This was a hard book to read but I am glad I read it. It’s not as light as it might seem by description but definitely worth a read!

The One That Got Away by Charlotte Rixon was a wonderful novel about the fear of not knowing in a time when the world has gone crazy around you. Twenty years after Benjamin and Clara have gone their separate ways, Clara sees Benjamin on a news show, searching for his son where a bombing has just taken place. She's so taken aback that she starts searching for him, for he has been the one that held her heart for the last twenty years, as she's held his. As she helps him search for his son, old feelings are rekindled, fears are faced and beliefs are challenged...will they ever get past this tragic moment in history?

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Don't miss this one, an excellent look into unexpected tragedy that will leave you feeling all the feels!

This is a combination love story and coming-of-age story. It depicts how wonderful and comforting love can be, but also how sad and distrustful it can be.

Benjamin and Clara meet while at university, fall madly in love, and become inseparable for two years. They are quite different from each other - Clara is smart, driven, clever, funny and comes from a well to-do family. Benjamin is morose, not very studious, angsty and addicted to football. On their last night together, tragedy strikes and they don’t see other again for 20 years, each of them already living a different life, yet still yearning for each other. It’s yet another tragedy that brings them back together.

It’s hard to really connect deeply with either character, but I think that’s sort of the point. The author isn’t sugarcoating love nor describing perfect people. It’s actually a refreshing take on young love. I give this book 4 stars. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

This book followed the storyline of Clara and Benjamin. It jumps around timelines, where it starts when they meet while they are at university, the present day, and then somewhere in the middle. You get a full view of their lives and their relationship, although there certainly are some holes and questions regarding their lack of communication at many points.

I think the one thing that really bothered me was the dangling the whole reason why they broke up. It was literally at the 88 percent mark that it was finally revealed. It wasn't necessary to keep this hanging - the book already starts with a "cliffhanger" where there is someone who bombs a soccer stadium and we don't know who it is (we do find out by the end).

Overall, I liked the story of Clara and Benjamin, even if I did not like the character of Clara at all. She made some questionable decisions and was hard to like throughout her chapters.

The writing style was the biggest obstacle for me with this one. I could not get into the story because of it and unfortunately, I skimmed more often than not. I really wanted to be able to like the characters and story since the premise of the book lured me in, but this was not for me.
Recommended For: Those who want to read a romance book.

This was an interesting, yet sad novel about a love from years past that ended in tragedy for both main characters here.
The horror is recreated in the present day; thus alternating from present to past as we move through the pages.

I have to admit, I had quite a bit of difficulty following this story at times and it made for my frustration.
I did finish the book and the ending was neatly put together to fully understand the characters and the plot.

If you like a mystery, heartbreak, and drama, then this will be enjoyed.

Thank you to #NetGalley and to #St Martin"s Press for this ARC and for allowing me to read and provide my own review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing this ARC.

This book was well-written, and I feel that Clara and Ben's journey was certainly interesting.

However, I don't believe this book should be categorized as Romance. There were many heavy topics covered, including alcoholism, sexual abuse, terrorism, child abuse, infertility, cheating, alcoholism, and manslaughter. I was not prepared for the heavy-hitting emotional toll that this book gave me, and I think that could have been remedied by categorizing it as Women's Fiction or just plain Fiction.

I was not a fan of the book. It's meant to be a second chance romance, but it's really a thriller about a terrorist attack at a soccer stadium. I received a review copy from NetGalley and have left my opinion.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is a skillfully written second-chance romance. But it also contains a lot of difficult themes and topics that blanketed the whole thing with a feeling of dread that didn’t lift, for me, until the end of the story. There’s not a lot of lightness in this book.

It even starts on a heavy note: In present day, an unknown person is carrying out a suicide bombing in a crowded soccer stadium. You then go back in time to the year 2000 to be introduced to Clara and Benjamin, who met in college and fell deeply in love.

The two have a typical relationship that was marred with mistakes, miscommunication and a dash of bad luck. The book is told in different timelines: Back in the present, Clara is married to a wonderful man (not Benjamin) who she just can’t give her whole heart to. Benjamin is simply surviving while raising a son who’s the light of his life. Clara yearns to talk to Benjamin and is constantly wondering what might have been. Meanwhile, Benjamin feels he’s not good enough for Clara and tries to make the best of his situation.

Throughout the story, you are trying to find out what happened in their relationship that led them to such separate (and sad) lives. You are also on the edge of your seat, wanting to find out: who was the mysterious bomber, and how do they fit in the story? Charlotte Rixon does a good job of slowly unspooling her tale, little by little, which keeps the reader engrossed and interested.

Both Benjamin and Clara are very “real” characters. What I mean by this is that they are flawed: they each act in ways that they’re not proud of and make mistakes (like real people you meet every day). But do I really want this kind of realness in my romances? I think I’d rather have a bit of fantasy - and there is no fantasy in THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, but my heart was heavy the whole time I was reading.

Notable quotes:

“She can see now that friendship is so much more valuable. There is so much pressure put on romantic love; a pressure that bends and distorts it into something harmful.”

“What really matters are the people who care for you without any drama. The ones who will always be there. The ones who will love you when you’re old and infirm. The ones who know how to make you smile when you’re down. The ones who know when you want to be left alone, and equally know when you need is a hug, a smile, a kind word … an invisible connection that can pass through any medium. The ones you can go years without speaking to, and then when you do, it’s like no time has passed.”

“A simple life with people I love. That’s all I ever wanted.”

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the writing and it kept me reading. I fell in love with the characters and wanted to know why they broke up. I kept rooting for them throughout the book. I normally don't read romances, but this one kept me reading. Thank you for creating such a well-written, character-driven book.

This is the first book I've read by Charlotte Rixon and I enjoyed it.
The One That Got Away was a fabulous book with incredibly sweet and engaging writing.
Making me smile throughout and feeling nostalgic.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

St. Martin Press,
Thank you for your generosity and gifting a copy of this approved eARC!

Thank you to Charlotte Rixon and NetGalley for my e-ARC in exchange for my review.

The premise of this book sounds super cute, two people who fall in love separate for 20 years and then find each other again. The book opens with a bang, quite literally, and hooks you in. Out of all the characters in the book Benjamin was my favorite.
There were several things that I did not love about the book. Typically with romances I like them to be quick short reads with lighter topics discussed. The middle of the book felt way to long and there was too much information that didn't seem pertinent to the overall love story of Clare and Benjamin. The eventual coming back together of Clare and Benjamin at the end of the book seemed very off to me. If I was a parent who could not find her child after a major event has happened I would not be comforted or interested in talking to anyone, regardless of if I loved them in the past. Even though she was well written, I hated the character Clare, so it made half of the book unenjoyable to read.

I feel like I’m in the minority here, but this book wasn’t enjoyable to read at all. There was some Insta love from Clara that was an immediate turnoff for me. In fact, Clara was entirely unlikable. My dislike for her cast a shadow on the book as a whole, because it was hard to get passed. I thought the book was well written overall, but the author did choose to use phrases such as “he is going to” rather than the contraction “he’s going to” which might have made the writing more laid back and relatable. There were times it didn’t reflect how people really talk. I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book- thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to review. Clara & Benjamin meet in those early days of University, both shy ,both uncertain and trying to figure out who they are and who they are meant to become. They struggle with their different backgrounds and interests and as they prepare to graduate a life changing evening sends them in different directions...

This author has written a cannot put down novel. Clara and Benjamin love each other. Friends and family cannot understand. Are they destined to be together? What happens in this romantic mystery? A tragedy…meeting again…a son…a husband…these characters come alive on the pages of this book. This author is talented and gifted at weaving a story where the present meets the past. What happened then? What will happen next? A husband waiting…a career…a family…friends…how did they lose each other. So many questions to answer…also who bombed the stadium? This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks also to the publisher and the author. I cannot wait to read more books by this author.