This one was soooo good. A great debut! I love a second chance romance so maybe I'm a little biased but I did love this one. I think Betty Cayouette did a great job writing in Theo and Emerson's perspectives and loved reading about what they were thinking and feeling. There was so much mutual yearning on both ends and I think it made it such a wonderful tug at my heartstrings just knowing that they were meant for one another. The flashbacks were sweet and intentional too. Sometimes flashbacks can feel a little forced and used to throw you off the scent but it was meanigful to Theo and Emerson's story to know a little about their backstory.

I think Emerson's past was a little heavy but was handled well for the most part. There is a author's note in the beginning that warns you of mentions of rape but I was really waiting for it to drop to prepare myself and when it did, it almost felt a little misplaced in the story. It wasn't graphic at all and was mentioned pretty briefly. I think it was very brave for Cayouette to write this based on their past experiences and applaud them for it. I just think the book would've been fine without it too.

A solid 4 stars overall for this debut!

This was, overall, such an enjoyable read. The friends to lovers, second chance trope was done so well! The dual timeline really helped sell the depth of Theo and Emerson’s relationship. I think the writing was excellent.
I didn’t love that Emerson was a supermodel. That is just a personal issue of mine; I think it made the story feel less interesting and I wish maybe she had been an actress instead. Once again, that is absolutely just my personal preference.
I also think the third act breakup dragged a bit. I was at the 80% mark and was ready to have things wrapped up. The last 20% was still good but I don’t know that it was all necessary.
The miscommunication was insane and I’m sure plenty of readers will be frustrated with that but it didn’t bother me too much. I think the author explained most of it sufficiently and it didn’t detract from the story for me.

I wanted to love this so badly. The premise is right up my alley but I couldn't get behind the characters or the story. It was immediately too slow of a buildup and for the first time ever I found myself wanting to skip the flashbacks.

Mostly, I wanted to give support to the sexual assault plot line as it's really important to keep talking about it in all media forms.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this sweet best friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers romance. Theo and Emerson are so perfect together but life happens and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two great characters make their way back to each other. It was interesting to learn more about photography and the life of a model along the way. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators, Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins, did an amazing job of bringing this story to life and really capturing the humor and deeper emotions of the characters. It's a wonderful debut and I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this book. I really did. Give me a silly little romance book, especially one set in Cinque Terre, any day. And at first things were looking quite promising. I loved the premise, and the first few chapters had me hooked. I actually didn’t hate the dual timeline, and I was excited to see how the relationship developed. And then… things just got kind of boring. This isn’t a bad book exactly, but the entire middle felt so monotonous and absolutely nothing happened. Plus the entire conflict is based on miscommunication — the most ridiculous miscommunications on communications I have ever read. literally a big part of this book was them asking each other a certain amount of questions every day and instead of them using these questions to, you know, figure out their issues, they were asking the most mundane and irrelevant questions ever. there were a lot of really cute scenes, don’t get me wrong, but this book could have been a fraction of the length if they just communicated like normal people one? time. overall, cute, loved the idea of this book, but the execution could have used some help.

I DNF'd this at about 23%. I know romance is supposed to come with an element of suspending disbelief but I really struggled with this one due to the convenience of the two childhood lovers being reunited.

I want to give the author a huge shout out for her content warning at the beginning of the book and how she wanted to write a book where the character is not defined by this event but has moved forward with it being a part of her. We need more of this!

I really enjoyed this book. I choose it for the sole reason it takes place in Cinque Terre which is one of my favorite places in the world. I loved Emerson and Theos friendship, though they had 10 years apart you could see how much they cared for each other still. This is such an amazing book to read for the summer!

3 stars. This was a (mostly) light, easy read. I thought the friendship between the leads was very well-developed, using flashbacks to show the rise and fall of their teenaged friendship turned relationship. The present day parts was where the book lost me a bit. The FMC has an impulsive plan to reconnect with him, but then goes and tries to play it cool, like it was a coincidence they crossed paths again? It didn’t really make sense. TW: Mention of a past, off-page sexual assault.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s for the ARC!

I enjoyed this book! It was both sweet and dark-lots of love and sadness behind it all. I loved the ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read.

Thank you so much to netgalley and St. Martins Press for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It was so slow! I didn’t like the tropes in here either. The characters were a bit annoying to me as well.

I hope others love this one!

I sought out this title because I love Cinque Terre and couldn't believe there aren't more books set in this beautiful corner of the world so when I caught wind of a RomCom set there, I was quick to request. I am not familiar with Betty on TikTok (I avoid TT because I know I'll get addicted!! Esp. to BookTok) but the premise sounded promising and the trope caught my attention too. Unfortunately, this one didn't met my high expectations. The dual timelines and POV between Emerson and Theo now vs. in high school is a very welcome structure to keep the reader guessing about what happened between them, and is why I read through to the end. The character flaws of self-absorption and miscommunication got a little repetitive. I really wanted to love this one!! Is it a good escapist read? Absolutely, but would have preferred this one to be more polished.

When I learned my daughter was interviewing the author of this book, I quickly moved this up on my TBR. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The story toggles between teenage friends who become more than friends and 10 years later after a long separation. You learn the tale behind their meeting and blooming romance and then why they spend 10 years apart. Emerson is a super model and Theo is a fashion photographer so the opportunity to meet after 10 years happens in scenic Cinque Terre for a photoshoot. There is so much to love about this romance and it is a must have on your spring/summer reading list. I even texted my daughter as I was reading it saying I wished it was warmer and a beach day so I could sit in a beach chair and read the whole thing.

I was so pleasantly suprised by how much I enjoyed this. Miscommunication is my least favorite troupe but this had me reading way past my bedtime. I could not put it down and finished it in 24hours.The ending felt a little too wrapped for me. As much as I enjoyed the resolution, I found myself craving a bit more ambiguity, a touch of realism to balance out the heightened emotions that permeated the story.
Cannot
Wait to read more from this author
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to say, this book started out slow to me. The first 40% was neither good nor bad, it was just fine. Good enough to continue but I wasn’t desperate to keep reading. But at that 40% mark, when you start to get some deeper memories from Emerson and Theo growing up, it definitely grew on me.

Overall, this book was an easy read, but it did feel like it was missing something. I felt like the main characters were not fully fleshed out, and the story was missing a bit more “oomph”. Emerson and Theo were cute, and I liked the supporting characters a lot. Nothing felt cartoonish or eye-rollingly ridiculous, which I find can really decrease my enjoyment of Adult contemporary romances these days, so I appreciated that. I think this book shows that Betty Cayouette has real potential in the future, as I enjoyed the writing and the premise, but this one fell a bit flat for me.

I also have some thoughts on the main conflict of the story so I’ll hide those under a spoiler warning:
So, I knew the main conflict of the story would revolve around sexual assault, as the author’s note speaks on her own experience. It is obviously a very difficult topic to explore, even in a fictional novel, but especially when the author is pulling from her personal experience. No one can say that that part of the novel was unrealistic, as it very well may be realistic for some people. But I found how it was handled was somewhat strange. When we find out that the FMC was raped, and that’s why she broke up with the MMC and completely cut him out of her life for a decade, I was kind of confused. I understood the “feeling dirty” or “feeling broken” and wanting to run away from everything in her life. I understood not wanting to tell him because she didn’t want him to think any differently of her. I understood breaking up with him because she felt violated and wrong and didn’t want to “make” Theo have to be with her anymore. But I don’t understand moving across the country and not telling your (now ex) boyfriend that you’re doing so. Literally not speaking to the man you love, your best friend in the whole world who has been there for you since the day you met, for a whole decade. Making your mom tell him that you’re gone and that you don’t want to see him ever again. It felt very extreme. I appreciated that its explained that Emerson starts to like the person she becomes, and realizes that there are other people beyond just Theo that think she’s worth something in the world, but I don’t understand cutting him out for good. Wouldn’t you want to include him in the group of people that find value in you, even if you need some time to get to a point where you’re ready to bring him back into your life. I can see her moving across the country and telling Theo that she needs space and finding herself for a few months, or maybe even a few years, reconnecting with THE MAN SHE LOVES AND TRUSTS after she feels like she’s taken enough time for herself. But no, she lets a decade go by and is then like “oh damn we have that marriage pact…and I guess I still love him so I should go get my man now, and if I don’t get him, I’ll be devastated even though I abandoned him a decade ago with no explanation”. It just doesn’t make sense to me (Also, let’s be honest, 28 is VERY YOUNG for a marriage pact). And I’m sure I’m just inserting my own experiences into my feelings about this but I just found it frustrating. I also think that I was very frustrated that the whole situation was just thrown on to us at the very end and only briefly touched on. I’m not saying that a characters trauma, especially a trauma from a decade ago, has to be her every waking thought, but it did feel like a “oh and by the way -insert drama here-“ that popped up just at the end to explain the reason why they haven’t spoken for a decade. The build-up just wasn’t there for the reveal. Once again, I respect that this is a VERY personal and private topic for people and everyone will have a different experience, but it just didn’t impact me the way I would have liked it to, because it is such and important and real thing that happens to people and affects their lives.

A second-chance romance with a dash of Hollywood, a taste of Italy, and a whole lot of love. This was a sweet romance that expertly wove current plot with scenes from the main characters' pasts. 
When high fashion model Emerson's phone goes off with a reminder that a marriage pact she made with her high school best friend has come due, she's inspired to book a trip to the next photoshoot he's working in hopes to rekindle an old friendship and maybe turn it into more.
Theo, a photographer, gets the same alert and is surprised when his former best friend shows up on the site of his shoot. Hurt from her leaving abruptly many years ago, he tries to keep things professional to avoid falling for her again. 

There is a spicy scene to please those looking for it, but this story is great at showing the love in the little moments. Expect moments depicting young love turning to adult love, dealing with the pressures and challenges of life as an adult, and finding ways to remember and honor their past together.
Also featuring a supportive best friend sidekick, a fake celebrity romance, and a meddling agent. This story also touched on some serious topics such as sexual assault, death, and mental health issues related to hoarding. It was done in a sensitive manner. 

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and author Betty Cayouette for this ARC to read and review!!

This is a super sweet, easy to read, feel good romance! I loved Emerson and Theo right from the start and couldn’t help but root for their second chance at love all the way through! I’m also a big fan of multiple pov’s and timeline flashbacks … and I’m glad the author gave us that in this book. I felt those snippets from the past really gave the story more depth and understanding. The swoony Italian setting was dreamy too! Overall, a great debut!

There is a lot to enjoy in One Last Shot. Dual POV, second chance romance, an Italian setting, fashion industry, and more! Told over a dual timeline, Emerson and Theo made a pact in their teenage years to marry each other at 28. Life took them in different directions and Emerson sees a one-last-shot opportunity to meet up with Theo again to give their love another try..in Cinque Terre, Italy of all places. Miscommunications were a bit drawn out but overall I think One Last Shot is a solid 4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Betty Cayouette for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

There's a lot to love about Betty Cayouette's debut novel. Theo and Emerson, estranged best friends from high school who have loved each other all along, are perfectly drawn halves of one whole. The mark of an amazing second-chance romance is when it's clear why two characters couldn't make it work the first time around *and* how that time apart made them ready and perfect for each other. A romance about a supermodel and a fashion photographer could have been a luxurious and pulpy read, but One Last Shot has the earnest heart and vulnerability it needs to be grounded, moving, and unforgettable.

As a survivor of sexual violence, I'm also blown away by how well Cayouette writes about Emerson's life ten years after an assault in her teens. Emerson's rape changed her life, and it continues to shape her personality in well-written little details (the way she flinches away from certain touches stood out to me as a relatable, precise example). Cayouette doesn't go into upsetting specifics about the assault or Emerson's rapist, nor does she need to. This is Emerson's story, and Emerson is not defined by her assault. She is a complex, confident, hopeful and hard-working woman. It is a part of her life, but not all of it, not even a majority of it.

I have followed Betty on IG for a while now and enjoy her book reviews. When I found out she wrote a book, it was on my list to read.

Two childhood best friends are faced with a marriage pact reminder from 10 years prior and they find themselves working together on an ad campaign: her the model and him the photographer.

While the book has a beautiful cover, an interesting premise, a stunning location and some cool behind the scenes descriptions of photo shoots written into it - it fell flat for me. It is a second chance romance {that I love} but included the all dreaded miscommunication trope. While one of the characters goes through trauma and needs time to heal, it bummed me out that there was so much unnecessary pining between the two leads and the chemistry was a bit flat for me.

It’s worth a read if miscommunication doesn’t bug you as it is a sweet story.

Thank you to SMP and Netgalley for providing the eARC for my honest review.

This was everything I wanted Love & Other Words to be. Classic “JUST KISS ALREADY” trope, but in two timelines that were equally charming. Emerson and Theo’s chemistry was honestly leaping off the page every time they were together and I was here for it. There was some miscommunication in this book, but I liked the way it was handled and called out. Both Emerson and Theo were written so well and I was rotting for them from the very beginning. Georgia and Harry were also such great friends to them and I loved how much they helped Emerson and Theo professionally and personally. Also, I really loved the author’s note in the beginning about sexual assault. The way it’s handled in the book is with such care and grace. I just enjoyed the heck out of this book. It was sweet, romantic and such a good second chance/friends to lovers story.
CW: mentions of sexual assault

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Griffin for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.