3.75/5 stars

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for the advanced reading copy! !

CW: off-page sexual assault

SYNOPSIS -- Emerson and Theo were inseparable as teenagers until crossing a boundary made it impossible for their friendship/budding relationship to continue. 10 years later, Emerson is reminded of their marriage pact, made at 18, when she gets an alert about it on her phone. Desperate for a fresh-start and another chance, she worms her way into Theo's most recent shoot, much to his surprise and her agent's. Emerson and Theo only have a few days together before their careers and differences might rip them apart, and they're both determined to reach their seemingly different goals in that time. Will they make their last shot worth it, or lose each other forever?

This book was so cute! I loved both characters and the supporting characters added a ton to the story, especially the dynamic with the models. Overall, the premise seemed a bit far-fetched, but if you can commit to the story, it will be well worth it. Italy was a great setting and it was fun to read about the modeling industry in this way. Some really awesome lowkey feminism built into this one, too, and that made it special. Parts of this book became a bit frustrating, especially with all of the miscommunications/assumptions being made by both characters. Certain things felt glossed-over in a way that was less than satisfying, but this story was well-told overall. The flashback chapters were my FAV -- so cute to read and gave a ton of helpful insight into the Emerson and Theo of the present. Honestly, though there are a few plot flaws, I really loved this one and enjoyed every second of this listen!

Title: One Last Shot
Author: Betty Cayouette
Length: 352
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: May 7, 2024
Genre: Romance
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Spice Level: open door
Summary:
Reunited after a decade, supermodel Emerson and photographer Theo confront their past and rekindle old flames during a photoshoot in picturesque Cinque Terre, Italy. As they navigate lingering feelings and unexpected obstacles, they must decide if this reunion is their last chance at love or a final farewell.

Thoughts:
Second chance romance is VERY hit and miss for me, so I went into this one a little weary. This one is dual POV and dual timeline, so that helped give me some insight into how I could root for Emerson and Theo to get back together. Let me be clear: if you’re someone who can’t stand a miscommunication trope, this book isn’t for you. It’s super prevalent in the first half of the book and even continues on until the very end. However, I stuck it out, and I’m glad I did :) My favorite parts were going back in time to when Theo and Emerson were in high school. Their friendship and love was so pure and adorable. I also loved how present-day Emerson had her girl tribe help her to get Theo back. Always love a good girl tribe! Third thing I loved most was how devoted Theo was to Emerson. It was top notch devotion! Overall, I really enjoyed the story and characters. Just wish there was less miscommunication.

Special thanks to the @stmartinpress and @netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book! It feels like the perfect summer romance that makes you fall in with the characters completely. I loved the switch from past and present times, and the viewpoints of multiple characters. Overall, a 5 star for me!

Emerson burst into modeling as a teenager and has built a career on being the best. Theo is a photographer who tends to take comfort work to pay the bills and have a more low-key life, despite the dreams he had as an idealistic teenager. While Emerson and Theo were in separatable in high school, that changed one night and neither have really recovered. Ten years later, their "wedding pact" reminders go off on their phones and it's time to see if their romance can be rekindled.

The miscommunication trope normally irks me but I felt it really worked with Emerson and Theo. This friends to lovers, second chance romance has just enough suspense to keep it interesting without going so far that it's insufferable. I appreciated the host of friend characters who didn't play into the type stereotypes you'd expect to see in this genre. They added to the story's value and gave depth to the plot and the main characters.

I have no idea who the author is so I went in blind and I thought this was a well written piece of romance and look forward to the authors next work.

Thank you SMP Romance for the ARC.

If you're on social media, you likely already know who Betty Cayouette is. Or you may know her by her handle, "BettysBookList" where she has been reviewing and sharing books with fellow readers for years. But now, it's Betty's chance to have readers talk about her book.

I don't read much romance these days, but I have been following "BettysBookList" for a few years, and I was excited to hear she was getting to release her own book. The publicity leading up to this release was well done, and it felt authentic to the persona the author has created online.

To start, this story has some of the characteristic corniness of romance novels. A great example is right at the beginning. The story begins with Emerson breaking up with her boyfriend; she initially was interested in him because they met at a party at his home and he had several books on his bookshelves. She felt she found someone who enjoyed reading like she did, and she found out he'd never read any of them, and broke up with him. Conveniently, the alert reminding her of the pact with Theo pops up right after this breakup.

This story has a delightful host of supporting characters. The author does a great job keeping the side characters likable and authentic, but they never overtake the story. This story belongs to Emerson and Theo, their past history, and the present-day experience they have while reconnecting in Cinque Terre, Italy.

This story reminded me off and on of a Hallmark movie. Hallmark movies always have these clandestine, sweet love stories, but there are some miscommunications that ruffle feathers. I don't mind some miscommunications but I did find it frustrating that Emerson and Theo have this bond, and clearly strong feelings for each other, but struggle to communicate directly. I also found it somewhat unrealistic that after being in their collective industries for years, neither is hip to being manipulated by others, or by folks having an agenda of their own.

The story itself is well-balanced. There are serious moments (there is a TW for sexual assault at the beginning), but these heavier moments don't dominate the book. There are bad and good moments that happen to Emerson and Theo in their lives, but this story ultimately remains a romance.

I think this book is a great read, and definitely worth picking up. Betty Cayouette, while well-known for her social media presence, has outdone herself with her debut book.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s, and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy of the ebook and audiobook.

I started the ebook first. I didn’t like that Emerson calls herself a model SO MUCH. Do people really refer to their profession that much??? I wasn’t motivated to pick up the book much so I switched to the audio and enjoyed it SO MUCH MORE. I loved that there were 2 narrators—and one was Brittany Presley. She has become a favorite of mine. I enjoyed the way Emerson and Theo came back together and developed their relationship. I appreciated the pace and how the reveal (mentioned in the foreword) came into play. Would definitely seek out future books by Betty Cayouette. Great debut.

This was a very sweet second chance romance. I loved how the timeline jumped between past and present, giving us the full idea of what Theo and Emersons relationship is like. I thought the side characters could have been a little more thought-out and well written, they felt very one dimensional to me. I loved how sweet both Emerson and Theo were.

⭐️⭐️

Thank you Net-Galley for the E-ARC

I hate giving a debut author a two stars, but sadly, this book just wasn’t for me.

We start with Theo and Emerson (or Em) who have been perfect high school friends both wanting more. One day, they fall apart and live their own lives. Em is now a world renowned super model and Theo, a photographer. A marriage pact they set up in high school just went off, even if they haven’t talked in ten years. They have one week to reconnect, can they do it?

My problems with this book was it just felt like it dragged on forever. The plot felt very slow and like not a lot of progress happened. The characters very obviously still have feelings for each other, and so a poor job of communicating any of it.

I also wish we spent more time in their past, I would’ve like to know more about the years they weren’t together, with Theo knowing Allison and Em healing from her trauma.

Overall I felt this book had great potential but just felt very slow and anticlimactic for me.

💗❤️💗
You’ll love this book if you like…
• Friends to lovers
• Then and now POV
• LGBTQ+ representation
• Sweet romance, minimal spice

This was a FANTASTIC friends to lovers, second chance, dual POV, forced proximity debut romance!! I loved the Italian setting, the flashbacks, the childhood best friends who reunite years later on a shoot as a famous A list supermodel and a much lesser known photographer thanks to a marriage pact they made as kids.

📸 One Last Shot - Betty Cayouette

3.75 ⭐️ - I was pleasantly surprised by this one. A friends to lovers, second chance romance set in Italy is bound to be lovable. It was sweet, funny, and light with some added extra struggles for our characters.

The storyline was sweet and I enjoyed the flashbacks to our characters love story in high school. The flashback and present day timeline allowed us to see the growth the characters made and understand their love for each other. I loved the model/photographer aspect too. The middle got a tad slow for me, but overall, it was enjoyable. Definitely one to add to your summer reading list!

Thank you Netgalley, St Martin Press, and Macmillan audio for the early ARC and ALC! This beauty is out now!

dnf 19%. I literally groaned when the miscommunication trope of it all was set up and continued on but just found myself just slowing down because I was not feeling it. I hate miscommunication as the main trope of a novel. I checked reviews and found that it continues throughout the whole book. I can't do it. On top of the trope there were pacing issues and after the author's note I was dreading when the sexual assault reflections would begin. this one wasn't for me.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this book. This is the perfect book for summer if you are fan of cute rom-coms. I loved being able to see the characters grow throughout the book, especially with the dual timelines and dual POV.

Thanks to SMP and Netgalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review.

A second chance romance gets me every time! Loved this so much. The characters were so appealing to me and I binged it in a day!

A debut childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance between a photographer and a model in Italy.

Emerson and Theo met as teenagers and became inseparable for the entire of their high school years. The stayed in the friend zone for the entire time, but found a way to move into a romantic relationship at the end, only for it all to implode the minute they declared feelings.

Now a decade later Emerson gets an alert of her phone reminding her of the marriage pact they made as teens if they hadn't found love by their 28th birthdays. Emerson takes it as the push she needs to get in contact with Theo again and hopefully rekindle their feelings. She even goes against her agents advice and gets herself booked on a shoot he is photographing in Italy. They are both convinced the other doesn't have feelings still but have 4 days to figure it out between them.

This was such a beautiful and authentic love story. It is weird to say that a romance between 2 childhood friends turned famous celebrities would be so relatable but it is truly a reflection of how talented the author is in making this such an unforgettable love story. The characters were so real and down to earth and i rooted for them from page one. The dual timeline is a favourite plot device of mine so I was so happy to see it. It is so impressive that this is a debut but the author clearly has the talent.

DNF at 4% or chapter 2.

i had a bad feeling about this one right after reading page one but thought it would get better. i did not vibe with this writing nor did i like the premise. the premise in the summary sounded good but after touching the surface of the story, its just not something i would be interested in continuing.

in just the first chapter, the author does a ton of telling instead of showing and the female main character has a lot unhappiness going on in her life which leads her to the conclusion that she should seek out her high school sweetheart that she hasn’t spoken to in years for a “last chance at love”.

i really would have preferred the female main character focus on herself then go on a ridiculous random quest to seek out someone you haven’t spoken to in years.

thank you to netgalley and st. marten’s press for an e-arc of this book.

One last shot was a fun summer read! I’m glad I got the arc from NetGalley!

Though I’m not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope (which was pretty much present throughout the book), we love a second chance romance (and set in Italy for most of it). I thought this was great debut novel for the author, and if you like celebrity romance mixed with high school angst, this is the book for you!

I rarely enjoy second chance romance but really enjoyed this one. The flashbacks really showed how close these two were and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC of One Last Shot. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Miscommunication is my least favorite trope and it reared its ugly head in chapter 5.

Looking past that. The growth of Emerson and Theo left me with a satisfying ending. I love how the title of this book actually represents the story within.

Estranged high school friends become coworkers and possibly lovers? Such a fun premise for a book!

Emerson and Theo were the best of friend in high school, and the pair even made a marriage pact saying they would marry each other if they turned 28 and were still single. When supermodel Em’s alarm reminding her of the pact goes off, she decides to request to work with photographer Theo on a shoot in Italy to get back in touch and see if they still have a connection.

The setting and plot are fun, and I enjoyed seeing Theo and Emerson slowly find their way back to a friendship and possibly more. Emerson had a dark experience in her past that has shaped her to this day, lending a serious tone to a portion of the story. Otherwise things are pretty lighthearted and almost frivolous feeling, with photo shoots and premieres galore. It was fun to see behind the glamorous curtain and take a peek at these events.

I liked this one but didn’t love it, and I’m rating it 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I had high hopes for this audiobook. At the start I wasn't thrilled with the narrator but she grew on me, the story however did not. I am all for a friends to lovers and second chance romance but it just didn't do it for me. I felt like something was missing in the current day timeline.