They meet whilst travelling alone and know instantly they were meant to be together but their lives went in different directions.

Two people who have experienced loss and lived with parents that were more concerned about living the high life. Ash and Ellie just want to be themselves but life gets in the way.

Will they ever find happiness with each other or apart?

Good emotional read.

Thank you NetGalley and penguin for the ARC.

Well this book was an absolute journey. Paige Toon takes you on a wild ride of highs and lows with the main characters Ash and Ellie. The book explores grief, mental health issues as a result of parental pressures and sexual assault.

The book celebrates having multiple versions of yourself and people changing and evolving over time as they age.

There were time jumps and the concept of “right person, wrong time” was prominent throughout. This sometimes took me out of it a little bit because there was a lot of time that was skipped and it made some of it feel far fetched. However I understand the point of right person wrong time is to feel frustrated and ultimately in some ways is more realistic than everything going right!

There were a couple of twists at the start that I also saw a mile away. However I do like to guess right so this didn’t bother me.

All in all, a beautifully and tactfully written book exploring some important topics with a wholesome ending.

I'm not typically a romance reader but I've heard so many good things about Paige Toon so decided to give this one a go and have a break from my normal thrillers.

I initially wondered if I'd made the right decision as the plot seemed to be, girl meets boy, they lose contact and then find each other again but there is more to the storyline than this.

I did find the main character Ellie frustrating at times and it took me a while to warm to her. As the story progressed, I found myself wanting to carve out time to read to find out what was going to happen in the story and I really liked the ending.

I'm not a total romance convert after this but would definitely read more by Paige moving forward.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

Paige Toon is one of my favourite authors and again, this book did not disappoint! I love the connection between Ellie and Ash and their romance in Lisbon, falling in love with each other in just a few days. Both characters have been through some issues but find a deeper connection than they originally thought possible.The scenery is really detailed and this enhances the plot for me.
I found the female character, Ellie’s behaviour a bit frustrating in the middle section and the vibe became a little YA, but I found myself reading faster, just to find out what happens in the end, and it did get better.
Paige Toon books have never disappointed me and they this one is perfect for anyone who loves a cosy, swooning romance

I have to admit that Paige Toon is a bit of an instant- read for me.
Her books are always full of loveable and relatable characters.
What If I Never Get Over You is no different.
Ellie and Ash meet while inter- railing in Portugal and spend 3 wonderful days together.
In a scene, very similar to A Night To Remember (one of my very favourite films), they agree to meet in Madrid.
But Ellie is late, and she can't find Ash ...if he's even there.
A few years later and they suddenly come face to face again.

The author is so masterful with writing characters that you feel a connection with - and this includes more minor characters- and the way that she can transport you to the bustling streets of a city or a garden in a National Trust property is nothing less than magical.

There are a few times that I felt agitated towards some characters due to the choices that they made - but that's probably more about me than the author's work.
The twists were obvious, I felt, but again, it's not a bad thing . After all, this isn't a thriller or a suspense book, so it didn't really matter.

This was a pleasant read. It's not the author's best but still leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy.

Paige Toon is one of my favourite authors and an autobuy for every new book. I was delighted to receive this as an ARC.
Wow! What another brilliant book, this is up there with some of my favourites from Paige Toon - such a great escape.

Whilst backpacking Europe travelling to places recommended by her friend Stella who passed away, Ellie meets another backpacker Ash in Lisbon and forms an unforgettable bond with the plans to meet in Madrid, but Ash never shows and Ellie returns home heartbroken.

6years later… Ellie lands herself her dream job as a gardener at an estate in Wales. One evening during a dinner event the gardeners offer support to cover for waiting staff due to illness and Ellie comes face to face again through the crowd with Ash, only he is not the Ash she met and her heart never forgot.

What happened in the 6years since Ellie and Ash met? Why didn’t they meet in Madrid? What happens in the next 6years… read to find out :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an ARC of Paige Toon - What If I never get over you.

While I enjoyed this it definitely felt a little younger than it is supposed to be.

It's a cute romance. But the lack of real communication did annoy me at times.
But it's a quick easy read when you don't want to have to try figure things out. You just want to get lost in a story

What If I Never Get Over You By Paige Toon ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You will all know by now that I’m a Huge Paige Toon fan and so when I got the chance to read this ARC thanks to netgalley and Random House UK I couldn’t wait to start it.

Of course we know it will have amazing main characters whose relationships are something you can only fall in love with and this is no different with Ash and Ellie who have a connection the moment they meet whilst Interrailing in Europe. After spending three wonderful days together they agree to meet the following week and continue their travelling together but things don’t turn out as planned and so six years later Ellie is starting her dream job as a gardener at a grand estate still wondering what happened to her Ash all those years before.

That’s when unexpectedly Ash returns to her life but not everything is as it seems and without giving any spoilers they both have a lot of things to work out and understand…

The story is fast paced and took no time for me to read as it has you pulled into Ellie and Ash’s relationship from the very beginning and you just want them to be together, I also felt we really knew there friends in this book too which you could also connect with.

The only thing I felt was missing slightly this time was the locations, as although it these worked perfectly for the book, I love Paige’s other books and their great descriptions of the locations of places which I then wish to visit which you can imagine being there for.

You can also get your hands on this book on 10th April 2025, so get preordering or adding it to your TBR lists as you won’t be disappointed! It should certainly be one to add to your summer holiday book list for chilling round the pool.

When you read a Paige Toon book you know you’re going to get a gut wrenching romance that’ll most likely leave you sobbing - and this one didn’t disappoint!

Ellie and Ash meet whilst travelling and spend three incredible days together, agreeing to meet up in Madrid at a later date.

6 years later Ellie gets a job working as a gardener for a Viscount and Viscountess, but the job turns out to be full of surprises.

I don’t want to give away too much about the plot but you can probably guess what happens, but the predictability didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

This was definitely less traumatisingly sad in comparison to other Paige Toon books i’ve read. It was definitely emotional but it was nowhere near as heartbreaking as Only Love Can Hurt Like This.

I raced through it and loved Ellie and Ash and the supporting cast of characters. I don’t agree with the One Day meets Bridgerton comparisons as I think that’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s still a lovely emotional romantic read nonetheless.

9/10!

This book was everything I thought it would be and more.
It took me a few chapter sto get well into the story, but once I did I was hooked and only wanted to finish it.
The story talks about growing up and is satisfying in so many ways - to see the characters fight for their own right to be themselves, but also for each other.

*spoiler alert*
It was also so satisfying that it did not end in one of the two blaming the other, but in an adult conversation about all the other factors that were at play throughout the times that the two main characters met.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

• What If I never get over you
By Paige Toon •
☆☆☆☆
°May contain spoilers°


I was lucky enough to be able to read an early ARC in exchange for an honest review.


• Part one follows Ellie and Ash, two young people who both have reasons for wanting to escape the pressure of home life and see the world.

Ellie and Ash spend 3 amazing days together and promise to meet in Madrid in a week.

Ellie finally stands up to her parents and goes to Madrid to be reunited with Ash, but he is nowhere to be seen.

Heartbroken, Ellie returns home.

Years later and Ellie spots Ash across a crowded event and her heart sinks, but has time healed all wounds?

• My thoughts •

The first part of this story was so engaging and captured me, knowing there would be heartbreak and that everything would not go to plan.

Once we got to second part I did struggle slightly as it felt rushed along in parts and at times predictable.

There where a lot of times jumps and at times they felt to long and rushed.

What a rollercoaster of a story!

Paige Toon really likes to keep you reading and guessing what happens next in her books. Sadly for me, this one just felt slightly too predictable.

I really like the complexity of each main character and the terrible past they both had. Bonding over similar experiences may have made them trauma bond in some sense.

I enjoyed this book to some extent, but an a non-lover of Insta-love, it just wasn't my favourite. Even with good enough reasons, I don't think I could ever forgive someone for losing something so sentimental or not showing up when you put everything on the line for them.

I think it would have been more heart-wrenching if we knew more about their time apart, but that just felt a bit rush.

I am glad they got the HEA as it is what they deserved after having such awful lives having awful parents.

The book started so strong and I was hooked from the moment Ellie and Ash met each other. They had an instant connection and i was excited to see where the story went. However Ash time and Time again failed to make Ellie a priority and I found this incredibly frustrating especially as Ellie still continued to lust after him. I will say Paige Too is an incredibly good writer when it comes to putting feelings onto paper, the grief was depicted so well. Overall I enjoyed it, there were things I enjoyed but also some things really frustrated me. I think this book might just not have been for me.

This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. “What if I Never Get Over You” is an emotional love story which transpires to be an enjoyable and engrossing read. Be prepared to get lost in Ellie’s life as we follow her over the course of nearly 10 years as she tries to get over her Summer romance with the delectable Ash.
When Elly meets Ash on an inter rail trip when they are both only 21 there is an immediate connection. Over the course of 3 days in Lisbon they gradually fall in love and when Ellie leaves to holiday with her parents they agree to meet up again in Madrid the following week to continue their blossoming relationship.
It doesn’t happen, Ellie arrives at the agreed spot having not heard from Ash at all and he does not turn up.
Completely devastated she returns home and begins work doing a job she hates but dreaming of her lost love and wondering what went wrong.
After a career change and a new job in Wales, Ellie hopes that she can get her life back on track but then something unexpected happens which leads her in a new direction. However everything does not run smoothly and throughout this book the reader is just hoping against hope that Ellie will find what she is looking for and have a happy life.
This is a romance containing two beautiful characters who both have difficult relationships with their families, something which acts as a bond between them, even if they don’t realise it at the time.
I really liked the gardening aspect of the story, when Ellie changes career and how this love of plants and flowers helps her in her personal life too, even leading her in the right direction.
This would be the perfect book to read on the beach or on holiday as it is entertaining and you can so easily get lost in it- time passes very quickly.
I definitely recommend this to readers who enjoy a good will they, won’t they romance with well rounded characters. I’d certainly like to bump into Ash whilst inter railing but alas it’s very unlikely as I’m well past the requisite age for a young person’s ticket!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Once again Paige toon has managed to write a deeply emotional book about two people, Ellie and Ash, who love each other deeply but through extenuating circumstances keep breaking each other’s hearts. My heart was smashed and then put back together again multiple times reading this story but I absolutely loved every second of it.

This is a nice romantic story which has lots of ups and downs and dramatic moments within a relationship. It shows us the various things you need to consider if you're thinking of marrying someone from a different background and how you can compromise and be happy with the decisions you make...

The love story is at the heart and it's a nice easy read, not too much to have to follow, it's fairly light-hearted and there's a nice sense of friendship too.

I did find some parts a bit flat, I didn't know anything about her past that seemed to just come out of the blue to explain some things but it hadn't been hinted at which was a shame. It didn't have a great amount of depth but it did have an easy-to-follow story which was lovely. I really liked the descriptions of various parts of Wales and the solar system too.

The blurb:
Three days to fall in love. Six years to try to forget.

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...

My thoughts:

This book was packed full of feeling.

Ash and Ellie were incredibly cute and proved that there is such a thing as love at first sight.

Was their relationship going to be plain sailing? Of course not… there were a few missed opportunities for Ash and Ellie, mixed feelings and miscommunication/mis understanding between them.

Ash and Ellie shared so many things in common. I loved Ash’s simple lifestyle, the love of astronomy and Ellie’s love of gardening.

Another beautifully written story from Paige Toon 4.5⭐️. Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the advance copy. Opinions shared are my own.

Loved this story from the get go and knew it would be characters that I fell in love with. Paige's books never fail to disappoint me, always brings out all the emotions!

3.5 ★ I’m quite conflicted with this book as there were things I enjoyed but then also some things I didn’t. I really liked the story, it was such as easy read and the setting, seeing them meet and explore a bit of Europe and then the Welsh countryside and gardening, that was all so descriptive. now for someone who doesn’t like the insta love trope, this one actually made sense. However as the book went on, I felt disconnected to the main characters, I didn’t love nor hate them but they both frustrated me at time and I really didn’t like part two with the slight love triangle thing that was going on. although the ending did feel quite rushed to me, it was sweet and very long awaited. I think this is a perfect spring into summer read and whilst not my favourite, I’d still recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

I really enjoyed this book so much that I started it one night and finished it the next day. It was just so good and I just loved all the characters as well. I just love Paige Toon books and this was just another amazing read.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a heartwarming read.

I would like to thank Penguin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.