One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette has an intriguing premise and a storyline that unfolds with a few memorable moments. However, I found it a bit difficult to get into initially. I found difficulty relating to the character, but also the level of miscomunication kind of made it less enjoyable.

Despite this, the writing style is engaging, and once the story finds its rhythm, there are parts that shine and kept me interested. Cayouette does a good job of crafting the story’s world and supporting cast, which adds a nice layer of depth. This book may not have fully resonated with me, but it’s still a worthwhile read!

Thank you netgalley for providing me with a copy and I look forward to seeing how Betty progresses with their writing! As it was a good start for a deubt novel!

A new author to me, I really enjoyed it. so well written and a way to lose yourself to the pages. I definitely recommend this book and would read more by this author.

"One Last Shot" by Betty Cayouette is a heartwarming and inspiring novel that beautifully captures the themes of perseverance, redemption, and the power of second chances. Cayouette’s storytelling is both sincere and engaging, drawing readers into the emotional journey of her characters. The protagonist’s determination to turn their life around, despite the odds, resonates deeply and serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. With relatable characters and a well-paced plot, "One Last Shot" is a captivating read that will leave you rooting for its characters and reflecting on your own moments of courage.

✨ARC Review✨. Thank you NetGalley. All the opinions expressed are my own.
4.5⭐️
A very easy and enjoyable read. I loved how Emerson and Theo found their way back to one another. I just might make a marriage pact for myself because it clearly work. Not so many people get a second chance at loving the same person but I am glad Emerson and Theo did. I loved the double POVs. This book was so good and I highly recommend checking it out.

Go, give us nothing. It's been a good long while since I've read a book this bland. No atmosphere, no voice, no personality, just absolutely empty and unmemorable. Nothing about this book invoked any kind of feeling. Nothing about this book is in any way refreshing. It reads like an early 2000s “chicklit” (granted, with less of the fatphobia), and not in a good way. I wasn't upset enough reading this to want to DNF it, but I also probably will never think of this book again.

What a debut from Betty Cayouette! Drawing on her own experiences in the fashion world, Cayouette crafts a brilliant, heartfelt, and utterly relatable romance novel for her debut.

Emerson is a model, a star, and totally alone. Theo is a photographer, a family man, and someone who never got over their first love.

A photoshoot, a meddling agent, some meddling friends and the beautiful backdrop of Cinque Terre serve as the foundation from a strong romance novel, with some challenging topics, and raw emotional moments.

An easy read, but certainly one that will make you stop and think.

Loved this thoughtful, gentle second-chance romance - loads of details about photography and modelling which really added to the sense of place and fun and other stuff going on in the world, and it was incredibly thoughtful about why the couple didn't work out the first time, dealing well and carefully with difficult issues.

This was a simple, fun, easy and quick read. The perfect type of book for your holiday, beach, pool kind of read. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Emerson and Theo, best friends in high school, now a famous supermodel and a talented photographer. Back then they made a pact to marry at 28, but they haven't spoken in 10 years. When her phone reminds her of the pact, Emerson makes a plan to reunite with Theo because she hasn't been able to forget him and wants to give their love a second chance.
I had reservations because the main trope of the book is miscommunication, which I really dislike - so much. That's why I never thought I'd say this: if you like the miscommunication trope, you'll really get your money's worth here. And I didn't think it was that bad at all.
This book was sweet, romantic without being cheesy and yes, the miscommunication was heavy, but still quite understandable and the resolutions very fitting.
The characters were well fleshed out and relatable full of doubt and self-doubt.
I found it so nice to read how the grown-up Emerson and Theo got to know each other again. What was really good were the flashbacks to their high school days. These from Theo's point of view were just EVERYTHING.
The switch between the past and the present really helped the story. Because I often couldn't understand the present day Emerson and was so frustrated with her. Theo showed her that she could trust him... and yet she constantly doubted and drew the worst possible conclusions?
I liked the structure of the ending. Throughout the book, the reader is given clues that something happened back then. When the reason is finally revealed, it's much more meaningful because of the back story.
And the setting? Perfection. The Cinque Terre region is beautifully described, including the food, and also the settings in the US. I also found the insights into working as a model & photographer super exciting.
Yes, there is room for improvement. Yes, there are gaps in the story. Yes, it's superficial in some parts and the dialog is sometimes wooden. BUT it's a debut novel and there is so much potential in it.

A second chance romance between a supermodel and her high-school friend turned photographer, One Last Shot is set against the beautiful backdrop of the Italian Riviera and for the most part was a sweet and fun time. Emerson and Theo had a lot of great chemistry, which is deepened and explored through flashbacks to their time at high school. The fact that this is dual perspective definitely helped with this too, as it showed both sides of their story.

I wish the setting had been developed more, as the cover and synopsis heavily play up the Italian background, however when reading it felt like this could have been set anywhere. It's a great summery read, but I wanted more of the Italian culture and the seaside vibes I feel I was promised when reading the blurb. I also didn't like the miscommunication here, which forms a large part of the conflict between Theo and Emerson. One conversation, although difficult, would have solved the whole plot. And I get that they left their relationship on bad terms but people change from the teens they were, and thr history they shared should have made that conversation a lot easier to have.

Nice summery read, but some of the tropes were not to my personal taste.

3.75 stars


I think the pinning was really well done in this book, and I also liked how the author handled Emerson's trauma. You can tell that despite the distance and the years that have passed, there's still a lot of feeling there, which made me super excited to get to the part where they finally get together. But even so, there were times when their lack of communication really annoyed me. I know it's a second-chance romance, but at some points, I felt the miscommunication went a bit too far for my liking. Despite that, I still liked most of the book.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and the publisher, for sending me this ARC.

Swooney romance. Some angst, some frustration as they both need to learn to share. They both loved each other back in high school but that was 10 years ago. In the start of the book, when he first gets the reminder, Theo is overwhelmed with feelings. That’s when I fell in love with Theo. It’s a bumpy road but so sweet in the end.

Well I really enjoyed this book.

It's a second chance romance story between Emerson and Theo, who made a marriage pact when they were 18 that if they weren't already married to other people by their 28th Birthday's they will marry each other.

So when the first alert reminder of this pact goes off Emerson decides that she really does want to try to see if her first love, might still be interested, and manages to get onto the shoot he is doing in Cinque Terre, Italy.

I've never been to Cinque Terre but have seen plenty of pictures while considering cruise excursions there, so a fair few of the details definitely rang true to what I knew of the area. And you definitely get a bit of a feel for Italy but the destination as much as I would have loved it to be wasn't really the focus on this story.

The focus is on Emerson and Theo, and interspersed with the present day story, we get chapters from their childhood, up until they first split up all those years ago, and the reasoning behind it all.

As we get to know them, we can see just how much they still care for each other, but at the same time circumstances outside their control seem to be meddling and making this a lot more difficult than it needed to be (although had they declared their feelings early on, it would have been a significantly shorter book, and we would have missed out on some incredibly cute moments).

I absolutely loved the donut date, the ice-cream shop, the seemingly never ending hike and just how cute the pair are as they learn about their new adult selves.

Emerson is really down to earth given she is a supermodel, although obviously she exudes her star power when needed. And Theo is a really gifted photographer, that just needs a bit more confidence in himself. Emerson's best friend Georgia is really supportive and Harry is an interesting character that I really grew to love too.

This was an entertaining escapist read that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

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

Really liked this second chance romance.

Emmerson has overcome a trauma (off-page and there is a trigger warning). She's a strong woman who knows what she wants,. That's why she has decided to reconnect with her high-school best friend, whom she cut out of her life a decade ago without telling him why.

Theo has been pining after Emmerson ever since she left him without an explanation. When the two of them meet at a job, seemingly by accident, he wants to rekindle their relationship but knows that she might be out of his league.

I really liked how the author handled Emmerson's trauma and didn't make it the focal point of the novel. The main focus of the story is how to win the other one back in just seven days.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the advance reader copy.

This is a cute romance story, the tow leads were in love as teenagers and made a pact for when they got older (older being 28!).
Having lost contact they reconnect and the book takes us along for that journey,

I think I wanted a bit more from the story and maybe some of the issues that were dropped in which didn’t feel resolved.
As usual the miscommunication is what dropped my opinion on this book and also my enjoyment of the story.

There’s not really a will they/wont they, as it’s obvious the two characters are head over heels for each other; but this could have all been solved had they spoken rather than messaged or whatever else.

Overall a good debut.

I loved this one, even though it frustrated me at times! Friends becoming lovers? Will it ever work?
It was a page turner for me, desperate for a happy ending. Great holiday read.

I needed a little fluffy romance break and this did the trick! I loved it! But the lack of communication between the MCs drove me insane! I screamed JUST TALK TO EACHOTHER way too many times at my kindle 💀

Thank you to Cornerstone and Betty Cayouette for the opportunity to review One Last Shot from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

One Last Shot is a second-chance romance featuring a marriage pact that unites the two main characters after ten years apart. It is a dual POV story featuring flashbacks from both main characters, Theo and Emerson, bringing to life their high school romance and reunion after being estranged for ten years. The writing is atmospheric, capturing the beauty of the Italian location with a steady pacing that brings together tension, longing, and difficulties of reestablishing trust between two people who hurt each other in the past, driven apart by a terrible event. I think Betty Cayouette handled harrowing themes of trauma and sexual assault with delicacy and a lot of care while bravely sharing her own painful experiences with the reader.

The miscommunication trope at the heart of One Last Shot did feel dragged out to a breaking point in the plot for me; I wanted to knock Emerson and Theo's heads together to get them to talk about the important stuff. I did love their banter, especially their little balcony chats. I often felt they avoided talking about the essential things. If ever there was a romance to highlight the importance of not playing games, speaking from the heart, and how toxic miscommunication can be for us, it is this one. It definitely cost some points for the rating for me.

The characters of One Last Shot are beautifully crafted and easily relatable, set in the high-fashion modeling world. For me, Emerson was a likable character. I respected her resilience and bookworm persona, but she seemed to miss the quintessential spark that makes a main character memorable. Our main male character, Theo, is the total opposite. He's a passionate, loveable, and honourable soul who is a compelling main character – he's dreamy boyfriend material. My heart was ripped out for him – I kept turning the pages for him as he deserved a HEA.

The supporting cast for One Last Shot consisted of lovable, energetic souls who sometimes stole the show. I loved Georgia, Emerson's best friend – she had main character energy with a sassy personality, devilish humour, and a big heart that filled the page with vibrancy for each scene she appeared. I wanted more of her on the page. Can we get a book with her story next?

A cute, easy read with great holiday-read vibes featuring exotic locations, great banter, and slow-burn chemistry with lots of longing and pleasant crackle of spice. If you love Emily Henry and Tessa Bailey romances, you will enjoy Betty Cauyotte's writing style and characters.

I really enjoyed this romance story. The romance itself was well written, I liked the characters.
A fantastic debut from this author. I'll be sure to look out for her future works!

I really wanted to give this book a go and enjoy it. But it was so twee and predictable. I know, its romance, but I was bored and knew exactly what was going to happen. Yes you want them to get together, but there was no will they/won't they. There was no excitement.