I really enjoyed this book, and while there were parts that I couldn't really get into, the storyline was really heartbreaking and heartwarming all in one.

We see Ellie and Ash meet each other while together, and when they finally have to part ways, the promise they made is ruined. Flash forward 6 years later, and they meet each other again. Except Ash doesn't seem to be himself, and everything he never told her changes everything.

THE PLOT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I ate up their story I cannot fib. While I wish I could have seen Ash's pov, Ellie was a great narrator. Both characters were clearly well thought out, and while this was my first Paige Toon novel, it will not be my last!

Now, why did this get 3 stars? Glad you asked.
1. Ellie, ellie, ellie. BABE. Not to say that she wasn't smart, but girl come on-he was begging at your feet, have some grace!
2. The book moved very fast at times, and way too slow at others. There were parts I skimmed because it didn't seem to affect the storyline much, but the last few chapters seemed to fly by. The pacing was a little off for me.
3. Last but not least, I just didn't really feel all that connected to the main characters or the side characters. Maybe this was because of the pacing, but I just never thought, "I love them!"

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putman for the eARC!

First, I'd like to thank @netgalley for bringing me this book for an honest review. I really enjoyed it. I have read other books by Paige Toon and have loved them. This was a story I could not put down, I read it every spare moment and was sad when the novel ended, but I was also very eager to find out the ending, hoping against hope that it would be a satisfactory conclusion. You will have to read it for yourself when it comes out as I do not give spoilers. There are many other reviews for this novel where you can read about the story line.
This is definitely a modern romance, so if romance isn't your thing, then this probably isn't the book for you. However, if you do enjoy light romance, this is DEFINITELY the book for you.
It is light-hearted, sometimes soul wrenching, and so very good.
I have Paige's previous book, Seven Summers on my TBR shelf, it will be my next read.

Ash and Ellie, what a journey! This book went straight to my heart and will live in my head rent free. For a very long time. Paige toon is just such a gifted story teller. This was perfection ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

I haven't read anything by this Author before but the summary seemed Angsty and I love a angsty romance so I was excited to read this 📖 book.

This books had some of my favorite tropes:

😍 Second Chance Romance
😍 Angst
😍 Misunderstanding causing breakups
😍 Class differences causing Tension

Ellie meets Ash while interacting through Europe in 🇵🇹 Portuga in their early 20s..They have an amazing three days together before Ellie had to leave and they agree to meet in Madrid after Ellie gives Ash her number ( he's without a mobile). He doesn't call and doesn't show up at their designated spot.

Six years later Ellie has broken free of her parents control and obtains a job as a Gardner at a Viscounts house. She is shocked to learn Ash is a part of the family living at the estate. She learns he has a girlfriend who is in the same social circle.

Ash is so excited to see Ellie that he breaks up with his girl friend, tells Ellie thst he's been thinking about her all of this time and meets her in secret at his cabin in the woods.

Ellie is aware of their class differences and believes it will be a barrier for them making their relationship known but Ash insists it's not...until he's proven wrong.

Will Ash and Ellie's class differences keep them apart forever? I recommend reading 📚 to find out.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

The author really drew me in with her writing. I felt like I was right there experiencing it all, which was heartbreak for Ellie most of this book. Ash tried his best but they were dealing with some really awful circumstances that you keep guessing if they’ll make it. I thought the ending was well done and it wrapped up the book nicely.

Would recommend. I’ve only read a couple of books by this author so far and this may be my favorite.

Goodness why was I so worried Ellie and Ash wouldn’t find their happy ending?! I wanted to shake them for trying to be cool and live off the grid and the important information one needs to find someone! I loved the beginning when they both weren’t sure if the other was feeling the same connection and I anxiously waited to see how they would get through the damage Ash’s family responsibility was trying to create. I love that no matter how many years and how much pain they had endured they still left space for each other.

This book will make you feel so much warmth at the end.I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and highly recommend if you love romance.

It’s been a while since I rated a book 5 ⭐️ but this book made me swoon! I could not put it down. It made me happy, sad, mad and gave me all the feels! I love good second chance romance book and this had everything I need. Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Paige Toon is an auto-read author for me. Every book I’ve read from her has my personal kryptonite: dual timeline or a time jump, and some kind of mysterious reason that the couple didn’t work or an insurmountable reason they can’t work now. Sometimes I’m just in the mood to have my heart ripped out and put back together, and that’s what her books do every time. I must say, this one was a bit less angst-filled and a little more predictable than her previous books, but I still really enjoyed it. It was fun to read about a modern-day viscount and explore the things that connected Ash and Ellie as well as the things that were keeping them apart. There are 2 time jumps and several twists and turns (though they were somewhat predictable) and it kept me wanting to read the whole way through. For that, I’ve rated it 5 stars, because while it might not be my favorite read ever, or even of this author’s works, it was still very entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Magical! Worth the read - Toon is an expert storyteller and this story will mesmerize you. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I devoured this book. It is the first I’ve read by Paige Toon, but it will not be the last.

The chemistry between Ash and Ellie was so good. I really, really loved the first 2 parts of the book. There was insta-love, which I usually hate, but it was explained and described so well, that I totally understood it. Both characters frustrated me SO MUCH during the second part. They made such bad decisions. Despite this, I still really enjoyed this part, as Toon wrote them to be human, “real” characters. Not liking a character or their decisions doesn’t make me necessarily dislike a book…it’s all in how’s it’s done, and Toon did a great job.

Part 3 is when the book went a bit “off the rails” for me. I just couldn’t reconcile either character’s changes in Part 3 with who they were previously, and what was on track to be a 5-star book for me dropped in rating. I appreciate the need for a HEA in romance novels, but the way the characters got there just didn’t make a lot of sense for me.

Overall, though, a really fun, quick read and I will definitely be reading more of Toon’s books. This novel releases 15 April 2025. I want to extend a thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam Group for this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited to read this book because I’ve enjoyed all the Paige Toon books I’ve read so far; I’m happy to say this is the one I’ve probably loved the most! I absolutely devoured this book and read it nearly straight through. There is a good length of time early on in the book dedicated to showing how the connection between Ellie and Ash begins and quickly blossoms, which helped lay a solid, believable foundation for the rest of the story. Tough topics were discussed early on in the story and both characters struggled with their own personal issues, in addition to ultimately navigating through issues in their relationship that posed an obstacle.

Moving forward in the story, the connection between the two main characters just caught fire and raged on— it was strong and just so enjoyable to read. One quality of this romance that I particularly enjoyed (and that often trips me up in other romance books) was how the author swiftly moved through some points in time— she didn’t harp on or drag out certain situations but, rather I felt like she spent time/focus on some of the key character/relationship building moments that I enjoyed reading about. I also loved the setting in this book, as it took place largely in the Wales countryside and included vivid nature descriptions, which almost felt like a balm next to the intense relationship of Ellie and Ash. All of the elements of this story just worked so well for me and I definitely want to revisit this story at some point in time! I was sad to leave the characters and would’ve loved to know how their story continued on.

After reading this book, I think this solidified Paige Toon as an auto-buy author for me. I know other readers will enjoy this when it’s available next year and can’t wait for this to be available!!

“Life is too short not to do what you love”.

Ellie is trying to be spontaneous and is traveling through Europe in memory of her best friend. She was going to give up her solo-travels… then she meets Ash. The fun-loving travel lover that renews her love for living in the moment. After three days together, they get separated and don’t see each other for six years. Will they be able to pick up where they left off before life got in the way?

This was a cute story of going through hardships life throws at you and coming back together. Choosing each other even with the flaws & when life changes you. This story spans a total of 8 years and pulls the heartstrings 🥹💕

Pre-order this if you like:
💫 Love at first sight
💫 Second chance romance
💫 Working through grief & trauma
💫 Complex relationships
💫 The “invisible string” connection bringing people back together

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! This one comes out April 15, 2025 🫶

Triggers: grief + death (moderate topics)

3.5⭐️ (i just always round up)

4.25⭐️ I could not put this book down!!!
Ash is a new favorite book boyfriend of mine. trust me, you’ll get it when you read this. he’s so lovable.

I found it so beautiful how Ash and Ellie met and just instantly connected. Their chemistry is everything, and the beach scene in the beginning has my HEART!!! Now I definitely experienced a rollercoaster of emotions while reading this because SO much happens.

Their story is a complicated one, but it really is beautiful and I had to know what was going to happen next. I loved the setting and seeing some of ellie’s work life. The ending just felt a little rushed for me. I wouldn’t have been upset if I got to read even more about these two because I loved them so much! But i’m still very happy with this read🥹💘

stargazing by myles smith is LITERALLY their song🔭
I also desperately want to go to wales now. 😭

Thank you Paige Toon and G.P. Putnam Son’s for giving me the chance to read this ARC. This was my first book by Paige Toon after hearing Annabel Monaghan share it on Instagram and am so glad I read this! As an American, I am enamored with the English, Welsh, Irish, and Scottish, so this book felt like a true escape to Wales. The imagery was beautiful and felt like I was walking through the gardens at Berkeley Hall myself. The author did such a good job of capturing what it is like to have insecurities around an ex that my stomach was in knots while reading. Well done! I can’t wait to read more books by Paige Toon!

My grievances with the book are pretty slim. I initially did not love the “insta-love” that Ellie and Ash have but it evolved and was far more complicated than what I expected it to be after the first few chapters. It’s just not my favorite trope.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. While I enjoyed this novel and love Paige Toon, there were parts of this book I was not enthused about. I loved when Ellie and Ash met and then lost touch and then met up again. However, I didn’t care for how he reacted to her and how she reacted to him and his family situation in parts three and four. It made me roll my eyes (and be exasperated) at times at how they treated each other. It just didn’t make sense and the timeline was just too long between contact. Sorry if I’m being vague but you will just have to read it yourself. I don’t want to post any spoilers. There was so much promise that just fell short with me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Loved it!

The story of Ash and Ellie was both flirty and fun, and tragic and redemptive. Were there moments that Ellie got on my nerves - yes. Especially with her hard pressed need to reiterate that she couldn’t possibly end up with a man who has a title, even though she’s madly in love with him. You do learn more of her history later on in the book which explains her feelings and how they came about.

Ultimately I was immediately captivated and fell in love with their story. Even if at times it was heartbreaking.

Thanks to NetGalley for the E-ARC!

9/30/24 What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon is a lovely book about lost loves and connections that last over time. After 3 beautiful days together while on an interrailing trip, Ellie and Ash find that they have more than just chemistry with each other, but when a missed date happens, it takes six years to find each other again. When they finally reunite, things are not as they seem. Ellie is taken by surprise as to who Ash really is and she has a hard time accepting their current situations. After a giant miscommunication, lack of trust, and a deep rooted trigger hits Ellie, the two break apart again. Will they ever be able to be together without life’s many problems getting in their way?

I enjoyed this read so very much until the end. The first two of the four parts was beautifully written and the character development was beautiful, but the last two parts were lackluster and not as well thought out. I loved the connection between Ellie and Ash, and the characters at Berkeley were fun and refreshing. The ending felt rushed and more like half thought out ideas that didn’t do the characters justice. Overall, I couldn’t put the book down!

I give this book a 3.75/5 due to the ending. I was so entrenched in this book and the ending left me frustrated and wanting more.


I am so thankful to Paige Toon, Penguin Random House, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I haven't read a Paige Toon book before, so I wasn't certain what to expect. I'd say the writing and story are like a British Rebecca Yarros contemporary romance book. The lingering drama is similar to a plot you'd fine in popular Kindle Unlimited romance books. It makes for a nice bead read, but it's not something that will stay with you long after reading. I think many other readers will really enjoy it.

This is my third Paige Toon book and sad to say my least favorite. I made it to 100 pages before throwing in the towel. Let me start off with insta love isn’t my favorite trope. I actually HATE IT!!! So that was a downer from the start. I also felt as though most of the story was rushed, especially in the beginning from how they met to them exploring Europe together… how does that even happen?! Idk, I didn’t connect to the story mainly because of that.