This book really intrigued me because of the blurb and cover. It seemed to have a unique storyline that I thought I would love. I thought the writing and idea's in the book were good, but the storyline ended up falling short. I felt like Sam and Izzy's relationship was so distant for so much of the book, it seemed odd. The time frame jumping so far ahead was a surprise. Then to not actually go on a date until 60% was just too slow for me. This book is not bad by any means, and I'm sure many will enjoy. However, it did not keep my interest and took me a while to finish because I wanted to read other things in between. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

A love story that spans years and miles! Sam and Izzy met on a whirlwind of a day but fate was cruel as Sam already had a woman waiting for him! Through the years Izzy always thought of him and fate would bring them together time and again! These fateful meet up lead to a blossoming friendship! Sam having a hectic life and loss of his wife guarded his heart and nothing ever went further! When their friendship ends abruptly both Sam and Izzy find themselves miserable and have to decide if a chance at love will be worth it!

This was an enjoyable read. The two main characters were really sweet and I found myself rooting for their romance to blossom the whole way through.

I loved how they both put their children first. I loved the book being set between London and New York.

I thought it was a sweet book that romcom lovers would delight in.

What if you found THE ONE? Love at first sight, only to find out they are getting married… that same day.

Well that is how Izzy and Sam’s relationship begins. The First Time We Met is full of bad timing moments between the two that follow them over a course of 14years. The feelings they have for each other continue to grow over the years, even when they both have moved on in their lives. Marriages, children, death, careers, and divorce work against the pair over the years.

I always enjoy a good love at first sight novel. I loved the journey and growth the characters go through in the novel to be in each other's lives.

I didn’t enjoy how long it took to get them together or hell even in the same place emotionally and physically. It just took forever. I needed interaction, physical interaction between the two earlier than 65% through the book.

It was an easy read once our two main characters started to interact. And I found myself very interested at times, in the minor characters' lives more than our main leading loves. I would love a whole book about Izzy’s best friends and everything that had gone down between the two of them in the past.

*I received an advance copy of The First Time We Met from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to read this book because of the cover. I love the minimalistic London skyline, the cute font, and the tagline. However, this book did nothing for me. I have zero interest in reading about people parenting and it felt like that was the focus of at least the first half of the book. Izzy and Sam don’t even manage to go on a real date until about the 60% mark. Honestly if this wasn’t a book from NetGalley it would have been a DNF for me after the huge time jump. Seriously, the time jump ended up being like 13 years I was expecting something closer to Love Lettering where the time jump between meeting and remeeting is only a year or so. That’s waaaayyyyyy too much time to be hung up on someone you had a 10 minute conversation with.

In addition to the kid thing I really struggle with romances where the main couple aren’t on the page together. The book tried to be an epistolary novel but it just didn’t work. Emailing back and forth about his kid’s stammer is not enough to get to know someone to the point of falling in love and wanting to get married. I felt no chemistry between the Izzy and Sam and I think a lot of that was that for the vast majority of the book they were either with other people or on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

There’s probably someone out there who will find this book the most amazing thing, but that person is not me.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book has a great opening and has a really interesting premise. Izzy sees Sam when she is working in a cafe. It seems like love at first sight to her. After an embarrassing incident she follows him from the cafe and asks him out. He replies that he can’t because it’s his wedding day. Izzy can’t stop thinking about him, but years pass, 14 to be exact, and their lives move on. Then they come across each other again. I thought the characterisations were very good and all characters were extremely likeable except for the teenage daughter, but I guess there are teenagers who behave like this.
I thoughT this was a very good book within this genre and was a great light read. It’s a good one for fans of One Day in December. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this novel in exchange for a review.

The description of this book is so sweetly enticing that I felt the need to immediately request to read it, expecting a fun romance with me rooting for the central couple. The premise started fun and interesting, hooking me in the first chapter: Izzy meets Sam whilst working as a waitress, immediately knowing he is 'The One'. The one drawback to her request to a date... Sam, it transpires, is getting married that very day! The reader is left wondering how on earth this couple who are supposedly 'meant to be' are going to find their way to each other again.

This is where my frustrations with this book started. Sam and Izzy have a couple of interactions over the course of 14 years, this time jump apparently not dulling their love and attraction towards each other. Lucky for them, Sam's poor first wife dies quite quickly and Izzy's marriage is on the rocks. When they reconnect via email (with the most dull cross-Atlantic pen-pal exchanges) the slow-burn romance is back on the cards.

Sam and Izzy are perfectly okay as people and the reader definitely roots for a happy ending somewhat. However, they circle round the same issues endlessly (hormonal teenagers! work life balance! living in two different countries!) which makes their moments of true spark annoyingly brief and most of the interactions pretty repetitive and dull.

Overall, this is a nice story, depicting a slow-burn, bordering on angsty, romance. It was lacking on enough light fun for me to truly enjoy it but lovers of romance novels may well engage with it better that I did. 3 middle-of-the-road stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a beautiful love story, it gives you goosebumps and all the feels. Perfect for romance fans and a lovely read

I’m a sucker for a good romance, the best thing about this book is that it felt real life. Izzy met the love of her life on his wedding day to another woman....

The First Time We Met left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside, perfect for that autumn/winter read. I loved the characters, they were relatable, likeable and I felt myself screaming at the book telling them to just get together! Everything seemed to be against them; weddings, pregnancies, exes, children, living long distance.. will they work out eventually? Give it a read you won’t regret it. The perfect escape from reality.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I really enjoyed this beautiful story. Att the beginning, I thought I wasn't going to enjoy it that much because it is written in third person (narrator style) and I have trouble following the plot. However, I kept going, kept reading till I finished it. Sam and Izzy were great characters; even Dominic who I thought he was a coward but he let Izzy go, so I am okay now. I can't believe how long it took for Sam and Izzy meet again and just be together as it was meant to be. I'm giving it 3 stars because even though I liked it, loved it and enjoyed it, it took forever for the Sam and Izzy to be together, the time jumps were a lot, and I also was expecting more chaos, maybe from Dominic, or from Liv. I also felt that the endimg was a little rushed.... "I love you, please marry me" then the wedding. Don't get me wrong, the story, the idea of it p, the plot is very good but it just was few chapters for them to renconcile and then the happily ever after.

The First Time We Met is definitely a swooning love story. It made me feel happy, but also sad for the characters, then I felt a lot of emotions. I enjoyed it soo much. I would love to meet my "the one" BUT not in his wedding day.

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. Too bad Sam’s getting married. Today. Nearly a year later, Izzy still can’t stop thinking about Sam, the one that got away, but she knows it’s time to move on: he’s a married man and probably wouldn’t recognise her if he passed her on the street. But Sam has never forgotten Izzy, the funny, gorgeous woman who asked him out on his wedding day. If the timing had only been better, he knows they could have had something wonderful. When Izzy and Sam’s paths finally cross again, everything has changed. But 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.

You simply cannot beat a classic romance story and that is what this is. I immediately clicked with Izzy, Sam and their story and was thoroughly invested in their lives as we follow them on their will they, won't they story and the events that happen in both their lives. A book like this does not need to be ground breaking, simply having stunning characters whom readers fall in love with is enough. I was captivated by this story.

A read such as this comes with its emotions too and this read had buckets of emotion. From ecstasy to agony and everything in between. I felt everything the characters were going through and experienced their joy and pain in equal amounts. This was a highly enjoyable read from start to finish that I could not put down and more to the point, I did not want to.

Lovett has created a beautiful plot that readers will find themselves invested in but Lovett's characters are just as spectacular. Izzy and Sam are everything you could possibly want; likeable, realistic and they really did come to feel like my friends by the end of the read. All of the supporting characters are wonderful as well, this is a group of characters whom I will remember for a long time and I am only sad that I have finished their story.

'The First Time We Met' is a stunning, heart-wrenching, beautiful read. You will laugh, cry and fall in love. I cannot recommend this enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy.

Izzy and Sam spent 14 years rotating into and out of each other's lives. Through many life changes, marriages, children, moving from one country to another and jobs, they drifted in, caught up and something would cause them to drift out again.

This book is the story of those years, the friendship bonds that formed and the eternal question of will they get together or won't they? I don't do spoilers, but I highly encourage you to read this book and find out for yourself. Its a light, fun read and worth it!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Love the dual storyline. How can two people keep meeting at different times in their lives, have a major attraction but cannot act on it due to the circumstances in their lives. Can they eventually get the timing and circumstances right? You will be keeping your fingers crossed whilst laughing and crying.
Looking forward to reading the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book reminded me a lot of One Day in December in the best ways, star crossed meeting at the wrong time

I would recommend if you're looking for

-second/third/fourth? chance
-friends to lovers
-British romance
-single parents
-older MCs (late thirties) finding love
-a great meet cute
-fiesty kids

This book dealt with quite a few emotional topics. Grief, trauma, guilt, parental abandonment. The biggest issue being our MCs dealing with being single parents. This book was as much a love story between them and their children as with each other. So many close chances, so many what ifs.

Because this book hit so many emotional topics, I was looking for more depth addressing them. As the book went on I just did not feel the characters developed and delved into the emotional issues. I truly enjoyed their e-mails, but beyond their admitted attraction to each other I didn't really get a spark from them. This may be due to the time jumps.

Overall this was an enjoyable read with a great and catchy premise. What happens if you meet the one on his wedding day? Is there such a thing as meant to be?

Rating: 3.5
Steam: 1

Imagine being hung up on someone for 14 years? Izzy & Sam have..
This read is a bit of a slow burner but keep with it because it gets better and better! Watch Izzy and Sam lead different lives but still some how get reconnected. Izzy had her heart set on Sam since the first time she saw him and the way their story starts sets the scene for how the book pans out.

I loved following their story, reading how their lives unfolded in different ways and so many times I was shouting at the story wanting to push the characters together myself..who doesn’t love a story that leaves you reeling wanting more?

I am a sucker for a good romance that makes me feel all the emotions and this one ticked them boxes. This is a book I would love to see into a film, it has all the little loveable charms of a feel good romance film..

The opening scene of The First Time We Met is worthy of a blockbuster romcom movie so if like me you enjoy being swept up in the emotions and (mis)fortunes of two characters blinded by love at first sight then this novel is definitely one for you. It promises to be a classically heartwarming feel good love story, set between London and New York, perfect for transporting you to a happy place. What more could you ask for?

Izzy is working in Terry’s greasy spoon cafe dishing out heart attack inducing breakfasts to builders and the like, dressed as an elf for the festive season. Fed up of being squeezed into a too small costume and subjected to some typical male banter full of sexual innuendo, Izzy is lacking in seasonal good will and festive cheer when the smooth, sexy American voice of her next customer snaps her out of her reverie. Cue the violins as Izzy’s eyes meet those of Sam’s. Immediately struck by Cupid’s arrow, Izzy falls head over heels in love at first sight. He is The One!!! All of a fluster and burning the bacon, her connection with this handsome stranger is cut short as she is left serving customers whilst Sam eats his breakfast, (minus the bacon!), and then makes a swift exit. Deciding to seize the moment, hurrah, Izzy runs after Sam, determined he will not be The One Who Got Away!! In what is then the most hilarious, excruciatingly embarrassing moment for our lovely little elf, Izzy asks Sam out only to discover it’s his wedding day.

This is a classic storyline of girl meets boy, except the timing is completely way off. With no opportunity to explore this potential romance Izzy is resigned to the fact she’s just experienced that agonising scenario of right man, wrong time. Life must go on so Izzy,with the help of best friend Emma is determined to forget this stranger who has had such an immediate and profound effect on her heart. What then follows are occasional moments over the intervening years when Sam and Izzy’s lives collide temporarily only to veer off in opposite directions meaning this is one romance never destined to leave the starting blocks. Why can’t Izzy forget Sam and ignore that connection she’s felt from their very infrequent conversations? Is there a chance Sam could even feel the same way??

Naively, although I’ve never experienced that love at first sight moment I’m fully prepared to fall hook line and sinker for this kind of storyline. I expect the author to take me on a journey through a make believe world in which I’m willing the main characters towards a happy ever after that really only exists in my dreams. However, although I liked Izzy and Sam’s characters straightaway their lack of contact made me wonder how the author was going to bring these two together in any meaningful way. That much of their friendship/romance is conducted via email due to their lives taking different paths left me feeling frustrated, urging them to admit to their true feelings rather than skirting around the issue. Is this simply a friendship consigned to the written word or will personal circumstances change and the stars finally align to allow love to flourish??

For me to truly engage with these fictional characters I need them to display some traits or qualities that make them stand out, make them memorable but Izzy and Sam were perfectly nice but maybe a bit bland? I wanted Izzy to display some of her initial feistiness and for Sam to embrace his role as heart throb with vigour, charging into Izzy’s life like a knight in shining armour (which of course is ridiculously sexist of me!) Even best friends Emma and Rohan didn’t add much to this storyline although I suppose Emma and Izzy’s weekly attempts at finding new hobbies/interests does provide Izzy with something to talk about in her emails to Sam. Also I felt the humour present in the beginning wasn’t developed to its full potential so that what was sandwiched in between lacked excitement.

With some truly romantic ‘only in the movies’ type scenes towards the end I felt the writing came full circle, living up to this novel’s earlier promise. Unfortunately the middle section just dragged on too long and I lost patience with Sam whining about his work/life balance. Such a fantastic opening led me to believe I’d have no problem whatsoever falling head over heels in love with the two main characters but the storyline didn’t possess the right amount of magic and sparkle to allow this to fully happen. This title appealed to me, having loved One Day in December by Josie Silver and as a debut The First Time We Met is a good attempt at winning over readers who enjoy the likes of Silver, Beth O’Leary and Sophie Cousens to name just a few. It does have the makings of great movie and I will follow this author’s career with interest. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

#thefirsttimewemet #jolovett #netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleyreview oh my gosh y’all. This is what my heart needed this weekend. We have lovely Izzy working at a diner. She meets Sam. There’s electricity. She takes a chance to ask him out but .... it’s actually his wedding day 😱 I know. I was rooting. Through the course of the fourteen years both have marriages. Children. Encounters over time. All the while their electricity is undeniable. This is truly a charming book. One for us romantics. Even us #hopelessromance lovers. This book had me laughing and I even shed some tears. What a delightful read ❤️ #bookstagram #booklover #booknerd #booklover #booksofinstagram #books📚

A truly beautiful tale of love, loss and lots of missed opportunities! A great read for fans of romance. I would highly recommended this read and would love to see a sequel!

The synopsis was so intriguing and angsty that I had to get my hands on this. This story follows the journey of Izzy and Sam. They meet at a cafe, where she works, where she accidentally burns his bacon, where they have an instant connection. Sam leaves and she chases after him and asks him out on a date only to find out that it's his wedding day. This story is about what-ifs, losing "the one" but overcoming all obstacles in which these soulmates find each other again.

A downside of this book is that there's a lot of time jumps. The characters meet and then there's a slight time jump for a couple of chapters and then suddenly it's fourteen years later when they finally meet again. Other than that, I felt that the romance was so real and emotional. I felt that concepts surrounding divorce and family were portrayed very realistically. All the characters were extremely well fleshed out and I loved all the happy family scenes.

This book filled my heart with so much joy and happiness. I cried quite a few times. I'd like to say that this novel is NOT a sexy whirlwind, all-consuming type of romance rather it's a well-developed, angsty, sorrowful, heartbreaking love that slowly creeps up on you and doesn't let go. I absolutely recommend this to those who want a slow and heartwarming type of romance read. Throughout this book, I was also getting major Love, Rosie vibes so if you love that, you'll definitely enjoy this.

Oh this book!! I've laughed and cried! This book really has given me all the feels. I have loved this book.
This is a new author for me and I already cannot wait to read more. I have devoured this gorgeous read in just one sitting.
I have loved everything about this one and it has been a complete and utter joy to read this one.
The characters in this one are brilliant, I have loved them and been rooting for them from the very beginning.
This is definitely a love story which will completely stay with you and has definitely been one that I already can't wait to re read.
A definite five star read which I highly recommend.