Emerson has it all thanks to her successful modeling career, she’s just missing out on love. After a reminder for the marriage pact she made with her best friend in high school goes off, she’s desperate to reconnect with Theo and reignite their spark. He’s a photographer, so she gets herself booked on his latest campaign. As Emerson and Theo get to know each other again, will secrets from the past continue to keep them apart? Or can they find their happy ending?

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💭 Thoughts 💭

I really enjoyed this read! It is a romance, but it had a lot of substance too. Emerson had something truly traumatic happen to her in high school, and needed the time to heal before returning to Theo, and Theo had his own traumas from Emerson’s abrupt departure to deal with. I enjoyed the first half the most, during the second part Theo and Emerson both second guessed things a bit too much.

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⌛️ Favorite Moment⌛️

At the beginning of the book Emerson breaks up with her current boyfriend for pretending to have read all the books that his stylist curated on his bookshelf. We love that energy!

If you like miscommunication romance, this one is for you. Emerson & Theo have known each other since high school. They became best friends & potentially something more. There had even made a marriage pact that if they weren’t married by 28, they would marry each other. But Emerson has something happen on a shoot right after Senior year and leaves Theo without explanation. Now the marriage pact alert has come up on Emerson’s phone and she decides to take a chance. She sets up a shoot with Theo on it. Then the miscommunication begins. I did find all of the moments a bit much but overall this was a good book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

One Last Shot is a second-chance friends-to-lovers romance featuring a supermodel and a photographer who were best friends in high school. It has two points of view, both of which are well-written and sympathetic, and the timeline switches between the characters' high school experience 10-15 years ago and present day.

The author is clearly knowledgeable about fashion and the modeling business, and she does a great job of sprinkling tidbits of information into the story in a way that added depth and interest - even for those of us who don't care much about fashion. I found the high school sections less interesting than the present-day ones, but they were necessary to give background and depth to the characters' personalities and their friendship. Even though this is a plot-lite, angst-heavy story - the "action" is essentially a bunch of pictures being taken and donuts being consumed, plus a few hikes - I was absorbed in the characters' feelings and the will-they-or-won't-they for most of its length.

My enthusiasm waned a bit, however, in the novel's final act. Once the characters got together, they seemed to bring out all each other's fears and insecurities, and the final chapters primarily highlighted all the possible issues with their relationship - i.e. that they live on opposite coasts and have different lifestyles - without actually solving them. Third-act breakups are a classic feature of romance novels - but I think this one could have better spent its energy developing the characters' present-day compatibility.

4 stars, a good light read.

Sadly this book is not for me. I didn’t realize before I requested this one that it is a miscommunication trope, which is one of my least favorite tropes. I couldn’t get past the frustration that this trope brings and the superfluous and unnecessary drama between main characters due to their miscommunication.

𝟹.𝟺 ͙͘͡★
“𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗼 𝗱𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗮.”

This book made me want to book a flight to Italy for this summer🥹🤚🏼

ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇꜱ:
⊹ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀꜱ ᴛᴏ ʟᴏᴠᴇʀꜱ
⊹ ᴄʜɪʟᴅʜᴏᴏᴅ ꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅꜱ
⊹ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ
⊹ ᴍɪꜱᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ

!!𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘆 & 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻'𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗰 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄!!

This book wasn't for me. Besides having my least favorite trope ever (miscommunication), it also felt way too formulaic.

Emerson, supermodel, and Theo, fashion photographer, were high school best friends and sweethearts. They made a pact that if they weren't married by 28 (what?), they would marry each other. They have a significant fall out after their senior year and haven't seen each other in 10 years, but when the date arrives, Emerson seeks out Theo to make amends and rekindle their love.

This book felt like a paint-by-numbers romance. I didn't feel like the flashbacks added much and I hated the miscommunication between the two main characters. Both of them didn't have a backbone and were fine with just being walked all over. My favorite characters in the book were Georgia and Harry, Emerson's side kicks. They actually had more developed personalities and I would rather read a book about them.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so cute and a pleasant surprise, especially for a debut! I'm a huge fan of the second-chance / friends-to-strangers-to-lovers tropes, and the atmosphere/overseas setting were both stunning and added so much to the story. Would def recommend to others and am excited to see more work from Cayouette in the future!

Well written classic romance book. If you don't like miscommunication this one isn't for you. Remember to check trigger warnings.

I absolutely loved this book! It’s hard to believe this is Cayouette’s debut. It reads like a classic romance, with characters you root for from page one. The chemistry between Em and Theo was palpable and the payoff was well worth it. I also loved the little happy ending twist at the end. Grab a copy and get ready to be craving doughnuts throughout your read! Iykyk.

Emerson is a model who travels to Italy and meets up with her old friend Theo who is a photographer on her photo shoot., second chance romance.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Back when they were eighteen, Emerson and Theo made a pact - if they were still unattached by their 28th birthday, they would marry each other. Fast forward ten years, and Emerson gets a notification reminding her of the pact. Is it a sign? Maybe, but regardless, Emerson is determined to take this one last shot at reconciling with Theo and maybe making him her happily ever after.

This was a twofer for me - friends-to-lovers getting their second chance at love. That's my catnip and it was done so well. Cayouette used flashbacks to show us Emerson and Theo's past. I got to watch them meet, build a strong friendship, and fall in love. It was precious! They shared so many firsts together, but I HATED that they also experienced first heartbreak at each other's hands.

The idea of this pact, this last shot, and Emerson forcing their worlds to collide was just too exciting for me. I eagerly awaiting their reunion, and it took every ounce of patience as I waited for them to stop friend-zoning each other. It was almost like history repeating itself, but there were some outside forces involved in trying to keep this reunion from happening. And there was also a matter of Emerson coming clean about what drove her to leave and break Theo's heart the first time. With the whole truth on the table, it was now up to them to decide how to move forward together.

Aside from the romance, I got to spend time in Italy. The location sounded breathtaking, and I had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about the life of a model and photoshoots. It was interesting. I also adored the supporting characters. Emerson's circle was small, but it was comprised of high quality people. I loved how supportive they were, and Theo had this amazing family. His brother did not get a ton of page time, but it was memorable.

Overall, this was a beautiful and touching tale of love and healing. This second chance romance had me fully invested and engaged, and its culmination made my heart soar.

A trope-y second chance romance with an underlying serious issue, Emerson and Theo were high school BFFs who swore they would marry each other if they weren't married to others by the age of 28. So now, that day has come, she's a model, he's a photographer, and they're together in Italy for four days. This moves back and forth to tell their back stories but know that Emerson's won't be fully revealed until late in the novel. For the record, this makes 28 seem like it's ancient but really? Good characters, nice dialogue, all the classics (miscommunication etc.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A nice debut for fans of the genre.

This was a FANTASTIC friends to lovers, second chance, dual POV, forced proximity debut romance!! I loved the Italian setting, the flashbacks, the childhood best friends who reunite years later on a shoot as a famous A list supermodel and a much lesser known photographer thanks to a marriage pact they made as kids.

Great on audio narrated by my very fav, Brittany Pressley. This book does a great job balancing the line between bingeable romcom and emotional, heavy hitting family drama including a hoarding mother and trauma from rape. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review! I absolutely loved this one!

CW: rape, neglectful/absentee parent

I loved the setting, the romance, the story, and the characters. From the beginning we were thrown into the plot of a romcom movie. The dual timelines helped outline the story and provide context for the characters actions. Super sweet and fun romance.

I love the setting of One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette, I felt like I was in Cinque Terra again and loved the descriptions of Italy. I liked Theo and Emerson's characters and the miscommunication troupe and how it flashed back to them as High Schoolers and now as adults many years laters with their marriage pact. I liked that we got to see both viewpoints in the book. I think I liked Theo's character better and how he tried to be professional as the photographer, but overall this was a very enjoyable read!

“One Last Shot” by Betty Cayouette is a layered friends to lovers, second chance romance set in the picturesque Italian Riviera. Emerson and Theo met in high school and became best friends and first loves. It was a perfect match, Theo as a photographer and Emerson as the supermodel. Suddenly after senior year, Emerson ends up fleeing to LA and breaking up with Theo with a note, devastating Theo. They meet by design a decade later on a photo shoot.

I really enjoyed this book. I also read the authors note at the beginning of the book (I think this is imperative) and have always dreamed of becoming a photographer. The characters are layered and well developed and the past time line was well integrated into the story line. There were small instances of miscommunication/manipulation at the beginning that I did not like, but the larger miscommunication was done purposefully and felt handled well in my opinion. I read this in a single setting staying up way too late.

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-copy for an honest review.

I have been following Betty for over a year on booktube and when I saw that she was writing a book I was excited, but then knowing that I was able to get an advanced copy… I was thrilled!

I loved this book. The relationship between Theo and Emerson. The setting on Italy was well descriptive that I was wishing I was there. I loved the friends to none talking for ten years to friends then lovers. I felt the emotion and love between the couple.

This was a well written book that you can see the author loved writing and put her heart in. I can’t wait to read more from Betty in the future!

A great debut author book!

I really enjoyed the story. It was easy to read and honestly I found the fashion and photography world so fascinating. A lot of the story I found myself wondering whether it’s actually like that and it felt a bit like a behind the scenes. Especially once I learned Betty worked in fashion as a videographer. I loved Theo and how raw and emotional but also authentic he felt. Gotta find myself my own Theo!!

It was a sweet friends to lovers, second chance romance and reminded me a little of both Every Summer After and Love and Other Words.

Thanks so much SMP romance, NetGalley, and Betty Cayoutte for the arc. All thoughts are mine and not influenced by receiving an arc.

Read this if you like:
•childhood friends
•celebrity romance
•second chance
•cinque terre

This book made me want to catch the next flight to Italy! I loved how it alternated between present day and when they were kids. I loved getting to see them fall in love. The tension, the angst, the chemistry was chefs kiss.

Thank you St Martins Press for eARC!

This is a beautifully written book with deeper themes and growth that made this book into something more. It tugged at my heart the whole book, but left me with the HEA that Emerson and Theo desperately needed.

I was a bit leery at first with the flashbacks going all the way back to high school (there is a reason I don't read YA), but I had nothing to worry about. The flashbacks added to the angst and depth that we need for this plot, without it being a huge info/trauma dump. Layering it in pulled me deeper into Emerson and Theo's story and appreciate the growth. I will say as someone who is the roughly the same age as they are in the adult years (mid thirties to their 28), I felt super old realizing how much changed in those handful of years from when I was in HS to their HS experience. I am also generally reluctant to read second chance romance, super angsty, and/or miscommunication books, but I love when I get proven wrong. This book took all my iffy feelings and showed how when done well they can be great. I think it helped that the characters were older and had grown (and continued to grow) and own up for their flaws and baggage (past and present). I appreciated the handling and incorporation of the FMC's trauma and how messy it can be as well as the need for it not to define them. I thought it was handled realistically without triggering (at least for me).

You can also tell that the author knows the photography and fashion business. I loved seeing this industry, and the locations just jumped off the page. The side characters too really brought home the overall effect of their life despite really ones being with these characters for a handful of days really.