Thanks for the arc.

This book intrigued me from the time I first saw the cover, but it did not live up to my expectations. The premise was fine, great setting in Italy (for part of the story, at least), and the subject of a supermodel and a photographer was interesting, but I had no sympathy for the main character. She was so self-centered and self-absorbed, and didn't let a day pass without telling us how rich she had become. Near the end of the book was a statement that summoned it up for me when Emerson said to Theo: "But we also need to cut it with the miscommunication!" That pretty well said it all for me too.

If there is one thing I love it's a second chance romance!! I loved how the author incorporated dual timelines so we could get a glimpse into Emerson and Theo's teenage selves. That might have been my preferred timeline but overall this book was super cute and I would recommend it.

This was a sweet second chance romance! Though I would recommend it to all my romance readers, miscommunication is my least favorite trope of all time and this book was just full of it. There were many moments that made me laugh and smile but there was a lot more moments when I just wanted to shake the main characters. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martins press for this advanced readers copy!

I tried really hard. Really, really hard. I can read a romance in 24 hours. I've been reading this for a month and I'm at 42%. It is so slow. So, so slow and it seems the entire book is one big miscommunication, which is my least favorite trope. I enjoy second chance and friends to lovers and I had high hopes for this one after following the author on Instagram but I'm ready to throw in the towel. On the plus side, the cover is GORGEOUS. I'll try again with her next novel and see if maybe she has worked out the kinks.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC eBook version in exchange for my honest review.

Emerson and Theo were a friends to lovers couple that included a past history from their high school years. At 18 there was a falling out that we're told about but earlier on they'd agreed to a marriage pact at 28 if they were still single so Emerson searches out Theo as we begin their current story. We're given alternating POV's along with chapters written between past and the present. I thought the author wrote both very well and found them easy to follow.

Theo may be what some call a cinnamon roll type of hero but he had a strong character and I adored his character. Emerson meanwhile was a successful model and while I felt she could be indecisive or insecure at times, she also had overcome some things from her past which you learn about as you read the book. With that said I liked her more as the book processed. You knew how both felt about the other and this is a slow burn yet the tension was there as you read each chapter.

The banter was great between the characters and side ones too-it was very realistic and you almost felt like you were right there with them. Sometimes it could be a little too descriptive or detailed though which lead to my 3-4* rating as this caused a disconnect for me personally. There was low drama/angst but you kept turning the pages to find out what happened when they were 18.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by this author. I thought she had a deep knowledge between a photographer and model and read in her bio that she was previously a fashion videographer which was very apparent in her writing.

Thank your NetGalley and Betty Cayouette for the eARC of One Last Shot. I enjoyed this debut romance novel, it kept me engaged and I especially loved the setting. It took me a bit to connect with the MMC, but towards the end I was rooting for Theo.
3.5 stars.

One Last Shot has the dreamiest, most atmospheric setting on the Italian Rivera, following two old friends who have fallen out of touch but had promised each other that they would get married if they were both single later on in life. Oh, and one is a super model, while the other is a photographer. Cute, quick, and full of everything I want in a RomCom, this was fun to read.

I read ‘One Last Shot’ the debut novel by Betty Cayouette and gave it 4 stars out of 5.


As a follower of Betty’s on TikTok I’ve been following her book recommendations on TikTok for a while so I was excited to see that she was publishing a Romance novel of her own and I’m happy to say I was thoroughly impressed.

This book follows Theo and Emerson who are close friends and do so many adorable things together like swimming eating donuts but with the barely-there flirting between the two there’s something much more brewing between them, much bigger than they know it.

Theo is OBSESSED with Emerson. He adores her with everything and was in awe of her all through out the book. Emerson was a little more hesitant and there’s that slight miscommunication trope on her end which I normally like but my heart was in anguish for Theo at time. Nevertheless, Emerson and Theo had great chemistry and were genuinely so cute.

Congratulations Betty and thank you the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC!

Emerson and Theo made a marriage pact in high school, well before she became a supermodel and he a fashion photographer. After 10 years without contact, could this be what brings them back together. Content warning, discussion of sexual assault. While there is the heavy undertone of assault, this story has all the makings of a classic love story. Second chance, high school sweethearts, girls supporting eachother, and good old fun.

An amazing second chance at loving the highschool sweetheart book! Love following the dual perspective of both characters falling back in love.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Betty Cayouette for this advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel! I enjoyed reading this for so many reasons. The main characters, Theo and Emerson, are so relatable (even though their work takes them places most of us can only dream of) and lovable. I was rooting for them the entire time, through all the ups and downs! I enjoyed that the chapters go both between past and present tense as well as between Theo and Emerson’s point of view.

I’ve read some other reviews that comment on the adult versions of these characters acting immature, but I think that fits perfectly in this case. When we run into an old friend from high school or college, it’s hard not to revert back to the person we were at that time. My perspective is that’s what happened here. Theo and Emerson running into each other again, after all this time, instantly puts them back in the places they were when they met.

I also just love this story because of the locations. The characters grew up in Massachusetts, so I love that she named real places in that area. She mentioned a funny moment the two had at Brookline Booksmith in high school - a place I’ve been to many times since my grandmother lives in that city! I’ve also been to Cinque Terre, so this book had me reminiscing on how beautiful it was there.

I hope to read more by Betty Cayouette in the future!

3.5⭐️

Thanks NetGalley for my very first ARC!!

This was a really cute book. The storyline was fun and was a fairly fresh take on the childhood friends to lovers/second chance romance trope. It felt familiar with dual timelines, but didn’t feel completely predictable and boring. I definitely got the little heart pangs and flutters while reading, which is truly the best feeling while reading romance! The setting being in Italy was dreamy and definitely made me want to go on a European vacation.

However, I thought the writing for this book was mediocre. There were a lot of details in the book that I felt were unnecessary and/or not conveyed well. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, which as a reader is far less interesting to read. The foreshadowing to the big plot twist was done well, but I think the execution of the plot twist itself felt very flat. It just seemed so nonchalant when it should’ve been pivotal for the character development. I also felt like the book was too long. It only took place over the course of a week, but it felt like we just got thrown a third act breakup that just wasn’t necessary and felt mildly contrived.

Overall I think this was a decent debut novel! It was fun and cute and great pick me up.

3.5⭐️ 0.5🌶️

I really enjoyed reading this novel, I loved the storyline between friends to lovers and the main characters Emerson and Theo are so great and so cute! I love how the chapters go from past tense to present tense and I love that we get Emerson’s and Theo’s point of view! 5 star rating! Betty Cayouette did an amazing job with her first novel and I can’t wait to read more novels by her in the future!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin’s press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! Also, thank you for being my first ARC review!

One Last Shot, is a cute summer romance story with tropes such as friends to lovers and second chance! I enjoy both these tropes and I enjoyed them in this book!

Summary: Childhood friends/ almost couple, Emerson and Theo make a pact that if they both aren’t married by 28, then they will marry each other. Fast forward ten years, Emerson is a supermodel while Theo is photographer. Emerson and Theo come together again to work on a shoot in Cinque Terre, Italy and rediscover each other.

Opinion: This book was super cute and an easy read! What drew me to it in the first place was that it was set in Italy. As someone who speaks Italian and has live there, it made me super excited to see what Italian things this book held.

The author did well with connecting the characters backstory in their high school years and their current story. I loved seeing how Emerson and Theo changed over the years.

The pacing of the story was slightly off in the beginning. About 20ish percent of the book felt fast. The pace slowed down after which was nice.

Some of the dialogue felt unnatural and unrealistic as well as the characters reactions to certain things. This made the characters feel younger than they were. I would have put them between 20-23 years old.

I would have loved to see more descriptions of Cinque terre as if I didn’t have prior knowledge to what the place was like, I wouldn’t have been able to picture it.

I also would have loved more background on the modeling industry and more on how Emerson feels about it.

All in all, this was a fun read and I am so grateful that I got to start my ARC reviewing journey with this book. 3/5 stars! ⭐️ (less) [edit]
Feb 22, 2024 [edit]

3.75 stars

I thought that One Last Shot was such a cute romance book. I loved how we flipped back and forth between them as teenagers and adults. My only complaint was that they acted like teenagers when they were adults. I think that they should be a little more mature and less childish in their adult POVs. Overall, this was such a cute book.

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an e-ARC of this book!

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to read this book thanks to #netgalley and @stmartinspress!

I have followed @bettysbooklist for years for great book recommendations, and I never thought I'd get approved to read the advanced reader copy of her first novel!

This book follows two best friends, Emerson and Theo, instant friends in high school turned almost relationship until Emerson leaves without explanation and goes straight into a modeling career and Theo eventually becomes a photographer. 10 years later, they both get reminders on their phone of a pact they made that they would marry each other at 28 if they were still single. Do they still have the connection they once had? Can they make it past the hurt of the past?

For a first novel, I thought this was pretty great. It was easy to relate to Emerson and feel connected to her story and her love for Theo. It was a great change of pace that pretty much all the females in this book were supportive and kind. I couldn't help but picture Georgia as Lizzo. I loved the relationship between her and Emerson where they were supportive of each other but not afraid to give hard truths.

I don't read very many friends to lovers but I really enjoyed this book and if you're looking for an adorable heart warming friends to lovers with a nice healthy serving of tension and spice then pre-order this now so you get it on May 7th!

ᯓ★ 3.75 stars ᯓ★
⤿ i am so so so pleasantly surprised <3

🌷“He was my person, around him I was the best version of me, the me I wanted to be all the time”🌷

theo and emerson have my whole heart ☹️💓
betty cayouette managed to take all the tropes i hate and turn it into perfection. im so looking into the rest of her books!!

🌼here are said tropes:🌼
➵ second chance romance
➵ childhood besties
➵ other woman drama + other man drama
➵ angst (lots and lots of angst) and mutual pining
➵ slow burn
➵ …miscommunication..

now you may look at these tropes and think.. gross. disgusting. no thanks. because same. my previous read had a few of these tropes and it made me never wanna look at second chance again. but this.. was somehow spectacular 🤭ok ok lemme actually get into it instead of just talking sweet nothings!!

🍩 plot 🍩

the story follows theo and emerson, who were besties in high school!! they did everything together. watched sunsets, ate lots of donuts (donuts is lowkey a big chunk of the story which was random but cute), skipped school to go swimming. like they were friends with a tinge of flirting here and there.

they jokingly make this silly pact and put a reminder on their phone that if both of them are unmarried when theo is 28, they marry each other. HOW SILLY RIGHT!??!!

one day, on prom (i wanna say but im not 100% sure) theo kisses emerson. and basically after that she leaves and never sees him again (enter the heavy miscommunication)

fast forward to 10 years later emerson is a model, theo is a photographer. the marriage pact reminder thingy goes off and emerson decides she wants to rekindle things so she books him to shoot something for her. and they refall in love~~💘

📸 theo 📸

ohmygod. i want to give him a big fat hug.

HE IS SOOOOO PRECIOUS AND CUTE AND SWEET AND EVERYTHING I WANT IN MY FUTURE HUBBY. he’s so understanding.. too understanding that you think how is he even real!??! <s>news flash sama, he’s not</s> he really would do anything for her. like ANYTHING.

he was like so sad and pathetic though in the nicest way possible. he hated himself 😭 theo baby no need to be so insecure 🤧❤️‍🩹

“Oh yeah?” Emerson teased. “You don’t have a secret girlfriend somewhere who’s coming after me for wearing your jacket?”

“Of course not. You know no one wants to date me.”

i rolled my eyes but i also wanted to cry for him at the same time like he called himself a loser soooo much bro have some self-esteem.

💃 emerson 💃

*putting dance emoji bc there’s no emoji for model 😭*

honestly.. at the start I hated her because she basically ghosted him and he kept calling her and she wouldn’t pick up. and then when he stopped calling she was sad 💀

but she grew on me!!! whilst I don’t agree with what she did, she’s been through a lot of trauma so i’ll try not to hold a grudge on theo’s behalf 😭

I don’t really have much to say about her. she was cute. she had good intentions but executed them poorly that’s pretty much it.

💓romance💓

THE ROMANCE DELIVEREDDDD ‼️

the angst, the pining i ate it all up 🥹🫶🏼 that is how you do second chance romance. other books better be taking notes.

i also adored that it was a slow burn. it was slow af as it should be.

i loved them together but icl emerson made him miserable sometimes. and like on purpose. she brought her ex to make him jealous.. like um miss girl you left him you have no right playing hard to get.

another complaint is THE MISCOMMUNICATION.
it was sooo consistent like they kept thinking things and never discussing it i was so mad. like imagine a miscommunication that lasts 10 years. that’s just too much.

🧸 quotes I adored 🧸

➵ “Do you miss home?”
“I miss you,” i say immediately.

➵ “Sorry” Theo says. “She’s just so perfect” he grimaces. “In this light, i mean”

➵ I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be natural. I have to be careful of every bit of myself i show to the world, since once it’s out there it’s no longer authentically me, it’s a part of my public image.

➵ When his phone finally beeped, a grin spread over Theo’s face. I suddenly knew I would do anything to make him smile like that again.

🎀 in conclusion 🎀

to sum up i had an amazing time reading this and i highly recommend if you’re looking for something cute and sweet. ive been super busy lately but i still found time for this whenever i could. I read it first thing after i woke up, before bed, in the car. literally everywhere 😭💘

thank you netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!

This is a sweet romance and a perfect summer read. The cover alone will make you want to run out and book a plane ticket. But also read the book because it is really well-written with an engaging plot, easy tone and lovable characters. It is hard to believe this is a debut romance. Betty Cayouette is a talented writer and I look forward to reading more of her novels.

To summarize: friends to lovers, a decade-old marriage pact, and second chance romance set in Cinque Terre, Italy. The MCs are extremely likable and the flashbacks to their high school romance beginnings are so sweet. The dual timeline and dual POV give this story some depth. And then there’s the emotional punch: the author’s note warns that this book deals with the aftermath of sexual assault. But, as she states, it is just part of the story - it is not the story. Instead we see a model [pun intended] of survival and strength, with an already fabulous and successful life, pursue the final piece to her HEA. It is a joy to watch these characters come together, both in the past and in the present.

A heartwarming and emotionally satisfying love story. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Betty Cayouette, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

They were everything to each other in high school. They made a pact to marry at 28 if they were still single. She’s now a famous model and him a photographer. Their deadline is almost up, will reconnecting make them whole again or break them completely.

I liked this book. I was charmed by the characters and the story.

The author starts the book with trigger warnings of past mentions of sexual assault so beware.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s press for the ARC.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

One last Shot is a cute second chance romance between a supermodel and her ex photographer who had a previous marriage pact and meet again a decade later at a photoshoot in Italy. The premise sounded so fun and adorable so I was interested in diving in. First, this was decently written, albeit with a few cheesy and silly moments and the story believable. Second, the characters felt authentic and the author did a good job of making me feel connected to them and want to root for them. There were some dialogue moments that, for me, didn't feel realistic, but I get a bit picky when it comes to certain things like that.

The different POV and timeline was a nice addition to this story. I enjoyed seeing them in the past and present and watching them fall in love. The pacing was decent. There were a few times when the story snagged a bit and felt slow but I did enjoy the characters' slow burn overall and then the big reveal at the end that I wasn't expecting.

The scenic setting, the beautiful writing, the cute cover, and the sweet love story will make anyone who's a romance fan fall for this story. It sure stole my heart. This didn't quite live up to a 5 star, but overall it was a cute romance story I'd recommend for others.