Loved this book from the very first chapter. The way it goes back and forth, explaining the story made this book hard to put down.

I loved Clara straight away, .her personality jumps from the page and you want to help her, guide her and most importantly, be her friend. And Benjamin, you want to hug him and help him to be himself. His troubled mind, her bubbly persona make them the perfect couple and for them to struggle to find their way together, makes the book even more enjoyable in a strange way

The major twist to the story, the thing that breaks them but ultimately makes them, was brilliantly written. I really liked this book right til the very last word

This appeared to be a romantic comedy but it was anything but comedic. Many difficult topics were covered and you have to be in the right mindset before jumping it. It also just ended. No clear resolution.


I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

This book goes through many cycles of the strength and weakness of Clara and Benjamin. Yes, their young love was passionate and ferocious but it was also their first true love of which many, myself included, feel the same type of way. Once they left university and were befell by tragedy, what was hard is how each retreated into themselves. Clara was constantly affiliated with the word shy which was a departure from her younger self. Benjamin felt he never amounted to anything where his sons character was attributable to him raising Aiden. It was only at the end where they both realized they needed to live again. As stated, the world is yours for the taking.

Boy meets girl, they fall in love.. the end?

Not in this book. This is a dual POV story, which is something I have always been fond of, and Rixon made both characters feel extremely raw and gripping.

The book follows 2 main characters, Benjamin and Clara. Personally, I was not a fan of Clara’s character, she felt possessive and somewhat irritating, yet there were aspects of her story that made me want to like her. Benjamin on the other hand is a seemingly simple character, until you delve into his story and see there is much more to him than what’s in the surface.

Whilst this is a boy meets girl book, it’s far more than that, covering some really heavy topics albeit in a way that’s easy to swallow as a reader. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I certainly want to read some of charlottes other suspense books now, I may be hooked.

*Thanks to Aria & Aries / Net Galley for this ARC*

This book is a little gem! Such a great story and i devoured this is no time. Highly recommend. Run out and read this book.

Poignant and real, this is a story you’ll carry with you for long after you finish!
The One That Got Away will resonate with anyone who remembers the rush of first love and the heartbreak that follows. I couldn’t put it down. Packed full of depth, character and realism.

IDK - this one had so much promise and I wanted to like it. Both main characters are deeply flawed and have a lot of insecurity. I found it hard to “buy” their feelings. There were a lot of words saying how insecure, sad, traumatized they were, and why, but few actions. I just couldn’t engage with either one. I found myself trying to read quickly - I just wanted to finish it and find out what happens.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy. It just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Plenty of hard hitting topics within this book. It's positioned as a Romance but I wouldn't classify this book in that genre.

The MC is difficult to understand throughout the first few chapters, while she navigates tough decisions you find yourself thinking, "why would you just get on a train and leave your world behind?" It seemed very irrational, but then again with the serious and tragic circumstances maybe that's how you would behave?

Difficult subjects to read through. I found the prologue particularly jarring.

I thought it will be a romantic chick-lit .. but its more than that.
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Second chances, suspense, angsty with alternating timelines.
About longing, lost long love in a middle of a chaos crisis.
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This book has heavy topics, so it turned a heavy ready.
Please check trigger warnings before you read it.

.Pub Date. 02, Feb, 2023.
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Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher and author for sending me this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

The one that got away by Charlotte Rixon. Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus for allowing me to prerelease read this book. What a rollercoster story with so many emotional trigger life changing episodes: anxiety from nearly loosing a sibling/ being forgotten by parents so absorbed by the sick child. Love at first sight. Fate meeting. Self doubt in relationships. Peir pressure to fit in. Lack of communication leading to misunderstandings. Obsessions. Class. Drinking culture and what it can lead to. What love is. What love is not. Abuse. The law. Family in all its forms.
A simple life with people I love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Isn't that we all ever want?
A good recommended read, be prepared to be frustrated with the skipping back and forth and being annoyed with the characters, it all will be worth it in the end👍

I received an ARC from Negalley in exchange for my honest review.

I rate this book a 3.5 out of 5. Don't get me wrong I overall enjoyed the book but I felt it had to many jumps around time from past and present moments. Also the changing of 1st person to 3rd person made for some confusing moments for me. It started off very slow rolling but it picks up and the story comes together nicely. I just had higher expectations for it because the synopsis seemed like an amazing story. I would recommend this to anyone that feels they're first love got away.

I thought this would be a heart warming story at a second chance at love and I didn't realize there would be so many heavy topics.

Thank you netgalley for presenting me with this arc.. Tbh this book didn't intrigued me at all.. Everything was cliche and i was really bored while reading it..

I requested “The One That Got Away” by Charlotte Rixon because of its intriguing premise. How many of us want a do-over?

Benjamin and Clare meet as college students in 2000. She has money, he’s does not, but they’re both insecure and desperate to find their place in this world. Yet, they feel connected to one another and fall in love. They’re going to spend the rest of their lives together, right? Wrong (or there would not be a book). In 2022, Clare is not so happily married to someone else and working as a reporter when she hears the news about an explosion at the stadium Ben had been known to frequent. She drops everything to head back to Newcastle where they first met. Is Clare looking for a second chance or answers as to why her life has turned out the way it has?

The book shifts from Ben’s to Clare’s point of view, and in a variety of different time periods (which is a bit jarring). This was a quick read with some great moments, but I struggled with empathizing with Clare, which made it hard for me to want her to get back with Ben. I would read something else by the author, but this is a story I could only give two and a half stars.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy for an honest review.

This wasa a cute book, a story about how the life happens and you even didn't notice.
For me, it was like realize that I have to act if I want something because there will be a day and I would look back and I can regret what I did or let happen.

The characters that the author describe can be your friend, a family member or even yourself. You can identify with her or with him.

Sometimes I felt that I was going too fast because of how things went by, but maybe the writer wanted us to feel how quickly time passes.

I recommend this book, you can read it in a day.

Fans of David Nicholls’ One Day and Sally Rooney’s Normal People will I think enjoy this.
This book deals with heavy topics, so it may be a good idea to research the content before reading.

I received an ARC through NetGalley of this book and I really loved it. I’m not sure I’ve read a book like this before, where it’s both a romance and a tragedy that ends with hope but not a truly happy ending. It felt more real than most books I’ve read and I really enjoyed the style and time jumping. I really don’t have anything negative to say about it, I kept wanting more and had a hard time putting it down. I wish I could see in the future of these characters to see what would come next.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

It was an okay read. It took me some time to get into it and I didn’t get fully invested in the story nor the characters.
Something was lacking and I can’t really put my finger on what that was.
I just didn’t get connect to the story. Too many trigger warnings I wish I knew ahead of time.

I enjoyed this book very much. Second chance romances are always one of my favorites. I liked the dual POV’s, the suspense of wondering if the 2 main characters would end up together, and the writing. This was the first time I’ve read a book by this author. I found it to be entertaining although there are some heavy topics in the book. This didn’t feel like a romcom to me, it was more women’s fiction. I definitely recommend this to other readers.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in response to an honest review.

The impression I got from the cover and title, was that I was in for what I usually define as "chick-lit". Alas, not so.
There were so many heavy topics in this book that they overrode the underlying plot for me. Im not a person that needs trigger warnings but there will be many that do. Assault, alcohol abuse, child sexual abuse, parental death and more......too much for this book. The relationship of our lead characters was difficult to associate with. I didn't like them! I need to at least like one to have the chance of a relationship with a book I am reading.
I hate open endings too. Nothing had closure.

It wasn't for me, but then it would be a boring world if we were all alike!!