Ellie and Ash are backpacking independently when they meet at a hostel. The 3 days they spent together were the best days of their individual adventures. They were supposed to reconnect in a different city, but one of them doesn't show up. The choices they make the next couple of years is due to the 3 days they spent together.

This was an easy and sometimes frustrating book to read. The main characters have gone through some traumatic events in their lives, but it's not until later in the book that they use those events to make a positive impact on them. I liked that you read about Ash and Ellie change themselves for a better version of themselves.

Thank you to Netgalley, Paige Toon, and the publishers for this free ebook. This review is 100% my own and honest opinion.

What If I Never Get Over You
By Paige Toon

This is a love story with all the bumps to be expected along the way. Ellie meets Ash in a youth hostel in Lisbon. They are both interrailing through Europe, the cheapest and simplest way to travel. They are like so many young people post-university.

Ellie and Ash, against all odds, fall deeply in love during the three days they spend together. They agree to meet up in a week in Madrid. But something goes wrong. Ash never shows. A devastated Ellie returns to England to enter the family business, hoping to forget Ash and get on with her life – a life that she doesn't want.

Six years later the lovers meet again. As they try to find their way back to each other, their path is filled with obstacles. They are driven apart once again through misunderstandings and lack of trust in each other. Both are heartbroken once again.

When they finally meet for the third time. Ellie is determined to win Ash back – but he is leery and afraid of being hurt yet again. But, as the saying goes, the third time is the charm.

This is a sweet story – simple and straightforward. If not for the occasional f-bomb, I think this book should be labelled a Young Adult read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

✨What if I Never Get Over You ✨
By Paige Toon

Genre: Contemporary romance
Format: 📖
Steam: 🌶️
Published: 4/15/25

For Ellie and Ash, three fleeting days in Lisbon sparked a powerful connection that felt destined to last. But life had other plans. Six years later, their paths unexpectedly collide. This compelling romantic drama navigates the delicate terrain of second chances, the bittersweet sting of regret, and the enduring allure of a love that refuses to fade, even when faced with the intricate challenges of the past.

I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to Paige Toon’s writing than with What If I Never Get Over You. I'm already planning my next read! I was so engrossed in Ellie and Ash's journey that I couldn't put it down, even if it meant sacrificing sleep. It's rare to find a romance that pulls you in so completely, leaving you on the edge of your seat with anticipation, but this one did that for me! The book was broken into 4 different parts (4th part was essentially a short epilogue) representing different time periods. I loved the first and second parts (75% of the book), part three felt a little disjointed and had a different vibe to me. However, I still really enjoyed the book overall.

The book also beautifully depicts so many spectacular historical landmarks and natural wonders in Portugal and Wales that I found myself yearning for my past travel adventures and the strong desire to visit Portugal and Wales! I was inspired to jot down the locations mentioned so I could look up these breathtaking places and one day visit!

Overall, I found this to be an engrossing, at times frustrating (miscommunication trope is not my favorite), nostalgic, escape read. I loved it and was eager to see how it all played out!

📖Read What If I Never Get Over You if you like reading about:
-Second chance romance
-Insta-love
-Grief
-Toxic family
-Upstairs-Downstairs
-Miscommunication

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🙏 Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam- G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and Paige Toon for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. What if I Never Get Over You published 4/15/25. 💖

This story took me a while to get into but it finally picked up and I was rooting for Ash and Ellie. I’m not sure I can pinpoint exactly what I struggled with while reading this novel. It was a bit predictable and I kept getting frustrated with some of the characters choices. It was definitely not my favorite but I was entertained. I also enjoyed and appreciated the playlist Paige Toon put together for this story.

This is a rompy romance with a lot of beautiful location imagery. It is a bit "insta love"-y, so if you like that, this is for you! The insta love is seen in both their meet-cute as well as the ratio of time apart thinking about each other vs. quality time spent together. I also was far more invested in the female main character's personal/character development than the romance.

Despite this, it is still a fun read, especially for the summer. I think it is a perfect beach read.

I feel very meh about this book. I didn’t feel invested in the story and I almost DNF’d multiple times; I just didn’t find myself caring about what happened to the characters and their story. I found the FMC immature and couldn’t relate to her.

4.0

Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget

Ellie is interrailing alone through Europe when she has a chance encounter with Ash. She never expected to fall in love, but he's unlike any other man she's met. The two spend three days together and really form a deep connection. They decide to change all of their plans and meet back up in Spain a few days later. Ellie arrives late and Ash is nowhere to be found. She is devastated and decides to return to her life and try to pick up the pieces. Six years later, she finally lands her dream job at an estate in Wales. And unbelievably, she finally sees Ash again. Now they have to try to understand the past and what happened and try to navigate a difficult road ahead.

I really did like these two characters and their story. You have to suspend a bit of disbelief and just go with it and enjoy the ride. This would make for a perfect Summer read to toss in your beach bag!

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguingroupputnam for this #gifted copy. Out now, so grab your copy!

I was absolutely HOOKED on the first 30% of this book, the whirlwind romance and insta love was really working for me! Not to mention these two characters just seemed to innately bring out the best and the brave in each other… I couldn’t wait to see where their stories would go!

Unfortunately, as soon as Ellie and Ash reunite… they lost me. What I thought was going to be a journey of self-discovery and growth turned into something extremely toxic and honestly, pretty icky! Tonnes of repetitive conflicts here without a whole lot of mature growth, they ditch their friends (who I absolutely adored), they run away from their problems and don’t have ONE conversation that felt genuinely ADULT to me!!

I wish I could have enjoyed this one more!

This wasn’t a terrible book—not by a long shot. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me on all bases. Maybe it’s a case of high expectations meets low sparks??

I was just hoping to get a little more out of it then I did.

I do want to say though that I love this cover. It could have gone cheesy cartoon like all the others in the genre, but I'm glad that it didn't.

What If I Never Get Over You
⭐️ 3.5 | 🌶️ 2

“Follow your own path. Life is too short not to do what you love. You and I know that better than most.”

‘What If I Never Get Over You’ is an emotional, second chance romance. Ellie & Ash meet in Lisbon and spend 3 memorable days together. They are both trying to move on from significant deaths in their lives and the pressure put upon them by family obligations. They plan to meet up with each other a week later, but Ash never shows. They see each other again, 6 years later, but circumstances get in their way.

I enjoyed this read, but it felt more like a YA or New Adult read. The characters were unable to communicate with each other. Ellie didn’t seem to have anyone she could confide in and was very insecure. I liked Ash’s character the most & could relate to his different accents. I did love that it had a happy ending. I would read another book by this author.

I loved Seven Summers so much and was excited for this book, unfortunately this book just wasn't what I was expecting. I really enjoyed the beginning of when Ash and Ellie met. To me they had instant chemistry and the few days they spent together was enjoyable to read! I can usually handle miscommunication in books but it just seemed to be non stop between them that it started to become a little infuriating. Ash just didn't really amount to much in my mind through out this book. He never really seemed to e all that invested in Ellie. The other characters didn't stand out much to either. The constant time apart these two went through seemed unrealistic that they would still be so hung up on each other. Their time together wasn't very long and just didn't fit with both characters becoming utterly devasted and depressed during their time apart. The ending was sweet and overall the book kept my attention but unfortunately just didn't excite me the way I thought it would.

I 👏🏼 did 👏🏼 not 👏🏼 want 👏🏼 this 👏🏼 book 👏🏼 to 👏🏼 end!

I went into What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon without knowing much about the book or the author—and WOW, was I blown away. What started as a casual read quickly turned into an emotional deep dive that completely caught me off guard (in the best way possible).

The character development is so beautifully done—raw, real, and deeply relatable. The emotional layers in this story? Devastating and healing all at once. I felt every heartbreak, every spark of connection, every ounce of hope and pain these characters went through.

Paige Toon has such a talent for capturing the complexities of love, grief, and what it means to try to move on when your heart isn’t quite ready.

This book is so much more than a romance—it’s a gut-punch of a story that lingers long after the final page.

Long & Short of It: Precious, authentic, and romantic!!
Romance: Simple and sweet, to intentional and romantic.
Spice Level: 3/5 - Gentle and purposeful, without being overly descriptive or graphic.

The beginning of this book grabbed me with its authenticity. The raw connection that Ash and Ellie have from the moment they meet gave the exact pull I needed to fall deep into their story. The highs and lows (and highs and lows again, and again) had me locked in waiting to see how their lives would pan out. Would they find each other? Would their families get in the way of their happiness? Would they be able to fall magically in love again, even though they never fell out of love in the first place?

Props are given for the way the main characters were written. You know when a character is pulling back and playing hard to get? Or overthinking and not being open about how they feel with the other and you just want to yell at the book “JUST SAY THE THING!!!”? This book has less of that, and more communication and frank conversations, and I appreciate that. I personally couldn’t freeze someone out that I love, even if I was upset, so I really love that the two of them can’t either.

“What if I Never Get Over You” is Intellectually interesting too. Facts and details are woven in about Ash and Ellie’s interests which makes it very believable and gives their personalities more depth.

*Sigh*….I love love. This book gives a sweet ending, a bow if you will, and I adored it. Full circle moment and closure for my heart. This was a lovely read from the start and I didn’t want to leave their world.



*I received an ARC from Putnam & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*

3.5/4 Stars (rounded to 4 for ratings)

Ok so this is the first Paige Toon book I've read, I was hooked in the beginning with Ellie and Ash's insta-love 3 day interrailing adventure, their chemistry was strong but I just had trouble staying engaged with the book after Ash didn't show up in Madrid. I did finish it since I wanted to see what would happen but I have to say I didn't really like Ash much nor did I like the way Ellie treated Ash (even if I didn't like him) when he wanted to talk to her, and there was just so many misjudgments and miscommunication moments to the story that made me think is this relationship worth it. I did love the descriptive way Wales was written and made it easy to visualize the scenery.

Review: What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon
Wow—Paige Toon has completely stolen my heart with this one. What If I Never Get Over You is a sweeping, emotional, slow-burn romance that had me hooked from the first page.
Ellie and Ash's instant connection is electric—three days together in Lisbon and I was already rooting for them like they’d known each other for years. The chemistry? Off the charts. But what really pulled me in was how real and raw their story felt. Their reunion years later on that beautiful Welsh estate was full of tension, longing, and second chances, and I was sohere for it.
Paige Toon's writing is absolutely stunning. She has this effortless way of making every setting come alive—whether it's the sun-soaked streets of Europe or the lush, quiet gardens of the countryside. The emotional depth of the characters, especially Ellie, had me fully invested in their journey, heartbreak and all.
This book gave me all the feels: butterflies, tears, and that delicious ache of a love that refuses to fade. If you’re a fan of One Day, Bridgerton, or just beautifully written second-chance romances, add this to your TBR immediately.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC—I couldn’t put it down!

Good contemporary romance set in Wales between a gardener and a viscount.
Ellie and Ash meet in Lisbon, Portugal and fall in love in 3 days. They plan to see each other again but it’s always difficult to meet. It takes 6 years to try to forget each other. Good romantic ending.

2 stars 💫 | review posted on goodreads

I don't know whether I should cry or laugh because this was my first Paige Toon book... and it was a huge mess & a miss for me! 😭 Given how much endless good things I've heard about Seven Summers, I was so excited to get the ARC. But boy, I'm so disappointed 😞 I'm not going to sugarcoat things, so this is your chance to turn away from this review.

Things I liked about this book:
✨ The Cover

Things I didn't like about this book:
(here's the last warning to turn away from here)
✨ it was nothing like I expected when I read the premise.
✨ it was wayyy too YA, no scratch that, it was way more than that. All the time I felt like I was reading a book out of wattpad 😭✋🏻
✨ not even 4% in and there was a SJM book mentioned 💀 And it doesn't stop there. Through out the entirety of the book, I saw the same book being mentioned atleast 7 times!!! One time is ok, but mentioning it 7 TIMES?! I don't know why there is a need to do that. Out of all the books out there, this book was chosen 🌚
✨ couldn't at all connect with the characters. I'm not even joking. I was cringing inside reading the dialogues. They were so immature, and were not acting like they were in their 20s. It was like some pre-teenager wrote those dialogues.
✨ also this book was packed with all the tropes I despise- insta lust/love, misunderstanding, miscommunication due to a third person.

Before you come at me, yes, I have checked my arc copy with the published ebook. And I didn't notice any changes from what I've read. I'm too tired to even quote anything for this book after reading it. If you loved this book, good for you, don't come at me! I have honestly said what I felt about this book.

Thank you to the Publisher & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!💕

I loved this deeply emotional romance and how this book illustrates not love at first sight, but nonetheless a deep connection and bond with another human - what most of us crave. When Ash and Ellie meet in Europe, they spend 3 wonderful days together and then they have to split but with the promise of meeting up in a few days. Things go awry and that doesn’t end up happening. They both have to move on with their real lives after Europe but they are both changed forever. The character development in this book was most impressive alongside the writing style. I was so enthralled with the plot I raced through it in only a few days. I was rooting for Ellie and Ash every minute.

2.75 ⭐️
While I've loved Paige Toon's other books, this did not work for me. The more I read, the more annoyed I got. Ellie started off okay, but increasingly became irritating as the book progressed.

Why I disliked Ellie:
-She's so demanding and controlling. In part two, she is exhaustive in her resolve that she and Ash could never have a lasting relationship. He comes from wealth and has a title, and she is uncompromising in the fact that she does not want that for herself or her future family. She even pushes Ash away and toward his longtime childhood friend, who is "better suited" for that life. At the same time, she pursues him and they begin a secret relationship. Whenever he does choose to spend time with his childhood friend, Ellie feels betrayed and hurt. She wants him to give up his title, estate, and responsibilities so he can be with her, yet she won't give him the same consideration. It's whiplash to read her thoughts and actions.

- She's a hypocrite. She criticizes Ash for changing his accent around different groups of people and then turns around and does the exact same thing by talking in a more proper or posh voice around his mother. She noticed it about herself, but never took accountability for judging Ash for doing it.

- She's immature and overdramatic. At one point, she asks Ash for space, which he gives her. Once she finds out that he's away for the weekend, she's incredibly upset and mad at him for leaving. She's as irrational as a toddler.

-She's stuck up. She looks down on wealth and thinks that makes her better than others, and she brings it up ALL THE TIME. She can't fathom working at a private estate passed down through generations (yet she does), let alone marrying into a titled family with said estate.

- She's not a good friend. She admits that she prioritized her relationship with Ash over her friends and doesn't even attempt to reconcile her friendships when given the chance because the thought of rejection is "too much for her current fragile state." It's also another overly dramatic moment.

- She never apologizes for her actions. SPOILER: When things get messy and she gets put into an uncomfortable situation, she leaves Ash and demands he never contact her. Even at the end, when she reveals to him a childhood trauma and explains why she felt like his dad had so much power over her, she never apologized for or addressed her abandoning him at a very intense time and leaving without saying goodbye.

For all these reasons and more, I couldn't stand her. And my annoyance with her made me completely apathetic to the love story. I liked Ash more than Ellie, but even his character couldn't save it.

Spicy rating: 2/5 🌶️ A few closed-door scenes with mildly graphic lead-up descriptions.


Other issue:
This could be an American thing because I know the author is British, but she used "I'd murder a Mexican" referring to Mexican takeout food. I know that "I'd do a BLANK" is UK slang for what kind of food you want to get for takeout, but that is so abrasive, especially in the U.S. and especially in 2025. It was completely unnecessary for the plot or the characters to say that. She also purposely used the words niggling and snigger, and I couldn't help but be surprised when I saw them. While these words are common and have no etymology to suggest negative connotations, she could have easily used other words to describe being annoying and a giggle that weren't basically homophones for a very racist word. These instances made me think twice about the author as a person. I don't know how these got past U.S. editors without someone raising a flag.


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

What if you met someone and had a deep connection with them? What if it left you wanting more? What if you made plans to see each other again? What if they never show???? What if you see each other again years later? What If I Never Get Over You is an insta-love, second chances drama filled book that had me rooting for both Ellie and Ash as life threw them a few lemons, obstacles, and bad timing.

Ellie is traveling through Europe when she meets Ash. They hit it off instantly and spend three wonderful days together in Lisbon. They both have such an amazing time that they agree to meet again in Spain.

Ellie meets up at their chosen meeting place late and Ash is not there. She laments that she would have waited for him. She waits and waits and waits, but he never shows. She gave him her contact info but never got his last name. Some advice fellow readers - always get a last name!

Six years later, Ellie has decided to take her life into her own hands and do what she loves. She quits her current job and accepts an offer to be a gardener on a sprawling five-hundred-year-old Wales. She loves it and enjoys her new co-workers. Then one day she gets a massive shocker as she sees Ash and learns why he never showed up in Spain.

This book proved to be a fast and enjoyable read which had me turning the pages while shaking my head at the characters quite a few times. I often find myself yelling "COMMUNICATE" while reading romance books as that seems to be a big bump in the road for most literary couples (and those in real life).

The attraction and feelings are still there but will it be enough for all the bumps and obstacles in their way? You will need to read to find out. With romance books it is all about the journey for me and Ash and Ellie had an interesting journey. At times I wanted to give them both a talking to and other times I felt as if they both needed a good hug.

At times these characters felt younger than their stated ages. I did like how the author focused on family expectations. This book also looks at following your OWN dreams, being vulnerable, open and honest.

This is the third book which I have read by Paige Toom. My favorite one being Only Love Can Hurt Like This. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future.