I was interested in reading The First Time We Met, Jo Lovett’s debut novel as the premise of falling in love with someone at first sight but at oh so very much the wrong time, appealed to me. I’ve read several other novels with similar plots however this book was, by far, my favourite. In short the story follows Izzy and Sam who meet in a greasy spoon cafe when they are both young, Izzy falls for Sam and asks him out...... he is also taken with her but unfortunately it’s his wedding day - not great timing! We then meet both Izzy and Sam briefly a couple of times over the next few years but despite getting on well, they are living their own lives. The majority of the book is set 14 years after their first meeting - Sam is now living in New York and Izzy in London- and follows their friendship over the next few months...... I won’t give anything else away!
I loved how the characters developed over the story and liked both of them. I thought we were given time to get to know them, understand where both of them were with their lives and really care about their story. Their love story felt real, believable and messy - just like the rest of us and I absolutely loved it! By the end I was cheering both of them on and couldn’t read it quick enough. An absolutely delightful debut novel and I am looking forward to reader her next one. A perfect and real love story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved the beginning and the end of this book. However, the middle wasn't great for me --- it went on way too long and didn't really provide any additional insight to the characters. However, the beginning and the end were so charming and sweet, I'm still giving this book 4 stars.

What would happen if you met someone you instantly knew was your soulmate on your wedding day? I loved the premise of this novel, so I was really excited to receive the ARC from NetGalley. Instantly, the reader is drawn into the rejection Izzy receives from Sam, who she knows is The One. Izzy rebounds to someone knew, but is left wondering if she missed her chance while Sam can't get Izzy out her mind. Several clandestine meetings years later, Sam reaches out to Izzy and slowly their relationship grows again but life obstacles keep the reader wondering if the two could fall in love.

I loved Sam's twins and their character development but I wish that Sam and Izzy had been more developed during the first part of the novel. It was hard to root for Izzy or Sam because Izzy was grappling with significant self-confidence issues that were slowly explained throughout the novel while Sam completely failed work-life balance. I was so frustrated that they couldn't see how they kept causing their own problems which turned into relationship barriers. This book could have been shorter if they had admitted their shortcomings sooner. It was a cute read overall and I recommend it as a weekend read for anyone who is a fan of instalove stories like One Day in December or love over time like Love, Rosie.

Isn't the cover of this book gorgeous?

This was a sweet romance. I adored the way the book began: Izzy and Sam's meeting at the start was perfection. I was thrilled with their chance meeting six years later, as well. The timeline jumps another seven years after that, though, and I started to lose interest in the plot.

The ending brought it all back together! The final chapter and epilogue were wonderful. So, overall, something in the timeline of the romance was lacking, but I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a easy, heartwarming read.

Soulmates find each other and fight against all the obstacles and most complex curveballs life throws at them kind of storyline always works for a truly naive romantic like me!

It’s so obvious for me to click the request button at light speed because I was craving some true romance, some sweet-swoon moments, some endurable angst and an epic, powerful ending with HEA! That’s why we yearn for reading something motivational, feel-good, right?

Well, the book’s beginning was so promising . Both MCs are also lovable. As Izzy saw Sam’s walking into the cafe she works, she knew her life would never be the same. And Sam saw the rising love sparks in the air, too. They clicked. They connected. They felt the love at first sight but they had a one particular problem. The day they met is also hero’s wedging day. Damn it! The author broke my heart from the beginning.

But the fate should play its ugly mind games to bring them back together. Don’t you agree with me?

And here comes the problematic part: there is very long time jumping! More than a decade later, ( 14 freaking years!!!!)these two guys finally meet again. ( isn’t it buzz killing? Yes, absolutely it is!)

Even though I loved the beginning of the story, characterization, smart dialogues, the big time gap and MCs’ connection via emails ( they were more than face to face interactions which also killed the romantic sparkles for me. Call me old school but I always prefer more intimate dialogues and gestures between characters. How can you know someone without spending time together and experiencing new things?)

And of course Rohan and Emma’s unnecessary subplot story made me scream: “ I want more Izzy and Sam time! We haven’t seen them together! I want more of them!”

Overall: this book has intriguing start! I don’t have problems about characters. Their flaws, up-downs, weaknesses are portrayed realistically. Nothing is disturbing or unendurable about them. But the time gap and limited interaction killed my romantic mood. So I’m giving three neutral Switzerland- neither I hate it nor I liked it stars!

I was expecting something more epic, heartwarming and soul brushing. Let’s keep our hopes up for our next romance reading.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for sharing this reviewing copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Ever had to take a book chapter by chapter because you couldn’t see through your tears?

WHAT. A. STORY. Aside from this story being absolutely the most beautiful love story I’ve ever read, it really hit home. I truly felt like I was reading my husband and I’s love story. We met 12 years ago when we were just kids. He was my first kiss, my first love. Life got in the way - he ended up being engaged to another woman and I was dating someone for 6 years. All those years apart, we loved each other and thought about “what if” and “if only’s.” Literally like the book, RIGHT person, WRONG timing. Somehow, after all those years apart, we found our way back to eachother and have been married for almost 2 months!! I won’t ruin the story for you, but when two people are meant to be, _________.
A gorgeous story. Funny, light-hearted, but absolutely gut wrenching at times. Read this story. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be completely engulfed in Sam and Izzy’s story! A perfect fall, cozy up in a blanket and read on your front porch story :)

I really liked this story and the characters but the idiocy and poor choices sometimes really dragged me down. Letting a teenager guide adult decisions when their emotions (clearly evidenced) switch on and off so much?! Ugh!

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, such a cute story.

I love that their lives and problems felt very real and relatable. From the moment they met, to 15 years later it felt like a real will they, won't they situation. It was nice having both perspectives and getting insight into both their family lives.

Many thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This book could really use some editing. There's a nice story in there just dying to get out. It's clogged up with a tonnes of unnecessary detail and waffle. The characters are rather lovely and well written, but it's the morass of other clutter that made this book a no-go for me. It'd score it a 2.5.

Oh my god!!
No I am not crying, you are.
This is a wonderfully romantic story. It has perfect characters. I am happy that I came across this book.

The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett is a heartwarming read that will have you believing in destiny and, more specifically, love at first sight.

When Izzy first lays eyes on handsome Sam, she feels an instant spark. In a moment of impulsivity she asks Sam on a date, only to find out that the timing is not ideal; he is enroute to his own wedding. A year later, Izzy sees Sam again but he appears to look right through her. Alas, he has obviously moved on with his life, and it is time for Izzy to do the same. Fast forward the years, and fate will place Izzy and Sam in each other's paths yet again, but is either still feeling the spark after all of the twists and turns delivered during the intervening years?

This is a story that will have you emotionally invested in the life of each protagonist. Told in a he said/she said format, you will be rooting for destiny to run its true, though meandering, course.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

I am really mixed on this one. It's a very cute concept and some good, likable characters. I really wanted to like it even more than I did. But I feel like the book could use some more editing. First, Sam, an American, was written with a lot of Britishism (for example, not American goes to a physio... they go for PT) that became very distracting. Then, it went on a little long and could be tightened up before we got to some good action towards the end. That said, I could see this being an excellent movie - just the right amount of side characters, a good will they or won't they, and a cross-the-pond story set in NYC and London that would make for a very scenic and picturesque film.

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.