Oh I loved this. The colours and vibrancies from the rooftops in Spain to the bright flowers, the book leapt of the page in vividly. Sad but romantic, I was hoping so much the two main characters could work things out but circumstances seem determined to prevent a happy ever after. A great beach read.

Beautiful and heartbreaking! Wonderful characters, gorgeously written and a brilliant plot! Another great novel from Paige Toon
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my arc

Ellie and Ash meet at a bar in Lisbon and there’s an instant spark
They promise to meet in Madrid a week later, but Ash doesn’t turn up
Split into 3 time periods - showing how Ellie & Ash met, separate and possibly reunite
It’s an emotional read, dealing with grief, second chance romance and being the right person but wrong time
I was just crossing my fingers that they find happiness together
Thanks @paigetoonauthor @penguinukbooks & @netgalley for the perfect summer read

I love Paige Toon. To me , she is a perfect holiday author - her books are light and summery and yes there is some drama, but you also get romance and friendship and sunshine, and this one is no different! I was drawn in from the start, and I read it in a day by the pool. Beautiful settings, a unique plot, and lovely characters - what more can you ask for!

it was brilliantly written didn't like the court of thorns but as would love them to be reading a fictional story I haven't read while they were interaling.

when Ellie meets Ash her life changes forever, and when they arrange to meet up she is sure that she is doing the right thing, but when she arrives late and Ash is no where to be seen she begins to think she had the wrong idea all along. Heart broken she sets out to achieve her dream job and years later it is this job that brings her back to Ash, but which version of Ash is she getting.

I really enjoyed this story, it hooked you right from the start and as is usual with stories by Paige Toon the characters were relateable and likable, this was a fantastic read and I would recommend it.

Perfect in every way.
This book is so well researched and put together it makes it a delight to read. It makes you feel you are living beside the characters. I can picture wales so clearly despite never having been.
I adored the characters, they made me smile, I cried and I cheered. This is a rocky path to will they won’t they with more than one hazard in the way. However you want the book to turn out when you get to the end I think you’ll be satisfied.
Another great read from Paige toon.

Ellie and Ash had an instant spark when they met in Europe. However, when trains and cancelled and a family emergency occurs they don’t manage to meet back up as planned and they don’t even know each others surname, nevermind phone numbers. As fate would have it, years later their paths cross again, but with years of life and relationships between them is it even meant to be?

If I have ever read a @paigetoonauthor book it was years ago but I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was well paced and just a lovely journey. Very British through and through too. Definitely going to finally pick up my other Paige Toon books on my TBR soon!

Read if you like;
-Right Person, Wrong Time
-Second chances
-She loves to garden
-Exploring Europe
-Insta Love

I absolutely loved reading about all the beautiful places Ellie and Ash visited! I loved seeing them both fall for each other in a beautiful destination!

The tension between Ellie and Ash in the later part of the book is intense! I do feel like they could have just communicated with each other better!

However, for me immaturity, lies and secrets aren’t foundations to build a healthy relationship! I also felt the mentions of the SJM books was super over kill. Yes I understood it initially at the start - but anything after that was unnecessary!

Personally for me the flow felt off in places and a little slow! However, some of the romantic elements were well executed and brought to life beautifully! I loved the star gazing moments!

I knew that once I started reading a Paige Toon’s novel I wouldn’t be able to put it down until the end and that’s what happened with her latest novel, What If I Never Got Over You. The beautiful and evocative descriptions of Portugal and Wales, the multi-layered, relatable, and likable characters, and Ellie and Ash’s beautiful and emotional love story kept me up until late at night.

Ellie and Ash first met in Lisbon, both in their early twenties, both interrailing, both grieving a loss, both with overbearing parents and a future planned. Their attraction is mutual and instant and they make plans to meet a week later. But destiny, or the universe, or something else has other plans for them and it’s six years before they meet again, carrying with them the responsibilities of the present and a past that haunts them.

I loved this story so much. When we first meet Ellie she is on the terrace of a hostel reading a book (and without spoiling it, a great choice of a book) with a future already planned by her parents to whom she can’t ever say no. The book is soon forgotten as Ash sits next to her. He is charming, easy-going, and he is following his dreams. When they meet six years later, everything has changed, for both of them, and there are many obstacles that they must face and solve. I fell completely in love with these characters and their stories are a roller coaster of emotions.

I am a huge fan of Paige Toon and What If I Never Got Over You is another wonderful and heart-warming novel that kept me hooked from the first to the last page!

I don't think there is a book Paige Toon writes that I won't give a 5 star review. I laughed I cried and I fell in love with the characters and the world

I think at this stage anything Paige Toon writes IM GONNA READ IT!

I really enjoyed everything about this book , I really enjoyed the characters and the authors writing style

I love all of Paige Toon's books and this was no exception.

Ellie and Ash meet in Lisbon when they're both 21 and spend 3 amazing days together before they have to go their separate ways, but Ellie is supposed to return home with her parents. Ash asks her to meet him in Madrid in one week and Ellie agrees. But they never meet up and they're both heartbroken.

6 years later they come face to face when Ellie takes a job at the manor home that is owned by Ash's family.

I liked both Ellie and Ash but I think they should have spent a bit more time talking about the important things like what they needed from the relationship rather then losing themselves in the moment every time they're together. It was normal at 21 but after losing each other and meeting again at 27, they should have grown up a bit more and learnt that communication is important.

Unfortunately, there is also a third act break up which is a trope I'm really not a fan of.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

📚 - What If I Never Get Over You.
📖 ✍️ - Paige Toon
📆 - 10/4/25
🏢🖊️ - Random House


THE GREATER THE LOVE, THE HARDER THE FALL...
Ellie didn't expect to fall in love while travelling in Europe. But she also didn't expect to meet a man like Ash.
Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection - deep enough for them to plan to meet again in Madrid. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found.
Six years later, the memory of Ash and their time together still burns deeply in Ellie's heart. She hopes that her dream job as a gardener on a grand estate in Wales will bring the fresh start she desperately needs.
But when Ash unexpectedly crashes back into her life, Ellie is forced to question if the universe has other plans...

If I’m honest, I started reading this book, when I wasn’t in the best of headspace’s.

I haven’t read a book by this author in a while. I loved the colours on the front-cover and caught my eye. Sounded just what I needed.
Also the title … I’m sure we have all said this, at some at some time in our lives!!
A holiday romance, that in some shape or form, is going to change their lives. Love rarely runs a smooth path, and that why I especially love this book.

Thanks Netgalley, Random House & Paige Toon, for allowing me to read an advance copy.

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What If I Never Get Over You is a heartfelt story from Paige Toon, who’s ability to write gut-wrenching love stories set in evocative locations never disappoints.

Our heroine is Ellie, a solo backpacker who is carrying her grief, insecurity and family problems with her. She has a whirlwind romance with fellow traveller Ash during her time in Lisbon, but after three days, they must go their separate ways. They promise to meet up again in Madrid. However, when Ellie arrives in the Spanish capital, Ash never shows.

Six years later, Ellie has built a new life, following her passion and working as a gardener on an estate in Wales, but when suddenly Ash reappears in her life, old feelings resurface, forcing her to confront the past. A lovely summer read.

I enjoyed What If I Never Get Over You - even if it doesn't quite reach the emotional depths of Paige’s previous two books.

The tension between Ellie and Ash throughout will have you kicking your feet, and you'll find yourself alternately wanting to shake them for their lack of communication and hug them for their individual struggles.

The scenes set in Portugal were my favourite, brimming with romance and leaving you wishing for more chapters centred on the couple's travels together.

One aspect that felt somewhat underdeveloped was Ellie's significant admission at the end. Hinted at only in a sentence or two throughout the book, it felt like a missed opportunity to explore this crucial element more effectively within the narrative.

What If I Never Get Over You is an enjoyable read about grief, inner strength, and true love, and I’d give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five.

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Ellie is interrailing (I think of it as backpacking but not sure if there is an actual difference), trying to deal with stuff and personal growth. When she meets Ash she has no intention of dating, she is dealing with a whole host of stuff but then Ash, beautiful Ash and her just click. For three days in Lisbon love blossoms and they make plans to meet and travel together. Typical something happens and they don't meet, she is late and he isn't there when she arrives. Six years of struggling with the loss of what could have been, her family expectations and everything her and Ash had she does something for herself and gets her dream job. Just as everything is going perfectly Ash crashes back into her life, everything is turned upside down, there is a lot of hurt, questions and barriers you could not begin to imagine but what they felt all those years ago still burns, in them both. What do you do when you are pulled together like moths to a flame but everything is stacked against you?

Aw guys, so I have read a Paige Toon ages ago (I checked Goodreads, 2012!) so when we got the chance to read this one, clickity click! I am a sucker for a romance and who hasn't had either a holiday romance or the old one who got away. Coupled with that you have so many family issues, on both the main characters, Ash and Ellie, parental expectations, keeping up with the Joneses . With this one we have a wee bit of classism, societal divides for example the gardeners at Ellies new job, they all work at this beautiful prestigious 500 year old estate but there is a tone between other hired staff and the gardeners.

When Elli and Ash finally find each other again, especially after six long years there is so much to unwrap! I loved the will they won't they, the barriers flung between them, the shady attitude especially exhibited by Ash's dad and one of the help at the house. People can be absolute bangers, snobbery and how folk treat each other, even Ellie's parent's, despite not being in the book much their impact they have on Ellie is huge and far reaching.

A tale of love, near misses, societal barriers, travel, family, relationships, friendships and following your heart and dreams. At one point I had goosebumps, a few moments of NOOOOOO what are you doing! As I said I have only read one of Toon's books before this and will be getting more, 4.5/5 from us.

This book was a heartfelt exploration of love, loss and the lingering grip of ‘what could have been’. It had emotional depth and romantic tension which drew me into a story that felt both personal and raw.

I loved how this book started with three days for Ash and Ellie to fall in love in the beautiful setting of Lisbon. It was so beautiful to read how they both connected so easily with chemistry that was undeniable, but then it lost its magic for me slightly when it dragged into 6 long years of them trying not to forget.

It was a touching read overall though that would be perfect for anyone who has ever struggled to let go of a first love.

What If I Never Get Over You is an unforgettable, emotionally rich love story set in Lisbon. Paige Toon’s writing is effortlessly immersive, with natural dialogue, vivid characters, and a plot full of heartache, fate, and longing.

Ellie and Ash’s love story is both beautiful and devastating real, relatable, and deeply moving. The settings, from Lisbon to Wales, come alive with lush descriptions, while the story weaves in powerful themes like grief, family, identity, and resilience.

Romantic and beautifully written. I adored this book

Whenever I pick up a new Paige Toon book I know that I am going to be in for a wonderful read with a beautiful romance woven around an interesting story and this was no disappointment! This story had every element I have come to expect from this author and so much more that kept the pages turning as I needed to know what was happening for Ellie and Ash.
The main focus of the story and storyteller was Ellie and seeing everything from her point of view made the story quite an emotional journey as she reveals her past as she starts to live out her dreams.
The ending had everything I wanted from it but it did leave me wanting to see more of the characters that I'd spent the last few days with and as some of the workers were still single, maybe there is hope for a revisit to the estate!