I enjoyed Seven Summers by Paige Toon, but I found this novel to be a slog. Cliches, telling not showing—though I liked the characters of Ash and Ellie, I never FELT their love. I was told about it, but I felt nothing myself.
The main characters in this novel are from England and Wales (with a side character from Australia), but this sounds like a very American book, so I’m wondering if the editors Americanized this, thinking we Americans couldn’t translate British slang. It’s a problem, because different accents are a key point of this novel, but I never HEARD anyone speak anything other than what looked on the page to be American English (one character one time said, “rubbish,” but beyond that, no real regional speech except occasionally explained in exposition—no faith in the readers at all).

This was excruciating.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this novel, which RELEASES APRIL 15, 2025.

5⭐️

My second Paige Toon novel this month, and so far it seems that she writes EXACTLY the scenarios I am interested in reading!

This book satisfied my craving for regency era romance in a a modern day setting.

The end of Part Two had me absolutely fuming, which I suppose is just the mark of good writing to elicit such a reaction.

Overall, I have once again LOVED Paige Toon’s work and look forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited for this book because I really enjoyed Seven Summers by the same author. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark for me. The description sounded wonderful, and I think the overall premise of the story was great. Girl meets boy, girl plans to reconnect with boy, boy doesn't show up, girl pines for boy for years, and many years later they accidentally cross paths. The problem for me is that they knew each other for a few days and then didn't reconnect for six years, but they were both in love? Love doesn't work like that, and it was just off-putting to me how they just seemed to know each other and remember things about one another when they never really knew each other in the first place.

The setting was quaint, the story was well written, as aforementioned the premise had promise, but I just cannot overlook how implausible their connection was, especially since I never felt any chemistry or swoony feelings the entire story. We can't all love all the books, and I truly hope there is a following that will enjoy this novel.

Thank you NetGallley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced copy of this ebook.

This is definitely somebody's book. Not mine though.

I enjoyed the premise, but couldn't find myself attached to the characters. I'm not of an insta-love fan, and it just felt too much like that in the beginning. I just kinda wanted to get to the end and even then I barely wanted to pick the book back up.

Thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Completely and utterly in love with this book and will recommend it to everyone I can! Ellie and Ash's story is a love story for the ages and is immaculately done and I can say that I was hooked from the very beginning!

A chance encounter puts Ellie and Ash together while touring and the chemistry between them is palpable. They agree to meet back up only to not have exchanged crucial contact information, along with some unfortunate circumstances, and lose each other for years. Fast forward, Ellie gets a job and she's put back in Ash's orbit only to have him ripped back away from her. I felt I was tugged and pulled in so many directions with so many quelling emotions with this book and loved every minute of it!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

One of my most anticipated reads of this year. I've been hesitant to start it because I knew I would never want the story to end. The queen of second chance romances has done it again! Paige Toon has once again shattered my heart to pieces and then slowly put it back together. The excitement of travel and adventure in the beginning really added to the story. Both main character's self-discovery was satisfying and impactful. I absolutely love every book by her and this one was no different!

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me

I was sucked in for the “before” but in the “after” I was frustrated with the characters, their choices and what those choices led to. I know some people like the jumps in time (ie. one day) but in this case it just felt scattered.

I’ll definitely still check out Seven Summers as it’s been on my TBR for a while.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy!

4.5⭐️s!

This is my first Paige Toon book and it certainly won’t be my last. I loved her writing. Literally read this book in a single day because I couldn’t put it down. This book captured me from the beginning, it made me feel all the feels, it broke me, and then it put me back together. These characters were lovable and had some great depth to them, and I enjoyed seeing them grow. I felt so much heartbreak for them too with everything they had been through. The story was slightly predictable, and it was very insta-lovey. But it was done in a way that didn’t feel like the insta-love was silly or unrealistic. It was actually really heartfelt and emotionally gripping. I usually am not a fan of insta-love in books and yet I still really loved this one. This book is a classic case of right person at the wrong time, and it reminded me of The Notebook a little (which I love). This story was beautiful and can’t wait to read more of Paige’s books.

Another lovely, gut wrenching romance! I love Toon’s storytelling. Her books make you feel what the main character feels and What If I Never Get Over You is no different.
Ellie is a beautiful character and Ash was complicated and frustrating.
I loved their story!

Thank you to NetGalley and GP Putnam’s sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars!

Wow...just wow! I loved this book. I laughed, cried, and cried some more. Ellie and Ash will stick with me for a long time.

**Thanks Putnam Books via NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

Ellie and Ash meet while they're traveling through Europe and each processing their own grief. Ellie's best friend, Stella, unexpectedly passed away at college and Ash's best friend battled leukemia and died. They don't exchange their surnames, but they share their stories of grief and struggles with facing their parents' expectations.

When Ellie is late and Ash has a family emergency, they miss their reunion after a week apart. But they don't have a way to contact each other because Ash lost the book where Ellie's contact information written. This part really bothered me that he couldn't keep up with a book for a week. But alas, it's what drove the entire story.

Overall, I felt their grief and aimlessness. Then, when Ellie returned home and fell back into her parents' expectations, I felt like Toon did a good job of not overlooking that time frame but not dwelling on the drudgery.

When Ellie and Ash unexpectedly reconnect, Ellie is in complete turmoil while Ash just wants to reconnect. I think Ash's continued friendship with Bex shows how he was a skewed view of friendship, assuming he could pursue friendship with Ellie while almost engaged to his girlfriend and longest standing friend.

This was my first book by Toon and I really enjoyed it. I didn't feel an overabundance of compassion for the characters, but the story compelled me enough to find out what would happen. Even with the breaks in time and growth of the characters, I felt like the pacing was right.

I will definitely pick up another book by Toon.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for an ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is a love story with many ups and downs. Together and/or separate, Ellie and Ash experience so many highs and lows in their relationship that it's not clear as the novel progresses whether they will ultimately end up together. There are many obstacles they must navigate if they want to reach their HEA. It will take major concessions on both of their parts if they want their affection to evolve into a lasting relationship. For most of the novel, this does not seem likely to happen. What If I Never Get Over You is nothing like the way it is being promoted: "One Day meets a contemporary Bridgerton." I felt that those novels were far superior to this one.

Lots of drama! Enough to keep me reading late into the night when I had to get up early
Thank you for the opportunity

A beautiful, compelling story which made me laugh and cry. Denny is a thirty year old developmentally challenged man. He is honest to a fault and has a loving heart. The story centers mostly on Denny’s arrest for murder and the time he spends in jail preparing for a trial. Denny spends a lot of time with his lawyer and his psychiatrist. He delves into his past and various relationships . He learns a lot about his past and the people around him. A beautiful story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Nope, not for me.

I was really excited for the Bridgerton comparison - high drama, romance, secrets, all taking place on a lavish estate in Wales. And maybe all that promise comes to fruition, but I didn't make it far enough to know. I made it about a quarter of the way through before I got too bored to care anymore. Ash and Ellie are instantly in love from literally the first sentence, then they take the reader on a slog of their European adventures riddled with lots of boring small talk and nothing to keep me invested.

I think there's definitely a way this premise could have been pulled off, like maybe a more concise yet dynamic first act, but the author's writing is just too juvenile to accomplish that. Both the prose and the dialogue are on the nose and leave no room for subtlety or finesse. The amount of italicized words should have been a red flag from the start.

I’m not really a romance reader, but this one looked intriguing so I gave it a chance, and I am so glad I did. It was a real emotional roller coaster. I know most people think love at first sight is a farce, but I believe it could happen.

When Ash meets Ellie, they are both interrailing through Europe and only have three days together before going their separate ways. They decide to meet up at a later date but Ash never shows up. Ellie is devastated and tries her best to get over him, but she can never quite forget him. She finally gets her dream job as a gardener but finds out quickly that her life is about to change in many, many ways.

This book is beautifully written. I read it in one sitting because I couldn’t wait to find out how this love story ended. Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced reader copy.

This book captured me in the beginning but as the book went on, I found myself just wanting to finish it. I am a big Paige Toon fan but this book was not for me. I wanted to love it but I felt annoyed with Ellie, the main female character, most of the time. I felt her character was immature and I was getting whip-lash from her ever-changing mind. The ending, however, was sweet and brought the book full-circle which I did enjoy. I certainly will not hesitate to read another book by Paige Toon, however, as this book definitely had its heart-warming moments!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in advance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for this E-Arc, in exchange for an honest review.

Paige Toon really knows how to tug at your heartstrings with this one. This was my first book by her, and I was not prepared for how much it would stir up my emotions! There were moments when I was kicking my feet in excitement and gasping out loud.

The first part of Ellie and Ash’s story completely captivated me. It only takes three days for them to connect, but the chemistry between them makes it feel like they've known each other forever. For anyone worried this might be an insta-love situation, trust me—it’s not! It’s just a beautiful, natural love story where those three days are crucial to the plot.

Then comes parts 2 and 3, which will absolutely wreck you—emotionally, of course. You feel everything—the pain, the love, the heartbreak. It’s impossible not to get swept up in their journey.

Ellie and Ash are such endearing characters, and I couldn’t help but fall in love with both of them. Even the side characters added so much to the story.

It’s such a sweet, heartfelt romance that I honestly didn’t want to let go of. I was so invested in their world. If you’re a fan of romance, this one’s definitely worth picking up!
4.5 Stars!
#NetGalley, #PutnamBooks, #PaigeToon, #WhatifINeverGetOverYou

4.5 Stars !! This is my first time reading a Paige Toon book but it definitely will not be my last. The beginning of this book and the title sucked me in right away. I loved the writing and loved the couple having this whirlwind chemistry during their 3 days in Lisbon together. All the little descriptions of Lisbon were perfection and I cannot wait to go explore Lisbon myself now. Parts of the book were a little too sappy and unrealistic for my taste but I did enjoy it so much and I loved the ending. If you love romance then pick this up right away !

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie and Ash came from totally different worlds, but their paths collided during a whirlwind European holiday. Their connection was instant and effortless. Watching them fall for each other over three passionate days was pure magic. It was painfully clear that their lives just didn’t fit together at that moment in time, and they were thrown back into reality.

Ellie was stuck in an impossible situation, and I really felt for her. The weight of Ash’s societal expectations was a lot, and it wasn’t the life she wanted. The more we learned about their pasts, the more I ached for both of them and the voids they were trying to fill. Ellie’s miscommunication sometimes drove me a little crazy, but it made the story feel all the more real.

I loved Ash’s quiet gentleness—he truly cared, and it showed in how he treated Ellie and the people around him. I do wish Ellie had connected more with the group, as she sometimes felt a little on the outside looking in. Ash and Ellie’s story was impossible to put down, and I devoured this book in a weekend. After Seven Summers, Paige Toon became an autobuy author for me, and I’m so grateful to have read her latest book!

Read if you like:
- Insta-love
- Navigating grief
- Second chance romance

Thank you @putnambooks for sending me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review!