This was a rather different read as the leads who were friends till they were 18, later meet again unexpectedly after 25 years. This is a tale filled with love, second chances and life, reminding us to live our lives to the fullest and be grateful for our loved ones.

A sweet and sentimental love story that absolutely gave all the feels! The characters were great and the storyline engaging. A first love story where they bump into each other 20 years later?! Oh it's just as swoony as it sounds! Pick this one up! You won't regret it I promise!

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to NetGalley, Clare Swatman, and Boldwood Books. ❤️

This was my very first read by Clare, but it won’t be my last. I thought this was such an interesting and emotional read, bring your tissues as you’ll need them, that’s not to say it’s not light too, it’s full of humour too , I was very impressed by the author being able to write about such a difficult subject with sensitivity and care. Wonderful

This was a lovely little story that focuses on what is important in life and making sure you take every opportunity. It is incredibly sad and the ending made my eyes water. Despite being such a gloomy subject matter, you cannot ignore the love that also radiates from the pages.

I have read similar books to this one in the past and I found Fran and Will’s check list slightly restrictive to the plot. I wanted there to be more adventure but enjoyed it when the story moved to Cornwall for a while. The reconnection of Fran and Will after their separation was really heart-warming and I liked how the writer moved back to the past so readers get an understanding of everything this pair have been through.

It is an intense read and when the story moves to the past, I found it made the present even more poignant. You cannot help but sympathise with Will as he tries to make his mistakes right again but Will is no the only guilty party. Swatman’s revelations about Fran shows that she is an equal to past regrets. She finds herself in situations where to is forced to admit her actions and some of these were surprising plot developments. However, I found they just added to the building emotions of the overall story.

Despite the undercurrent of sadness, Swatman breaks this up with entertaining scenes, such as the Krispy Kremes moment and at the restaurant. These were well-needed and added some light relief to a story that encourages its readers to evaluate their own life choices and ensure every moment is lived to the full. I also liked seeing how Will and Fran’s families come together: a unity that is especially needed towards the end of the story.

Whilst you do need to have the tissues to hand, I enjoyed this wholesome read about separated teenage sweethearts and the developments that have happened to each character in between their reunion.

With thanks to Boldwood books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was wonderful! I absolutely loved this book so much!! I loved the characters and the story line very much!

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Imagine your childhood crush disappearing suddenly out of your life.
Fast forward 20 years and you bump into him having your lunch break. Will sparks fly and relationships reform or is the past firmly in the past?

An enjoyable easy read that had good character development. Enjoyed switching between now and then.

Most stories start with the meet-cute, lead up to the conflict, and finish off with the happy ending.
Not this one, though.
Here, the supposed happy ending arrives a fifth of the way in. What happens afterwards, is the longest goodbye I've ever read.
However, what this story did not do, was make this goodbye all about the sadness that comes with it. Rather, it showed both the brutal-ness and the beauty of life, the way death happens not just to the person dying, but also to those surrounding them - and mainly: how every choice you make may be the right one, and yet still not work out...
All in all, this was a beautiful book, that truly left me speechless and reluctant though I may be to admit it.- with actual tears in my eyes.

Yeah, wasn’t the book for me.

It was too slow and kind of gimmicky for me. The cover is SO cute though!

I loved this straight away from the synopsis and I was not disappointed when I started reading. This was an adorable love story, and I loved the addition of the dual timeline here.

"When seven-year-old Fran first met Will they knew instantly that they were made for each other. For eleven years they were inseparable, but then, at the age of eighteen, Will just upped and disappeared. Twenty-five years later Will is back. Is fate trying to give them a second chance?"

The synopsis had me at second chance romance - I do really love this trope. Then throw in a duel timeline and I'm all in! This book packed more of a punch that I expected it too, I even teared up a little. There was a lot more too this one than the light-hearted second chance romance that I was expecting - definitely recommend!

I have enjoyed this bitter sweet story. This book is told in two timelines, past and present. In the present timeline Fran is in her 40s, a single mum and feels quite adrift. One day she unexpectedly meets Will, per childhood sweetheart and the boy who broke her heart. While the story develops, there are 'Then' chapters who explain why they lost contact and a few other things that happened that shaped the two into the people they are today.
I liked the story and I liked the ending. It was sad, but it made clear sense in the story.
I also enjoyed the bucket list plot line and how everyone got involved.

Thank you, Clare, for making me cry buckets of tears at 3 a.m.🥲
This book was... Oh my God, it was so captivating, and the irony was that it started so slow and i was contemplating not finishing, but i kept reading and I'm thankful i did.
The story wasn't that out of the box, but the author made up for this by giving a big dose of emotions into every paragraph that it would really take someone empty not to feel affected by.
The similarity between this book and " a thousand boy kisses" wasn't lost on me, but I've always wondered how it would've been like if the characters were older, this book gave the perfect embodiment of my fantasy, and it was just as i expected it, the feelings were more mature and Everything felt more striking.
The characters and their love story touched me deeply, you can't understand the heartache unless you read the book.
Definitely recommend it.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
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*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher*

This was surprisingly an emotional read, but one I did enjoy, nonetheless.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

What a beautifully written book. Made me laugh out loud but also made me cry. Loved the whole story. Would highly recommend

Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

I really enjoyed this book - I couldn’t put it down. The characters were likeable and I was totally invested in each and every one of them! A bit of an emotional rollercoaster, you definitely need tissues handy but it made me laugh and cry in equal measures which is always the sign of a good read! It’s a difficult subject that the author handles well - realistically and with compassion. The first book I have read by Clare Swatman but I will certainly look out for more.

This story was not what I was expecting. I thought I was getting a light hearted romance and this felt like the complete opposite. Overall I enjoyed the story but found it to be quite predictable.

This book addresses many poignant and deep issues, and I thought they were all dealt with well. Each was given a lot of respect and written with tact.

However, I'm not sure I loved the story of rediscovering a first love, and I don't think it was done well in this instance.

Fran and Will met when they were 7 and were inseparable until 18. After 25 years of estrangement, they meet again unexpectedly. What follows is a poignant story about love, life, and second chances. In an alternating format of Then/Now, which was done quite well I may add, we get a well-rounded understanding of Fran and Will's lives and choices over the years. I enjoyed the intricate story and reflective tone throughout. This is a beautiful story that reminds us live life to the fullest and appreciate our loved ones every day. Based on the cover and blurb, I expected a light and sweet romance story and boy I was wrong. This is a heavy story based on tough life choices and situations. It's the kind of story that makes me think and will stay with me for a long time. More than a few tears were shed.