When I first started this series, I wasn't sure how I would like it. It's a very dark, but relevant topic in our society. The first two books were great and I have liked the series, but this book....this one was something special. This book touches on the the family members of the attackers, people that I haven't thought much of. I've never really thought about what happens to their family after something like this and how they are destroyed. Taryn and Shaw's story had me in tears as I suffered through what they were going through. Shaw stole my heart early on and I adored him. So sorry for everything he had been through.

The emotions this story brings are raw and real. I waited way to long to read this one and wish I hadn't. Well done Ms. Loren, well done.

I loved the first book in this Roni Loren series when I read it back in 2018. Loved it, couldn’t stop raving about it, and really enjoyed the second book. Unfortunately after the stress of 2020 my tastes have changed a lot. I finally picked up The One You Fight For a few days ago and I’m really struggling with the heaviness of the story. I hope to one day be able to finish the series, but for now it is a DNF at 15%

AUTHOR FEATURED ON FRESH FICTION
I love the beginning of the year. I’m not one to set resolutions necessarily because I set goals monthly and quarterly, but I do love the idea of a fresh start. I am someone who loves a paper planner, and I use more than one, so there’s something renewing about closing my planners and opening up brand new ones with blank pages. All the possibilities of things to come is exciting. And one thing I love to prepare for is a great year of reading.

I’m a writer and have to be pretty intentional about my reading because it’s a main source of writing inspiration and is a way for me to practice self- care. When I stop reading, things go south quickly. However, it’s easy to let reading slide when I’m under writing deadlines and there’s so much work to do running a business. So each year, I’m very deliberate about having a robust reading life.

Here are five things I do to make sure that my reading year is going to be fantastic…

Roni Loren knocks it out of the park again with The One You Fight For. Taryn and Shaw are both great characters and I was quickly rooting for them to get a Happily Ever After.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Okay, let me just say wow wow wow. First off, let me gush about this amazing cover! While I adore the other covers, and I do, I ALWAYS swoon over a cover when they have a character who is brown and with crazy hair like mine. I was so much more excited about this story when I saw the cover.

Taryn is another survivor of the Long Acre shooting. That day she lost her sister and her family hasn't been the same since. Since graduating high school, she's dedicated her life to preventing another school shooting. One night she gets nervous and she goes into a karaoke bar and meets Shaw. Shaw isn't planning on sticking in town very long and is just there to help his friend open a specialty gym. He's changed his name and doesn't want anyone digging into his past.

The One You Fight For just broke my heart. Shaw's brother was one of the Long Acre shooters and has lived with the shame and guilt from that shooting ever since. When he bumps into Taryn he doesn't know who she is right away, but when he does he doesn't want to interrupt her life.

Shaw's and Taryn's characters both broke my heart for different reasons. Early on Taryn's life work gets rejected and she spends a lot of this book doing some much-needed self-care. Life keeps throwing her together with Shaw and after he tells her who he is, it becomes a struggle while she's falling for him while trying to hide who he is.

Shaw is just feeling a lot of guilt and a lot of feelings that he doesn't have a lot of love for himself or his family. He's suffered a lot of trauma and this story really takes a good look at how media and people can twist things around the families of the shooters. It's not something we often get to see, but I feel like this was done amazingly well.

I loved this story. It ripped my heart out and had me feeling all the feels. Taryn is another one dealing with family pressures and expectations along with her own guilt, but at the same time, it's very different than what Rebecca was dealing with. I always love that with Roni Loren's stories. She grasps that issues and situations can be similar on paper but are also very nuanced.

Another absolute must-read. I was super sad to have their story end, but I am so excited with how it ended.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I mostly liked it but I have some reservations. There was a twist near the end that was realistic but I didn't like it. For one thing, it was too obvious and cliched. And the book was easy to put down. I finished it because I felt I had to, and not because I was eager for the story.

4.5 stars!

I absolutely love this series. From the first book I was sucked into this beautifully sad story about the effect of a school shooting. Roni Loren took a extremely hard subject and turned it into a wonderfully written book.

The best thing about The One You Fight For was being able to see both sides of the families and how the aftermath of the shooting affected both the victims families and the shooters families. It isn’t always a clear cut situation.

I really enjoyed watching Shaw & Taryn’s relationship develop. Two lost souls finding each other and bringing out the best in each other. Their banter was fun to read too, overall I just thought this was a great read.

If you haven’t picked up the first two books in this series, it’s a must before reading this one!

Easily one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. The entire premises of this series continues to stick with me. I can’t count how many times I’ve seen a school shooting tragedy come across my screen. I’ve never stopped to really contemplate what life for the survivors would be like. Ms. Loren explores that with an open, honesty that stole my breath, kicked me in the gut, and sliced open my heart. I was bleeding for these characters.

Forever marred by one horrible evening, Taryn has devoted her life to preventing another school shooting from happening. Fixing her sites on Psychology, she’s developed a program that could help identify and treat high risk youth. The problem is getting her baby out into the world and in use.  Devoting every waking moment to her goal, and her parents has left little to no time for herself. But with her besties from high school and fellow Long Acre survivors at her side, she’s being pulled into recreational time kicking and screaming. I can’t say enough about Taryn! She was bright, compassionate, giving, and driven! I was on the edge of my seat, cheering her own, and suffering ever set back with her. She deserved the world, and I wanted her to have it! Job well done on the character creation Ms. Loren!

Shaw Miller was a heart-breaking casualty of the tragedy, forgotten and blamed for things he didn’t do. Seeing the events from his point of view were eye opening. How many people think about the family of the shooter, and how they’re affected. Ms. Loren does such an excellent job of showing both side in such a realistic way. I ached for Shaw!

Their meet cute was fresh, and I loved the ways they kept running into one another. I never got bored, and the secrets that kept being revealed were powerful, on point, and real. I highly recommend this book as a must read for 2019.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I know this is a third book in a series but each can be read as a standalone. All of the characters have suffered pain and loss in the process of a terrible event that has left then all kind of hanging on by a thread. The terrible was a school shooting. Taryn lost her little sister and her love interest in this story Shaw is the brother of the shooter. They both are doing what they can to just survive day after day. They need each other to deal with the pain that this matter caused them.

This series by Roni Loren has been excellent and while The One You Fight For featured two characters I loved, the plot was a bit predictable and somewhat repetitive making it my least favorite of the three I’ve read to date. That’s not to say I didn’t find this book intriguing because honestly, this is the most intriguing romance in the bunch, but several plot point felt contrived and that lessened my feelings on this book considerably.

Pairing a survivor of a high school shooting who lost her only sister in the shooting with the brother of one of the shooters was a bold choice, but in reality this book shows that there are all types of survivors when a mass shooting occurs. Taryn Landry has dedicated her life to becoming a forensic psychologist and developing a program to prevent school shootings from happening, she feels she is close to her goal of getting it implemented in schools, but between her research work and the pressure put on her by her parents and their need to have her around all the time Taryn is burnt out. Following another bad date, she steps into a bar where she sings at an open mic night living out her dream of performing which sends her into a panic attack and being saved by a handsome stranger. Shaw Miller can’t help but approach and help the beautiful woman with the voice of an angel when it is clear she is having a panic attack, but he knows it can never go anywhere and he leaves quietly only for them to meet again under different circumstances. One meeting might be coincidence, but two has fate written all over it.

I admired Taryn and her dedication to working on a program that she hopes will keep another school shooting from happening by reaching those kids before it is too late. As someone who works in the school system, I can honestly see the value in a program Taryn developed. Where I had issues with her was her inability to see that her work and her parents were literally draining the life out of her. I had a hard time with a psychologist not being able to see the co-dependent relationship she had with her parents, especially her mother and how despite her age she had problems with telling them to butt out of her life. I had so many questions regarding this part of the story and why she and her dad allowed her mother to wallow in her grief even after a decade has gone by, why they hadn’t worked harder with counseling, why did she not make them see that they weren’t honoring their dead daughter by living their best lives. To be honest, this part of the story drove me bat sh*t crazy and I wanted to shake Taryn and tell her to be brave and stand up. I get that she had quilt, that she felt she owed her sister, but she had to know this wasn’t healthy.

Quite simply I was heartbroken for Shaw and the life he was forced to abandon when his younger brother committed a heinous crime and I’ll admit that his story was so compelling. Unfortunately today with social media and 24 hour news media, people are often tried when they aren’t to blame and Shaw being related to a mass murderer not only made him abandon his Olympic dreams, but also his college education. He chose to live a solitary life away from the city and state he grew up in especially after an incident that not only garnered him public attention, but lost him something very precious. I hurt for this man who carried a heavy burden and really had done nothing wrong.

I love the way these two met, how their paths crossed again, and the sexual tension between them was combustible. There was no doubt that embarking on a relationship no matter what kind was a risk and complicated, but it was also easy to see that there was something between them that couldn’t be denied.

Taryn’s friends were around and the scenes between them as always were crazy, fun, but poignant especially when they found out that the man she was seeing was someone who was related to the boy that changed all of their lives. The fact that Taryn while trying to pitch her program to school districts was involved with a man who was related to the shooter that killed her own sister was problematic enough especially given her parent’s overbearing involvement in her life which is why I was disappointed a situation was thrown in towards the end to add drama that wasn’t needed.

A story of understanding, forgiveness, and love I enjoyed The One You Fight For and am looking forward to the last book in what has been a stellar series.

***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca and Roni Loren.***

The One You Fight For, by Roni Loren, is the third book in the The Ones Who Got Away series. Taryn lost her sister in a school shooting. Shaw’s brother was the one who pulled the trigger. Both have spent every day since dealing with the fallout. 14 years later their paths cross. They’re the least likely couple in the history of coupling. It can’t possibly work, can it?

This book can definitely be read as a standalone, as I haven’t read the others in the series. I liked this story, but I didn’t fall in love with it or Shaw and Taryn. Loren did a great job explaining where they were coming from and how their pasts plagued them. For me, I had trouble fully connecting to them. I think it was because the past just wouldn’t let them go, so the whole thing seemed a bit doomed. I appreciated Shaw’s honesty about his past before the 2 got involved. I liked the chemistry between them.

This book has triggers in terms of gun violence and mass shootings. I thought Loren did a very thorough and careful job exploring these themes. Overall, this was an interesting and thought provoking read.

After reading the first book, I was so excited to be approved for this ARC and it definitely did not disappoint.

This series grabs a hold of your heart, pulverizes it and then mends it, piece by piece until you come through the other end, a little battered and bruised but thrilled for the experience!

I loved this book so much. In fact, every single book in this series has been phenomenal. "The One You Fight For" deals with such tough and unexpected issue for a romance book, but it is handled thoughtfully and I was engaged with every single word of this book. Taryn and Shaw's story was beautiful, heartbreaking, hopeful, romantic, just everything, I laughed, I cried, I went through every single emotion with these two.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The One You Fight For is the third book in a series, but it stands alone well. The overarching theme is survivor guilt and how it shapes people's lives. The heroine survived a school shooting that her sister did not. The hero is the brother of one of the shooters. 14 years after the shooting, the two cross paths. I appreciated the care and respect Roni Loren gave the subject matter. The characters are complex and layered, as is the situation. The secondary characters are really well drawn. This is, after all, a romance, and I found the ending quite satisfactory. Ms. Loren writes with passion, and the love scenes are well placed and move the story along. I will be picking up the two earlier books.
I received my copy through NetGalley and am under no obligation to the publisher.

Roni Loren loves us so much that she is bringing Taryn story to us. We get to know more about Taryn in The One You Fight For. And it is a dozy.

Taryn has lost her sister in the high school shooting. And she almost too. She has experience a lot from the high school shooting that it shape her into the smart forensic psychologist. She is determine to bring down the statistic of high school shooting. It will be a tough road for her but no one wants to listen. She is determine to bring the facts into light no matter what.

While she is trying her best to bring facts in the world, she also going to face some challenges when she fall in love with Shaw. Shaw is a lost soul since he has been judged from his brother acts. He is the brother of the shooter of the high school shooting that Taryn was in. It definitely was shocking to read but it also brought in some harsh facts too. Family members are victims too. It may be oversight but it does not go unnoticed to Taryn.

Taryn and Shaw will face a lot if they ended up together. And they truly should. They have the truest love for each other that you do not want them to break up at all. But there are a lot of people who will. They will face constant questioning but their love is worth it.

The One You Fight For will bring two old souls that are meant for each other but it will be an emotional roller-coaster for them. 4 stars.

This book is taking on school shootings from a different perspective. You have Tyran Laundry who is a survivor and is now a physiologist, who also lost her younger sister. She has been working on research and ways to find signs of finding students that need help and offer them a program for help. She is supported by her friends who are also survivors of the shooting. You then get a look at the shooters family in Shaw Miller who is the shooters older brother and has changed his named and how his once-promising athletic career is gone. Now the author weaves a story around that have these to people meet fall in love and by them working on healing each other they begin to heal the community, and more importunately Tyran’s family. There is laughter, serious, friendship, disappointment, encouragement by friends and shows how grieve can hold one down. A very good story and I liked all of the characters. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 5 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

I read The One You Fight For way back in January — it was my first book of the year, in fact — but never got around to reviewing it. I’m not even going to try to make excuses. It was a fantastic book that provided a great ending to this series that won my heart over the last year or so.

I knew I was in for an emotional journey with this book. I mean, pairing the sister of a Long Acre shooting victim with the brother of the shooter? No way I was getting out of that one without shedding some tears. It might sound like an odd pairing, but it wasn’t. Taryn and Shaw were actually pretty perfect for each other. I loved how they opened up to each other and found a way to move on from the ugliness of the tragedy that affected both of them. I also loved how Taryn channeled her pain into research and trying to find a way to prevent tragedies like this in the future. Combine that with Shaw’s feeling that the ugliness that lived in his brother also lived in him — and that he was, in a way, responsible for his brother’s actions — and I couldn’t put this one down.

The One You Fight For delivered a sweet, sexy and emotional romance between two people who truly deserved it. But, it also gave me a whole lot to think about. Each of the books in this series have, to be honest. While reading, I found myself putting myself in both Taryn’s and Shaw’s shoes at different times. I’m not sure I would have been as forgiving and gracious as Taryn and I probably would’ve felt as guilty as Shaw. There’s a myriad of layers to this story and the series as a whole. I like when books make me think. (As long as there’s still some kissing.)

I thought The One You Fight For was the last book in the series, but I’m thrilled to find out there’s another one coming. Even if it’s not until the end of December. I can take the wait if it means getting more from this series.

Favorite Quotes:
Songs from her childhood were like that—old friends who never quite left her, even when she’d forgotten they existed. The words came back as though they’d just been waiting in line to be sung.

Shaw had accepted that something was broken inside him, but he didn’t want to live life feeling like a hollow shell.

“You can say you’re sorry for lying to me. You can say you’re sorry for kissing me back tonight. You can say you’re sorry for my loss. But don’t take blame for things that aren’t yours to own.”

“You are not ugliness. You are Shaw Miller, the guy I love. You are worth the trouble.”

The One You Fight For follows yet another survivor of the Long Acre High School shooting. Taryn along with Liv, Finn and Rebecca from the previous books were brought back together by a documentary in which they participated. Since then we've come to know how they've coped since the shooting.


Taryn is definitely interesting because of the unique way she has chosen to move forward with her life. As a professor who has done extensive research into sociopathic behaviour she hopes to put her work to good use. Since her life was spared she wants to make sure that everything she does makes a difference and brings about positive changes. But she's always gingerly towing the line between being the dutiful daughter and letting her creative side break through.


At the other end there's Shaw who's life was upended by the shooting because of his relation to the killer. Though he didn't pull the trigger he's carried the guilt and shame of what happened. His life fell apart and his future took on a far different trajectory than what he was destined for. He moved away for a while to escape all the unwanted attention and was convinced to come back to Austin to start up a business.


This isn't necessarily a case of opposites attract but two people at opposite ends of the same tragedy.. Somehow Taryn and Shaw work. Honestly, I'm surprised by Taryn's ability to compartmentalize all these facts and details and look past all the ugliness that surrounds their association to each other to fight for a chance with Shaw. This is why I find her so interesting - she really is one surprise after another. There's so much working against them least of all people's reactions to their friendship. But what might drive them apart is the one thing that they have in common: that they've continued to be defined and imprisoned by this one event. Perhaps their union is the catalyst to help them recover the parts of their identity and lives that went to pieces.


I couldn't get enough of Taryn and Shaw's chemistry but mostly it was their complicated situation that kept me tuned in. It was enough to make me fidgety. And then there's the tragedy itself that has forever marked these individuals. I'm fascinated by how Loren relays these individuals' experiences reminding us that the effects don't just stop because the horrible thing is over. They last forever, there's no escaping that and each one of these friends has dealt with it in their own manner.


As with the first two books in this series, The One You Fight For is a highly addictive read. It overwhelms with emotion, squeezes your heart and also offers a glimmer of hope to hold onto.


~ Bel