This is a love story with the craziest twists. Liv is in love with Kit, a fairy tale love story, but then the unthinkable happens. Kit disappears leaving Liv and Kit’s brother, James, to begin a search for him that will span years. I loved how the author developed these characters through a very creative story line. I can’t say that I’ve ever read anything quite like it! I couldn’t put the book down as I needed to know how things would play out between Liv, James and Kit.

I would definitely recommend this book to others!! Thank you to Goodreads and Boldwood Books for the ARC!

CW: bearavement, gambling, familial estrangement, abandomnent, organised crime

Seven years after her boyfriend Kit disappears, presumed dead, Liv is preparing to get married - to James, Kit's brother. But on the morning of her wedding, she finds proof that Kit is still alive, and falls through a slip in time back to 2016, a week before Kit's disappearance. Can she change the past?

What follows is a 2-person POV of Liv trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to Kit and prevent it happening again, and the POV of a man who leaves his girlfriend, and why.

There's a LOT going on in this one, and the many twists and turns keep the reader guessing until the end. We have the main plot of Liv's search for answers; the sub plot of the man in the cabin; and the periphery plots of Liv's mum's agoraphobia and the minutia of the day-to-day romcom that exists outside of the main plotlines.

It's sort of hard to categorise this one - both a contemporary romance and an mystery, with time slips thrown in for good measure.

An entertaining read

~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review~

If you were a fan of: Seven Year Slip or Maybe In Another Life you will love this book!
If you enjoy time travel and love triangle tropes you will love this book!
And if you like to get fully immersed in a book and not be able to put it down you will definitely love this book!

The One Before the One by Emma Cooper is a heartwarming and emotional contemporary romance that explores love, loss, and self-discovery. The story follows Liv, a woman who believes she has already met—and lost—her true love. As she tries to move on, she navigates new relationships, friendships, and personal growth, all while questioning whether fate has something different in store for her.
Cooper’s writing is engaging, with a mix of humor and poignant moments that make the characters feel real and relatable. The novel delves into the complexities of love, the impact of past relationships, and the journey to finding happiness in unexpected places. Fans of emotional, character-driven stories with a touch of romance will enjoy this heartfelt read.

Received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review
#TheOneBeforetheOne #NetGalley

The love of Liv’s life goes missing for seven years. She’s forced to move on. During the time of her wedding to her new fiancé, she finds herself questioning if she’s ready to move on. She has a chance to relive those “six days” before Kit went missing and change things. Honestly, I am not a big magical realism person and I was invested in this book until half way to the end and I just thought the book really dragged on.
Thanks netgalley and publisher for the chance to read this for free in return for my honest opinion.

I’ve long been obsessed with the idea of “the one before ‘the one’”. Must be experience every type of love and heartbreak we experience before finding that special someone we are supposed to spend the rest of our lives with? Do we ever really know who THE one is?

When I saw a book titled The One Before the One I knew I needed to read it, even if it fell a little out of my realm of normal reads. Thankfully, my request for an arc came through and I was able to sit down and read this book in one fell swoop. This is a story of heartbreak, love, suspense, trauma, happiness, and mystery. An air of magic can be found in both the love experienced between our main characters and the mysterious time slip that takes place to help us find clarity not only in the lives of our characters but the hearts.

Synopsis:

When Liv's boyfriend Kit disappeared on a hike, seven years earlier, she thought her life was over.
But with the help of their family and friends, she's pushed her way through the grief, and now, miraculously, she's found 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 Kit: 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.
But can she save him? And if she does, how will she choose, between the man she loved then, and the one she loves now?


To say I devoured this book in one sitting wouldn’t justify the pace at which I read or the frantic messages I was sending to the only other person I know who might have had early access to this book. I hit 34% read and NEEDED answers, sleep be damned.
The Perfect Bits:
The prose was lovely. The way the story was told had me desperate for more. The suspense was perfectly timed and had me, a chronic plot predictor, engaged and desperate for more. The side characters lend the right amount of support to our main characters and their motivations.
The Less Than Perfect Bits:
I wanted a little bit more. Obviously, the story is focused on Liv’s time in the past and her figuring out what has truly happened to Kit; but I would have lapped up more scenes with Liv and James. I went in to this book expecting a little more romance, based on the title alone, and so was a bit sad to not have a little more of that.
Overall opinion:
This book will not become my entire personality, but did do something that some of my favorite books don’t do, it reminded me of life lessons. This book is a perfect reminder that we don’t always have the full story or the insight in to the lives of truly anyone around us. It reminds us that we can still care about our first loves without them being the person we want to spend the rest of our lives with. I think this book is perfect for anyone holding on to something (someone) in their past while searching for happiness in the present and future.

Wow, this book blew me away. This was not fluff! Loved the short chapters and the pov and multiple timelines. Honestly, the ending could not have been more perfect.

“Liv is given the chance to live one life-changing week over but can she change her future? And does she want to?”

The One Before The One was such a surprise of a book. If you’re one to judge a book by its cover (guilty at times!) then I do think this one will be very different than what you expect. It was such a sweet blend of romance and mystery and not as “fluffy” as I anticipated. There were times I flipped back and forth on who to root for but I love how each timeline was revealed and was a fan of how it wrapped up in the end. I don’t want to give too much away with this one but want to say Bravo Emma!

Liv is given the chance to live one life-changing week over, but can she change her future...? And does she want to?

Liv's Boyfriend, Kit, disappears one day while out on a hike. No body is found but 7 years later after moving on with her life & on the morning of her wedding she finds herself back in time to before Kit disappeared.

Can she find out what happened to make him leave & in doing so can she save him?

I enjoyed parts of this but also found it quite confusing. I'm not a huge fan of time travel storylines so that's definitely a personal reflection nothing on the book itself!

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

What would you do if you stepped through a doorway and find yourself 7 years back in time???? That’s what happens to Liv on her wedding day of all days.
How will Liv decide to handle this unexpected curve in her life? Her tragic past plays a big part in her decisions.
Will she make the best decision for her happiness?
Can she figure out what is going on?
Will the truth about the past help her make the right decision?
I loved the mystery suspense as well as the romance aspect.
That ending? You are either going to love it or hate it ;)
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Synopsis:

Seven years ago, Liv experienced what no one ever wants to experience, her boyfriend Kit disappeared while on a hike and was presumed dead. Liv and his brother, James, searched for long periods of time trying to find him but finally moved on. Liv found love again and as she's about to marry the new love of her life, she is transported back seven years with the magic of time travel. She then has the opportunity to investigate what led up to Kit's disappearance.

Will she be able to change the future and save her first love, Kit? If so, how will this alter her current timeline as she's about to walk down the aisle?

There is an alternating timeline between present day and seven years ago and it surprises you for sure.

Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book and read it very quickly once I had the time to read it. 4.5 stars! Would definitely recommend anyone who loves romance, mystery, and time travel to read this book. I had never read a book by this author before now but will definitely be checking out her other novels.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The One Before The One could end up being one of my favorite reads this year. Written by British author Emma Cooper, this contemporary novel spans multiple genres -- romance, mystery, suspense, women's fiction, literary fiction, magical realism, and family drama. This is the first book I've read from Emma Cooper but now she's a new auto-read author for me.

I believe it's best to go into this book blind and let the surprises start there. But, for a very short summary of the primary plot: Main character Liv's boyfriend Kit disappeared suddenly. Liv searches for Kit for years with the help of Kit's brother James. Eventually, life begins to move on, Kit is presumed dead, and James and Liv develop a romantic relationship. Then, on the day of James and Kit's wedding, there are signs that Kit is indeed still alive. Liv is determined to investigate this new evidence, ends up in a time-warp version of the past, and tries to figure out what happened and how to move forward. There are several other themes/plot points but I won't spoil them here.

This book took me on a journey. The settings (England and Scotland) were beautifully described, and, as an American reader, I enjoyed reading the British lingo and looking up a few new terms for everyday items. Example: I didn't know a lounge meant a living room until I looked it up.

The plot reminded me of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid, but this book was its own unique story and stood on it's own two feet. The writing was compelling and I loved the multiple points of view and the way I had to assume/guess who was speaking to try to solve the mystery. That being said, I didn't figure it out at all on my own -- which I loved! I didn't pick up on the breadcrumbs and I love that the author got those past me!

The movie/pop-culture references were also just a fun way I connected with the book as a millennial. The length and pacing of the book felt just right.

Content Considerations: Moderate use of strong language. Romance is fade to black, and main characters live together before marriage. One LGBT side character with some brief discussion about being in a same-sex relationship. At least one heavy theme but could be considered a spoiler to write it here.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the complementary copy of this book. My review is my own opinion and is in no way influenced by the author or publisher.

This is a story about a woman whose first love disappears one day and 7 years later on her wedding day she goes back in time to solve the mystery of why.

I read this book in 24hours! Although the story can be confusing at times it did peak my interest and I couldn’t put it down! I just had to know what happened and how the story ended.

There is a lot of twists and turns, character growth, sadness and hope.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read this book before the release date.

This book was so much more than I expected. It is deep and emotional not lighthearted and fluffy. We meet Liv and she finds a piece of jewelry from her previous boyfriend. Cue the time travel. I was hooked from the start and if I could give this one 10 stars I would. I loved the multiple POVs, the mystery aspect and how it touched my heart. It's a tearjerker!

⭐3.5

I really enjoyed this book
It was fast Paced
Written well and an easy read
I love the cover
And overall such a good story

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how I loved this one! If you're into books that grab your attention and won’t let go, The One Before the One by Emma Cooper is definitely one to check out. The story follows Olivia, who’s about to marry her fiancé... who also happens to be the brother of her long-lost boyfriend, Kit. Kit disappeared seven years ago, and just as Olivia's ready to start this new chapter, she’s suddenly thrown back in time. Now, she’s reliving the week before Kit vanished, armed with

the chance to change what happened. Can she stop him from going on that fateful hike? Can she uncover the truth? And how will this second chance impact her future?

This story had all kinds of feelings wrapped into it—heartbreak, hope, love, and suspense. It kept me glued to the pages as I tried to guess the answers to the mystery before Olivia did. The characters felt so real, like people you’d want to be friends with, and there’s something endearing about each of them. Emma Cooper's writing made the emotions hit home in the best way possible.

If you enjoy heartfelt stories with a touch of mystery and a lot of emotion, this might be your next favorite read. Fans of writers like Paige Toon will probably fall in love with this book, just like I did!
4.5 Stars!

What a lovely book! I was pleasantly surprised at how it had some unexpected turns and twists. This is not just any standard love story. The author wrote from two different time stamps- past and present, and did so wonderfully. It was easy to follow and the characters are great- I was not left wanting to know more about them. She covered everything you need to know. It took a few chapters to have me hooked, and wanting to know more. I would have read this in one sitting if life allowed me to.
I strongly recommend to anyone who enjoys past and present storylines, twists and turns but without it being completely shattering and not overly lovey dovey!
I would gladly pick up another book by this author.

4.5 stars. This was a very interesting book. The time travel thing had me a little hesitant to read it, but it really added to the depth of the story. The story is highly emotional and the storyline is a web of the characters' regret, love, mourning, confusion and hope.

Liv's boyfriend goes for a hike one day and disappears. She spends what turns out to be years trying to figure out what happened to him and making her way through the grief. Finally on the way to her happily ever after, she is suddenly confronted with new questions. She walks through a door on her wedding day and finds herself back seven years ago (six days before he leaves) in the flat that she shares with Kit. She has six days to try to figure out what happened and see if she can change it.

This was a really good story. I plan to read more by this author.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts are mine.

*4 stars rounded up*

When Liv wakes up on her wedding day only to find herself transported 7 years in the past, she's suddenly faced with a decision between the man she is about to marry, or the man she loved all that time ago just before he went missing.

There were so many twists in this book and I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed finishing a segment and staring at the wall for half an hour every few chapters. There were some characters I loved, and a few that possessed defining traits that felt a little superfluous. Perhaps it's just me, but I didn't see the deeper meaning in Liv's mom's disorder. Typically when something is meant to stand out like that, I see a tie to it in another character. However, in this case it felt a little odd.

I do have to say though that this writing style was not for me. Honestly, I found myself annoyed (especially the last 1/3 of the book) by all the sentence fragments. For me, personally, I would rather read more run-on sentences than necessary than have. An exorbitant amount. Of sentences. Like this. It was frustrating to read, and I felt that, had it been used more effectively, I would have been more involved in the storyline mentally than finding myself having to take a break from it so often. It felt cold to me, and yet other times throughout the book I felt transported to the scene the author was describing. I could picture the vivid greens of the fields, and the depth and dangers of the caves and cliffs. It felt a little jarring at time to then be suddenly hit with so many staccato thoughts.

Overall, I enjoyed this read! On a list of yes, no, maybe...for me it would be a maybe. For those who like romances that have an edge to them and some mystery, this is a great choice! There was no spice, so if you're also looking for a story without any, this is a great option (because I think most romances without spice seem cringey when it comes to the flirting, but this didn't lose any of my attention without it). If you're an Outlander lover who likes a little taste of Lisa Jewell on the side, this is your #1 read of 2025!

LOOOOVED IT SOOOO MUCH OMG I absolutely love Emma Cooper and I was so excited to be given the chance to read this and omg I was literally OBSESSED!!!