Totally unputdownable and addictive! I finished this book in a single day, staying up well past my bedtime because I just couldn't stop reading. I felt like I was right there with Ellie and Ash on their emotional journey, experiencing all the hope and excitement of new love, as well as the heartbreak and challenges they faced in their search for happiness.

The descriptions of Lisbon’s tourist spots were so vivid that I could almost feel the warmth of the sun alongside them, and the scenes set on the grand estate and in the gardens were equally immersive—I truly felt transported.

The relationships in this book were beautifully portrayed, especially the friendships and the sense of family that Ellie develops. I was rooting for Ellie and Ash the entire time, though I’ll admit, there were moments when I wanted to shake Ellie and urge her to speak up instead of dropping subtle hints! Part 3 was absolutely perfect—I was desperate for their relationship to work, but I could see all the obstacles in their way.

Paige Toon’s writing pulls you in and keeps you invested, making it impossible not to care about these characters. A must-read for anyone who loves a heartfelt, emotional love story!

A big thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, and Cornerstone for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is my second book by Paige Toon, and I’m already looking forward to more from her! With it set to be published on April 10, 2025, it's definitely a book to watch out for!

What if I Never Get Over You - Paige Toon

Thanks so much to @paigetoonauthor and @penguinrandomhouse for my absolutely beautiful copy of this book.

I have long been a fan of Paige Toon's heart-wrenching stories of love, growth and bags of personality. I think she is an incredibly underrated writer. The emotion she can weave into her stories is incredible. Seven Summers last year ended up being one of my favourite books of the year. I was therefore so excited (and grateful) to receive this one in the mail!

This is one for you if you like:
❤️ insta-love gone wrong/second chance romance
🧡 huge character growth and development.
💛 mature themes and lovable characters
💚 a fast-paced read
💙 mostly closed-door romance
💜 unfinished business

Part of both the problem AND beauty of this book is that Ellie and Ash only know each other for three days. She is infatuated for YEARS based on those days. For a practical person this seems completely unrealistic. However, if you're a dreamer or someone who falls in love easily, you'll know how fast and hard you can fall and how hard it is to let go of that.

Available for preorder now - out early April!

Gosh this book is an emotional roller coaster and a half! Brilliant written, I was totally invested in the characters and their story. Highly recommended.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC ahead of release! I am a huge fan of Paige Toon and have been for years.

This is a 3 star read for me. One I’ll recommend to others but one I wouldn’t read again. It had some elements I really enjoyed - the beautiful settings of the national trust and the vivid descriptions of Europe. I didn’t like the connection between the main characters - I didn’t buy their love or their attraction. It didn’t feel like a great love, one that would defy the years, and more like a holiday fling. This affected my belief in the story and I couldn’t feel fully immersed. Someone else may feel very differently and have a different experience as a result so I’d definitely still recommend!

I knew this was going to be an emotional story, but I never anticipated the volume of highs and lows that would present themselves to me while reading this gorgeous book. Paige Toon pitched the premise with a rare skill, and my mind was truly working overtime, trying to imagine which way the story would turn next.
When we first meet Ellie, she is coming to the end of her Euro-Railing trip and certainly not interested in discovering a love that would consume her for years. Staying in hostels and trying to remain positive about her future as a furniture designer, she meets the enigmatic Ash, a free spirit who encourages her to explore her dreams and not just follow her parents' plans for her. What follows are three days that awaken her and introduce her to a passion that she could never have imagined. Sadly, the culmination of those three days sees her heartbroken, confused and determined to retake control of her life.
Eventually, Ellie is able to break away from the hold her parents have over her, and she strikes out in her dream role as a gardener at an estate in Wales. What she didn’t anticipate was to run into Ash so many years after he left her alone in Madrid. It soon becomes clear that time doesn’t heal as thoroughly as she had hoped, and all the emotions come crashing back down on her.
For the avoidance of spoilers, I’ll leave the recap there and remain within the synopsis. Ellie is a fabulous protagonist, and I was totally engaged in her story, wondering how happiness would ever find its way back into her heart. Her spirit was feisty and determined, and she was clearly happy on her own, with the occasional fling to keep loneliness at bay.
Ash remained the romantic hero that I first saw him as, and even the big reveal of his background left me hoping for a happy conclusion despite all the odds against that probability. Their connection was as cerebral as it was physical, so breaking that seemed impossible.
There’s a fabulous cast of characters and some interesting gardening tidbits to discover if that interests you. A fair amount of the story is wrapped up in the chemistry between Ellie and the other members of the workforce, setting the scene for the conclusion, which left me feeling joy-filled and hopeful.
This is another smashing book from this fabulous author.

all the thanks in the world to penguin uk and Paige Toon for this e-arc of What if I never get over you.
This will be a spoiler free review!
Ash & Ellie stole my heart from the very first page of this book and I cannot help but feel sad their story is over. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, but each year Paige Toon publishes her best book. They keep on getting better. While this was not the emotional punch in the heart due to death, it might’ve been worse. A love that is stronger than ties and words is more dangerous than anything else. The writing flows from the page into your mind and one cannot help but fall in love with both characters. I’ve felt so strongly for these two, for both. Their pain and longing and sadness. I’m a wreck. I will indoctrinate everyone to read this, it’s a must. Paige Toon NEVER disappoints. I will give my left arm for more Ash and Ellie content. This will become my comfort book and might just replace Pictures of Lily.

Wow what an intense book. The emotions jump off the page.
Instant connection and fun lead Ellie and Ash to connect but don't disclose essential information. Arranging to meet up a week later.
Not going to spoil the story but ramifications ripple down the years.
Can they overcome the obstacles, family and job situations?
I loved the book, the feelings are so real.

Another Paige Toon masterclass in emotional romantic fiction. I loved Ellie and Ash’s journey and the things that led them to each other and kept them apart.
I especially loved the setting for their meet-cute - after spending a glorious 3 days in Lisbon with some friends late last year, the Portuguese vibes oozed off the pages in her descriptions and thought it was a fab tie in how Ellie’s range is inspired by that time in her life.
The middle section sagged ever so slightly but the ending definitely made up for it!
Many thanks for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars from me 😍

First Paige Toon read and I really enjoyed it, would recommend to others
Good plot, decent read through, looking forward to more from the author in the future

Absolutely loved meeting Ellie and Ash and following their journeys both together and apart.
I really engaged with the characters and loved them both. I found it interesting with the class distinction and loved the travel element.
Another awesome story from Paige which left me wanting more.
Beautifully written covering so many themes, love, loss, class divide, star gazing, design, travel, loss, grief and so much more

I had very high expectations for this after reading Seven Summers last year which I adored, and I also loved this! I devoured this book in a couple of days and really fell in love with Ash and Ellie and felt myself rooting for their love story. I loved the details about astronomy and gardening and that the story starts in the magical town of Sintra. This book made me feel happy, hopeful and heartbroken all at once. I definitely recommend!

As a whole I really enjoyed this book. It was an addictive read and I found myself struggling to put it down. I loved the setting, the side story of the gardening and Ellie deciding to live how she wants! I was hooked on the characters and what should end up happening to them. I had a couple of gripes, however, when it came to romance and connections between the two love interests.

I don’t think I believed the instant connection or felt any spark between Ellie and Ash in their initial three days. I could tell they were attracted to each other but the relationship did not feel easy and dialogue was a little stilted. Therefore I did not feel how hard it was for Ellie to stop thinking of Ash. It felt more like a holiday what could have been than a love. This affected my experience of the whole book for me, struggling to believe the intensity of their supposed romance and that it might succeed against all odds.

I must add that I really didn’t like the reveal of abuse at the end of the book. It felt like a trauma dump and underdeveloped and I think the story would’ve been better off without it.

ARC received via NetGalley - thank you so much for the opportunity!

I didn't get into this at first but then after Ellie and Ash had met and the trip was over I read this in full swing.
I haven't felt so overwhelmed like this for a book in so long. I read about a quarter of the book then finished the rest in one sitting staying up way past my bed time.
I love a good romance and this one hit you in all the feels. I felt stressed, anxious, hopeful, joy, love and everything in between.
The characters are well developed and I felt I could connect well with most of them. I just could not put this down. Paige Toon never disappoints!

Oh, Ellie and Ash 🥹

Paige Toon, the queen of romance, has gone and done it again.

You won't be able to stop yourself from falling in love with Ellie and Ash instantly, just as I did. They will make you swoon, laugh, and at times, frustrated, and I found myself constantly rooting for them to find their happy ending.

Loved this one so much. I'm so grateful for my e-ARC!

What can I say? I simply love Paige Toon. Her books never disappoint me and this one has made me want to read everything I've not read by her. It is such a beautiful love story and will make you feel so much warmth by the end. I would say I wasn't really surprised by anything in this book and could see the twists coming but it's not a bad thing when what you ultimately want is a feel good, easy read. Paige is such a wonderful author and her discriptions of the various places in the book is so vivid it's like you are there with them. If you love a romance that you can't put down, this one is for you. The prefect summer time story!

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ellie and Ash are meant to be, but their plan of reuniting in Madrid whilst travelling Europe never comes to fruition. Fast forward a handful of years and Ellie is following her dream working as a gardener when Ash suddenly reappears in her life in the most unexpected of circumstance.
This is a lovely story of boy and girl meeting, not meeting, meeting again and then...well I dont want to spoil it but expect some happiness to emerge!

Wow I could not put this down and finished it within a couple of days. What a beautiful story about how Ellie and Ash are clearly soul mates meant to be together. I loved the journey and I loved the links to nature and space. I can relate to feeling the most relaxed in the woods amongst nature. Just a lovely warming story

This was my first Paige Toon book and it did not disappoint. I read this after SAY YOU'LL REMEMBER ME and it was amazing! It gave the exact same vibes whilst still being incredibly unique! I can’t wait for her next book!

What If I Never Get Over You is a beautiful story of finding love, losing it and finding love again. The meet-cute at the beginning had me hooked right away. Ellie and Ash were destined to be together and the love story had a great start, the connection and chemistry was there. But then something happened and I felt cheated out of the happy ending that was waiting for me. It reminded me a little of The Man Who Didn’t Call by Rosie Walsh where the love interest also disappears without us knowing why. I was very intrigued because I refused to believe his intentions weren’t noble.

Anyway destiny will have it that they do meet again and there’s a lot of explaining to do but then if seems obvious that after all these years they haven’t forgotten about each other. Can they make it this time though with his ex-girlfriend nearby, his parents who are none too happy with her influence on him? Can she fit into his life, does she want to?

Even though it’s a heart-breaking novel at times I do feel the title is quite heavy and I expected to feel it weighing on me and the general vibe being quite sad but the story was light-hearted enough to get through those rough patches without too much emotional damage ;-). It was however a sad thing that they pine for each other so many years and then they (yes Ellie I’m looking at you) still want to throw in the towel. You’re destined for each other, you can’t do that, such a shame!

What If I Never Get Over You is a great love story of finding your person at the right time and place and not letting go. Love isn’t easy, people around us don’t make it easy but sometimes you just have to follow your own path and make it work. It’s a perfect novel for romance readers who aren’t shy of a rocky path and a fair amount of drama along the way :-).

Book Review: What If I Never Get Over You by Paige Toon

Paige Toon’s What If I Never Get Over You is a masterclass in heartfelt storytelling, a sweeping romance that explores the profound impact of love, loss, and the possibilities of second chances. With her signature emotional depth and evocative prose, Toon crafts a tale that lingers long after the final page is turned.

The story begins with Ellie, who unexpectedly falls for Ash during a whirlwind three-day romance in Lisbon. Their connection is electric, their plans to reunite in Madrid promising a love story for the ages—until fate intervenes and Ellie arrives too late. What follows is six years of longing, unanswered questions, and a heart still tethered to a moment that should have been the beginning of something beautiful.

Fast-forward to Ellie’s new life as a gardener on a picturesque estate in Wales, a job meant to help her heal and move on. But when Ash reappears, their lives colliding once more, Ellie is forced to confront her feelings and decide if the universe is offering them a second chance—or if their love was never meant to be.

Toon’s greatest strength lies in her ability to craft deeply relatable characters whose emotions leap off the page. Ellie is a wonderfully complex protagonist, torn between the safety of letting go and the vulnerability of risking her heart again. Ash is equally compelling, a man with layers of his own, making their dynamic rich and achingly real.

The narrative balances sweeping romance with themes of class, fate, and self-discovery. Toon doesn’t shy away from exploring the messy realities of love, the pain of what might have been, and the courage it takes to embrace what could still be. The lush descriptions of Lisbon, Madrid, and Wales add a sense of place that enriches the story, making it feel like a journey as much for the reader as for the characters.

The supporting cast, from Ellie’s friends to the backdrop of the estate, adds warmth and texture without overshadowing the central romance. And the pacing, laced with twists and emotional revelations, keeps readers invested from start to finish.

Fans of epic love stories like One Day by David Nicholls or The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo will find What If I Never Get Over You utterly irresistible. It’s a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the power of love to shape our lives in unexpected ways.

Paige Toon has outdone herself with this beautifully written and deeply resonant story. What If I Never Get Over You is not just a book—it’s an emotional experience that reminds us all of the enduring power of the connections that shape us. A must-read for romantics at heart.

Rating: 5/5