I have many a qualm about TikTokers/influencers becoming authors, and I feel bad taking it out on One Last Shot, but someone needs to say it (maybe? I'm just a jaded old woman okay), and I think this book is the perfect example of it. The author, given her social media, surely has read so many romance novels, and yet this entire book hinges on miscommunication after miscommunication, which makes it incredibly frustrating to read through. In addition, I think that the primary miscommunication that their entire relationship hinges on was mishandled and the way it was dealt with by the characters was, frankly, unbelievable (I also am aware that the author addresses it in the author's note in the beginning, so I feel for her, but it just seems like the way it was handled was insensitive). Additionally, I found the writing to be quite awkward and the pacing of the book to be very up in the air. The flashbacks were supposed to show the two falling in love but they seemed to zoom in on inconsequential moments that just made them seem incredibly horny for each other instead of building an emotional connection. Finally, (I'm so sorry for being complainy but this book was such a pain to get through) I thought that Emerson's character was incredibly dense. She talks all the time in her inner monologue about being this strong, girl's girl model but every time she interacted with someone she was so....personality-less and rude. It was definitely more telling than showing and made me not want to root for her.

I think this was a solid attempt for a debut, and readers who loved second-chance, dual timeline and (!) dual POV would be interested. Thank you SMP and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

Emerson and Theo meet in high school and quickly become best friends. When they are eighteen, they make a pact to marry each other if they are both single when they turn twenty-eight. Fast-forward 10 years, Emerson is now a world-famous model who seems to have it all, and Theo is a photographer who isn't entirely passionate about his career. Emerson is reminded of their pact as her 28th birthday approaches and immediately seeks out Theo to participate in his next photo shoot in Italy. While working on the campaign, the two try to sort out their feelings for each other as they start healing from their past.

I've been following the author's Instagram book reviews for a while now and was interested in picking up their debut as soon as I heard the premise. I liked that this was a dual POV and had lots of flashbacks to the main characters during their time in high school. It was interesting to watch their relationship from the beginning and then see the different paths they took that eventually led to their reconnection. There were lots of sweet moments between Theo and Emerson. You really felt their connection and love for each other. It did take them a long time to resolve their issues, which, at times, was a little frustrating. Overall, I do really recommend this one. It is a strong debut, and readers who like friends-to-lovers and second-chance romances will adore it.

Thank you to author Betty Cayouette, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin, and NetGalley for an eARC of One Last Shot in exchange for my review.

One last shot is one of the sweetest second chance romance I have read in awhile!

When love goes wrong is there a way back? That’s the question at the heart of this beautiful story and Emerson and Theo are reunited 10 years later after a notification remind them both of a pact made years ago.

When Emerson’s love life is falling to pieces she receives a notification that takes her back a time when love was everything and she was truly happy! In that moment of desperation she makes a choice that will set her on a course to reconnect with her one true love or show her that maybe love isn’t enough.

Theo receives the same notification and though he’s hesitant he tries to reach out to the one girl who set his heart on fire and made him feel alive!

After several miscommunications and walls finally tumbling down these two find themselves face to face and both try to find answers to what went wrong!

I loved how truly real and open this book is about the realities of young love and how healing yet scary it is to reconnect when the heart is on the line! I loved the side characters especially the models rooting Emerson on! A very enjoyable and fun read!

A classic will they won't they romance book about two long lost friends and their marriage pact. So the question remains, will they or won't they? Check out this book to find out! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for a copy of this book for an honest review.

The writing was alright (a little stilted or forced at times) and the main characters had tons of potential, but what took this down for me was the fact there was a lack of communication throughout the entirety of the story. And, even more frustrating, the romance didn’t move along at all until passed the 75% mark, making the whole middle feel very stagnant. The ending also felt forced, like the author squeezed in a 3rd act breakup and 50-75 pages of “back to normal life” scenes because they felt they had to even though it wasn’t really needed. It would’ve worked a lot better (imo!) had the entirety of the story taken place in Italy with more scenes fleshed out and the focus on the romance dialed in more.

I feel so thankful to have received an early copy of this book! The characters were wonderful together and I loved watching their story grow. It was hard to get into the two different narrators in the beginning because they were so similar but I eventually had a hard time putting this one down. I can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next!

Can you ever stop loving the one that got away?

I’m thankful that I was given a second chance with my husband. We’d broken up after dating for a few months, I’d met someone else, but I couldn’t get ‘him’ out of my mind. There was so much about this story that resonated with me.

When I saw this book, written by Betty Cayouette, the 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮’𝙨 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙇𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙠𝙏𝙤𝙠 account, 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙-𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 that follows two friends who, after making a marriage pact, have a falling out, I knew I had to read it! The bonus is, that I love supporting debut authors. With so much going for this book, I knew it’d be a great read. I wasn’t disappointed.

The story continues, that ten years later after realizing their dreams, she, of becoming a supermodel and he, of being a successful photographer, they are given one last shot at love while working together on an assignment in Cinque Terre.

𝙎𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙫𝙖𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣? I’m sold.

A 𝙜𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧?! Let’s get started reading already!

The story really benefitted from flipping between the characters’ high school days and the present day. The author’s ability to tap into readers’ emotions, gives this second-chance romance a deserving spotlight. It also benefitted from both characters as narrators; Theo and Emerson. It really was a sweet romance - the kind with butterflies in your tummy!

Yes, there’s room for improvement. Yes, there are holes in the story. Yes, it’s surface level in some parts. BUT, guys. It’s a debut author and there’s more than a grain of something good here. There’s heaps of goodness! This author will go places. Watch for her. She’ll write great stories one day and you’ll look back and think, I read her first book and 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒕!

I can’t wait to see what this author does next!

I’m thankful for St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley providing me with an ARC of this debut and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I love a good second chance romance, and One Last Shot definitely delivered. While I was not as swept away by the setting as I had hoped to be, I did enjoy the story and feel invested in Theo and Emerson's relationship, both in the present day and in the past, and felt compelled to keep reading. There were times when I was frustrated with the main characters and their self sabotage and tendency toward miscommunication, but I do think it was arguably authentic due to their respective past traumas. The alternating timeline was a successful structure here, and there was minimal spice, but overall this was a sweet story with a satisfying happily ever after.

What a cute book. Se and chance romance, duel POV 2 timeliness. When childhood BF make a marriage pact... the cover is what drew me in but the story is what made me fall in love

One Last Shot follows Emerson and Theo. Former childhood best friends that have not been in contact for ten years that are drawn back together due to a marriage pact that they set when they were young. I really enjoyed this book. I don't always love second chance romances but this was so sweet. The multiple timelines and dual POV was used in a really great way. I suggest checking trigger warnings before reading. There is a sensitive topic that is part of Emerson's story that is dealt with in a lovely and sensitive way. Emerson and Theo have chemistry that jumps off the page. This is the author's first novel and I look forward to reading everything she puts out in the future!

3.75 rounding up! This was really cute but also dealt with difficult topics in a healthy and real way. I loved the characters and the scenic aspect. It made me want to hop on a plane immediately.

I had such a fun time reading but maybe it’s just me, the pacing was off? I felt like I had whiplash at points with the flashbacks.

I will definitely be buying a physical copy though and I look forward to anything this author writes in the future.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC! It’s my very first one and I was very honored!

First off, the cover of this story was the first thing that sold me. Just so simple and beautiful. When I found out it was a second chance, friends to lovers romance, I was sold even more. Two of my favorite tropes.

Now, the book itself. I would definitely say this is a slow burn. Nothing physical happens between the characters until about 70% in. Some people may love that, some may not. I thought the middle of the book was kind of dragging on with the miscommunication between the two main characters. But once they finally talk, everything pushed forward and I couldn’t put the book down.

Theo and Emerson have a beautiful love story. Throughout the book you can tell how much they have always loved and cared about each other, and how hurt each of them was over what happened between them 10 years ago.

I will say, this is not a spicy book. There was one steamy scene and that’s about it. Just a warning if you’re looking for a spicy book. Still extremely sweet and swoon worthy

I really enjoyed One Last Shot!

Emerson and Theo make a marriage pact when they’re in high school that if they’re both single at the ripe old age of 28 (lol), they will marry each other. As luck has it, they’re both single when the marriage pact reminder goes off, so Emerson finds a way to reconnect with Theo at a professional photo shoot.

What I really enjoyed about the novel was seeing behind the curtain on the fashion industry and learning a lot of the modeling and photography lingo. You can tell that the author has a background in this field and she incorporates a lot of cool intel (she mentions in the acknowledgments that she was a fashion photographer before writing the novel).

I also like that while it is a breezy romance read, it does address some serious issues, including sexual assault, in an important way.

Bonus points: you can’t help but love the beautiful setting of coastal Italy! Overall, I thought it was a creative and well-done romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

This was a 3.5 star read for me. It was a great debut novel for this author, I enjoyed their writing style. 2nd chance romance is also a troop that I enjoy reading, but I found the flashbacks to be boring. I also just found the characters lack of communication frustrating. Both characters were very likable though.

One Last Shot was Betty Cayouette's first shot and a fabulous one! I became invested in the characters and their stories just as much as their love story together! The flashbacks were vital to the plot and never over the top. I fully cheered for their love throughout the book. The setting was the icing on the cake! A perfect summer (or whenever) romance read!

I’m so so conflicted. I had been waiting to get my hands on this book forever and was so excited to get an arc from NetGalley! This book is cute. If you’re looking for the warmth and comfort of young love working out in the end, this book is definitely the one for you.

For me, however, I was left wanting a little bit more. I think a lot of it has to do with this being the author’s debut novel. I can see her potential as a story teller and I just know she’s going to write some amazing books one day. This definitely will not be remembered as her best work.

As for Emerson and Theo, Theo was the highlight of the story for me. He was definitely a golden retriever mmc. I believed his love and devotion. Emerson was too surface level for me. I kept being reminded that she’s a supermodel with an unhealthy lifestyle, and it just made her overall unlikeable. Even when she was standing up for herself (which I absolutely supported) it was in such a supermodel way, that made it hard to root for her.

The entire story was rife with misunderstandings which is so annoying in general. The way with which the marriage pact goes off and Emerson is just like “oh yeah, gotta go do this thing and fix my life now.” It was just unbelievable really. I needed more thought and care from Emerson to go into this. Theo seemed to care about Emerson’s needs and feelings while Emerson was just trying to get what she always wanted. It was just lucky for her that Theo wanted the same thing, otherwise this could have gotten messy. Honestly, if this had been written as an enemies to lovers book instead, it would have made more sense and Emerson way more likable.

There was a lot of “telling” done to make the main characters believable in their fields. It made the characters seem very cold and kept pulling me out of being swept away in the story. Like it would get good and I would find myself being immersed in the story and then some weird unnecessary detail would pull me out and make me cringe. It made it a bit difficult to get through, but again, this feels like a debut novel flaw. Not a permanent author flaw.

In the end, I’m a bit let down by this story, but see the potential of the author. This will definitely not be the last book of hers I read. I’m already excited for what she writes next. I’m hoping she goes completely out of her comfort zone and does whole new tropes from this book. I think she might surprise herself.

Super grateful for the arc, NetGalley and publishers!!

It took me a little bit to get into the story and some of the flashbacks were a bit of a snooze fest, but overall, I loved Emerson and Theo together. They were both flawed and real!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a delightful gem of a debut. Betty Cayouette explores second chances against a Cinque Terre, Italy backdrop in her debut 'One Last Shot'. This book is heart-wrenching and touching but also sweet and charming.

After a decade of estrangement, supermodel Emerson is reminded on her 28th birthday of a marriage pact with teenage best friend and first love, Theo. Now a fashion photographer, she machinates to reunite on his photoshoot in the hopes to rekindle their friendship, and maybe a lot more.

Told in dual timelines, we see their burgeoning relationship from first day of middle school to Em unceremoniously dumping Theo before graduation. Cayouette captures their instant connection and just how in tune they are with each other. Theo has a supportive family life, while Emerson lives with a neglectful hoarder mother.

One of my favourite parts was the authenticity. Cayouette, who worked in fashion videography, really captures the less glamourous parts of modelling - the long hours, standing in the cold water, paparazzi and manipulative agents. Also supporting characters were delightful, from Georgia and the other models to Owen.

I was swept up from the first sentence and got so invested in Emerson and Theo. They were well-rounded with their vulnerabilities and chemistry together. I grieved along with them for all that time they lost.

However the book does have some pacing issues. A lot of the flashbacks could've been cut, especially the chapters leading up and after their split since we don't learn the reason. I'd much rather focus was on more present day bonding given they've spent a decade apart and have vastly different lives. Em's reveal why she pushed Theo away should've also happened a lot earlier. I'd also have loved more about the aftermath of developments with her agent.

'One Last Shot' is a sweet and charming second chance romance which sparkles like the sun hitting the Mediterranean sea at Cinque Terre. I couldn't put this book down and I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was so much fun! The setting and characters were awesome. I loved Theo and Emerson’s story. I liked the inclusion of the high school chapters because it really gave a good back story to the characters. I thought the marriage pact was a fun concept that I hadn’t really read before. I loved the Italian setting and it made me want to go back!

“One Last Shot" by Betty Cayouette is a delightful read for a second-chance romance and I must admit that I am a big fan of the subgenre.
Emerson and Theo's teenage friendship takes a romantic turn, only to be abruptly severed. A decade later, Emerson, now a supermodel, seizes the opportunity to reconnect when their marriage pact's reminder pops up. Set against the enchanting backdrop of Cinque Terre, Italy, the novel expertly balances dreamy careers and sentimental touches with the raw reality of trauma and insecurities. Cayouette weaves a tale that's both heartwarming and emotionally resonant, as the characters grapple with past wounds and the challenge of rekindling their connection. The nuanced portrayal of mental health and emotional conflicts adds depth, making Emerson and Theo's journey feel authentic.
“One last shot” is offering a multidimensional romance that will resonate with both romance enthusiasts and general fiction readers.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own.