This was a very beautiful and very complex story! It was also very emotional. I honestly couldn’t put the book down. I was hooked right from the very first chapter. I stayed up all night to read this book. I 100% recommend reading it!!

3.5, rounded up. This was a complex and really emotional story about first love and connection, and about the choices we make. The story has a tension to it in both the past and present sections- something terrible once happened to tear the main characters apart but readers don't know the details until sometime late in the book, and there is a horrific tragedy right at the beginning that might be bringing them back into each other's orbit. It covers a lot of ground and therefore is a bit long, but it was a story overall well told.

4.5 stars for this brilliant debut! This book gutted me. It's a sweeping love story but I definitely would not call this a romance. Clara and Benjamin were together for 2 years before an irrevocable event tore them apart. They've been apart for 20 years but there has always been a niggling "what if" in the back of both their minds.
When a bombing is reported in the city where they met, Clara drops everything in search of Benjamin, hoping to change the ending to their story.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this beautiful e-arc.*

Ben and Clara met in college and dated for a few years. They have a deep connection but like a lot of relationships it didn't work out. 20 years later a bomb goes off in a stadium that she thinks Ben is at. Clara decides to go find him in the chaos of it all.
Told over two decades in dual point of view we see how their relationship unfolds and the years following it while they both try and get over their first love.
This book isn't a typical second chance romance. It is intense and emotional with lots of triggers (suggest to look them up before reading if you are sensitive). The book is thought provoking and leaves you to make your own conclusions. I'm glad I picked this one up.
Thank you to Charlotte Rixon, St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This opens with a bombing at a stadium in 2022 and zooms back in time to when Clara and Benjamin met at university in 2002 to explain why she feels compelled to take a three hour train trip to find him after she hears about it. Told by the two of them in a variety of time lines, it's the story of their relationship and lives. The cover and the blurb suggest it's a second chance romance but it's not. These two parted for a reason (no spoilers) and built separate lives, going through a range of challenges. The one constant is that they keep each other in their heads. This is less emotional than I expected it to be and the characters, to be honest, less engaging. That said, Rixon kept me reading to find out whether Benjamin was ok and the identity of the bomber, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

If you're going into this expecting a second chance romance, this is not what this is at all. Rather, it's about a young relationship that ends after a tragedy and how these two people deal with the fall-out in their lives for the next twenty years. It deals with a number of heavy topics, so I would recommend checking out content warnings beforehand, although most of it's just mentioned in passing and doesn't go into graphic detail or anything.

I wasn't really feeling Clara and Benjamin's relationship that much, and I don't buy that either of them would have been pining for twenty years. It felt like your average young relationship where things feel more intense than they actually are. I also found Clara to be a pretty annoying character overall.

Overall, didn't love this, but also didn't hate it. I think if you go into it without expectations of it being this great love story and more just about two people's lives, it's a lot more enjoyable.

Read if you like:
🇬🇧 UK Settings
🥈 Second Chance Romances
💣 Catalysts for getting back together

This one was such a deeply emotional read and the book started out with a bang, literally.

I loved how the flashbacks worked with the current pov as Clara wants to go find Ben in the midst of a terrorist attack. This definitely created high stakes, tension, and gut wrenching vibes as you are hoping for the best but prepared for the worst.

This story has a lot of dark themes and you are guaranteed to cry by the end so be warned but also enjoy!

Thank you to the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my review!

Not for me, didn't enjoy the style of writing. I got a few chapters in and it just was not holding my attention as I hoped.

Romance? Chick-lit? IMO, this book is marketed all wrong. I was thinking like Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After or TJR’s Maybe In Another Life, but this book was pretty traumatizing. TW for cheating, alcoholism, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, loss of a parent!
This is not romance- this is a toxic college relationship with time jumps from 20yrs ago to present day in the wake of a terrifying b*mbing. The college chapters were kind of reminiscent of Carola Loverling’s Tell Me Lies, a book I really like because I can totally relate to the toxicity & miscommunications of a young romance and I don’t mind reading it, because the accuracy is real when you’re young, irrational, and “in love.” But, again, this book is marketed as much more lighthearted than it actually is and I was not prepared for the dark depth. I felt so sad and heavy for basically all of this and didn’t want to keep reading, but I hate to DNF an advanced copy to review.
All that said, I’d recommend this to fans of general fiction focusing of tough topics, heartbreaking & ugly second chance stories, books set in England, dual timelines with a collegiate focus. It’s well-written, honestly, even when privileged Clara is infuriating and Benjamin is so innocently sweet, and it is a very REAL book, but definitely go into it with eyes wide open.

I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. It just kind of … was.

I think a lot of it was very relatable when you look back at your first love and all of the embarrassing, cringey ways you probably acted. But I struggled with the connection between the two main characters, I understood it, I just didn’t feel it. It just seemed doomed from day one.

But then again, what first relationship of our youth doesn’t seem doomed from day one?! The story kept me interested enough, I’m just not as in love with it as I thought I might have been.

Have you ever wondered "what if" a breakup in your early years hadn't occurred? Or what happened to so-and-so from your past?

Well, in this book, Charolette Rixon does an absolutely fantastic job of weaving together the story of Benjamin and Clara who met in college in 2000 and date for a couple years and then break up. And 20 years later an event brings their worlds and relationship to the crosshairs again.

The book does deal with heavy topics (cancer, IVF, alcoholism, etc) and not only Ben and Clara's relationship dynamics. However, these topics were interwoven in the book in a very well written, well researched and respectful manner. Reminded me a bit of Jodi Picoult's writing on heavy topics with finesse and grace, yet gets a reader to think about topics they may not have thought about previously.

Would definitely recommend this book, since it takes a different spin on the typical romance trope. And put a unique spin on the second chance romance trope also!

I don’t think Ben and Clara were a good match. Their personalities were far too different and Clara had overriding anxiety that nothing seemed to abate.
I was surprised to identify with Clara in certain things she thought about her marriage and her husband.
I was surprised at the big reveal that had severed their relationship.
This novel proves that no matter how much one tries to force something, if it won’t work, it just will not work.

The One That Got Away, by Charlotte Rixon, is an emotional story that of two students that fall in and out of love during college and meet again two decades later. I never figured out which character the title references, and I am not sure it matters. As in real life, there are many issues which can serve as triggers for some. Many reviewers detailed this, and you may want to do more research. My issue was pacing. The first half was painfully slow and repetitive. The characters' backgrounds are at odds, and they engage in the same arguments again and again. The second half was much better in terms of pacing and connection. The nonlinear timelines also came together later in the book in a way that allowed the cause, effect, and impact of events to provide nuance to the characters' growth. Rixon's characters are complicated; she clearly invested her talent to focus on their development. Despite the issues I confronted with the book, Rixon is an author to keep your eye on. Her willingness to grapple with challenging characters and subject matter shows promise. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

I was excited to read this book after reading the description. I usually enjoy second chance romance. This book was not the typical second chance romance. The book is told in dual POV and multiple timelines. I didn't really enjoy either of the main characters. Neither one were honest with each other in their first two years of their relationship. The middle of the book kind of dragged. I finished the last part of the book fast, more was happening and I was excited to see how it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The One That Got Away (ARC)
Charlotte Rixon
3.5⭐️

Pub Day: 8/15/2023

Benjamin and Clara's worlds were turned upside down when they met. They knew they were meant for each other and everything just fell into place. But one drunken night, several mistakes and miscommunication ended this picture perfect world they built. One ended up in prison, and the other always guilty for what happened. 20 years later, a bombing was reported and shook the entire city. Clara just had to find Benjamin and they have no choice but to confront their past. Is it too late for them?

The characters are so flawed and that's okay. I think real life can be messy like this. But it was hard to like either of them. There was so much miscommunication and the characters being so rigid and not compromising to each other, I had a feeling that it was not going to work out anyway to begin with. I hate that the pet names they have for each other are their initials. It's feels so impersonal and not intimate at all.

This one comes in multiple timelines which was labeled but the jumping timeline trick was more so irritating. I expected a crazy comeback and second chance romance. It, unfortunately, did not deliver very well. The saving grace for this book is that the actual event that got someone in prison was saved towards the end. So it kept me reading. Even then, it took too long to reveal, and I was getting a little impatient. It wasn't written well enough that it was compelling. And then the big reveal of that event was not even a huge jaw dropping moment.

Overall, and I've heard this from another friend too, I'm indifferent to it. There are good points and not so good ones in this book. It was written decently, but not compelling. And it didn't feel heartwarming as i was expecting it to be.

Before I get started on my review of The One That Got Away by Charolette Rixon I have to give my thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Charlotte Rixon herself for gifting me with this Digital Arc in exchange for my honest review. Everything I write here will be entirely my own thoughts and opinions. As always I will provide trigger warnings down below. Please be aware that this book has some heavy-hitting topics so please pay attention to those warnings below.

I do not even really know where to start with this book. There is so much going on as we follow two main characters throughout a twenty-year span and during that span we are bouncing between timelines and the character’s points of view. This story follows Clara and Benjamin and takes place in England during the 2000s. I am not saying all this to make it sound bad because honestly, that was one of my favorite things about the book. I enjoyed the two perspectives and going from timeline to timeline kept me moving through the book at a rather quick pace. I want to say that this book is a book about romance but for me, that just does not exactly fit. This book for me was about growing up, first loves, heartbreak, trauma, making mistakes, and trying to come back from all of those things that shaped the characters along the way. Like I said this book is heavy hitting.

Clara comes from a privileged background and grew up in London. She is two years older than her sister Cecily who happened to have had cancer when she was only four years old. I mention this because this traumatic experience really shapes the way that Clara views the world and navigates through it. There are a few lines in the book that really stuck out to me about Clara and her character and I am going to post it here so if you do not want any SPOILERS then look away.

No one understands that all those years ago when Cecily got sick, something fundamental shattered in Clara: the ability to trust, to feel safe in the world. The innocent, deep-seated faith that all things would ultimately be OK was gone, forever. And what was left in its place was a gaping fear that the worst things could happen when you least expected them.

Of course, this makes sense when you look at Clara’s character and see why she is the way she is. The poor girl experienced some serious trauma as a child and unfortunately, things like that just do not go away. However, I found Clara to be a wonderful character she was able to see things in Benjamin that he could not see in himself which I found to be lovely. Clara is anxiety-ridden and struggles with perfectionism. As the book goes on you will see that she in a sense becomes just a shell of herself. She blames herself for what happened all those years before and the guilt is eating her alive.

Benjamin comes from a smaller area and one that is poor. He becomes heavily invested in football as a young boy and makes one of the top teams as a child but his mental health makes it so he has to get done. His coach said something along the lines of not having a strong mind for the sport. Basically what I got out of it was that he was a sensitive kid which in my opinion has nothing to do with having a strong mind. I think what is important to acknowledge about Benjamin is that he also experienced trauma as a child. His mother was diagnosed with a form of cancer when he was just a young boy around middle school age. This is not the reason Benjamin got done with playing football it really had to do with his mental health. However, this did not interfere with his love of the game which never ended. It was something his father and him bonded over throughout the book. It was also one of the ways he made friends at Uni with his flatmates. It is my opinion that Benjamin does not think much of himself throughout the book and has a very defeating inner monologue. I felt for the poor guy for sure. Some things happen to Benjamin in his University life that I found to be absolutely heartbreaking. I am not going to mention them here because they would be terrible spoilers but maybe have some tissues at hand while you are reading.

Clara and Benjamin meet during their first year at Uni. They did not meet at the University because they both went to different schools so their meeting happened one night in a club with Clara on the floor crying and Benjamin running into her on his way out. Needless to say, they hit it off right away. They become inseparable from the start except for the three weeks Benjamin has to go back home and doesn’t contact Clara. He does not want to combine his life at school and her with his life at home which is why he keeps the reason for his trip home to himself. Do you remember how I said she really struggles with trust issues? So you can imagine that this does not go over well with Clara. She ends up making some poor decisions while he is gone that will ultimately have an impact on their relationship down the road. I am not going to say any more about that but their lives will take a giant turn which will ultimately change them forever.

If you are looking for a read that will keep you moving because you need to know what happens next then definitely pick this one up. I think that this would also be a good book to get one out of a reading slump well at least it would be for me. If you are interested in a story about first love, trauma, moving on, poor decisions, learning to live with what life throws at you, reinventing yourself and so much more then please pick this gem up. I thought that this was a wonderful story and it had me rooting for the two main characters throughout. I do want to say again though that I do not believe this book to be a romance novel at least not completely but more about first loves and the impact those loves can have on a person. I absolutely loved this story and will be picking more up from this author. Now before I get into the trigger warnings I wanted to leave you with this quote from the story that really stuck with me and for the life of me I can not remember who said it but here it is: A simple life with people I love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. I mean really isn’t that all any of us want in life?

Trigger Warnings:

Child Sexual Abuse
Rape
Cancer
Parental Death
Heart Attack
Mental Health Struggles
Suicide
Bombing
Parental Abandonment
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Infidelity

Benjamin is an awkward young man with a love for football, his family, and a simple life in his small hometown. Carla comes from a wealthy family, who are quite disjointed, and she has always harbored insecurities and feelings of being forgotten or unseen. When their two worlds collide in a night club, it’s love at first sight, but their relationship will be anything but easy. Told in dual POV and dual timeline, we follow the couple through various stages in their lives and relationship, through joys and traumas and into present day adulthood where we find Carla is married to another man, who she loves but is not in love with – she has never let go of Benjamin. When a tragic event happens, Carla goes into panic mode, needing to know if Benjamin is safe, so she gets on the next train to Newcastle and will do whatever she has to in order to find out, regardless of how many years it has been since they were in contact.

There were things that I really enjoyed about this story that kept me holding on and wanting to know more, but the outcomes fell flat for me. While Benjamin was a loveable character, Carla was anything but. I tried to be sympathetic at the start, understanding how young women can struggle with insecurity, trust and their own feelings in a relationship in their early 20’s, especially with a guy like Benjamin, who is very private, and a bit closed off, but she never really had any redeeming qualities even as an adult. I think seeing how much she still cared about Benjamin after all of this time was what connected her to me. Benjamin on the other had was easy to understand and have the utmost sympathy for. His life was never easy and that carried through to his present-day character, but he always tried to do the right thing, even when it meant putting himself and his life aside. Ultimately, I was satisfied with the ending, I like that the reader knew just enough to know how things ended.

For anyone interested in reading this, please be sure to check trigger warnings, as there are multiple interlaced through the story.

A big thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.

This is the first book I have read by this author. The synopsis caught my eye, and I had to read it.

Clara and Benjamin couldn't have had a different upbringing. But their eyes connect one night in a bar, but neither says anything, but just a few days later, their lives intersect once again, and the sparks fly.

Benjamin is a quiet man, and Clara seems like a social butterfly, so they have a few bumps in the road, but they begin to talk, and within a few weeks, they are inseparable.

Their relationship is by no means perfect, but their connection is undeniable. Their fighting during football season was a big problem, Benjamin's love of it, and she didn't get it. They are both a bit immature, but who isn't in college?
One night will change their lives forever...

Twenty years later, Clara is married, and Benjamin is a father. There is a bombing in Newcastle, and Benjamin is ALWAYS at the games, and Clara hasn't "gotten over" her first love and goes there to ensure he's okay.

The story is told in the past and present, giving you the all-around story. This book was hard to put down; I just kept reading and reading!

There are a few triggers that many may find upsetting. I do not have any triggers, but readers should know that there are infertility concerns, suicide, alcohol abuse, rape, child sex abuse, and parent death storylines.

I really wanted to love this one. The premise was right up my alley. But I never was completely invested and I'm not sure why.

Benjamin and Clara meet in college and fall hard. Ben's mother is dying, and he leaves for several weeks, but never tells her way. While he's away, Clara is spiraling. She sleeps with someone else and the guilt eats her alive.

One night Ben is out watching a game with friends, and Clara goes out with her friends. The guy she slept with is coming on to her, but she keeps it at bay. She ends up leaving and the guy follows her and tries to force himself on her. Ben arrives and hits the guy, who dies. Ben goes to prison and they part ways.

Fast forward years later. Clara is in an unhappy marriage. Ben has a son with a mother who is absent. A bomb is what brings them back together. They confide the truth of their past to each other.

I did like the ending. Probably best part of the book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review!

The One That Got Away is a second chance love story without the heart. While I enjoyed the dual pov and alternating timelines, I found Clara unlikeable and didn’t buy the romance between the main characters.