Thanks NetGalley for this ARC of this sweet little book! It's a cute and quick read about finding The One, and how this discovery is all really about timing. In the romance of Sam and Izzy, it's the journey of aligning up - or if it's meant to ever match up at the right time. While this was cute, I would have loved "more" of them being together vs. emails and long time gaps, but it was still light and full of heart!

Okay, so the word “heartwarming” usually turns my stomach. But actually, this novel’s pretty perfect.

Really great characters, dialogue that hits perfectly, well written and very twisty, this was a fantastic read. I’ll definitely be looking out for more by this author.

Love at first sight. Impossible circumstances. A slow burn.

"The First Time We Met" encompassed one of my favorite story lines! Girl sees boy. Boy sees girl. Obviously, there's a spark and they both know it. But something BIG is standing in their way. In this case, it was boy's wedding day. Hot and hunky Sam... hubba hubba.

I really enjoyed reading this story. Izzy is a delightful character and so is Sam. They go through a really time time together and apart. I really felt the love that they had for each other and I was just hoping the entire time that they could figure it out. The setting for the story was both in London, a dream, and New York. London is my favorite!

If you liked One Day in December, you'd like this one as well! So many missed opportunities, but can they recover?

Overall I would probably rate this book with 3.5 stars! I would recommend this to someone if they were look for a light, easy romance with some real life hurdles!

It was hard to read for me because the dialogue only had one quote mark around the words. Ex. 'I love reading about books set in London,' she said. So, it got a bit jumbled up for me!
There were so many times that I just wanted to shake some sense into both Izzy and Sam because if they would have just VOICED what the felt instead of keeping it to themselves, there would have been a lot less heartache... and probably a lot less book lol. So I guess it is good they didn't!

*Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

I love how the main couple met on the day of the guy's wedding to another girl. That's some obstacle. :) The story takes place through decades. I love the emails especially. I wish there were more steamy scenes because that's a lot of build-up and I thought that it deserves something more! Otherwise... thought that it was a great book.

I don’t know that I believe in love at first sight butI loved this book! Izzy, a diner waitress, meets Sam, an American businessman at her work. When she realizes their connection, she chases him down only to find out that he’s getting married that day. The story flashes forward several years at a time describing what’s happening in each character’s life. Jo Lovett carefully crafts lovable characters in plausible situations. She follows Izzy and Sam through fifteen years of triumphs and tragedies. I could not put this down. It is an excellent read to escape these trying times. I look forward to reading more from Jo Lovett.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book. Izzy asks Sam out the first time she meets him, however, it is his wedding day. Slowly over the years, via a few meet cutes and email correspondence, a friendship is formed between the two. This was a nice light read, and, though I enjoyed it overall, I didn't really engage with the main characters (I did at times find myself being more intrigued by Sam's children).I did however find this to be a lovely light read, perfect for those days where you have nothing to do and want to relax a bit.

1.5 ✫

Izzy and Sam had a gorgeous meet-cute. Fell in love at first sight—ON SAM’S WEDDING DAY.

I thought this book would be good, it started out okay, but then within the first 20% it had jumped 14 years since they met. Their lives had spiralled so far away from each other that I couldn’t grab the connection that was originally intended.

I don’t even know what else to say besides—this wasn’t very good. The majority of contact was emails back and forth and some very unexciting face-to-faces. I usually love online correspondence, but it was all incredibly boring. Except for their meeting, I felt no chemistry. I’m not really sure what this book was even supposed to do, I need so much more than this.

The cover and plot reminded me a little of One Day in December—which I hated for a number of reasons. I thought maybe this might get it right. I was looking for longing, angst and that second chance—I got two people, never being honest and losing half their lives not together. At least there was no cheating.

Izzy and Sam meet on Sam's wedding day,,,when Izzy asks Sam out on a date! This book was a sweet story that spanned the ensuing years and left us with a lovely tale about "the ONE"

What if you met the one, but it was just not the right time or the right place. The concept of this trope has been handled before in books (Just think about One day in December or the day we met, but it is kind of a trope I really tend to enjoy.

And boy did I enjoy The First Time We Met. In the first chapter we meet heroine Izzy, who doesn’t believe in love at first sight. But when she serves breakfast to the hansom and charismatic Sam, she is swept of her feet. Sam is the one, Izzy is sure of it. But when she runs after him on the street and asks him out, reality hits her. Sam is about to get married in a couple of hours.

From there on, we follow Izzy and Sam trough the years. Finally almost a decade later their paths intertwine once again, but they both have a lot of baggage and are living on different continents.
Although I dived in this book for the romance aspect of it, I was surprised to quickly realize that the strongest feature of this book was not in fact the relationship between Izzy and Sam. It was the overall story-line and how very realistic it felt.

We have Izzy, a strong female character who is trying to be a good wife, a good daughter, a good friend and a good mother all at the same time. She trying to navigate a minefield of emotions and she genially cares for other people. Sometimes even a little bit to much. I loved how determined she once, but was still battling with insecurities. Izzy is the type of woman I would love to have a cup of tea with and call her my friend.

On the other hand there was Sam, with his own baggage, but also with his own insecurities. Sam’s character was crafted so well that you saw what a good guy he was, but at the same time you wanted to yell at him that he was handling life all wrong. Sam really made a mess of his family and professional life, but in a relatable way that makes you feel sorry for him.

Even the side characters were well fleshed out and had their own story to tell. Because of these well-developed characters and the overall story arc The First Time We Met felt like following real people in their day to day life instead of reading a romance story. So well crafted!

The only minor point of critique is immediately a very personal issues I had with the book. I love a adult romance book to have one or two steamy scenes. Come on, we are all adults. And when you are writing about lust and love… well, you need to show the passion and the sparks. This was one of the things I truly missed in the story. But that is just me.

An absolute recommendation and one of the better feel good novels I read this year!

Whilst wearing an elf costume, working in a greasy spoon and putting up with comments and leers from customers Izzy hears the voice that makes her look up and gaze into the eyes of Sam. Straightaway she knows that he is 'The One'. They have a little banter between them and when he leaves she chases after him to ask him out, however, Sam drops the bombshell that he is getting married that afternoon.

They each go on to live their lives, however, the though of each other is always there. Over the course of the years, they have several missed opportunities for meeting again. Glances from a distance, a good Samaritan deed, coffee and providing help for Sam's son. Told from both Sam and Izzy's point of view you are captivated by their friendship, longing to be together but can't and the almost chances that they have.

Have tissues at the ready as you read their 'You've Got Mail' style liasions and the words that go unsaid for so long between them.

This was a super slow burn and a very fast ending so my emotions were all over the place. I experienced bliss, happiness, joy, sorrow, broken heart, annoyance, and all the emotions in-between. Every character had something about them that just turned me off but I was still rooting for them. It was such an odd feeling to have about a book but I still loved it.

Izzy falls in love at first sight with Sam and asks him out, only it's his wedding day. Slowly over the years a friendship and relationship starts between Izzy in London and Sam in New York. This is a gentle read and for me an average read because I didn't really engage with the two main characters. We were told Izzy is nice which is great but I'd rather be shown her niceness and this pulled me out of the story a bit. Overall a sweet read for a Sunday afternoon. Thank you to Netgaley and the publishers for letting me review this book for an honest review.

The First Time We Met hooked me from the first chapter. I loved Sam and Izzy and was rooting for these two to end up together, I kept yelling at Sam while I was reading "Stop Being Stupid Tell Izzy How You Feel". I enjoyed the duo POV I felt it brought something extra to the story. I can't wait to read another book by Jo Lovett.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which centers around the idea of meeting The One, but on his wedding day. This is a lovely story for readers who are longing for a fairytale within contemporary real-life situations. If you enjoy romantic comedies with heart between an American and a Brit, snap this one up.

This hit the sweet spot of a combination romance and women’s fiction. I loved the exploration of whether there there can be a The One, and is it possible to meet that person at the wrong time, but somehow find your way to them later. Bonus points for making me tear up at a big romantic gesture. A lovely read.

It has been a whole since I have enjoyed an easy read, finished in a couple of hours this afternoon sat in the sunshine.

What a beautiful story, I love the two main characters Izzy and Sam and watching the story unfold. The middle section was a little long but I still enjoyed it.

Overall an enjoyable read that enables you to switch off from life for a few hours.

The First Time We Met, Jo Lovett

What if you met the one on his wedding day?

Izzy doesn’t believe in love at first sight until she meets Sam one Winter morning, taking a chance she asks him out only to find he’s about to get married. Nearly ten years later Izzy still thinks about Sam, the one who got away and Sam still thinks about Izzy, the girl who asked him out on his wedding day. When they finally cross paths again, with decades of baggage and an ocean between them they discover whether some obstacles are to big to overcome.

A cosy, gorgeous, “One Day in December” vibe love story to lose yourself in. I absolutely lost myself within this one. With a well layered storyline that is not without its difficulties for the lead characters, stunning backdrop of the New York and London skylines, this one is sure to capture your heart this Christmas. Jo Lovett establishes herself as one to watch here. Snuggle down and lose yourself to the festive feeling with this tear jerking, heart warming, love story.

Alright if I'm honest I don't think I was really expecting very much from this book but boy was I wrong!

I'm not usually into a romance book with insta love but the mix between insta love and slow burn romance actually made the whole love story more realistic. I love the fact it was a realistic look at what is like to fall in love with someone when you are not just looking out for yourself.

Izzy was a lovely character to read. She was determine and career focused but not in a way that was determental to her family and friends. She was a modern feminist but was still open to romance but only if it was right for both her and her daughter.

Sam on the other hand was very choatic throughout! At specific moments I literally wanted to shake some sense into him. Overall this dynamic was great and he was just as loveable as Izzy and again really only wanted the best for his children.

I did have a few issues with the book and that was why it did not get a full 5 star rating. My first one was that I felt that the secondary relationship between Rohan and Emma almost felt forced. I don't think that we had a enough time with the characters from Izzy's point of view to see any chemistry between them and if I perfectly honest I just felt it wasn't really fleshed out.

My other issue was that the middle section, as it felt a little slow at times. I think there was a heavy focus on Sam and his relationship with his children but was nice but could have been cut down slightly. From Izzy's perspective, it was the dynamic between her and Dominic which I fel t was dragged out slightly and although I felt she was right to debate if she should get back together with him, I just felt the decision Izzy came to could have been made in less time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was great debut for Jo Lovett. It was a realistic love story from 2 people who met and fell in love at the wrong time but who eventually made it back to each other. If you love Josie Silver's One day in December then you will love this book too.

Izzy and Sam meet when he orders breakfast from the greasy spoon café she works at.
Feeling an instant spark, Izzy asks Sam out only to discover that it is his wedding day! Bad timing! But she is sure they were meant to be and never stops thinking about the one who got away.

When they meet again years later, things have changed but are far more complicated than ever before.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Sam and Izzy this story was gorgeous. I found myself holding my breath when they did, it was like I was there with them. I loved how the reader knew how both characters felt about each other, and I was willing them to overcome the obstacle preventing them being together.

This was a very sweet read. I really loved the beginning and end but things got a little slow for me in the middle. All in all, it’s charming and cute; readers will fall in love with Izzy. She was my favorite part of the book. Sam’s obsession with his career was not as convincing but he was still flawed and complex, so I can appreciate him more than other male protagonists. Lovett’s writing is amazing and it’s hard not to enjoy this sweet story,

What if you met the right person at the wrong time?
That is the question Jo Lovett explores throughout 'The First Time We Met' it is a decade-spanning story of Izzy and Sam. Jo is an incredibly talented writer and had me hooked from the start. As someone in their mid-twenties, I can often find it hard to relate to/enjoy books with protagonists who are at a different life stage to myself. But I just got it with Izzy, Sam, Emma and Rohan. They were all perfectly flawed and complex like all adults are. The First Time We Met is a great read any time of year but it would be a particularly great one during the festive season.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.