This is a cute childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance that would be a great summer read.

Emerson and Theo were besties in high school. They made a pact that if they were still single at 28 they would marry each other and put it in their phone calendars. They had a break in their friendship at eighteen and haven't spoken since.

It's now ten years later. Emerson is a supermodel and Theo a fashion photographer. The ten year reminder goes off on both their phones, and Emerson finagles a photo shoot for herself with Theo as the photographer.

It's clear they have feelings for each other. I liked the dual timeline telling and the high school portions that slowly tell us why their friendship broke apart.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC
I adored this book! I feel like people either love or hate friends to lovers/second chance romance, but it's a personal favorite for me. I feel like it had all the microtropes I love and wish I could write myself - marriage pact, traveling, it's always been you, etc. The multiple timelines was so much fun and relatable to high school romance/friendships. Definitely recommend

Thank you to @Netgalley for the eARC and @macmillan.audio for the ALC of One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

Let’s just get this out of the way- IS THIS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COVER?? Yes, it is. As you can see from my photo album in the photo, I have been to Cinque Terre and was thrilled to revisit it in this book! What a perfect location! Oddly enough, I was in Michael's yesterday and there was some Cinque Terre art, which you don't always see: swipe for that. Hats off to a great title- so many have little meaning, and this one is clever in not one, but two ways.

The cover was an A+ for me, but page one was problematic- I appreciated the author’s note and I find trigger warnings necessary, but it was a major spoiler!

Supermodel Emerson and her high school boyfriend/ first love/ only love, photographer Theo, made a pact way back when, and it’s time to see if the pact still holds true. This book contains celebrity romance, friends to lovers, second chance, dual POV, dual timeline, one small tent, and miscommunication tropes.

I don’t know if there were pacing problems, but I wasn’t riveted. Misunderstanding is not my fave; just talk it out, people. Regardless, the author wrote some lovely words that will absolutely have me checking out her next book.

Narrator Brittany Pressley is a fan favorite and Sean Patrick Hopkins- I love him! He was incredible in Lynn Painter’s Happily Never After and he remains consistently excellent in this read.

3.5/5 stars
10 hours 46 minutes at 1x on audio
Door: I recall is being off the page?
Location: Cinque Terre, Italy, Los Angeles, CA, Boston, MA

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this Audiobook ARC. One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette was a sweet second chance romance between two high school best friends. Emerson and Theo were high school best friends who not so secretly were absolutely in love with each other. After a traumatic event Emerson leaves New England and heads to LA where her modeling career is taking off. Theo becomes a respected photographer and both still wonder to this day "what if?" Both of their phones 10 year calendar reminder goes off that if they were both not married they were going to marry each other. Emerson gets the idea that this could be her last shot with Theo and decides to model for the campaign he is shooting. I loved the story, but I don't think that mis communication tropes are for me. I felt super frustrated at times, but it was well done. I ended up falling in love with these characters and you could just feel the love they have for each other! 4 stars from me!

Thank you so much to @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ALC/ARC! #MacAudio2024

📸 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 📸
This was an excellent debut novel! The story is based on friendship, love and a marriage pact that two friends made to marry each other when they turn 28.

Emerson has made it as a superstar model and her high school best friend Theo is a fashion photographer. They both get an alert to a pact they made the decade prior, where they left their relationship without closure. Emerson meets up with Theo again on a shoot in Italy, determined to make things right between them.

The setting for this book was a lot of fun. A fashion shoot in a beautiful location. I enjoyed the questions game these two would play in their next door hotel rooms. It was fun to flash back to high school and see how they met and got to know each other as well.

There are some tough topics that do get brought up in this story, and it’s highlighted in the authors note as well. It was handled well by the author, and how she wanted to tell the main characters story.

I like the positive note the story ended on. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins did an amazing job narrating Emerson and Theo. I’ve come to enjoy Pressley’s narration more and more each time I listen to her. Both were able to bring out raw emotion in their characters that really brought the audiobook to life!

🎧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
📸 Friends to Lovers
📸 Second Chance Romance
📸 Marriage Pact
📸 Model and Photographer
📸 Miscommunication
📸 Dual Timelines/POV

An amazing debut romance!! I'm not usually a fan of miscommunication but honestly this book needed the trope and Betty used it so well! I wish I was sitting pretty in Italy or somewhere warm on vacation when I listened to this one but in my head I was so that will have to do. I love when a book is told in the present and the past, especially for a second chance romance because it gives us all the detail and plays out slowly in both times -- just perfection. It's one of my favorite aspects of this story and I love their love at all stages. Theo and Emerson are so easily lovable throughout and even when they do something questionable it always comes from a good place or at least is easy to understand why they acted that way.

High school best friends/first loves Theo and Emerson made a marriage pact when they were teenagers and both still have the phone reminder set after 10 years apart. When the reminder goes off just in time for their 28th birthdays, the two -- now a supermodel and a fashion photographer -- are reunited on a photoshoot... and not by chance. Emerson wants to get the only man she's ever truly loved back and Theo wants the same, but will nerves/anxieties, miscommunication and a shady agent keep them apart?

UGH such a sweet, heartfelt, romantic book! Theo and Emerson are so genuine and kind, you just want to give them both a big hug. They each have really supportive best friends and for Theo, a really loving family. The side characters big and small were all great -- the besties, the fam, the other models -- they all added something to the story. Their meet-cute at freshman orientation was perfectly awkward, nerdy and cute!! I love how many just sweet gestures there are throughout the book, it shows that the MCs really know each other so well and care about making each other feel happy or comfortable. Even though miscommunication is a large part of the story, I like that the reader knows how gone for each other they both are from the beginning and their love is never in question. Theo was the best part of Em's life when they were younger and she was his perfect fit and as adults they continue to push each other to be their best selves and go for what they want.

The narrators perfectly voiced everyone and were so engaging. The pacing was great and the jumps back in time were done seamlessly. I loved this as an audio because I felt like the story was playing out right in front of me and I didn't have to imagine what the MCs would sound like because that's already been decided. Brittany Presley has narrated a lot of audios that I've listened to and she never disappoints! I've only had one other experience with Sean Patrick Hopkins as a narrator but I've enjoyed both works immensely and he does a fantastic job as well.

*childhood best friends
*second chance romance
*first loves
*friends to lovers
*slow burn
*forced proximity
*marriage pact
*time crunch
*will they or won't they
*miscommunication
*questions game
*she wears his clothes

"You're the whole orange" --iykyk

I had such a great time with this one and will be on the look out for any future Betty Cayouette books!

CW: mention of past off-page sexual assault

Big thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emerson and Theo were high school best friends, they created a typical 10 years marriage pack. 10 years pass and Emerson is determined to see if anything can spark with Theo. Emerson being a model books a shoot in Cinque Terre with Theo as the photographer pretending that it is coincidental. Although, I did enjoy the book I'm not a huge miscommunicate trope lovers as all could be solved so quickly. The romance was very sweet and a good summer read. If you are into a light and fluffy miscommunication, friends to lovers, and second chance romance than this will probably be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.75/5 stars

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening 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. The audio was great and I think the narrators were chosen very well, especially Brittany Pressley. 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!

I really liked this one! This is a second chance romance between a famous model and a photographer and it’s set in Italy. I thought it was the perfect summer romance and loved the setting so much. For a debut novel this was really impressive to me! My only complaint was that the miscommunication trope was leaned on heavily and it’s one of my least favorite tropes so that is mainly a me problem

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.

One Last Shot- Betty Cayouette
Narrated by Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice 🌶️
Narration 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧

This books was such a cute story about childhood friends with a pact to get married if they weren’t married to other people by the time they were 28. Seeing how both Emerson and Theo’s lives and careers were affected individually after a tragic event and the reactions to said event and then seeing them come back together after 10 years apart and reflecting on how that one decision basically determined all their future relationships, the decisions they made for their career, and their overall outlook on life, I thought was so realistic. Such a beautiful debut from Betty and I hope to see more from her in the future!

Brittany and Sean are new to me narrators and I thought they did incredible. They brought so much emotion to these characters and I loved seeing them come to life. I hope to hear more from them in the future as well.

📸 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!

Upon finishing this book all I have to say is GIVE ME MORE Model and Photographer on location in beautiful costal locations, friends to lovers to strangers reuniting after 10 years, marriage pact, and High School flash back romances!

This was definitely a really fun summer debut and I can’t wait to see what @bettysbooklist does next!!! Also I have to admit that I liked the physical reading of this book but I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the audiobook version! Mostly because I found out how to properly pronounce the author’s last name but also because the voice actors were just soooooo good! It’s the kind of book you want to lay out in the sun and listen to!

Happy first pub day Betty!!!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the review ALC💕

4.25⭐️

One Last Shot by @bettysbooklist - 4⭐ 0.5🌶️

Guys, I loved almost everything about this book. I am grateful that was chosen to read this through NetGalley, but it is worth buying.

MY LOVES: This book felt both unique and totally familiar. It was bringing back memories of my first love that I hadn't thought about in years. Emerson and Theo were always right for each other, but they didn't take the plunge in the high school for a litany of [good] reasons.

I had butterflies throughout. Not to mention, it mostly takes place in Cinque Terre, Italy, which is probably the most picturesque it could be. There were so many sweet touches that felt like their love was "growing up" with them, regardless of the time they spent apart. My personal favorite was the questions game; so, perfectly high school, and it became so perfectly them. I did not find myself wondering if they would work out, but I couldn't stop reading as if stopping the book might affect the outcome. LOL

MY ONLY QUALMS: I had 3 issues with this story. These were not huge, but they were occasionally pretty annoying. First, I felt like there was too much time spent wondering if they would get together. I liked the tension at first, but it got old around the 50% mark. Second, the third-act breakup 😩I really felt like this author was better than that. God, it's literally everyone's pet peeve, and this couple didn't deserve it. Finally, the marriage proposal at the end. I didn't need that for them. They were growing and healing together. I want them to have that time so their relationship feels adult.

Overall, I will 100% be recommending this book and I will 100% be reading more by this author. But can we pleeeeeaaaaasseeee stop with the 3ABU??

One Last Shot is a heartwarming love story about two high school besties who get a shot at love ten years later. While some of the tropes may seem silly on their own, woven together in this story they felt genuine and real. The MCs were well constructed and felt like real people from the beginning until the end.

I really enjoyed this romcom. It handled some tough subjects in very consumable ways that made it easy for the reader to understand while not being overwhelmed by the weight of the subjects. It was so intricately brought together in a respectful and thoughtful way.

I listened to the audiobook which was performed well by two narrators who helped bring the characters further to life. I listened at 1.75x speed (with 1.75-2x speed my normal audiobook listening speed).

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this advanced audiobook copy.

Really enjoyed this audiobook! Second chance romance is not always my favorite but this was very well done!

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio, St. Martin’s Griffin, & NetGalley for the free audiobook.

Blurb:
A debut romance about a supermodel and a photographer with a past marriage pact who meet again ten years later on a photo shoot in Cinque Terry, Italy.

✨ My thoughts:
Really stinkin’ cute!! I couldn’t get enough. I listened to this audiobook in one sitting. I live when old friends reconnect and fall in love, or I guess in this case… reconnect and finally tell each other how the really feel about each other?! The miscommunication trope is definitely one of my least favorites but it seemed to work for me in this book. Theo is literally the BEST friend, he’s so supportive, even I fell in love with him. He’s pretty much perfect AND we got a dreamy backdrop. The narrators were fantastic and brought this story to life perfectly. If you’re looking for a friends to lovers, slow burn, that’s quick and dreamy… this is the one to pick up! One Last Shot is out now!!

Happy reading 📖

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.

This was a characteristically cute contemporary romance, great for an easy, thoughtless summer read.

Two best friends from high-school end up in the same industry (photographer/model), and find themselves not only working on the same set, but still secretly in love with each other; both wanting to fulfill a pact they made as teenagers to marry each other by 28 if they weren’t already married to someone else. (I was still a wild animal at 28, this is 2024… so early on in the story the believability aspect slipped for me for a number of reasons, this being the first.)

I'm a photographer by trade, so I could appreciate the industry pieces and enjoyed them. That said, some of it was cliche, in both industry and romance aspects. The pacing was also a bit off for me, and the story itself could have used more editing to prevent the plot line from falling into the paint-by-numbers romance category; and it fell hard into that for me.

This is a story for the contemporary romance reader who enjoys second chance romances, enemies to lovers, and MAJOR miscommunication tropes (I do not, and this is another area where she lost me).

The story kept me entertained for the most part, and the characters did have in depth background stories; enough so that I could see the work the author put into them, which is always appreciated.

Overall, this was a cute story, but I personally wanted this to feel a little more real and edgy coming from someone who was a part of this type of career. This could have been a perfect book with a few well thought out changes.

Emerson is a famous supermodel, a dream she only imagined in her youth. An alert pops up on her phone, reminding her about a marriage pact she made with her best friend, Theo. They had lost touch over the years, a secret Emerson wasn’t ready to tell. Now, she wants to rekindle and see if there’s something there. She asks her agent to book a shoot with Theo, now a fashion photographer. Theo also shares his POV, and how similar they are to Emerson’s. It comes down to if they’re brave enough to express how they feel.

This was a cute debut! I was also excited that Emerson was narrated by my favorite narrator, which really helped me fly through this audiobook. This is a slow burn, friends to lovers, and second chance romance so if you like those tropes, it’s right up your alley! The book switches POVs and also timelines, as we see their blossoming friendship in high school vs. their pending connection now. I struggled a bit keeping focus at times, but I think reading it would’ve made a difference for me. There is some miscommunication, which I love how Emerson blatantly called it out, haha. Again, a cute listen!