I was really pleasantly surprised by this story and enjoyed the second chance aspect of the story.

I found the flashback scenes to be very well written and really helped to set the scene for the relationship.

I loved the characters and the plot and the setting of Cinque Terre, Italy was just amazing and had me wishing I was visiting Italy soon.

Loved it! The perfect summer romance highly recommend!

I really wanted to like this book. It was everything that I loved. Childhood best friends turned estranged turned lovers, but then there's the miscommunication trope which isn't my favorite. I loved Theo as a character by himself. He was the best cinnamon roll MMC, Emerson wasn't my favorite FMC, I just felt that they didn't have a connection once they grew up. She's holding on to the idea of how Theo was as a teenager and with her modeling career of course there's bound to have problems with them two. It felt like the book dragged on too long and I think it could've ended earlier.

This book was meh. While I didn’t hate it, I didn’t love it. I kept reading it and at times found it enjoyable. I don’t have strong feelings either way. I don’t think you will be mad at me if you read this but you also wouldn’t want to chatter a jet, fly to my house, and give me a high five either. And that’s the review.

Smut- meh
Romance- meh
Story- meh
Meh- 5 stars

#meh #smuttybookreviews #smutbooks #romancestagram #summerreads #modelsandphotographers #marriagepact #romancebooks

I enjoyed this second chance romance between a model and photographer. The story follows Emerson and Theo, who fell in love as kids and made a pact to marry when they turned 28 if they were still single. Fast forward ten years later and the two of them end up on a photo shoot together in Italy. I loved the past and present chapters, forced proximity, friends to lovers, and dual POV. The only thing that bothered me was all the miscommunication…it drove me nuts at times. All in all, this was a cute read. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This was such a sweet book. I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but their story was beautiful! I loved getting the past story too! They are a swoony and the mutual pining was just everything!!

Theo and Emerson were best friends in high school. They were completely inseparable and agreed that if neither one was married by 28 (not so old, by the way) that they would marry either other. They even went so far as to put a calendar reminder on their phone so they wouldn't forget. For reasons that aren't entirely clear throughout most of the book, they do not end up together despite how much they care about each other.

Fast forward 10 years and Emerson is a celebrity model and Theo is a professional photographer. Emerson decides she has to give it one last shot and see if she and Theo can be together, so she arranges to be a model for an upcoming photo shoot he's doing in Italy.

After not seeing each other for ten years the sparks are still there when the reunite, but neither one will admit it. This trope drives me bonkers. Just tell each other how you feel and stop denying you are in love!

I did enjoy the setting and imagery described, and the book touched on some more serious topics beyond the romance and I think the inclusion enhanced my reading experience. I also really liked Theo and found him to be immensely likable and an overall caring and thoughtful character. The chemistry between the two was also well written.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Title: One Last Shot
Author: Betty Cayouette
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

From the moment Emerson and Theo met as teenagers, they were inseparable. But just when they finally expressed their feelings to one another, they were torn apart.

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 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.

The two embark on a four-day campaign that tests not only their feelings, but their ability to keep their hands off one another. But as roadblock after roadblock keeps them apart, Emerson starts to will this photoshoot be the key to getting one last shot at love, or will it be a final goodbye?

This was a decent read, but not anything unexpected. I liked the glimpse into modeling life (that I assume is somewhat realistic), and I actually enjoyed Emerson’s friendships with her two besties quite a bit. The miscommunication trope was, I felt, a bit overdone here. To a ridiculous degree. Come on, people, just talk to each other, already!

Betty Cayouette is an author, viral video content creator and cinematographer. One Last Shot is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Meh this was average. Nothing special. It had some solid points but nothing to run home to mama about.

🍩 🍩 🍩 🍩 / 5

A marriage pact, the fashion industry (one MC is a supermodel and the other is a photographer), childhood friends and a beautiful setting in Cinque Terre Italy made this book a really fun read! Emerson and Theo were childhood besties who had some wonderful and special times but fell out of touch. They had a marriage pact that if they aren’t married by 28 they would marry each other - the time has come and both are single!

I really enjoyed many aspects of this book but also will say some parts fell a little flat for me - I find it a bit hard to believe an 17-18 year old boy would be so thoughtful and pensive hanging on every word she said but that is the beauty of books! They give you the chance to escape to a world that perhaps you wish you had!!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s press, and Macmillian Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to this book! Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins, the narrators of the audiobook, were amazing to listen to! I felt the emotion in both of their voices! I also absolutely loved and adored the author’s note.

I was so excited to read Betty's debut novel as I was a fan of hers prior to her writing this novel. I was even more thrilled when I found it out it was set in Cinque Terre as I'm Italian and have been there myself. I really enjoyed Emerson and Theo as individuals but they shone even more together. I loved their dynamic, especially in the flash backs. Those really gave the story a heart beat and the pining and angst was sooo good.

I loved getting both POV's as well as the flashbacks as it allowed us to grow with them and see their dynamic change throughout the book. I also liked seeing how their dynamic shifted in Italy, going from being a little unsure of the other but the undeniable chemistry still being there. It was lovely and I look forward to Betty's next book!

This book unfortunately wasn't a great fit for me, it leaned heavily into some tropes that I really don't enjoy.

I think that it will do well with it's intended audience and I look forward to checking out more releases in the future.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for allowing me to read this early.

I both read this book and listened to the audio narrated by Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins. Both narrarors did a fantastic job of portraying the different characters. I do feel that the audio enhanced the experience of the book.

This is a friends to lovers and second chance romance, Emerson and Theo were best friends in high school and made a pact to marry each other if neither of them was already married when they turned twenty-eight. There is a disruption in their friendship in high school. They lose contact, and Emerson goes on to become a super model, and Theo becomes a fairly successful photographer. Emerson decides she wants one more shot at a forever relationship with Theo and arranges to work on one of his shoots in Italy.

The development of the main characters is fantastic. The dual timeline shows the personal growth of the characters through the years and the maturity and growth in their relationship.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

As much as I wanted to read a book set in Cinque Terre where two beautiful people fall back in love, this book fell flat for me. Within the first few pages, the plot seemed very predictable & miscommunication was everywhere. It seems highly unlikely that two people who have been pining for one another for ten years would have engaged with that level of radio silence. Plus, there was very little description of the famous Italian coast which might have been the greatest offense.

I have followed Betty on social media for the last few years, and I was so excited to hear she was writing a novel! This was a great debut! I loved the way she handled the insecurities of the main characters! A really great read.

4.5 rounded to 5 ! I have been so excited to read this book ever since I saw Betty was writing her own book! This book was super cute…

*Dual POV and timeline
*childhood friends to lovers
*second chance romance
*set in Italy
*celebrity romance
*slow burn

LOVED! and the ending was just like the movies- so swoony !

Also, the narration on this book was amazing !! Brittany Presley and Sean Patrick Hopkins did a great job bringing Emerson and Theo to life

DNF @ 36%

This may be for some, but its not for me.

I can't stand Emerson (and honestly everyone surrounding her) and miscommunication is the WORST trope imo. I just don't have patience to read this trope, and life is to short to read books with tropes you dont care about.

Unfortunately I missed the date to download this - but I have heard great things about this one! Thank you to NetGalley anyway.

This book irritated me so much. I can understand miscommunication in a romance book because people sometimes hide their feelings, get things wrong and so on. BUT this book ONLY exists because of miscommunication. If Emerson and Theo were to talk for five minutes there would be no book. I understand the miscommunication for when they were teenagers and about everything that happened to her. But they couldn't even talk about their own feelings when they are 27?

There are so many instances. It's one after the other. Theo's gets a text saying Emerson doesn't want anything to do with him but then she appears on his photoshoot. But he never asks her about it. But keeps thinking about it and how it is inconsistent with her behavior. TALK TO HER. Emerson pretends to be in a relationship with another guy just because. JUST TALK TO HIM.

I just hated it so much.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

I loved this one. Told in then and now and dual perspective it had me rooting for Emerson and Theo and the entire story. Thank you Netgalley and St Martin!

Read for:
- Second chance romance
- Set in Cinque Terre, Italy
- A+ narration from Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Celebrity romance
- Gelato
- Debut romance novel
- Marriage pact
- A+ grand gesture

I appreciate when books discuss deeper themes and aren’t afraid to break past a surface level. Betty does something really unique with One Last Shot and addresses a topic in her introductory author’s note that the characters don’t discuss until later in the book. While it could be considered a spoiler, I think it actually reinforces Betty’s point that things that happen in our lives don’t have to define and shape our story.

Thank you to St. Martin's Griffin for the gifted ARC. All thoughts are my own.