The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase
Print and e-book, 352 pages
Published March 31st 2015 by Ballantine Books
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.
My thoughts about The One That Got Away ~~
The One That Got Away is an entertaining, emotional read. Sarina has it all, a great job and a devoted boyfriend. When a guy from her past comes back into her life, she realizes that her relationship with her boyfriend just may be missing the passion that true love is supposed to be all about. She struggles with what she wants and what should be the "right thing" to do.
I loved all the different relationships in the story and the author does a great job of making those all believable. First up is the relationship between Sarina and Eamon, pretty intense let me tell you, but what a thoughtful, great guy Eamon is. Then there's Sarina's roommate, Danny. He's a hoot and calls it like he sees it. Sarina and Noah - nice guy but seems rather spoiled to me. I think the one that pulled on my heartstrings the most was Sarina and John, her stepfather. They really had a wonderful relationship and that is the one that got pretty emotional for me. I love it when an author can pull me into a story so much that I become emotionally involved with the characters and what they are going through.
The One That Got Away is Bethany's debut novel and she definitely has a hit on her hands. I am excited to see what else she has up her sleeve. Great job, Bethany!
About the author
I'm a women's fiction author, interior designer, and eternally hopeful A-cup. My debut novel, The One That Got Away, was published in March 2015.
“A warm, witty, and wise novel, The One That Got Away announces the arrival of a great new voice in fiction.” — Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only.
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