Emma Cooper’s The One Before the One is a heartfelt and magical exploration of love, loss, and second chances. With its time-bending premise and deeply emotional storytelling, the novel invites readers to ask themselves: if you could rewrite the past, would you—and at what cost?

The story follows Liv, a woman on the verge of a new chapter as she prepares to marry her fiancé, only to be transported back in time to the six days leading up to her first love Kit’s disappearance seven years earlier. What starts as a disorienting twist of fate becomes an opportunity for Liv to uncover the truth about Kit’s abrupt departure—and possibly change her future. But with the chance to save the man who once held her heart comes an agonizing choice: will rewriting history jeopardize the happiness she’s found in the present?

Cooper masterfully balances romance, heartache, and introspection. Liv is a wonderfully complex protagonist, and readers will feel her internal struggle as she is torn between the man she once loved and the new life she’s built. The dual timelines are seamlessly woven together, revealing the depth of her relationships with Kit and her fiancé, while also exploring the ripple effects of grief, healing, and moving on.

The writing is both tender and uplifting, laced with moments of humor that lighten the emotional weight of the story. Cooper’s vivid descriptions and heartfelt dialogue make Liv’s journey feel authentic and deeply personal, while the supporting cast of family and friends adds warmth and charm. The stakes are high—not just for Liv’s love life, but for her sense of self—and the resolution is both satisfying and thought-provoking.

At its core, The One Before the One is about more than romance; it’s a celebration of resilience, the unpredictability of life, and the beauty of embracing the present. Fans of Shari Low and Paige Toon will adore this uplifting, bittersweet tale that reminds us of the power of love in all its forms.

Liv was ready to get married when she finds a necklace that her ex boyfriend gave her who has been missing for the last seven years. Also her fiance, the man she’s about to marry is her ex boyfriend’s brother. Putting the necklace on transports her to right before the ex went missing. Now she has an opportunity to try and stop him from leaving, while also battling with her feelings for her fiance. Once she finds out the truth she has to decide who she’s going to choose in the present day.

Deep, emotional romance and also a mystery. I love the time travel elements. I feel like the mystery elements is what really kept me engaged with the story. Cause I needed to know what happened. And then the romance was like a cherry on top! Great read, will definitely be watching out for more by this author. Thank you!

In this unique and charming new romance novel, readers follow Liv in the days before her wedding when she has the chance to live a single week over again, but it just so happens to be the week her boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike. With the chance to get all the answers and discover what happened that week seven years ago when her life changed, Liv and the reader might be able to uncover the reasons behind Kit’s disappearance. With a complex timeline and several factors at play, readers will love this unique premise and the emotional time-travel rollercoaster that Liv goes on in this clever and immersive new read. The characters in this novel, particularly Liv as the primary narrator, are unique and fascinating, with complex emotional storylines and some serious challenges and decisions ahead of them. Readers will love the emotional storyline and the challenges of a second chance at happiness, and Emma Cooper has done a masterful job bringing this complex what-if to life in this new title. Well-written, emotional, and occasionally intense, this novel is fascinating, immersive, and thought-provoking, and readers will find themselves invested in Liv’s two chances for happiness and her final decision.

'The One Before the One' is such an excellent story. This compelling novel explores love, loss, and the unexpected paths life takes after heartbreak. When her boyfriend vanishes without a trace and is presumed dead, the protagonist is left shattered, struggling to move forward. As time passes, she finds comfort in an unlikely place—his older brother—who understands her grief like no one else. What begins as shared sorrow slowly transforms into something deeper, forcing them both to question their emotions and the boundaries of love. With heartfelt emotion, complex relationships, and a slow-burning romance, this story beautifully captures the struggle of moving on while honoring the past.

Big thanks to Netgalley, Emma Cooper, and to Boldwood Books for ARC in exchange for an honest opinion!

This romantic story is heartbreaking, magical, surprising, and ultimately uplifting. It takes readers on an emotional journey that resonates. Liv meets Kit in a fatalistic way, and everything is lovely until he disappears. Seven years later, Liv survives and eventually allows herself to love again, but when she finds herself back in the past, she wonders if she can change it. I love this story's complexity and multi-layered protagonists. There are aspects of time travel and magical realism, but even straightforward things are not what they seem. At its heart is an enduring love story, flawed and messy but beautiful to read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is about a woman named Liv, who on the day of her wedding, goes back in time and gets to live one week over. The week that changed her life forever. But Liv doesn't know if what she is doing during that week in the past is changing her future, and she's not totally sure if she wants it to change or not. She was happy and in love back then, but then when her life changed at the end of that week she was unhappy for a very long time, until finally finding love and happiness again. So she thinks she is in the past to try to stop what happens at the end of that week and she spends this time trying to find out the truth about what really happened that week. This was such an enjoyable and captivating storyline, I enjoyed that the storyline let the reader get to know the guy from her past, as well as the guy she was about to marry in the present, I was back and forth with who I was rooting for at times as the story went. But in the end I was very happy with who she chose and how the story ended! I really enjoyed this! 💜📚

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for this ARC of The One Before The One, in exchange for an honest review.

💔✨ Heartfelt, emotional, and unforgettable. ✨💔

The One Before the One took me on an emotional rollercoaster—from love to grief, guilt to self-discovery. Emma Cooper beautifully explores what it truly means to open yourself up, be vulnerable, and find real, deep love. 🥺❤️

This story isn’t just about romance; it’s about who we love, why we love, and how love changes when we let ourselves be truly seen. It had me feeling all the emotions, and I just know this is a book that will stick with me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

If you’re looking for a heartfelt read that makes you think about love in a new way, this one is a must! 💕

Have you read The One Before the One? Let’s talk in the comments! ⬇️

#TheOneBeforeTheOne #EmmaCooper #Bookstagram #EmotionalReads #BookLover #RomanceBooks

If you could go back and change the course of your life would you? That is the situation that Liv finds herself in. Wonderfully written story. Tear jerker.

Absolutely amazing!

I loved everything about this book - the title, the cover, the main characters, the twists and turns. I could not put The One Before The One down.

I wasn’t sure what to expect as this is the first book I have read by Emma Cooper, but it definitely won’t be my last!

It’s a book about love and loss, with a bit of time travel thrown in. Liv, Kit and James are great characters, and I really liked them all (in the end). The plot is very cleverly written, but it’s hard to write any more without spoilers. A must read!

Many thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

#Netgalley, #TheBoldBookClub, #ItsEmmaCooper #TheOneBeforeTheOne

This was such a different style of book to what I typically am drawn to, but I ended up liking it a lot more than I thought I would! I did struggle a bit to begin with because it's a slow starter and I didn't immediately love Liv's narrative voice, it kind of reads like she's writing in a diary in places and she has a habit of giving information about her surroundings that I didn't think was necessary to the plot and over-explaining interactions. However, once the time slip happens it's like I totally blacked out and was completely present with Liv needing to get to the bottom of what happened to Kit. The twist boggled my mind, I had to re-read the end of one chapter several times to figure it out because it was so unexpected for me. The end of the book irked me just a bit as well, everything is wrapped up a bit too neatly for my liking and I found myself detaching again after the mystery had piqued my interest so much, which was a shame! I wish Lynn had had to face some kind of consequence for seemingly treating James like shit for so many years.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t read the blurb and was expecting something completely different. Plent of twists and turns along the way to keep the pages turning. All is not always what it seems for sure!

Seven years ago, Liv’s boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike and is now presumed dead.
She has since found love again and on the day of her wedding, she finds a clue that might mean Kit is still alive. She steps through a door to find herself back in 2016, reliving the days before he vanished.
This one had me at the premise and it’s the sort of book you’ll want to read in a single sitting so you can find out what happened to Kit and what it means to Liv’s current relationship. Even with the time-slip element, the story is still very grounded in reality.

This is a book that I could see as a movie. It grabbed my attention from the blurb and held it from the first to the last chapter. When Liv’s boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike seven years earlier, she thought her life was over. Yet with the help of his brother James, she finds a way to love again. Until the morning of her wedding, when Liv steps through a doorway and finds herself, somehow, back at the flat she shared with seven years earlier, six days before he left. Now, Liv has a chance to live those six days over and change everything. If she gets this right, she can find out why Kit leaves and stop him. Yet in doing so, she begins to wonder whether she really knew Kit or whether he is the one that she would stay with.
Without giving too much away, this book highlights the relationship between Liv and her boyfriend Kit, days before he disappears, as well as her relationship with other family members. It explores her relationship with Kit’s brother James, whom she has fallen in love with. The book is told from multiple POVs, including before the days before Kit disappears. A well-delivered storyline that has plenty of twists and turns, leaving me reflecting on this book long after I finished reading it.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

While we may want to have the opportunity to have a “do-over”, life just doesn’t work that way. Seven years ago, Liv’s boyfriend disappeared and now Liv is finally at a point in her life where she can move forward. As she is about to get married, Liv finds herself back in the past with the chance to change everything.

I had the opportunity to read an ARC of The One Before the One, and my thoughts are entirely my own.

I went into this book blind, not knowing what to expect—and I was completely surprised. What I thought would be a straightforward romance turned into something so much more. The mystery woven throughout the story kept me hooked, and I couldn’t put it down. The pacing, the emotional depth, and the unexpected twists made this a one-sitting read for me.

Emma Cooper has crafted a compelling, heart-wrenching, and gripping story that lingers long after the last page. Five stars—highly recommend!

The One Before the One was an interesting read for me.
The opening chapters quickly grabbed my attention and I enjoyed getting to know Liv, Kit and James’s situation. However I felt some of the next part of the book really dragged until I got to a part where I was so confused I had to go back and check what I’d already read.
If I wasn’t so intrigued as to what was happening I would have decided not to finish the book. That being said, I’m glad I did! The ending and the last third of the book soon made everything clear and I was pleased with the way it ended. Overall, I’d rate this book 3.5 stars.

This book was really good. As I was reading I did not want to stop, I wanted to keep reading to figure out if Liv could save Kit. I'm not always the biggest fan of books going back in time, depending how it's done. But Emma wrote it so well. The ending is not what l expected, but it tied it all together quite well.
I absolutely rave every time I get dual pov in a book and this book has that! Overall I really loved this book and it is definitely worth the read.

This book had it’s twists and turns and it was an emotional rollercoaster, but the twists kept me reading and not wanting to put the book down, I fell in love with the heartbreaking story, and the characters. The love between James and Liv was everything in the end. The fact that I wasn’t able to predict what would happen with the story/plit of this book was so refreshing and entertaining, I haven’t had this feeling in a while. I hope this book becomes a bestseller in a romance section, and I can’t wait for the opportunity to hold the printed version in my hands.

Well this book was a treat! I’ve really enjoyed this author’s previous work so of course I was going to request it when I saw it on here.
I was hooked by the first chapter and it had me the whole way through. Right and the beginning and very close to the end I really had no idea what was going to happen and that feeling of suspense was really strong throughout. I adored Liv, Kit and James and were all great characters and when I got to the moment in the book everything clicked into place like a real light bulb moment. Very clever writing!
Would highly recommend.

I think I really must start by saying how much I loved this book – and although some might look askance at the idea of time travel and having the opportunity to relive your experiences, it’s so perfectly handled that it needed very little suspension of disbelief. But as well as the highly original premise, the storytelling is just wonderful, with real emotional depth, perfect pacing – and more than a touch of misdirection that took my breath away.

When Kit fails to return from a hike, Liv is totally devastated – she finally accepts that he must have died, but his body is never found. Seven years later, she’s found she’s ready to love again, and we join her on her wedding day – among the friends who’ve supported her and helped her heal, she’s found the (initially unlikely) new love of her life. Until she makes a disturbing discovery – and on leaving her hotel room, finds herself taken back in time to the week before Kit disappeared. As she remembered, there were no clues that Kit might have been planning to leave – but, this time, she has the opportunity to try to change her future. But then there’s always the possibility that her future might have been what she really wanted all along.

There’s far more than that to the story – very convincing romance (both past and present) with just the right emotional touch, individuals I really took to my heart, the most supportive friendships, a few serious issues so sensitively handled, even some lovely touches of humour. It’s gripping and immersive, drawing the reader into her characters’ lives and relationships, as Liv searches for the clues with the benefit of hindsight and tries desperately to influence the outcome. The different timelines are so cleverly handled, never confusing, until… and this is one of those times when any hint of a spoiler would be entirely unforgivable, so I’d really urge you to read the book.

And when I finally set the book aside after its perfectly crafted and uplifting ending – one of those satisfied sigh moments – I could only reflect on how very much I’d enjoyed it. A really special book – and one I’d wholeheartedly recommend to others.