text, let alone the possibility it might grow into something more…

Come on this 5* journey to love, laughter and back again, perfect for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Josie Silver and Sally Thorne.

LINKS

Amazon | Goodreads

REVIEW

I knew I would love The Meeting Point when I read its blurb, and I was right. It is one of the three contemporary romances I’ve read last week. Let me just say that all three of them are set in small towns. I love small town romances. I think it’s more intimate and homely, if that makes sense. There’s something about a romance in a small town that makes me feel at home.

Anyway, The Meeting Point is more of a Chick Lit than regular contemporary romance. Maya Maas, the main character finds her life turned upside down when she went to surprise her boyfriend, only to find out that he’s cheating on her, the information given to her by the driver who dropped his boyfriend off. She then found herself in a mini tour, thanks again to the suggestion of the driver.

I love the set up of this novel, from the concept to the execution. The concept of having two strangers seemingly fated to meet. I love that so much because that doesn’t happen often in real life, or actually they happen but we’re too busy to acknowledge fate. Call me romantic or idealistic much, but I do believe in fate or destiny. 🥰

Right from the start I know Maya will have her own happy ending in romance but it’s such an enjoyable journey to see her get her life back together. That’s why I said this is more chick lit for me. The Meeting Point is said to be perfect for the fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Josie Silver and Sally Thorne. I can see why, especially how it started. It’s reminded me of McFarlane’s novel, If I Never Met You. But I didn’t really think of another book while reading it. This book ha sts own charm and I love Maya. Maya had been in a rough patch but she grew as a character in all aspect. I was rooting for her since the beginning and I really wished I was with her in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Speaking of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Gosh!!! I was so focused on the setting. This book featured a little town in California called Carmel-by-the-Sea. It’s the first time I’ve heard or read the name of this town and I was so happy when it turned out to be real. I am a big fan of stories set in small towns, as I already mentioned. And this book checked all the boxes. I already listed Carmel-by-the-Sea in my bucket list.

Finally, I can say that The Meeting Point, wrapped up well. I love the twists and turns the story takes, even though some parts are predictable, I was okay with it.

RATING: 4 blissful pages with lilies

If you love romantic stories with a unique concept and amazing characters, this one is for you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a child, Olivia not-so-quietly ‘observed’ (AKA bothered with countless questions) her grandfather — who worked for the biggest publishing house in Romania — edit hundreds of books. And when he wasn’t editing, he read. Everything, all the time. Just like her father, who wrote short sci-fi stories, and was set on building the largest library she’d ever seen and her mother who’s never found without a book…wherever she goes. Her love for words came naturally, and after studying marketing, communications & photography, Olivia worked as a journalist for a newspaper and news television network in Romania.

An unapologetic citizen of the world, she spent a few years in Greece, Sweden, France, before settling in sunny California with her photographer husband and young daughter, where she works in marketing and writes. Oh, and let’s not forget the ever-growing menagerie that completes the family: Pumpkin, the Maine Coon mix, three black cats and a siamese kitten.

When she’s not writing or thinking about writing, she reads (across genres), watches old movies and collects vintage books, vinyl records, and eerie paintings. She loves traveling (and can’t wait until she can do it again, safely), swimming, biking, hiking and of course, photography.

SOMEDAY IN PARIS, her debut, published by Aria Fiction/Head of Zeus in May 2020 became a B&N, Apple, Kobo and Amazon Top 100 Bestseller and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards 2021. Her second novel, THE MEETING POINT, a contemporary romcom set in Northern California, is set to be published as an e-book on September 2, 2021 and in paperback in December 2021 in the UK and March, 2022 in the US.

Keep up with Olivia: twitter || instagram || facebook

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Have you read this book? Or planning to? What do you think of it? Let’s chat!