The One That Got Away: A DI Heather Filson Novel

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Thank you to @netgalley and @ariafiction for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Already at the beginning of the book I had tears of emotion in my eyes, and the end of the book doesn't leave you cold either. It’s a book that makes you really feel for two flawed main characters and one that sends you on an emotional journey across the years. I loved how the past slowly unfolded and you got to piece together what had happened, with the scenes from the present showing how much both of their lives had changed and how the past had affected them. Clara and Benjamin are college students who met at a club and had a first love worthy of songs. They’re meant for each other; they are soulmates but too many things went wrong. They go their separate ways. After 20 years, Clara sees Benjamin and she needs to reach out to see if what could’ve been can still be, but is it too late? Does he feel the same way?

There were many times I wanted shake Benjamin & Clara, but then I had to remember they were college age and young. And we all do and say, silly things when we’re younger. It overall I loved reading about their story and the many tragedies that made them into the adults they were.Oh,” she says, bringing her hand up slightly toward her chest. The large purple sapphire sparkles under the soft toilet lighting. “Thanks. I’ve always thought it was a bit big, to be honest. My husband’s a jeweler.” I'm in my 40s and in the middle of a very big change in my life and my family's life. Perhaps this novel is for people who are at a point in life when they're reviewing their choices and making new ones. Clara and Benjamin come from very different worlds. She, from a posh family in London where she often feels ignored by parents consumed with appearances and him, from a small town in northern England where his mother is battling a terrible illness and his father is struggling to make ends meet. Despite the polarity of their upbringings, they both feel an immeasurable spark immediately after meeting in a bar while at college. For the next two years, they are inseparable- experiencing the highest of highs and lowest of lows together until one tragic night severs their ties. 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."

I loved the dual timeline and also the dual narrative. It really played into those misunderstandings and miscommunications of first love. The needy feelings and anxious worry of wondering if the other person feels the same way. Embarrassingly hard relate to that! I went into this book with no information and it turned out that, although it is not my usual genre (Women’s fiction), I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Two powerful messages explored through this book were the importance of your first love and that people can enjoy life despite how messy it is, and maybe even because of it. I would have appreciated a little more connection between the timelines (the book straddled the main characters’ lives as teenagers and many years later) but other than that I have no criticisms for this book. I recommend this book to anyone looking for realistic fiction and who loves the idea of examining life through reading. I look forward to reading other books by this author in the future.I rate this 3.7 stars (rounded up here) and read it pretty fast, notwithstanding my critiques. I think if you have ever been in a relationship where you loved the person, or ended in a strange fashion, the book – at least on the “one that got away” part – will be relatable. Told in multiple timelines, we learn about events that have shaped each of their lives. Ben, a single father, and Clara in an unhappy marriage.

I enjoyed this book immensely, although I believe it is geared more towards Women's Fiction than Romance.Ben and Clara met in college. We see Clara in present time at her journalism job when the soccer stadium in her city is blown up, literally. She remembers her old love, Ben, was a huge soccer fan and she is sure he was there at the time of the explosion. She leaves her husband in the evening to find Ben. First day?” Clara says. She’s been away from her desk for more than fifteen minutes now, but sod it. It’s a Saturday afternoon. Slow news day.