Author: Bethany Chase
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: March 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, this bright, funny debut from a fresh voice in fiction offers a delicious take on love, family, and what it means to build a home of one’s own.
Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn.
Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.
Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.
My Thoughts: Thoroughly enjoyed this delightful story about a woman who gets the answer to that “what if” question when a former flame reappears in her life years after he abruptly departed from her life.
I was prepared to dislike Eamon but I just couldn’t. He has a great vibe about him and though he broke Sarina’s heart, I knew he wasn’t a creep. Sarina comes off very wishy-washy regarding her feelings for Eamon and I struggled a little bit with the fact she is in a relationship of four years with Noah and needed to address that long before she does. I didn’t think Noah was a bad guy either, but just not right for Sarina. I also resented his parents interfering with life plans and goals for Sarina. I would not have been as polite or patient as Sarina, however, especially when Noah does not defend her choice to work after marriage and childbirth. So, yes, I was not a fan of the Noah / Sarina relationship and felt it had run its course long before this story begins.
The author’s voice, style and humor drew me into the story so completely, I felt like I knew these characters personally and would love spending time with them at Danny’s bar or hanging out on Sarina’s couch with her cat, Newman. I will be looking for more of this author’s work and would love to revisit these characters in a sequel.
My Final Verdict: Readers who are suckers for romance and fun will enjoy this feel-good story that will leave them with plenty of smiles.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The One That Got Away from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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