I have mixed feelings on this book , for me it was an average read. I liked the premise of the story two young people fall in love , a tragic event causes them to separate and move on , life goes on but they still wonder what could have been, a tragic event brings them back into each others lives. What I did not love was the females main character and the way she lived and directed her entire life. She for me was not very likeable. I guess that is a good thing if that is what the author intended. I think the book would be good for discussion in a book club….there is lots to talk about.

I voluntarily received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and all opinions are my own

I was pulled into this story immediately but then it felt like it just went on and on.

I enjoyed each characters story on how their lives went down the paths they did but the ending felt rushed and it wasn’t what I wanted for them lol

This book def made me think of someone I dated who was def the one that got away!

This was such an unusual story of a young love torn apart, but never forgotten, and rekindled years later. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Carl Prekopp and Katherine Press, and it took me a minute to get into the story, but once I was there I couldn't stop listening. Ben and Clara have a somewhat toxic relationship in the beginning yet they really do love each other and finding their way back to the love after twenty years is a poignant moment in time. The in-between is such an interesting journey and I enjoyed seeing the different directions their lives took.

This love story is an honest, heartfelt portrayal of mistakes, forgiveness and what could've been.

Benjamin and Clara met in college, fell in love then one fateful evening shatters the trajectory of their lives into adulthood. Their endless heartache spans a decades until an event brings them back together. This story is told through the perspective of both, Benjamin and Clara, over the course of their lives. It's heavy themes are passionately executed with characters that will haunt you even after you've read the last word.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the complimentary copy.

My thoughts: I found this hard to follow. Short chapters, Benjamin and Clara’s POV, switching years. I liked the premise of the story. I just could not get invested in their story. I hoped for more.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

This is a bittersweet love story. Although the characters can be annoying at times doing or saying absolutely the wrong things and you feel like if they just would have talked about it things would not have gotten out of hand. However, that wouldn't have made for an exciting story. Plus their actions are relatable to how others in similar situations would probably react. Even if you can't relate to everything that happens to them, you can relate to the emotions they are feeling that make them react in the ways they do. This makes the story even more poignant. In fact, it might even make you cry at times especially if you are a very sensitive reader.

The cover of this one drew me in and I love a second chance love story so this one had me right from the tagline.
"Two years together. Twenty years apart. One day to change their story". Benjamin and Clara meet in college and date for two years. They are soulmates, inseparable or so Benjamin believes. They break up and lose touch, but tragedy draws Clara home to find him.

I enjoyed this story about first loves and second chance love stories. While I don't actually thinks this one goes as far as to be a second chance love. It's deeper into the idea of first love and if you can ever completely move past it. Told in alternating perspectives and multiple timelines, it kept me eager to learn what had separated Benjamin and Clara so long ago and kept me turning pages.

It’s been 20 years since Clara has seen Benjamin. When a bomb goes off at his local football arena however, she knows she needs to head that way to make sure he survived. Football has always been an issue in their relationship. Mainly that he went to every home game, and watched all the others while she hated it. This book delves into what brought these two together, what broke them apart, and if they will once again find each other.

This book was not what I expected at all but I truly enjoyed every second of reading it. Though Clara and Benjamin had a sometimes toxic relationship at the start (what college students don’t) I really loved following both their stories to find out how they got to where they are in 2022. Exploring the feelings of your first true love, what happens when it blows up in your face, and what continues to happen as you yearn for them for years to come.

PUB DATE:  TODAY!!! 8/15/23 by St. Martin’s Press
PAGES:  320
RATING:   4 stars
GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

A BIG Thank you @NetGalley & @stmartinspress for gifting me this Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review!

SYNOPSIS:  Benjamin and Clara meet while attending university and spend two years, head over heels together.  But one day while they’re dating in 2000, ONE mistake alters their life courses, and they spend the next twenty years apart from each other.  Clara marries a handsome man and has a wonderful job, but she is borderline miserable & feels unfulfilled.  She simply never got over Benjamin.  One evening in 2022, there is a bombing back in the city where they first met, and she goes in search for him to see if he is ok.  Was he at the scene when the bomb went off or will she live with regret all her life for not making things right?

REVIEW:  This debut novel by Charlotte Rixon was beautifully written.  It takes you on a journey of two people who fall madly in love and feel they are destined….soulmates.  There were times when I struggled just a bit with the FMC.  She was so intense, insecure, uptight, & demanding when she’s in the relationship with Benjamin in her early twenties.  Sometimes I just wanted to reach through the pages and shake some sense into her for her being so afraid of being alone and co-dependent on him, and for giving him grief all the time for loving football.  I also struggled with how incompatible they appeared to be, and so I juggled some confusion in how they could be true soulmates.  However, upon completion of this story, I realize it was intentional writing, and that when were all in our twenties, many of us were, or are, a lot of those things and make similar mistakes.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had goosebumps at the end!  Get your copy as it’s out TODAY!

Happy Reading!

When Benjamin met Clara at university, he knew she was the one. But, two years into their relationship, they are forced apart by a horrible and devastating mistake. That mistake takes Clara and Benjamin in different directions. Fast forward twenty years later, Clara, a successful journalist in an unhappy marriage, is shocked to hear about a bombing in the city where she and Benjamin first met. Rushing to the city, Clara doesn’t know if he is dead, alive, or injured. Will Clara find Benjamin? What happened that night twenty years ago? And who is the bomber, and why did that person target the football (soccer for Americans) stadium?

When I read the blurb for The One That Got Away, I was mildly intrigued. I like books that span decades, and I also like when those books are recent with characters around my age. That is why I decided to accept the St. Martin’s Press widget. But now that I have read it, I am very unimpressed.

The One That Got Away is a medium-paced book that is set in the city of Newcastle in, England. The storyline for this book moved slowly. That slowness kept making me lose interest, and I had to force myself to keep reading.

The storyline of The One That Got Away is centered around Clara and Benjamin. This storyline was chaotic. It was a dual POV storyline (Clara and Benjamin). That is not what bothered me. The author did clearly label the chapters. What bothered me was that it ping-ponged back and forth in time. One chapter would be in the early 2000s, the next in 2023, then the 2010s, and so on. I couldn’t get a handle on anything happening.

I couldn’t stand Clara. When she was first introduced, I thought she was a little immature but chalked it up to her age. But, as the author continued with the book, I disliked her. She came across, even in her 40s, as immature and selfish. She constantly lied to herself, her friends, husband, and Benjamin. She ruined the book for me.

On the flip side, I liked Benjamin. He got the short end of the stick when it came to Clara. I also felt he was made so oblivious by love that he was willing to overlook her behavior. When the mistake happened, and Clara cut ties with him, I pitied him. But, in a way, his life turned out so much better than Clara’s. My only fault with him is that he didn’t push Aiden after the party, and something was clearly wrong.

This book’s storylines with Benjamin and Clara are so chaotic that I will not start explaining or unraveling it. I found some more well-written than others. I also wish the mistake had been revealed sooner in the book instead of being talked about and around.

The bombing storyline was maybe the only straightforward one in the book, and it shocked me. I was wrong about who I thought it was. I also was heartbroken over why that person chose to do what they did. Looking back, it made sense. I just wished that Aiden had told someone sooner.

The end of The One That Got Away was a HEA. Clara was finally living her best life after cutting some dead weight out. I disagreed with the romantic angle, but hey, good for them. I also loved seeing how Aiden turned out!!

I would recommend The One That Got Away to anyone over 21. There is language, nongraphic sexual situations, and violence. There are references to childhood sexual abuse, alcoholism, child abandonment, cheating, and attempted rape.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and Charlotte Rixon for allowing me to read and review The One That Got Away. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

GENERAL INFO

Year Pub/Re Pub: 8/15/23

Book's cover: beautiful blue with hand holding

Format: e-arc

Source: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Page Count:336

Setting: UK-Newcastle

Genre: NA, Women's Fic

Tropes: right person wrong time, 2nd chance

Standalone/Cliffhanger/Part of a Series: standalone

HEA/HFN ending: HFN

Epilogue Included: no

Character(s)POV Spoken: alternates between Clara and Benjamin

BOOK DESCRIPTION
Synopsis/Plot Summary: Clara and Ben met in college in 2000, were in love and meant to be for 2 years, then lies and insecurities separated them. In 2022, a mass bombing @ football stadium happens, and Clara wonders and worries about Benjamin-what if?

M/F-M/M-M/M/F-etc: M/F

Contains Cheating: yes

Contains Children: yes, Aiden-Benjamin's son

Flashbacks: yes, book goes between 2000- 2022

Amount of Sex In The Book: a few scenes

Overall Smex Rating: 2

CHARACTER DESCRIPTION

Hero: Benjamin Edwards

Hero Description: 19, college student, shy, withdrawn, low self-confidence. Studying computing for business. Has sick mother w/ cancer. Played football until he was cut due to panic attacks. He and his father George have season tickets, go to every home game together.

Hero Likability Rating: 4

Hero loves books/writing: no

Heroine: Clara Davies Clark

Heroine Description: 17, college student in UK, wealthy family, starves to fit in. 2022, she's 41 unhappily married for 10 years, p/t sub-editor @ newspaper &writing a novel. Has an uncomfortable relationship w/ her mother. Younger sister Cecily had leukemia as a child.

Heroine Likability Rating: 4

Heroine loves books/writing: yes, she was an English major

Secondary characters:
Lauren-college roommate, still friends as adults

H /h RELATIONSHIP INFO

Endearments: CDC for Clara and Mr BE for Benjamin

OW/OM/Exes: Richard- Clara has a terrible one night stand while Ben is away.
Daniel-the boyfriend Clara followed to college and he cheated on her.

Cheating Before/During/Outside H/h Relationship: yes, 2000 Ben goes home for a few weeks, doesn't tell Clara why. She is very insecure, gets drunk, sleeps w/ Richard.

CONTENT WARNINGS/TRIGGERS: cancer, mass bombing, self harm, prison, rape, child neglect

AUTHOR OVERVIEW: Charlotte Rixon

New or read before & any favorites: new author

PERSONAL OVERVIEW

Overall Rating: 4

Do You Recommend This Book: yes

Will You Re-read This Book: yes

Would You Read More Books by this Author: yes

Comments: This is an intense read with many triggers. They all push the story forward though, without being graphic. It's not really mentioned, but Benjamin really suffered as a child. His coach physically abused him, and his father pushed his dreams onto him. I loved how Benjamin never treated his son that way. Aiden was definitely the best thing he ever did. It takes Clara a long time to finally admit she didn't love herself. She is impossible as a girlfriend, and tried too hard to fit in with friends. It takes being on her own to truly be happy. I'm glad their reunion ended in friendship and not a HEA. They both have been through so much together and apart, that they need time to rediscover each other.

I went into this one not knowing what to expect, but it was a solid character-driven novel that kept my attention the whole way through. A well-written story of love and loss, it kept me wondering how things would turn out for the main characters.

Told in multiple timelines, this book keeps the reader wondering what traumatic event tore apart Clara and Benjamin who met as university students and fell into a passionate love affair. The serendipitous way in which they met led each to believe they had found "the one" who was meant for them. Twenty years later another tragic event leads them back to each other. This may not be your typical romance story, but a lot of readers will be able to relate to the ups and downs of the relationship. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advance copy to read and review.

While this was a mildly enjoyable read, it felt like it was about 578 pages long. With it actually being under 350 pages, and divided into what 5,6 parts? It was a bit brutal. Our MC Clara was totally unlikable. The unkindness and unreasonableness she displays to everyone in her life makes her absolutely one of the worst characters I’ve ever read. Benjamin was adorable, and very much preferable to Clara. I wish they stayed apart forever, honestly. Benjamin deserves better.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC.

This book. This book was incredible. The topics discussed are not for the faint of heart, but it's so worth it. The Today Show even recommended it! This book is about true love, settling for what's in front of you, loss, heartache, depression, addiction, illness, and friendship. I didn't think I'd like this, but I really really did.

Please check trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me to read this early. Pub date is August 15th.

CHARLOTTE, you killed it with this one!

Oh I loved this book, the angst, the longing, oh so so good! Every single second was great. Clara and Ben’s stories and lives, we’re just incredible and written so beautifully.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this read. I read romance at times as I like a few authors and this was one that I wanted to try. I liked the synopsis and I put in the request. The book really makes you want to read it as it has a fairly decent flow to it. I wanted to know what happened and find out the why to their break up. If you look for books to root for people, this is one.

I started reading The One That Got Away expecting a romantic story of two people who rekindle their romance which started as first love in college. However, I was surprised by a novel that is a much grittier, unhappy look at a relationship that ended because of a tragedy and how those two people continue to think about each other until another tragedy reunites them.

I wanted to love this book, but I really did not like the female main character, Clara, and I just couldn't get past her personality flaws to believe the intensity of the love between her and Ben. Her character seemed selfish, manipulative and immature, which made Ben look weak and desperate--maybe this was intentional, though for me it didn't work.

I liked the multiple timelines and dual perspectives, which allowed me as a reader to see how Ben and Clara's first love impacted their futures so greatly, and I loved how the mystery of what caused the relationship to end was slowly revealed piece by piece. I think the book realistically portrays relationships, particularly unhealthy ones, and how people get stuck in chronically unhappy marriages with otherwise good people. It was much heavier subject matter than I expected.

The book was not the incredibly romantic saga that I was looking for, though I found it likeable enough as a family(ish) drama. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of The One That Got Away by Charlotte Rixon. The opinions in this review are my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this book by Charlotte Rixon and wonderfully narrated by Carl Prekopp and Katherine Press - 4 stars!

In the present, it's 2022 and a bomb has just gone off in a stadium full of fans. In the past, it's 20 years prior when Clara and Benjamin meet at university and begin a relationship only to break apart. In the present, Clara is not quite happily married and Benjamin is raising his son. When Clara hears about the bombing, she fears Ben was at the stadium and drops everything to go there.

Told in a multitude of timelines and from the POV of both Clara and Benjamin, we learn about their relationship, their break up, and the fact that they could never let the other completely go. There are a lot of trigger subjects here, both past and present. Neither character is extremely likable, but they feel real. They behave badly, they make mistakes, they wish for do-overs. Sounds like real life. I really liked Ben's son - the best character in the book. The bombing was the opening scene and kept the tension high throughout.