I’m so bummed, but this one was kind of a miss for me. I have adored the few other Paige Toon books I have read, especially her two most recently released novels. So I was very excited to read this, and it just didn’t do it for me. I can suspend reality regarding the likelihood of Ash and Ellie reuniting the way they did, but the story dragged in some places and was extremely rushed in others. Ellie’s deceased friend also seemed so important early on, and was then completely forgotten. I felt like it could have used another edit. I will absolutely read future books of Paige Toon’s, this one just wasn’t my favorite. :(

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, what a love story Paige Toon's What If I Never Get Over You is. This book destroyed me in the best way possible and has become my favorite of Paige's books.

The story starts with Ellie interrailing her way through Europe. She's got a fictional book with a guide of sorts from her recently departed best friend and is just trying to survive her grief when she meets Ash in Lisbon. Their connection is instantaneous and I felt as if I was right there next to them as they fell in love over three days. Ellie and Ash make a plan to meet in Madrid, but the reunion never happens.

Six years later, Ellie takes a gardener job at a private estate. She's always wanted to be a gardener, ever since she helped her grandmother in her own garden. She's finally living the life she wants and then it comes crashing down when she sees Ash again for the first time in six years. He's the son of the viscount and viscountess that own the private estate and it becomes clear why he never showed up in Madrid all those years ago.

This book will tug at your heartstrings and Paige has, once again, portrayed a beautifully written story with great emotional depth. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of What If I Never Get Over You!

Thank you Putnam for the e-ARC in exchange for the honest review!

I really enjoyed the author's prior book "Seven Summer" and was looking forward to reading her new book. Like other reviewers, I feel this book started strong with palpable/enjoyable chemistry between Elle and Ash when they met. Could it be love at first sight? (I did feel like this was a Love Is Blind scenario..

Where this book lost me was when the obsession/stalker-ish behavior by Elle and ghosting by Ash frequents throughout the book. How the heck are the readers supposed to care about the characters and root for their brief connection/wanting a reunion? IMO, the behavior of the characters becomes super immature and annoying. SMH

I was on the fence with my feelings about this book, but ended up being annoyed with this book. I was really hoping for Ash and Elle to get their reunion and really get to know each quicker than the six years of ghosting, obsession, depression and longing. Elle's behavior was becoming annoying and whiny too!

Overall, not for me and was disappointed especially after enjoying 7 Summers. Cannot recommend but I do not judge other readers for enjoying this, my reading experience was different.

Thanks to Netgalley, Paige toon, and Penguin Group GP Putnam and Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/15/25

I loved Ellie! I want to be friends with her & watch her life continue on! She's a relatable girlie!! Ash's character complimented hers so well! I loved their love story & the emotion you feel while reading! I love a right place wrong time book because of the tension & desperation it builds! It also provoked a travel bug in me!

Paige Toon is one of my favorite authors - I know my heart will get walloped but it will be worth it in the end.

I really liked What If I Never Get Over You, but didn't love it. I read it in just two days and would definitely recommend it to others, but for me it was missing a really strong emotional connection. I liked Ash and Ellie, understood why/how they acted and reacted to each other and their circumstances the way they did, but I didn't care about them quite as much as I wanted to.

Thanks to Penguin Group/Putnam for the ARC.

4.25⭐️
I had a great time with this and it started out super strong!! I really enjoyed part one and it had me totally hooked, I loved the storyline of them meeting while interrailing through Europe! It was pretty insta-lovey which I typically don’t like, but it kinda worked for me in this book bc I felt like it was a really romantic setting and way to meet (but I mean still it was 3 days😅). I loved following their travels as their connection grew and it felt so fun and romantic, it was hard not to root for them.

When we fast forward a few years to Ellie working as a gardener I was still enjoying the story and all the drama that came along with the job. I loved the descriptions of the gardens and the setting as well! As the book went on it started to lose me a bit, sometimes Ash felt like such a different person than he was in part one?? They kinda both started to frustrate me, but overall I still had a fun time with this one.

Would definitely recommend this! Especially if you enjoy Paige Toons other books like seven summers. This would be a great summer read!

- insta love
- right person wrong time
- second chance
- forbidden love
- Bridgerton vibes

<i>What If I Never Get Over You</i> starts with our heroine, Ellie, thinking about how lonely her solo travels through Europe have been. As someone who solo travels through Europe frequently, couldn't relate. And then we meet Ash, who is a super hot granola dude. But also very vanilla. Their adventures were cheesy, but sweet, and I liked all the Lisbon/Sintra touristing because I had done the same thing a couple years ago.

Then we move into the second part of the book, which takes place 6 years later, where surprise, Ash isn't a hot granola dude, he's a hot rich society dude. And for most of this book I was firmly in the three-star, "it's okay", camp, but somewhere along the line, I realized I kinda loved it? Which I think is due to the depth we unravel of Ash's character.

While I wish there was a bit more between Part 3 and Part 4, I really enjoyed this book. I could so vividly picture myself with Ellie and really felt everything she was going through. I loved Ash and their intent connection. This book is a little different than what I usually read and I was not disappointed.

Some stories sweep you up in a whirlwind of emotions, and this was definitely one of them.

Ellie and Ash share an intense connection during a few unforgettable days in Lisbon. They plan to reunite, but when Ash never shows, their story seems to end before it can truly begin. Years later, Ellie has built a peaceful life in Wales, only for Ash to reappear with the truth about what kept them apart.

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. I loved the settings, especially how they first met while traveling across Europe, which made their connection feel even more special. Their journey is not lighthearted, and at times the weight of their past and present struggles really hits hard. The depth of their experiences made their story feel raw and real. I also appreciated the side characters and how they grappled with carving out their own paths despite family expectations.

If you love stories that are emotional, deeply felt, and set against beautiful backdrops, this one is worth picking up.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I really liked 7 Summers so I was excited for this release. It was a slow start for me but the book later picked up. The true love while backpacking for 3 days seems unlikely to me. The fact that 6 years later she is still so bitter and angry made her come off slightly unhinged. I liked how the author made them work for their happy ending though, and the plot wasn’t easily wrapped up with a bow. 3.5⭐️

Synopsis: After Ellie and Ash spend a whirlwind three days together in Portugal, they vow to meet up in Spain in one week - but Ash never shows. Six years later, when Ellie has finally started to move on, Ash unexpectedly appears back in her life.

Thoughts: Paige Toon definitely knows how to write a romance that will send you on an emotional rollercoaster! I went from swooning, to crying, to yelling at the main characters to get it together, back to swooning, back to crying… you get the idea. I thought the characters were very well-developed; even when I didn’t agree with their actions, I could understand where they were coming from. I also loved the settings, from Lisbon to garden estates in the British countryside. Overall, this is a really lovely romance!

Read this if you like:
🪻 insta-love
🪻 second chance
🪻 travel
🪻 gardens
🪻 dysfunctional families

✨ e-ARC Book Review ✨

💜 What If I Never Get Over You - Paige Toon 💜
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️

Swipe for synopsis ➡️

Paige Toon is an auto-buy author for me, so as soon as I saw she was releasing a new book I jumped on requesting it. And I was so pleased when I was approved for the e-arc!

Right off the bat I was so invested in Ellie & Ash! I really enjoyed that they met while traveling across Europe, and how even after just meeting, they made such a deep connection and familiarity with one another. However, once those 3 days of bliss and excitement ended, I already felt a bit heartbroken. One thing I love about Paige Toon’s books is that she writes such real and raw characters. There’s nothing superficial about what they go through and at times it can feel quite heavy. And in this case the heartbreak that Ellie and Ash go through is quite literally that…heartbreak. And just when I thought Ellie and Ash were getting everything they wanted (after 6 years mind you!!!) another detour gets in their way. It was about 3/4 into the book that quite honestly I was frustrated with both of them, especially Ash! But emotions aside I actually ended up really enjoying how the book ended. I just felt like I went through ALL the emotions to get there!

And one final thought, I love that a lot of Paige’s books are set in the UK…this one being in Wales. Growing up in the UK, I just always feel so at home reading books of places that I used to visit as a kid. And something about the humor and the dialogue just makes me feel so at home!

Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for more a real-life romance with ups and downs and everything in between!

A massive thank you to @paigetoonauthor and @netgalley for the e-arc!

I enjoyed the story line, it had just enough of a twist to make it slightly different than other romance books out there. The initial connection between Ellie and Ash drew me in, however, I was not sure what to expect with the rest of the book. Like other reviewers I was frustrated with them both toward the middle of the book. Ellie seemed to be a runner and Ash seemed oblivious to her needs. There did seem to be a lot of back and forth that would have been resolved with just a little bit of communication, but I guess without that there would not have been as much angst!

Even with all that, I will say I did enjoy the book, and it was very easy to read. I want to thank Paige Toon, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for the eARC!

I'm a big fan of Paige Toon, but this one was just ok for me. I loved Seven Summers, so I was really excited to get an early copy of What If I Never Get Over You.

It starts off strong with Ellie and Ash meeting in Portugal as they're both solo traveling around Europe. You're introduced to their relationship as they're getting to know each other, and while it's cute you learn that they're both hiding things. They have an instant connection and make plans to meet up in Spain, but Ash never shows up. Something like 6 years later (why is there always a big time jump), Ellie ends up working as a gardener for a large estate in Wales where surprise surprise she encounters Ash.

My biggest issue with this story is that I didn't really feel any type of connection to Ellie or Ash, so I wasn't really rooting for them in the end. I feel like you got to know Ash a little better than Ellie, but not by much. There was also a lot of OW drama, which is never my favorite. The side characters aren't memorable, and even though a lot of emphasis is placed on Ellie's friend Stella, that plotline just ends of disappearing midway through, never to be thought of again. Also the fact that ACOTAR is mentioned multiple times throughout the book, was such a huge miss for me. I don't like when popculture finds its way in to books I'm reading, as it immediately removes me from the world I'm trying to immerse myself in.

Overall it's an ok quick read, but not my favorite Paige Toon read. That easily goes to Seven Summers. So I recommend if you're a fan of Paige Toon! Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was just what I needed! A whirlwind of a love story including all the necessary emotional elements, beautifully written characters and all the charm you would expect. A real page turner, invested in the story development and enjoying the journey all the way to the end!

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for this advanced reader copy.

I absolutely loved this story of the one that got away and now we see each other omg what will happen?!
I liked all the characters in this, especially their back stories of wanting to be able to do their own things without family pressure. I'm wondering how the story would have played out if both characters had not come from money.
My one ick is that there is some unprotected sex here, which results in jokes about what would happen if there was a pregnancy. However, the book was really good and I had all the feels.

I had this ARC sitting on my TBR for a while, and I’m so glad I finally picked it up. This book tells the story of Ash & Ellie, who share an intense, whirlwind three-day connection while traveling. But life (as it does) gets in the way, and they lose touch. Fast forward six years—fate isn’t quite done with them yet. ✨

Now, I’m usually not the biggest fan of instalove, but in this case, it worked. It set up the timeline perfectly, and I was fully invested in their emotional journey.

Ash & Ellie? LOVED them. 😍 They were so relatable, even with their privileged backgrounds. I felt everything—the highs, the lows, the longing. And can we talk about Ellie reading ACOTAR?! 🦇 (Instant bonus points!)

The found family element added such a lovely layer to Ellie’s story, though I do wish we got a little more of that toward the end. A few extra scenes with those characters would have been the perfect finishing touch.

✨ Overall? A beautifully heartwarming and engaging romance with fate, second chances, and ALL the feels. I can’t wait to dive into more of Paige Toon’s books!

I was new to Paige Toon's writing so I was not sure what to expect.

Ellie is traveling through Europe on her own when she has a chance encounter with Ash who is also traveling solo. They end up spending a few days together before Ellie has agreed to go meet her parents in another city. They agree that they will meet back in one week and continue their travels together. Unfortunately due to various reasons beyond their control, the meeting does not happen.

Fast forward six years when their paths cross once again and the sparks fly. But will fate be against them again?

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I will definitely read more of Paige Toon's work in the future.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As per usual, Paige Toon does not disappoint!! I absolutely loved Ash and Ellie. I feel like you can tell right away that they’re soulmates, and it is so sad bc as a reader you know that them being together in real life is near impossible. But where there is a will, there is a way and I’m so happy they got their HEA 🩷loved the character growth for both of them, and how they each had to work out their personal issues before they could really be together.

Love at first sight? Seems to be for Ellie and Ash. I was interested in reading this book when the description said bridgerton meets One Day. I didn’t really feel this book was like either of those. There were times I thought forgiveness was given too easily. The book started off great but overall thought the story was lacking.