🌟 Book Review 🌟

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Paige Toon for this amazing arc! All thoughts are my own ❤️💃

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

This book is pure, heart-throbbing magic! 🌸 Imagine a romance that starts with three intense days in Lisbon, where Ellie and Ash feel that rare, undeniable spark—the kind that’s too good to be true. Then, as life happens and years slip by, fate brings them back together in the enchanting Welsh countryside, where Ellie works as a gardener. Paige Toon absolutely nails the setting, and I LOVED every detail about Welsh culture and nature woven into their story—it's lush, romantic, and so beautifully immersive. 🌿💚

Meeting Ellie and Ash as 21-year-olds and then reuniting with them six years later adds this raw, nostalgic layer to the story. You *feel* their chemistry and the unfinished business between them, and it’s everything you’d want in a second-chance romance. That said, the miscommunication trope does rear its head here, and yes, there were moments I was yelling, "JUST SAY IT ALREADY!" But as we dive into Ellie’s past, the reasons behind their guarded hearts make so much more sense.

If you’re a fan of deep, lasting connections and all the tangled feelings that come with growing up and finding love, this book will hit you right in the feels. Perfect for anyone who believes in soulmates, no matter the time or distance!

What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication Date: 24th April 2025

A huge thank you to @netgalley @paigetoonauthor @penguinrandomhouse @penguinukbooks @cornerstone_press for an Arc copy in return for my honest review.

Ellie and Ash meet at a rooftop bar in Lisbon and instantly form a very deep connection after spending three days together. They part ways with plans to meet in Madrid one week later but Ash never turns up.

Ash didn’t have a phone, Ellie’s had broken and they never even told each other their last names so Ellie spends the next six years wondering why he didn’t meet her and no way to track him down.

Six years later Ellie starts a new job at Berkeley Hall and soon realises that she is working for Ash’s parents. What will happen when they come face to face after all these years?

I was SO excited when I saw that I had been approved for this Arc and I am so grateful for the opportunity to read an early copy!

Paige Toon is one of my all time favourite authors and I really enjoyed this book. I had recently been in a bit of a reading slump but this pulled me right out. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in two days!

I enjoyed how this book was split into three periods of time to show how Ellie and Ash’s relationship coped with the challenges that they faced from the instant connection they made to being reunited so many years later.

This book was an emotional read dealing with grief and challenging family relationships.

I highly recommend a read when it is published next year if you enjoy:
✨second chance romance
✨right person wrong time

This is a gorgeously heartwarming book that completely made me well up with tears. What if I I Never Get Over You is another epic story from Paige Toon that I completely fell head over heels for. Ash and Ellie go through such a turbulent time to find each other again and I love all of their friends. It’s a perfect read. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this.

When it comes to a Paige Toon book I will never read a blurb. I will simply just get lost in her worlds. Paige was the first author I ever actually read, she made me fall in love with reading.

Ellie and Ash, 3 day hot summer romance? Plot twist after plot twist. Heartache, loss, pain, secret rendezvous, friendship and more?! Consider me sold.

This book was incredible (not shocked, it’s Paige) I cried, I laughed, I was angry and I was heartbroken. As with any of Paige’s books there’s twists and turns but there is always a HEA. But you gotta be in pain first. I genuinely believe Paige managed to help one capture the real feelings the main characters feel. Almost as if you truly are the main character within her books. At least that is what I feel everytime I read one. I loved Ash and Ellie, right person wrong time? Right person right time? I don’t know. What I do know is the love shown on page was beautiful to read.

What a book! There is something special about Paige Toon’s books; she has this uncanny ability to draw you in from the first page and you have no option but to immerse yourself in the story. I loved this one if you couldn’t already guess. You could feel the connection between Ash and Ellie from the moment they met. A true love story with twists and turns throughout, covering so many topics with sensitivity and kindness. If you don’t read this one you’re missing out. Go quick and grab yourself a copy, then be prepared to have your mind blown.

4* easy reading

I've previously enjoyed reading Paige Toon's books, so jumped at the opportunity to read her latest. I wasn't disappointed. Once started I could barely stop, the author has packed her book with emotion and angst.

Ellie and Ash meet in Lisbon, the three days they spend together was enough time to fall in love. But after missing their prearranged meeting in Madrid a week later, there was no way to contact each other. Almost six years later they meet again when Ellie arrives at her new job as a gardener at a large private estate and discovers that Ash is the owner's son.

As far as Ellie is concerned, the man she's loved for so long is socially far above her and she won't consider a future together. Ellie frequently infuriated me. She's an inveterate snob, stubbornly rejecting anyone associated with wealth, whether earned or inherited, ignoring the obligations it might incur. Ash is torn between family responsibility (tho I've no idea what he 'did' to help produce an income for his ancestral home) and his love for Ellie.

The plot is emotional, annoying, predictable, yet still a good read.

With thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

Paige Toon has done it again! There isn’t a book that I haven’t loved from her yet, it’s amazing. I absolutely love her books and her writing, I find myself totally immersed each times, so I was beyond excited to read this ARC!

What If I Never Get Over You was beautiful and heartbreaking, as we follow Ellie when she first meets Ash, while they are both interrailing through Europe. Three whirlwind days later, they agree to meet up a week later after their own travelling stops, and of course, this is where the heartbreak begins.

As their stories continue on different paths, there’s always that hope that they will find each other again and that love will prevail over all else.

Absolutely loved this book and I couldn't put it down, so I’d definitely recommend it for all those romance lovers out there.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley UK for this ARC

What an emotional rollercoaster, I wanted to throw the book at the wall a few times screaming at how stubborn Ellie and Ash are. I loved every minute of it though and wouldn’t change a single thing. Paige is an automatic buy author for me - I don’t even need to read the blurb and it’s straight in my basket. I will forever be recommending her books ever since the day I opened her first book 17 years ago.

Absolutely incredible!!
I loved seven summers by this author and like that one I also loved this one!
The characters were amazing and the writing is incredible!

Wow, this book was everything and more! I was so excited when I got accepted and trust me this book doesn’t let you down! I’m actually bereft at it finishing and I really need to know what happens next!!! Please make a follow up book Paige!
I really loved everything, from the characters to the places, to the stars everything was just fab. I’m a space geek so absolutely loved this part. I also loved how hard life can be and working through things! Honestly this is one of the best books I’ve read this year! Everyone has a one who got away and I think that’s why it resonated so much! Trust me and read this, I’m literally still
Sobbing!

I always enjoy Paige Toon’s novels and the similar thread they follow of how relationships aren’t always easy and life gets in the way.

This novel is a little bit shorter than her others but I still enjoyed it. I thought some bits were a bit rushed and we didn’t get the connection with some of the secondary characters that I would have liked to have seen but I stil enjoyed it none the less.

absolutely incredible! I literally couldn’t put this book down everything was just so perfect.! the best one yet thank you so much Paige, netgalley and Cornerstone for this ARC!

Paige Toon never misses! I am so excited to bring this beautiful love story to readers and I love the star crossed lovers aspect as well

I loved the premise of this book - Ellie has a three day intense holiday romance with Ash, and six years later is still struggling to move past it. Part One in Lisbon was fantastic and I was really swept along with the atmospheric descriptions of the places and feelings. We then jump six years into the future, and at first I liked this as it was interesting to see what became of the characters, but the magic of part one was never quite recaptured for me.

I didn't particularly like Ellie as a character, and I didn't feel that the chemistry with her and Ash was strong enough to disrupt their lives in the way that it did.

I did like that the main characters had interesting hobbies (gardening and space), and these parts were enjoyable to read. I also liked the side characters, and would have liked them to have featured more.

Overall I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it, but I was hoping for a little more.

when i was accepted on netgalley to review this book i was so excited! who doesn’t love paige toon book!
this did not disappoint a fun read of love and life and how both are not allows straight forward.
prepare to fall in love with the characters and the gasp out loud at some parts and your heartbreak at others.
a recommended fun easy read to get lost in

I love Paige Toon’s books and this one does not disappoint, I loved the section set in Lisbon as well as the part set in Wales; I was really able to visualise both settings and could feel what it would be like with the sun on your face. A great book that I feel I read really quickly as I was so absorbed by it, so much so that I think I’ll have to read it again.

I absolutely love Paige's books and this one might possibly be my favourite - it definitely didn't disappoint!! I loved Ellie as a character, and her challenges she went through. I also loved how her and Ash connected over a similar situation, and how that common grief, and complicated family dynamics was what brought them together. I cannot wait to read this all over again when it's out!

A beautiful love story of how life can get in the way of our happily ever after. A beautifully uplifting read but obviously it is Paige Toon so it’s not easy!

I have reviewed this so I am going to say it will be one of the books of 2025. I absolutely loved it. Read in an evening. Could not put it down . Told in 3 parts . The twists and missed opportunity’s and everything. !!!!Just a beautiful story about love, following your dreams, parents , living off grid, being strong. I am telling everyone about this book . Read it. You won’t be able to put it down.

This is only my second Paige Toon book (after reading Seven Summers earlier this year) and she has quickly become a favourite of mine. Her characters and settings are so beautifully developed and described that I feel like I’ve been carried away and that I’m fully immersed in these gorgeous places and that I know the people as if they’re my own friends. If you’ve not read any of her books yet – if you like Beth Moran, Mhairi McFarlane and Beth O’Leary then this will be for you!

The first quarter (ish?) of What if I Never Get Over You, is probably my favourite section. Where our main character, Ellie, first meets Ash, in the most dreamy setting on holiday in Lisbon, just brought back so many feelings of what it’s like falling in love when you first meet The One. It just couldn’t have been done any better!

But then, when Ellie and Ash are supposed to meet in Madrid a week later, Ellie is late and Ash isn’t there. Oh, I felt the pain and desperation of it so much!

Time passes on, and Ellie never forgets Ash. It’s now six years later and she starts her dream job as a gardener at a beautiful private estate in Wales – and Ash returns to her life in a very unexpected way!

I found some of the middle section of the story a bit frustrating – which is why 4 stars rather than 5 – I really wanted to bash their heads together and tell them to just sort it out! But then the end section was lovely and had some surprising elements to it whilst also being exactly what I wanted!

Character-wise, I loved our main heroes. Ash is the perfect leading man and Ellie was complicated like a real human being, with torments to work through and who goes on a journey to become who she really wants to be that doesn’t have anything to do with a man (as well as the romance side, which of course we’re all here for, but it’s nice when there’s more going on!) At times I got confused by the barrage of different characters at the Berkeley cottages, but it didn’t cause any problems!

Another absorbing, glorious triumph for Paige!