Wow I am blown away! This was my first book by this author and I can’t wait for another. If you are looking for a book you can read in a weekend this is it

This one was really cute and an example of, in my opinion, true love and a love that prevails all. It was right person wrong time, and I love the idea of a marriage pact bringing them back together.
One of my favorite tropes is when one is a celebrity and the other partner is not (which is this book); the efforts she made just to get back in his orbit was so sweet.
The main character was a bit aggravating at times, like I just wanted to smoosh their faces together and be like “and kiss”, but I also understood. She had her reasons for being closed off and he misunderstood quite a few things and was protecting himself from being rejected for the umpteenth time. So yeah this one is a slow burn but the payoff is good!!

Thank you St Martins Griffin and NetGalley for the arc!!

I love the friends-to-lovers trope, and this is no exception. Emerson, now a famous supermodel, reconnects with her high school best friend after a decade because of a pact they made as teenagers. At Emerson's request, her agent puts her on a shoot with Theo, now a fashion photographer, and the drama begins.

This is a fun read with relatable narrative told by both of the main characters. And a good portion is set in Italy. I enjoyed the back and forth of the perspectives that create tension due to their lack of communication. There are also flashbacks to the early days of their friendship leading to the moment that led to their decade of separation. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but took off a star only because I guessed what the rift was caused by pretty early on, particularly after the author's intro.

I had an early copy of the book (all opinions my own), so that may be changed later or moved to the end of the book. Definitely pick this up if you enjoy a good love story. It's more complex than most of the beach reads that come out these days.

What a great way to wrap up the summer months with this banger! I loved this. Everything from the setting to the character development was perfect. This was my first Betty Cayouette book, and certainly won't be my last!

I can't believe I finished a whole book that is based on the miscommunication trope. I'm not happy about it.

Really liked this one. It was a quick, easy to get through story and while predictable (which I don't think is a bad thing!) it was still enjoyable!

So thankful for this advanced reader’s copy! This was a super cute summer romance book. I really enjoyed the two POV’s and the development of each of the main characters (Emerson & Theo). Their story over time keeps the reader engaged. I did not enjoy the couple’s seemingly constant miscommunication. The book cover is beautiful!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This was a cute love story. As a huge lover of Italy, it was hard not to like this book. The general scenery and backdrop is what i dream about. However, i hate miscommunication in books. It just comes across so petty and childish and i cant get past it. But overall i liked the book.

I have never read a “second chance/marriage pact” book that hit so hard.

In One Last Shot, we meet Emerson in present day where she is a famous/popular fashion model. Shes just had a breakup and she’s in the dumps. When she realizes her birthday is coming up, she remembers the pact her and her sort of ex boyfriend Theo made when they were 18. If they made it to 28 and weren’t already married to someone or in a committed relationship, then they would marry each other. There were some additional clauses but that was the gist of it. With some charisma, Emerson manages to get to Theo by making her agent arrange her to be on the set of one of Theo’s shoots. They meet and immediately the world crashes around them and they’re transported (not physically, but emotionally) back to when they were 18.

A bunch of chaos happens and of course this left me swooning over Theo and wishing I could have the kind of job that Emerson has. But ultimately, I adored the entire book from beginning to end. I added a physical copy to my wishlist so I could have a trophy copy. Pick this one up!

this was such a cute second chance romance! it wasnt my favorite one but i loved it regardless. this was such a fun debut.

Betty!!!! Why did you write such a good book! I still think of this model x photographer trope all the time and can’t wait to share how this author executed such a beautiful love story with pain and trauma in this mix. I feel like I would call this a “lost love and found your way back to each other in the most uncertain circumstances”. At the beginning and throughout the middle it was all odds against Emerson and Theo, the worst can happen! I hate miscommunication and just kept yelling at the two to actually talk to each other, yet they made it to where they could only ask one question each day and stayed far apart. Literally had me pulling my hair out throughout the whole book:. I loved this story and can’t wait to read more from this author

Overall Rating 3.5

I enjoyed reading One Last Shot. I really liked the idea of making a pact to marry your high school best friend if both of you are not married by a particular date. That was cute. I love a good second chance romance book and this one was good. Theo and Emerson went through a lot to get their happily ever after and I am happy they were able to get it at the end. I also really enjoyed the dual timeline where the story was told not only in the present while on the four-day shoot but also in the past when the met in high school and how their friendship and relationship developed over time. This writing style helped in establishing a strong chemistry between the two characters. Though I enjoyed the book, there were aspects of it that were not so enjoyable. I understand that what Emerson went through was tragic and it would take years for someone to learn to deal with that but with the friendship established in high school I just did not understand how she felt like she could not talk to Theo. She was able to tell his brother what happened but not him…that made little sense to me. 10 years of possible love and friendship gone because of miscommunication. I love a good miscommunication trope but their miscommunication did not only happen years ago…even when they were on the photo shoot, they kept miscommunicating. You guys are in your 30s….talk to each other already. It was a little frustrating to see as a reader.
Overall, this was a good book. Though it took me some time to get into…when I finally did, the story began to flow well and I ended up enjoying it.

Super sweet love story. Loved the backdrop of Italy. I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication in books so that was a bit frustrating but overall I enjoyed it! 3.5 stars rounded up

One Last Shot was an incredible debut!! The characters and their stories sucked me in so quickly and I became so invested in their love story. I LOVE a second chance romance with flashbacks, and this had those scenes that just made my heart ache in such a good way. I was rooting for them throughout the whole book and binged this story so fast.

There was a wonderful combination of romance and angst; and with the setting being abroad, it really was such an incredible read and story. I can’t wait to read more books from this author.

*Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The characters felt immature so I did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped for. It felt awkward at times. There’s plenty of summer vibes to it though. A short & simple read overall. It just wasn’t my cup of tea specifically.

This was a fun romance that definitely hit those summer vibes! I loved the setting and the romance was sweet, if a bit simple. A nice summer read!

This was a fun novel with a twist on romance. When Emerson is nearing her twenty-eighth birthday, a forgotten calendar reminder pops up. It’s a marriage pact she made with her high school boyfriend ten years ago. She’s determined to see if they can follow through with thieir pact. She sets out to connect with him. If they can reconnect, it’s not going to be easy. There are some obstacles in their way.

This was good for what it was, a cute second chance romance. I did not feel much of a connection to the characters maybe due to their immaturity. I also despise lack of communication which was prevalent in the book. All in all some people would love it and others will be indifferent. It wasn’t for me but every bread has it’s butter.

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette is a (former) friends to lovers/ marriage pact story that heavily relies on the miscommunication trope that I do not love as much. Theo and Emerson's story used the Italian Riviera as a beautiful backdrop and the model and photographer story was cute but in my view it lagged because the failures to communicate were overused to the point of being slightly annoying. As a debut novel this was still a decent read and listen with a lovely backdrop and the greatest snack food.

Betty Cayouette’s debut novel, One Last Shot, is a heartwarming romance set against the picturesque backdrop of Cinque Terre, Italy. The story follows supermodel Emerson and photographer Theo, who reconnect after a decade apart, thanks to a marriage pact made during their teenage years.

The novel's charm lies in its blend of nostalgia and romance by dual time lines with the past and present. Cayouette effectively captures the tension and longing between Emerson and Theo, creating a palpable chemistry that drives the narrative. The setting is beautifully described, as the author has described being on this exact trip which inspired her to write this book.

While the romance is compelling, the plot occasionally leans on predictable tropes such as the frustrating miscommunication and second chance romance tropes that didn’t feel as strong as other books I’ve read. However, these minor flaws are outweighed by the novel’s strong emotional core of past and present with the evocative setting.

Some pacing issues also detract from the narrative. The build-up to the climax feels rushed, and the resolution, while satisfying, lacks the emotional punch it could have delivered. The dialogue sometimes slips into clichés, which can undermine the authenticity of the characters’ interactions

Overall, One Last Shot is a delightful and escapist read with a captivating setting and a romance that will appeal to fans of the genre. Despite its predictable elements and occasional pacing issues, Cayouette’s debut offers a sweet and engaging second chance love story, hinting at a promising career ahead for the author.