Really enjoyed this story of a reunion of old friends and soul mates, the picture of the life of a successful model and her terrible secret. Loved the two of them together and the flashbacks to their youth.

despite being one last shot, this was Betty Cayouette's first shot into romance writing, and it was an INCREDIBLE first shot with some incredible chemistry.

This debut romcom surprised me. I wasn't sure what Cayouette would deliver but the characters were delightful, I loved the European setting and the slow burn second chance friends-to-lovers romance was entertaining. I'll defintiely read what she writes next.

Thanks to St. Martin's for the copy to review.

This was an adorable second-chance friends-to-lovers celebrity romance. Emerson and Theo were both super sweet and it was fun to watch them trying to navigate their friendship even though they both wanted more. The high school flashbacks were a great addition and helped explain Emerson’s past trauma. I liked that this was set in Italy for the majority of the present day timeline, super cute.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

Two young friends make a promise to marry each other if they don’t find anyone else before they turn twenty-eight. They didn’t foresee that they would date, break up, and not talk to each other for ten years. When they each get the alert on their calendar about the pact, they decide to contact each other. What happens next is a series of misunderstandings and a trip around Italy while they figure out what they could have been and whether they can still be friends…and something more.

Betty Cayouette gives us a sweet former friends-to-lovers romance. Luckily for us we get both main characters' points of view which makes the series of misunderstandings work for the plot. A lot of the drama of course could be avoided if everyone just spoke their truth, but then we wouldn’t have a romance in Italy (chuckle).

I think for me, personally, this was a sticking point. After the fourth misunderstanding, I was like just clear it up already. Then there was an illumination point that was immediately ignored. So, for me the story ended up dragging a bit.

There is a darker subject behind some of the reasons and Cayouette handles the discussion and the aftermath with sensitivity and intelligence. I like how this is done in regard to the romantic relationship and the sexual one.

Overall, One Last Shot is a sweet romance.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the eARC of One Last Shot. All opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely love this author's page on Instagram so I was really excited to read her debut novel. I appreciate that she opens with an Author's Note explaining her own healing experience and how that factored into the main character's experience.

I wanted to love this one but I had a hard time from the start with the pacing. After not talking for a decade, both Emmerson and Theo want to immediately reconnect because of a bet they made to get married at 28. I wish there had been more tension or more thought on both their parts to decide to reconnect, especially since they then spend the rest of the book not talking about their feelings and it takes so long for them to actually get together.

While this one wasn't for me, I still support this author and I look forward to reading her next book!

Unfortunately, I did not like either of the main characters. I could not connect to the story, I struggled to get through this book. I wanted to like this book but I didn't.

I have been following Betty on IG and Tiktok for about 2 years now, and I really trust her reviews. I love the way she portrayed Italy in this book, but after three times of trying to read it, I simply cannot get through it. Would give another chance, though.

Wow I am blown away! This was my first book by this author and I can’t wait for another. If you are looking for a book you can read in a weekend this is it

This one was really cute and an example of, in my opinion, true love and a love that prevails all. It was right person wrong time, and I love the idea of a marriage pact bringing them back together.
One of my favorite tropes is when one is a celebrity and the other partner is not (which is this book); the efforts she made just to get back in his orbit was so sweet.
The main character was a bit aggravating at times, like I just wanted to smoosh their faces together and be like “and kiss”, but I also understood. She had her reasons for being closed off and he misunderstood quite a few things and was protecting himself from being rejected for the umpteenth time. So yeah this one is a slow burn but the payoff is good!!

Thank you St Martins Griffin and NetGalley for the arc!!

I love the friends-to-lovers trope, and this is no exception. Emerson, now a famous supermodel, reconnects with her high school best friend after a decade because of a pact they made as teenagers. At Emerson's request, her agent puts her on a shoot with Theo, now a fashion photographer, and the drama begins.

This is a fun read with relatable narrative told by both of the main characters. And a good portion is set in Italy. I enjoyed the back and forth of the perspectives that create tension due to their lack of communication. There are also flashbacks to the early days of their friendship leading to the moment that led to their decade of separation. I thoroughly enjoyed the book but took off a star only because I guessed what the rift was caused by pretty early on, particularly after the author's intro.

I had an early copy of the book (all opinions my own), so that may be changed later or moved to the end of the book. Definitely pick this up if you enjoy a good love story. It's more complex than most of the beach reads that come out these days.

What a great way to wrap up the summer months with this banger! I loved this. Everything from the setting to the character development was perfect. This was my first Betty Cayouette book, and certainly won't be my last!

I can't believe I finished a whole book that is based on the miscommunication trope. I'm not happy about it.

Really liked this one. It was a quick, easy to get through story and while predictable (which I don't think is a bad thing!) it was still enjoyable!

So thankful for this advanced reader’s copy! This was a super cute summer romance book. I really enjoyed the two POV’s and the development of each of the main characters (Emerson & Theo). Their story over time keeps the reader engaged. I did not enjoy the couple’s seemingly constant miscommunication. The book cover is beautiful!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. This was a cute love story. As a huge lover of Italy, it was hard not to like this book. The general scenery and backdrop is what i dream about. However, i hate miscommunication in books. It just comes across so petty and childish and i cant get past it. But overall i liked the book.

I have never read a “second chance/marriage pact” book that hit so hard.

In One Last Shot, we meet Emerson in present day where she is a famous/popular fashion model. Shes just had a breakup and she’s in the dumps. When she realizes her birthday is coming up, she remembers the pact her and her sort of ex boyfriend Theo made when they were 18. If they made it to 28 and weren’t already married to someone or in a committed relationship, then they would marry each other. There were some additional clauses but that was the gist of it. With some charisma, Emerson manages to get to Theo by making her agent arrange her to be on the set of one of Theo’s shoots. They meet and immediately the world crashes around them and they’re transported (not physically, but emotionally) back to when they were 18.

A bunch of chaos happens and of course this left me swooning over Theo and wishing I could have the kind of job that Emerson has. But ultimately, I adored the entire book from beginning to end. I added a physical copy to my wishlist so I could have a trophy copy. Pick this one up!

this was such a cute second chance romance! it wasnt my favorite one but i loved it regardless. this was such a fun debut.

Betty!!!! Why did you write such a good book! I still think of this model x photographer trope all the time and can’t wait to share how this author executed such a beautiful love story with pain and trauma in this mix. I feel like I would call this a “lost love and found your way back to each other in the most uncertain circumstances”. At the beginning and throughout the middle it was all odds against Emerson and Theo, the worst can happen! I hate miscommunication and just kept yelling at the two to actually talk to each other, yet they made it to where they could only ask one question each day and stayed far apart. Literally had me pulling my hair out throughout the whole book:. I loved this story and can’t wait to read more from this author

Overall Rating 3.5

I enjoyed reading One Last Shot. I really liked the idea of making a pact to marry your high school best friend if both of you are not married by a particular date. That was cute. I love a good second chance romance book and this one was good. Theo and Emerson went through a lot to get their happily ever after and I am happy they were able to get it at the end. I also really enjoyed the dual timeline where the story was told not only in the present while on the four-day shoot but also in the past when the met in high school and how their friendship and relationship developed over time. This writing style helped in establishing a strong chemistry between the two characters. Though I enjoyed the book, there were aspects of it that were not so enjoyable. I understand that what Emerson went through was tragic and it would take years for someone to learn to deal with that but with the friendship established in high school I just did not understand how she felt like she could not talk to Theo. She was able to tell his brother what happened but not him…that made little sense to me. 10 years of possible love and friendship gone because of miscommunication. I love a good miscommunication trope but their miscommunication did not only happen years ago…even when they were on the photo shoot, they kept miscommunicating. You guys are in your 30s….talk to each other already. It was a little frustrating to see as a reader.
Overall, this was a good book. Though it took me some time to get into…when I finally did, the story began to flow well and I ended up enjoying it.