This was a really well written book with a well developed story and character building.
I enjoyed this, but I do feel like this story has been told a few times? Not a bad thing, just something to note.

Overall though, the writing was beautiful and kept me completely engaged.

I really wanted to love The One that Got Away, but unfortunately it really didn’t work for me. A love story told over two decades, Clara and Benjamin are college sweethearts who break up after a tragic incident but 20 years later Clara is desperate to find him again after news of a bombing. I never connected with either of the characters, and Clara is still married for 95% of her second timeline, so it becomes super frustrating that she’s looking for this lost love. They’re both also super immature—Clara is impulsive and argumentative and Benjamin keeps so much inside that if he just talked to her there’d be less fights. The two decades also deal with a ton of trauma (including alcoholism, assault, child sexual abuse, death of a parent, infertility and cheating) that felt just so heavy. I feel if it wasn’t advertised as a romance it would have been different but it was a heavy read with a very open ending that made me wish there were more answers and more romance overall. What I did like though was the descriptions in the writing and the way the dual timelines worked; that felt easy to follow and the build up to where they are was well done, and I’m obsessed with the cover for it.

This book has heavy topics so I would suggest looking at trigger warnings. Its a good story but has some down moments. I would still recommend this book and will real be reading more of her books.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I liked this book, but I also found that it was lacking something to make it truly stand out. It felt eerily similar to The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo. And many people have said that fans would love this book, but it’s a little too on the nose. Some people will love this book because they like to read within this specific sub-genre, but sadly it was not for me.

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of this book! The premise of it sounded so good.

I was very excited to read The One That Got Away. I mean, the title and the cover are stunning! Unfortunately, the book left a little to be desired. I never connected to the characters or their love story, so I wasn't really invested in anyone "getting away."

The writing is really good in this story, though, and that was the saving trace. I ended up rating the book three stars because the writing was well done and beautiful; the story of the main characters just didn't connect with me.

Rating: 3⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Charlotte Rixon. I thought the writing was lovely in this book, and the portrayal of young love really realistic and nuanced, with flawed people. The little mysteries and withheld information from the dual-timeline really pulled me through quickly so I could find out more—some of it gave me a lot of anticipatory dread, not going to lie. I also thought the reason they broke up when they were young felt very legitimate. I could both see how the way it happened would make it feel unfinished and how it would keep them apart. I will admit that I was a bit disappointed by the ending (I found myself writing a different one in my head), but I can see what the author was trying to get across.

This was an overall good book that I liked but didn’t love. I enjoyed the second chance romance part of the book, yet I did have a hard time relating to Clara. I enjoyed the pacing, the plot, and most of the characters. The book mostly held my interest and I was invested in the storyline, and wanted to see how the book ended. 3.5 stars rounded out to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC.

This was such an emotional, addicting, page turner. I loved the plot and found myself invested in the characters and their story. Loved it!

I had incredibly high hopes for this read and was really interested in the premise but unfortunately this one did not work for me at all. I struggled tremendously with Clara. She was so unlikable that it was incredibly difficult for me to really enjoy anything about the story and unfortunately had to DNF at about 30 percent. My love of character development is too strong to not vibe with a main character and Clara really drove me nuts. Although I wasn’t a fan, I would still check this one out and consider other reviews before deciding for yourself as there are a lot of glowing reviews on netgalley and goodreads!

“A simple life with people I love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

The One That Got Away was a fascinating read about some of the most difficult parts of the human experience. Sometimes the smallest thread of untruth, one simple decision, taking a chance on someone or something, can have such a profound impact on life.

I truly feel this book deserves a higher average rating, but I can see why it may be off putting to some readers. There are many heavy topics including alcoholism, infertility, death, a mass bombing, rape, etc (check trigger warnings) but I feel the author portrays these events in a way that are relevant and relatable to the real challenges and hardships of life.

Clara and Benjamin are two ordinary people who are imperfect and trying to figure their lives out. The story spans the course of over 20 years of their lives most difficult and beautiful moments. While this story was sad, I found myself wanting to know how life turned out for both main characters and was still able to experience hope, joy, and healing through their eyes.

If you are looking for a quick, but meaningful read I think you may enjoy this story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the arc. All opinions are my own.

Main Characters:
-- Clara Davies-Clark Beaumont – early 40s, journalist, married to Thom Beaumont for 10 years, but still thinks about her college boyfriend
-- Benjamin Edwards – Clara’s college boyfriend, has a son Aiden; always spent his Saturdays watching soccer, especially if Newcastle City was playing
-- Lauren – Clara’s college roommate and best friend, works in human resources, the only other person who knows everything about Clara and Benjamin
-- Thom Beaumont – Clara’s husband, successful jeweler, proposed to Clara after they were together for six months

Trigger Warning: terrorism, sexual assault

The One That Got Away tells the story of Clara and Benjamin over the span of 22 years. It begins with a bombing at a soccer stadium in Newcastle, which is where Clara and Benjamin meet. Clara works for a newspaper, and when she hears the breaking news, she finds herself buying a ticket for the three-hour train ride to Newcastle from London. She tells her husband that she’s out with Lauren and sets out to find Benjamin. She must make sure he’s alive.

Over the course of the book, we experience Clara and Benjamin’s love story told in alternating chapters from each of their points of view. They had an amazing love story in college, seemingly perfect for one another and deeply in love. But something happened that tore them apart, and the author does a great job of offering pieces of their past and present along the way.

This story is perfectly paced with tidbits thrown in that make you want to keep reading. I wanted to know why Clara and Benjamin split up because they seemed so perfectly matched. Despite their split, they kept tabs on one another and reached out occasionally. The biggest question, of course, is what happened to split them up to begin with because they obviously never stopped loving one another.

When I looked up the author, I discovered that Charlotte Rixon is a pen name for Charlotte Duckworth, a bestselling suspense writer and who I previously rated 4 stars for Unfollow Me (Who Wants to be Internet Famous?). Suddenly, the desire to keep reading made perfect sense. This is romantic women’s fiction, but I definitely felt the suspense.

I think everyone has someone in their past who pops into their head every once in a while. Where did they end up? Are they happy? Do they have a family, kids? Rixon’s book takes those thoughts a step further because Clara and Benjamin never stop thinking about one another. Their lives kind of revolve around the what if, and I enjoyed discovering it right along with them.

I hope Charlotte Rixon continues to write suspenseful women’s fiction. I will definitely continue to read it.

I found Clara utterly unlikeable and I don’t know what this novel was trying to be or do, but it simply didn’t work for me. I found it depressing and all over the place and …messy. 2 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of The One that Got Away by Charlotte Rixon

Well, when I was so intrigued to read some heart wrenching, angsty love story of soul mates who meet after twenty years in the middle of bomb explosion!

I am a big fan of second chance romances. But I had hard time to get into the story because of so many time lines and I was false informed. Ben and Clara who were high school sweethearts parted their ways but it didn’t take 20 years long for them to meet each other!
I think I had also hard time connect with both of the characters and their intimate love story.

There are so many triggering subjects included: suicide bomber, rape, alcoholism, mental health issues, parent death, cancer, IVF, manslaughter. The bombardment of those heavy stuffs gave me hard time digest everything I read.

I personally hated the guts of Clara from the beginning. So I can honestly say this book is more a mid life crisis than heartwarming second chance love story between so much flawed and dislikable characters.

So I’m giving three solid stars and getting out of here.

I'm a HUGE fan of second chance romances and was so excited to start this one about star crossed lovers who meet again after twenty years.

The timelines didn't bother me that much and I thought they were easy to follow. I also enjoy reading about an unlikeable female character, so many critiques of Clara were my favorite parts about her.

I though overall it was nostalgic, heartbreaking and thoughtful! 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. It did leave me wanting a bit more though. I will be recommending it!

Thank you to @Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book.

The premise was so appealing...the book ultimately was not. I love myself a second-chance romance and I thought I would love this but Clara is unlikable. Benjamin is more favorable. I know characters should be flawed but, dang, Clara reads as whiny and clingy all throughout. It is understandable as a university student since we all try to figure ourselves at that age (and really our whole lives) but over two decades, I did not see her grow as much as Ben. I did not feel their chemistry and wanted Ben to find someone else.

I did appreciate such heavy themes the book tackles, however. And, there were a lot of them. It is not a lighthearted read by any means.

This book was hard for me to get into. I was not invested in the main characters or their journey.
I did like the multiple timelines, and POV’s

🖤 The One That Got Away ARC Review 🖤

Thank you so much to Charlotte Rixon and netGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The One That Got Away is a contemporary romance. Twenty years ago, Benjamin and Clara had a whirlwind romance, but it was enough to change their lives. Now, tragedy has struck and Clara can only think of Benjamin…where is he and is he okay??

This was an interesting read for me and definitely heavier than I expected it to be. While I enjoy a second chance romance, I struggled with this one. I usually expect a second chance romance to be “right people, wrong timing” kind of thing, but it didn’t feel like Clara and Benjamin were any different than they were years ago. They still fought and argued about the same things and it didn’t feel like either of them grew as partners…and I personally struggle with older characters that act like teenagers - but that’s a “me” issue and not a book issue

Overall this was a three star read for me. This book covered a lot of heavy topics and didn’t have trigger warnings, so please be cautious if you’re triggered by abuse, cheating, alcoholism, sexual abuse of a child and infertility. Even though this was a romance, I didn’t really feel like this was romance heavy with everything else going on - so one flame for spice

If you’re a fan of heart wrenching, drama and angst filled later-in-life stories, then definitely pick this one up.

Review to be posted on Amazon upon publication

Told over two decades, The One That Got Away was a beautiful character study of Clara and Ben. I was swept away in each of them and loved watching their relationship change over time. I was rooting for them until the very end!