I loved the beginning of this book, it started off really strong. I completely understood the grief each of the characters were feeling about their families and the passing of loved ones. The second half of the book is what really ruined it for me. Very immature behavior from both Ash & Ellie, but especially Ellie. She was super frustrating and while I was happy she finally put herself first career wise, and with her parents. Every other aspect of her life was not the same. Overall, this was just okay. I would recommend if you're a fan of Paige Toon (this was my first read by her, and I still plan to read her backlog.) Loved that this was also very minimal in the spicy scenes part as well.

Book Review: What If I Never Get Over You
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Paige Toon
Publisher: G. P. Putnam‘s Sons @putnambooks @penguinbooks
Thank you to @netgalley for this ARC

What If I Never Get Over You? is a beautifully written, heartwarming romance about fate, second chances, and the enduring pull of love.

Ellie and Ash share an intense three-day connection while interrailing in Europe, a whirlwind romance that leaves them irrevocably changed. Their chemistry is undeniable—passionate, longing, and natural. But when Ellie arrives late to their planned reunion in Madrid, Ash is gone, leaving their love story unfinished.

Six years later, Ellie is building a quiet life as a gardener at a grand estate in Wales—until Ash reappears, forcing them to confront their past and lingering feelings. Their connection reignites instantly, every glance and touch charged with all they’ve lost and still want. Their love is raw and consuming, filled with missed chances and the hope that fate might finally be on their side.

Paige Toon masterfully brings the settings to life, from sun-soaked Lisbon to the lush landscapes of Wales. The novel explores grief, family dysfunction, and self-discovery, adding depth beyond the romance. Ash’s emotional struggles and Ellie’s loneliness make them feel real and relatable, though a stronger female friendship for Ellie would have been welcome.

The pacing is well-balanced, keeping the emotional stakes high. While the twists are somewhat predictable, they don’t lessen the novel’s charm. The supporting cast enhances the found family theme, though their presence fades later on.

Overall, What If I Never Get Over You? is a poignant, immersive romance about love, loss, and timing. Perfect for readers who enjoy emotional depth and a love story that lingers.



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Ellie and Ash are both interrailing solo through Europe. They meet each other in Portugal and end up spending three amazing days together. They both feel this instant connection with one another. So they make a promise to meet up again in Spain in one week. However, Ash never shows up and it breaks Ellie’s heart. She had no way to contact him to find out what happened, so she spends the next few years wondering ‘what if’.

Six years later, Ellie finally starts to move on from him. She finds a gardening job that she loves, and she finally feels better about her life. Ash, of course, now unexpectedly appears back in her life.

This book will put you on an emotional rollercoaster. Whenever you think they may end up together again, something always happens. I loved all the characters, including the other gardeners. This story is a perfect second chance romance that will stick with you for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

When main characters Ellie and Ash met while backpacking in Lisbon, they had an instant connection. With just three days together, they had to make the most of it. Once they parted ways, they made plans to meet up again in Madrid in a few weeks.

Much to Ellie’s dismay, Ash wasn’t in Madrid at the time they planned and she was stood up. Already broken and lonely, Ellie did what she needed to do and moved on. Six years later, she became a gardener at none other than Ash’s parent’s house (unbeknownst to her).

Ellie and Ash were both shocked to see each other years later but could they rekindle what they had for those three days in Lisbon after all the heartbreak and trauma? Not to mention, Ash lowkey had a girlfriend because he had given up on his hopes of ever seeing Ellie again. In his mind, she was the one who got away.

This story was addictive and the characters were so charming. Both having come from difficult lives and gone through traumatic experiences, they were broken but together, they made so much sense. They were actual soulmates and proof that fate will bring people together if it’s meant to be.

What if I Never Get Over You tells the story of Ellie who meets Ash while backpacking in Europe. The two spend a few magical days together and make a plan to meet again a week later. Circumstances keep them both from arriving at the designated meetup and they lose touch - forever. Or, maybe not forever after all, when Ellie chases her dream career, Ash makes an unexpected appearance. Will they be able to recreate the connection they felt under their new circumstances? As a longtime Paige Toon fan, I enjoyed the story of Ellie and Ash and look forward to her next book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so stinking cute. The One Day/Bridgerton comparison drew me in, but I didn’t so much catch Bridgerton vibes. The MMC has a title (he doesn’t want) but that’s where the comparison point stopped for me. Ash and Ellie meet in Spain - each after experiencing loss of a close friend. They make plans to meet up in the future but miss each other, leading to devastation for both. They meet again in an unexpected way when Ellie goes to work for his family, discovering who Ash is. Paige Toon is a beautiful storyteller and on auto read for me.

This book started out really strong and with such a beautiful beginning to Ash and Ellie’s love story, but it fell off a bit for me as the book went on. I didn’t love how some of the time passing was written as it felt very choppy and not well fleshed out, and a lot of their arguments felt a bit immature. I wished that Ellie would find other strong relationships to lean on as well. Overall this story ended up with a sweet ending but it was not my favorite romance ever.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an eARC of this book in exchange for my review!

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this book. I absolutely love Paige, but this book kind of fell short for me. While I sympathized with the main characters grief, she wasn't a very likeable character. A majority of the book was infuriating with Ash's lack of being there for Ellie. The ending was happy which was nice, but that's about it which pains me to say.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Traveling through Europe Ellie meets Ash and the sparks fly and the three days spent together are so totally awesome . They plan to meet again but Ellis is late and Ash is a no show. Ellie is heartbroken. She finds the perfect job working on an estate in Wales. Six years later she discovers the reason Ash was a no show. Can she take the leap? Can she find him? Is it too late? This book is a heart tug page after page.

I had a really hard time connecting with the characters in this story. Everything felt too scripted, instead of genuine feelings. The dialogue felt very stiff and boring. I’m sorry that I didn’t end up loving this book.

What If I Never Get Over You was such a good book! I loved the characters, Ellie and Ash, and their story of ups and downs while discovering love. The writing was great and I loved following along with all the twists and turns throughout. It was a bit long for my liking, but overall I enjoyed the story! This was my first Paige Toon book but it definitely won’t be my last! Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC. All thoughts are my own.

Ellie and Ash spent three magical days together and made plans to reunite in Madrid, but Ellie is late and Ash never arrives.

Six years later they are unexpectedly reunited and their behavior from that point on was a lot of push and pull, poor communication, and frustrating choices, in my opinion.

I’ve read several of Paige Toon’s books and generally enjoy her particular style of romance angst, but unfortunately, this one did not work for me.

I loved this story! Ash and Ellie’s story spans a decade of love and loss and finding each other again. I normally cringe at these tropes and hate the third act break up but this story was believable and epic and heartbreaking. I would have kept reading about them if I could but love that they finally got their happily ever after! Highly recommend!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I’m so bummed, but this one was kind of a miss for me. I have adored the few other Paige Toon books I have read, especially her two most recently released novels. So I was very excited to read this, and it just didn’t do it for me. I can suspend reality regarding the likelihood of Ash and Ellie reuniting the way they did, but the story dragged in some places and was extremely rushed in others. Ellie’s deceased friend also seemed so important early on, and was then completely forgotten. I felt like it could have used another edit. I will absolutely read future books of Paige Toon’s, this one just wasn’t my favorite. :(

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, what a love story Paige Toon's What If I Never Get Over You is. This book destroyed me in the best way possible and has become my favorite of Paige's books.

The story starts with Ellie interrailing her way through Europe. She's got a fictional book with a guide of sorts from her recently departed best friend and is just trying to survive her grief when she meets Ash in Lisbon. Their connection is instantaneous and I felt as if I was right there next to them as they fell in love over three days. Ellie and Ash make a plan to meet in Madrid, but the reunion never happens.

Six years later, Ellie takes a gardener job at a private estate. She's always wanted to be a gardener, ever since she helped her grandmother in her own garden. She's finally living the life she wants and then it comes crashing down when she sees Ash again for the first time in six years. He's the son of the viscount and viscountess that own the private estate and it becomes clear why he never showed up in Madrid all those years ago.

This book will tug at your heartstrings and Paige has, once again, portrayed a beautifully written story with great emotional depth. Please do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of What If I Never Get Over You!

Thank you Putnam for the e-ARC in exchange for the honest review!

I really enjoyed the author's prior book "Seven Summer" and was looking forward to reading her new book. Like other reviewers, I feel this book started strong with palpable/enjoyable chemistry between Elle and Ash when they met. Could it be love at first sight? (I did feel like this was a Love Is Blind scenario..

Where this book lost me was when the obsession/stalker-ish behavior by Elle and ghosting by Ash frequents throughout the book. How the heck are the readers supposed to care about the characters and root for their brief connection/wanting a reunion? IMO, the behavior of the characters becomes super immature and annoying. SMH

I was on the fence with my feelings about this book, but ended up being annoyed with this book. I was really hoping for Ash and Elle to get their reunion and really get to know each quicker than the six years of ghosting, obsession, depression and longing. Elle's behavior was becoming annoying and whiny too!

Overall, not for me and was disappointed especially after enjoying 7 Summers. Cannot recommend but I do not judge other readers for enjoying this, my reading experience was different.

Thanks to Netgalley, Paige toon, and Penguin Group GP Putnam and Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/15/25

I loved Ellie! I want to be friends with her & watch her life continue on! She's a relatable girlie!! Ash's character complimented hers so well! I loved their love story & the emotion you feel while reading! I love a right place wrong time book because of the tension & desperation it builds! It also provoked a travel bug in me!

Paige Toon is one of my favorite authors - I know my heart will get walloped but it will be worth it in the end.

I really liked What If I Never Get Over You, but didn't love it. I read it in just two days and would definitely recommend it to others, but for me it was missing a really strong emotional connection. I liked Ash and Ellie, understood why/how they acted and reacted to each other and their circumstances the way they did, but I didn't care about them quite as much as I wanted to.

Thanks to Penguin Group/Putnam for the ARC.

4.25⭐️
I had a great time with this and it started out super strong!! I really enjoyed part one and it had me totally hooked, I loved the storyline of them meeting while interrailing through Europe! It was pretty insta-lovey which I typically don’t like, but it kinda worked for me in this book bc I felt like it was a really romantic setting and way to meet (but I mean still it was 3 days😅). I loved following their travels as their connection grew and it felt so fun and romantic, it was hard not to root for them.

When we fast forward a few years to Ellie working as a gardener I was still enjoying the story and all the drama that came along with the job. I loved the descriptions of the gardens and the setting as well! As the book went on it started to lose me a bit, sometimes Ash felt like such a different person than he was in part one?? They kinda both started to frustrate me, but overall I still had a fun time with this one.

Would definitely recommend this! Especially if you enjoy Paige Toons other books like seven summers. This would be a great summer read!

- insta love
- right person wrong time
- second chance
- forbidden love
- Bridgerton vibes

<i>What If I Never Get Over You</i> starts with our heroine, Ellie, thinking about how lonely her solo travels through Europe have been. As someone who solo travels through Europe frequently, couldn't relate. And then we meet Ash, who is a super hot granola dude. But also very vanilla. Their adventures were cheesy, but sweet, and I liked all the Lisbon/Sintra touristing because I had done the same thing a couple years ago.

Then we move into the second part of the book, which takes place 6 years later, where surprise, Ash isn't a hot granola dude, he's a hot rich society dude. And for most of this book I was firmly in the three-star, "it's okay", camp, but somewhere along the line, I realized I kinda loved it? Which I think is due to the depth we unravel of Ash's character.