The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase (Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: Results May Vary
Published by Random House Publishing Group on March 31st 2015
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, General, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, this bright, funny debut from a fresh voice in fiction offers a delicious take on love, family, and what it means to build a home of one’s own. Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She’s well on her way to having the family she’s hoped for since her mother’s death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer—and former flame—Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina’s life takes an unexpected turn. Eamon proves to be Sarina’s dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices—and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life—and in love. Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Away is the story of one woman’s discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.
The One That Got Away magically appeared on my doorstep courtesy of Ballentine Books, and while the summary sounded interesting I added it to my to be read pile, but thought I’d get to it when I could.
Then I saw the lovely Ginger at GReads raving about it, and I know she and I have similar tastes in adult fiction so I bumped it up the list and I’m incredibly happy I did so.
Every woman has one. That name you Google at two o’clock in the morning. That intoxicating connection that somehow never solidified into anything real; that particular memory you still visit every now and then, for that guaranteed hit of pure, sugar-packed dopamine. It’s that story that starts with “There was this one time” and ends, reluctantly, with “but I guess…”
The One That Got Away is Sarina Mahler’s story. She has amazing friends, she’s in a wonderful relationship with her boyfriend Noah, and she owns her own architecture business that is just starting to take off.
But when Eamon Roy, the now retired Olympic swimmer she used to have a thing for, shows back up and wants to hire her to help remodel his new home, she suddenly begins to question everything she has planned for future. I don’t want to make you think that Eamon is the only reason behind Sarina’s reevaluating her life, because he is only one part of the story. There’s more here than just a chance at rekindling a romance.
I love YA books you guys… you know this, but I honestly love when I can find women’s fiction that I just absolutely fall for, and this was one of those books. I love being able to relate to characters that have experienced a bit of life already, and Bethany Chase does an amazing job creating that.
From the plot to the characters to the use of one of my favorite tropes, I really just absolutely loved this. There were a few things that kind of bugged me a bit… I feel like some of the drama could have been alleviated if Sarina and Eamon had had a conversation, but overall this story just was a wonderful read.
Chase creates a charming story of second chances, loss and love, filled with romantic, sexy and sweet moments… exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up!
Definitely grab this one if you’re looking for something in the women’s fiction genre, with a strong voice and wonderful writing.
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