This book was a delight to read. It deals with many heavy topics and touches on the complicated parts of what being in a relationship means. The story is also set between the past and the present and it is a nice contrast to have since it helps you appreciate the growth of these characters more.

This book wasn't at all what I expected but for that I'm glad. It's a reminder of harsh times and it made me feel very raw. The first few chapters were a little hard to get into, especially with the time jumps but once I got into the story I found it easier too keep up with. It was nice to get the background knowledge of what Clara and Benjamin's relationship was first like and all throughout the book I was just hoping things would work out. I'm giving this book 4/5, its incredibly well written but I think some people might struggle with the time jumps.

Had a bad feeling about this one from the beginning and was proven right. This was a couple books in one and none of them done well. The love story was trite, absolutely none of the characters were remotely like able and there didn’t seem to be any reason they were together. Didn’t buy their unbreakable chemistry. The second story was a series of smaller mysteries involving a bomb and soccer, and I just did not care. Not a single character was compelling, most were annoying.

The One That Got Away is a really powerful story, written with a strong voice. The connection between Benjamin and Clara is so strong that at times it feels like a danger to themselves and to those around them. The way Charlotte Rixon writes the chapters from the different characters points-of-view really allows the reader to explore the issues. I found all my alarm bells ringing as soon as Aidan had a sudden change of heart about playing football. It actually felt really uncomfortable knowing that his Dad, Benjamin knew something was wrong but not the severity of it. I liked the way the story ends with hope and open possibilities.

I really really wanted to like this book. When I read the synopsis, I got the impression it was a romance. But unfortunately it definitely isn't. Which is fine, just misleading. I had a hard time connecting to the characters, especially Clara. Who literally cheated on every man she ever dated. And after everything these characters go through, the ending was WAY to open ended. Just not the book for me unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was more emotional and dramatic than I anticipated! Would definitely not call it a romance book. Still a good read!

The One That Got Away
by Charlotte Rixon
Arc: NetGalley
Publisher: @Aria & Aries, Aria
PUBLICATION DATE: 02 Feb 2023
Genre:#General Fiction (Adult) #Women's Fiction

Benjamin and Clara met that fateful night 20 years ago.
When I first read this blur, I thought it would be a light-hearted read. It's ultimately the opposite. This book deals with many issues. I loved the idea of a second chance romance, but there are so many heavy triggers in this book that it rubies it for me.
The story started well enough, but the middle fell flat, and I lost interest quickly. I wasn’t loving the characters of Clara or Ben and found myself not entirely caring about how the story ended between them. This book just wasn’t my cup of tea.


#TheOneThatGotAway #NetGalley

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on Charlotte Rixon's novel The One That Got Away and I am so glad I did! It was a delightful romantic comedy that had me laughing and smiling from start to finish. The characters were so well-developed and the story was extremely engaging. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, and the plot was so engaging I was hooked right away.

The One That Got Away by Charlotte Rixon
(book review - 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
Women's Fiction - Available on February 2nd.
448 pgs.

This very powerful novel by Charlotte Rixon will stay with me for a long time. The emotion of it touched me deeply. Rixon deals with very sensitive topics and some people may not find it suitable. Be sure to read the trigger warnings before proceeding. The One That Got Away will be added to my book collection in hardback. That's right, it's that amazing!

Synopsis:
Clara and Benjamin are meant for each other, but devastating events separate them. Several decades later, a bombing in the city where Clara met Ben and developed mutual feelings brings her back. Clara hopes to make amends for her regrets as she searches for Ben. But is it too late to fix what happened?

Thank you NetGalley and Aria & Aries for sharing this book with me. Your kindness is appreciated.

#TheOneThatGotAway

I tried several times to get through this book, but I never quite made it to the end. The story started off well enough, but the middle fell flat and I lost interest quickly. I wasn’t loving the characters of Clara or Ben, and found myself not quite caring about how the story ended anyways between them. This book just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher Aria & Aries for a ARC copy of this book to read and review.

i enjoyed the dual timeline chapters, as they slowly revealed the past of both of them and what happened between them. I emphasized with Benjamin a lot and I did not think his sentence was appropiate. I did not anticipate what could have happened between them and it made me want to read on. I liked Benjamin but Clara was very annoying and unbearable as a MC. I often could not put myself in her shoes and did not understand her actions, that made it a bit hard to read her chapters. Initially I thought, they have not met or heard anything about each other for 20 years, and they met again now. Nevertheless, I still liked it that they tried to be in touch with each other. The ending was a bit rushed, and I would have liked a HEA ending or more about their relationship at the end. It was a bit uncertain how they stand and whether they are together. All in all, it was a nice read and I would recommend everyone to try it out.

This book followed the storyline of Clara and Benjamin. It jumps around timelines, where it starts when they meet while they are at university, the present day, and then somewhere in the middle. You get a full view of their lives and their relationship, although there certainly are some holes and questions regarding their lack of communication at many points.

I think the one thing that really bothered me was the dangling the whole reason why they broke up. It was literally at the 88 percent mark that it was finally revealed. It wasn't necessary to keep this hanging - the book already starts with a "cliffhanger" where there is someone who bombs a soccer stadium and we don't know who it is (we do find out by the end).

Overall, I liked the story of Clara and Benjamin, even if I did not like the character of Clara at all. She made some questionable decisions and was hard to like throughout her chapters.

This was an okay story. Nothing that really made it special. It dragged at times and i just needed a little more excitement.

Thank you NetGalley and this published for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
The one that got away was a decent read it wasn’t too much of what I was expecting based off the blurb but I still enjoyed it even though the mc Clara wasn’t my favorite.

This was a fine story, just not what I was expecting. Looking back at the blurb, I don't know why I thought it was going to be a light-hearted, this-time-we'll-get-right second-chance attempt to reconnect and build a life with your first love. That's not this story. Nothing wrong with the realistic, darker story told here, just not what I thought I was signing up for.

Amazing book everything you want in a book is here thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for the arc of this book and wishing the author all the best with this book

The gentle pastel colours of the cover of “The One that Got Away”, and probably the novel’s title, leads you to believe you’ll be delving into a classic romance story, but this has a lot more grit than you might expect.

Read it if: you fancy reliving some of your most awful teenage decisions.

Don’t read it if: you want to avoid stories with triggers of sexual abuse and suicide bombing.

I finished this book in around a day an a half, and in a classic Charlotte Rixon style, the prose is unfussy, to-the-point and fast-paced. We follow the lives of two teenage lovers through three points in time, listening to how they individually experience the ups and downs of university life, through to adulthood.

Many have complained that one of the main characters, Clara, is deeply unlikeable, but I found her manic and unreasonable reactions very evocative of my teenage experiences with relationships! Some of the ways in which she allows people to treat her really hit home.

There are several disturbing twists in this book, and your sympathies jump around too. I still don’t quite know how I feel about it all, but I’m desperate for a sequel, please Charlotte?

With thanks for Netgalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DNF at 30%

I was really looking forward to this one, but it ended up making me dread reading. The characters were irritating, especially the female mc (I've already forgotten her name). Both sides of the relationship just felt so overdramatic. Even worse, there was no chemistry between them. I could continue reading this, but I don't want to spend any more time torturing myself

Thanks to Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Clara, a well-to-do girl from London, meets Benjamin, a working class boy from Newcastle in their first year at university. They quickly develop a profound, if not quirky, love, doomed to fail. Fast forward 20 years and Clara is a reporter in a newsroom, she hears of a bomb explosion at the Newcastle Football Stadium, and knowing that Benjamin would never miss a match, feels compelled to travel there to find him. Told from alternating time periods and alternating viewpoints, this novel does a nice job going back and forth between the present and the past. Clara and Benjamin’s love is tangible and seems so solid, we are left wondering throughout what could have happened to their love. I found this book very compelling and hard to put down. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the advanced copy, which comes out next year. For romance fans, I would say this is a compelling read.

Wow, I loved this book and honestly raced through it in 48 hours.

Firstly, this book isn't a romance. It's about missed chances, what if's, and how our lives can change in a single moment.

Ben and Clara fell in love at university, but despite the fact they both felt the other was "the one" a freak accident kept them apart for 20 years.

Told in multiple timelines, we learn about events that have shaped each of their lives. Ben, a single father, and Clara in an unhappy marriage.

This book does contain some subjects that may be triggering; suicide bombing, sexual abuse, manslaughter. However for me, it's an absolute triumph with a hopeful ending that left me in floods of tears.