4.5 rounded up! I am so grateful that SMP reached out to me about reading One Last Shot because I absolutely LOVED IT! I read this book as an e-ARC and immediately requested the audiobook version as soon as it became available so I could listen to this story be told as well.

Theo and Emerson 🥹🥹 my heart really wasn’t prepared for how much love those two had for each other. I’m not usually a miscommunication trope kinda gal but with this one, it was done so well. I fell in love with the characters right for the start. This story had a lot of depth. My heart ached for these two to finally get their happy ever after. Excellent read and fantastic listen!

A huge huge thank you to Macmillan audio, NetGalley and SMP for the ALC and ARC of One Last Shot.

this was the loveliest, tenderest story. I loved practically everything about it, from start to finish. theo and emerson have such an undeniable connection that transcends years of heartbreak, hurt, strength, persistence, and loads of miscommunication. I don't usually like miscommunication as a trope, but in this story it felt like authentic, real-life obstacles that led to understandable miscommunication, especially once we learn why ermerson took the space she needed when they lost their connection all those years ago. additionally, even with the hurt and distance between the two, theo and emerson jump right into trying to reconnect and communicate from the moment they re-meet on their photoshoot assignment. so even though the real-life, authentic miscomunnication exists here, the characters try so hard to overcome that, as well as so much hurt that life has brought, to have their happily ever after with each other-- something they both know they want and need.

I just loved every aspect of this story-- the humor, the strength, the friendships and found family aspects-- all of it was so tender and beautiful and just absolutely lovely. the authors note at the beginning gave me the necessary perspective I needed going into the story to see how the worst things that ever happen to us do not define us, and they don't get to have the power to stand in the way of the happily ever after we all absolutely deserve.

thank you for the alc :)

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝓐𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓸𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 & 𝓔-𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: 𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐦-𝐜𝐨𝐦? 𝐘𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐦 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥? 𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐬. 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐲: 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭, 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥!

𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄-𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨; 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝟐𝟖, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥, 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐢𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞, 𝐈𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐲. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞, 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲.

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧, 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 (𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫 – 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭!

ℙ𝕦𝕓𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕖: 𝕄𝕒𝕪 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟜

𝐻𝓊𝑔𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝐵𝑒𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝒞𝒶𝓎𝑜𝓊𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒, 𝑀𝒶𝒸𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝓃 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, 𝒮𝓉. 𝑀𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃’𝓈 𝒫𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.

I enjoyed this audio! The narrator was great and the story was cute. It was an easy listen and a feel good story.

Emerson and Theo became fast friends as high school freshman and were inseparable their high school years. There were definitely more than just friendship feelings there and when they finally crossed that line, a few other things happened that tore them apart. Now they are working on a shoot together and Emerson is a famous supermodel and Theo is the photographer. Little does Theo know, Em requested to be on this shoot because of him. Will this photoshoot be a chance for them to reconnect?

This was such a cute second chance, friends-to-lovers romance story! Em and Theo are clearly meant to be together but Em’s manager tried to sabotage it. There was so much miscommunication and I do feel like the story could have been a lot shorter. I enjoyed the flashbacks into their life when they were in high school and the memories they made along the way. The setting was dreamy and so romantic. The ending was so cute with the donuts and the grand gesture that they always talked about in high school.

Ate this up and left no crumbs. Emerson and Theo were both such fun and cool people. I love the inside look at the lifestyles of the rich and famous and the setting? Just perfect.

My one criticism is that I would have liked to have a better understanding of them growing up. From the start of the book it made it sound like the two of them had an intense relationship as teens but when we finally get their moment it seems like that wasn’t the case? To me the ending would have made more sense if they had more of a history when they first connected.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!!

A beautiful story about a second chance at love. Understanding that just because things seem perfect they may not be. Definitely a feel good story with lessons to learn mixed in.

In this debut romance, supermodel Emerson and photographer Theo are high school sweethearts reunited a decade later. They were in love at eighteen, so much so that they made a marriage pact: if they both weren’t married by 28, they would marry each other. Then Emerson left without explanation. After ten years without any contact, the marriage pact reminder goes off, and Emerson knows this is her chance to see if she can rekindle her romance with the love of her life.

This was a really sweet book. We got flashbacks to the main characters falling in love in high school, which was adorable - especially when they relived some of their core memories as adults. I also love the tropes in this book - second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, and slow burn. Both narrators were good, and it was easy to follow which POV and timeline we were in on audiobook.

This book is based around a lot of miscommunication - both in the past and future. I don’t hate miscommunication as a trope, but it was definitely stretched out here, including in a third-act breakup/conflict.

The author’s note was a great personal touch and did a great job of explaining why she wrote this story and how meaningful it was to her.

This friends-to-lovers, second chance romance has so much heart. It’s mostly a very easy, sweet read with much tougher elements (past trauma) motivating the characters into actions that drove the plot of the book. There was a lot of miscommunication and hiding truths, but ultimately the way the characters reconnected was thoughtful and sweet. And I’ve never wanted basil gelato more in my entire life. Recommend !

One Last Shot is a second chance romance between Emerson and Theo told in dual timelines. - the present and the history of their relationship when they met and fell in love in high school.

Even though this is Betty Cayouette’s debut novel it is written with heartfelt depth and maturity, not typical in an authors freshman novel. I loved how she handled the issue of sexual assault and the fact that she didn’t let it define Emerson’s life.

I absolutely adored this book. I loved the characters of Emerson and Theo and their sweet relationship spanning 10 years. Their relationship feels very authentic. I will be recommending One Last Shot to library patrons and friends alike. Loved this one!!

One Last Shot has so many of my favorite romance book elements- second-chance romance, dual timelines, dual POVs, and friends to lovers. It's no surprise to me that I enjoyed it so much.

This book follows Emerson and Theo as they embark on a whirlwind week in Italy after they've both received a calendar reminder of the pact they made in high school that they would marry each other if they were both still single by 28. The only problem is they haven't spoken in the decade since they made the agreement. Emerson, now a famous model, decides it's time to rekindle what they once had and inserts herself into a photoshoot for a clothing brand where Theo is the photographer.

There are a lot of things that I think were executed well- the pining, the slow burn, and the friendship. I could really feel the attraction between Emerson and Theo. They both felt like well fleshed out characters with clear intentions and motivations. The grand gestures were grand indeed, in both timelines, and I was here for it.

Miscommunication tends to be one of my least favorite things in books, but I could look past the majority of it here because it felt very human. Sometimes miscommunication in books feels forced, or like angst for the sake of angst, but I could see a real couple actually having these problems.

The audio production was well done. The narrators for both Emerson and Theo had a good pace and cadence. The start of a new chapter and the jumps to the past were clear and well defined. I think this book would be equally enjoyable in its print or audio format. Personally, I always like hearing a male voice for the male POV.

Loved Theo and Emerson's relationship. so felt like their jobs and location just brought romance that worked perfect for the story.

Ok voices amazing love the narrator, story wise this was so cute and touchfull and i loved it , listen to it in one day, definitely enjoyed having the digital arc and audio to follow alone and annotate everything I loved. Will be recommending because way too cute .

First thing’s first: thank you Netgalley for the ALC of this book!
One Last Shot was an adorable story that follows Emerson and Theo’s love story that spans from childhood to 28. Inseparable best friends through high school, they grow apart and lose touch as Emerson becomes a famous super model and Theo becomes a commercial photographer. At 18 they made a pact that if they weren’t married by 28, they would marry each other. Both forget the pact until they get an apart to remind them and they seek each other out to rekindle their friendship.
This book was so sweet and actually believable. The characters were well fleshed out and their interactions felt so real and honest. This was heartwarming and a little bittersweet, but I loved it.
4⭐️

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐"One Last Shot" by Betty Cayouette is an absolute gem of a novel. From the gripping plot to the beautifully developed characters, this book kept me hooked from beginning to end. Cayouette masterfully crafts each character with depth and complexity, making them feel like old friends by the time you reach the last page. The protagonist's journey is both heart-wrenching and inspiring, and the supporting cast adds layers of richness to the story. I couldn't put it down and found myself fully invested in every twist and turn. If you're looking for a captivating read with unforgettable characters, "One Last Shot" is a must-read. Highly recommended!

I LOVED IT. I ate this right up!! Emerson and Theo, I am so insanely obsessed with you. Emerson’s story is so insanely heart wrenching and until the end you think she shallowly left her best friend after one heartfelt night. Theo, you are the man everyone wants. Completely, endlessly obsessed with Emerson, capturing her raw beauty as her photographer, best friend, and love of her life. I adored this story and what a fantastic setting of Cinque Terre!

Was I just… convinced… to love a miscommunication trope? ME?! Five stars for that, hands down. Did not think it could happen, but we’re here now.

Anyway, obviously a front runner is that trope but when I tell you it’s done SO WELL. Emerson has grown up being taught that if people don’t love you it’s because you’re not worthy of love, so you have to be enough for yourself at all times.

Emerson’s emotional journey through this story is so relatable. What a read to start out SA awareness month. I think Betty really hit the nail on the head here and portrayed Emerson’s character so well. I loved how utterly good and kind everyone is in this book, and how no one was purposefully catty or mean just because they were women (as often happens in stories).

The relationship dynamics between Emerson, Georgia, and Harry is incredible and I loved that they just absorbed Theo and supported the relationship from square one. There were a few moments in the book where I stopped and thought that’s not something that would actually play out in real life, but it wasn’t enough of a difference for me to get upset about it.

All that to say, I loved this book. I devoured it. I’m so glad I read it. I 1000% judge books by “the author is a TikTok star” because no thanks, but this one is the exception to the rule for me.

Thank you to the author, MacMillan Audio, St. Martins Griffin, and NetGalley for my ARC/ALC of this book. All opinions are my own.

3.5 ⭐️

I swoon for a friends to lovers second chance story especially when it’s accompanied by a dual timeline. This story had so much longing as these once inseparable friends, who were head over heels for each other, are reunited after a decade apart and decide to fight for the love story and future they’ve so desperately yearned for.

While the present story takes place over the course of a week, the snippets into the past span the entirety of Emerson and Theo’s friendship - from their first meeting, first adventures, road trips, to their unexpected parting. Cayouette keeps most of the story lighthearted, but also discusses grief, loss, and sexual violence, while stressing the importance of therapy, protecting your peace, prioritizing mental health, and finding your people who will rally around you. I do wish we were given more time on page to see Emerson and Theo’s growth rather than so much focus on photo shoot specifics.

I enjoyed most of this story, but it leans heavily into the miscommunication trope, which is a trope a personally avoid. I will say the miscommunication didn’t bother me as much while listening to audiobook, but I could see getting a little frustrated if reading a physical copy. I think the dual narration kept me more engaged even when there was a conflict in the third act - it’s not a breakup and it was the catalyst for necessary discussions between Emerson and Theo.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend picking up the audiobook!

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for advanced access to One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette,

One Last Shot is a debut romance novel by Tik Tok star, Betty Cayouette,
Emerson and Theo met when they were teenagers and became best friends. The two made a pact to marry at 28 if they were unattached. Due to a "falling out" when they were teenagers, they haven't spoken in 10 years. Emerson, a super model, finagles her way into one of Theo's photo shoots in Italy. One Last Shot is told from Emerson and Theo's perspectives, from past and present.

Trigger warnings-
rape
hoarding

I really enjoyed OneLast Shot, and hope to read more from this author in the future.
Publication date is May 7, 2024.

I thought this was a super cute book! It felt easy to read and definitely gives all the summer vibes. I didn't think this was an enemies to lovers story but 1000% a friends to lovers story with miscommunication. Which made the characters easy to love. I did think the book could have been a bit shorter, but overall, I thought it was a good read.

Loved the dual pov and that even though the mfc is super famous, she still comes off down to earth and is loveable. The two timeliness from high school to present were easy to follow, and overall, I thought it was a cute, easy romance.