Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of this book. Izzy asks Sam out the first time she meets him, however, it is his wedding day. Slowly over the years, via a few meet cutes and email correspondence, a friendship is formed between the two. This was a nice light read, and, though I enjoyed it overall, I didn't really engage with the main characters (I did at times find myself being more intrigued by Sam's children).I did however find this to be a lovely light read, perfect for those days where you have nothing to do and want to relax a bit.

1.5 ✫

Izzy and Sam had a gorgeous meet-cute. Fell in love at first sight—ON SAM’S WEDDING DAY.

I thought this book would be good, it started out okay, but then within the first 20% it had jumped 14 years since they met. Their lives had spiralled so far away from each other that I couldn’t grab the connection that was originally intended.

I don’t even know what else to say besides—this wasn’t very good. The majority of contact was emails back and forth and some very unexciting face-to-faces. I usually love online correspondence, but it was all incredibly boring. Except for their meeting, I felt no chemistry. I’m not really sure what this book was even supposed to do, I need so much more than this.

The cover and plot reminded me a little of One Day in December—which I hated for a number of reasons. I thought maybe this might get it right. I was looking for longing, angst and that second chance—I got two people, never being honest and losing half their lives not together. At least there was no cheating.

Izzy and Sam meet on Sam's wedding day,,,when Izzy asks Sam out on a date! This book was a sweet story that spanned the ensuing years and left us with a lovely tale about "the ONE"

This is a gorgeous little rom com about Izzy and Sam who fall in love instantly. Only problem is that Sam is getting married. That same day. The book jumps through several years and the different paths they’ve taken, bringing them back together with a lot of baggage and doubt, but also a lot of chemistry and connection.

I really enjoyed having both Izzy’s and Sam’s points of view to tell the story, particularly as the book brings them together only for them to walk away from each other yet again.

It reminded me a little of the movie Serendipity with Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack which I loved so it’s not surprising that I absolutely loved this book too. This was a slow burn romance where the writing had a great flow and it was an easy read. It really just hit the sweet spot.

Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me to read and review this book. I’d recommend this one to readers who enjoy a bit of a fairytale mixed with real life situations.

What if you met the one, but it was just not the right time or the right place. The concept of this trope has been handled before in books (Just think about One day in December or the day we met, but it is kind of a trope I really tend to enjoy.

And boy did I enjoy The First Time We Met. In the first chapter we meet heroine Izzy, who doesn’t believe in love at first sight. But when she serves breakfast to the hansom and charismatic Sam, she is swept of her feet. Sam is the one, Izzy is sure of it. But when she runs after him on the street and asks him out, reality hits her. Sam is about to get married in a couple of hours.

From there on, we follow Izzy and Sam trough the years. Finally almost a decade later their paths intertwine once again, but they both have a lot of baggage and are living on different continents.
Although I dived in this book for the romance aspect of it, I was surprised to quickly realize that the strongest feature of this book was not in fact the relationship between Izzy and Sam. It was the overall story-line and how very realistic it felt.

We have Izzy, a strong female character who is trying to be a good wife, a good daughter, a good friend and a good mother all at the same time. She trying to navigate a minefield of emotions and she genially cares for other people. Sometimes even a little bit to much. I loved how determined she once, but was still battling with insecurities. Izzy is the type of woman I would love to have a cup of tea with and call her my friend.

On the other hand there was Sam, with his own baggage, but also with his own insecurities. Sam’s character was crafted so well that you saw what a good guy he was, but at the same time you wanted to yell at him that he was handling life all wrong. Sam really made a mess of his family and professional life, but in a relatable way that makes you feel sorry for him.

Even the side characters were well fleshed out and had their own story to tell. Because of these well-developed characters and the overall story arc The First Time We Met felt like following real people in their day to day life instead of reading a romance story. So well crafted!

The only minor point of critique is immediately a very personal issues I had with the book. I love a adult romance book to have one or two steamy scenes. Come on, we are all adults. And when you are writing about lust and love… well, you need to show the passion and the sparks. This was one of the things I truly missed in the story. But that is just me.

An absolute recommendation and one of the better feel good novels I read this year!

Whilst wearing an elf costume, working in a greasy spoon and putting up with comments and leers from customers Izzy hears the voice that makes her look up and gaze into the eyes of Sam. Straightaway she knows that he is 'The One'. They have a little banter between them and when he leaves she chases after him to ask him out, however, Sam drops the bombshell that he is getting married that afternoon.

They each go on to live their lives, however, the though of each other is always there. Over the course of the years, they have several missed opportunities for meeting again. Glances from a distance, a good Samaritan deed, coffee and providing help for Sam's son. Told from both Sam and Izzy's point of view you are captivated by their friendship, longing to be together but can't and the almost chances that they have.

Have tissues at the ready as you read their 'You've Got Mail' style liasions and the words that go unsaid for so long between them.

This was a super slow burn and a very fast ending so my emotions were all over the place. I experienced bliss, happiness, joy, sorrow, broken heart, annoyance, and all the emotions in-between. Every character had something about them that just turned me off but I was still rooting for them. It was such an odd feeling to have about a book but I still loved it.

Izzy falls in love at first sight with Sam and asks him out, only it's his wedding day. Slowly over the years a friendship and relationship starts between Izzy in London and Sam in New York. This is a gentle read and for me an average read because I didn't really engage with the two main characters. We were told Izzy is nice which is great but I'd rather be shown her niceness and this pulled me out of the story a bit. Overall a sweet read for a Sunday afternoon. Thank you to Netgaley and the publishers for letting me review this book for an honest review.

The First Time We Met hooked me from the first chapter. I loved Sam and Izzy and was rooting for these two to end up together, I kept yelling at Sam while I was reading "Stop Being Stupid Tell Izzy How You Feel". I enjoyed the duo POV I felt it brought something extra to the story. I can't wait to read another book by Jo Lovett.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which centers around the idea of meeting The One, but on his wedding day. This is a lovely story for readers who are longing for a fairytale within contemporary real-life situations. If you enjoy romantic comedies with heart between an American and a Brit, snap this one up.

This hit the sweet spot of a combination romance and women’s fiction. I loved the exploration of whether there there can be a The One, and is it possible to meet that person at the wrong time, but somehow find your way to them later. Bonus points for making me tear up at a big romantic gesture. A lovely read.

It has been a whole since I have enjoyed an easy read, finished in a couple of hours this afternoon sat in the sunshine.

What a beautiful story, I love the two main characters Izzy and Sam and watching the story unfold. The middle section was a little long but I still enjoyed it.

Overall an enjoyable read that enables you to switch off from life for a few hours.

The First Time We Met, Jo Lovett

What if you met the one on his wedding day?

Izzy doesn’t believe in love at first sight until she meets Sam one Winter morning, taking a chance she asks him out only to find he’s about to get married. Nearly ten years later Izzy still thinks about Sam, the one who got away and Sam still thinks about Izzy, the girl who asked him out on his wedding day. When they finally cross paths again, with decades of baggage and an ocean between them they discover whether some obstacles are to big to overcome.

A cosy, gorgeous, “One Day in December” vibe love story to lose yourself in. I absolutely lost myself within this one. With a well layered storyline that is not without its difficulties for the lead characters, stunning backdrop of the New York and London skylines, this one is sure to capture your heart this Christmas. Jo Lovett establishes herself as one to watch here. Snuggle down and lose yourself to the festive feeling with this tear jerking, heart warming, love story.

Alright if I'm honest I don't think I was really expecting very much from this book but boy was I wrong!

I'm not usually into a romance book with insta love but the mix between insta love and slow burn romance actually made the whole love story more realistic. I love the fact it was a realistic look at what is like to fall in love with someone when you are not just looking out for yourself.

Izzy was a lovely character to read. She was determine and career focused but not in a way that was determental to her family and friends. She was a modern feminist but was still open to romance but only if it was right for both her and her daughter.

Sam on the other hand was very choatic throughout! At specific moments I literally wanted to shake some sense into him. Overall this dynamic was great and he was just as loveable as Izzy and again really only wanted the best for his children.

I did have a few issues with the book and that was why it did not get a full 5 star rating. My first one was that I felt that the secondary relationship between Rohan and Emma almost felt forced. I don't think that we had a enough time with the characters from Izzy's point of view to see any chemistry between them and if I perfectly honest I just felt it wasn't really fleshed out.

My other issue was that the middle section, as it felt a little slow at times. I think there was a heavy focus on Sam and his relationship with his children but was nice but could have been cut down slightly. From Izzy's perspective, it was the dynamic between her and Dominic which I fel t was dragged out slightly and although I felt she was right to debate if she should get back together with him, I just felt the decision Izzy came to could have been made in less time.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and was great debut for Jo Lovett. It was a realistic love story from 2 people who met and fell in love at the wrong time but who eventually made it back to each other. If you love Josie Silver's One day in December then you will love this book too.

Izzy and Sam meet when he orders breakfast from the greasy spoon café she works at.
Feeling an instant spark, Izzy asks Sam out only to discover that it is his wedding day! Bad timing! But she is sure they were meant to be and never stops thinking about the one who got away.

When they meet again years later, things have changed but are far more complicated than ever before.

Told from the alternating viewpoints of Sam and Izzy this story was gorgeous. I found myself holding my breath when they did, it was like I was there with them. I loved how the reader knew how both characters felt about each other, and I was willing them to overcome the obstacle preventing them being together.

This was a very sweet read. I really loved the beginning and end but things got a little slow for me in the middle. All in all, it’s charming and cute; readers will fall in love with Izzy. She was my favorite part of the book. Sam’s obsession with his career was not as convincing but he was still flawed and complex, so I can appreciate him more than other male protagonists. Lovett’s writing is amazing and it’s hard not to enjoy this sweet story,

What if you met the right person at the wrong time?
That is the question Jo Lovett explores throughout 'The First Time We Met' it is a decade-spanning story of Izzy and Sam. Jo is an incredibly talented writer and had me hooked from the start. As someone in their mid-twenties, I can often find it hard to relate to/enjoy books with protagonists who are at a different life stage to myself. But I just got it with Izzy, Sam, Emma and Rohan. They were all perfectly flawed and complex like all adults are. The First Time We Met is a great read any time of year but it would be a particularly great one during the festive season.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

It has been so long since I've read a romance that made my heart swell as this one did. There were points when I felt unable to breathe because of how much I loved this.
Describing perfection is nearly impossible but I'm going to try.
I loved Izzy. She was so unabashedly herself. Reading female characters like her gives me hope for the romance genre. She was strong, successful, determined and yet she had a vulnerability and confusion to her that just made you love her. At times it felt like I was reading my own thoughts. She was so superbly relatable. Sam was perfection. The carnage of his life and his terrible way of handling it all rounded out his character superbly and just made you sympathise with him but also want to hit him over the head with a hardback. I loved the children - they were depicted so well and they were all so individual. Emma was a pure joy to read and I loved getting to know her story (I wish it was a book itself ;) )
I laughed so much at this book. The humour was exactly my kind of thing; a weird balance between dad jokes and uncomfortable situations. I obviously adored the writing style. I was so happy to get both Sam and Izzy's POV's. Don't even get me started on the plot!! It was the best combination of insta love and a slow burn romance I've ever read. I loved seeing them grow and change over the years and how they were always just missing each other.
Overall, if you couldn't tell already - I adored this. I cannot recommend this enough. It made my day. Just a perfect heart-warming romance that made me very very very jealous!