4.5 Stars !! An honest raw portrayal of first love, broken hearts, and the one you can’t ever forget no matter how much time passes. This not a typical love story or romance novel. I love that you get to read both Clara’s and Benjamin’s POVs spanning over 20 years. Makes you think back on your own first love and the mistakes you made, and how they shaped the person you became. Finished this book in one afternoon, it was so compelling and well written. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin’s Press for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved the characters in this story!!! at first they come across as needy but with time they grow and mature just like we all do.

i really loved seeing clara and ben, and relating to them was very easy. there were circumstances i found i had been in myself so i could really be immersed in it!
this was a great read and one i would recommend!!!

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

Sometimes our stories aren’t that simple.

This story follows Clara and Benjamin, mostly, and their versions of the last 20 years. The moment they met as young adults, the night that ruins everything, the paths they take, and their unwavering love for each other.

Their love story began somewhat immaturely, but it’s to be expected at that age. Clara and Benjamin both have strong insecurities that at times make them unbearable to deal with, but it’s hard not to relate at times to those feelings.
Then a night that shouldn’t have ruined their future planned, but did, sends them in completely different paths for 20 years. In times of sadness, celebration, or even mundane life events - they never seem to let go, having sent numerous emails over the years just to check in or reach out in some way.

With little interjections of other parts of their lives, this story was a wonderful example of two people who fought hard to give each other the life they thought the other deserved, without taking into account what was best for themselves.
And it’s about second chances for not just love, but for yourself. Remembering that you can have a second chance at life, at a career, at love. Just let go of what holds you back and live the life you want. ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this digital arc ❤️

A bittersweet story about first love gone wrong and second chances.

Split into a dual timeline, this novel shows what happens when a couple who was meant to be is ripped apart. When Benjamin meets Clara, it's love at first sight. At first, minor complications get in the way, such as Benjamin's going home for a funeral for several weeks without telling Clara why. But then, they're ripped apart, one night at the club shattering both their lives in unexpected ways. Now, Clara's unhappily married to Thom, while Benjamin raises a son alone, muddling through parenting. When a tragedy happens, Clara seeks out Benjamin for the first time in a decade, raising the question - will their connection still be there?

I like that these characters aren't perfect; in fact, they're flawed more than most romance protagonists. Clara is jealous, angry and clingy, while Benjamin is aloof and buries his troubles in alcohol. Their absolute connection to each other shows a love story that rises above their flaws, until the incident.

Through the dual timeline, the author doles out the perfect amount of information to keep the reader intrigued. I had to keep flipping pages to find out why Clara and Benjamin were no longer together. This book left me feeling sad for the characters, as they've faced so much unhappiness.

This book didn't work out for me, but I hope it finds its audience. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity!

''A simple life with people I love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted." Benjamin is a complex character who has his quirks and issues. He is so likeable though. From the moment he and Clara meet, he knows they are meant for each other. He doesn't feel he is good enough for her especially after the mistake he makes on their last night to see each other. Their story spans more than twenty years, only two of which they were a couple. They move on to be with other people over the years but can't get each other out of their minds. A bombing in the city where they first met brings them back together after 20 years and puts them back on the winding road that relationships often take us on. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I loved it so much and I will recommend it to all my friends!

First off I would like to thank NetGalley for sending me this early copy of The One That Got Away! This book is out August 15th!

A bit of a different kind of love story, together for two years and then apart for twenty. But no matter what happened in those twenty years, they often thought of each other with the “what if” always lingering.

This book was a slow burn for sure but the author kept you wanting to know what the hell happened that ended this relationship. It certainly wasn’t perfect but the love was there and the love was real.

The timelines were a bit tricky if you weren’t paying attention and many triggering topics but overall I really enjoyed it. I personally liked the back and forth timelines because each year was so interesting and kept me wanting more!

3.75 ⭐️

One of the best second chance, dual time line love stories ever written. The beautiful story of the one that got away follows Benjamin and Clara over a span of twenty years. Clara meets Benjamin in college and for them both it’s love at first sight. Benjamin will have to learn Clara’s outgoing confident ways while Clara will have to accept Benjamin’s dedication to football and his more conserved personality. At the end of their college years a sudden tragedy pulls them apart and ends their relationship. Twenty years later Clara is married to a man she is not completed by and Benjamin is a single father trying to navigate parenthood. A bombing at the football stadium Clara knows Benjamin goes to every weekend and never misses a game draws her to the town she first found love searching for Benjamin. Will she be brave enough to leave her unhappy marriage and will Benjamin forgive himself for the past so they can let love in again?

This seemed like an interesting story but I couldn’t get into the story or connect with the characters.. I may be in the minority because everyone else seems to have enjoyed this book..

Oh gosh, I love this! The fact that the relationship spanned decades made it that much more rewarding. I thought the story was really deep but it was also bit heavier than I imagined from the advertisement. Definitely look up trigger warnings. But I think those aspects made the book more real, though it definitely isn't a straight-up romance novel as I expected. But I love that these two never got over each other and we got to see that angle of the relationship. It hits hard in a good way!

First, thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start with what I enjoyed:
✔️ The early writing in this book was excellent - the first 15% or so was deeply engaging.
✔️The cover is gorgeous.
✔️The premise held great potential.

Unfortunately, after that first 15%, it took a drastic turn for me. Not only did the quality of the writing decrease, but the story just kept unfolding in less and less believable ways. I should have paid attention when the blurb indicated this would resonate with fans of Colleen Hoover, as that’s what this most reminded me of. Hoover’s writing style is what I would call “trauma porn,” and this was very clearly in that vein. This is a very popular style of book right now, so I actually anticipate folks will love this.

Beyond this, the ending was deeply unsatisfying. The reality is, I should have DNF’d this, but I wanted closure. In the end, I didn’t get that.

Please check out the content warnings if you’re going to read this- it is chock-full of sensitive topics.

This book releases in August, and if it sounds like your cup of tea, be sure to grab it then!

I am giving this book 4 stars because I believe it accomplished what it was intended to and i kept reading because i needed to know how things were going to end.

This book was heavy, touched on so many dark issues, and yet had a beautiful message woven throughout.

I don’t recommend this if you are looking for a happy read. I felt pretty pained throughout.

What happens when a love that never disappeared comes back into your life years after the fact because of a tragic event? The One That Got Away attempts to answer this question. Charlotte Rixon skillfully pulls us from present to past depths of a relationship that still existed in both Clara and Benjamin's hearts even though years had passed since they last saw each other.

Clara's anxiety flows through the pages as to what would have happened if she had been more secure. Benjamin's self-esteem pushes through the pages as to what would have happened if he had been more secure. Both broken in a way, and both supporting each other in a way that was not understandable in their early lives because they lacked the maturity of knowledge that the gained between the years. Their love of one another stayed, yet they couldn't be the completion of the other because they didn't love themselves enough during their time at university.

I love the way the author ended this book. It is poignant to be unsure of themselves. It is a spiral that has a new level start from where they were, this time with 20 years of maturity and growth and learning about themselves without the other.

If there was one thing that I would have shifted it would have been to have a different ending for Thom and Clara.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Charlotte Rixon for presenting me an opportunity to read the Advanced Reader's Copy via NetGalley for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC. I had high hopes for this novel but found myself never connecting to the main characters. The story follows Clara and Benjamin across 20 years as they first navigate falling in love, then breaking apart, and finally feeling pulled back together through tragedy.
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Though I can completely understand the long-term draw of a first love, I found myself cringing a lot since they seemed to lack insight into how toxic their relationship was, even years later. Clara, the protagonist, is insecure, jealous, and controlling. They justified her physical abuse of Benjamin, her first love, saying that she punched him because she was mad at herself. Sure, I could see how someone could twist their narratives up in the moment, considering how chaotic and enmeshed their relationship is. But, when someone believes it a decade later? Yikes.
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My other issue with the novel is that the driving tension pulling the story along is the author is withholding secrets from the reader. We know that they split up but are forced to wait to find out about the dramatic event until far into the story. There are better ways to create stakes than frustrating the reader by dangling secrets.

📚 Book Review 📚

The One That Got Away
by Charlotte Rixon (aka Charlotte Duckworth)
@charduck
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(5/5 stars)

*Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this advanced copy!
Pub Date: 8/15/23

This well written novel spans across two decades and follows the complicated lives of our two main characters, Clara and Benjamin. It’s chapters flip back and forth between their college years and present time, while alternately narrated by both characters. Some chapters take place during inbetween years as well. We ride along with Clara and Benjamin as their romantic relationship is tested by their damaged ways and life circumstances.

This story encompasses so much: love, grief, death, hurt, fear, secrets, trauma…the list goes on. I can’t say a whole lot in detail without spoiling the plot. I can say that I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down for anything. These characters and this story will warm your heart and break it into pieces at the same time (in the best possible way). I highly recommend grabbing this one as soon as it hits shelves in August!

The One That Got Away
By: Charlotte Rixen

4 stars

First, I would like to thank Netgalley and the author for this story in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate the opportunity.

This story was definitely one that will stay with me. The story of Benjamin and Clara was one for the ages. It was the normal story of boy meets girl, until it wasn't. 20 years seperates then and now. Its been 20 years since they were last together, but now, while the city is in chaos from a bombing, fate will bring them together once again.

I really enjoyed this book. It told an amazing love story that was attached to a story of darkness and danger. Past to future, it was almost like reading two stories. The characters really made this story for me, though. They are where I got the pain. They were the ones that showed me the passion, and they are the ones that showed me the love and forgiveness. They were the story.

This book brought such a powerful and impactful story.
For me it was a roller-coaster of emotions. As I'm sure it will be for others as well. It was sweet, while also heart breaking. The writing grabs and stays with you long after you finish. This was a new author for me, but I can't wait to read more from such a powerful writer.

Reviewed By:

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Reviews

I enjoyed this read, books like these always stick out to me because they can sometimes feel SO real.

Clara and Benjamin STOLE my heart and so did their story. I loved it so much!

I enjoyed this very much. I did find it hard to believe the reason for the breakup seemed hard to buy. But I enjoyed the writing.

In some ways I think this story is one of the most accurate portrayals of love and life I’ve ever read. You’ve got two people, struggling with self esteem, severe anxiety, intrusive thoughts, but who are also deeply, madly in love with one another. They are secretive, explosive, messy, ugly. Neither of them know how to open up or communicate, and ultimately their relationship implodes. They move on, try to get on with their lives, but their love for one another, destroyed by one fateful event, remains, until another explosive event brings them together again.

Reading the story, I intensely disliked both characters at times, but upon reflection they’re real, they’re human they’re imperfect - full of messy, complicated emotions. Rixon’s writing is raw, poignant, and moving. She perfectly captures human emotion and the messy side of love and loss - her words will cut you open and get under your skin. I found this book hard to read at times and would have to put it down and walk away. It takes a gifted author to evoke such raw emotion.

This isn’t a romance story - its the story of two people whose disastrous relationship has lasting impact on their lives. It contains multiple triggers - substance abuse, abandonment, death, illness, mental health, rape, loveless relationships, and more. This story will rip your heart out and leave you bleeding. But the final note is one of hope and I can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC!
I thought this was going to be a love story and was thus, a bit disappointed. Overall it was a good book I just had expectations that weren’t met. Still enjoyable just know what you’re picking up and don’t judge it by it’s cover and title.