The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase

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. – Goodreads

Sometimes, all you need is a lighthearted chick lit to get you through the beginning of your week. This fit the bill. Plus, it’s a concept I think a lot of people can identify with—most of us have that person who got away, or it didn’t work out with.

First off, I want to address Chase’s writing style and voice, because I loved it. She reminded me very much of Griffin and Wiener, but she definitely brought her own snark and spunk to the table. I can definitely see fans of Griffin/Wiener really enjoying this book. It’s fun, sarcastic, and real, which I appreciate.

Ree is a very likable main character. She’s real, emotional, and cares about her career. She’s been dating Noah for four years and hasn’t been ready to settle down. Out of nowhere, her once-upon-a-time-one-night-stand, ex-Olympic swimmer Eamon Roy, shows up. The fling was eight years prior, but it really left a wound on Ree’s heart. Once he shows up, her emotions get thrown into a tizzy.

I’m on the fence about this book. There were a few things I have issues with (we’ll get to those in a moment), but in the end, I really did enjoy it. They weren’t huge issues, but they did get on my nerves.

For one, I wish that Eamon had been fleshed out a little bit when he first showed up. For the first 40% of the book, I pronounced his name EE-mon and imagined him much darker. Then, all of a sudden, it’s clarified that his name is actually pronounced AY-mon (the E is silent) and that he’s freaking Irish. It was a rough adjustment. I still called him Eamon and pictured Cullen Jones.

Two, the timeline confused the hell out of me. Sometimes it would skip a few months with little to no heads up. A lot can happen in two months. It was awkward.

It was obvious from the get-go what was going to happen. Her and Noah put little effort into their relationship, even though it was long-distance.

Danny, her stereotypical gay best friend, was, well, the stereotypical gay best friend character. A weak sidekick at best, his life was not laid out at all—he was simply there if she needed cuddling or someone to cry to. Some dimension would have been nice. The same goes for Noah—he was doomed from the start.

Those gripes aside, I still enjoyed the book. I rated it 3.5/5 stars on Goodreads. I would definitely recommend it to those who enjoy light romance and chick lit. It was funny, and would make a great beach read. The One That Got Away will be released on March 31st.

I received a free copy of The One That Got Away from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.