What I liked: The writing in this book was so beautiful. The dual POVs and alternating timelines kept me up all night reading because I needed to know what the other character was experiencing after getting half of the story. I genuinely cared about who Clara and Benjamin became and what happened after their paths diverged. Bookended by tragedy, the way the story builds to both the events of 2002 and 2022 left me emotionally damaged- but in the best way. What I didn't: For as well as the characters were developed in this book, I wanted closure and the epilogue didn't leave me feeling satiated. But, it felt real and true Clara and Benjamin- flawed people with immense regrets who have taken their time to move past and to the moments that have shaped them as a couple.

We get a dual point of view, which I’m a major fan, and a multiple timeline. Both these aspects work wonders and are extremely well made, keeping the reader interesting until the end. The chapters are short, which also adds to this interest as readers, as we are frequently changing and getting to know the characters. This was more emotional than I expected it to be. I liked read The dual timeline, moving from Clara and Ben’s university years, to the current day, when both are middle-aged and been damaged by life’s cruelties, is just perfect. But that’s OK. Or at least, it would be, if she were actually working on her novel on her days off, as she’s meant to be. Firstly, this book isn't a romance. It's about missed chances, what if's, and how our lives can change in a single moment.Clara holds out her hand obligingly, moving it this way and that so Natasha can see the stone’s various angles. She is well-practiced at this now. The ring is beautiful but the stone is huge and heavy against her skinny, inadequate fingers, and every morning when she puts it on a phrase floats into her mind that she can’t quite get rid of: “You’re not wearing it, it’s wearing you.” This is a story about true love and second chances told from two different narrators who have seemingly moved on with their lives, while missing the past.

There’s a beat, where she remembers that she’s not the social media editor anymore. Not since she gave it up to go part-time, to focus on her novel after she was signed by a literary agent. He inhales deeply his jaw tensing. It’s never enough whatever he says to her- however much love he shows her it won’t fill the hole she has inside her. She is a chasm of need. It makes him sad. It makes him feel like he is failing her.” It’s our tenth anniversary in a month’s time,” Clara says, pointlessly. Ten years of this ring sitting heavy on her finger. Neither of them has planned anything. These days, it’s as though they live entirely separate lives. This book is about the story of Benjamin and Clara. They fell in love at University, were somehow torn apart, and now a big event many years later has Clara looking for Benjamin.

There are traits of both characters that I can recognise in myself when I was their age and it's both embarrassing and amusing in equal measures. A poignant story filled with powerful life lessons, The One That Got Away is a testament to the staying power of first love. This is one heartwarming read."