Omg! I can’t say enough about this incredible read. Ellie meets Ash on a rooftop restaurant in Lisbon. They are both interrailing and decided to do it together for a while. When it came time for Ash to head a different direction they promised to meet in Madrid soon. Ellie shows up but no Ash. Ash was such a free spirit he didn’t even carry a phone. So Ellie gave him her phone number in a book from her best friend that had died earlier. She stayed in Madrid waiting for Ash but then had to move on with her life. These two individuals had both lost their best friends to death, had very different backgrounds but very strong feelings for one another. The ups and downs are so well written that you can’t help but fall in love with Ellie and Ash!

I received this ARC for free from Netgalley, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 stars

I think the description “One Day meets contemporary Bridgerton” is apt. Ellie meets Ash while interrailling through Europe, and their connection is immediate. After only a few days together, they have to separate, but make plans to meet up in Madrid. Yet, that meet up never happens. Fast forward 6 years, and Ellie hasn’t forgotten that chance encounter, when Ash is suddenly and unexpectedly plopped back into her life.

I loved this book. I think it’s always a good sign for me when I feel very invested in the characters, and I loved Ellie and Ash. Their windy road made me feel a bit impatient during the book, but most of the bumps felt necessary. I really liked the setting and fringe characters as well.

Thank you to Net Galley and Putnam books for the advance read.

This is my first book from this author and I’m quite impressed! I’ll definitely be picking up her other books. The beginning was a bit slow for me, but I really enjoyed the historic family mansion, lush garden, English setting. I appreciated that it wasn’t overly sexual like a lot of other contemporary romances I’ve read. Ellie and Ash’s connection felt genuine and I truly enjoyed reading about them and loved both of them as main characters. It was a tad bit long for me, but other than that I really enjoyed it and I’m excited to pick up Seven Summers this summer!

You can never go wrong with a Paige Toon book. I absolutely LOVED Ellie and Ash and their relationship. While inter-railing they meet for a short amount of time and fall instantly in love and the rest…. Well you will just have to read!!

Thank you NetGalley!

I want sure what to expect with the description of this book but I really liked it. I thought all the characters seemed like real people and I wanted to spend more time with them.

📚ARC REVIEW 📚

What If I Never Get Over You ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While interrailing in European, Ellie meets Ash and they hit it off right away. They are drawn to each other and even more when they learn they both have lost their best friends. They spend 3 days together but make a plan to meet up in Madrid in a weeks time. However, when Ellie gets there Ash is nowhere to be found. Broken hearted she goes back home to England to work for her parent’s furniture business, but her real passion is gardening.
Fast forward to 6 years later, Ellie now has her dream job of being a gardener at a Viscount's estate. She finds peace amongst the towering topiary hedges and colorful gardens, but her idyll is shattered when Ash crashes back into her life. This time will they be able to resist each other or has too much time passed?

I was hooked within the first chapter. I loved Ellie and Ash’s chemistry and how they truly saw each other. However, in the second half of the book Ash’s character made me mad. I wasn’t happy with him and his “friend” and I felt so bad for Ellie. I loved how the author described all the places they visited and the backgrounds. I also liked how it was written in 4 parts to help the readers to understand the timeline better. While this did have a little spice, it was fade to black. Overall, I really enjoyed this read.

This book will publish on April 15th. Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for my advanced reader’s copy. This is my honest and voluntary opinion.

On a backpacking European trip, Ellie meets Ash and the two connect instantly both emotionally and physically and their connection feels even deeper since they have both recently lost their best friends. They plan to meet in Madrid in a week's time but when Ellie shows up, Ash is nowhere. Broken hearted she goes home to England to work for her demanding parents' furniture brand even though her real love is gardening. 6 years later Ellie still often thinks of Ash, but she is begins her dream job as a gardener at a Viscount's estate. She's shocked when she sees Ash on the property, and now the two have to decide how strong their feelings are for each other and if their connection can withstand time and what life has brought with it.

I don't know what it is about Paige Toon's books but I fall in love with every one of the ones I have read. At the beginning of this one, I wasn't sure if I would, but I couldn't resist the characters and their story. Toon's stories always have a tragic element in them, this time the element wasn't put there as a roadblock for the romance but as a connecting element between the two characters, and I really enjoyed it not that this meant that their love story still didn't have major hurdles. All of the ancillary characters added an additional element of enjoyment for the read and I sat there and inhaled this in a day. Now I just have to patiently wait for the author's next book...

4.25 stars

Thank you to GP Putnam and NetGalley for the ARC to review

4.5 ⭐️ 3/5 🌶️ WOW. I devoured this in like two days. It started off with such a bang. I mean can you imagine falling for someone while traveling through Europe? SWOON.

This book was full of so much drama. So much love. So many twists and turns. I love the setting and the characters. They felt so endearing to me in all their struggles and love.

THE REVEAL AND REUNION. I’m trying to not give anything away while also trying to get you to read this book. Do you know how hard that is. 😆

I didn’t agree with the decisions made with some of the characters in the last half and wanted to shake them a little. I still felt so drawn to them despite their spiral into darkness again. Their bad decisions and stubbornness born of such crappy situations. I still found some of their decisions to be annoying. I had one big ick the whole time but can’t say anything because spoilers. Otherwise… COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH ASH & ELLIE!!! & their whole story 🥲

Thanks for the advanced copy Penguin Random House!

This cover drew me in - it is beautiful. My first Paige Toon book, but sadly, I struggled to become invested in the relationship. It just read really slow for me and I just didn't buy that they got so close and attached after a couple days. I tried really hard, but ended up deciding to DNF @ 29%.

「 ✦ 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄✦ 」

📖- What If I Never Get Over You
✍🏼- Paige Toon
📆- April 15, 2025
★★★★☆

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review 🥰

ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝕚𝕗
You like ACOTAR
You like to stargaze/ astronomy 🔭 🪐
You like to garden 🪴🪻

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤

Ellie never thought she’d end up falling for someone in 3 days. While traveling she meets Ash. The connection is like no other, they agree to meet back up in a week in Madrid. But when Ellie arrives later there’s no sign of Ash. With no other way to contact and after staying there in hopes of finding Ash, she gives up. Heartbroken she travels back to Europe to work with in her family’s furniture business.
Six years later she finally has worked up the courage to leave her family’s business and work her dream job as a gardener. With a fresh new start she hopes to finally let go of Ash.

But the universe has other plans as Ash unexpectedly crashes back into her life.

𝕄𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 💭


I loved this book! It made me want to travel and go see Quinta De Regaleria 😍 it definitely gives off ACOTAR vibes. Now, I loved Ellie and the courage she had to finally follow her dreams. But she deserved better and no one deserves to watch the person you love console his “best friend”. With that being said Ash really made me mad, he should’ve just went after Ellie and not cared about heirlooms or what his family said.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I really wanted to get into this book but had a hard time following along. The timelines were confusing. It was a great story with developed characters.

I have been wanting to try a Paige Toon book for so long and I have been seeing everyone rave about this one. Unfortunately, this one just fell flat for me. I found myself unable to connect with any of the characters and just uninvested in the plot. I will definitely be giving Toon’s previous novels a shot though.

WHAT IF I NEVER GET OVER YOU is not a book I will soon forget. I really enjoyed this story. The pacing and the characterization were brilliant. I highly recommend reading this if you've enjoyed her other books.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for my gifted copy. This review will be shared to my account @coffee.break.book.reviews in the near future.

I like to read through reviews before I start a book, and although the reviews seemed to be mixed, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Loved the adventure these two were on when they met in the beginning, and it became even more interesting as the book progressed. The story puts the reader through a range of emotions, which kept me wanting to keep going to the end. Loved Ash, Ella, and the backdrop of the country they explored and lived in. I also liked that the story was broken up into four parts, made it easier to follow. Definitely a book I would recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

I have heard nothing but amazing things about this book! Everyone I know absolutely loved it and felt moved by the main characters. However everytime I picked up this book I couldn't get into. I was a bit confused on the timelines and nothing grabbed my attention to want to read it. I ended up dnf this at 15% I do plan to purchase the audiobook and give it a second chance in a different format since so many book reviewers I trust raved about it! Can't wait to listen this book.

Such a good read. The kind of book that makes me want to start over and read all the "significant" parts. LOVED Ellie and Ash. That's all I'm going to say, read it! You can't go wrong with a Paige Toon book, in my opinion.

Paige Toon always has a way of making you fall in love just to hurt you for a bit and then she’ll make it better! Ash and Ellie meet while in Lisbon & have an immediate connection. They spend the next 3 days together visiting various places and getting to know one another & have plans to meet up in a week in Madrid but plans didn’t go accordingly. 6 years later and as fate would have it they run into each other again…this is definitely the right person wrong time scenario. I actually really enjoyed this one while there were a couple parts that felt flat at times I did honestly feel that connection between these two characters and loved how much they meant to each other!

Book Review: What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon - 4 Stars

Paige Toon’s What If I Never Get Over You is a beautifully emotional and heart-wrenching romance that explores love, loss, and second chances. The story centers around Ellie, a young woman who unexpectedly falls for Ash during a brief interrail trip across Europe. What begins as an intense connection in Lisbon quickly turns into heartbreak when Ash disappears, leaving Ellie heartbroken and wondering what might have been.

Fast forward six years, and Ellie has found solace in a quiet life working as a gardener on a grand estate in Wales. Her peaceful existence is upended when Ash reappears, forcing her to confront their unresolved past and the painful reason he didn’t show up in Madrid as promised. The tension and chemistry between Ellie and Ash are palpable, and as the two navigate their complicated feelings, the story delves into the complexities of relationships, forgiveness, and healing.

Toon does an excellent job at capturing the emotional rollercoaster of Ellie’s journey. She’s a relatable character, struggling to balance the past and present while trying to move forward. Ash, though mysterious at first, is eventually revealed to be a deeply layered character with his own baggage. Their chemistry is electric, and the slow-burn romance will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.

Angsty story about fate and second chances

Ash and Ellie meet while they are both interrailing through Europe and strike up an instant connection. Ellie is admittedly the ultimate people pleaser. She lets her parents dictate her life and never stands up for what she wants. They have this bully power over her and she always wants to make them happy. Ash is a breath of fresh air for her. He listens to what she wants and asks her questions about her thoughts and feelings. Something that is a new concept to Ellie since she always just pushed round.

After an amazing 3 days, they decide to meet up a week later and take another adventure together but he never shows up. Disappointed and maybe even a little heartbroken, Ellie begrudgingly goes back to work the family business to appease her parents but finally decides that she only has one life to live and she pivots. She decides to pursue her dream of being a gardener.

Years later, she lands a prestigious job of being a gardener at the Berkeley estate. One her first day she offers to help with a party at the estate and bumps into the owner's son and realizes she's staring right at Ash. She's too shocked and flees and Ash, desperate to explain, runs after her but she wont give him any space. As they both live and work at the estate, they continue to run into each other and when they finally clear the air they must decide if it's worth giving them another shot or if they must survive with the memories of those magical 3 days.

During their initial meeting, you could feel the connection between them and it was so natural and beautiful. When she sees him years later, you completely understand why she fled because she felt so duped and was utterly broken after he never showed up to meet her. The tension between the two was thick. Even when they talked, you completely understood why she wanted to be by him and comfort him because their connection was more of someone who you felt like you knew your entire life, and not just for 3 days. Almost as if they were destined to meet and lost a part of each other when they couldn't find each other again.

I liked the backstory of how they both lost someone very important to them. It made their bond stronger and they were able to relate to each other in a way many other people couldn’t. The third act was a little over the top for me but it was necessary to see how they each grew and shed prejudices from the past.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for sharing this book’s digital advanced review copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley and penguin group Putnam for this arc.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I just couldn’t get into it or connect with the characters. It was very insta love and fell flat. I’ll def give this author another try tho. 2.5⭐️