Supermodel Emerson gets an old notification to her phone, it’s time to set her marriage pact in order with her old best friend Theo, so she gets herself schedules as the talent at his shoot to rekindle their romance. They are both the exact same character, which spoke to the lack of experience of writing for Cayouette, both totally in love, unable to talk about anything important, and both insecure in life. Between getting reacquainted now and watching their high school lives play out we learns about their past and how they got to where they are today. Will they be able to rekindle their love and ever truly open up to one another?

The book was long and repetitive. The relationships has one problem, but it happens numerous times and is never resolved so it continues to happen. It was almost too much of that. The setting was great and the background characters were more likeable than the mains in my opinion. It read more of a YA than a women’s fiction/romance.

A romance about a model and a photographer with a marriage pact who meet again ten years later in Cinqueterra, Italy. Okay I LOVE the setting. Anything set in Italy will be a go-to read for me. I really think readers will enjoy this as a summer beach romance. If you like second chance romance and beautiful European settings check out this fabulous debut!

Thank you to Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Love the trope of friends to lovers. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The setting was spectacular, I could envision myself there. I did struggle with the pacing of the book and would have appreciated a little more development.

ONE LAST SHOT by Betty Cayouette was a fun, quick weekend read, but ultimately not anything groundbreaking or memorable.

A forgotten marriage pact brings two friends-to-lovers-to-strangers-to-friends-to-lovers back to each other in this parallel timeline romance. Photographer Theo and high fashion model Emerson find each other ten years after a mysterious teenage falling out and are immediately drawn back into their mutual friendship and attraction. Set in the lush landscape of Cinque Terre, they rediscover each other over the course of a several-day photoshoot.

I love a friends to lovers romance that flashes back and forth between timelines and keeps us guessing as to what led to the separation, a la EVERY SUMMER AFTER, but this one didn't really have the magic spark of tension and longing that keeps me captivated. Overall, it feels kind of bland and underdeveloped. I wanted more detail, more richness, more background, and much more pining.

And while I enjoyed the author's writing style just fine, I find it frustrating when it appears that book deals go to who goes viral on TikTok. If virality is the indicator for what book deals happen, I'm a little discouraged at the future of book publishing.

A solidly mid read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. ONE LAST SHOT is out now.

I went in to this book with such high hopes and it really lived up to my expectations. This is not just a cute fluffy romance, there was some actual depth that I enjoyed. This would be a great summer read, bonus points if it's on the beach in Italy.

Unique story from a debut author! One I think many of my patrons will enjoy for the summer. It did have a good amount of spice but a great addition to the summer titles I’m looking to add to the library!

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this!
I would give this a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
This is a great second chance romance story about Emerson, a successful fashion model and Theo, a successful photographer. Its dual POV (one of my favorite setups) and goes back and forth as you learn about their highschool romance 10 years prior and their current estrangement. There's just a touch of spice towards the end as they rekindle their relationship and try to find a way to love their current versions of each other and not their past selves.
I loved Theo's point of view in particular. For me, the career sections really shined: I love when career is really used as a plot driver, and it was clear the author really understood the modeling world. I also LOVED that the women in this story really propelled/rooted for each other.
I do wish the thing that drove them apart wasn't glossed over so much: I wanted something a bit more impactful. I also thought their slight 3rd act breakup moment was kind of silly and unnecessary. I would have preferred them powering through any issues than either running away. It resolved quick enough.
But overall: I really enjoyed this.

When Emerson’s phone reminds her that if she isn’t married by her 38th birthday she is to marry her best friend from high school. Emerson will stop at nothing to rekindle their friendship and maybe even more, but is it possible after not seeing each other for decades? Cute story that had me smiling. A great book to tuck into your beach bag for a summer read.

I found Betty on TikTok so when I saw her debut novel on NetGalley I knew I needed it. Such a cute romance novel and can’t wait to hear more from Betty.

"One Last Shot" by Betty Cayouette is a sweet romance set in the picturesque backdrop of Cinque Terre, Italy. Emerson and Theo, with their past marriage pact, reunite after ten years during a photoshoot, reigniting old feelings.

The characters are likable but their relationship feels somewhat predictable. However, the setting adds a delightful touch of romance to the story.

Overall, "One Last Shot" is a pleasant read for fans of second-chance romances, offering a simple and enjoyable escape into the world of love and rekindled connections.

I found this book incredibly offensive and upsetting, which is rare. It felt extremely insulting to victims of SA with the way this was depicted and processed in the book. I won’t be reading again, nor am I comfortable recommending.

I love second chance romances and this one was very cute even if part of the storytelling didn’t work for me. The plot dealt with some heavy topics, but I appreciated the fact that the characters had anxiety and insecurities about themselves and their relationship. Everything wasn’t “perfect” as soon as they were back together and they still had to communicate to understand each other. Both were prone to falling back on bad habits to protect themselves and they had to learn to overcome that. I wasn’t a fan of the high school flashbacks and feel some of those scenes could have been shorter. I wanted to stay more in the present and experience Theo and Emerson now instead of bouncing back in time when the main story line became tense.

This is a sweet story of two people who were friends and lovers in high school, but haven’t spoken in a decade. They want to rekindle their relationship, but each is scared of the pain the other inflicted previously. One is a model, the other is a photographer so they work together on a shoot.

It’s been a while since I binged a book in a day, but thankfully I had an ALC and an E-ARC to this one thanks to Macmillan Audio, NetGalley, and the Publishers!

I absolutely LOVED this one and I can’t wait to add a physical copy to my shelves! This is a story about a supermodel and a photographer with a past marriage pact who meet again ten years later on a photoshoot in Cinque Terre, Italy.


If you love dual POVs, then/now timelines, high school friends to lovers to strangers with a time gap setting this story up for the sweetest second chance romance- then this is for you!

I’m a sucker for the friends to lovers trope so watching Emerson and Theo meet and fall in love as teens was so tender, especially juxtaposed with them as adults trying to heal old wounds and find their way back to one another!

Now, supermodel Emerson is nearing her twenty-eighth birthday, and she’s tired of looking for love in all the wrong places. When the calendar reminder for the marriage pact she and Theo made as teens goes off on her phone, she realizes this is it—her chance to rekindle the only romance that ever really made sense. Emerson convinces her grumpy agent to book her as the face of the fashion campaign that Theo, now a fashion photographer, is shooting. The good news: the campaign is being shot in ridiculously romantic Cinque Terre, Italy. The bad news? Theo might not be as happy to see her as she'd hoped.

This was angsty, full of sweet moments, and just darling to read as well as listen to! The audio is dual narration making the dual POVs really pop and feel distinct! I couldn’t stop listening once I started and found myself spacing out in the middle of busy Saturday things for my family while my mind really snuck into the story!

Highly recommend!

1 🌶️ nothing on page, some kissing.

CW for SA, not on page and delicately addressed by the author at the beginning of the book so you understand the actions and feelings of the FMC the entire novel!

I do love the “if we’re not married by a certain time let’s marry each other” trope and this was no exception! The friends to lovers/second chance was done really well. A fun summer romance!

good mystery and i loved the friends too. I really enjoyed the romance and how it solved . I also loved reading this author. Really enjoyed her friends. Great book.

I had to DNF this at like 30%. I was so bored and there were so many typos. I feel I would get lost while trying to read it because some wording was off.

I enjoyed this book! Emerson and Theo were both likable and had me rooting for them from the very beginning. I love a second chance romance and all the angst that comes with them ... that said, there were times where I wanted a bit more emotional depth (but I don't think book lacked that). Would happily read another Betty Cayouette!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this one and it had some of my favorite "tropes". Second chance romance, friends to lovers, etc. I even thought that there were some heavy topics that were tastefully done. I wish maybe there was a bit more communication in the middle of the book. It was a slower moving story, but I did enjoy the dual timelines.

I think if you are looking for a romance that is a bit heavier than a mindless chick-lit, you'll really like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley & the Publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars rounded down. I have admittedly never heard of this author until I read this book, and found out in the acknowledgements that apparently she is a viral TikTok star. That being said, I found this book to be good but not great. I love the famous/not famous troupe and appreciated the friends to lovers aspect of this book. It was the miscommunication and complete LACK of communication that bothered me at time. I felt the plot moved forward quite quickly at the beginning, slowed significantly in the middle but the end did wrap up nicely. I liked the portions of the books that showed the past relationship of Emerson and Theo, but at times they almost felt a bit unnecessary. This review seems critical, but I did enjoy the book. The positives were definitely the setting, the author transported us immediately to Italy in the summer which I appreciated, and I did enjoy the story itself. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it might not be one that is remembered forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.