A very good, friends to lovers & 2nd chance romance. I love dual timeline books and I really enjoyed the look inside the supermodel/photography scene. Overall, a solid, 4-star romance that deals with lots of issues. There is one fairly explicit sex scene so beware if that's not your thing. I really enjoyed watching the characters overcome their issues & reconnect as adults.

Second shot at romance, yes! Add in Italy as the backdrop - sign me up!
Betty Cayouette’s debut novel of second chance romance is perfect in every way. We meet Emerson and Theo on his birthday and one week before a pact they made a decade ago (Marry each other at 28 if neither is married) is set to expire. Just a few problems. Emerson is a supermodel and Theo is a photographer and they haven’t spoken in all these years.
What follows is a few chaotic days of Emerson finding a way on to Theo’s shoot in picturesque Italy, and once they’re - rebuilding their friendship if at all possible.

I loved that Betty wrote her main characters with a bit of depth - Emerson has a past which she needed to work through and which she needed to be able to trust Theo with, in order to move forward. I think readers will find One Last Shot to be a quick summer read, and rooting for Theo and Em in the end!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and Betty Cayouette for this ARC - all opinions are my own.

Loved this book!! Once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. The character development is perfect. Love Theo and Emerson. The setting is great, the peek into the modeling industry was fun, and the high school flashbacks were well done. And the cover?! Stunning! The pacing felt off at times— lagging in areas and rushed in others. There were some side stories that I felt were left unresolved. Overall, the story was so great! It’s the perfect summer binge read that I would love to see as a movie adaptation. I will be reading everything this author puts out. One Last Shot has earned a loyal reader for life. Can’t wait to see her success and follow her career. Well done!!

Actual Rating: 3.5

One Last Shot follows Emerson and Theo as they reconnect on a photoshoot after 10 years and a brief high school romance.

Things that worked for me:
-Theo. Theo was mostly a sweetheart and I honestly wish him the best! I was rooting for him a lot and wanted to see him doing photography that inspired him!
-the POV switches! I loved being in both Theo and Em’s POVs in the present AND back when they were in high school. These past and present time hops worked well with portraying their complete relationship even though the present was only over the course of a week or so

Things that didn’t work for me:
-Emerson. I did not like Emerson. She was always doing something that just made me super annoyed with her and her choices
-the MISCOMMUNICATION! don’t get me wrong, I can totally be for some miscommunication in a romance, but the amount of miscommunication in this story was completely ridiculous. I can sorta understand the initial miscommunication when they were kids but the constant struggles as adults were too much

I thoroughly enjoyed One Last Shot!! I was a bit hesitant when the flashbacks to high school began. I have read several books that have done the same and it doesn’t always work for me. Fortunately, the flashbacks in this one provided so much rich character development. I loved Emerson and how much we learn about her past and present. Her relationship with Theo was powerful from the start and what tore them apart was painful. It was beautiful to watch them reconnect and talk through their past. The gorgeous setting of the photoshoot and the glitz and glam of Emerson’s life added lots of fun to the story too. I definitely recommend this one!

One Last Shot is out May 7th! Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for my e-arc!

I really enjoyed this book! The dual narration was on point and the dual POV for our main characters was so good. A second chance romance based on a marriage pact made in high school. We have amazing locations for photo shoots not to mention Emerson is a model and Theo is a photographer! This book does touch on the tough topic of SA but know that it is not the main focus of the novel nor does it happen on the page. This one does have miscommunication but not a third act breakup exactly. I will say the ending was beautiful and I definitely recommend to anyone looking for a second chance romance between high school sweethearts!

I can’t handle the miscommunication trope. Unfortunately, that took me out of this story. I think others will enjoy this story. The cover is also beautifully unique!

I CONSUMED this book in a day. It definitely didn't feel like a debut, and this story brought unique characteristics to the childhood-friends-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-friends-to-lovers, marriage pact, second-chance romance plot, but there was also so much more to this story than that.

This book is perfect if you love:
- Alternating timelines/flashbacks
- Dual POV (in both chapters and narration)
- Celebrity storylines (she's a super famous model, he's a photographer)
- Heavier topics
- Target-esque photoshoots
- Donuts
- Former best friends turned awkward coworkers
- Marriage pacts
- Daily questions to get to know each other again
- Men who aren't afraid to own their emotions (men crying in books is a weakness of mine)

Content warnings: Death of a parent, absence of a parent, hoarding, sexual assault, misogyny

This story was refreshing and easy to get lost in. I adored the main characters, Emerson and Theo, and getting to know them between present day and flashbacks. Their high school selves were so tender and sweet. They both cared so deeply for one another from the very moment. Theo had everything going on for him and an amazing family to boot, while Emerson was alone on an island until she found Theo. He was SO SWEET to her.

In the present, we see Theo in just a tender of a place when it comes to Em as he was when they were teenagers. Where Em has just realized it's time for their marriage pact because she moved on with her life, Theo hasn't. He's tried. And he wears that heartbreak like a second skin.

When Em's agent meddles and manipulates the situation, these two don't have the reunion Em was hoping for. In fact, she meets a very reserved and standoffish Theo in the present, leaving her more confused and hopeless. Neither wanting heartbreak at the end, the story is slow to build from the strangers they are to friends, and then finally (FINALLY!) to lovers, only for the trauma of their past to come back and threaten their future.

As for the writing of this book, it's hard to believe this is a debut novel! Betty balances heavy topics with realistic feelings and challenges. I enjoyed this immensely.

The audiobook was SUPER easy to listen to. Both narrators did a great job, helping me to connect with the main characters and feel their emotions throughout the story!

4.5stars rounded up here to 5 stars!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and St. Martin's Press for the ALC/ARC of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed the setting of this novel and found the fashion world side of the story really interesting. I did however have a hard time with the flashbacks, while they were organized in a way that made sense it was clear to me from the first moment why these two hadn’t talked in years and I wish it was a little less insta love in the dialogue when they got back together. Overall the specifics of the stetting and plot were strong enough that I was willing to overlook the predictable dialogue and enjoy it!

Ahhh, these second chance romances! Like a moth to a flame, they burn me every time with heartache.

It's not all bad though - I don't know how anyone can't root for Emerson and Theo. They are so sweet together, and I love how they compliment and support one another.

Theo and Emerson were inseparable from the moment they met. They made a pact that if they weren't married by the time they turned 28, they'd marry each other. They set a reminder in their phones, starting from Theo's birthday, giving them a week to get married.

Neither of them expected that when the reminder went off, it would be 10 years since they had talked to each other. This is their chance to reconnect, but things like a meddling agent get in the way. An agent who's angling for Emerson to fake-date another celebrity for publicity, and takes it upon himself to text Theo warnings to stay away from Emerson.

I know nothing about the fashion industry, the life of super models or photographers, but Betty managed to make you feel like you were there! I also really loved that at least on this set, the models weren’t out to get each other, but encouraged and supported one another.

I laughed, I swooned. I cringed, I raged, and yes, I even cried. I was completely invested and loved every minute of it.

Thank you to the publishers through Netgalley for the ARC!

This cute and sweet debut novel had me hooked from the beginning. (Also, the cover is absolutely beautiful!) One Last Shot is a dual POV, slow burn, friends to lovers story that I will recommend to anyone. The flashbacks really propelled the story. Both characters were great and I was rooting for Theo and Emerson from the start. They have such a beautiful love story and throughout the book you can tell exactly how much they have always loved each other and also how much they both hurt due to their falling out 10 years ago.

One Last Shot was an absolutely amazing read and I’m looking forward to reading more by Betty Cayouette!

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange my honest review.

Unfortunately, this fell a little flat for me. I loved the premise, and that the book was mainly set in Cinque Terre, but I felt like Theo and Emerson could have been developed more. The book was solid enough that I'm still interested in reading what comes next from Betty.

A lovely sweet second chance romance about miscommunication, best friends. a long time promise and two people finding their way back to each other. Emerson, a supermodel had a tough upbringing and the only person who helped her through it was her best friend Theo. They absolutely loved each other and made a marriage pact ten years post graduation. Then something awful happened to Emerson and she bolted and disappeared from his life. Fast forward ten years, they are both successful in their own right, but something is missing from each of their lives. When her reminder goes off, Emerson sets off to reconnect and maybe finally find love. This was a very sweet, romance with a wonderful happily ever after.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is super cute. I love when a guy will do anything for a girl who seems emotionally disconnected. This was a second chance romance and it delivered on the romance. I thought the writing was well done, the characters well thought out, and the plot interesting. The female MC was a bit annoying at times and not as relatable as I'd like, but it all worked out in the end.

Falling in love is amazing. It's everything you want it to be (hopefully), until it's not.

But falling in love again, as a more mature person is remarkable.

Reading Emerson & Theo's love stories really touched me. They felt real to me, even though Emerson was a supermodel. She felt like somebody I could be friends with. Theo is the guy all the girls want their men to be like. Flawed, but always trying.

I really liked this book and would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

incredible debut romance!!!
great setting, plot, writing and characters
this should be the romance of the summer!!!
trigger warnings in authors note

One Last Shot
By: Betty Cayouette
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Emerson and Theo are simply amazing.

•I love a dual POV.

•This is set in Cinque Terre, one of my favorite places in Italy.

•I really love the time jumps (and trying to figure out what happened between Emerson and Theo).

•No spoilers, but I really enjoyed the ending of this book!

—————————————————————

One Last Shot was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 5/7/24

I went into this book thinking it would be a fun and flirty book about a couple reconnecting in a beautiful place. And while there is that, there is so much more (which I did not expect)!

There is pain, betrayal, sadness, and loss. There is hurt and fear. There is also redemption, and loyalty, and trust. This book really has every emotion (and I felt every emotion as I read it)!

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and funny, but also intriguing and moving.


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Really enjoyed this love story, even though the miscommunication trope was very strong!! I look forward to seeing what this author writes next, I think there’s a lot of potential here.

4.5 stars rounded up. I am so grateful that SMP reached out to me about reading One Last Shot because I absolutely LOVED IT! I read this book as an e-ARC and immediately requested the audiobook version as soon as it became available so I could listen to this story be told as well.

Theo and Emerson 🥹🥹 my heart really wasn’t prepared for how much love those two had for each other. I’m not usually a miscommunication trope kinda gal but with this one, it was done so well. I fell in love with the characters right for the start. This story had a lot of depth. My heart ached for these two to finally get their happy ever after. Excellent read and fantastic listen!

A huge huge thank you to Macmillan audio, NetGalley and SMP for the ALC and ARC of One Last Shot.

This is a Friends to Lovers, second chance romance. Theo and Emmerson are High School best friends. Their Senior year they finally became a couple only to have it ripped away from them. Fast forward 10 years and their marriage pact alarm is going off on their phones, but they haven’t talked in a decade. Emmerson finds a way to get on to Theo’s photo shoot to see if anything is still there. While miscommunication is a big trope here, it didn’t bother me as much as it usually does. Probably because in my life as a woman, sexual trauma is left out of everyone’s bio (There is a trigger warning in the book by the way). So, it was easier to understand why there was miscommunication to begin with. I really enjoyed the dual point of view and timeline. The way we got to see from both sides in High School and present day in Italy. Italy was its own character bringing in beautiful scenery, brilliant sunrises, some surprising hikes, and so much yummy food!! This is a fantastic debut novel by Betty Cayouette. I look forward to seeing what’s next!