This is a feel good story about Sam and Izzy who discover love at first sight at the worst possible time - Sam's wedding day!
Izzy is working in a cafe when she first sees Sam and falls instantly in love. She decides to tell him how she feels but unfortunately he is about to marry someone else! Years pass until they meet again when Izzy is heavily pregnant with her first child. It certainly looks as though they will never get the timing right. Sam and Izzy find so many factors are against them - Sam's teenage children, Izzy's estranged husband and the fact they live oceans apart. This is the ultimate "will they, won't they" love story for fans of happily ever afters.

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—Book Review—

The First Time We Met
By: Jo Lovett
Bookouture
@bookouture

Do you believe in love at first site? Izzy doesn’t. But then she meets Sam. This book starts fourteen years ago when Izzy is a waitress. Sam comes in for a greasy breakfast and sparks fly. Izzy decides to be bold and asks Sam out. The only problem? It’s Sam’s wedding day!

Fast forward a year later and Izzy still can’t get Sam out of her head. The one that got away! But it’s time to move on...

Then six years pass.

Then another year.

This is where the story loses me.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The first 25% of this book I flew through and absolutely adored. It was giving me MAJOR One Day in December vibes and I LOVED that book! But then the timeline jumped. Izzy was married with a child. Sam was a married with twins. Then another lengthy timeline jump. Sam is a widow, the twins are teens, and they live in NYC. But, Izzy is in still London where they originally met, separated and raising her young child. A lot of the book is emails back and forth. It relies on poor communication. It’s also has an identity crisis . . . Is it a book about the kids or a romance!? Then bam a marriage proposal . . . Thee end. What!!!???

Thank you @netgalley and Bookouture for honoring my request to read this eARC in exchange of a review of my honest opinion.

This book is out today - 11/10/20!

I needed a book like this during this stressful time! I usually do not read romance books, but this one intrigued me. I loved the story, how lighthearted it was, and it was just a perfect escape read for me. The story did jump around quite a bit, and at times it seemed as if I was watching a rom-com. Overall, I enjoyed this one!

I loved this - it was just what I needed after my last couple of reads. It was light, fun and heartwarming and I found myself constantly wanting to pick it up! I found the characters really likeable and loved the back and forth between them. The chapters appeared to alternate between the perspective of both Izzy and Sam which I enjoyed as the same event was often told from both perspectives. There was also a number of subplots which I thought definitely added something to the story and made it an enjoyable read overall.

Wow oh wow what a book. It's one of those books that give you ALL the feels!!!! This is a story about how even when you meet your One life can still get in the way. It's a story of hope and fighting the odds. I love this idea of meeting The One but not at the right time. I think the romance and the storyline between our main characters is very realistic.

Our two main characters are Izzy and Sam. I really liked both of them. Izzy is such a sweetheart but has spent her life being second best. Don't get me wrong she has great friends and her Granny was the best but when it comes to her parents she's not their top priority. I really felt for her here. Your parents should always be there for you and for Izzy this just wasn't the case. I'm so glad she had her Granny and her best friends. Sam is drop-dead gorgeous with a voice to die for. He's a good man who does lose his way a little. He has the best of intentions but didn't always listen to those around him.

My favourite character by far was Barney, Sam's son. I felt so much for this little guy and I was so so proud of what he achieves in this book. It really gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling.

I raced through this book without even trying. I read half of it in one sitting. It's a style that is so easy to read. You find yourself saying oh just one more chapter and before you know it you've read half a book!

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and letting me take part in this tour.

Whilst Izzy doesn’t believe in love at first sight, Sam changes everything when he walks into the café where she works. However, life is never simple, and Sam is getting married – on the same day. Yet, this chance meeting resonates with them both, and after several years, they soon discover whether some obstacles are too big for even true love to overcome.

An interesting take on the notion of soulmates whose paths just can’t align. I thought the alternating chapters were well connected and that it gave them the opportunity to reveal their personalities as well as their idiosyncrasies. Even the emails between the couple were quite entertaining. Maybe a bit more romance would have helped. Otherwise, an enjoyable read especially for a first book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this review copy of The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett.
The First Time We Met is a women’s fiction love story about the realistic challenges and obstacles adults with careers and families run into when they fall in love. Sam is a widowed high-powered lawyer with two teenagers living in New York. Izzy is a speech pathologist living in London with a 6 year old daughter and an estranged husband. Despite the ocean between them and 14 years of missed opportunities Sam and Izzy keep reaching out to each other across the pond.
Although The First Time We Met starts out a little rom-commy with a “meet cute” (which includes an embarrassing elf costume) it becomes pretty clear that this on the more serious side of chick-lit. But it also doesn’t fit into the contemporary romance category either because the couple spends so little time in each other’s actual physical presence. For me, the book suffered because it had a foot in each of these worlds but wasn’t firmly in any of them. The entire middle of it sagged a little because the children and the challenges around being a single working parent took up so much space on the page. Most of the interactions between Sam and Izzy are shown through emails (often filled with details about the kids and recipe exchanging) and it’s easy to lose interest in their story because, frankly, they are kind of boring. The main character’s children (especially Sam’s) actually sucked a lot of joy out of the plot and got on my nerves a little. I enjoyed the side characters of Emma and Rohan and would have loved to see more of the plot dedicated to Izzy’s complicated relationship with her parents.
Overall, this was a well-written and satisfying novel about finding love and fighting for it. A reader who wants a “clean” romance with more mature main characters and realistic complications on the path to love might enjoy The First Time We Met. I give it a solid 3 stars.

A series of unfortunate events keeps two soulmates from each other for 14 years. FOURTEEN years. At different times during that 14 year period, Izzy and Sam meet, both at life stages where neither has the ability to explore a relationship with the other. And when they do, they really don't. There are a lot of intricate layers to this story. Children. Living on different continents. Marriage and widowhood. Separation.

While the beginning of the book held promise for a really great story, the 14 years it took for Izzy and Sam to reconnect and get their HEA was awfully long. It seemed that the issues that both faced were so difficult to figure out, but the resolution seemed too easy. I feel that I invested so much in the thick of things for the first three-fourths of the book that the last quarter of it fell a little short. Overall, this story had some good bones. It does end with a happily ever after, which is what I was looking for in the end.

I received an advance copy of this book at my request via netgalley and voluntarily left this review.

Izzy was having a bad morning - having to wear an impossibly tiny Elf costume and being ogled at while working as a server at Terry's greasy spoon cafe when a sexy American accent of her next customer interrupted her thoughts. The moment their eyes met, followed by a few lines of conversation, Izzy just knew that Sam is The One. She's not one who believes in love at first sight but this time, she's 💯 sure that he is The One. That's why in an un-Izzy-like fashion, she ran out after him when Sam left the cafe and asked him out.

..and got a "Izzy, thank you so much but I'm afraid I can't. I'm getting married today" from a very serious-looking Sam. Embarrassed and heart-broken, Izzy went on with her life but Sam is always at the back of her mind.

Through the years, Izzy moved on with a husband and a daughter and Sam has a set of twins. Somehow, fate and the universe had Izzy and Sam crossed path multiple times and sparks always fly when they met but.. there's always a but, isn't it?

* * *

3.5 Stars from me!

I'd like to call myself a thriller and mystery sort of person through and through but who am I kidding? Occasionally, i love those Hallmark sappy, romantic movies and this book delivers exactly that. The opening is so movie worthy. It's witty, it's romantic. It makes you feel that love at first sight might actually exists.

I love how this book delivers a reality check on life - going through a divorce, life as a single parent, cancer, maintaining LDR, the challenge of parenting a child who needs speech therapy, dealing with life trauma as adults and children. It's not just a love story, it's a life story. There is so much to love about this book.

That being said, i wish there are more longing and hunger for each other than what's written. After all, Izzy and Sam have been paining for each other from day 1 and I expected a more explosive, passionate, teary reunion when they finally get together after 14 long years.

You'd love this if you love One Day in December and Love, Rosie.

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for an e-ARC of this book.

Although Izzy doesn’t believe in love at first sight, this changes when Sam walks into the cafe where she works.
Only problem is...it’s Sam’s wedding day.

The premise of this book is super cute. I enjoy love stories where characters are torn apart and have to find their way back to one another.

However, this book is a slow burn. Like slow, slow, slow burn. I don’t mind a slow burn romance but because much of the characters interactions in this book are through email and not face to face interaction—it was far too slow for my personal liking.

I can also deal with a super slow burn if the subplot is kept interesting. But in this case I felt the subplot relationship between Izzy’s best friends didn’t add anything to the story. The long gaps between their interactions made it feel very start and stop to me.

Quality of Writing - 7
In its genre, I felt the book was well written. I enjoyed the mix of humor and the added touches of the email format.

Plot Development- 6
This story is such a slow burn that I felt some of the plot points got lost by the time they were mentioned again. The relationship between Rohan and Emma felt underdeveloped because the spacing of their narrative was drawn out.

Characters - 6
The characters were fine but there were none that I really attached myself to or found myself rooting for. I felt Sam’s daughters interactions with him sometimes felt trite and a bit strange.

Enjoyment- 6
This book was ok for me. It was a quick feel good romance read.

Thought Provoking - 5
I did enjoy the setting of London as I could relate to many of the places mentioned, but I didn’t find myself thinking too deeply about any of the plot or characters.

Ease of Reading- 9
Super easy read. Sometimes because of the slow burn, I had to go back and remind myself of certain plot points which disrupted the ease of reading.

Ending -6
I don’t want to ruin the ending for anyone but I felt it rushed.

Overall I feel this book is for you if you like slow burn romance books.


Thank you Bookouture & Netgalley for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my review.

So this is definitely a 3 1/2 stars for me. I loved the ending so so so soooooooo much! Probably one of my favorite endings in a long time. However, the middle seemed like it droned on for a bit. There were some parts that I didn't feel were necessary/ had nothing to do with the main plot and thats why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4. Reminded me a lot of One Day in December by Josie Silver and I'm definitely interested in reading more by this author in the future.

3.5 Stars / 5

If you loved reading One Day in December by Josie Silver then you absolutely need to read The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett. I love reading romance stories set in the UK and this one was magical. This story is about finding the right person/ soulmate but at the absolute worst time. Izzy meets Sam on his wedding day and he's in her memory ever since. The story goes from London to NY (two of my fav cities to read about) and definitely gives off Serendipity vibes. You will laugh, and possibly cry while reading about Izzy and Sam's journey together and as individuals. Will they ever get the timing right and just be together? All I can say is I wish there was a movie version of this because I would watch it over and over this holiday season! If you haven't read this one yet hurry and add it to your holiday TBR pile! Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I’m going to admit, I started this book very confused.
On the one hand, I enjoyed the back and forth between Izzy and Sam. I thought that their connection was obvious, and I could literally feel the relationship “fizz” between them. However, there were other parts where it seemed as if the author was just trying to fill in in order to move to the next fizzy part.
Case in point – within “Part I” of the book, there were several life events for both Sam and Izzy that were quickly glossed over. Births, deaths, break-ups, moves. It was quite a whirlwind and didn’t give me sound footing. I understand that the author needed to get to the rest of the book, but I wish it had been a little bit smoother.
In Part II, however (and through the rest of the book), the plot follows a more regulated timeline of both Sam’s and Izzy’s lives.
What I liked about the book was how it reminded me of a 90s Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie. And I thought that even before it was mentioned in the book!
Obviously, the course of true love never does run smoothly, and that’s certainly the case with Sam and Izzy. They were two ships passing in the night. Repeatedly. Just when they seemed as if they were on the right track, life kicked them back again.
I didn’t mind that, because it kept me guessing as to whether or not they would ever be at the right place at the right time together. But, as with any good RomCom, love prevails (of course). You know it’s going to, but it’s all about the journey getting there. I loved how it all came full circle, quite literally.
And any book that has a “Friends” reference is okay by me.

Wow! I have been blown away by this book and the author’s creations within the book.

This book is a traditional love story, but it’s also much more than that. As you might expect, it deals with love, loss and heartbreak all while asking the questions: Will they or won’t they? Can true love last the distance? Should we marry, or stay married out of a sense of duty or obligation?

There were also some really original aspects to the story. The story spanned 15 years but definitely in a “will this story ever get to the point” kind of a way, but more of a “oooh, look how beautifully and organically the writer has developed the characters and the complexities of their relationships” kind of way.

I developed sympathy towards many of the main characters, as they were likeable, believable and raw.

I am struggling to express in words how much I enjoyed this book, which I devoured in less than a day. Jo Lovett is clearly a star of romantic fiction writing and this book is perfect for fans of Mary Jayne Baker, Portia Macintosh and Holly Martin. It is undoubtedly in my top 3 romance reads of 2020!

I absolutely loved this book! It was heartfelt, engaging and very touching, I so enjoyed the adventure of Izzy and Sam’s story. I highly recommend it!

An easy light read that just fell a bit short for me sadly. I love romance books and this one sounded really great, but I actually found myself a little bored at times throughout, especially since the beginning of the book and the initial dialogue had me hooked! With Izzy and Sam, I found them to be lacking a bit with chemistry and their connection overall didn't have me convinced, especially with the small amounts of time actually meeting in person instead of emails and the big time jumps/distances present in their story. Thanks!

That was an adorable feel-good kind of read. Hallmark movie in a book.

I was so happy to start reading this and see that the main character, Izzy, is a speech therapist who specializes in stammers (stuttering). I'm not sure that I've seen my profession in a book before and it's always nice to feel a personal connection through representation.

I really enjoyed the overall sweetness of this story - two people who met at the wrong time who carry a torch for each other for years. Izzy & Sam treat their respective partners with respect and love (and loyalty), but they just don't have the instant passion and connection they felt when meeting The One. I'm happy that this story didn't go down the path of cheating or betrayal and I liked that we got to know Izzy & Sam separately. I liked that they were able to connect through their kids and I enjoyed hearing about their different lives apart from the central love story.

I also liked hearing about different kinds of love - the kind that comes from mutual respect and partnership when raising a kid together, the kind that blooms between a parent (or grandparent) and kid when that kid needs someone to depend on, and the kind of the love that exists between good friends (Emma really pulled it out in the end).

If you're in the mood for a pallette cleanser and you just need to smile at a happy ending, this one should do the trick.

So the blurb made this sound interesting and I liked the idea behind it, but the execution was not to my liking.

First, I want to start by saying the tropes: insta-love and slowburn. Maybe this affects the way I look at it because those aren't my favorite tropes, but I think they were a huge factor in the fact that I couldn't FEEL the chemistry between the main characters. The jumps in time were a bit big for me and the story and the connection between them just didn't become believable. Their relationship needed a bit more development, and while I liked the character of Izzy, I can't say much about Sam because I didn't even notice him.

I absolutely loved this wonderful Rom-Com.

What if you met The One, your soul mate on the day of his wedding? Izzy meets Sam and it's love at first sight. She is bolder than she has ever been and asks him out only to find out he's getting married. That very day.

Over the next 13 years, Izzy and Sam run into each other a few times but after 13 years, their lives become intertwined.

This is the story of meeting your soul mate at the wrong time and the sacrifices you make for the one true love.

I loved every minute. Some might say it's predictable, some might say a bit cheesy and sappy. All the better in my book. This is an adorable light love story and I am absolutely in love with Izzy and Sam.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was truly my pleasure ❤️

What if you meet The One on his wedding day? Izzy is convinced that Sam is the one, when he comes into the greasy spoon cafe, where she works, for breakfast. The trouble is, he's getting married later that day, to someone else. We then follow the two of them through the years in this wonderful will-they/won't-they romance.
A classic boy meets girl story, but at the wrong time, in the wrong country and with the added complication of families.
As Izzy and Sam's relationship develops, the writing engages you fully and I became completely invested in the two characters lives. The email correspondence between them is especially warm and emotional and is a key thread to the story.