Alright. I tried this because I wanted to give room another chance but I am just not a character driven girlie. At 35% the fmc is WHINY and in love with a dude she knew for 3 days and didn't even know his last name. It's hard. There's no plot. No story line. Which is good. But for a book to be up to 35% and have no story line and a lot of whining has sent me
Up the rails. I know that some people will like it though. I'm not one of them

As you can tell from the title and description this one will put you through the ringer. Such an emotional roller coaster! I thought the writing and plot devices were great although in the third act I felt myself kind of rooting against the pair. It felt a bit “rushed” and you were info dumped at the end. But such vivid writing I could picture myself on the grounds.

Paige Toon knows how to write a romance thats right-couple-wrong-time and then brings it all home after we follow the couple over the span of years! I loved this one a lot, from beginning to end I was rooting for Ellie and Ash! Their connection could be felt through every page and the complexity of their personal history’s really added layers to their characters. I found myself appreciating their growth by the end even if it was a little messy getting there! If there is anything I would change it would maybe be making the book a little bit longer, I wanted more from part 4!!! Anyways if you liked Seven Summers you’ll love this one!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I have so many thoughts about this one. It was so close to being 5 stars, but it lost its way some in the middle. Ellie and Ash have a terrific meet- cute in Lisbon while on individual trips interrailing. They commiserate over grief and love of childhood best friends. This their story begins. The separation was a good plot point. Meeting up at Berkeley Hall on accident was great for me, too. I think the conflict that occurred here was a bit too overdrawn out. The second separation had me considering becoming a hermit in the woods. I liked the ending and that both reached self-actualization!

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin publishers for this ARC!

This was a quick romance that I enjoyed! I thought the concept was very unique and made me want to keep reading to find out what happens. There were times when I felt the storyline was rushed, or not enough detail was provided, so you felt like you missed something. I also didn't necessarily like the characters. I didn't feel like I truly got to know them, or understand why they fell in love or connected, so I didn't feel that attachment or connection to their story like I had hoped. I also wasn't a huge fan of the female main character. She seemed mean at times and wasn't a truly good partner in the relationship. I felt like both main characters were missing some depth or character development that would make me truly like them and root for them throughout the story.

Loved the Before Sunrise-esque setup of this one, but the rest of this fell sort of flat for me. Nothing about Ellie and Ash’s relationship really encourages the reader to root for them except the continued insistence that they are each other’s “one that got away.” The ending had bittersweet Jane Eyre/Mr. Rochester vibes that I appreciated, but the journey to get there just wasn’t the sort of starcrossed melodrama I hoped for. The dialogue grew stilted, and the problems felt overdrawn and repetitive. The lovable side characters were also largely shelved, and I wish more time had been spent with Ellie interacting with the motley crew of fellow estate employees. Overall, this had a fun setup, was an addictive quick read, but mostly forgettable!

I absolutely loved this story - the characters had such beautiful chemistry. Knowing someone for just a few days, yet falling that much in love? It usually does not come across believable but it was so very well done in this book - it felt real, and I just loved everything about it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House UK for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 ⭐️

Not sure whether to round this up or down. My two big issues with this book were 1) I wish they had spent more time together originally so I could’ve understood why they were still hung up on each other years later and 2) Ash, the MMC, loses me at times in the second part. He prioritizes his female BFF/ex over Ellie, the FMC over and over again.

On the other hand, I loved the angst and drama and can’t wait for this author’s next book.

Once again Paige Toon makes you FEEL something. I sometimes worry that Paige has a different idea of HEA than I do (maybe why she's considered more women's fiction than romance?). So I was STRESSED, anxious, mad, hurt for these characters and then it wrapped beautifully in a realistic way. Ellie was all of us first daughters who feel compelled to make our parents proud. Ash was not like other book-boyfriends, he wasn't perfect but he was definitely perfect enough.

I love Paige toon she is an auto read for me ! This wine was another 5 stars for me ‘ ! Now I will say it takes me a while to get into but once I do I’m hooked

I loved the story as I do every one of her books I have read. So well written, and love the timeline that each of her stories follows. She is absolutely one of my favorite authors, and this book was just as good if not better than some of her others. Seven Summers will always be my favorite, but this is a close second.

Paige Toon has done it again. Made me feel this couples’s connection quite literally from the start. The only thing that could make this book better for me is if I had listened to those Welsh accents. I will look forward to getting the audiobook. I have loved Paige’s writing for awhile and this book lived up to all my expectations. Loved Ash and Ellie!

I ADORED this new one from Paige Toone! I thought the occupation and deep dive into gardening that Ellie had was absolutely fascinating but the romance is what really did me in. I fell in love with them in part one and prayed nothing was going to happen to Ash that would prevent them from missing each other when they were supposed to meet up but alas that had to happen to make the book what it was. I really was hoping for Beca to be more compassionate with Ash after the two of them broke off and even urge him to get with Ellie after years of them being apart. I really hate how he never got to tie lose ends with his father and felt absolutely devastated for Ash’s mother for upholding her marriage vows while Peter was out gallivanting around. Overall outstanding work and the best addition was the book inspired play list at the end! 😍😍😍

What If I Never Get Over You - Paige Toon
4.5/5

There's always something about how Paige Toon develops her characters that always has my eyes glued to the pages, and not only that... characters that stick to your heart like toffee. Ellie and Ash's chemistry was top tier. The adventures that took place in the first 25% of the book was fun, warm, adventurous, cute, and moving. Feels like summer fling love you didn't want to end. This book gave hope, heartbreak, longing, and ambition.

- Time Jump
- Second Chances
- Career Driven

The book was a rollercoaster of emotions but beautifully written, when you think the FMC and MMC can just catch a glimpse of a break... another shoe falls. As a person who hasn't been to Europe, Paige Toon did a splendid job making the vision of Europe come to life in a book. The perfect book of right person, wrong time; had I wish there was more of a backstory of Stella it would've been nice to know who she really meant to Ellie. Otherwise it was deeply rooted what she meant to Ellie and it was the perfect emotion needed in the book. Ash may or may not just stole my heart, the way he speaks to Ellie made my heart skip a beat 100x. DEFINITELY gave Bridgerton and One Day energy, and what else can you ask for?! The entire plot of friendship, grief, heartbreak and love was flawlessly spread throughout the entire book for you to turn those pages every second. I highly recommend this book to be added to your TBR!

Thank you Paige Toon for connecting with me; giving me this opportunity again to read this beautiful book!
As well thank you Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley!

Oh Paige Toon, how I love you! This was heartbreakingly beautiful. I love that Toon can absolutely grip you, rip your heart out and then put it back together all in less than 450 pages. I will be a fan for life.

I enjoyed following Ellie and Ash's story.

Their ups and downs. How they grew as characters. Their evolving relationship. All of these helped to build a connection with me as a reader to their characters.

The story is broken into parts, each part playing important pieces in the characters lives. As with many relationships, Ellie needs to take care of events from her past to be able to make the final part of the story "work". Which at points I would get frustrated with her!

Both of the MCs had much to overcome and it was endearing to watch them do that, and be successful.

Thank you, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC.

This book was absolutely beautiful. Filled with heart and emotion, it kept my eyes glued to the page. I finished it in less than 24 hours because I couldn’t seem to set it down for long. It was definitely an emotional rollercoaster.

Ellie and Ash meet by chance while interrailing through Europe and spend a whirlwind three days together. Their chemistry from the start is unmatched. They make plans to meet up a week later to carry on traveling together but Ash doesn’t show.

While brief, their encounter stays with them both and when their paths cross again six years later, it’s like no time has passed at all. But it has, and they have to deal with who they are now and determine if they can find a way back to where they started or force themselves to get over what might have been.

I loved seeing those pieces of Ash in the future. He was steadfast and definitely had more to him that meets the eye. I understood some of Ellie’s hesitancy, but there were definitely times when I wanted to give her a shake.

It’s hard for me to put in words (without giving too much away) all the bits that got my heart racing, or stuck in my throat; the moments that made an ache form in my belly; or the times I found myself chanting the words Ash’s best friend had told him (a motto we should all live by). The story is broken into multiple parts and the last one had me holding my breath all the way through.

Thank you to the Penguin Group, Putnam Books, and Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am so grateful to Paige Toon and NetGalley for letting me read this in advance.
I'm generally not a fan of instalove but in this story it really worked. I Loved the idea of what if you met the love of your life for a moment and years later got a do over. I loved the character development with both Ash and Ellie, they really came into their own by the end of the book. There were a few parts of the book that drug on for me but overall it was a sweet love story with a beautiful ending

What if I never get over this book??? What an enchanting and lovely getaway to Wales and Lisbon. Once this love story got its hooks in me, I couldn’t put it down!

🌸 What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon had me completely hooked! 😍

Ellie never expected to find love while interrailing through Europe, but a whirlwind three days in Lisbon with Ash changed everything. Fast forward six years, and Ellie’s living her dream job on a stunning five-hundred-year-old estate in Wales, surrounded by lush gardens and tranquil beauty. But just when she thinks she’s found peace, Ash reappears—and the truth about why he disappeared all those years ago shatters her heart again.

This book has everything I adore: a dreamy, picturesque setting, a love story that lingers in your heart, and a choice that could change everything. 🌿💕Described as One Day meets Bridgerton, it’s no wonder I’m devoured this one. My only critique it felt a little rushed and at the end a little predictable, but overall it was a solid 4 star read.

Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.