I am always rooting for love, so this story of 2 childhood sweethearts trying to rekindle their love through a marriage pact they made a decade earlier was right up my alley. The author does provide a trigger warning for sexual assault, but I liked that the book was not focused on the assault, but rather the healing and living life afterwards. A nice story of relationships, healing, growth and living your life to it’s limitless potential.

When I wasn't otherwise occupied rolling my eyes at Emerson and Theo, or wanting to shake some sense into one or both of them, I found them interesting, likable characters. Childhood friends, they're separated by a traumatic event, Emerson to later become one of those one-name-only-needed models, and Theo to become a photographer. Just as a model needs a photographer, a photographer needs models, so it's rather inevitable the two would come back together, with or without that prod of a youthful pledge to each other. Emerson is by far the more famous of the two, stalked by paparazzi everywhere, and she's looking for a break. Well, a break that includes the possibility of reuniting with her childhood friend. Theo isn't quite as sure but, well, he's always loved her and feels that hole in his heart from their abrupt, unexplained separation. And thus begins this sweet, occasionally frustrating romance.

Utilizing duel POV and flipping back-and-forth from past to present at times, the author does an excellent job filling us in on the backstory. Second chance romances are always fun, albeit at times Theo and Emerson seemed to be their own worst enemies, doing or saying exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. They have good intentions but miscommunication and/or misunderstanding or even self-doubt get in the way. Both main characters were easy to love and just as easy to dislike at times. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the emphasis on emotional connections as opposed to simply, uh, lust. It made it much easier to ultimately care about them. Oh, an Emerson is a voracious reader, so easy for me to root for.

I won't detail the plot but given the utter convenience of Emerson having had a very public breakup at just the time she receives a ten-year-old reminder and Theo conveniently being the photographer on a fashion shoot, albeit one that would normally be beneath her celebrated status, once I rolled my eyes at that and simply accepted, yep, could happen, I did enjoy the story. Italy seemed like an ideal romantic setting but loved the Hollywood scenic scene, too, as well as the more private settings. The supporting characters seemed sparse but were memorable, as was the supporting cast, so to speak, of the scene at the airport. I won't say why but donuts play a role. A cute role.

Bottom line, while I wasn't quite blown away, it was a fun read from a debut author and I'll be looking forward to her future books. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sGriffin for giving me this virtual tour to Italy for an early look at Emerson and Theo's story. It was fun and getting to read basically how a photo shoot works was interesting. Now I'm going to be looking for pins in fashion shots!

The characters seemed to have a lot of depth that I wanted to know more about. The trope was light hearted enough to initially engage me.

I felt like the miscommunication was drawn out for too long. I liked that insecurities and flaws were pointed out by the characters (self-aware).

Betty Cayouette’s debut novel is a new favorite! You may know her on social media as @bettysbooklist but now she is here to share her own romance novel and it is worth the read.
TW for sexual assault not on the page but of dealing with the trauma from it, at the time and 10 years later.
I absolutely loved this story, it is a friends to lovers (slow burn through flashbacks) and then a second chance romance present day (10 years later). I really enjoyed the alternating POVs and the different perspectives to the same situation. Theo is what book boyfriend’s are made of while Emerson is the girl out of everyone’s league (after high school) who is really a normal person. They meet at 14 which we see through flashbacks which were wonderfully done that I couldn’t wait for the next one because they reveal necessary details but then meet again at 28 on a photoshoot, thanks to a pact they made. If neither of them were married by 28 they would marry each other so when the alarm goes off Emerson sets out to see Theo again since she hasn’t been quite as happy as she was with him despite the fame and having everything else she could want. Emerson has some wonderful friends in the industry that are there for her Georgia and Harry that I would love to get their own stories (talking to you Betty!). While Theo has his amazing family, especially his brother in his corner. You learn some about the fashion/model/photographer life through this as well since we get a front row seat to a few events and a photoshoot where their One Last Shot at love takes place. If sleep and work weren’t necessary I’d have finished this in a day.

perfect beach read book. i would say it's simple and light for the most part. excellent work from this author!!

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and uplifting romance about second chances and rekindled love, set against the picturesque backdrop of Italy's Cinque Terre.

Loved this book!
Emerson and Theo met on the day of high school orientation and became best friends quickly. Emerson enters the world of modeling and her life speeds of in direction of becoming a supermodel. Theo pursues his career in photography. When their 28th birthdays approach, they are each reminded of the pact they made when they were 18. One week on a photoshoot in Italy will determine if they are reunited or if their lives continue on separate paths.
This was a great debut novel and I hope for more from this author in the future.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley.

thank you to st. martin's press for sending me the advanced readers version, so that i can give them an honest review. ☺️

this was such a cute book, and it gave me all the summer feels, which is exactly what i needed being in washington state with the constant downpour of rain. i love the dynamic between emerson and theo so so much, i think in real life their trope is my fave (more on tropes later).

the pacing at the beginning of the book felt perfect to me but then once i got a couple of chapters in, and especially in the middle, it started to feel a little slower than i would have preferred.

tropes featured:
• second chance romance
• best friends to lovers
• slow burn
• miscommunication (lots of it)

synopsis:
the story follows theo and emerson, who were high school best friends who did everything together. when they were in high school, they made this pact together that if they were not married by the time theo turns 28, they would get married to each other within the next week after his birthday.

during their high school prom night, theo kisses emerson, who then ends up leaving and they never see each other again… until 10 years later !! emerson is a famous model and theo is a photographer. emerson gets a notification on her cellphone and it’s a reminder of the pact that she made with theo… where if neither of them are married when he turns 28, they would marry each other.

emerson decides to book a gig with the company that theo is a photographer for to see if they can rekindle the connection that they had in high school.

Sweet story of childhood best friends trying to give their relationship one last shot after a decade apart. Told from dual perspectives (which I always love) Emerson and Theo bounce between present day with much success as supermodel and photographer to their teenage selves recalling their love story. In full transparency, did not know who the author was until finishing the book and realized that I love her catchy short videos on social media hooking your interest on the latest books! Made me appreciate her debut novel even more! Brava!
Thanks to net galley for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for a a review!

Overall this book was perfectly fine. I read it and will likely immediately forget everything about it by next week, but at no point was I like this is a bad book. It to me just felt like a book where the bones were good but the execution wasn't. The prose/writing style didn't flow the way I wanted to - or, more accurately, consistently. I absolutely loved the chapters from their teen years, and almost wished the book was just following that half of the story. Which is extra wild because more often than not I am like please stop flashing back give me the present when i read second chance romance books.

This is the author's debut novel, so I can see how in the future she'll be writing great books. But this one was riddled with miscommunication between the two main characters (like half of their conversations were them just not speaking the same language), a lot of "telling" not "showing" and some pacing issues. Everything on paper should have worked, but there was something a little clunky about it.

That being said, I would totally read a book by Cayouette again in the future! I think she has a ton of potential and while this one didn't necessarily work for me, I can see a future one hitting a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Since the first day they met freshman year in high school, Emerson and Theo have been inseparable. But right after they crossed the boundary from best friends to something more, they were torn apart. Ten years later, Emerson is now a supermodel, and Theo is now a photographer. When a marriage pact reminder goes of on Emerson's phone, she realizes this could be their second chance. Emerson manages to convince her agent to book a campaign that Theo is shooting, and they are reunited.

As a romance reader, I've read many of them but not one centered around a supermodel and a photographer (ngl, that was one of the selling point for me to read this book). Emerson and Theo innocently fell in love as teenagers. They went separate ways, and then reunited later as adults. I loved that dual timelines-the alternating between their past and how their friendship bloomed to love, and now present time, both wanting a second chance. They were IT. Even though they haven't spoken in years, Emerson kept tabs on Theo and vice versa. Their love story was well-written! Highly recommend.

The author is a huge TikTok star, who parlayed her success into this wonderful second-chance romance debut between model Emerson and photographer Theo, who meet again on a shoot in Italy. Beautifully written, One Last Shot will bring the author wild new success as a writer, as well as great joy to her readers.

I really enjoyed this! I have been following Betty and her book recommendations on tiktok for a long time. I was excited when I was approved for this and excited for her! I love a good second chance romance so this was right up my alley! Hoping for the best for Betty and her book.

Absolutely love second chance romances so this gave everything. As someone who has been to Italy I loved reading a story set there, it felt very nostalgic. I also really enjoyed the past/present timeline, it helped to get to know the characters more.

Such a sweet, light-hearted romance book! I loved that the book flipped two amazing locations - present-day Italy and North Shore, Massachusetts where Emerson and Theo grew up. For a storyline that could be really cheesy, it felt so honest and real. I loved both of the main characters and felt myself rooting for them. Perfect for anyone who likes friends-to-lovers, fashion, Italy, and a romance with a lot of heart. I can't wait to see what Betty Cayouette writes next!

Cute book that made me want to go to Italy.

Emerson is a supermodel with just one name. Seriously. I don't think she had a last name mentioned in the entire book. On the day of her birthday, a marriage pact she made with her first love goes off. She discovers Theo is a photographer who is about to do a campaign in Italy. Despite it being a bit below her standards, Emerson joins it to see if Theo remembers the pact. He does.

If you love the miscommunication troupe, you'll love this one. Even the characters call themselves out on it, which I found refreshing. The ending felt a bit rushed, but other than that, it was a cute story.

A coming of age story of Theo and Emerson that you get to learn about in a dual time line and dual narration.
Emerson is a top fashion model and Theo is a photographer who have lost touch but are reunited for a photo shoot.
If you’re interested in the ins and outs of the fashion industry and photography the author seems very knowledgeable.
The pacing of the book sometimes felt off to me, but I give kudos to the author for a debut novel.
Give this book a chance if you like:
Coming of age
Second chances
And you don’t mind miscommunication as a theme overall.

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette is an angsty, slowburn, friends to lovers, second chance romance that I absolutely devoured! Theo and Emerson are *chef's kiss* perfection! I loved the past/present, two POV structure. Didn't want it to end! Highly recommend!!!

Let me start by saying: I really enjoyed this book! I had a great time reading it. In fact, I couldn’t put it down! There were only a few eye roll moments, but it wouldn’t be a romance book without them!

One Last Shot is a friends to lovers, second chance romance that follows the love story of Emerson, a famous supermodel, and Theo, a photographer. Emerson and Theo were inseparable in high school and now, 10 years later, get another chance at love during a photoshoot in Italy. Through flashbacks and dual POVs, we learn what really separated them the summer after high school, everything that happens in between, and how they eventually find their way back to each other.

I adored Theo. Emerson, on the other hand, is where my (slight) eye rolls came into play. And why I rated this 4 stars. After 10 years of therapy, you’d think she’d have better communication tools and we could have avoided the entire miscommunication trope. However, Emerson is a human with trauma and healing is not linear, so I’ll let it slide. As far as miscommunication tropes go, this one was not at all a detriment to my enjoyment of the book.

Debut novels can be really hit or miss and I think this one will be a hit! It’s clear the writing is not quite as sophisticated as a veteran author, but that honestly didn’t matter to me at all. The story was engaging and worth every minute! I’m excited to see where Betty Cayouette goes from here and will certainly be reading any future novels she writes!

Overall, I thought it was a cute story and was eagerly rooting for Emerson and Theo’s happily ever after along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my first ever ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have been following Betty on social media for a while, and was very excited for this book in man did it not disappoint. The story features Emerson and Theo in Friends to lover, slow, burn romcom.

I thought the marriage pact plot was very creative and loved learning all the behind-the-scenes videography, that Betty clearly was able to pull from her days working on sets. I’m always a fan of celebrity romances and childhood friends to lovers thought the story was a great combination of both.

Highly recommend!