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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
FIRST THOUGHTS: Bethany Chase has a way with words. She definitely brought her settings to life, and I also really enjoyed getting to know her main character Sarina.
The One That Got Away magically appeared on my doorstep courtesy of Ballentine Books, and while the summary sounded interesting I added it to my to be read pile, but thought I’d get to it when I could.
Then I saw the lovely Ginger at GReads raving about it, and I know she and I have similar tastes in adult fiction so I bumped it up the list and I’m incredibly happy I did so.
Every woman has one. That name you Google at two o’clock in the morning. That intoxicating connection that somehow never solidified into anything real; that particular memory you still visit every now and then, for that guaranteed hit of pure, sugar-packed dopamine. It’s that story that starts with “There was this one time” and ends, reluctantly, with “but I guess…”
The One That Got Away is Sarina Mahler’s story. She has amazing friends, she’s in a wonderful relationship with her boyfriend Noah, and she owns her own architecture business that is just starting to take off.
But when Eamon Roy, the now retired Olympic swimmer she used to have a thing for, shows back up and wants to hire her to help remodel his new home, she suddenly begins to question everything she has planned for future. I don’t want to make you think that Eamon is the only reason behind Sarina’s reevaluating her life, because he is only one part of the story. There’s more here than just a chance at rekindling a romance.
I love YA books you guys… you know this, but I honestly love when I can find women’s fiction that I just absolutely fall for, and this was one of those books. I love being able to relate to characters that have experienced a bit of life already, and Bethany Chase does an amazing job creating that.
From the plot to the characters to the use of one of my favorite tropes, I really just absolutely loved this. There were a few things that kind of bugged me a bit… I feel like some of the drama could have been alleviated if Sarina and Eamon had had a conversation, but overall this story just was a wonderful read.
Chase creates a charming story of second chances, loss and love, filled with romantic, sexy and sweet moments… exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up!
Definitely grab this one if you’re looking for something in the women’s fiction genre, with a strong voice and wonderful writing.
Then I saw the lovely Ginger at GReads raving about it, and I know she and I have similar tastes in adult fiction so I bumped it up the list and I’m incredibly happy I did so.
Every woman has one. That name you Google at two o’clock in the morning. That intoxicating connection that somehow never solidified into anything real; that particular memory you still visit every now and then, for that guaranteed hit of pure, sugar-packed dopamine. It’s that story that starts with “There was this one time” and ends, reluctantly, with “but I guess…”
The One That Got Away is Sarina Mahler’s story. She has amazing friends, she’s in a wonderful relationship with her boyfriend Noah, and she owns her own architecture business that is just starting to take off.
But when Eamon Roy, the now retired Olympic swimmer she used to have a thing for, shows back up and wants to hire her to help remodel his new home, she suddenly begins to question everything she has planned for future. I don’t want to make you think that Eamon is the only reason behind Sarina’s reevaluating her life, because he is only one part of the story. There’s more here than just a chance at rekindling a romance.
I love YA books you guys… you know this, but I honestly love when I can find women’s fiction that I just absolutely fall for, and this was one of those books. I love being able to relate to characters that have experienced a bit of life already, and Bethany Chase does an amazing job creating that.
From the plot to the characters to the use of one of my favorite tropes, I really just absolutely loved this. There were a few things that kind of bugged me a bit… I feel like some of the drama could have been alleviated if Sarina and Eamon had had a conversation, but overall this story just was a wonderful read.
Chase creates a charming story of second chances, loss and love, filled with romantic, sexy and sweet moments… exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up!
Definitely grab this one if you’re looking for something in the women’s fiction genre, with a strong voice and wonderful writing.
Normally I'm not a fan of chic lit, but I loved this book. I was pulled into the story and all of its character driven drama from the start. I think a large part of the reason why I loved this book so much is because I could visualize everything so well, and because I felt like this was the kind of story that would make a great Hallmark Channel movie that I would make a point to watch every time it was on. As it stands this is a book that I'll most likely find myself rereading whenever I find myself in a contemplative mood about love and relationships. I look forward to reading more from Bethany Chase.
I enjoyed this but like so many books in this genre a lack of communication and assumptions regarding someone else's reaction played far too large a role and that bugged me!
I knew I was gonna love this book before reading it. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for.
Brilliant pacing that grabs from the first sentence. Complex, relatable characters, especially in Sarina. You care and root for her immediately. Things get messy in ways that are realistic and not too simplified, which they can often be in fictional love stories. Things in this book between Sarina, Noah, and Eamon are complicated and messy, just like love in the real world.
I was surprised how much I liked all the architect stuff. Love how the theme of importance of "home" played throughout the whole story.
I was hooked from the first page and finished this in a day. I loved sharing it with Chase's words and eagerly look forward to her next book.
Brilliant pacing that grabs from the first sentence. Complex, relatable characters, especially in Sarina. You care and root for her immediately. Things get messy in ways that are realistic and not too simplified, which they can often be in fictional love stories. Things in this book between Sarina, Noah, and Eamon are complicated and messy, just like love in the real world.
I was surprised how much I liked all the architect stuff. Love how the theme of importance of "home" played throughout the whole story.
I was hooked from the first page and finished this in a day. I loved sharing it with Chase's words and eagerly look forward to her next book.
"The One That Got Away" is the story of Sarina, a woman who would think she has her life together. She works very hard at her job as an architect. It's truly her passion. Her personal life seems to be moving pretty well too. She believes that she is close to being proposed to by her boyfriend. Unfortunately, not everything is as it seems. The boyfriend that she loves, who is generally supportive, does not seem to support her idea of working after they are married because, you know, it's going to be Sarina's job to stay home and take care of the brood of children that they will start working on having right away. Obviously, this rubs Sarina the wrong way. It takes the reappearance of an old college flame to show Sarina that she really doesn't have everything that she wants. This is fun and funny book that shows that sometimes you have to dig a little bit deeper in order to figure out what you really want.
I really enjoyed this book. Sarina is really great character, who I found a lot of fun to read about. The book is told from her's perspective which made it really easy to get into the story. The story is definitely a familiar one but the author really breathes new life into it. Sarina realizes that she still might be a little hung up on Eamon, a guy who she briefly dated in college before he disappeared with no reasoning. When he reappears, Sarina is just confused. Why did he leave? Why does he still seem so attracted to him? Why is she still so attracted to him? I loved the story about the both of them and their relationship. The romance felt very real to me and it's one of those romances that I know that I am going to think about a lot long after I finished the last page.
As I mentioned before, this story may seem a little bit familiar, which is always a risk for any story. It's the classic story of somebody from the past comes back into you your life and turns it upside down. The story is still entertaining because of the great writing. Chase has a great way of bringing the characters to life and because of characters feel so real, you fall for them and want to see what happens to them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for other things that Bethany Chase writes in the future.
I really enjoyed this book. Sarina is really great character, who I found a lot of fun to read about. The book is told from her's perspective which made it really easy to get into the story. The story is definitely a familiar one but the author really breathes new life into it. Sarina realizes that she still might be a little hung up on Eamon, a guy who she briefly dated in college before he disappeared with no reasoning. When he reappears, Sarina is just confused. Why did he leave? Why does he still seem so attracted to him? Why is she still so attracted to him? I loved the story about the both of them and their relationship. The romance felt very real to me and it's one of those romances that I know that I am going to think about a lot long after I finished the last page.
As I mentioned before, this story may seem a little bit familiar, which is always a risk for any story. It's the classic story of somebody from the past comes back into you your life and turns it upside down. The story is still entertaining because of the great writing. Chase has a great way of bringing the characters to life and because of characters feel so real, you fall for them and want to see what happens to them.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I will definitely be on the lookout for other things that Bethany Chase writes in the future.
Sarina is living the dream. She has a successful business as an architect, a stable, well-off boyfriend, and the best friends that anyone could ever ask for. Everything is going the way she had planned until Eamon Roy shows up in Austin. Eamon Roy, the only one night stand Sarina ever had. Eamon, Roy, Olympic swimmer. Eamon Roy, her new architectural client. With Eamon's home renovation project, she'll be seeing much more of him than she had anticipated and with her boyfriend off to Argentina for the year, she isn't sure how much she can take.
This is a pretty strong debut from Bethany Chase. I loved Sarina's voice. She sounded real to me in a way that many romance novel heroines don't. Her quirky sense of humor and quick wit made her light up for me and really got me rooting for her. Eamon was swoon worthy and their chemistry was dynamite. Noah, on the other hand, seemed like a contemptible twit the whole story - I wish there had been a little more of him at the start, to give the reader the feel of him as a round character, rather than one squashed by work and a long distance relationship. The pacing of the story seemed a little slow at times, but never slow enough that I put the book down and walked away. I appreciated the reality of complex relationships. A break-up is never cut and dried; the start of a relationship is sometimes fraught with miscommunication and jealousy. Even though there are some tough moments, this is, for the most part, a pretty fluffy read. Readers of Jennifer Weiner, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Jennifer Cruise will enjoy. I most certainly am looking forward to her next book.
This is a pretty strong debut from Bethany Chase. I loved Sarina's voice. She sounded real to me in a way that many romance novel heroines don't. Her quirky sense of humor and quick wit made her light up for me and really got me rooting for her. Eamon was swoon worthy and their chemistry was dynamite. Noah, on the other hand, seemed like a contemptible twit the whole story - I wish there had been a little more of him at the start, to give the reader the feel of him as a round character, rather than one squashed by work and a long distance relationship. The pacing of the story seemed a little slow at times, but never slow enough that I put the book down and walked away. I appreciated the reality of complex relationships. A break-up is never cut and dried; the start of a relationship is sometimes fraught with miscommunication and jealousy. Even though there are some tough moments, this is, for the most part, a pretty fluffy read. Readers of Jennifer Weiner, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Jennifer Cruise will enjoy. I most certainly am looking forward to her next book.
Sarina's life is going pretty smoothly -- she's busy with her own architecture firm, she's expecting to be engaged to her boyfriend, Noah, any day, and she has a good group of friends to hang out with while Noah is away in Argentina for work. She feels so secure she's finally ready to face Eamon Roy, a former Olympic swimmer and Sarina's former-one-night-stand (who broke her heart years ago), and who is making a visit to Austin, Texas.
Suddenly, though, Eamon's visit is no longer temporary, as he decides to move back to Austin and renovate a home -- a job for which he hires Sarina. The two become fast friends, and Sarina finds herself questioning everything she thought was so perfect about her life.
Overall, this was a really fun, enjoyable read. I breezed through it, because Sarina is a thoroughly engaging character. Further, Chase has a way of writing that pulls you in - when Sarina gets bad news, for instance, I felt myself feeling as if I'd been punched in the gut, too. It was refreshing to read a "chick lit" novel about an architect, versus the usual publicist or nanny or such. I enjoyed reading about Sarina's job and she was extremely driven as a businesswoman, which was great. Further, I enjoyed that the novel had a gay character (Sarina's roommate, Danny), who didn't seem completely steeped in stereotype. Also refreshing!
About my only beef was that it all became a bit much about two-thirds or so through the book, as Sarina continues to waffle about Noah and Eamon. For a bit, the book feels very junior high-esque as Sarina goes on and on about Eamon, then Noah, then dreaming of Eamon, then more wrangling, etc. I get that it was a big decision, and she and Noah had been together for four years, but sigh. Get it together, girl!
Otherwise, this was fun, fast-paced, novel, with just the right mix of serious, real-life plot thrown in. Sarina faces some tough choices in life (and not just as she deals with her feelings with Eamon and Noah), but with her parents/stepparents, her business, and more. It's refreshing to see a chick lit heroine deal with real life in such a way. Supposedly the Chase's next book features some characters who pop up in this one. I'll definitely be putting it on my to-read list. (Overall, I'd rate The One That Got Away at 3.5 stars.)
Note: I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
Suddenly, though, Eamon's visit is no longer temporary, as he decides to move back to Austin and renovate a home -- a job for which he hires Sarina. The two become fast friends, and Sarina finds herself questioning everything she thought was so perfect about her life.
Overall, this was a really fun, enjoyable read. I breezed through it, because Sarina is a thoroughly engaging character. Further, Chase has a way of writing that pulls you in - when Sarina gets bad news, for instance, I felt myself feeling as if I'd been punched in the gut, too. It was refreshing to read a "chick lit" novel about an architect, versus the usual publicist or nanny or such. I enjoyed reading about Sarina's job and she was extremely driven as a businesswoman, which was great. Further, I enjoyed that the novel had a gay character (Sarina's roommate, Danny), who didn't seem completely steeped in stereotype. Also refreshing!
About my only beef was that it all became a bit much about two-thirds or so through the book, as Sarina continues to waffle about Noah and Eamon. For a bit, the book feels very junior high-esque as Sarina goes on and on about Eamon, then Noah, then dreaming of Eamon, then more wrangling, etc. I get that it was a big decision, and she and Noah had been together for four years, but sigh. Get it together, girl!
Otherwise, this was fun, fast-paced, novel, with just the right mix of serious, real-life plot thrown in. Sarina faces some tough choices in life (and not just as she deals with her feelings with Eamon and Noah), but with her parents/stepparents, her business, and more. It's refreshing to see a chick lit heroine deal with real life in such a way. Supposedly the Chase's next book features some characters who pop up in this one. I'll definitely be putting it on my to-read list. (Overall, I'd rate The One That Got Away at 3.5 stars.)
Note: I received an ARC from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.
