Macmillan Audio ALC
I am extremely picky on childhood friends to lovers/second chance romances, so I was hesitant to try this one, but I am so glad I went for it. The story centerd around Emerson and Theo who made a marriage pact at 18 to marry each other at 28 if their still single. Except once they reach 28, they hadn't talked for the past decade. I thought a marriage pact made the plot so fun and really forced the characters reflect on what they are wanting in a future partner. I liked Emerson's job as a model. I found this part of the story to be interesting. It coupled so well with Theo being a professional photographer because it was a great and unique way to bring these characters back together. I sometimes can struggle with the flashbacks in this trope, but the author did such a great job of showing us what we needed to know without spending too much time in the past. There was some miscommunication here, which isn't my favorite, but the way it was resolved left me satisfied with it being in the story. Overall, this was so well done, and I look forward to more from this author.
I also adored the dual narration. Both did such an excellent performance and really brought these characters to life. I have enjoyed their performances previously, and I am so glad I got to hear them work together on this amazing romance.

One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette offers a compelling narrative with an intriguing plot that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. While the writing style may be simplistic, the story's depth and complexity shine through, captivating readers with its twists and turns. Cayouette's vivid descriptions and thorough exploration of the modeling industry add a fascinating backdrop to the narrative, providing valuable insight into this glamorous yet often misunderstood world. Additionally, the narrators' soothing voices enhance the reading experience, adding an extra layer of immersion to the story. Overall, One Last Shot is a captivating read that combines an interesting plot with engaging characters and a richly detailed setting.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

This was my first book by this author. I wasn’t sure what to expect but wow!! It was so good!!! The love story was great. I loved the backdrop. And the MCs are great! Very well written.

Oh look, it’s me reading a book that takes place in Italy again… shocker.

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this one but I ended up really loving it. I love a good second-chance romance and this one fit the bill.

Emerson and Theo have always struggled with timing. First kiss then Emerson falls off the planet. A marriage pact alerts a week before expiration and sparks Emerson into action- burning whatever bridges she needs to get to Theo. The two find each other again, after a decade, in Italy. (this is where I swoon) Theo is afraid of being crushed again, Emerson is afraid of missing her chance. Both Theo and Emerson grow tremendously, both individually and together. There were so many moments where I wanted to shout at either Theo or Emerson to just tell the other how they felt, but that honestly just made me even more invested. They are your friends to lovers, second chance romance couples goals.

Thank you @NetGalley and @MacMillianAudio for the early listen of this one. Cure your wanderlust and bleeding heart with this one.

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐’𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

Second chance romances are ruining my life! I loved everything about this! Both these characters were so lovable & my heart ached for them so much!

I love a dual timeline! I loved being able to see how their friendship first developed & how their feelings grew for each other when they were younger. Falling in love as a teenager is both the best & worst thing in the world. They were both always so sweet to each other.

I’m always so anxious when it comes to the reasoning as to why things ended in the first place. Knowing what happened absolutely tore me apart! So many tears were shed & I just wished I could hold both of them.

I also have a love/hate relationship with the miscommunication trope because I love the drama but JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!! I had so many moments where I was so frustrated with them because they could’ve easily resolved things had they just spoken up! but as always, I love the torture <3

Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc!

I adored this book. It was a little slow sometimes if you hang on, the build up is there for a reason. I loved that it wasn’t complete rainbows and sunshine in this world but had real communication issues in it. This book is well balanced and thought out.

There were things I really enjoyed about this! I loved the setting, and I’m a massive fan of friend to lovers. I think I’m just not a big fan of wealthy MCs models, annd perfectly fit bodies and the high school flash backs along with the present scenes was a little jarring for an adult romance.

i liked this romance overall. i am a fan of this author's Instagram account, so i was really excited to read her book! it's been a week or so since i finished it, so i'm trying to put my thoughts together the best i could. i apologize if this review is not as in-depth as they normally are.

what i enjoyed about the book:
- the chemistry between the characters. Theo and Emerson had a lot of tension. this is a second chance romance, so their shared past adds to the tension.
- the main characters felt real. i wasn't super connected with any characters, though i really liked how Theo was written.
- the POVs are distinct--there's Emerson's POV past and present, and Theo's POV past and present. it wasn't confusing, and the two audiobook narrators did a great job bringing them to life.
- complicated family dynamics. for some reason, i enjoy those in romance books.

room for improvement:
- the book was (mostly) set in Italy. while there were scenes that highlighted the atmosphere, i would have liked even more. i felt like we could have been on a beach in California. i wanted more distinct scenery. (off topic, but is it just me, or are there a lot of books coming out this year that are set in Italy? not a complaint, just an observation).
- there was quite a bit of miscommunication.
- i didn't enjoy the flashbacks as much as the present-day timeline.
- i thought the marriage pact wasn't utilized as much as it was going to be.
- the book could've wrapped up sooner. i still had an hour of the audiobook left before i thought the book would end. i think the last part of the book was still good, but could have been a sequel or extended epilogue/short story.

overall, this is a very solid debut romance novel and i would read from this author again. i would recommend this book if you are interested in:
- quick summer romances
- friends to lovers
- second chance romance
- photography or modeling
- two POVs & timelines

thank you to Macmillan Audio, Betty Cayouette, and Netgalley for an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I don't give 5 stars very often. As a romance reader most often I rate a romance that was good and I enjoyed it 3 stars, didn't really like it 2 stars, 1 star if I could not even finish it, which happens very rarely, 4 stars for those that I really really enjoyed, I will recommend it to others, etc., 5 stars for a romance novel (which I read so so many of) means it really stands out for some reason or usually for several reasons, I want to know that the book had more than a lovely HEA and good characters and storyline, it had something more. I was even more surprised that this one got 5 stars for me since it is a debut book and I feel like 5 stars for a debut book is even more rare! So, One Last Shot, welcome to my 5 star list and Betty Cayouette, welcome to the top of my TBR list any time you write something. I can't wait for more. (If you feel so inclined, this should be the first in a series - I'm sure I'm not the only one that would be thrilled to read the next book! Harry and Georgia are just begging to get their own HEAs!!)

Here are some of the reasons I loved One Last Shot
-- Adorably sweet and genuine characters (I especially love characters that are in high profile professions and in the lime light and yet they are sweet and genuine and so so lovable and approachable. (Emerson, Georgia, Harry, I'm looking at you!) And I equally love loyal, supportive, wonderful side characters (Owen and the rest of Theo's family, Georgia and Harry, even the other models on the shoot!)
-- The hard topics and trauma that the characters worked through (even over 10+ years) they are real, they are hard, they need to be addressed in literature, especially in hopeful, wonderful books like this. If people can see themselves and their struggles in a character and in their story and that story has love and hope and joy and success and pain and trauma and hurt and struggle and support and loyalty and trust, healing and understanding, and triumph and an HEA then maybe, just maybe, those things can all come to them too. Maybe your hurts can be soothed by love and joy and friendship. I love hopeful books that are also full of realistic characters who have and still do hurt, but also rejoice. Getting ALL the FEELS makes for such a better story than just getting the warm fuzzies!
-- A depth of love that is years long (the love at first sight was a teen-aged crush) but the way they spent their teen years loving and supporting each other, the companionship and knowing each other deeply was such a wonderful way to start their story. The years apart becoming their adult selves and still carrying that torch of first and life-long love was so sweet. I love characters that love each other well and completely. You just know from the very beginning that they are safe giving each other their whole hearts (even if they don't always know it).
-- Dual timeline - I don't always love dual timelines, but I really enjoyed getting to know them in their young lives and their current reunion simultaneously.

If I were to go to 4.5 stars it would be because I really don't love the miscommunication or lack of communication trope. There were times that I felt like they are so open with every one except each other, even though they have previously had such complete communication previously -- but the damage done by the break up in the past does make them exceedingly cautious with each other, so I guess I can see past it. But this was a slow-burn book, so they couldn't be too open too soon, it would not allow for nearly as much build up and angst and yearning. So, in the end I just went back to my first instinct, which was to give this debut author and her wonderful first book 5 stars! She really did add a lovely story to the cornucopia of heart-warming romance!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for my review.
I really enjoyed this book, a cute second chance romance with some hard hitting topics. It perfectly described how we as humans can shut down when it’s the last thing we want to do.

I adored this sweet best friends to lovers to enemies to friends to lovers romance. Theo and Emerson are so perfect together but life happens and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these two great characters make their way back to each other. It was interesting to learn more about photography and the life of a model along the way. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators, Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins, did an amazing job of bringing this story to life and really capturing the humor and deeper emotions of the characters. It's a wonderful debut and I can't wait to read more from this author.

I listened to the audiobook version of this title. My favorite Narrator Brittany Pressley along with Sean Patrick Hopkins brought this story to life.
Childhood friends, confidants, person to lean on separated by hurt feelings, misunderstandings and flourishing careers.
When an alert goes off on Emersons phone she realizes she must find him again. Theo has the same alert and experiences resistance to finding his best friend.
It is quite an adventure. Finding your lost friend and “the one who got away” isn’t as easy as they thought.
This story is captivating. Couldn’t put it down. Every spare minute I could find to continue following these remarkably developed characters.

3.5 stars.

I was excited to receive an arc of a debut summer romance novel by Betty Cayoutte. It has many of the elements I enjoy in a romance, focusing on high school best friends to lovers Theo and Emerson who have fallen out of touch over the past decade. Theo has gone on to become a photographer, while Emerson is a famous supermodel.

This is a second chance romance in which Theo and Emerson are reunited a decade later at a European photoshoot. The novel alternates POVs and has dual timelines, jumping between present day and senior year of high school to reveal why the MCs suddenly fell out of touch. That being said, the answer essentially boils down to lots of miscommunication and Emerson choosing to hide a past trauma from Theo. Miscommunication is one of my least favorite tropes and it made me frustrated throughout the book.

That being said, I still think this book is going to be a big hit this summer and I'd recommend picking this up if you're looking for:

*Second chance romance
*Best friends to lovers
*The lives of the rich and famous
*The fashion industry
*European setting

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and MacMillan Audio for an advanced copy to review!

3.75 rounded up!

I received this audio arc & really enjoyed it! A photographer/model pov that were also childhood friends. It was relatable to me as a social media creator and the MCs are similar to age as me (28). It was a sweet romance that was a quick listen!

Betty Cayouette’s <i>One Last Shot</i> only just barely escaped a 1-star rating from me because I do usually reserve that for books that are super problematic or incredibly poorly written. That said, I don’t think I could reasonably say that there’s much about this book that’s great or even good. It’s just…okay.

The core of the love story between Theo and Emerson is miscommunication. Pretty much every struggle they face, whether from their early time of knowing each other or their reconnection presently, is created by and marred with their inability to simply have an honest conversation with each other. And yes, <i>sure</i>, there’s a lot of realism to people in life struggling to put their truth out there for whatever fears they have—but the problem with that in a novel is that there’s a general consensus that people in general and readers as a whole just <i>hate</i> this.

We hate it as a trope, we hate it as a plot point, and we hate it in real life. We might be able and willing to engage in that sort of behavior from time to time, but none of us actually like or appreciate that aspect of ourselves or others. So, when we’re reading a book for our own personal enjoyment, miscommunication is not a plot device that we’re looking forward to engaging with.

Quite frankly, I’m of the mind that this trope should die. The only time we should really find this sort of thing in a book is where it serves an incredibly important role in the plot—not just to do the will they / won’t they thing with the sole purpose of dragging out the novel—but rather to deeply drive home the message of growing away from miscommunication as a whole.

A neat and tidy tie up at the end where they just magically agree to stop miscommunication is <i>not</i> it. It doesn’t allow for the amount of internal development that we really need people to see for the message to stand and stick. I think an author would really have to commit to that message while showing sincere and extensive growth in the characters for it to work and, unfortunately, this book doesn’t do that at all.

<spoiler>A cheesy proposal out of nowhere does not resolve the miscommunication problem when it literally lasts through the <i>entire</i> novel!</spoiler>

The book is fine. The writing isn’t horrendous. The characters are okay. It’s a decent read if you’re not one to get annoyed by miscommunication being the only thing driving the length of the novel and the struggles that the characters face. I’m not one of those people, therefore this book was a slog of a read for me.

I do really like the narrators. They both did a great job bringing the characters to life, it’s just a shame that the story wasn’t that great.

There is a lot to enjoy in One Last Shot. Dual POV, second chance romance, an Italian setting, fashion industry, and more! Told over a dual timeline, Emerson and Theo made a pact in their teenage years to marry each other at 28. Life took them in different directions and Emerson sees a one-last-shot opportunity to meet up with Theo again to give their love another try..in Cinque Terre, Italy of all places. Miscommunications were a bit drawn out but overall I think One Last Shot is a solid 4 stars.

I enjoyed the dual narration for the audiobook by Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins as both of their voices were enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The audio captivated me with its poignant blend of sadness, misunderstanding, and tender moments. Each character's journey resonated deeply, offering a glimpse into the complexities of their lives. Despite the challenges they faced, there was an underlying sweetness and tenderness that shone through, reminding us of the human capacity for resilience and compassion.

The world of fashion depicted in the audio was both demanding and fascinating, painting a vivid picture of an ambitious industry where creativity and innovation collide with high expectations. Through the characters' experiences, we were transported into this glamorous yet cutthroat world, where success often comes at a price.

The ending of the audio left a lasting impression, wrapping up the story with a sense of closure and satisfaction. It was a beautiful culmination of the characters' journeys, as they finally found peace and love amidst the chaos and uncertainty of their lives. The resolution felt earned and heartfelt, leaving me with a sense of warmth and contentment.

Overall, the audio was a captivating and emotionally resonant experience, weaving together themes of love, loss, and redemption in a way that felt both authentic and uplifting. It's a story that stays with you long after the final chapter, reminding us of the power of human connection and the beauty of second chances.

🔘Second Chance
🔘Childhood friends

Ten years ago, when they were just teenagers, Emerson and Theo made a pact to marry each other at 28. However, life had its own plans and had pushed them apart over the years. Tired of enduring loveless relationships, Emerson finally reached a breaking point and resolved to meet with Theo once again, determined to fight for the love they had promised each other.

✨Thoughts✨
The story itself was undeniably sweet, with its dual timeline. Both main characters had endearing qualities, and I found myself rooting for their happiness. However, there were many moments where their issues could have easily been resolved if they had just mustered the courage to have an honest conversation. It was frustrating to witness them continually putting off this crucial talk, allowing unnecessary tensions to grow. Despite this flaw, I must admit I did enjoy this audiobook.

The dual narration by Brittany Pressley and Sean Patrick Hopkins was great. Their performances brought the story to life, adding an extra layer of enjoyment.

Overall, the story had its ups and downs. There were things I liked and others where the miscommunication dragged on a bit too much for my liking, making it difficult to resonate with the story.
3.5⭐️

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ALC. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

I truly enjoyed this story. The way it was written provided a beautiful opportunity to becomes invested in their love story. Learning about their childhood provided insight to their behavior and how they formed relationships as adults. Having a male and female narrator for the dual POV was ***chef's kiss**. I think it is important to provide readers with trigger warnings. Even though the SA was an unspoken theme throughout the story the warning in the beginning had me "searching" for it.

This book was a fun read. It did drag a little at times and the plot was predictable. I loved the choice of audiobook narrators, insights into the modeling business and all of the great descriptions of Italy. I think that at times things were really predictable and I also was a bit disappointed that at the end they didn’t provide any updates about the main characters relationship with her mother (this was talked about throughout the book, so it seemed natural to wrap up that plot point). Overall a fun read and lovely romance.