It was an honor to be part of a book tour for this book. I liked the story of this and somehow made me sad a little bit.

I am a big fan of Austen so was looking forward to reading this "retelling". However I found the book hard going. I just couldn't get into it and it took me a long time to struggle through it.

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. After reading the first 50 pages I couldn't really get into it. I was informed it was a loose retelling of Persuasion by Jane Austen so that may be what my issue was as I'm not hugely into Austen stories. Might have just been a case of, it's me, not you.

This was super cute and a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this one! I recommend this one! The characters were fun and the plot was interesting!

I’m always a sucker for a Jane Austen retelling and THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY was a particularly delightful entry into the category. Perfect vacation read (and escape from the family escape).

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

The One That Got Away by Melissa Pimentel is exactly what I wanted to read at the time I wanted to read. This book is a story of lost love and love reignited, set against the backdrop of a wedding in England. Of course I loved my time with The One That Got Away, although there’s just one small thing that bothered me while reading.

The One That Got Away follows Ruby Atlas, a thirty something NYC dweller who works in advertising. Ruby is heading to England for her sister Piper’s wedding. Unfortunately for Ruby, her ex boyfriend Ethan will be at the wedding as well, as Ethan is best friends with the groom, Charlie. So, the story goes back and forth between past and present leading up to why Ruby and Ethan broke up in the first place.

I’d say this book isn’t earth shattering or anything. It is supposedly a retelling of Persuasion, but there’s no Captain Wentworth letter. I can see how certain parts of the plot and characterization connect to the Jane Austen story, but for the most part, I’d say this is a very loose retelling without the best part (the letter). On the whole though, The One That Got Away is a quick, engaging light read and you will absolutely root for Ruby and Ethan.

The only thing I didn’t like was the reason Ruby and Ethan broke up as well as the blame Ruby carries. What happened is: Ruby went out for a drink with her boss, an older man. He kept plying her with alcohol and she basically wakes up drunk at his home and it turns out they slept together. To me, that’s a non consensual situation, but it wasn’t written like that. And I don’t feel the reaction to the situation is fair to Ruby. « Hide Spoiler

Definitely give this a book shot though if you want something light and easy.

I really really love Persuasion, so this modern retelling was a bust for me. I had high hopes for it, and sadly, it didn't deliver.

Did Not Finish- I had a difficult time getting into this story. I couldn't connect with the characters so I found that I just couldn't get invested.

So, here's where I admit I have never finished a Jane Austen novel. Yes, unheard of! A sin for a reader such as myself. I just never could get into them, and that's that. So the fact that this book is being pushed as a retelling of Persuasion is really of little consequence to me...because I don't know what happened in that book :)

It did take me quite a while to become invested in this novel, to be honest. The main character, Ruby, is a 30-something career woman living in New York City who is burned out by her advertising job and has been single since her breakup with Ethan, 10 years prior.

The Ethan in question is now a successful app creator and worth millions. He and Ruby have been forced into being near one another again because Ethan's best friend is marrying Ruby's sister. The whole lot, along with parents, jet off to England and spend a week preparing for the wedding.

Ruby, as a person, is nerve wracking. She jumps to conclusions quickly, judges others, and sometimes thinks she's better than those around her. She's also self deprecating, and never in a charming way (if you believe there is such a thing). Ethan, on the other hand, is pretty much pleasant to everyone. He has become rich and successful but never waves his money around. Ruby, who hasn't seen him in ten years but has built up her own reputation about him, goes back and forth between reviling him and feeling she still loves him.

The main problem I had with this book is that I did not feel any chemistry AT ALL between the main characters. The story of their relationship is told in flashbacks, from how they met to their eventual breakup. I felt more passion in the stories from 10 years prior than I did when Ruby and Ethan crossed paths during the wedding festivities. As it is in so many romance novels, each one assumes things about the other that keeps them from sharing their true feelings. Open communication, especially for people of their age, could go a long way.

This was a very light read, something to pass the time but I can't say I will remember the specifics of it in a few weeks' time. Maybe readers of Jane Austen will enjoy it more than I did.

Okay, so, since I haven't read Persuasion (and only saw an old BBC movie version of it years ago and in which the details are now vague) I can't comment on how The One That Got Away compares to Austen's novel. Instead I'm just going to comment on the book on it's own, and not as a retelling.

Actually, when I found out The One That Got Away is a retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion I wanted to pick it up right away because for me a Persuasion retelling means a second chance trope. It's a romance for a couple who had a messy break up in the past and now, for whatever reason, are brought together again for a second chance. I love this trope! I love watching the couple work out their past and fall for each other again and work their way (finally!) to a happily ever after.

The reason Ruby and Ethan were brought together again after a decade was because Ruby's younger sister is marrying Ethan's best friend in England--Northumberland** to be exact! [I've always wanted to visit the English countryside and see a real live castle, which Northumberland seemed to have an overabundance of--thanks to this novel, I have since added Northumberland on my list of places to visit for this reason alone.] So, we're not told why Ruby and Ethan broke up ten years ago, but it was hinted that the fault lies with Ruby.

Ruby and I are both kind of at the same point in our lives where we're pretty secure in our careers as well as finances (although still mostly poor) and still single, while our friends from college are married and/or have kids. There was this scene in the beginning of the novel where Ruby was looking at her best friend Jess in a domestic tableau with her 2-year-old son and couldn't quite wrap her mind around the fact that this goddess of motherhood was the same girl who used to do the craziest shit in college. And this is me whenever I see my now married with kids college girlfriends. It was great connecting with Ruby in that way.

I also liked Ethan, our bartender-turned-app-millionaire-entrepreneur. Right away you know that he's a really good guy, and you're like, Ruby, how can you let this guy go?

The One That Got Away alternated between the past (from the start of Ruby and Ethan's relationship to their eventual break up) and present. The present was told in Ruby's first person POV while the past was in third person where we got to see things unfold in both Ruby and Ethan's perspectives. In the "then" parts, we really get to know Ethan more intimately, which gave us a better insight to his character in the present, which was told entirely through Ruby.

We're also introduced to several secondary characters, and the ones I found the most interesting were Ruby's stepmom, Candace, and her dad, Alec. I really enjoyed the development of Ruby and her sister Piper's relationship with Candace. It's not often I come across a stepmother/daughters relationship like the one in this novel and I really liked it. As for Alec, he had a very successful real estate business in the past and was the richest man in town, but he was always treated as "new money." He eventually lost all his money and lives modestly in Florida in the present. At first glance, he comes off as kind of a greedy, pompous jerk but he also worked hard for his business and cared about his family--I mean, he's a jerk with a crass sense of humor, but a lovable one. I really liked his and Candace's multi-dimensionality.

Through the now and then chapters, we finally start to see a better picture of Ruby and Ethan's past relationship and I wouldn't say that I was surprised when it was finally revealed why they broke up and we learn Ruby's secret. That was heartbreaking and I felt so sorry for Ethan and also Ruby. But, will they finally have their happily ever after in the present?

I rooted for Ruby and Ethan to finally find their HEA. The One That Got Away was a fun beach read. While reading it I kind of wished I was familiar with Persuasion so that I can compare the characters and the different scenes--seeing bits of the original in the modern interpretation is half the fun in a retelling and all that, alas, flew over my head. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the story for what it was--a wonderful second-chance romance.

We’ve all got one: the boyfriend that makes you wonder what if and for Ruby it’s always been Ethan. When––ten years later at her sister’s wedding––the successful ad exec comes face-to-face with her ex, will she find happily-ever-after? Quirky and clever, Pimentel’s retelling of Jane Austen’s tale of second chances is pure sunshine.

This was a great remix of a classic. It was entertaining and stayed true to the source material. I felt the shift in perspective during the "Then"s was a little jarring, but not enough to take me out of the story.

Sweet story about a second chance at love

Austen was the inspiration for this sweet little book

REVIEW on my blog: https://thebookishdeer.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/review-the-one-that-got-away-by-melissa-pimentel/

I really enjoyed this book. It was light-hearted. It had a good story-line and likeable characters. I thought the story moved quickly and succinctly. I would definitely recommend it and I look forward to future books from Pimentel.

This was a super enjoyable book, but I think it's just got a great premise and was easy to read more than it actually being spectacular in itself.

I'm a hopeless romantic (when I'm not busy being a cynic) and I find the idea of one having a true person absolutely magnificent, so the idea of returning to one's true love is absolutely delightful to me, and that really got me through the book. (So should I read Persuasion now? Maybe. Maybe not.)

But I couldn't help feeling like I'd read this book before. The characters were all familiar--the overworked New Yorker girl, struggling to find love, the rich husband, the sister in love--but this wasn't necessarily a good thing. It just felt vaguely tired. And formulaic.

This is enjoyable and a very easy read, but I could have stepped away halfway through and not felt as though I was missing anything.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit... I never read Persuasion by Jane Austen. That being said this story line and all was fairly fresh to me. I knew the gist of the story but I really enjoyed reading this one by Ms. Pimentel. I would recommend this to anyone who likes chick lit, especially Jane Austen remakes!

When Ruby first met Ethan, she had just finished her college degree and was spending the summer at home before taking a job at an advertising firm in New York City. She was the daughter of one of the city's most successful realtors, and her family name and personal ambition were a little daunting to Ethan, a bartender biding his time until he took over his father's garage. Sure, he was learning a little about computers and spent some time with a friend working on a chess game app, but mostly he was a townie who was happy where he was in life. 

But he found Ruby's eyes enchanting. And Ruby found Ethan's smile captivating. The rest, they say, is history. A beautiful summer spent together turned into fall, when Ruby moved to the city to start the rest of her life. The hectic pace of her new job, the chaos of life in the city, combined with the distance between them did permanent damage to their relationship, and they both moved on. Alone. 

Now Ruby is a smart, successful, beautiful woman married to her job, living the life of a singleton in New York City. And Ethan went from cute bartender to multi-millionaire and creator of one of the tech world's most successful networking sites. And let's not forget, one of the most appealing bachelors around. And they're about to meet up again, after 10 years apart, at her sister's Scottish wedding. Sounds like the basis for a good romantic comedy. Or for the new novel The One That Got Away, based on Jane Austen's Persuasion. 

Author Melissa Pimentel brings together a cast of colorful characters for her story of young lovers torn apart. The story is very modern, but those hints of Austen come through over and over as Ruby and Ethan try to figure out their feelings for each other. There is pride. There is prejudice. There is sense. There is sensibility. The whole gamut of Austenness can be found in this story, and it brings to mind all the reasons that we love her so much. Pimentel has written a charming tale that weaves together the classic and the contemporary, the British and the the American, and the romantic and the comedy. Highly recommended for fans of movies like The Wedding Date, Gwyneth Paltrow's Emma, and Kiera Knightley's Pride and Prejudice. 



Galleys for The One That Got Away were provided by St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

The One that Got Away by Melissa Pimentel is a contemporary romance novel influenced somewhat by Jane Austen's, Persuasion. Ruby and Ethan have a history together from before she was an advertising executive and before he was a successful, multi-millionaire from innovative apps he developed.

Ms. Pimentel gives us their earlier history and relationship with liberal use of flashbacks throughout the novel. Literally, "then" and "now" sections. This really gives you the feel of their history and their passion and commitment to each other in the past and as you are reading through the book you just itch to find out where it all went wrong.

As a Jane Austen fan, and a Persuasion fan, I read The One That Got Away looking for familiar events and scenes. I was happy that they were there, but also that they were different enough that it did not dominate or overwhelm the book, and it stands on its own. Ethan does not know why Ruby cut off her relationship between them, and she can't stand to tell him. Ethan is strong and independent and becoming rich and successful has added confidence and resources to that. He is a dynamic character who really brings out the best in Ruby. Alternatively, Ruby goes through phases of trying to prove herself while still being there for her family. She is more sensitive than she wants to admit to anyone and Ethan is the only one who really brings her inner-self to the forefront.

Overall, The One That Got Away by Melissa Pimentel was a book I could not put down, that had twists and turns, some expected, and some not that I enjoyed. I heartily recommend and look forward to reading more by this author.

(I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book I received for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.)