This book is deep, emotional, heartbreaking and leaves you hopeful. I really enjoyed this book.

It's a story about Clara and Benjamin who fall deeply in love. You get both point of views, which is a format I really enjoy, so you get an understanding from both sides. This book had me laughing which turned to being sad then to being hopeful, an emotional rollercoaster for the characters an the reader. Definitely worth the read and will be recommending this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin Press for early access in turn for my honest opinion! ( )

If you're looking at The One That Got Away and thinking that it looks like a nice romance novel then think again as it's really not a romance but a story of first love and how even the most powerful love can be toxic. However, if you're looking for a story that grabs you from the very first page and doesn't put you down until you turn the last page then here it is.

In the present day, Clara works for a newspaper and when she hears of a bomb attack in the place where she lived as a student it takes her right back to those days twenty years earlier, and to her first love, Benjamin. Unable to stop herself, she takes a train to see if she can track him down, knowing that he could well be in the heart of the attack. The larger part of the story focuses on their university years, the way Benjamin and Clara met. Despite their intense love for each other, their relationship is like a badly built structure placed on solid foundations: their love is strong but it's not steady enough to last. Then there are sections where we see what happened to the couple during the interim years whilst they were not together.

This book is thoroughly immersive and beautifully written. It's a masterclass in how to draw the reader in and gradually share with them a story of two young people who have an invisible bond stretching through the years but who are not together. I was dying to know what had happened to tear them apart but I also wanted their story to last forever and for me to not have to say goodbye to Benjamin and Clara, two flawed yet likeable and understandable, brilliant protagonists.

The One That Got Away was everything I was hoping for and a lot more besides. I honestly loved every single page of it and it's not too early to say it will be one of my favourite books of the year. The plot is a stunning tragi-love story that I found utterly compelling and authentic. I hope there will be more from Charlotte Rixon. ( )

An interesting book that leads the reader around several time points to reach the end. At points it seems to drag but at other points it races forward, captivating me to want to read more to learn what really happened years ago..

3.5 stars for this novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. ( )

I was looking for a cute second chance romance. This is not it.
This is a book about lost chances and hard parts of life. It might be triggering for some people to read about it. For me it difficult to get through the book.
It's definitely a story worth reading and the writing is good. But with that title, I'm not sure anyone expected it to get so dark. ( )