The Meeting Point – Ultimate Blog Tour*

It is my stop on the ultimate blog tour for The Meeting Point, a contemporary romance novel by Olivia Lara. Thank you to the publisher and @WriteReadsTours for the gifted e-copy in exchange for an honest review. Although I am not a huge romance reader, I do really enjoy a good romance novel every now and again. The blurb for The Meeting Point is great and I was excited to see if it met my expectations.

Title: The Meeting Point

Author: Olivia Lara

Publisher: Aria

Published: 2nd September 2021

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Range: Adult

Goodreads: Add me here!

Blurb

‘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…

My Review

The Meeting Point is a light, predictable and very enjoyable romance novel. Both the characters and the setting will give you all of the heart-warming fluffiness that you need.

Characters

The protagonist of the story is Maya, a journalist in her late twenties who believes the course of her life is set. Maya has a long-term boyfriend. She is invested in her job (even when her boss is being a complete b*tch). Luckily, Maya also has a best friend she can always call to vent or help her problem solve. As you have read in the blurb, her life is quickly turned upside down and she has a lot to figure out. Maya is a writer and a dreamer but taking risks in real life isn’t easy for her. I found Maya to be a likeable character although I found her a little naïve at times.

There are plenty of side characters that we meet in the book who are really adorable. I think Celine in particular is so lovely and I would 100% hang out with her at Café Azure if I could.

Setting

The main setting of the book is in a quaint little seaside town called Carmel by the sea. We explore the town very early on in the book. Between its cute houses, beautiful beaches, seemingly endless amenities and lot’s of great places to eat out, it sounds like heaven. I love the setting as it is a heart-warming place and definitely where I would love to go if I wanted a clean slate.

Writing

The plot of The Meeting Point is very predictable, although I find this to be the case with all romance novels. My biggest niggle is when Maya can’t see what is right in front of her. Unfortunately, this caused me to be frustrated with her character at times. I guess love really is blind! The story is well paced and an extremely easy read.

Final Thoughts

The Meeting Point is a cute and fluffy romance. As such, it is a very easy and quick read. I really enjoyed the book and as soon as I finished the story I wanted to start it again. If you like romance novels and don’t mind the predictability then this is definitely a book for you! Honestly, I would definitely love to read a sequel or at least to visit the town of Carmel by the sea again.

If you liked this book then you may also enjoy The Other Side of Lost by Jessi Kirby, a contemporary YA novel about finding yourself and new beginnings.