If you like to read Jane Austen adaptations, I recommend this book. Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel, so I was particularly excited to read this book. It was an enjoyable read. It loosely follows the outline of Persuasion but with less interfering and scheming from others. Instead of Anne and Frederick, there is Ruby and Ethan. The story is told from Ruby and Ethan's point of view and alternates between the past when they met as 20 year olds and the present, which is ten years later. This keeps the story moving and made it hard to put down.

I will read any book that labels itself as a Jane Austen retelling - especially a retelling of Persuasion! So I was excited for this one and it really just fell flat. I suppose you could say the plot very loosely followed Persuasion but it was missing all of the emotion and spark from that book. To me, that book is about yearning more than anything. This book was about . . . pettiness and little bit of reminiscing. I didn't long for the characters to reignite, I was just bored while reading this one. The book is told between past and present and I don't think the author did a good job at those transitions. I found myself read for this to end rather than wanting to keep reading. Overall, I would skip this and re-read Persuasion.

The One that Got Away comes out next week on August 22, 2017, and you can purchase HERE. I think there are way better JA retellings out there than this one but, if you do read this, hopefully you will have a better time!

I hadn't had white toast since Bush was in office--I'd forgotten how completely, utterly perfect it is. Definitely squats tomorrow.

I liked this book because it didn't try to do too much or be more than it is. It's a chick lit romance novel, about exactly what the title suggests, when our heroine meets up with the ex-boyfriend who she broke up with ten years prior, as part of her sister's wedding festivities. (Her sister is marrying his best friend and they even double-dated back in the day.) In the meantime, he's gone from being a bartender to a tech mogul featured on magazine covers, while she's remained in New York City plodding along in her advertising career. Hijinks ensue when they're all in England because the sister wanted to get married in a castle, and the plot is a little predictable, but not beyond the bounds of being realistic. I enjoyed the read and think the author has a lot of potential if she wants to keep writing these kinds of books, which certainly still have a place amongst more serious literary works.

I received an advance copy of this book for free from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In this modern telling of Persuasion, we have Ruby and Ethan in a second-chance love story set in the countryside of England. While I saw the similarities, I have to say...I wish it wasn't touted as a retelling.

It stands much better on its own than as an Austen reboot.

The story centers around Ruby and her Big Secret, which is revealed near the end of the book. The story is told in "Now" or "Then" chapters; in the now, we see Ruby as a hardened woman, desperately trying to prove something to herself. In the then, we flash back to Ruby and Ethan's relationship ten years prior.

I enjoyed the read, and I enjoyed watching Ruby figure out the real reason why she was so unhappy with herself. But I felt that the last two chapters were when things really got moving; though it was a light read, I really wanted more once (SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT) Ethan and Ruby finally did get together. But it just ended there, suddenly...and again, I get it, Persuasion and all that, but really? Where's the happily-ever-after? Where's my promise that this is forever? Am I to just trust that these two are going to head off into the sunset, mere moments after Ruby reveals her Big Secret, and expect that all is forgiven in a rosy glow?

No.

Just no.

However...if I were to consider this a true modern tale of Persuasion, then I supposed I understand why the author ended it like she did. But as a true modern reader who loves Persuasion, I really hoped for more of the "after" parts. An epilogue, if you will. One that gave me an update on all the characters, and their happily-ever-afters.

Alas, dear readers, 'twas not to be this time.

Still, this was a solid 3.5 stars as a standalone Women's Fiction novel, and I recommend you give it a read.

reviewed by Nancy

“Here I was, jet-lagged as all hell, standing in a sixteenth-century pub in the middle of nowhere and giving my ex-boyfriend advice on how to spend his magnificent fortune . . . it was all a bit much.”

I snapped this read up hoping for some modern Austen escapism. From a chick lit perspective it was okay, however, I found the Austen link hard to determine and justify. It’s a pleasant enough read, if a little underwhelming, failing to hit the mark in the spark and romance area. I do not feel that the author truly set the scene in both explaining and capturing the depth of emotion to make it fully engaging and at times, was somewhat silly with the female lead jealous of a dead person!

The structure of the book didn’t quite gel either. Ruby and Ethan’s stories told in two time lines - now and then - was fragmented and difficult to keep track of and didn’t really work for me. It’s not a badly narrated story, just lacking excitement and pizzazz. There are some worthwhile humourous moments that brought a smile to my face:

“I’d taken myself to see Frozen on a particularly dark day back in January and had found myself sobbing uncontrollably during “Let It Go”

As a modern telling of “Persuasion” (by Jane Austen) it is a bit of a stretch -“second chance” romance is the only real tenuous link. Although a reasonably well-written book, I found it lacking in quite a few areas. Overall, a was nice, light read.

“But here’s the thing that I’d realized: I sort of hated my life. Not entirely—pieces of it were great—but I’d been living on autopilot for too long, wearing grooves in the sidewalk between work and home.”

I enjoyed this book as a lighter read than what I'm used to reading. The characters were easily related to, and the book kept my interest throughout. I always appreciate when authors use pop culture references in their books--it makes the characters seem real. I enjoyed the past/present points of view--it added to the "what will they do?" rush of a chick-lit book.

I enjoyed reading this cute story of Ruby and Ethan, but it wasn't exactly the retelling I was hoping for. The story is told now, as Ruby travels to her sister's wedding and is reunited with her ex. Clearly there has been a bad breakup but Ruby still has feelings for Ethan. The now deals with those feelings. The "then" part of the story draws the two together in their youth and I found their relationship didn't have the build to be that unforgettable romance. This was a good read, but I just felt like I wanted a little more in the romance. I will definitely check out more books by this author!

I was given an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.

When I read the description of this book, I thought it was right up my street, but sadly at times I struggled with it.

In a nutshell, Ruby leads a busy life in NYC dominated by work & the gym. At her sister's wedding in Scotland, she bumps into her ex Ethan, the one that got away, and the one she still has feelings for. As well as being told in the present, as above, the story is also told in the past, focusing on Ruby and Ethan's relationship when younger & when Ruby first moved to NYC.

Although the book was well-written, I found that it lacked romance. I could also not see the Persuasion aspect in the story. It was a nice, light read, but lacked excitement and there was nothing to make it memorable unfortunately.

I really liked this at the start; it has the voice I like in adult contemporary romance and I love Persuasion, which you can clearly see the influence of. Unfortunately it loses some of its charm by the end; I didn't think the emotional payoff was good enough and I really really disliked the "secret" she was keeping from her ex. I also wasn't a huge fan of all the flashbacks; I would have rather had more time in the present to get to know Ruby and Ethan together and watch their relationship change. Overall, it's a good book but not a great one, and there are the usual troubling throwaway lines: one reference to spirit animals, basically hating on sight any beautiful women Ethan breathes next to, etc. Ruby was likeable except for that. I understand jealousy, of course, but it was a little tiresome and silly. Once or twice sure, but not every single mention of other women. I was also a little disturbed by her boss in the flashback scenes. He gave me the creeps, in that slimy older powerful man way. Still if you're looking for a light read, this is good enough and I liked all of the British settings. I read it in a few hours!

Ive never been one to read classics EVER but this retelling sounded really good. But this one was pretty watered down after I talked with a few people who told me about the original.
This is what I would call Persuasion light. Its a fast light read for those who want a retelling of the orgianal but something a little more fun. Which worked out for me since classics just aren't my thing. One of the classes I have coming up for college is intro to ligature and I am so scared ill have to read something that just isn't something I'm interested in. Is it to much to ask to be able to read Harry Potter?

Anyway this one had a few of the characters from the original cut out but for the most part I didn't of course even know they were even supposed to be in there. This was a great little book that I would have loved to read while at the beach on a nice sunny day.

Thank you to NetGalley, St, Martins Press and the author Melissa for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this book, it felt like I had been reading it for ages and when I checked… I had! Much longer than what it normally takes me….. Because I just couldn’t warm to it. I did like some of the characters, especially the dad, but the others I just struggled to connect with.

An easy, interesting read from Melissa. This is the first book of hers I've read but I will be checking out her other books. I loved the main characters, the location of the book and the plot. Ruby flies to the UK to attend the wedding of her sister Piper to Charlie. Between firing the wedding planner, a flower mix up and their father having a heart attack, Ruby is kept busy putting out fires. Throw in an ex-boyfriend and a handsome doctor and you have a great love triangle.

Ruby and Ethan fell in love the summer before she is set to start her dream job in New York City. They seem so in love, but something happened and they broke up after Ruby moved away.

Now, years later, Ruby is headed to England for her sister Piper's wedding. Complicating things is the fact that the groom, Charlie, is Ethan's best friend.

The One That Got Away alternates between Ruby and Ethan's past relationship and what happens when they reconnect during the wedding festivities. I really liked that format as it revealed a little bit of both stories at a time and you got to see how both Ruby and Ethan came to be who they are now. However, it was disappointing that you really don't get to see inside Ethan's head except for some of the 'Then' sections and a few emails.

Overall I enjoyed the story and the secondary characters added some humor and fun to the story. I felt the ending was a little rushed and wish it had been expanded on more, but this is definitely a fun summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Persuasion is one of my favorite books. The One That Got Away is a modern retelling that almost feels like an insult to the original. It's a candy-coated morsel-- the processed junk food version of Austen's classic love story, stripped of any complexity.

And you know what? It tastes pretty good. Who doesn't like a bag of M&Ms once in a while (or all the time; lets not talk about it)?

Captain Frederick Wentworth is one of the greatest romantic heroes in all of literature (I have a bit of a crush, in case that wasn't clear). Here, he is reborn as Ethan, a bartender-turned-app-entrepreneur, who changed his life, and hardened his heart, after a girl he thought was "the one" dumped him. I enjoyed his character, and found that, while no Capt. Wentworth, he decent Millennial leading man. Ruby, on the other hand, is no Anne Elliot. She doesn't have her insight or her poise.

Most of the secondary characters are re-imagined through a simpler, more generous, lens. Even Ruby's father got a sympathetic reboot, and there's no William Elliot or Mrs. Smith to complicate the feel good plot even a smidgen. This book is pure beach-reading fare and delivers on the lighthearted fun. However, I will say I was desperately let down by the lack of an equivalent to Wentworth's letter. It was a moment I waited for and never materialized, and the book was worse for it.

This book is touted as a retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, but frankly, I felt it was more a variation of Bridget Jones’ Diary. In fact, Bridget Jones’ story was supposedly based on Pride and Prejudice, and I think if the plot of this book resembles any Jane Austen story, it would be that one rather than Persuasion.

But mostly the 31-year-old protagonist, Ruby Atlas, reminded me of Bridget Jones, always focussed on her job, her weight, her drinking, her outfits, and her love life. Ruby’s BFF Jess is always there for her, just like Bridget’s friends, no matter how self-absorbed Ruby/Bridget is.

Ruby’s one lapse from self-obsession is to take care of her spoiled, immature, and frequently hysterical (not in the sense of funny) sister Piper, who has dragged family and friends to a British castle, Bamburgh (a popular wedding venue in real life) for her upcoming marriage. Piper is getting hitched to Charlie Armstrong, who happens to be the BFF of Ruby’s ex, Ethan Bailey.

Ruby hates taking time to go to the wedding; she puts in very long days, working all hours at her job. Plus, she is nervous over seeing Ethan again. When Ruby dated him, ten years ago, he was a bartender, but now he is even-more handsome, as well as a rich, and famous tech guy. Nevertheless, both Ruby and Ethan hate their current lives.

They broke up when Ruby left for college. Even though Ruby loved Ethan madly, she did not want to give up her dream. Unfortunately, she ran into a number of barriers, and didn’t want to confess her failure to Ethan. She also couldn’t bear for him to see “the real her.” So she sent him a “dear John” letter.

When Ruby’s dad had a heart attack right before the wedding, this lead to all of them to rethink their priorities.

Evaluation: As far as I was concerned, the ending was shallow and improbable. But then again, so was the rest of the book. I do occasionally enjoy “chick lit” but only if it is intelligently written with a great deal of self-deprecating humor (as with the work of Sophie Kinsella). This story seemed too derivative, and too neatly resolved.

Ruby and Ethan broke up ten years ago. But that doesn't mean that either of them is over it when they see each other again for Ruby's sister's (and Ethan's best friend's) wedding. There, old feelings will surface and maybe, just maybe, second chances too.

I really enjoyed The One That Got Away. A modern nod to Jane Austen's Persuasion (I don't want to say retelling), The One That Got Away is a sweet and light hearted story about second chances. Ruby and Ethan broke up ten years ago and they haven't seen each other since. Until the wedding.

I liked Ruby a lot. She tried so hard to be put together and successful, afraid of what others would this or how she needed t make it in NYC. I thought she had a lot of heart and a clear vulnerability that anyone can relate to, especially when just starting out. Ethan was also a great character for lots of reasons. Yes, he's the good guy, kind and sweet and totally s mitten with Ruby when they first met. But what I really liked about Ethan was how his character was very solid even at the beginning. I liked who all he wanted to do was hang out with her, how he was content (somewhat) in his life, with his job, hanging with his friends. I liked how normal he was. not some shark in a sharp suit, not some guy trying to get a head. H was a nice guy, a bartender, who fell in love with a girl. And when that girl broke his heart, he strived to become something different.

The story is told back and forth between Then and Now. I liked that a lot because it gave us a big sense of who Ruby and Ethan were before the breakup, and how they fell in love. It also gave a the reader a clear sense of urgency as the wedding drew closer, will they? or won't they?, and added a lot of extra emotion to this second chance. In essence, it was watching both sequence of events unfold in the perfect way, up to what you already assumed was the climatic reveal, knowing already how the first turned out and hoping that the second wasn't going to be the same.

The only gripe I have with the story is the ending. It seemed like it ended too fast, I would have loved a little more closure and a lot more seeing Ruby and Ethan after the wedding. I also wish that Jess, Ruby's best friend and phone confidant, had a lot more screen time. She seemed pretty half drawn because she was mostly used only to allow us to hear Ruby talk about her feelings. I wish we had a little more Jess time because she seemed like a fun character.

Also, I know this is nit-picky, but it's because I love Persuasion so much. The most wonderful thing about the original is the letter that the Capt. sends to his love, in the midst of all of the crazy, where he expresses his undying love for her. That said, there wasn't anything quite so romantic. Sure, a conversation Pride & Prejudice (film) style out on the fields is romantic, but I liked how intimate the love letter was and how his feelings were so plainly expressed, even when the whole world was crazy around them. I didn't feel like I got that kind of deep, quiet romance between them. But again, I don't think this would bother anyone else necessarily.

Anyone a fan of Persuasion will enjoy The One That Got Away. And even if you've never read the original, this story is sweet and hard to put down! I gobbled it up.

It's rare for me to find a book with no redeeming characteristics whatsoever, but I'm afraid I did in this. The characters are clichéd and constantly wisecracking (which is clearly supposed to be witty, but isn't), the storyline is predictable and there's a complete lack of drama in the "reveal", and it's full of factual inaccuracies - it feels like the author read half a wikipedia page on anything that was outside her own personal experience. I finished it because it seemed unfair to write such a poor review without giving it every chance to redeem itself, but it never did. I even switched to the audiobook version part-way through, in the hope that maybe that would help, but the accents were so bad that they were almost (but not quite) laughable, so it just made it worse. I switched back to the ebook to finish, and sighed with relief when I was through.