I decided to read this ARC as the summary said it was for fans of Paige Toon (of which I am the biggest fan) and I am so glad I did. This is my first book by this author so I wasn’t sure what to expect but I will be seeking more now as I really liked this one.

I wasn’t sure about the premise of this story as it involves the main character, Liv, reliving a week of her life 7 years previously before her boyfriend at the time, Kit, goes missing. Time travel is referred to in the book. I usually don’t enjoy anything that is a bit science fictiony however I loved this so might need to check my biases! It reminded me of the film ‘About Time’ which I love.

I won’t repeat the synopsis but overall this story kept me guessing in a great way. What happened to Liv’s boyfriend all those years ago, is he still alive, what will happen with her current relationship? Plus there is quite a big twist part way through that I didn’t see coming that added to the drama overall.

My only slight downside was the story was very much focused on Liv and Kit and the story and development of her relationship with her current boyfriend was a bit lacking. However, I raced through this and thoroughly enjoyed it and I was satisfied with how it all played out.

Many thanks to Boldwood Books, Emma Cooper and NetGalley for this ARC. This is released on January 31st and would highly recommend.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own)

I'm so glad I picked up this book! I liked the time travel aspect especially, usually I will avoid those books but I had to pick this one up.

It is an emotional story about love, loss and what happens when you get a second chance. Liv has to make some really tough choices and figure out what she truly wants, even if it means hurting someone she cares about. It's all about those "what if" moments and how complicated love can be when time gets messed up.

It had an enjoyable pace where you had to keep reading on to know how it ends, I honestly breezed through the chapters so fast because of the suspense in it. I just felt like this story would have had more depth if the characters had more growth to them: it felt like they were realising things and then the end was rushed because she's back in the present. Being thrust back into the past and having to make such huge decisions could have led to significant changes in Liv as well as the other characters which could have made the story have more depth and emotional resonance.

Overall, still a good read! The fast-paced, suspenseful plot definitely carried this book.

I absolutely loved this book!
It had me captured from the first chapter and you know when the ending of chapters make you go “what?!” This is one of those books! I was lucky enough to be asked to review it and I’m so glad I was.
Liv is getting married….to the one after the one, her last partner Kit disappeared 7 years earlier and now she’s rebuilt her life and is about to marry James, but some strange turns happen.
It’s a brilliantly written book and I’ll definitely be looking out for the author again!

Liv and Kit are in love. They have a good life together until one day Kit dissappears while on a hike. They never find him or any clues as to what could have happened to him. Liv eventually moves on and is about to get married when she suddenly is taken back in time to a week before Kit dissappears.
I'm not really sure how I felt about this book. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. It was just an ok read for me.

I like to say that I read a broad range of books, but really, I stick to mystery and thrillers a lot. A good romance type book has always been a palate cleanser for me. I started recommending this book to others before I was even finished with it.

The book goes between two different point of views at varying time frames which I enjoy a good shift in point of views as long as it is done right. Emma Cooper nailed it in my opinion. From reading a lot of mystery/thriller books, I always expect some sort of plot twist mixed in. For some reason, I never expect plot twists in other genres, but this book had one I was totally not expecting and was pleasantly surprised by. It definitely was the driving point for me to start recommending it to others. I will definitely be looking up more books by Emma Cooper.

I always love a book with an element of time travel! I really enjoyed reading this, although it did take me a while to get into, but then it became a real page turner and I finished reading the last half or so in one go! I really couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. It had me intrigued about a number of elements of the plot and the surprises / twists were unexpected, although I did think that Liv was much calmer than I would have been in the same circumstances (with regard to the time travel and then how both Kit and James had behaved…).

Liv thought she had finally moved on from the devastating loss of her boyfriend Kit, who disappeared on a hike seven years ago. With the support of loved ones, she found a way to love again and is about to marry the man who helped her heal. But everything changes when she wakes up on the morning of her wedding to find herself back in time, six days before Kit vanished. Liv has a chance to uncover the truth behind his disappearance, but this opportunity comes with impossible choices: can she save Kit, and if she does, what will happen to the future she’s built?

This story had me completely hooked after the first chapter, and I devoured it in one day—I simply had to know how everything would unfold. Fans of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid will adore this, especially if they’re looking for a romance with a thrilling, mysterious twist.

The alternating timelines were handled masterfully, creating a fast-paced yet cohesive narrative. I was never confused, even when I felt as much in the dark as Liv herself, which only added to the tension and intrigue. Some of the jaw-dropping moments caught me completely by surprise, and I’m glad I didn’t see them coming—it made the revelations even more thrilling and impossible to put down.

Overall, The One Before the One is a heartfelt, gripping read that expertly blends romance, mystery, and a touch of time-travel magic. The writing is quick-moving and immersive, making it easy to lose yourself in Liv’s journey. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author!

3⭐ — thanks to netgalley and boldwood books for the advanced copy!

the premise was unique enough and definitely piqued my interest; i started reading almost as soon as i got a copy. however, there wasn't much else i liked about the book.

firstly, i couldn't connect with any of the characters. olivia wasn't particularly interesting to me, but i still wanted her to choose what's best for her. and that was neither of the two brothers if we're being real!!

as for the plot, i didn't expect it would manage to surprise me but it did—exactly once. the rest of it fell flat to me though. there were simply too many loose threads for me to enjoy. why did her consciousness travel back from that specific time in the present to that specific time in her past? what was the reason, the trigger, the objective? what was the point when literally nothing would change and she would discover everything in the end anyway???!!!

So I went into this book blind and what a ride I had. While I thought this was going to be a traditional romance it’s more of a mystery with a side of love. It was twisty and kept me hooked from beginning to end. For fans on One True Loves i highly recommend

I loooved this book! There were so many twists and turns and events throughout that I did not expect that kept me engaged.

🌟 Plot: 4 stars. I’ve never been the biggest fan of the whole time travelling plot but this one worked well. There was no annoying as hell countdowns or repeats or resets. The story behind Kit and his disappearance was written well and Liv and James’s relationship had a good part in the plot too. I wasn’t a fan of was James and Kit’s parents as well as the way James left. The main thing that didn’t work for me with this plot was the reasoning behind Kit leaving. It seemed quite out of character and as a result quite forced to make things fit as to why he left.
🌟 Character development: 4 stars. Loved the character development. We knew enough about Liv and James both as individuals and as a couple to keep you hooked on their love story. Kit was mostly a mystery in terms of depth until the end but that worked out well with the overall plot. Only negative that meant this didn’t get 5 stars was I desperately wanted more on the tension and chemistry and pure love between James and Liv - there were snippets but I needed more!
🌟 Writing: 5 stars. The author’s writing was smooth, coherent and really easy to follow. The only thing that got me a bit confused and lost was the subtitles in terms of who had left (literally felt the need to go back 100 pages to see if I was reading it correctly).
🌟 Feels: 4.5 stars. This book made me feel the love James had for Liv. When she went back in time I was literally pining for James and felt heartbroken over the thought that Liv was seeing Kit again even if it was in the past and not real. This book made me feel like Liv and James were meant for each other and they both went through everything they did just so they could ultimately be together like they were destined to be. So glad this book wasn’t all about whether Liv was choosing the right guy.

Thank you to #NetGalley for giving me an ARC of #TheOneBeforetheOne in exchange for an honest review!

What a story. Firstly, I’ve never had a book hook me in so quickly and have me hanging on to know how the story ends. I think the concept of the story is amazing but it did fall a little flat for me. I felt like I was always feeling something with this read…a lot of the time, suspense, and I could have done with a little less of it. The end of the chapters in the first half of the book always had a big moment to be continued but I got a bit lost. Some parts of the story could have been fleshed out more but for the most part, it was good. In saying that, I did feel like parts of the book dragged on.
My favourite part of this book was the MFC. She is maybe the most normal, reasonable and level headed MFC I’ve ever read and I adored her.
I’m really happy with how the story ended and how true love really does win.

3.5⭐️

"I've always loved you, Liv. I don't think I know how to not love you."

"And me? You didn't think you should come to me too? Me? I loved you, Kit, I love you with every part of me. I grieved you, mourned you. Losing you almost destroyed me."

"The present is such a gift. Living is such a gift. Don't let it slip through your fingers. You've all been braver than I have ever been because you're all here. This is your first step to a better life. To a life worth living. A life worth keeping."

This book is so unique! When I started reading this book, I expected a fluffy romance with a time-traveling aspect to it. This book blew those expectations out of the water and the storyline is definitely one of a kind!
During some parts of the book, such as when the FMC (Liv) finds her first love's necklace and time travels back to 2016, I became very confused. I had to dock this book off a little bit because of the amount of time I was straight-up confused for the first half of the book! Also, the dual timeline really confused be at the start of the book- it felt like two different stories smushed in one. I didn't realize how they connected until later on.
That being said, once I got it and understood what was happening, I WAS INVESTED! The love triangle aspect left me stunned, I had no idea who to root for. Also, there were a couple of plot twists that caught be off-guard (AND I LOVED IT!!). Sometimes, I feel like authors write a plot twist just because, but the way Emma Cooper did was PERFECT! I am such a die-hard believer that if you're gonna write a plot twist, you better do it right (else it ruins the book!) and Cooper did just that! I'm also really happy with how the story ended! I loved both Kit and James, with all of their problems. They were such contrasting characters who were loveable in their own way, and I'm so happy that both of them were given a second chance and a happy ending.
I read this book in a day (which is super rare for me). Definitely recommend for readers who want an unique, bingeable romance with a touch of mystery!

Thank you so much Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Emma Cooper herself for this E-ARC! This book was definitely not what I expected, but I'm so glad I gave it a read!

-I thought this would be reminiscent of One True Loves, boy was I wrong.

This story follows our female lead on her wedding day as she finds out that her ex-boyfriend who went missing seven years ago is actually alive. I thought I was in for an epic romance, instead I got an epic mystery (with some romance!) This book was so well written, intriguing, and had great twists! I highly recommend it as a slow burn adventure. Check it out when it’s released this month and thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This book was emotional Rollercoaster for me from start to finish! Whenever I thought I figured things out, something would drastically flip that upside down. Loved these characters, James is my favorite. Pub date January 31, 2025. Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this incredible ARC!

First, I would definitely read more by this author. I found the writing compelling, and by the end, I couldn’t put the book down!

I really enjoyed the main character, Liv and her relationship with James. I felt, at times, there was too many extraneous things going on, and I wanted more focus on the main relationships, specifically of that of the brothers. However, I enjoyed the details of the main relationship of the book and how Liv described their beginnings and their strong foundation.

3.5 stars!

I want to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing the e-arc in return for my honest review!

Wow, this book was nothing like I expected it to be and I mean that in a really good way!
I expected this to be more like a heartfelt rom-com but it was something completely different - more like a mystery-magical realism-romance.
What I really enjoyed were the multiple story lines/POVs, but I definitely didn't see that plot twist coming. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure.
In general I really didn't expect how the story went on, but it was such a beautiful story!

This was a very enjoyable twist on the time-travel romance. I went into it expecting that most of the tension and drama would stem from character interactions as our MC worked something out with a past love. Little did I know it would be much twistier. For the last half of the book I really couldn't put it down because I needed to know what had happened and how the MC's time travel might change things.

I'll be recommending this one widely.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in advance of publication.

What a wild ride! I definitely expected this to be a cute romcom, but instead got a romance-mystery-thriller in one. I breezed through this book in one day because there were so many unexpected twists and turns that I couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen next. And I loved the romance itself, as it was so sweet to watch the main characters falling in love again.

The writing was also impeccable: I found myself laughing out loud in moments (love the British humor) and then on the edge of my seat in nervousness in others. I would've rated it 5 stars except it reminded me of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. But it's different enough that I would highly recommend this book to romance and mystery lovers alike!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC copy of this book.

i love love loved this one. such an impossible situation she found herself in and i respect her so much for the choices she made. slightly predictable but so good. thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I loved this book. There are subtle twists that keep you guessing. Why did he do it? Why did he fake his death? Was it another woman, did he accidentally fall?
All of it is beautifully woven.
I also like that the dual narratives can be a bit tricky. You think it is Kit when it turns out to be James.
This was the perfect snow storm read that sucked me right in so I could forget about the cold outside.