This book took me a while to read. It was not a page turner. the last 25% kept me the most captivated. I appreciated the story and growth from the FMC. The MMC annoyed me in the beginning but had different feelings by the end of the book.

I wanted to love this book more than I did. Maybe because the complexities of the relationship between Clara and Benjamin hit a little too close to home, or maybe because second chance romances aren't usually a trope I'm drawn to, but either way, the story was well-written, and the characters were easy to connect with, and I found myself ultimately rooting for them. The development and ultimate crumbling of their relationship and lives was very much right person/wrong time, and it was heartbreaking. Reading as the two of them tried to navigate the unfortunate hand that life dealt each of them made my heart ache for them.
The back-and-forth timeline jumps were a little difficult to keep up with however.

My heart just overflows with the emotions that their stories and actions wring from me and their stories settle so deeply in my heart, I feel like I know these characters personal. Utterly BRILLIANT writing

Good but not that great

Has plot twist in it but so-so

Too much drama and denial but good enough to understand the slice of life

The real coming of age with the hint of “The princess and the pauper”

But, I just don’t feel it that great. Easy read tho

Some theories that might be analyzed:
• English “culture”
• Coping Mechanism
• Traumatic experience effect on different gender
• The meaning of letting go
• Coming of age struggle
• The privilege of being rich
• Society views— expectation as a burden; parent’s dream as yours differently
• Faces you had in different place
• Teenage’s mind
• Masculinity pride (?)
• Favoritism—What happened behind the close door?
• Having family is not always the answer

— full review soon posted soon✨

this was a different kind f love story. I loved the way it was written and the different points of view. Never read this author before so will look for others. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

Buckle up for a rollercoaster ride of emotions with "The One that Got Away"! This book isn't just your average love story—it's a wild adventure through the twists and turns of romance, regret, and second chances. Get ready to laugh, cry, and maybe even throw the book across the room in frustration (but don't worry, you'll pick it right back up because you can't put it down!).This novel dives deep into the messy, complicated world of love, exploring themes of regret and the bittersweet longing for what could have been. But it's not all doom and gloom—there's plenty of humor and heart along the way to keep you hooked.Whether you're a hopeless romantic or just love a good page-turner, "The One that Got Away" promises to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. So grab your favorite snack, cozy up with a blanket, and prepare to be swept away by this unforgettable tale of love, loss, and the enduring power of second chances.

there were a lot of topics touched in this story that I wasn't expecting - overall enjoyed my time reading

This was a good read. It covers some heavy and heartbreaking topics, so I think readers should be aware of that up front. I love second chance romances and books that explore how life can ebb and flow after college.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A story about what first love means and how it alters your life and future. The main characters of Clara and Benjamin are well developed so it’s easy for the reader to understand what they’re feeling during key moments. There is a bit of suspense in this story about life and love. A climatic event opens the book and its followed by past and present day occurrences that pull it all together. Not in a neat little bow with a euphoric ending, but in a clear-eyes but messy knot that proves what matters most in life. You won’t regret getting to know these characters. This book deserves a read!

This was not what I thought it was going to be. I thought this was going to be a light hearted second chance romance. It was not. It was heavy, with heavy topics, I was so caught off guard.

This book goes back and forth in different years., from when Benjamin and Clara meet in college to the breakup, then to where they are now. As we follow them through many years of their lives. there is still a pull for them, This is not a reomance but a story that contains real life things, alcoholism, abuse, death of a parent sexual assult to a child, cheating, and infertility. I still felt this was a good book. It follows through decades of there lives and this type of content is to be expected.

For me I thought the book was good, even thought here was some slow spots in it.

This one did not quite work for me. I didn't feel enough of a connection from the two main characters or feel any reason that they may feel as connected to each other as they do. I did like the past to present shifts in storyline but overall just didn't connect with any of the storylines.

We all have that one person who crosses our mind from time to time or we still have a soft spot for. What if you found out that person could've been involved in a tragic terrorist attack? Do you set everything aside to find out or keep moving forward with your life? This one was a heart-wrencher and I loved the characters.

Contemporary romance about 2 people who met and 20 years later circumstances bring together again. It was a slow start for me and overall a medium paced book. It was a decent read, but not one I would pick up again.

There are many heavy topics in this book, so please look at trigger warnings before reading this. There weren't any when I read the blurb, and it doesn't seem like this would be a rather dark, angsty novel, so be mindful.

Initially, I found it too unlike what I was expecting to fully enjoy, but the more I stuck with it, the better it became. This is a story about second chances and love and family and heartbreak, and it broke my heart so many times. The author handled sensitive topics very well, and the ending was satisfying.

Two people meet in college and are good friends. This book was full of topics such as assault. and there were a lot of heavy topics such as alcoholism, child sexual abuse, death of a parent, infertility and cheating in this plot.

When I read about the book, it sounded like a light-hearted second chance story but I was left baffled when I learned that Clara was married and Benjamin had a son. The trailer failed to mention these details and there were no trigger warnings either. This story was told throughout the span of twenty something years. I have to admit that Clara & Benjamin's relationship was so different and I disliked Clara more than Benjamin. She was irrational, impulsive, privileged and her arguments were embarrassing. She couldn't change even after twenty years. I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters and I just wanted to see how it ends but the ending was too abrupt. Definitely would have liked more there.

Not what I expected. I DNF it at 20%. Very slow and just plain boring. There was nothing that would draw me back in to continue reading it.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for ARC in exchange form my honest review.

Soulmates, meant to be, all that stuff. I thought this was going to be another right person wrong time story, but it was so so much more.
Thank you so much to NetGalley for the act!

Books like this are too much for me! The emotion. Very well written. Heart wrenching story. Makes me fearful for my future, so I like to stay away from these. But good book for those who like this kind.

This story broke my heart in so many ways. From the moment they met, I was rooting for Ben and Clara's love story- and watching them be torn apart by miscommunications was truly devastating. Twenty years later, a tragic event pushes Clara to seek Ben out, and the result is not something anyone could have seen coming. This story dealt with a very tragic, but topical, event that is far too common in this day and age. I think the author handled the topic very sensitively, while also focusing on how our youth can be affected by these events and everything that leads up to them. It was equal parts a love story and a family story, which made the pay off at the end all the more rewarding.