[arc review]
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an alc in exchange for an honest review.
One Last Shot releases May 7, 2024

Days before her 28th birthday, Emerson gets a calendar reminder on her phone about the marriage pact she made with her best friend in high school.
Having not spoken with each other in a decade, she has her modelling agency book her a fashion shoot in Italy, with Theo as her photographer.

It sucks when the concept of a book has so much potential but ends up being outweighed by superficial characters and a plot that is forced and inauthentic.
Where was the passion or yearning? The lack of communication coupled with the om/ow drama was beyond frustrating.

Emerson is given a history of SA and a mother with hoarding problems as a way to give her a semblance of personality, but it doesn’t work, sticking out like a sore thumb instead.

How is it possible that for the past 10 years, every time Emerson got into an elevator she thought of the time her and Theo were stuck in an elevator, but she forgot about their marriage pact??

Theo and Emerson equally did not have the wherewithal to have a lasting relationship with a solid foundation. Nothing about this was believable from romantic standpoint.

3.5 rounded up

One Last Shot is a debut romance about a supermodel and a photographer who get a second chance at romance. They were inseparable in high school and then lost touch with each other. They meet up in a photoshoot in Cinque Terre, Italy ten years later where supermodel Emerson is modeling and Theo is the photographer.

There is a dual timeline in this book to set up Emerson and Theo’s high school years and then splitting off periodically to present day, ten years later. I like the way the story slowly unfolded to reveal what happened to them in the past.

The book relies heavily on a miscommunication trope that I don’t particularly enjoy. However, I really enjoyed the last quarter of the book.

This is a solid debut and I look forward to more books by this author.

"One Last Shot" rejoins childhood sweethearts Emerson and Theo who were suddenly torn apart ten years earlier by an all-too-common event in Emerson's life.

In the present-day, they are each reminded of a marriage pact they'd made back then: namely, that if neither of them were married by the time they turned 28, they'd marry each other. Little did they know when they made that pact that they wouldn't even be a part of one another's lives in ten years. But Emerson sees it as an opportunity to finally go after what she really wants, the only man she's ever loved.

Unfortunately, her meddling agent makes things difficult for true love to run its course, and it takes Emerson and Theo a while to figure out where all the mixed signals are coming from.

As they try to navigate coming to terms with the past and sharing their hopes for the future, they have plenty of obstacles to overcome; most notably, Emerson's fame.

If you enjoy romantic stories that include likable characters, childlike fun, and deep and serious issues, you won't want to miss "One Last Shot."

Thank you to Betty Cayouette, the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

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.
The audio was well done and the emotions came through !

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC of One Last Shot in exchange for my honest opinion. I think this is one of the best covers that I’ve seen lately 😍
Set in Cinque Terre and Boston’s North Shore, this debut is a second chance romance, where a supermodel attends a photo campaign being shot by the man she made a wedding pact with in high school. The book includes chapters in the present at the photo shoot in Italy, where the descriptions made me feel like I was there, and chapters from the couple in high school, attending Salem High. Having formerly taught at Salem High, I especially enjoyed these flashbacks. I’m so glad that in my time working in Salem I was introduced to Bagel World, which is mentioned by name in the book. As a Massachusetts transplant from NJ, bagels are VERY important to me, and I am super picky about MA bagels. I agree that Bagel World has good bagels, and I tried to be understanding when students were late to class because of the BW line. If you’re not from the NJ/NY area, you may think I’m a little off-my-rocker, caring this much about bagels, but I don’t think you understand how amazing a fresh bagel can be!
Back to the audiobook. The dual narration by Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins made this read especially enjoyable. Both give emotional performances. I highly recommend the audio, even though miscommunication is a key plot point - I was pleasantly distracted enough by the narrators that I didn’t focus on that pet peeve, a big compliment to them.
I virtually joined the Boston.com Book Club last night to hear more from the author and her interview partner. I thought the author did a great job talking (without spoilers) about the origins of the book and her viral tiktok success - and she gave us a little info about her second and even third books which are in the works! I love that Boston.com chose a local debut author for their June book club pick.

The perfect mis-communication trope. Add in childhood memories, a manager who is a beast, and an old vow and you have a perfect summer read. I adored every word and have recommended it to my patrons. Loved it!

Big thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC copy of this cute, summer read!

I thought that this was such a cute, fun read! I really enjoyed the audio version of this and thought it gave it a bit more life. I think I am leaning towards being a fan of the second chance romance trope for sure.
Definitely thrilled that this took place in Italy, what a perfect setting!!

This was absolutely a great, quick listen!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

I'm usually not one for second chance romance, but this was a pretty sweet one! I really enjoyed the flashbacks to their childhood and think that it tied the whole story together. I think that's what made me enjoy it more than I normally would because it really shows you how they built their relationship and gave so much more weight to everything.

My one complaint was that I hate the miscommunication trope, and that's what this whole book really revolves around, so if that's a dealbreaker for you, then beware. It felt like if they had just stopped and talked for even one moment, then the whole story never would have happened. It also felt like that was the reason for any conflict that ever happens in the book to make things more interesting.

I did enjoy how sweet Emerson and Theo are together. When they do finally get a moment to talk and be themselves with each other, they really do fit together well. I enjoyed their moments of realness most out of all of it.

If you need a fun summer romance, this might be the book for you!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was surprised by this book in a great way. Betty Cayouette wrote about modeling and fame in a way that was felt relatable.
She also handled a difficult topic (TW: SA) in such a careful when handling way that is respectful. Make sure to listen/ read the authors note on this!
Plus it is set with the backdrop of Italy - one of my favorite places.

Thank you @macmillan.audio and Betty Cayouette for this ALC!

Unique story from a debut author! One I think many of my patrons will enjoy for the summer. It did have a good amount of spice but a great addition to the summer titles I’m looking to add to the library!

Emerson, a world renowned supermodel, is freshly out of a relationship and thinking about the marriage pact she had with her high school friend, Theo. They both agreed that if they weren’t married by 28, they’d marry each other. Lucky for her, Theo is a fashion photographer, so she convinces her agent to put her on a campaign shoot in order to rekindle their romance. They didn’t end their friendship on great terms, so Emerson has her work cut out for her to get back in Theo’s good graces.

This is a super cute romance that briefly deals with heavy topics such as sexual assault and parental neglect. Most of this is implied, but it provides context to Emerson’s character. I love romances that are slightly unrealatable. The story pulled me into the fantasy of living the model life on set in Italy, but Emerson faced real world problems that kept the plot in reality. In general I feel like friends-to-lovers stories have better pacing than other tropes, and this one is no exception. Thanks to NetGalley and Betty Cayouette for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Before mentioning the story at all, I want to acknowledge the authors note at the beginning of the book. I need to commend the Author so wholeheartedly on bringing the everyday lives of woman who have survived sexual assault the foreground of this story. An all too common experience, and I appreciate the respect it shows to the individuals to present a past trauma as just that, a past trauma. Something that shapes growth but does not stop it, or hinder hope for wonderful things to come.

Moving on to the story itself. I loved the set up, I liked the narrative style, the characters were great. But beware. A major piece of contention plot wise is the miscommunication trope. This book would have been two chapters if the characters had just been honest right away. Considering the fact that I enjoyed this anyway, the rest of it must have been really well written. This book was absolutely not perfect, but the merits outweigh any minor gripes I had with it. I enjoyed it immensely and would absolutely recommend. I look forward to reading more from this author.

📖My Thoughts📖


Romcoms. They’re one of my absolute favorite genres to read. Maybe it’s the happy, bubbly cuteness? Whatever the case may be, sometimes I just feel like I can’t get enough!
I absolutely loved this book! I really liked the premise. It grabbed my attention and sounded like it would be a good one to jump into. It definitely didn’t disappoint! There were some Wedding Pact vibes going, along with a rollercoaster friends to lovers and family second chance tropes. *sigh* Oh Emerson and Theo. You two, ya drove your girl batsh*t crazy with your communication skills (or lack there of). On one hand, I had the “awwww they’re so cute!” feeling, and on the other side of the coin, it is was more like, “AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! You’re killing me Smalls!”
There were quite a few triggers in this book that are listed by the author, who does an amazing job portraying the emotions in a very tasteful manner.
This is a slow burn, allowing you to just envelop yourself into the story, feeling almost as though you’re seeing everything unfold right before you.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I think the narrators Betty Cayouette; Brittany Pressley; Sean Patrick Hopkins did a sensational job bringing this debut romance to life.
As always, I picked this one based on the cover. What can I say? I like living on the edge. It absolutely met my standards and then some! I plowed through this gem in one day! Betty Cayouette, I look forward to reading more of your work!
Thank you McMillan Audio, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 stars rounded down. I have admittedly never heard of this author until I read this book, and found out in the acknowledgements that apparently she is a viral TikTok star. That being said, I found this book to be good but not great. I love the famous/not famous troupe and appreciated the friends to lovers aspect of this book. It was the miscommunication and complete LACK of communication that bothered me at time. I felt the plot moved forward quite quickly at the beginning, slowed significantly in the middle but the end did wrap up nicely. I liked the portions of the books that showed the past relationship of Emerson and Theo, but at times they almost felt a bit unnecessary. This review seems critical, but I did enjoy the book. The positives were definitely the setting, the author transported us immediately to Italy in the summer which I appreciated, and I did enjoy the story itself. I also very much enjoyed the narration of the book. I thought the voice actors truly made the book come to life. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it might not be one that is remembered forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed this second chance romance that is the perfect summer read! Emerson and Theo were best friends in high school, and made a pact to marry each other if neither were already married by the time they were 28. After not seeing each other for years, they come together on a photo shoot and rekindle their friendship and hopefully more. This was filled with all the sweet and angsty moments that I love in a second chance romance. I was fully invested in seeing theses two get their happily ever after!, I was pleasantly surprised that this was written by a debut author and I’m excited to see what comes next for Betty!

The narration for this is what really made the book! I love Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins is becoming one of my favorites! They both brought their characters to life and I could really feel the emotions coming through in their performance!

This was such a sweet book. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but their story was beautiful! I loved getting the past story too! They are a swoony and the mutual pining was just everything!!

4.5 rounded to 5 ! I have been so excited to read this book ever since I saw Betty was writing her own book! This book was super cute…

*Dual POV and timeline
*childhood friends to lovers
*second chance romance
*set in Italy
*celebrity romance
*slow burn

LOVED! and the ending was just like the movies- so swoony !

Also, the narration on this book was amazing !! Brittany Presley and Sean Patrick Hopkins did a great job bringing Emerson and Theo to life

One Last Shot is a fun friends-to-lovers/rekindled romance set in Cinque Terre, Italy (a place I love!) about a photographer and a model coming back together. I will say that the characters can sometimes be frustrating and it drags on for probably just a bit too long, but that does sometimes happen (in both romance books and in real life). I will admit that part of why they were frustrating is because I did come to care about them, so overall that is probably a good sign.

It makes for a good audiobook; I enjoyed having two narrators as it made them both more relatable.

For fans of Italy, friends-to-lovers, and celebrity/pop culture, One Last Shot is a solid choice.

🍩 🍩 🍩 🍩 / 5

A marriage pact, the fashion industry (one MC is a supermodel and the other is a photographer), childhood friends and a beautiful setting in Cinque Terre Italy made this book a really fun read! Emerson and Theo were childhood besties who had some wonderful and special times but fell out of touch. They had a marriage pact that if they aren’t married by 28 they would marry each other - the time has come and both are single!

I really enjoyed many aspects of this book but also will say some parts fell a little flat for me - I find it a bit hard to believe an 17-18 year old boy would be so thoughtful and pensive hanging on every word she said but that is the beauty of books! They give you the chance to escape to a world that perhaps you wish you had!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s press, and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book! Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins, the narrators of the audiobook, were amazing to listen to! I felt the emotion in both of their voices! I also absolutely loved and adored the author’s note.

This book had me smitten from the second my eyes landed on the cover! What a swoon-worthy and stunning illustration of Cinque Terre and an awesome depiction of our main characters.

I was expecting Italy to take a much larger role in this story - which was what peaked my interest initially, since I lived there for 3 years.
While it did host the majority of the story's events, the characters and their plot truly shined.
I loved the twist on a typical contemporary romance, where the characters' timelines were woven together from the past and present. The photographer/model plot line was also quite fun to read as it played out how the characters interacted. Additionally, I appreciated how eye-opening it was to read about celebrities and their battles with paparazzi and the press.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinions!