My first by this author and finished it over two nights. I have not read a book like this in a while,

Of the two central characters, I warmed to Benjamin. The story has a few triggers which some may be uncomfortable with. The story moves back and forth which at first was a little tricky but I soon came to grips with it.

I enjoyed the storyline and I liked how the ending panned out.

The two main characters Clara and Ben were college lovers until a devastating event just before graduation tears them apart. Twenty years later, another event draws these two dysfunctional characters back together again.

Be aware that some sensitive issues are covered -addiction, a terrorist attack and sexual assault to name just a few.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the opportunity to read this emotional ARC.

3.75 ⭐️

This is not your typical second chance romance type of book, it's heavy and full of hard topics (cheating, child sexual assault, abuse/assault, alcoholism, death of a parent, suicide/bombing) So if you're looking for a light second chance romance this is not it. However, I enjoyed the book, it's a duel POV that alternates between the present day and the past. The relationship first starts while they are in college and covers the twenty years that follow. I enjoyed the English slang, and for the most part, enjoyed the story. I think if it wasn't for the need to know what actually happened with the bomb and why Ben & Cara broke up I wouldn't have finished but I just really needed to know.

It's a decent book and I would recommend you at least give it a shot,

A great rom com that will leave you laughing and rooting for the leads the whole way through. A fantastic novel.

Great book, very enjoyable thorough out. I have to admit, Clara got on my nerves several times in this book, but it was her young jealous herself. It was fitting for her character but didn't stop me feeling like she needed a good shake. I think characters were written brilliantly and very realistic. Highly recommend

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book after reading so many mixed reviews for it. However, I really enjoyed it. I loved the characters, the plot and how engaging I found it.
Charlotte Duckworth is one of my favourite authors so it makes sense that Charlotte Rixon is her pen name for this book.
I’d really recommend this book and would urge you not to be put off by some of the negative ones you read.

📚 The One That Got Away
✍ Charlotte Rixon
📖 Contemporary Romance
⭐ 4.5/5
Release Date: Feb. 2nd 2023

Thank you to @netgalley and @ariafiction for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Normal People meets Love and Other Words in this fabulous contemporary romance set in England. Told in alternating POVs and timelines between 2000 and 2022, the story of Benjamin and Clara's relationship is raw, passionate and heartbreaking and I can't wait for readers to get their hands on it in early 2023.

Clara and Benjamin come from very different worlds. She, from a posh family in London where she often feels ignored by parents consumed with appearances and him, from a small town in northern England where his mother is battling a terrible illness and his father is struggling to make ends meet. Despite the polarity of their upbringings, they both feel an immeasurable spark immediately after meeting in a bar while at college. For the next two years, they are inseparable- experiencing the highest of highs and lowest of lows together until one tragic night severs their ties.

Twenty years later, they've built separate lives, careers and families but haver never stopped thinking about the one that got away. When one harrowing event leads their paths to cross once again, will they re-unite or will it be too late?

What I liked: The writing in this book was so beautiful. The dual POVs and alternating timelines kept me up all night reading because I needed to know what the other character was experiencing after getting half of the story. I genuinely cared about who Clara and Benjamin became and what happened after their paths diverged. Bookended by tragedy, the way the story builds to both the events of 2002 and 2022 left me emotionally damaged- but in the best way.

What I didn't: For as well as the characters were developed in this book, I wanted closure and the epilogue didn't leave me feeling satiated. But, it felt real and true Clara and Benjamin- flawed people with immense regrets who have taken their time to move past and to the moments that have shaped them as a couple.

Read if you love:
*opposites attract
*lovers to strangers, reconnected
*deeply flawed characters trying to get better

See also: Normal People (very Sally Rooney-esque); Love and Other Words; Truly, Madly, Amy

#netgalley #netgalleyarc #theonethatgotaway #charlotterixon #contemporary romance #romancereads #bookstagram #bookreviews #booktok #bookstagrammer

I unfortunately had to DNF this book. The content was too heavy/dark for me and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the MCs. Definitely check TWs before reading this one.

Wow! What an amazing book!!
Would love to read more from the author.
Thankyou netgalley for the Arc!

A beautiful, poignant, heartbreaking love story that leaves you feeling hopeful instead of wondering “what if.” At times this was lovely and at times it was truly difficult to read but it was gut wrenchingly honest.

I received an ARC of, The One That Got Away, by Charlotte Rixon. I did not care for this book, it was way too dark for me. Not a good romance at all.

This book has some major trigger warnings so definitely research before reading! However, this was a great story of lost love. The dual timeline was a bit confusing at times but came together in the end. This is not a light romance, but I would definitely recommend.

DNF at 33%.

In 2000, Benjamin met Clara while they were at university. Despite different backgrounds, interests, and even universities they fall in love.

In 2022 a terrorist sets off a bomb at the Newcastle City football ground, although Clara hasn't seen Benjamin for twenty years she knows he would never miss a home game and so, against all reason, she drops everything to travel to Newcastle to try to find him.

I can't tell you much more than that because I gave up a third of the way through. As a dispassionate observer I would say Benjamin had a lucky escape because Clara was subject to uncontrollable jealousy and fits of rage out of all proportion to the circumstances. Now I have some sympathy because at that age we are all drama queens, slaves to out over-active hormones, but she doesn't seem to be any better twenty years later.

I have too many books on my TBR pile to continue reading a book where I don't like either of the characters and it doesn't seem to have got anywhere.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I feel like giving this book two starts is very princely. There were a lot of heavy topics such as alcoholism, assault, child sexual abuse, death of a parent, infertility and cheating in this plot. When I read the blurb, it sounded like a light-hearted second chance story but I was left baffled when I learned that Clara was married and Benjamin had a son. The blurb failed to mention these details and there were no trigger warnings either. This story was told throughout the span of twenty something years. I have to admit that Clara & Benjamin's relationship was so fiddly because they were both insecure. And I disliked Clara more than Benjamin. She was irrational, impulsive, privileged and her arguments were embarrassing. She couldn't change even after twenty years. I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters and I just wanted to see how it ends but the ending was too abrupt. I really am not a fan on open endings and I was left confused because I wanted to see if Clara & Benjamin would get their second chance to be together? This story isn't for the faint of heart, so I suggest you read some reviews before going into it tbh.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me the ARC

I went into this book with no information and it turned out that, although it is not my usual genre (Women’s fiction), I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Two powerful messages explored through this book were the importance of your first love and that people can enjoy life despite how messy it is, and maybe even because of it. I would have appreciated a little more connection between the timelines (the book straddled the main characters’ lives as teenagers and many years later) but other than that I have no criticisms for this book. I recommend this book to anyone looking for realistic fiction and who loves the idea of examining life through reading. I look forward to reading other books by this author in the future.

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

I devoured this book! This story follows Clara and Benjamin for over 20 years, and the way the story flits between timelines leaves you hooked and wanting more.

There are a lot of serious topics covered in this book, and it goes to show how every small action has a reaction.

Through all the suspense, twists and turns, you could help but go feel all the emotions the characters were feeling too.

A fantastic read and one that will stick with me long after I’ve finished reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Aria&Aries for the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. It had such a good book description and it started intriguing enoug. I did have some issues with it. A lot of them may seem petty, but it's just my preference.
First, I really hated the MCs behaviours during the university years. I get why they acted how they did but Clara came on as too privileged and too insecure, to the point where it was taking me out of the story often. Benjamin was also incredibly shy and insecure as well. This created so many communication issues and it was frustrating but not in the good way where you just can't wait to see how the issue would be resolved.
Second, the chapters were short and there was no rhyme or reason to the jumping between past and present. And because of the length of the chapters, I barely got anything from the present in the first like 35% of the book - which is usually where I DNF the book.
The third issue I had with this book, and this is definitely the most petty of them all, was the constant use of British-English slang and words for everything. Yes, I get that the book is happening in the UK and that the characters are British. But after a couple of pages, it just felt like the author needed to prove that she knows what she's writing about. Every time I'd read a shortened version of a word or a more rarely used British word instead of a common one, I was taken out of the story. And as a person, who's been living in London, with British flatmates, for the past 5 years, it was still too much for me.
I didn't finish the book as I was getting irritated so often - which is not to say that the book is not good. It definitely has promising ideas.
It just wasn't my cup of tea. Get it? Thank you for providing me with a copy of this book and no hate towards the author or publishers or the readers who enjoy it!

The One That Got Away is my first book by author Charlotte Rixon.

The story follows along its two main characters, Clara and Benjamin, and the course of their relationship over 23 years. We get to see snippets of their past, beginning in 2000 when they first met at uni, followed by their break-up two years later and everything that happened after.

This was a cute, fluffy type of read. I enjoyed it, but also felt like something was missing. I will read more by this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria and Aries publishing for this ARC. This novel started out as a quick read however it got into a lot of triggers and a lot of different difficult topics. There were discussions of self arming, bombs, rape, and the list goes on. In todays world it is definitely a book that someone with trauma can probably relate to but it is definitely not the quick happy light read I was hoping for. I really liked the multiple POVs that go between the past and present for each of the characters. The characters were also really developed and had detailed explanations about them in the novel.

Charlotte Rixon's The One That Got Away is a beautiful narrative between Benjamin and Clara. With every passing page, Charlotte's narrative style grows on you, her well-chosen words driving an intriguing and complex plot. A big win for me is how realistic and flawed both characters are. They come from different sides of their tracks, and each has trauma that they need to reconcile. Having a soft corner for History, I loved the timeline under every chapter, a gentle nudge to the reader to keep track of past and present events. Benjamin is such a lovable yet complex character, for his silence is endearing and deceptive. Clara is a perfectionist, hungry for more from life and can make words painful in a confrontation, indicating that she needs to heal from her past. I appreciate how this book challenges acceptable notions of team initiations and drug and alcohol usage and encourages readers to reflect upon this. The ending was a blanket of hope, and one thing I would have liked it if the final realisation was spread across the book, given that this book is a 20-year timeline between the protagonists. My heart was heavy and yet complete with this read. Five stars all the way, and I recommend this one!

A thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for giving me an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.