I thought from the current synopsis that this was going to be focused more on Daniel and Liv's chance encounters during their younger years, but there is a lot of the novel dedicated to their adult lives and struggles. I sometimes had a hard time following all of the time transitions because something was hinted at, but the story would go back or forward a few years and not mention it again for a while. Also, trigger warnings for drinking/drugs, stillborn babies, and cancer should be noted.

The Night We Met is a beautiful story about love and the search for a soulmate. It weaves between the past and the present to tell the love story of Olivia and Daniel. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

A haunting but beautiful love story. If you want a good cry, pick up this book!! You knew the outcome of the story wasn't hopeful, but I loved the back and forth storyline of Daniel and Olivia's history together. I was ugly crying by the end but enjoyed every bit in between (especially Olivia's two moms backstory and their love for Olivia!).

A gorgeous romance with really well thought premise.

I really enjoyed the two timelines.

Brought me to tears on more than one occasion.

Just brilliant - as Zoe's books always are. Poignant and heartwarming, I loved every word. A book about looking back on life, about love and our reactions to it.

The Night We Met is an amazing story of Olivia and Daniel. Zoe Folbigg writes a story like no other. This romantic story leaves you wanting more and looking for your own Daniel. The connection between Olivia and Daniel is magical and like no other. Daniel goes on his after school adventure around the world and sees a young woman in several of the places he is. He is drawn to her. One night, they finally meet for a drink. Years later, after dreaming of Olivia, Daniel finds her once again and that is where the love story really begins.
Zoe Folbigg's writing is easy to read and understand. The chapters do bounce around from past to present and back again, but they are clearly labelled and easy to follow along.
Overall, I thoroughly loved this book. I will be recommending this to others and looking for other works by Zoe Folbigg. Special Thanks to NetGalley, Zoe Folbigg, and Aria and Aries Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5 Stars #TheNightWeMet #NetGalley

This is a really beautifully written book which explores the love story between two people spanning years. I loved watching their relationship grow and develop, despite knowing that their ending is imminent. I grew to really love both of the main characters and was so sad to finish it. I did feel that at times the jumping from past to present hampered the flow of the story slightly, and I at points I just wanted to get to the next section of their back story.
Thanks to netgalley, the author and publishers for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of survival, second chances and love...A tale with such emotion that I will remember it long after reading it. I have no idea about the thought process to create such an amazing book, I loved the characters, the setting and the amazing journey the book took me on. You can feel each situation as it happened and I felt the heartache and joys in equal measure.

I cannot even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book. I couldn't wait to turn the page, but then I hated to see it end. Such a beautiful, awe-inspiring story...I could not stop reading once I started, I felt like I was right there with the characters in the story. Ms. Folbigg is an excellent author and I am looking forward to future books from her. This is my third book by Zoë Folbigg and by far my favourite.

I personally found this book hard to read, only because of how it starts.and how relateable to me personally. A wonderful book of hope, love, understanding and loss all rolled into an amazing love story. Daniel and Olivias love shines so brightly from this book. When reading you experience crying a little bit to full on sobbing, your own heart breaking to hope and dreams.

I have read all of the author’s previous books, and I think her talents mainly lie with stories revolving around her real-life love. The ones that are made up just don’t have the unique magic and special spark that ‘The Note’ and ‘The Postcard’ had.
So, unfortunately, this one just didn’t grip me. I found it really slow going, to begin with, and even when it did pick up slightly, there was nothing really to keep you gripped or to make the book an exciting read.
I found Olivia to be such a majestic character, but Daniel to be quite plain. I know opposites attract, but I just couldn’t find myself caring about Daniel really, there was nothing special about him. So as a story of their lives together, I just couldn’t get on board with it.
It was still a very emotional and poignant story. It was also beautifully written. We got to take a trip around the world with the characters, and you could really tell the author had done her research into the areas they were visiting. I just wasn’t that enamoured with the story as a whole.
So, for me, I’m afraid it was just an average three-star read. Nothing majorly wrong with it, it just didn’t keep my mind focused or interested.

It's not this book's fault but it's probably the wrong subject matter (woman on death's door) for me to be reading right now. I could not get into it. I gave it 3 stars though since it 100 percent is me and my mental state right now that was just not in the mood for a "romance" that's sad.

This feels very similar to the movie Love Story honestly. Another reviewer pointed out that this is like the Notebook and now I feel like really stupid for not picking that up at all. Daniel's wife Olivia is sick (cancer) and she asks him to tell their children their story. How they met and how they fell in love. She wants to write the story, but is too weak to do it and ask Daniel to do it for her. "The Night We Met" then follows them.

Honestly the backstories to Daniel and Olivia was a lot. I just didn't care and wanted the story to get a move on.

I also think the jumping around in timelines and giving different perspectives (Daniel and Olivia) throughout the book ended up hampering the flow of the story. You would get a clue about certain things and then the book would jump back or forth and then follow up on that clue/statement etc pages later. It started to drive me up the wall after a while.

The setting of the story jumps to so many cities and countries, we go to London, Paris, Australia, Milan, Japan, etc. that it just got to be too much.

A poignant and emotional story to read. It was a little slow to get starting, but the pace picked up after the first third and became a lot more enjoyable.

The Night We Met - Zoe Folbigg

I went into this book with high expectations as I had previously really enjoyed the authors other books, and I was not disappointed. We see that life isn't all sweetness and light and experience this through Daniel and Olivia's life history. I very much enjoyed the skipping between different parts of their history together and found that this gave an excellent pace to the read. The story got to me emotionally and I did tear up a few times.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for allowing me the chance to read and review this book

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this ARC.

When Olivia is fighting for her life, Daniel, her husband, decides to recount their journey together; one sealed by the fate of the stars. A chance meet has Daniel seeing Olivia across a sea of people and as he backpacks through Australia, he can’t take his mind off her. They cross paths numerous times, until one day they finally talk and there begins a beautiful love story.

A poignant and emotional read, the story Daniel is recounting of his journey with Olivia is for their daughters, Flora and Sofia to remember when they are older. Witnessing Daniel and Olivia at varying stages of their life, going from strangers to friends to dating to marriage and finally children, paves the path for heartwarming character development. Their love grows and transforms through the decades as they experience happiness, new beginnings, fears and losses together. The author also takes you around the world with gorgeous backdrops like Japan, London, Milan, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland and Tuscany. A love like theirs is one we all wish we had; a love to share small joys, deep pains, dark fears and forever with.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

As a man holds his wife's frail hand, he recounts a journey like no other...
Daniel and Olivia are destined to be together. At least, Daniel thinks this the night he sees Olivia across a sea of people. As he backpacks through Australia, Daniel and Liv continue to cross paths, yet never speak. Until one night, Liv joins Daniel for a drink. And that night everything changes.

Back in London, stuck in a monotonous routine, Daniel finds himself daydreaming of the woman with green eyes and fiery hair. Armed with only a name he vows to find her, yet with every passing moment, Daniel's hopes begin to disappear. What if it wasn't meant to be?

But then fate steps in, and Daniel and Olivia’s story can truly begin...

This is a tale of serendipity, missed chances and the power of love.

This is the first book of Zoe Folbigg's books that I have read. It is a lovely way to write a book, starting at the end of their love story and recounting it. The only thing I didn't like is that it jumped between times and I felt you had to concentrate to figure out where the current chapter takes place in their story.

It's a lovely story, well told.

The Night We Met begins at the tail end of Daniel Bleeker and Olivia Messina’s love story. From her hospital bed, Olivia urges Daniel to commit to paper the story of their romance which encompasses their initial meeting on the other side of the world and their subsequent encounters over the years culminating in a meeting that will change their lives forever. Recounting their love story is a poignant way of capturing a treasure trove of memories that their daughters, Flora and Sofia can cherish in years to come. This latest emotional rollercoaster of a novel from one of my favourite authors is destined to tug at those heartstrings.

Daniel is travelling down under having finished university, a trip originally planned with his now ex girlfriend Kelly but one he is still determined to experience albeit alone. As he traverses the country, sightseeing and learning to surf, his attention is caught by the numerous coincidental sightings of none other than Italian born Olivia who is due to enrol shortly on a course at Central Saint Martins in London. Olivia, the flame haired beauty whom Daniel is besotted with at first glance, a girl whom he believes to be way out of his league, is a character who’s impossible to forget. Her cool edgy persona when we first meet her, someone seemingly comfortable in her own shoes is a mixture of the vulnerable and the brave which makes her so beguiling. I could totally understand how Daniel, this ordinary and average young man is blinded by her aura. However she’s also impossible to pin down and whilst Daniel yearns the chance to get to know her better it would seem fate has other ideas. He cannot shake the effect Olivia’s fleeting and periodic presences in his life have upon his heart and soul, leaving him with a desire to find her even if his search is akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. But never underestimate the underdog or the way in which life can take the most unexpected turns!

In a storyline that’s crammed full of sliding door moments the reader is treated to a round the world trip from the comfort of their own armchair. Encompassing Australia, New Zealand, London, Milan, Cambridge, Tuscany, Japan and Switzerland this is a love story that reaches dizzying heights as well as plummeting to heartbreaking lows. Considering all the occasions when Daniel and Olivia’s paths cross with momentary sightings and brief encounters it’s a miracle these two ever reach that pivotal point when fate intervenes but it’s so worth the wait. In fact these missed opportunities only add to the wonderment and relief when this moment in time finally arrives with their unfolding romance both a source of joy and sadness. You learn so much about these two very different individuals yet they compliment each other perfectly. I think it’s fair to say I was bewitched not only by this couple but also by the romance and beauty of Italy, the food and the language which provides an ideal backdrop for much of Daniel and Olivia’s romance to blossom. If you’re a fashionista then you’ll appreciate this element of the storyline although I have to say the football references went way over my head. Both of Olivia’s Italian mammas(Nancy and Maria) further enhance the feeling of being enveloped in a blanket of love and warm hospitality whilst the company of their diverse and loyal close group of friends adds to the sense family doesn’t have to be consigned to blood lines. The only character who’s really a blot on the horizon is Annabel, Daniel’s sister in law whom I feel is included to highlight that every family is encumbered with at least one awkward, unlikeable member!!

I have read all of Zoé Folbigg’s novels, loved every one of them and The Night We Met is her best one yet! I’m a sucker for a well written love story and this author sweeps you up in a most beautiful and memorable story that is incredibly romantic, poignant, touching and joyous all at the same time. It’s also a celebration of every kind of love any one of us may expect to experience over the course of a lifetime; reading this is both enriching and intensely pleasurable. Daniel and Olivia may only be a figment of the author’s imagination but to me, for a few hours at least, they were real and very much alive. I immersed myself in this land of make believe, basking in the glow emanating from their radiant love, fully aware the author’s pen is poised like a hammer, ready to strike, ready to bring a full stop to the Bleeker/Messina saga. That your heart may shatter into a million little pieces is a distinct possibility but I for one couldn’t bear to tear myself away. BEAUTIFUL and BRILLIANT and an ABSOLUTE must read for anyone who believes that love never dies. If you need evidence that true love and love at first sight exists then this is the book for you! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

I think I am simply a sucker for any story that promises a tale of serendipitous events. I find the whimsy and missed chances or fate intervening so romantic, so beautiful and just so lovely.

This was just that...beautiful and lovely and a great way to end my 2020 year of reading.

A husband whose wife is on her deathbed much too early, recounts their story as a last wish fulfillment, and for the benefit of their young kids.

This wasn't a book that pulled me in so it surprisingly took me longer to finish. I found it to be a pretty average story. Nothing shocking, no plot twists, none of those things. It was simple, short, and sad. I found the pacing to be a bit off, there were some instances wherein I found scenes, sentences, conversations etc repetitive. I also thought there wasn't a smooth switch between povs, with that, it could be a bit confusing at times. But I did like the characters even if I still felt like I wasn't close to them after finishing.

Incredible just incredible! There just aren’t enough words to describe the magic of this book. Daniel and Liv are absolutely stunning characters and I implore you not to fall in love with the and their story.