What if I Never Get Over You is the story of a chance meeting between Ash and Ellie. The two meet in Portugal and form an instant connection. After 3 days together, they make plans to meet up in a weeks time. But fate intervenes and their reunion never comes. Will they ever meet again?
Overall the book was decent. I generally liked the characters and the story but there were parts of the book that took up too much space and then other parts that felt rushed. So overall the book was ok. Solid 3 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for access to this ARC.

I tried so hard to like this book. I really did. The amount of time spent on explaining tourist attractions rather than the FMC's feelings is a ridiculous amount. I feel like it lacked plot, conviction and believability in the amount of of time the 'love' formed. Good God man. She acts like a 14 yr old dating for the first time than a grown woman, especially with the fangirl mentions of Taylor Swift and ACOTAR. I spent 6 days forcing myself through this book. I hate, hate to give low scores but this was not the romance book I was looking for. It has potential but it just was not it. The potential, the cover, and semi cute moments leave it as a 3 star.

This book should’ve had all the qualities I love in a good second chance romance. This should’ve been an easy, at least 4 star read for me. I live for stories like this. If it’s a second chance romance, I’m basically frothing at the mouth to get my grubby hands on it. However, sadly, the execution this time was just so lacking that I couldn’t sink into the story.


Several things bothered me throughout reading this book. However, for the sake of not coming off too harsh, I’ll just go over my major qualms and leave it at that.


1) As other reviews have already stated, it just wasn’t believable that they’d built such a strong connection in less than 3 days time. Even when we were supposed to be immersed in the establishment of their relationship while in Portugal, I didn’t find any of it believable. Instead of focusing purely on building up a connection, we were spending most of that time describing popular landmarks or being filled in on Ellie’s backstory, which left us with very little to work with in terms of understanding this soul deep tie they were supposed to have for each other.



2) Which brings me to my next gripe. This book felt like it was 80% tourist guidebook and 20% plot. The author spent longer describing various tourist attractions in Portugal, Spain, and Wales than actually developing the story and relationship between all of the characters. I skipped whole pages of descriptions because they just felt like filler. We could’ve been spending that time building greater character arcs or establishing stronger connections. It felt like such a wasted opportunity.



3) For the love of GAWD, can we please start a petition to get authors to stop mentioning ACOTAR and Taylor Swift in all their books these days? It’s not funny or relatable. It doesn’t make me fangirl and endear me to the story. It’s just cringe. It gives me instant ick. 



4) The FMC was so wishy washy with her feelings, often flip-flopping on her convictions, that it made me feel confused and frustrated as a reader. I couldn’t root for her and Ash’s love story because they never communicated clearly with each other. Toon bamboozled us randomly with surprise information a few times in the book that just didn’t seem to make sense, and was used as cheap thrills for suspense. The melodrama was all so forced and not handled well. The latter half of the book felt choppy and disjointed, as if the author kind of gave up altogether and was just trying to race us to the end.




It pains me to say, especially because I’ve enjoyed some of Toon’s other books, but this one felt half-baked and needed several more rounds of editing before being released.

Finished this in the early hours of this morning and adored it! Great story line and I loved the characters and the Welsh charm! The setting was great and Toon expertly brought it to life!

What a roller coaster of emotions throughout this story. The highs were so high, and the lows were so low. I absolutely loved these characters, the premise, and the cat and mouse game.

I haven't read anything by this Author before but the summary seemed like something I would like.

Ellie meets Ash while interacting through Europe in their early 20s..They have an amazing three days together before Ellie had to leave and they agree to meet in Madrid after Ellie gives Ash her number ( he's t their designated spot.

Six years laterShe is shocked to learn Ash is a part of the family living at the estate. She learns he has a girlfriend who is in the same social circle.

Ash is so excited to see Ellie that he breaks up with his girl friend, tells Ellie thst he's been thinking about her all of this time and meets her in secret at his cabin in the woods.

Ellie is aware of their class differences and believes it will be a barrier for them making their relationship known but A#Netgalleysh insists it's not…

Can Ash and Ellie overcome the class differences?

This was a good read, it had more of a YA feel but it ended up being a very beautiful story. Sometimes the decisions they took were definitely questionable but understandable at the same time. It was a great story that was hard to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the copy of What If I Never Get Over You. This book was good but not great. I think what I struggled with the most was the fact that I didn’t feel like connection from them to begin with, so the rest of the book therefore felt like a stretch.

it wasn’t nothing like the description and i felt it was too YA for me. But Im hoping to give this another chance later in the year !

Another beautiful story from Paige Toon! As expected, it was full of emotion. So many highs and lows. Character driven, love story that span for lots of years. Ash and Ellie met in Lisbon. Both were grieving coincidentally over the loss of their childhood bestfriend. Fell in love in three days, and were each other’s the one that got away. Met back after six years and this time around they tried to really get to know each other. Their current status, Ash is a viscount’s son and heir to a property and family estate while Ellie is the gardener. The drama that unfolds was like soap opera in a television! Relationships that are impossible to match are always not going to work and so the pain, the hurt, the responsibilities drove them apart. Two years after, the same feeling still is strong and they never got over each other.
Yes, intense and Inwas glad to have the chance to read this ARC. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin books!

This one left me feeling a bit conflicted. I typically enjoy a romance with some tension and back-and-forth, but the dynamic between Ellie and Ash felt more frustrating than fun. Their lack of patience with each other led to a lot of miscommunication and snap judgments, which made it hard to really root for them. On top of that, I never fully connected with Ellie as a character.

Still, if you enjoy relationship drama with emotional highs and lows, this story might hit the mark for you.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy. This review is my honest opinion.

I loved following Ellie’s journey from feeling lost and stuck to finally taking control of her own life. Her instant, intense connection with Ash during their three magical days in Lisbon felt so real and heartbreaking, especially when fate cruelly pulled them apart. The setting, from sun-soaked Portugal to the lush gardens of Wales, added such a dreamy, emotional atmosphere. When Ash reappears years later, all the feelings rush back, and I found myself rooting for them despite the pain and distance. Toon’s writing is beautiful and emotional, making me feel every high and low. It’s a stunning story about love, heartbreak, growth, and second chances.

This was a solid read, but I found it a bit underwhelming overall. I struggled to root for either of the main characters—Ash, in particular, seemed to be giving Ellie the runaround, especially with his unresolved issues with his ex. There were moments where he clearly put her and her feelings on the back burner, which made it hard to fully invest in their romance. That said, the writing was engaging and the premise had potential, even if it didn’t fully land for me.

the beginning of this was really good!!! i loved the way ash and ellie met at a hostel and immediately connected. as someone who is 21 and studying abroad right now, i know the vibes of a hostel rooftop really well LOL! the way they bonded over the next few days was so cute and honestly i felt the attraction and connection very strongly. i think there is something to be said for the way young love takes the wind right out of you — it happens fast and you fall hard. i was really sad when ash didn’t show up (even though that’s literally the premise of the book) and the way it sent ellie into a dull, depressed spiral. i was really happy when she finally regained her sense of self, stuck it to her parents, and pursued her gardening dreams.

the latter 2/3 of this book were a little more difficult for me. let me be clear, there were a lot of scenes i enjoyed and i did love ash and ellie’s romance very much. HOWEVER i think the amount of factors going against them, like beca and mr. berkeley, and the viscount title and estate, led to an immense amount of conflict that was not balanced quite right. additionally, the way ellie gets targeted by her coworkers, even after explaining her situation, really irked me. also, while i get it, ellie’s constant pulling away from ash led to so much instability and miscommunication. if she’d just been a little more open about her insecurities, i think a lot could have been avoided. i also thought the transition for the last section was pretty odd with the whole woods lumberjack thing… it just didn’t quite make sense to me. and then the resolution happened within like five seconds.

despite there being some plot holes and plot points i disliked, this was an insanely fast paced read and i did generally enjoy it. i love a europe setting and a good romance, and this did the job. this is my second paige toon and i look forward to reading more from her in the future.

thank you penguin group putnam for the ARC!

This book grabbed me right from the title - and didn't let go. I'm grateful for the opportunity to read and review early, as this was a really enjoyable book! Dynamic characters that I really cared about, and that the author obviously cared about as well.

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon | Book Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5/5) | Spice: 🌶️🌙 (1.5 - fade to black)

Let me tell you how this book absolutely destroyed and rebuilt my heart in the best way possible. Paige Toon's latest is a masterclass in emotional storytelling that had me feeling all the feelings.

The Emotional Journey
Plot twist: I connected WAY more with Ash's journey than Ellie's! Not what I expected, but here we are.

The Story
✈️ Ellie falls hard for Ash during three magical days interrailing in Lisbon
😢 A missed connection in Madrid leads to 6 years of "what could have been"
🏰 She lands her dream job as a gardener on a Welsh estate
💥 Then Ash crashes back into her life with secrets that shatter her anew

What Hit Different
Paige's location research is SO immersive I'm already planning trips to Lisbon and Wales
Those quiet moments of connection (elbow brushes, stolen glances) had me swooning
The healing journey portrayed feels authentic and raw
That ending = pure redemption

Just met Paige last week and may have gotten emotional telling her how deeply her books affect me. She creates stories that don't just entertain; they leave marks on your soul.

Final Verdict
If you want a love story that explores missed connections, healing, and the persistence of true bonds (with enough Welsh estate romance to make you swoon), this is your book. Less fluffy contemporary, more serious emotional exploration with hope threaded throughout.

P.S. Book those Portugal flights now because she writes settings so well you can practically feel the Mediterranean sun ☀️

this was a lot to wrap my head around - mostly the classism conversation surrounding the main characters and the miscommunication littering the entire plot 😭 but paige toon’s writing style is so beautiful I couldn’t help but become entranced!

ash and ellie meet while abroad in portugal and immediately fall head over heels with each other in just a few days - and while insta love usually isn’t my jam, their story was so beautiful … until the entire truth comes out seven years later 👀 and wow, how can you know everything about a person but have no idea what their last name is and who their family is??

in their bones, ellie and ash felt like two halves of the same person, but in reality, it felt like a prince and pauper story… ash being the heir to a wealthy family shouldn’t have been as big of a deal as it was, but ash and ellie refused to have a decent conversation with each other about it 🙄

if they sat down and explained each other’s emotions and views for the future, the conflict and flight response would have been null and void. and while I can understand how hurt they both were at the end of the book, it drove me nuts that they chose to not speak and push each other away instead of talking out their feelings!!!!! what a concept!!!!

why must love interests always assume the worst I swear 🥴🥴🥴

a huge thank you to putnam and penguin random house for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 3 stars
wine pairing: portugal albariño

I was excited to receive this as an ARC! This book, to me, is about the one that got away and what would happen if we got a second chance. The title has multiple meanings. Our FMC worked so long to please her parents. What if she never gets over disappointing them? Or her late best friend Stella?

We start out strong with an ACOTAR reference! Miscommunication trope was heavy in this book. Will they, won't they? I felt like screaming at the FMC, "Girl, be with this man!!"

This review will be posted to my booksta, toomanyfivestarreads, soon.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I'm all for a back and forth relationship but I didn't feel like Ellie and Ash had enough patience for each other. It seemed like a lot of jumping to conclusions happening. I also didn't really connect with Ellie. I can't quite put my finger on why. If you enjoy the back and forth drama of a relationship, this one is for you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy. This was my second Paige Toon book and I loved it just as much as Seven Summers. I found myself getting immersed in this book - I could not put it down. There were highs and lows and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended.