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.

Super sweet love story. Loved the backdrop of Italy. I’m not a huge fan of miscommunication in books so that was a bit frustrating but overall I enjoyed it! 3.5 stars rounded up

One Last Shot was an incredible debut!! The characters and their stories sucked me in so quickly and I became so invested in their love story. I LOVE a second chance romance with flashbacks, and this had those scenes that just made my heart ache in such a good way. I was rooting for them throughout the whole book and binged this story so fast.

There was a wonderful combination of romance and angst; and with the setting being abroad, it really was such an incredible read and story. I can’t wait to read more books from this author.

*Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The characters felt immature so I did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped for. It felt awkward at times. There’s plenty of summer vibes to it though. A short & simple read overall. It just wasn’t my cup of tea specifically.

This was a fun romance that definitely hit those summer vibes! I loved the setting and the romance was sweet, if a bit simple. A nice summer read!

This was a fun novel with a twist on romance. When Emerson is nearing her twenty-eighth birthday, a forgotten calendar reminder pops up. It’s a marriage pact she made with her high school boyfriend ten years ago. She’s determined to see if they can follow through with thieir pact. She sets out to connect with him. If they can reconnect, it’s not going to be easy. There are some obstacles in their way.

This was good for what it was, a cute second chance romance. I did not feel much of a connection to the characters maybe due to their immaturity. I also despise lack of communication which was prevalent in the book. All in all some people would love it and others will be indifferent. It wasn’t for me but every bread has it’s butter.

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette is a (former) friends to lovers/ marriage pact story that heavily relies on the miscommunication trope that I do not love as much. Theo and Emerson's story used the Italian Riviera as a beautiful backdrop and the model and photographer story was cute but in my view it lagged because the failures to communicate were overused to the point of being slightly annoying. As a debut novel this was still a decent read and listen with a lovely backdrop and the greatest snack food.

Betty Cayouette’s debut novel, One Last Shot, is a heartwarming romance set against the picturesque backdrop of Cinque Terre, Italy. The story follows supermodel Emerson and photographer Theo, who reconnect after a decade apart, thanks to a marriage pact made during their teenage years.

The novel's charm lies in its blend of nostalgia and romance by dual time lines with the past and present. Cayouette effectively captures the tension and longing between Emerson and Theo, creating a palpable chemistry that drives the narrative. The setting is beautifully described, as the author has described being on this exact trip which inspired her to write this book.

While the romance is compelling, the plot occasionally leans on predictable tropes such as the frustrating miscommunication and second chance romance tropes that didn’t feel as strong as other books I’ve read. However, these minor flaws are outweighed by the novel’s strong emotional core of past and present with the evocative setting.

Some pacing issues also detract from the narrative. The build-up to the climax feels rushed, and the resolution, while satisfying, lacks the emotional punch it could have delivered. The dialogue sometimes slips into clichés, which can undermine the authenticity of the characters’ interactions

Overall, One Last Shot is a delightful and escapist read with a captivating setting and a romance that will appeal to fans of the genre. Despite its predictable elements and occasional pacing issues, Cayouette’s debut offers a sweet and engaging second chance love story, hinting at a promising career ahead for the author.

This was a super fun and cute chic lit book. The characters were actually believable, not over the top Hollywood types. I loved that it switched back and forth from the past to current, so we got the backstory. It's a super easy, fast read....great for the beach, or poolside.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for this fun read!

If this book did one thing it made me want to plan a trip to Italy to see CInque Terre as soon as possible.

I do love a second chance friends to lovers, but this was just okay. TW for SA.

This was a cute well written book amidst the beautiful backdrop of CInque Terre. I loved the back and forth between Theo/Emerson's youth and present day, it was interesting to see both stories unfold simultaneously.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC!

This book was a pretty average romance read with some regular troupes like second chance romance, childhood friends and miscommunication. These are my three least favorite troupes, and coupled with being a slow burn - I found this book hard to read at times. Theo was way too good for Emerson, and I was really upset that he still wanted to pursue something even though she ghosted him. A miscommunication that lasts for a decade is not a way to enter a lasting relationship.

This book was cute. I enjoyed that it was mostly present time, but that we git some flashbacks to really get to know the characters. I could understand their emotions and the challenges they went through together and apart. I cried at the ending. It was a quick easy read and i would recommend it to all.

[arc review]
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
One Last Shot releases May 7, 2024

Days before her 28th birthday, Emerson gets a calendar reminder on her phone about the marriage pact she made with her best friend in high school.
Having not spoken with each other in a decade, she has her modelling agency book her a fashion shoot in Italy, with Theo as her photographer.

It sucks when the concept of a book has so much potential but ends up being outweighed by superficial characters and a plot that is forced and inauthentic.
Where was the passion or yearning? The lack of communication coupled with the om/ow drama was beyond frustrating.

Emerson is given a history of SA and a mother with hoarding problems as a way to give her a semblance of personality, but it doesn’t work, sticking out like a sore thumb instead.

How is it possible that for the past 10 years, every time Emerson got into an elevator she thought of the time her and Theo were stuck in an elevator, but she forgot about their marriage pact??

Theo and Emerson equally did not have the wherewithal to have a lasting relationship with a solid foundation. Nothing about this was believable from romantic standpoint.

3.5 stars on this one!

This was a really sweet debut novel about two high school sweethearts reconnecting. I felt like Emerson's life was really shaped by this big thing that happened to her when she was just finishing high school, but I'm glad it wasn't the main focus on her story.

The biggest thing that knocked this book down for me was that a large majority of the plot rested entirely on miscommunication. I'm not one of those people who hate the miscommunication trope, but it felt a little exaggerated at times and it was very frustrating that neither of the main characters would just communicate their feelings, and danced around them, but also had the feeling that their love was reciprocated?

I really enjoyed reading this story and watching the love story play out in both present and flashbacks, but would have loved for it to rest less on miscommunication and more on the tension between them.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

EXCUSE ME BETTY!!!!

Did you know that you'd have the entirety of your readers literally screaming with delight while we read this book???

Did you?!?!?!

I am OBSESSED with this book. Emerson and Theo are wonderful. This story of second chance love and their relationship touched my soul. They are so dang sweet. The touch of spice was great, and honestly, it was pretty accurate, if that makes sense. Nothing crazy and unrealistic.

I absolutely loved this book. I can't tell you how much. So. Good!