The First Time We Met is a fun, engaging book. I only give it four of five stars because it seems a bit unoriginal in its concept - formulaic, almost. That being said, I liked the characters and was interested in the story.

The story centers on Izzy and Sam who meet by chance on his wedding day. It's love at first sight for Izzy. Through the next few pages or so, we jump nearly twenty years. Both Izzy and Sam have married others. life happens, and of course they are thrown back together because...that's the point.

Izzy was cute and charming; I liked her; Sam is almost too perfect.  As I was reading I had flashes of One Day in December and the film, You've Got Mail; there were some similar plot points. This should have been good, because I loved both of those, but it just came off as predictable to me.

That being said, I really enjoyed the book and I do recommend it. Just don't expect anything new.

I'm grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Look at the cover! Oh, I love everything about it. 😍 I have no shame admitting that I picked up this book by its cover. 💁‍♀️ When I read the synopsis that this is a book about Izzy who meets a customer named Sam at dining she works in and falls in love from the first sight to discover that it is his wedding date, I was totally hooked. Because second chance romance is my favorite romance trope, I might have had pretty high hopes for this story.

And this book delivers everything, from super meet-cute to some random meetings through the years, up until the moment when they finally both are single at the same time and have their chance to happily ever after. However, the proportion felt off because, in the first part of the book, there are huge jumps in the timeline - a year later, six years later, and then seven years later. Unfortunately, nothing in between. Not a single glimpse of what happens in between from none of the characters. And this made it hard not only to get to know and love them but also to understand how they managed to pin for each other just meeting once per 6 years.

I liked how good was a reality check in this story about a breakup, being a single parent, and guilt that builds from within. I enjoyed reading about character individual growth in this story. Unfortunately, romance was lacking something. I am not sure I can point something specific, rather it was just missing any spark – e-mail exchange was blunt and superficial. There was not longing and hunger that would make them more irrational, which would drive them insane about obstacles that challenge their path to happiness. I think it leads back to the structure of the story that did not allow me to get to know these characters through the years. Aside from that, I found some side characters and events unnecessary for the story as they did not add any value.

thank you to netgalley for a review copy

this is the story of izzy and sam,two people who met and connected at the wrong time.
over the years we follow their lives and that of their children.izzy a speech therapist is a very endearing character, kind,funny,clever and devoted to her young daughter.sam is successful but overworked to the point of not opening his eyes to the damage his absence is doing to his twins.
sam and izzy’s paths cross over the years.i found myself rooting for things to work out for them both as parents and as a couple.
charming,sweet and perfect for those who believe in romance.a lovely debut by jo lovett.
reviewed on goodreads

Ok keep the tissues handy for this one as it will make you cry buckets (unless you have no heart). This book of meeting the one on your wedding day (but she is not the bride) follows Izzy and Sam over the years as they keep bumping into each other but it’s never the right time. Every time it looks like they may have a chance the really world comes in and they are forced apart again and this shows that love does not always run true. This will break your heart but is a beautiful read with a pair who I really invested in and will miss now I have finished the book.

My review is based on the blurb as I was unable to read this book due to a formatting issue. I look forward to reading it when it is released.

I loved this book. Initially I struggled with the 'love at first sight' theme. When Izzy and Sam first met they spoke so briefly - could they really have sparked such a strong connection which would see them through so many years? They actually don't meet face-to-face very often in the book, and their relationship seems to develop mainly via e-mail. Regardless, if you can buy into this, it's a wonderful story. I liked the alternating chapters, so that we heard from Izzy and Sam. The pace was just right. The ending was perfect. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was kindly given to me as an ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I am a big fan of squishy, cozy romance books. This was thoroughly enjoyable. The main characters were three-dimensional and easy to read. The writing was quirky and punchy, making it very easy to read and enjoy. The dialogue was a little clunky at times, but for the majority of the time it was easy to look past. 
I have several gripes with this book. Maybe it's because I am childless and under-twenty, but dang, I really do not need to know so much detail about your children. This book went *on and on and on* about the various specific details of the two MCs children. I don't usual mind a liberal sprinkling of parental wisdom, but this was just a little overboard. Also, several of the side characters such as Melissa and Emma fell pretty flat, and lacked development. I would've liked less cartoonish actions from them, but that's just a personal preference rather than a criticism of the book as a whole.
The actual romance part of the book was well done. The beginning, as well as the overall premise of the book was intriguing and made me want to read on. Izzy's POV parts are hilarious, and I loved seeing Sam's ability to express his emotions fully to himself in his sections. He was extremely caring and sensitive, especially to his children, and it made for a refreshing deviation from the norm for his gender in romance.
Overall I would give this book a 3/5. A thoroughly enjoyable read, though I am perhaps not the target market.

What if you met The One on his wedding day? 
This first line of the book blurb piqued my interest and I really enjoyed reading Izzy & Sam's story. It borrows bits & bobs from some of the most loved romcoms (a bit of You've Got Mail, dash of Four Weddings and a Funeral and a sprinkle of Serendipity all rolled into one) but the story is still fresh and full of rich characters. Izzy is relatable in her efforts to balance everything in her life and still find time to pursue her own interests. She seems like someone who would be easy to be friends with, which are some of the best kinds of characters. 

I was taken a bit aback when we started jumping years ahead into the future pretty early into the book. I wouldn't mind spending more time on Sam & Izzy's early life, immediately after first meeting on that winter morning. This might have helped their reconnection (both in person and later through email) resonate more and make you feel as floored as they both (internally) felt. You get insight into their other relationships as the book goes along but sometimes it feels as if you are playing catch up as a reader. They're interesting people and so I naturally wanted to know more about what happened to them over the course of 13 odd years. It's still a very enjoyable read and leaves you believing it's not too late to find The One, even if one of you is wearing an elf hat when you first meet. 

My only real gripe is that these characters (Sam's family especially) are crying out for a family therapy session. Liv's behavior was especially tough for me to swallow but I'm not a parent so maybe this is just typical teenager fodder.

I really did enjoy the overall premise of this book, and Izzy and Sam were lovely. They had some very real things happen along the way and I did enjoy the ending. I feel like it could have been about 30% shorter. With some editing this could be much better.  Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

2/5
The First Time We Met chronicles the lives of Izzy and Sam and how they intersect over the course of a decade and a half. This book is your classic missed connection gone horribly wrong, in the way it seems to reach into every aspect of the story. One day, fourteen years ago, Izzy and Sam met for the first time during a day shift at Izzy's job. What springs from this interaction is a mutual connection that refuses to fade, impacting them years into the future. 

See, the day that they were initially introduced happened to be Sams wedding day. This becomes the cause of the whole situation that occurs thereafter. As this book was marketed as being similar to One Day in December, it is suffice to say that I was exited to start reading. That being said, I think what happens when you compare one book to another, is that your readers begin to measure them against each other. In the case of this book, it helped to have a frame of reference to how a story spanning multiple years can be written and executed well. Which is why I didn't enjoy this as much as I expected myself to. While I loved the style of writing exhibited throughout the book, that is unfortunately where it ends. My main problem, is that right from the start, there were multiple time jumps that were not spaced out, impacting the foundation needed in a story like this. In order to understand the situation, you have to care about the characters and the relationship between them, and that was not possible because of how rushed those initial chapters were. It was not clear as to why they had a connection at all. The characters themselves lacked depth beyond the romantic aspect of this book, to the point where you couldn't see who they were as people. They didn't seem to be able to stand on their own apart from the plot. I'm sure this story resonates with a lot of people, but it isn't what I needed in a romance. I need flawed, fully flushed-out characters, that struggle and make me feel those things alongside them. This might have reached me if the author had built up their connection, relationship, and separate backgrounds from the beginning as opposed to later in the story.

What would you do if you met The One, but on his wedding day to another woman? That’s exactly what happened between Izzy and Sam. Now 14 years after the day they met they are both single and brought back into each other’s lives. Will they finally get their shot at a happily ever after? 

I was so looking forward to this one, but unfortunately it fell a little flat. I did love the moments Izzy and Sam had together but there more with them apart than together.  The beginning and the end were just perfect but I found the middle quite boring. 

My one main complaint, and it’s a big one is the inability for both Sam and Izzy to make mature decisions that are best for them & their families. Sam is a hardcore workaholic, who can’t separate his time at the office to raising his tween twins. He’s constantly reminded of his faults in this area but still can’t figure it out until the very end of the book. It just became so annoying and I wanted to shake him to figure his life out. On the other hand Izzy is so sweet but she is torn between what is best for her family life and what she truly needs when it comes to her separation with her husband. 

Overall, I loved Izzy and Sam when they were together it was just the time apart from each other, that was 70% of the book that I couldn’t get past. Some might totally love this one, it just wasn’t for me. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

The premise of this book was a good idea: Izzy and Sam who had an adorable meet-cute and felt the zaps of love at first sight. The catch is that it was on Sam's wedding day. The first chapter started off so well. I was into it and the pace was fine...until we started time jumping. It started with 11 months later where they only made eye contact from across the road to seven years later to then 14 years later. It was too much and for me, I'm lost to how they could've realistically connected. 

Izzy as a character wasn't bad. She was working on finding herself and what made her happy. Sam was doing the same. However, that wasn't enough to call it a success story for me. 

There wasn't time for the two of them to have a connection. I found it difficult to believe that their brief meet-cute could really hold on for that long. Where was the chemistry? How did they really get to know each other besides emails? When they did meet in person, it was very anticlimactic. Their emails were boring and so was their face-to-face meeting. I wasn't sold on the romance and the writing voice didn't really inspire me to care about any of it. Unfortunately, this wasn't a win for me.

What if you meet the love of your life on the day of his wedding?
Izzy meets her 'The One' in a dingy bar she is working at and instantly feels a connection to Sam, but soon realize that he is getting married on that day.
Fast forward six years later, they meet again. They share a coffee and have amazing time together but know that they have to part ways because of their own commitment.
Seven years later Sam is living in New York and needs to find help for his son. Knowing Izzy can help contacts her, who lives in London. They start sharing emails, finally start rekindling a bond they felt years ago.

The way the two protagonist meet is cute and was a good premise of the book. But reading ahead, the time jumps did not feel right and the characters had moved so far ahead in their lives. The chemistry did not feel sizzling at all. The story felt kind of disconnected and the ending kind of abrupt.
I wish there was more to their relationship and couldn't help but feel a little detached with their story
The summary of the story was good but the rest did not live up to it

Izzy doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but when Sam walks into the cafe where she works one winter’s morning, she knows without a doubt that he’s the one. But unfortunately for her, it’s Sam’s wedding day.

When Izzy and Sam’s paths finally cross again, everything has changed. But neither of them has forgotten each other. With the Atlantic Ocean and decades of baggage between them, they are about to find out whether some obstacles are too big for even true love to overcome.

This was something different compared to what I have read of recent. It focuses on how if two people are soulmates then destiny always brings them together at some point in life.

It was well written with alternating chapters of Izzy and Sam. The plot was good with some decent humor included and the main characters along with their flaws were well depicted. I also enjoyed the email exchange between Izzy and Sam.

The only flaws for me was the subplot of the relationship between Rohan and Emma, which I found irrelevant to the plot and the long time gaps between the different parts in the book, which slightly affected the continuity of the narration.

Nevertheless, a good and sweet debut novel!

Thank You to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

I was really worried about this book. Often times when romance stories span years and continents it feels hopeless and trite or it had adultery on an affair. I appreciated that this story could be told without either of those plot devices. Izzy and Sam were well suited and their story, both together and apart, was rich and full of heartbreak. 
Sam's issues with his kids were the hardest parts to read through, but we see both he and Izzy change a lo through the 14=ish years we know them and I never felt like it was unbelievable or ridiculous and impossible. 
Overall, I liked the main premise of this story and how these two people didn't just happen to come back into their lives, but when times arose they made efforts for each other.

Synopsis:

The First Time We Met tells the intricate story of Sam and Izzy through the years. They first met when Izzy hits on Sam on his wedding day, and part of him (most of him) wants to say yes, but it is not the right time for them. Years later, when they are both single, they find again and try to fit into each other’s lives. 

Opinion (and spoilers):

This was such an interesting story about fate and destiny; about two people who were predestined to be together. I have to admit soul mates is a trope that I really enjoy in literature, along with slow burn (although it was too slow for my opinion). The best way I would describe this novel for me is a guilty pleasure, which is not a bad thing at all, quite the opposite. On a less positive note, I think the insta-love was a bit too much, considering the shortness of their first meeting and all. 

Most of the plot was very predictable to me, although it was not an impediment to keep reading, as I like to guess what is about to happen, and at a certain point it the story it made me doubt if they would even end up together at all. The writing wasn’t always my cup of tea, with me being the number one supporter of academic writing, but it was not terrible.

3.5-rounded-up-to-four stars for me!

Thirteen is my lucky number, too ;)

Izzy and Sam’s story was new to me, given that I haven’t read many insta-love tropes, but it was kind of endearing, too. And the cover is super cute and minimalistic! Keeping things simple!

Izzy and Sam meet on Sam’s wedding day over burned bacon and greasy breakfast food, and instantly, both of them (unbeknownst to each other) know they’ve found The One. They don’t do anything about it quite then, but it stays in the back of their minds as the years fly by and life gets more and more complicated.

This book included many of the classic rom-com tropes, had a slow-burn and felt slightly indulgent in the sense that you’d have to suspend your disbelief to thoroughly enjoy it. And for someone like me who needs book escapes, this was a perfect read! It also had quite a fairytale-type feel to it, which is always wonderful, and best of all...no cheating!

The characters were truly enjoyable. Izzy was clearly not a typical rom-com heroine 100% of the time. With how much time we spent in her head, I could pick up on all those independent-don’t-need-no-man vibes from her, and at parts, the men in her life weren’t first priorities. I enjoyed that because her plotline, while connected to Sam, didn’t revolve completely around him.

Sam was a pleasant surprise, with all those emails and the clear devotion to try to balance all parts of his life. We’ve all been there, and given that I’m working through that right now, something about that resonated with me as well. He had the right amount of vulnerability to him, and I could feel his fatigue through the pages.

One thing that made it slightly difficult for me to connect to the book were the time jumps. Part One had quite a few and it made it hard for me to keep track of how old is everyone? and what year is it? and how much time has passed? When the book’s narrative moved into more present tense, that’s when I began to enjoy it much more. I did think the ending was a little rushed as well, and somehow, I had been expecting it to be slower given the factors between them, the adjustments they would’ve had to take. Again, the epilogue gave us another time jump that had me feeling I missed a lot of important things about them!

Still, this was enjoyable! I’d recommend this to fans of rom-coms - a great, light afternoon read!

[Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this book to me in exchange for an honest review]

A beautiful and dramatic novel! The characters were well drawn and sympathetic, and the storyline flowed seamlessly. Highly recommended!

Izzy meets Sam (and asks him out) on the morning of his wedding. They meet again by chance a few different times before truly crossing paths a number of years after their initial meeting. This was a tale of "the one that got away"...again, and again...on both sides! A very sweet yet realistic love story with multiple obstacles. Both main characters, as well as the side characters, were well developed and made me feel all possible emotions (from frustration to pride). A quick, easy read that made me cry both happy and sad tears - the first I've read from Jo Lovett, but I look forward to reading more!

This is the 1st Book that I have read by the author, I enjoyed this book, The book tells the story of Izzy and Sam who meet on the morning of sam wedding and then picks up again decades later .

 With thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture for the arc of this book in exchange for this review.