OK, first of all I am and aren’t a fan of cheesy rom-coms. Yes, you read that right. I have to be in the right mood for them, but one thing they do offer is a nice change if I have been reading hard, disturbing books (because I there’s nothing more I love that a great controversial or thrilling book).

So cheesy rom-coms aren’t usually my thing but I enjoyed Our Stop. I devoured it in under two days as the chapters are short and I was desperate to see when and how the two protagonists would meet.

If you haven’t heard of this book before, basically, Daniel and Nadia catch the same train most days and Daniel took a chance to reach out to Nadia by writing to her in the Missed Connections section of the newspaper. They end up exchanging a few short letters to each other to try and meet, but life gets in the way and they are frequently (and unknowingly) at the same places throughtout the book but due to things going wrong or getting in the way, they frustratingly miss each other every time by a slight second!

Laura Jane Williams (LJW)’s debut novel is a good, old fashioned love story and I really enjoyed the modern elements of the story. Sometimes you could tell she was trying perhaps a little too hard to make this story modern and relevant for its time, but I still enjoyed it and it made me giggle in some parts.

What I really liked in this book is how modern masculinity is portrayed. Now, I’m all for women’s rights and equality of the sexes, but hear me out here. What LJW does wonderfully well is exploring how masculinity has changed during modern times. She frequently uses the character of Daniel to showcase the ways in which it is perhaps difficult for men to know where they stand when it comes to dating, when female power is on the rise. I have never seen it from the male point of view and I think LJW does an excellent job of exploring dating and relationships from the perspective of a man who is a feminist.

One event where this is evident particularly stays in my mind and that is when Daniel has just read a dating book for women and decides to test out some of the advice given. He tries to initiate a conversation with two women in the lunch queue at work, and they are simply unimpressed by his attempt; branding him as a weirdo and giving him strange looks as they walk away.

I did enjoy this book but it is very cheesy in some parts. If you’re in the mood to read chick-lit, this is definitely one I recommend. Especially with the ending being completely and utterly magical! I wish I had read this when I was single, as it probably would have restored my faith in humanity and ensured me that fate is in fact very real.