A powerful and moving story describing the lives of Stephanie and Jamie over a ten year period. I loved it

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book at first and wondered if it might be the same old story retold. How wrong I was! I was totally gripped and couldn't put it down. The characters are so believable and I felt I could relate to them. I enjoyed this book from start to finish.

It's a long time since I read a book which fits the 'One epic love story' line as well as this one does; I certainly won't forget it in a hurry, if ever.

Stephanie is engaged - happily -  to Matt, who drops her off at Heathwood Hall for an art lover's weekend. Jamie, happily married to Helen, is one of the tutors for the same weekend. When they meet, there is definitely a spark, but with both in committed relationships, can they just be friends?

In full disclosure, I am married to my second husband who is the love of my life. I first met him when I was at school and we met up many years later - I was divorced and he was separated, both with children, so it's both difficult and simple to put myself in Stephanie's shoes. It's too easy to sit in judgement of both her and Jamie, but as the book goes on, my opinion certainly softened.

This is a beautifully crafted tale, showing the angst and uncertainty of relationships and the potential heartbreak no matter what direction things take. The story flows so well, and I found myself really involved and eager to find out where it was heading. The inclusion of various songs is a masterstroke and had me rushing to find the tracks online! Roxie Cooper really knows how to write a novel which will touch your soul. I'm not going to spoil the ending - but make sure you have plenty of tissues!

My thanks to publisher Penguin for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

Wow! Wow! And thrice Wow! This book is absolutely stunning. Beautifully written with fantastically believable characters, the story flows effortlessly with the background of a fabulous soundtrack to bring it to life. This book is not a typical love story - it is so much more.

Stephanie is engaged to Matt, Jamie is happily married to Helen they are both very happy. Jamie is an art teacher, although Helen a successful business woman, feels he could do better in his career. One fateful weekend in 2006 Stephanie goes to a weekend art course where Jamie is teaching. A connection is made and they both fall deeply in love, but return to their own homes and partners. They keep meeting once a year at the same hotel, always returning home after the weekend. Then things change. Will love endure? Well written and I had to read continually to find out what happened to their love story.

A beautifully written poignant story. This story is about finding your soul mate. Stephanie and Jamie's lives interweave and there is a magic between them. This is a love story but it is not straightforward. Stephanie and Jamie are married to other people. There is not just joy and love in this book. There is also hurt and loss and I think that needs to be remembered too.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Loved this book ! I can really imagine this is someone’s true story, the one that got away ! The characters are very well drawn and although they’re playing with fire you can’t help but hope they get a happy ending. A modern love story.
I really didn’t want to get to the end of the book and didn’t want the ending!
I hope to read more by Roxie Cooper very soon

I requested this book as I wanted to try more 'chic-lit' it's not usually my genre but thought it would be an easy read and I wasn't expecting much of him honest. Well, I was so wrong! I read this over two days. It was such a real story of two people who are meant to be together but at the wrong time. I loved both of the main characters Stephanie and Jamie. The story is told from both of their points of view which I personally loved.

It made my heart ache at times and made the cynical side of me realise that there may be such a thing as fate and love at first sight. I really don't want to go into the story too much as I think if you go Into this not knowing what to expect you will enjoy it so much more like I did.

This book is so much more than chic lit or romance. It looks into human nature and how our brains are all wired differently how art has a huge impact on you in so many forms wether it be music, photography, painting etc. It also shows how a traumatic event in your life can shape your future without you ever really realising in. Brilliant book! I will look forward to read more from this author in the future. Thank you for letting me review this book.

When it's the dark days of January and you 'might' be a tad hormonal, this sort of book should be available on prescription.It's reminiscent of 'One Day' , well, if you ignore the fact that Jamie is a cheating husband (rather than a bit of a dick like Dexter), right down to the sucker punch of an ending.

It's definitely not the sort of book I would usually go for, and my brain says 'no' to the questionable morals, Steph's door mat tendencies and the somewhat wooden character of Mike. BUT...my heart said 'yes'; go for the ride, cry those cathartic tears, escape from real life and I didn't regret it one bit.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

What an emotional rollercoaste! just when you think it’s stopping, it speeds up again,

Steph and Jamie are both married when they first meet. It’s instant attraction, maybe instant love - but they both have partners, responsibilities and a conscience.

Throughout this novel I kept changing sides, blaming one person, then another, in fact by the end of the book I had suffered with every character and the only person I could blame was the author Roxie.

So Roxie Cooper, it is all your fault for keeping me awake, allowing me to sympathise, cry and shout at your characters, But most of all for allowing me to think about relationships and realise that actually , in the words of Stephanie, “how do you know you’re the happiest you can be? What does happiness even feel like?”.

This isn't really my type of book. It's about a couple who meet and immediately connect. Unfortunately both of them are with other people. They don't immediately sleep together but instead agree to meet once a year at the hotel where they met. So, in effect it deals with the issue of emotional infidelity rather than sexual infidelity. I found this quite a difficult book to get into. It's perfectly easy to read, undemanding you could say, but I didn't warm to the self obsessed characters and their endless ruminations about what to do. Only towards the end did I find anything to like about them and it actually dealt with sensitive issues quite well. I think part of my problem was reading the blurb which instantly reminded me of David Nicholls One Day. This isn't anything like as good and it was perhaps this that disappointed me more than anything. But there will be plenty of people who will love it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC>

This is a love story that will make your heart sing, so beautifully written. Follow the life of Stephanie, a wonderful character who deserves the true love that she unexpectedly finds one day & eventually ends up with. This book totally consumed me & I will remember it for a long time

URGH. Where to start with this novel?! It's so emotional, heart wrenching and unputdownable. It's enjoyable, sad and also really lovely and heartwarming - all at the same time. The ending is beautiful but not what I expected.

It's well written and from the perspectives from both main characters - Stephanie and Jamie. I urge you to read this novel, it is simply brilliant.

I don't think I have ever had a book leave me in such an emotional state before. This book sends you on a rollercoaster. I was intrigued with the aspect of them cheating on their partners. Steph and Jamie then spend what feels like forever dallying around the fact they want each other then even longer having the guts to leave their marriages that they are obviously unhappy in. Finally getting I'd together before the swift ending feels like you have been locked in the gut. You go from interest, to anger , to happy and to sad all in the space of one book. I loved the art mentions in the book and found myself looking them up online which made the book more immersive. I'm not sure about Stephanie needing therapy I think I do after that. Overall the book was a brilliant read but I think it needs a warning over the emotional rollercoaster aspect. Just after Christmas I wasn't quite ready for it!

The Day We Met follows two characters over a ten year span, as they develop a relationship and we follow them through all the trials of their lives along the way. The one big problem being the fact that they're both in relationships with other people.

The author surprised me by really challenging my morals with this story. I was interested in seeing what this book was going to be like as soon as I'd read the brief synopsis, but I was pretty sure I would have a lot of anger towards it, since that was how I usually feel when I read about any form of cheating. Roxie Cooper really delved into the deep roots of these characters, off the bat it makes the writing feel rather slow and drawn out but I quickly got used to it and found that it added to how strong these characters are in a literary sense. Of course this contrasted with how flawed and how completely weak they are in regards to their feelings made this one of the most emotionally confusing books I've ever read. Jamie and Stephanie are shown with regret and remorse and also a passion that you root for even after seconds ago hating them for the exact same reasons. 

The story jumps between years and that could be jarring at times which then pulled me out of the story, but I also liked how it was set over such a long period of time, it made me feel like I'd known the characters for much longer than the time it took me to read this book. I do feel like the transitions could've been made smoother though. However even with the novel set over such a long period of time I think it was surprising how many smaller moments the author fit in there, and I think without those moments this wouldn't have been nearly as good. I really think the little details were what drove this story forward.

I wasn't happy with the way it ended but I'm sure I wasn't supposed to be, it's just one of those stories, and I have to admit that I definitely finished this book with tears in my eyes.  

As a whole I really liked the unique stance the author took on the way she presented this story. It was captivating and I constantly wanted to keep reading. How I felt while reading was so confusing and I applaud the author for really toying with the readers emotions making you question your own morals and what you believe to be right. I would definitely recommend it if your looking for a book that'll really make you think! 

Rating: 4 Stars

Stephanie and Jamie are meant to be. The problem is they're both with other people... What an introduction.
I really enjoyed this book even though the ending was not what I expected. I wont give it away. The characters are developed well and you want to learn more and turn the page.

I look forward to Roxies next book

The Day We Met is a very real and raw, modern love story. It's a poignant reminder to live for the now, and how our actions can often be judged to be right or wrong, when in fact, life is much more complex than that. The novel is well written and told from two perspectives over the course of twelve years and is well-paced and engaging covering the highs and lows of married life with plenty of happiness and heartbreak.

I'm so glad I stuck with this one. My initial reaction was very different to my final one. At first, I thought the book was going to be about cheating and a typical predicable chick-lit. But this book is so much more than that.

Jamie and Stephanie meet one fateful weekend in 2006. Both sharing a love of art, the chemistry between them is instant. The only problem is, they are both in relationships with other people. Stephanie, engaged to Matt knows something is missing from their relationship but also knows that Matt is a safe choice and one that her family approve of. And Stephanie is OK with safe. It's all she really deserves.
Jamie on the other hand is happily married to Helen, his childhood sweetheart. But when he meets Stephanie, there is a connection there that he can't explain.
Over the course of 10 years, Jamie and Stephanie try to ignore their feelings which only grow stronger with time. They try to cut contact but something always pulls them back. This isn't just a sexual fling. This is a deep, soul-binding love story. But will it be a happy ending?

There is so much more to this book than just a typical romantic chick-lit. It is much more profound than that, The story begins with Jamie and Stephanie meeting at an art course. At first, you think the story will be centred around their affair which doesn't appeal to everyone (including me). But then you see their friendship and feelings develop and can't help but want it to all work out. The best part for me was that their relationship did not revolve around sex. They craved time with each other and allowed themselves to have that one day of true happiness once a year. They developed a close friendship but couldn't ignore the resounding chemistry between them.

The dual narrative was a great way to get into the minds of both Stephanie and Jamie. The timeline was constantly moving forward which gave the story a good pace and different perspectives. I enjoyed seeing how both individuals were moving on with their lives, trying to do what was best for their family and putting their own happiness second. It gave the book such realism as neither wanted to hurt their partner or family even though they knew they were destined to be with someone else. This softens the cheating aspect and really makes you feel sympathetic towards both characters.

Without spoiling I just have to comment on the ending and say it was so unexpected but also original. Many other books in this genre tie everything up nicely and everyone lives happily ever after. But the author has used real-life scenarios to create an ending that is unconventional to the genre yet aligns with reality. And I absolutely commend her for taking that risk.

There are a number of morals/messages slotted within the story that I couldn't help picking up on. One of the main ones is to cherish your love ones as you never know what lies around the corner. Another is to be the happiest you can be - don't settle for second best. I thought the addition of children in both lives of Stephanie and Jamie made it harder for them to choose their happiness but also reflected modern day and showed people that there's always a way to be happy.

Wow this was amazing.

I have literally no idea how to describe this, the blurb has one thing right - it is certainly an epic love story.

Taking place over 10 years, with chapters from both Stephanie and Jamie's points of views, we see a relationship form between them that is evidently fated, and probably as close to soul mates as you are going to get.

The connection between the two leads is believable and right from the off you can feel it, and wonder just how everything is going to develop.

For Stephanie and Jamie are both in their own relationships and one thing they are both adamant about is that they love their partners. But yet they are drawn to each other deeply and seem to be their true selves around each other.

They only meet once a year, but we also see what their lives are like outside of their connection. So we get to know Stephanie and Jamie's partners, their families and friends.

It may sound like its a book about adultery and somehow it didn't feel like it. It's not sordid, its rather beautiful and after all you can't help you you have a true connection with. If I ever felt like they did then I would count myself as a lucky person.

How it this even possible that this is the authors second book, this is so accomplished, superbly written and I was completely enchanted by connection between Stephanie and Jamie.

I was loving the book and couldn't really put it down much, and then I reach the last section and suddenly just OMG, I can't talk about it, I can't hint at it, I can't give spoilers but if you are looking for a book that will surprise you up until the end, that has beautiful writing and wonderful sentiment and truly feels like quite a special book then this is the book for you. I just didn't want it to end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ebury for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

First off, the ending. Why why why? Why couldn't you let happiness win in the end? Disappointing to say the least!

Anyway, ending aside, the book is a triumph and deserves to be read. Beautifully written, the prose flows between the two main characters, with a very realistic take on how the different sexes see things.

I couldn't believe it when I read the blurb for this book. I know that loves like this do exist, I just hope my future has a happier ending!