One Last Shot is a compelling romance which follows Emerson, a world renowned model, as she tries one more time to build a relationship with her childhood best friend Theo, a photographer, who she hasn’t seen in 10 years.

This book honestly highlighted the reason I have such a hard time DNFing books. Truthfully, it started out kind of difficult for me. I wasn’t sure I was connecting with the story, and Emerson felt almost like she was too weak of a main character for me. She allowed everyone else to tell her what to do and how to run her life, and was oblivious to the “bad actors” amongst her team. Looking back now that I’ve finished the book, I think that was intentional. Because by the end of the book, I was bawling my eyes out and adoring Emerson. The personal growth we see her go through in this book was so subtle, but so instrumental to her character being someone I wanted to read about, and someone I wanted to find and keep love. In the love story itself, I really did enjoy quite a bit of it, even though it had miscommunication (and truthfully complete lack of communication) at the heart of it. I think that Betty did an excellent job utilizing that trope to further the story rather then throwing it in in a way that was just extremely frustrating.

Another thing I really enjoyed was the structure of the book. I liked that we had dual POV, as well as dual timeline, in a way that wasn’t confusing. She did an excellent job formatting and plotting the book so that readers didn’t get frustrated with all the moving parts. It felt like each POV or timeline shift was extremely intentional.

I will note that if you have sexual assault as a trigger, it would be useful to read her authors note before reading this book. While the assault is not on the page, and was a historical event, it greatly drove a large portion of a characters actions and behaviors. I thought the way Betty handled this topic though was excellent, and really highlighted often times the repercussions of these terrible things that happen to us, even years beyond the event itself.

Overall, I really did wind up enjoying this book, and gave it a 4.5 star rating.

A second chance romance. Emerson and Theo were in separable when they met as teenagers.
Due to photos taken by Theo, Emerson begins her career as a model Theo doesn't know the real reason
why Emerson ended their relationship. When the two meet up again due to the marriage pact, both
must get past the obstacles in their way to attain their HEA. Cute romance.
#OneLastShot #NetGalley

This cover is gorgeous. The premise is great. But overall the miscommunication trope was just not for me.

I was so excited for this book, and it did not meet my expectations. I typically try to find the positive in my negative reviews, but there just aren't any in this book.

For starters, the writing is bland. There were a lot of typos in the book which I would normally ignore but in an arc from a traditional publishing house it is unacceptable.

You can also really tell that the author was originally an influencer first because there are so many lines that are clearly designed for social media promotion. It does not fit at all. Additionally, all of those lines were so bland. I usually giggle and smile at romance books. I only smiled when I hit the acknowledgments.

The characters were also horrible. The fmc is just so not like other girls, it's ridiculous. The mmc is fine, just there. They have absolutely no chemistry together. At all. I cannot think of a single moment in which I rooted for the main characters to get together other than for the book to end faster. There was also some other woman drama; it would've been fine but one minute the other woman is horrible and talking about how she'll stop at nothing to get the mmc and the next she's practically best friends with the fmc. It made no sense at all. Plus this book falls into the "horrible agent/mentor" trope. There's also other man drama that is essentially the same: one minute the enemy, the next he's invited to the wedding.

The plot itself was fine but nothing to write home about. It was just...fine.

Overall the book was lackluster at best and torture at worst. Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. Suffice to say I am very disappointed with this read.

Vibes: travel, fashion, recovery from trauma, high school sweethearts

Heat Index: 3/10

Supermodel Emerson made a marriage pact with her high school best friend--with whom she shared serious feelings--Theo... and it's come due. Edging her way into a campaign that Theo, now a fashion photographer, is shooting, she tries to reconnect with the boy she lost. But Theo has grown into a man who's a bit less enamored with Emerson than he once was, and even a romantic shoot in Cinque Terre, Italy may not be enough to bring them back together...

Okay, so, truth: I largely requested this because of the cover and the setting. It's a beautiful cover, and I do love Cinque Terre quite a bit. And Cayouette does a great job describing that setting! You definitely get the sense of escaping to Italy, enjoying the scenery, the romance, and so on.

However, I found that aspect a bit more compelling that the romance itself. I'd describe this more as a borderline women's fiction/recovery book. It's quite cute, but tinged with emotionality; and I can definitely see it appealing to Emily Henry readers. Which is good! I mean, objectively, that's a good thing for Betty Cayouette. However, I don't know that I was the right reader for it.

Quick Takes:

--One thing I do want to be clear about is that the recovery I'm referring to is recovery from sexual assault. It happened in the past, it's not a GIANT part of the plot, but it is definitely crucial to the plot. The author is upfront about this in a note preceding the story, and I appreciate that so much. I also appreciated the sensitivity with which it was handled. It's a tough balance, and I think she executed that here.

--I do think the prose could be worked on a little? Emerson didn't read like a twenty-eight-year-old women for me, in terms of her internal monologue. Everyone is different, but I'm of a similar age right now, and I felt like she didn't quite ring true in terms of... not even maturity? How she expressed herself, perhaps?

--This does give big "on the more emotional side" beach read vibes.

The Sex:

It's not like... exactly closed door. But it's pretty close. There's one scene that's kind of sexy, but it's not explicit. This is a sloooow burn.

This wasn't really for me, but I definitely do see its audience. Pick it up if you're looking for something that will feed that wanderlust bug and offer a bit of light but real emotionality.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A childhood marriage pact motivates supermodel Emerson to orchestrate her way onto a photoshoot to reunite with her former best friend and photographer Theo. After spending their high school years attached at the hip, just friends and each wanting more, Emerson and Theo finally confessed their love to one another only to be torn apart by traumatic events. Now ten years later, Emerson hopes to reconcile with Theo and win back her first love.

The tension! I am a big fan of past and present timelines, especially with childhood friends to lovers. We get a glimpse into Theo’s and Emerson’s younger years and how their original love story came about. In both timelines, the two try to respect the other’s space while simultaneously wishing for more. There were a few instances throughout the book where I had to remind myself to suspend disbelief, which pulled me out of the story. I do not enjoy the miscommunication trope but understand it was used to push the plot forward and prolong the slow burn. Be sure to read the author’s note before diving into the story.

I recommend you pick this book up if you enjoy:
- second chance romance
- childhood friends to lovers
- celebrity romance
- life on photoshoots
- insta-love

Theo and Emerson haven’t seen each other in a decade. When they end up on the same photoshoot in Italy, arranged by Emerson herself, they work to heal themselves and their friendship.

Dual POV, and a little time jumping, this story comes together beautifully and leaves you rooting for Theo and Em, even if I did spend a good chunk of the book mentally begging them to just be totally open with each other. The writing at the start was straightforward and not exceptionally elegant, but a few chapters in really hits its stride.

I was provided a complimentary e-galley on NetGalley by St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to start by saying thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me an early readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Going into this book, I thought I was going to love it. The tropes were all there –– friends to lovers, second chance romance, marriage pact, dual pov, etc –– but this book was a little underwhelming to me.

I enjoyed Emerson as a character and found her to be very likable and relatable, and her romance with Theo was genuine and believable as well.

However, my main issue with this book was the writing. The style, syntax, and diction just all fell short to me which is what took this book down from a high rating to the one I gave it. It felt very juvenile to me which is why I struggled to get through it.

I really liked the idea behind the plot and the overall message of the book, but the writing was a big no for me personally!! The sexual assault awareness [perhaps not the right phrase] in this book and how it highlighted that women can still live fulfilling lives after something so traumatic was really well done, and I think many women will unfortunately be able to relate.

Overall, I give this book 3 stars because the plot and message were in the right place and the characters were enjoyable but the writing style was not my favorite!

This book started very promising for me. The whole "unrequited love/friends to lovers" was intriguing and the interactions between Emerson and Theo from the very start pulled me in.

WARNING!!!: a large part of the plot of this book is the miscommunication trope, which normally I loathe!! However, I will say the way the author used it in the book was justifiable and I was able to work with it. The miscommunication between Emerson and Theo worked in that it made sense and was realistic. It wasn't your average, I'm just not going to say anything because I don't want to say anything trope.

Emerson and Theo's relationship is a SLOW BURN! Oh my goodness is it a slow burn but there is a good amount of tension and wanting between them that it pulls you forward and you don't feel like you are suffering.

Now, while I enjoyed the first 75% of this book and would have without a doubt given it 4 stars, ultimately, the last 15% of this book dropped it down to 3 stars. I loved Emerson and Theo's characters throughout the whole story. THE MOMENT THEY GOT TOGETHER, I do mean their relationship was only a day old and I started to hate Emerson and Theo. She became a different person and honestly, reminded me of a Kardashian, which immediately turned me off on her. Theo went from being this strong, confident man to a whiny, second-guessing wimp who needed a good kick in the balls.

Remember that whole miscommunication trope in the beginning? Yeah, it did a 180 flip in the end and became a total nightmare! I lost all interest. The book was so good for a large majority of the story but the ending just killed it for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I will give my thoughts once SMP addresses their readers with an explanation. Until then, all my reviews will be withheld.

first off, can we take a moment for the cover?! the background! the showcase of main characters that so perfectly depicts their dynamic! since this is a debut novel and I didn't have an prior knowledge of betty, the beauty of the cover grabbed my interest, a feeling matched once I read the synopsis.

one last shot is a second chance romance between emerson and theo. once high school friends, they are now on opposing sides of the same industry. while emerson has achieved stardom as a supermodel, theo's career as a photographer doesn't necessarily fulfill him despite paying the bills. with italy as the setting for their reunion, feelings they've ignored for a decade resurface, demanding the pair communicate about their past. the happy ending they once didn't dare to dream could be on the other side of those hard conversations.

3.5 ★

when celebrity romances are done well, it's one of my favorite tropes. there's just something about the public intrigue and luxurious lifestyles that paint such a pretty picture. in one last shot, the inclusion of past and present timelines, plus narration from both theo and emerson, really elevates the story. this is a great debut from betty cayouette. while some kinks could have been hammered out, it's a small complaint given how addictive I found the story. my intentions to only reach to a certain percentage were quickly dashed by my desire to continue, to know more. the flashbacks to their high school years being strategically placed throughout the reunion of present day was wise storytelling, making the reader invest in the couple's history.

thanks to st. martin's press and betty cayouette for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've been following Betty's book recommendations on social media for a while, and her pitch for this book sounded right up my alley so I am ecstatic that I got an ARC of her book from Netgalley.
I thought this was such a wonderful debut! I admit I found the writing a bit clunky at the beginning, but it improved as we got deeper into the story. I'm a sucker for childhood friends-to-lovers romances, the characters were really well developed, their love story and reasoning made perfect sense, and most importantly the pining was on point! I'll add that I was skeptical about the setting in a popular tourist destination and the model/photographer aspect of this story, because these can easily veer into corny territory (in my opinion), but Betty incorporated these seamlessly into the story. I also really appreciated the author's note, and I think she did a wonderful job in getting her ideas across to the reader. I breezed through One Last Shot in 2 days and had a great time!
If you like romances like "Love and other words" or "People we meet on vacation", I think you'll enjoy this one!

<b>One Line Review:</b> They were everything to each other from the moment they met, inseparable until one day… they weren’t. Theo and Em have navigated the last 10 years apart from each other but will fate and a well-timed reminder be able to bring them back to where they may have once belonged?

<b>Synopsis:</b> Theo and Emerson were as close as any two friends could be in their younger years, not a day going by without them venturing off to experience life together. The two jokingly made a pact with each other that no matter what cards life dealt them, by their 28th birthdays they would marry one another. Emerson, on a stroke of luck, was scouted by a modeling agent in a mall and began her whirlwind career as a model, while Theo’s passion grew rapidly for photography. Their friendship naturally developed into something much more, believing they would be together forever, until one day the weren’t. Time and circumstance seemed to separate them without warning in the most vicious of ways, leaving Theo with a broken heart.

Ten years later, the marriage pact reminder goes off in both of their phones. Emerson, now one of the world’s greatest supermodels, needs to see Theo again, believing that he is her truest and greatest love. But a question that needs answering, has the distance been too great to allow the one-time friends to be brought back together?

<b>My Thoughts:</b> Couple things to note, if you are not a fan of certain tropes, still give this book a chance. I am an avid hater of a miscommunication trope, but this leant into the story line in a way that didn’t bother me once I understood more about Emerson’s character. BUT if you are a friends to lovers trope fan you better add this to your TBR because omg.
When I tell you there was <b>more than one moment during reading this that I actually teared up</b>… This book hit right in the softest part of my little hopeless romantic heart, and I loved every minute of it. This. This book was exactly the sweet, romantic, minimally spicy read that I needed in 2024, and I very much look forward to buying the physical copy to add to my shelf when release date comes! The cover is dreamy, and EXACTLY what I pictured as the setting!
I want to take a special second to thank Net Galley and Betty Cayouette for the opportunity to read such an amazing debut… I will absolutely be keeping Betty on my short list of authors to look out for in the future! 4.5 stars all day long in my eyes.

Last but not least, I do want to give one VERY slight trigger warning, there is one direct mention of SA toward the end but is extremely brief, and a few hints toward what happened lightly throughout.

The premise of this book intrigued me but I just couldn’t connect with the characters or the story. It was hard to follow with the flashbacks, and I think that is because the book was so slow at times it was hard to remember what you were even reading. I think I just don’t prefer books where the entire story hinges on a small miscommunication. 2/5 stars

This book started off strong, was hard to push through in the middle and then the ending made it all worth it. It was too wordy for me in the middle it felt forced to be longer, but overall a fun read.

“The only life I’ve ever wanted is the one where I’m with you.”
•

high school best friends Emerson and Theo made a pact that if they weren’t married by their 28th birthdays, they’d marry each other.

but one breakup, a couple devastating events, and a decade later when their phones remind them of their vow, it’s been years since they’ve spoken to each other. undeterred by their distance and invigorated by the reminder, Emerson uses her supermodel status to book a spot in Theo’s upcoming Italian photo campaign in order to see if there’s any love to rekindle.

although it’s filled with way more miscommunication than I generally enjoy, One Last Shot is a sweet story of two people who’ve been all around the world finding their way back to each other.
•

this and that:
♡ aspiring authors
♡ donut quests
♡ drunken confessions
♡ dual pov
♡ fashion model / photographer
♡ flashbacks
♡ friends-to-lovers
♡ gelato
♡ high school sweethearts
♡ hiking
♡ Italian sunrises
♡ jet-setting
♡ marriage pacts
♡ one bed
♡ open door
♡ road trips
♡ second chances
♡ thursday movies nights
♡ questions and answers games
•

triggers:
☞ bullying
☞ hoarding
☞ parental death
☞ rape (discussed but occurs off-page)
•

notable quotes:
・“bet on yourself.”

・“You deserve to have everything you’ve ever wanted and to wake up every day and be so excited for what you’re going to do that it hurts.”

・“The only life I’ve ever wanted is the one where I’m with you.”

・“This is what getting everything you’ve ever wanted looks like.”

・“all of my best days are with you.”

・“I’ve been waiting to be with you my entire life”

・“I could have anything I want, but you are all that I want”
_

thank you SMP Romance for providing me with an early copy for review!

A love story told from freshman year to senior year and ten years later concurrently, this book was a treat in a much more flushed out and realized that you would expect for a summer romance book.

I fell in love with the characters and it almost read like a thriller with me rushing to find what had happened all those years ago.

Great read.

Emerson is a famous model who after breaking up with her boyfriend realizes she has 'one last shot' to reconnect with her high school best friend, Theo. They separated under unclear circumstances and haven't spoken in 10 years. She finagles her way onto a photoshoot that Theo is the photographer for in Italy. Neither person knows the other's true feelings or intentions, which created tension and uncertainty.

I enjoyed this book. I liked both main characters and the format of the story with it being told in past and present timelines as well as dual POV. Knowing the basis of their friendship helped me to connect to the characters and root for them to repair the hurts they both had from their separation years ago. When Theo and Emerson are together, they clearly have chemistry and I felt it even more in the past chapters when they were in high school, There are deeper topics throughout this book including a sexual assault (not described on page), hoarding, and parental abandonment. I will say that if you have a problem with miscommunication, this book will not be for you as it is ripe with it. That didn't bother me so much, because the basis for it seemed realistic, but at times I felt like the burn was a little too slow. I would have liked a bit more physical contact between the two characters early on to build on that tension and the push/pull energy. I'd recommend this for people who liked Every Summer After and The Infinity Between Us.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you to the author and St. Martin’s for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This premise sounded so cute but unfortunately the book didn’t pull through. The writing was very stilted and awkward, and the pacing was all over the place - slow when it should have been fast and vice versa. I had a hard time getting myself to power through, even through some of my favorite tropes (second chance romance and friends to lovers). This book just needed much more time spent on development before going out into the world.

This debut novel by TikTok influencer Betty Cayouette is a second chance romance about a super model and a photographer who were inseparable in high school but haven't spoken to each other in the 10 years since graduation. When they were 18, Emerson and Theo made a pact that if they weren't married yet at 28 that they would marry each other and then set a reminder on their phones. Emerson is now a famous supermodel living a glamourous life but has never found a man she cares for as much as Theo. When the reminder goes off on her phone she is determined to have one last shot at a relationship with Theo so has her agent arrange for her to be a model on his 4 day photo shoot in Italy the following week. The story is told from the point of view of both characters in the present and also in flashbacks to their four years of high school friendship.

An enjoyable romance set in a beautiful location although it's a bit slow moving and the miscommunication that is central to the plot is frustrating. Most of the story takes place in Cinque Terre, Italy but there wasn't enough focus on the setting for me - I would have loved a greater sense of place. Overall a good debut novel that will be a fun summer read!

The author provides a content warning for sexual assault. It doesn't occur on the page - the focus is on how she dealt with the trauma.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.