An interesting book that leads the reader around several time points to reach the end. At points it seems to drag but at other points it races forward, captivating me to want to read more to learn what really happened years ago..

3.5 stars for this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is not the feel good unrequited romance book you may think it is. Benjamin and Clara have been through a lot. Trigger warnings here for suicide bombers, mental health, rape, cancer, and many more disasters. They meet in college and fall into the deep kind of love only experienced the first time, where you feel like you cannot live without one another. Unforeseen circumstances occur, and they part ways, Clara marries another, and Ben has a son. Twenty years later Clara goes back to the city where they met in order to find him. These characters are very well developed and not always likeable. Ben is prone to bouts of depression, but is charming and smart; while Clara is needy and impulsive. You want to root for them to make it, but there are so many obstacles and other people in their way.
The ending was a bit up in the air so you need to make some assumptions about what you think happened.
This is a well written, realistic love story perfect for today's world.

The One That Got Away by Charlotte Rixon is an emotional, yet heart-warming story about two people who were meant to be together but had their paths diverted by a devastating mistake. The novel follows Clara and Benjamin, who meet at university and fall in love, but then are separated due to circumstance. As the years go on and life takes them on different paths, they never forget each other. When Clara discovers that Benjamin might be in danger following a bombing in the city where they first met, she is forced to confront the events that tore them apart.

Rixon’s writing is beautiful and lyrical without ever becoming too cliched or melodramatic. She manages to create complex characters with real depth, making readers feel as if they really know these characters and have formed bonds with them. The plot moves quickly between past and present giving readers a glimpse into how one mistake can cause ripples throughout years of life.

This book will make you laugh, cry and feel as if you've been taken along for the ride with Clara and Benjamin. It's a must-read for anyone looking for an emotionally charged read that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. Highly recommended!

This book wasn’t for me. It was advised as a romance read, but didn’t find it romantic at all. The main character was really immature and that bothered me.

It's of no fault of the author that I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. I was hoping for a second-chance romance or a sweet coming-of-age love story. This book has much darker and serious themes and while that is probably the preference of so many other readers, it simply wasn't what I was looking for. I would read future works from this author.

The story of Clara and Ben, and what might have been. I’m not a big fan of Chiclet, and this was labeled as women’s fiction. I was expecting a more serious novel. That being said I did enjoy a quick easy read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book was way more heavy than I thought it would be, but I enjoyed it!
Clara and Benjamin had a bad break up, but kept in touch throughout the years. It shows their time line in a twenty year span. They are not the most likeable characters, but that’s kind of what I liked about this book. Loved the dual pov, but Clara and Ben’s miscommunication drove me crazy though. It wasn’t a cookie cutter romance. This book really shows how the choices in life we make can sometimes make big ramifications.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book!



📘: The One That Got Away by Charlotte Rixon
🗓 Pub Date: August 15, 2023

Thank to NetGalley, Charlotte Rioxn , and St.Martin’s Press for this ARC!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Reviewed on NetGalley and Goodreads. Will review on retail once published!

Well this certainly wasn't a contemporary romance. It was messy and complicated and rather ugly in places. Clara and Benjamin are both a hot mess and, I believe, kind of toxic together. That being said, I was thoroughly invested in finding out how or if their lifelong connection would resolve itself. There is a lot to take in within the pages, but I'm glad I went along for the ride.

This was a pretty good, cute story! It was entertaining and kept me turning the pages. The title is catchy but I think the cover could be cuter!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved that it explored first love through the years as lives go separate ways and the people mature. And then gives just a glimpse of what could happen if paths converged again 20 years later. It was a great concept and one I really liked.

Bring your big girl pants and take a chance reading about The One That Got Away -

This story takes the reader on the journey of two peoples lives and showcases how seemingly ordinary days, innocuous actions, interactions between family, chance meetings, and irreversible actions shape their lives. It’s like the domino effect - when you look back and review how one interaction led to the next and so on all throughout our lives.

Benjamin & Clara’s story isn’t one full of rainbows, lollipops, or even a spoonful of sugar - it’s a story told between present & past encounters over a span of twenty-years. This is women's fiction through and through. This book is very raw. As I read it I experienced a wide range of emotions and I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about the book until the very end. Initially I actually DNF’d the book after the first chapter, I honestly didn’t think I could read a story that began as this one did, I am glad I went back. So many triggers in this story that I hope the publisher is including a serious trigger warning preface.

📚Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, comments, and interpretations of the story are my own and bias free. I did not receive any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to review. Reviews are cross-posted to social media, goodreads, and blog. 🦄

Thank you to Net Galley for this advanced copy. I initially went into reading this book thinking that this was a romance. Once I realized it is not a romance and in fact is really more tragedy than anything, I really go into it. The book is full of very heavy topics and while the two protagonists are extremely flawed I did root for them. It can be difficult to read a book where the characters are not likeable but that was the point of this novel. That despite having huge issues, mental health, alcoholism etc. you are still loveable despite these flaws.

The other theme of this book was how small choices can have bigger ramifications in the future was very interesting. There was a lot to unpack in this novel and I really liked how the author approached these themes and ended the book.

I would recommend this book but definitely go in to reading this book knowing it is not a romance in the usual way.

I enjoyed the story of Clara and Ben, its clear they needed some growing up, the relationship was certainly juvenile but intense nonetheless. I'm not a big fan of 3rd person writing, even so, this book was pretty easy to follow. The end seemed super abrupt and left me wanting a better conclusion. Other than that, the book was pretty enjoyable.

It wasn't the story I was expecting. I thought it would be a second-chance romance, so when it didn't end that way I was a bit disappointed. The story was okay, but it didn't stick out to me

This isn’t another run of the mill romance novel. It has some mystery/suspense to it. I found myself trying to piece together clues like I do when reading a thriller. This book really picked up around part three and I stayed up far too late because I HAD to finish it. The story unfolded at the perfect rate, leaving no questions unanswered in the end. Favorite quote: “A simple life with people I love. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” This quote encompasses the book so well. Thank you to Charolette Rixon, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review. I throughly enjoyed it!

While not quite what I expected, I did enjoy this book. Don't we all have that person that was our "first love" and wonder what/how they are doing? In "The One That Got Away," after a bad break up, Clara and Benjamin lose touch with each other, although with social media they are able to keep track of each other. Told from Benjamin's point of view and Clara's, we follow the two over 20 years. A unexpected tragic event brings the two of them together again. Kind of a heavy read with some triggering plot lines, I still liked the book. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This wasn’t the story I was expecting, but it was good.. I honestly was expecting a second chance romance that was light hearted & warm.. While it was a second chance at romance story, it came with a ton of trauma.. If you have triggers, this book likely has it & I suggest you check those before starting..

With all that being said, The One That Got Away is an excellent story that is well told and captivating..

4 stars!

I had mixed feelings on this book. I was expecting it to be a love story/romance but it was much deeper than a rom-com. At its heart it is a book about two college lovers who meet again some twenty years later. In those ensuing years she marries and is unhappy, he gets custody of of his son after his mother abandons him. The author covers some very dark topics. As I was expecting a more light hearted book I did not particularly enjoy it, and Ben and Clara were not particularly likeable to me. Having said that I would recommend that public libraries purchase this title, just because I did not love it doesn't mean that others won't.

It's so hard to enjoy a novel when you dislike the main characters.

Not only that but I wasn't convinced of their romance or "deep connection". They were constantly fighting about the same things and they never resolved their fights. They just brushed it under the rug and pretend it never happened. Not to mention, they weren't honest with themselves, each other either, or other partners.

The novel wasn't all bad. I really enjoyed the last quarter of the novel. That's when we finally got more substance to the story. We found out why Clara and Ben were apart and why the bombing occurred. I wish the rest of the novel could of been like this.

Wow this had a bunch of twists and turns. I liked how we see flashbacks of Clara & Benjamin and their journey together.
This is a good story of first love and the complications of life.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!