Eight Perfect Hours

Eight Perfect Hours is a story about chance meetings between a couple who initially find themselves stranded during a blizzard and spend eight hours together in a car. When the storm ends, they go their separate ways only to find that fate has different plans for them. 

This is a charming story with characters readers will root for and several serendipitous situations and emotional obstacles for the couple to overcome. I loved the 'two strangers forced into a unique situation' plot as well as the idea of soul mates making their way to each other again and again. It has a sweet premise, but it didn't quite have the emotional fortitude of Louis' previous book Dear Emmie Blue. I found being stuck in Noelle's head, with her indecision and extreme passivity, a bit much a times and with the couple not spending a lot of time together, I felt their connect wasn't as strong as I was expecting. That said, I enjoyed how the story wraps up giving readers more clarity about the coincidences which leads up to a satisfying ending. 

Overall, I found Eight Perfect Hours to be a bit predictable and not quite the ooey-gooey romance I was expecting, but ultimately, I enjoyed this lighter story about sweet coincidences, destiny and finding your soul mate.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Atria/Emily Bestler Books for my advanced copy of this book given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Lia Louis

Genre: Romance, RomCom

Type and Source: eBook from publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books

First Published: September 28, 2021

Opening Lines: To Noelle. My girl. My best friend.

Book Description from GoodReads: In this romantic and heartwarming novel, two strangers meet in chance circumstances during a blizzard and spend one perfect evening together, thinking they’ll never see each other again. But fate seems to have different plans.

On a snowy evening in March, 30-something Noelle Butterby is on her way back from an event at her old college when disaster strikes. With a blizzard closing off roads, she finds herself stranded, alone in her car, without food, drink, or a working charger for her phone. All seems lost until Sam Attwood, a handsome American stranger also trapped in a nearby car, knocks on her window and offers assistance. What follows is eight perfect hours together, until morning arrives and the roads finally clear.

The two strangers part, positive they’ll never see each other again, but fate, it seems, has a different plan. As the two keep serendipitously bumping into one another, they begin to realize that perhaps there truly is no such thing as coincidence. With plenty of charming twists and turns and Lia Louis’s “bold, standout voice” (Gillian McAllister, author of The Good Sister), Eight Perfect Hours is a gorgeously crafted novel that will make you believe in the power of fate.