Firstly, thank you so much to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Penguin, Netgalley & Paige Toon for allowing me to read 'What If I Never Get Over You' in exchange for honest feedback.

TW - Loss / mention of dr*g use / S. Assault

This is a Spoiler Free Review!

I loved the instant connection between Ellie & Ash in Lisbon! It was a true holiday romance - 3 days of intense connection with no strings attached, except strings obviously develop! Both of them have been through some difficult times in their lives which seems to draw two broken hearts / souls to each other.

Ellie made a good first impression - I LOVED that she was reading ACOTAR - it was an instant 'tick' in my book 😂 However, she frustrated the hell out of me at times (I won't spoil why!), but I understand why she acted and felt the way she did when we heard what her life was like growing up.

I loved Ash's character. He was fun, bubbly but also showed his vulnerable side. I really felt for him throughout the story.

I enjoyed 'growing' with them both grow over the years. The pace of the story was great, apart from a wee drop off in the middle, but it absolutely kept me interested enough to finish it in a couple of days!

I can't really say too much without giving bits of the story away.. It gave me The Notebook vibes with the case of right place, wrong time, but, thankfully not quite as heartbreaking.

I'm a sucker for a romcom so I would definitely recommend What If I Never Get Over You

I feel incredibly lucky to have been approved for an early copy of this book, as I love Paige Toon as an author.

The story begins in Lisbon, where Ellie meets Ash, unfortunate timing as she has just decided to give up interrailing and her interfering parents are demanding she come home.
But luckily they are still able to spend three (intense) days together. Then they make a plan to meet up again, although Ash is off the grid without a phone, which gave me a bad feeling🙈

I won't give any spoilers but this book starts out as flirting in the sunshine, holiday romance, instant connection vibes and then gets back to reality and heavy on the drama!

As always, I was hooked and my heart broke all the way through as I followed the rollercoaster emotions Ellie goes through as the protagonist.

I don't think Ellie felt it herself at times but I thought she was quite a strong fmc. And I liked that we seen so many different sides of Ash, because we all have different versions of ourselves around different people or after going through certain experiences which can change us, so I felt this was so believable. I did get mad at him at times because I thought he could have done better by Ellie, but that's just my personal feelings.

The book is set in Lisbon, North England, Wales and the Cotswolds and Paige always does so much research into these locations, which shines through and makes you picture them so vividly.

Thank you, Paige, for another beautiful book❤️ you always create such magic every single time.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK, Penguin, Cornerstone and the author, Paige Toon, for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC.

This is the love story of Ellie and Ash, spanning nearly a decade, who met interrailing when they were 21 but lost touch, doomed due to a "I have no phone because I want to be off grid" decision by Ash.

When they finally meet again six years later, Ellie discovers that Ashton is a viscount's son and due to inherit the manor she just started work at as a gardener. The classism that follows is pretty annoying, with Ash's dad a caricature aristocrat. Are they doomed again?

The book has four parts and in every one it's as if Ash is a completely different person - from the carefree traveller to the burdened heir to the cold hermit to the final version. I felt for Ellie who had to adapt, having already broken free from her parents' suffocating grasp, only to watch Ash taking somewhat longer.

I found their journey interesting but I honestly didn't think they had much in common. I think they bonded due to both having problematic parents who they tried to please to the detriment of their own happiness.

The title is a bit melodramatic - we always get over people, we have to in order to continue living. I thought at first the title referred to Ash and Ellie but it could also mean the best friends Stella and Taran that they lost who had been so important in their lives.

I loved all the settings - Spain and Portugal in the first part, Wales afterwards. I've travelled in Wales quite a bit and I recognised all the lovely places.

I also liked the camaraderie of the young staff at Berkeley Hall, and the love of plants and gardening that shines through. The cover is absolutely gorgeous.

The story was predictable enough for me to foresee all the little twists but interesting enough to keep reading. In fact, I read this in one go.

This comes out in April 2025 so it's a privilege to have been able to read such an early copy.

4.25 stars