I am almost four years late to this and my apologies! Time makes fools of us all. I love Beharrie’s work so much, so feel comfortable recommending this one even if it is still languishing on my endless TBR.

CW: grief, death of a parent/loved one

So we're just gonna ignore how I'm only reading this two years after I got the galley okokokok-

Therese just stabbed stabbed stabbed me in the heart with this book, I swear. Sure, there are some lighthearted moments in this but mostly it's just stabstabstab. I'm all about that intensity of the unresolved issues brought up by Zoey and Sawyer having forced to be in each other's company after not seeing each other for two years. That said, my most favourite thing about this book is the Roux sisters. I relate so much with Zoey's older sisters; my first reaction to any trouble happening to my sibling is *grabs Bob the Builder's fanny pack* oh I can fix that. That quip about Angie being the best cleaner? Me, that's me right there. Makes me think about my own sibling dynamics now hmm.

Also, super happy that there's a character called Lisa in this book (!!!) and she's not a bitch (!!!) and has more than one line!!!

This book was marvellous. Only Therese Beharrie can write a second chance romance like this and have me loving it at the end. Actually, only she can write a friend's to lovers, fake relationship, second chance romance that I will utterly adore. This just hit me in the feels and had me ready to ignore my work to read just a little more. I mean, I finished it in one day and that is practically unheard of for me at the moment.

All I can say is why did I wait so long to read because this was amazing? Zoey and Sawyer were so perfect together and bouncing from past to present so you could see what they were like and how they were now it really showed both their character growth but also the gaps they had in each of their lives with the absence of the other at their side.

Therese Beharrie always knows how to rip my heart out with the feels and her angsty stories. She's one of my favorite angsty romance authors and this book is the epitome of my perfect angst-filled romance. Told in alternating timelines, Zoey and Sawyer's story is one that is sure to rip your heart out and then mend it by the end. This is. a love story between two people are who are hurt and grieving the loss of the relationship. It could easily have veered into too much, but Therese Beharrie is a master at what she writes. I loved seeing how both of these two characters were at fault for the falling apart of their relationship and how they come to that conclusion together. I'm sad that this series is over but I will be re-reading the physical copies I've bought!

One Last Chance is a sweet and sexy second chance romance between Zoey and Sawyer. Both are great characters and I really enjoyed this story.

Now this is what I'm talking about! Heartfelt with a good amount of conflict. The romance shines through and the characters are relatable.

First off I want to say that I felt the characters were well developed and the plot well thought out. However, because this was book 3 in the series and I wasn't aware of that, I felt like I was missing key elements to this story. I enjoyed it, but at times I felt lost and confused. I feel like the author has a unique voice and she spins a good story, but my enjoyment of this book was a bit off because I started it without reading the first two books. I plan to go back and read those books, but for now this gets three stars because I don't feel like it was a complete standalone book.

This is probably my favorite book by Therese Beharrie. It's a pretty angsty second chance romance about a secretly married but estranged couple that can't stop getting in the way of their own happiness. I loved the characters. Their relationship frustrated but also engaged me. The obstacle to this relationship primarily reside within their own insecure, damaged psyches. They've grown but they don't necessarily trust that they've grown enough to be together. One thing that didn't work as well, however, was the flashback structure. It felt disruptive.
That said, I do recommend it if you can navigate around that.
3.5 stars

I confess, I have yet to read book 1 of this series, starting directly with the second book, One Day to Fall. Despite this fact, I quickly fell in love with Therese Beharrie's writing, which is very precise, demonstrating a deep understanding of why people do the things they do. Though meant to read as a standalone, the advantage belongs to the reader who's read all three books. Having already read the middle book, I had a clearer understanding of the family dynamics that have built up over the series. Zoey is set up as the reckless Roux sister, given to impulsiveness and in need of stability.

The height of Zoey's impulsivity is demonstrated when she secretly marries Sawyer, her childhood friend, and essentially wrecks the most important relationship of her life. It's their journey towards understanding themselves and what they did wrong that constitutes the emotional journey of this novel.

One thing I really appreciated about the two books I read was Beharri's willingness to take structural risks with her romances. In book 2, the events of the novel take place in one day. In this novel, she alternates timelines between past and present. Many readers might be thrown by this, preferring a linear narrative but I love her willingness to find the structure that would work best for each story. I could not see this particular story being told any other way without pages of info-dumping. Her editor and publisher deserve all the kudos for allowing her space to do that.

Despite the struggles and angst between Zoey and Sawyer, you never lose the feeling that these two lovers were meant to be together. They simply needed to be in the right emotional place to make things work between them. The narration and internal dialogue of the characters is thoughtful and honest, making you believe even more in their HEA. And the return of earlier couples in the series leaves the reader satisfied. A terrific series that has made Beharrie an autobuy author for me.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Originally published at https://serataino.com/category/book-reviews/

*~~*ARC kindly provided from the publisher/author to me for an honest review *~~*

Full review to come

5 stars

<em>One Last Chance</em> is the first book that I've ever read by <a href="http://bookbinge.com/reviews/authors/therese-beharrie/">Therese Beharrie</a> but it's the third book in her <a href="http://bookbinge.com/reviews/series/one-day-to-forever/">One Day to Forever</a> series. The series is about a trio of sisters who find their one true love. This book features the baby sister of Roux bunch, Zoey. It's a second chance best friends to lovers romance and I liked it. Sawyer and Zoey were great characters and it was super easy for me to fall right in with their story.

Sawyer has been in love with his best friend, Zoey Roux for as long as he can remember. He waited her out, because he felt that she wasn't ready for how powerful his feelings were for him. He knew that if he were to have told her how he felt, she would have run away from him and more than anything, he wanted her in his life. Any way that he can have her so he stayed in the friend zone until six years ago. Six years ago, Zoey found about Sawyer's feelings and she returned them so even though Sawyer knew that Zoey was jumping into a relationship without really thinking, he jumped right in with her because his heart belonged to her anyway. They had a wonderful few months together before it all fell apart and then they both went their separate ways because it was too hard for Sawyer to be around her.

Fast forward and it's six years later, and they run into each other. They've never really talked about what happened between them with their families so it's big awkward when they run into each other. They spend the day trying to dodge each other, run away from the feelings that are still there and then dealing with their past, their present, and figure ou their future. This whole story is told in the present day in one day but there are chapters from their past sprinkled in between as well. I liked seeing where they are now and what happened to bring them to where they are now. Seeing the story unfold like this had me turning the pages as fast as I could read them.

There were times when I wanted to strangle both Zoey and Sawyer. Zoey for thinking she knew what was best for Sawyer and at Sawyer for not being upfront with Zoey about what happened, how he felt and what he wanted from her. He gave and gave and gave to everything to her but he never spoke up about what he wanted. Other than that, I liked seeing the other couples and I'm mighty interested in going back and reading their books. Even though this was the only book in the series that I read, I didn't feel like I missed anything by not having read the other books so this one reads great as a standalone. Beharrie has a bubbly writing style that fit exactly what I was in the mood for so I'm glad that I read this one.

<strong>4 out of 5</strong>

2.5 Stars. This is kind of a weird review for me to write because I think this book exemplifies why I usually prefer to read a series from book 1 rather than jumping in midway to book 3. I suppose technically, this can be read as a stand-alone but there are a lot of familial undercurrents and dynamics that made it clear to me that I was missing context in a way.

The premise of this is second chance romance is that Zoey and Sawyer were childhood friends pretending to be in a relationship (for reasons that never quite really made sense to me) because all their friends and family believe that they are. When they cross the line from friends to lovers, everything changes and their friendship is destroyed. Now years, later, they randomly meet and it seems they have 24 hours to fix their relationship or part forever.

This second-chance, friends to lovers, fake relationship romance is well-written and I liked the author’s approach to the themes. It’s very considered and thoughtful and psychotherapeutic. The characters (especially the main characters) analyse their thoughts and actions in a very thorough and accurate way. You can definitely tell that the author really understands complex human decisions and foibles especially for young adults.

However, my issue with this book is that I feel like it dragged. And I feel that way, because so much of the book happened in the characters’ heads. There was a lot of thinking of thoughts and reminiscing and rehashing of the past internally (in a way that is realistic to how we all dwell and obsess over the last), but after a while it got dull to read. It felt like too many times the characters thought about their insecurities and went over the same ground and we were waiting for them to have a conversation of for something, anything, to happen in this book. I feel like plot and events and story, were in some way sacrificed for deeper reflection and an exploration of character motivation, and to me, that doesn’t really make a compelling read or a rounded character. For example, I couldn’t really connect with Zoey because all I got was her TELLING me the negative way she saw herself, but the few interactions I saw her have with other characters, didn’t mesh with what she was saying. I feel like there could have been a bit more SHOWING. And I feel the same way about Sawyer.

I think the difficulty in connecting to the characters was also not helped by the alternating past and present chapters. They didn’t really allow me to sink into the plot and feel immersed in the story. Just as I would begin to connect with the character, I would be yanked out and thrown into another time with another emotion. The scenes with the caterer character just kind of felt out of nowhere and not cohesive. It just all felt very piecey to me and a little lacking in plot events and actions, and I think the premise was a fantastic one and could have carried a lot more events if it had been told in a linear fashion. There were so many things I wanted to know more about that were mere thoughts of a character or brief snapshot conversations.

I think there’s a lot of self-awareness and self-analysis in this book and it has a very heavy and emotional feel even though there’s also a lot of very witty dialogue (though not enough). I think where this book does best is in the depth of emotion and exploration of feelings and motivations of the characters. It felt very in-depth and comprehensive. I also liked the wit in the conversations and in the plot events when we got to see them. I wish there had been more dialogue and more action/events happening in this book. This also felt very much on the new adult spectrum to me. Being my first book by this author, I definitely want to check her out again to get a better sense of her books (as in the acknowledgments, she reveals that this flashback format was an experimental style for her). I enjoyed her wit and humour.

Content warnings for grief, loss of a parent, guilt and divorce.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Harlequin Books / Carina Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Zoey and Sawyer are best friend who secretly gets married. Due to complicated issues, their short marriage led to them separating. Years later, they are back together and Chloe asked for a divorce. I enjoyed reading this story. Usually, second chance romances are some what tough for me because you know someone was wronged but I found myself rooting for the couple to reconcile. They loved each other so much, you could feel it drop off the pages. I did have some issues with the flashback scenes but I pushed through it. This was my first read from the author and it won’t be my last . I really wished I had read the first books in this series. Enjoyed this book and looking for more from this author

3 1/2 stars

Zoey and Sawyer are best friends who, after the passing of Zoey's father, decide to get married. Them being together didn't last very long, and they never divorced, but are reunited years later. Zoey asks for a divorce, but Sawyer isn't sure that's what either of them really wants. They have to decide how they want to move forward.

I haven't read the first 2 books in the series, so I can't say whether they are needed to read this book. The constant back and forth kinda threw me off a little, but I don't think it totally takes away from the story. The author includes several troupes in this story, including friends to lovers and second chance. Otherwise it was a cute story, and I will probably go back and see more of this author's backlist

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley and Carina Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.

DNF at 18%

I love Beharrie's voice and this series. Unfortunately, I did not realize that the book has flashbacks, alternating every chapter between present day and the past. Flashbacks are a narrative structure that almost never work for me, so I'm giving up on this one but I think the book is wonderful other than that. YMMV.

Zoey Roux and Sawyer Wilson secretly got married six years ago, and it did not work out. Lingering grief issues and other complications could not stand up to Zoey and Sawyer's love. They broke apart, but never got divorced.

Now, thrown back together at Zoey's charity event, is is time for a divorce or a reconciliation?

Whew this is angsty. Flipping back to Zoey and Sawyer's early days of being married and to the present, watching these two hurt people find their love was emotional and ultimately fulfilling. Beharrie is a lyrical writer who makes you get down deep in the hurt but then always finds the light.

Also! This was open door! I've not read an open door Beharrie before and it was lovely and sweetly awkward (both characters are virgins on their wedding night).

CW pregnancy complications, grief

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

What happens when two broken people fall into a marriage and then run away from each other without actually separating? What happens if flawed characters are allowed to actually grow and learn and adapt? One Last Chance suggests they should be allowed to end up happy and in love and based on this book I wholeheartedly agree. Told in flash backs of how they fell into their original marriage while following them meeting again for the first time at a huge family based event. While the characters can be frustrating, it’s because they are honest and willing to show their flaws to themselves and makes the resolution that much more impactful and rewarding. The last in a series, I would recommend reading the others in order to better understand the secondary characters however it is understandable as a stand alone.

This is my first book by Therese Beharrie, but the last instalment of her One Day to Forever series, and in retrospect it probably wasn’t the best place to start. Despite plenty of hints and clues as to the missing back story, I still felt a little at sea. That said, I loved it in so many ways, and will definitely be going back to the earlier books now. This is emotionally astute, witty and playful romance and I am 100% here for it.

One Last Chance belongs to Zoey Roux, the youngest of three sisters, and her former best friend Sawyer Wilson. Zo and Sawyer were inseparable all through high school, and as close as two people could be at university. But then they realised their feelings for one another were not only (not even a little) platonic and it ruined their friendship. Now, six years later, they’re no better than strangers. When they meet by accident at a charity event, amidst their family and friends, they find themselves confronting all the feelings they never resolved and saying all the things they never said.

The narrative is split along two time lines, which alternate chapter by chapter. In the present we spend a day with Zo and Sawyer, as they try to navigate the awkwardness of their damaged intimacy, while in the past we span the years of their friendship and estrangement. In this way we see the depth and complexity of their feelings for each other, and the magnitude of the emotional hurdles they have to overcome to be together.

It’s an angsty journey, to say the least, because Zo and Sawyer are so confused, hurt and angry with one another. They have a lot of baggage, and it takes a lot of talking and arguing (and ill advised kissing) to overcome it. I liked the way the book showed them both trying and failing to be honest with each other (and themselves), hampered by their hang-ups and wrong assumptions. The story is not about two people falling in love, because that’s a done deal, but two people working out how they can be in love *together*, as a partnership.

Beharrie has to play havoc with the usual beats of a romance novel to make this work, and gets the balance just right. The interweaving of episodes of love, intimacy and pain from the past with moments in the present was a delight. There are also significant parts for Zoey’s sisters Angie and Sophia, who were the focus of previous books. The siblings have things of their own to work out, and we get to see their relationships moving forwards. This is why I think it would have been better if I had read the earlier books first, because I missed a lot of the nuance and references. But never mind, it just means I now have them to look forward to.

In “One last chance” (after “one day to fall”) Therese Beharrie writes about Zoey and her love story with her best friend Sawyer. Zoey and Sawyer have been friends for years and they decided to marry when they were 21. When the book starts it’s been six years since they saw each other and both of them are reminder of their feelings for each other and their shared past.
Sawyer is a perfect beta hero, he’s supportive, a real gentleman and (he’s a virgin!) and Zoey it’s an outspoken and sassy heroine.

The book switchs from past to present and we get to read all the development of Sawyers and Zoey relationship and most important why their marriage didn't work in the past but why it would work in the present and future.

Sawyer and Zoey had an agreement that suited both of them but in the present they have to question their desicions and chose if they want to have a future together or not.
Zoey and Sawyer have the support of their respective families, complex charactes who add something to the story, female friendship, sisterhood, male friendships. You can really feel the sense of belonging and love.

Fans of character-driven contemporaries romances with strong main characters and a diverse set of secondary characters would love this book.


TROPES: Friends to lovers, second chance romance, beta (virgin) hero.
CW: Mention of death (heroine's father)

For those who are, or have found themselves a part of the ongoing struggle with romancelandia and the RWA and the lack of diverse and poc authors, Therese Beharrie is a breath of fresh air.
As a Woman of Colour, who writes books about people of colour, who uses her voice to shine a light on her community, and representation she is extraordinary. Beyond that, she is an author who writes the books that Romance readers want.
Although I wish that I’d realised that this was part of an over-arching story of sisters, and binged on the first two books, I loved it.
Therese creates characters that the reader (or at least I) identify with, and want to see find a hea.
She has stepped away from the idea of the unobtainable, selfish, solitary man, and given us a hero that- let’s be honest- most of us would be totally crushing on.
Beharrie’s ability to write male characters that the reader cares about as much as the female is a gift.
I hope that she keeps on giving, and also I will be ordering books one and two