I think everyone has had AT LEAST one moment of “what if”. What if something never happened, what if this went differently, what if we didn’t break up? The One That Got Away is all about that. What if Clara and Benjamin hadn’t broken up? What if what happened that night - the night that changed everything - hadn’t happened?

This book flashes from the present day, where a tragedy has just happened - a bombing at a football stadium in Newcastle, UK - and the past moments of Clara and Benjamin’s lives together and apart.

I really liked getting such a close look into what both Clara and Benjamin were thinking and what was going through their minds, even though the story is told from a 3rd person POV. Even though both of them were pretty unlikable in the beginning of the book, being able to understand what they were thinking made them more bearable.

I thought that I would get confused with the book not just going back and forth a lot, but also from Clara to Benjamin and back, but it was really easy to keep track of what was going on and not get lost.

I thought that this book was a very easy and interesting read. It kept me interested all the way until the end, wanting to find out what happened and how everything gets resolved. It’s also a pretty quick read - I finished it in just over a day.

Overall, I can see this book coming a nice classic and a good book club read. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

3.5 stars (listed as 3 stars)
The description of the book drew me in, but the story didn’t live up to the description. There are many difficult topics that the author includes in the story of Clara and Benjamin’s first love, and those subjects may cause some readers discomfort. I liked that Rixon included breadcrumbs to follow as the plot unfolded, but I thought the reveal of what happened between Benjamin and Clara was missing something after all the build up. The differences between Benjamin and Clara seemed to grow as the story developed, and I had a hard time liking either of them at times. It was a quick read and wanted to see how the ending brought their story to a close. It was worth the read and it reminded me of those first loves where you lose yourself for someone else.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book in return for an honest review.

I honestly did not like this book at all for probably the first half of it. I thought the two main characters were both extremely unlikeable. As I kept reading, though, I was pleasantly surprised. The character development is wonderful and I found myself loving both of them by the end. I did find the plot a bit predictable. I think the ending was satisfying and I appreciate not having a super dramatic ending after everything that happens toward the end. I enjoyed how the timeline jumps around a bit and think it kept me more engaged. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance readers copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. This book opens up in present day, with our main characters, Benjamin and Clara, living separate lives and separately experiencing the after effects of a (fictional) bombing. This tragedy sets our story in motion and throughout the book, we begin to learn how our characters initially met, came together, and slowly fell apart to lead them to where they are presently. This is above all else, a love story and also, I think a story of individual growth and development.
Both of our main characters certainly had a strongly developed personality and even shortly into the story, I found myself caring about them and invested in their love story. I appreciated Clara’s passionate nature and thought that the author successfully showcased how this was both a positive and negative trait! I found Benjamin’s character and weak nature a bit frustrating but, I understand that this may have been the point. I also want to note that I appreciated how this story focused on more than just the main characters love story but, showed how real life events and traumas affected them in their daily lives, as this is certainly more reflective of reality.
Overall, I breezed through this book and found myself interested enough to read this in one sitting! I would recommend this book to anyone interested in more realistic love stories or anyone interested stories with strong character development.

You meet Clara Davies-Clarke and Benjamin Edwards early on in their personal journeys and it was captivating to see where life and circumstance took them. The way that the author detailed Clara and Benjamin’s backgrounds and upbringing helped form a perfect picture of who they truly were as characters. They are two different and complex protagonists. Their love story is filled with energy, love, anger, and deceit. I was rooting for them and against them from page and page and it left me wanting more. Author, Charlotte Rixon, has created a beautiful piece on first loves, first loses, what-ifs and what is.
Read if you love: first loves, second chances, opposites attracted.
Content warning: heavy drinking, sexual abuse, self harm and terrorism.

I feel bad saying this, especially since it’s a debut, but this was…rough. I could see what it was trying to do - create a sweeping, emotional story of two fated lovers trying to find their way back to each other amidst tragedy. But for a story trying its best to evoke a reaction, I mostly felt nothing. And when I did happen to feel something it was usually boredom or annoyance.

The couple has a bad case of insta-love without anything to build off from there. No chemistry, no fun banter, they’re both just sort of bland and are in a constant loop of miscommunication.

Benjamin is more interesting than Clara, though his character seems to rely solely on trauma for development, but she’s just an awful person. Emotionally manipulative, possessive, crying at the smallest perceived slight, and flying off the handle for things less offensive than what she’s already guilty of doing. I was embarrassed for her. And ultimately I couldn’t root for them. They’d be better off without each other.

It’s supposed to be adult, I think? Given the tough subject matter throughout. So check trigger warnings. But the characters act painfully immature and melodramatic.

No matter what I thought, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for an honest review. Sorry I couldn’t give a more favorable one!

The One that Got away is the story of Benjamin and Clara. They meet in university, fall in love, and spend almost every moment together until Clara’s last night at university and a tragic life changing event happens. 20 years later, they have both moved on with their lives. Clara is married and has a successful career but her mind constantly wanders where Benjamin is and how different her life would have been.
Clara is at work when news of a bomb explosion at Newcastle City stadium. She immediately begins to panic that Benjamin is there and feels the need to go and find him.
Most everyone has that first love that when things are not going good in the present it is easy to wonder what if. Charlotte Rixon takes that first love with the warm fuzzy stuff then digs deeper in all the bad and toxic things that the mind seems to forget happened. I had a very difficult time even liking Clara due to her actions and thoughts. I found myself wanting to shout at Benjamin for his poor choices in sharing information and giving into her demands. I struggled with the timelines. I would be settled in to reading about their university years then realize the story had moved up 14 years then back to the beginning and then jumped forwarded to the present. I would often have to turn back to the beginning of the chapter to check what year it was.
Thanks to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 Stars - To start, there are a plethora of trigger warnings I think are important to mention for this book: alcohol/drug abuse, child abuse, rape/assault, infertility, acts of violence, etc.

I love a good second chance romance; however, I found it hard to root for the main characters’ relationship because it felt so unhealthy from the start. Almost every character has layers of trauma that haven’t been worked through and there are some incredibly dark subplots that become a large focus of the story. It was interesting to read from a psychological perspective, but I likely wouldn’t recommend it to someone looking for romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC for my honest review!

A beautifully tragic story of first love and it’s unfortunate unraveling. To me the representation of Clara and Benjamin’s relationship while a little unlikeable at times was raw in its truth of what a first love that early in life can look like. Full of jealousy and possessiveness, but a pure love throughout it all.

This is a must read if you’re a fan of second chance romances. I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reading copy.

I went in expecting a book about love lost and second chance romance, but this book was not that. This reminded me so much of Normal People and that real relationships are messy. Happy Ever After is never easy and life tends to get in the way. I really related with Clara and her need for Benjamin grow up but still love him how he is.

This book was hard to put down, I often found myself up way past my bedtime traveling through time and following the love story of two college students. The story bounces around over the course of 20 years and is told from two point of views - Clara and Ben. Both characters are flawed and complex. The novel is not quite a romance, with a bit of suspense and tells the tale of young love, loss, guilt, shame and the many complexities of life.

I’m a little torn on how to review this book. On the one hand, I’m a sucker for a story where the characters get to have a second chance at love after being separated for a long period of time. These two main characters seem to have a toxic relationship that doesn’t improve with time. I would not have recommended that they get back together… Their relationship seemed stuck in a immature way that wasn’t good for either of them.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Charlotte Rixon for the e-ARC!

The One That Got Away follows Clara and Ben who meet one night in college and fall in love, planning their futures together. They are too soon torn apart by tragedy- will another also bring them back together? Spanning twenty years, the emotional story unfolds as these two characters face the many trials of life and love with the other always in their mind and heart.

There are a lot of heavy topics in this book, it is not a light read. I enjoyed this book and concept of soulmates, and was very happy to see how the characters developed throughout the story. 3.5/ 5 stars!

I loved the writing in The One That Got Away. It was so hard to put the book down when it came time to go to work. The story is quite compelling, but the writing itself was stellar. I think patrons will enjoy this one so we will definitely be adding it to the collection when released.

"The One That Got Away" follows the multi-decade long relationship between Clara and Benjamin - two college sweethearts who have been separated after tragic events. The novel spans the course of this relationship and alternates between each character's perspective. If you enjoy dual perspective narratives, second chance romances, and contemporary fiction, you may like this one!

I had high expectations for the book based on the description; however, it fell a bit short for me. The author includes lots of heavy topics in the book. Although this may make the characters more relatable to some readers, it seemed over the top to me and actually made me feel less connected to the characters. Some of the topics, like disordered eating, also seemed to be brushed over with little connection to the main plot or character development. I also did not find myself rooting for Clara - her character had little development and seemed to place the blame on her actions/behaviours on other people in her life and outside events. While this made sense for the character early in the book, it got tiring as the plot continued.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing a digital ARC with me!

As I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. Turns, out I did — and I cried (twice, at least)! I, like Clara (one of our main characters) am not into football. Her love interest, on the other hand, bleeds “Newcastle City” as he says. However, the more I read, the more I found myself flipping the page and longing to know what happens next. Or perhaps, what happened before, as this novel hops back and forth over 20+ years.

I honestly don’t know how to define the genre of this book. It’s not wholeheartedly a romance. There’s also family drama and a mystery element. From the beginning, we’re left wandering three main things) who bombed the Newcastle City stadium, who the woman is that Clara meets at the office, and what happened twenty years ago.

While neither character was particularly likeable in their university years, they grew on me. But wow did Benjamin annoy me in his early 2000s days. I have so many annotations that are like “!?!? What does she see in this guy?” But to each their own… her soul was fated.

They both are young, dumb, and in love — but boy are just a hair toxic! While Benjamin was often quiet and relaxed, he was a bit cold, distant, and rude in his speech (“Newsflash, CDC, there are [football] matches every week.”) Clara, on the other hand, was possessive, controlling, and jealous. Somehow, despite their odds, they loved each other very much — though I wasn’t rooting for their romance.

One thing I did find particularly irritating about Benjamin and their romance was how he took her on a first date to dingy man’s pub that, of course, she hates but she’s still thinking along the lines of “this is the love of my life. I want to hold his hand until the end of time.” Excuse me!? But I’ll write it off as they’re 18 and I doubt my dating spots were much better at that age.

With all that being said, I cried a few times and really enjoyed reading this! The book gets better the more pages you read. If any part feels weak, it’s the beginning for me. It could have been 5 stars if I felt more invested in their romance.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this ARC

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

A massive thank you to St. Martin press for the ARC of "The One That Got Away".
I loved that the author not only alternates between characters in each chapter but also goes back and forth between the present day and a 20-year time period in the past. The novel has 6 parts, each part containing between 5-10 chapters. The last 3 parts were action-packed and it was impossible to stop reading because the reader is finally getting substantial answers to the various mysteries that Rixon was building up in the first 3 parts. That being said, it was hard to want to keep reading at many points in the first two parts in particular. Clara was absolutely unbearable in this section of the book. I understand that Rixon wanted to hone in on the youth of the characters for the plot, but I think it might have gone a little too far because I forsee DNF's by readers once released out of annoyance towards the characters and the redundancy of the content. Overall, the 4-star rating I gave the novel was heavily influenced by parts 4, 5, and 6. If not for the fast-paced, page-turning content and the growth that the characters showed, the book would certainly be rated lower.

This was a very character-driven book and I enjoyed the development of the characters from college students to adults. Clara was very unlikeable in many sections of the book and sometimes it was challenging to stay engaged with her. I had a hard time believing the connection between Clara and Benjamin and the ending was a bit too quick for me. Overall, it kept me engaged and wondering and it was a thoughtful read.

This is an incredibly touching story of young love (maybe the love that each one of us has missed), and finding that love again late in life by an intriguing series of emotional connections. Sentimental and meaningful, I think it would find a place in almost any woman’s memories of her early days of “falling in love.” The couple is pulled apart by a drunken, mis-perceived incident that results in the accidental death of a young man. They move on, only to find each other after another emotional and contemporary event. During their university days, there is an incident where Benjamin misperceives that Clara’s interaction with another young man and their separation occurs. After a stint in prison, Benjamin gets his life back together and raises his son with his father while Clara a man she doesn’t really love. How many of us have an early love whom we might want to see again? So an interesting, personally relevant, and heart-wrenching story that makes a spell-binding read.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the Advanced Review Copy.

3.5 rounded up. I’ll be honest and say this was really a five-star read for me up until the very end. While I’m normally a fan of ambiguous endings, it didn’t work for me in this instance. It left me feeling like we didn’t really get much of a pay off from this epic love story between Clara and Benjamin. I really enjoyed the characters and their individual arcs but the ending fell flat for me. I would have almost preferred an additional scene or chapter where we got to see a flash forward of Clara and Benjamin together and how that relationship positively affected Aiden. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and her ability to create flawed but likable characters. I would definitely read more of her work.