I absolutely loved this book!
It had me captured from the first chapter and you know when the ending of chapters make you go “what?!” This is one of those books! I was lucky enough to be asked to review it and I’m so glad I was.
Liv is getting married….to the one after the one, her last partner Kit disappeared 7 years earlier and now she’s rebuilt her life and is about to marry James, but some strange turns happen.
It’s a brilliantly written book and I’ll definitely be looking out for the author again!

Liv and Kit are in love. They have a good life together until one day Kit dissappears while on a hike. They never find him or any clues as to what could have happened to him. Liv eventually moves on and is about to get married when she suddenly is taken back in time to a week before Kit dissappears.
I'm not really sure how I felt about this book. I didn't hate it, but I also didn't love it. It was just an ok read for me.

I like to say that I read a broad range of books, but really, I stick to mystery and thrillers a lot. A good romance type book has always been a palate cleanser for me. I started recommending this book to others before I was even finished with it.

The book goes between two different point of views at varying time frames which I enjoy a good shift in point of views as long as it is done right. Emma Cooper nailed it in my opinion. From reading a lot of mystery/thriller books, I always expect some sort of plot twist mixed in. For some reason, I never expect plot twists in other genres, but this book had one I was totally not expecting and was pleasantly surprised by. It definitely was the driving point for me to start recommending it to others. I will definitely be looking up more books by Emma Cooper.

I always love a book with an element of time travel! I really enjoyed reading this, although it did take me a while to get into, but then it became a real page turner and I finished reading the last half or so in one go! I really couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. It had me intrigued about a number of elements of the plot and the surprises / twists were unexpected, although I did think that Liv was much calmer than I would have been in the same circumstances (with regard to the time travel and then how both Kit and James had behaved…).

Liv thought she had finally moved on from the devastating loss of her boyfriend Kit, who disappeared on a hike seven years ago. With the support of loved ones, she found a way to love again and is about to marry the man who helped her heal. But everything changes when she wakes up on the morning of her wedding to find herself back in time, six days before Kit vanished. Liv has a chance to uncover the truth behind his disappearance, but this opportunity comes with impossible choices: can she save Kit, and if she does, what will happen to the future she’s built?

This story had me completely hooked after the first chapter, and I devoured it in one day—I simply had to know how everything would unfold. Fans of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid will adore this, especially if they’re looking for a romance with a thrilling, mysterious twist.

The alternating timelines were handled masterfully, creating a fast-paced yet cohesive narrative. I was never confused, even when I felt as much in the dark as Liv herself, which only added to the tension and intrigue. Some of the jaw-dropping moments caught me completely by surprise, and I’m glad I didn’t see them coming—it made the revelations even more thrilling and impossible to put down.

Overall, The One Before the One is a heartfelt, gripping read that expertly blends romance, mystery, and a touch of time-travel magic. The writing is quick-moving and immersive, making it easy to lose yourself in Liv’s journey. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author!

3⭐ — thanks to netgalley and boldwood books for the advanced copy!

the premise was unique enough and definitely piqued my interest; i started reading almost as soon as i got a copy. however, there wasn't much else i liked about the book.

firstly, i couldn't connect with any of the characters. olivia wasn't particularly interesting to me, but i still wanted her to choose what's best for her. and that was neither of the two brothers if we're being real!!

as for the plot, i didn't expect it would manage to surprise me but it did—exactly once. the rest of it fell flat to me though. there were simply too many loose threads for me to enjoy. why did her consciousness travel back from that specific time in the present to that specific time in her past? what was the reason, the trigger, the objective? what was the point when literally nothing would change and she would discover everything in the end anyway???!!!

So I went into this book blind and what a ride I had. While I thought this was going to be a traditional romance it’s more of a mystery with a side of love. It was twisty and kept me hooked from beginning to end. For fans on One True Loves i highly recommend

I loooved this book! There were so many twists and turns and events throughout that I did not expect that kept me engaged.

🌟 Plot: 4 stars. I’ve never been the biggest fan of the whole time travelling plot but this one worked well. There was no annoying as hell countdowns or repeats or resets. The story behind Kit and his disappearance was written well and Liv and James’s relationship had a good part in the plot too. I wasn’t a fan of was James and Kit’s parents as well as the way James left. The main thing that didn’t work for me with this plot was the reasoning behind Kit leaving. It seemed quite out of character and as a result quite forced to make things fit as to why he left.
🌟 Character development: 4 stars. Loved the character development. We knew enough about Liv and James both as individuals and as a couple to keep you hooked on their love story. Kit was mostly a mystery in terms of depth until the end but that worked out well with the overall plot. Only negative that meant this didn’t get 5 stars was I desperately wanted more on the tension and chemistry and pure love between James and Liv - there were snippets but I needed more!
🌟 Writing: 5 stars. The author’s writing was smooth, coherent and really easy to follow. The only thing that got me a bit confused and lost was the subtitles in terms of who had left (literally felt the need to go back 100 pages to see if I was reading it correctly).
🌟 Feels: 4.5 stars. This book made me feel the love James had for Liv. When she went back in time I was literally pining for James and felt heartbroken over the thought that Liv was seeing Kit again even if it was in the past and not real. This book made me feel like Liv and James were meant for each other and they both went through everything they did just so they could ultimately be together like they were destined to be. So glad this book wasn’t all about whether Liv was choosing the right guy.

Thank you to #NetGalley for giving me an ARC of #TheOneBeforetheOne in exchange for an honest review!

What a story. Firstly, I’ve never had a book hook me in so quickly and have me hanging on to know how the story ends. I think the concept of the story is amazing but it did fall a little flat for me. I felt like I was always feeling something with this read…a lot of the time, suspense, and I could have done with a little less of it. The end of the chapters in the first half of the book always had a big moment to be continued but I got a bit lost. Some parts of the story could have been fleshed out more but for the most part, it was good. In saying that, I did feel like parts of the book dragged on.
My favourite part of this book was the MFC. She is maybe the most normal, reasonable and level headed MFC I’ve ever read and I adored her.
I’m really happy with how the story ended and how true love really does win.

3.5⭐️

"I've always loved you, Liv. I don't think I know how to not love you."

"And me? You didn't think you should come to me too? Me? I loved you, Kit, I love you with every part of me. I grieved you, mourned you. Losing you almost destroyed me."

"The present is such a gift. Living is such a gift. Don't let it slip through your fingers. You've all been braver than I have ever been because you're all here. This is your first step to a better life. To a life worth living. A life worth keeping."

This book is so unique! When I started reading this book, I expected a fluffy romance with a time-traveling aspect to it. This book blew those expectations out of the water and the storyline is definitely one of a kind!
During some parts of the book, such as when the FMC (Liv) finds her first love's necklace and time travels back to 2016, I became very confused. I had to dock this book off a little bit because of the amount of time I was straight-up confused for the first half of the book! Also, the dual timeline really confused be at the start of the book- it felt like two different stories smushed in one. I didn't realize how they connected until later on.
That being said, once I got it and understood what was happening, I WAS INVESTED! The love triangle aspect left me stunned, I had no idea who to root for. Also, there were a couple of plot twists that caught be off-guard (AND I LOVED IT!!). Sometimes, I feel like authors write a plot twist just because, but the way Emma Cooper did was PERFECT! I am such a die-hard believer that if you're gonna write a plot twist, you better do it right (else it ruins the book!) and Cooper did just that! I'm also really happy with how the story ended! I loved both Kit and James, with all of their problems. They were such contrasting characters who were loveable in their own way, and I'm so happy that both of them were given a second chance and a happy ending.
I read this book in a day (which is super rare for me). Definitely recommend for readers who want an unique, bingeable romance with a touch of mystery!

Thank you so much Netgalley, Boldwood Books, and Emma Cooper herself for this E-ARC! This book was definitely not what I expected, but I'm so glad I gave it a read!

-I thought this would be reminiscent of One True Loves, boy was I wrong.

This story follows our female lead on her wedding day as she finds out that her ex-boyfriend who went missing seven years ago is actually alive. I thought I was in for an epic romance, instead I got an epic mystery (with some romance!) This book was so well written, intriguing, and had great twists! I highly recommend it as a slow burn adventure. Check it out when it’s released this month and thank you to NetGalley for the arc.

This book was emotional Rollercoaster for me from start to finish! Whenever I thought I figured things out, something would drastically flip that upside down. Loved these characters, James is my favorite. Pub date January 31, 2025. Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this incredible ARC!

First, I would definitely read more by this author. I found the writing compelling, and by the end, I couldn’t put the book down!

I really enjoyed the main character, Liv and her relationship with James. I felt, at times, there was too many extraneous things going on, and I wanted more focus on the main relationships, specifically of that of the brothers. However, I enjoyed the details of the main relationship of the book and how Liv described their beginnings and their strong foundation.

3.5 stars!

I want to thank Netgalley and Boldwood Books for providing the e-arc in return for my honest review!

Wow, this book was nothing like I expected it to be and I mean that in a really good way!
I expected this to be more like a heartfelt rom-com but it was something completely different - more like a mystery-magical realism-romance.
What I really enjoyed were the multiple story lines/POVs, but I definitely didn't see that plot twist coming. It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure.
In general I really didn't expect how the story went on, but it was such a beautiful story!

This was a very enjoyable twist on the time-travel romance. I went into it expecting that most of the tension and drama would stem from character interactions as our MC worked something out with a past love. Little did I know it would be much twistier. For the last half of the book I really couldn't put it down because I needed to know what had happened and how the MC's time travel might change things.

I'll be recommending this one widely.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in advance of publication.

What a wild ride! I definitely expected this to be a cute romcom, but instead got a romance-mystery-thriller in one. I breezed through this book in one day because there were so many unexpected twists and turns that I couldn't stop wondering what was going to happen next. And I loved the romance itself, as it was so sweet to watch the main characters falling in love again.

The writing was also impeccable: I found myself laughing out loud in moments (love the British humor) and then on the edge of my seat in nervousness in others. I would've rated it 5 stars except it reminded me of One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid. But it's different enough that I would highly recommend this book to romance and mystery lovers alike!

Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an e-ARC copy of this book.

i love love loved this one. such an impossible situation she found herself in and i respect her so much for the choices she made. slightly predictable but so good. thank you netgalley for the ARC!

I loved this book. There are subtle twists that keep you guessing. Why did he do it? Why did he fake his death? Was it another woman, did he accidentally fall?
All of it is beautifully woven.
I also like that the dual narratives can be a bit tricky. You think it is Kit when it turns out to be James.
This was the perfect snow storm read that sucked me right in so I could forget about the cold outside.

I loved this one! I completely went into this expecting a cutesy romance and sweet nostalgia. But instead we got a mystery, thriller, slightly sci-fi moment and im living for it? the perspective shifts, and “now versus before”, guessing what was truly going on the entire time - SUCH a cool concept! what a fancy way of unveiling a mystery and what a lovely, tense yet heartwarming story overall!

The concept:
Ooh I LOVED how the shift back in time worked! I fear saying too much to avoid spoilers, but the way in which going back into time was handled, and how the time shifts interacted was so satisfying and exactly what I would like out of a sci-fi-y mystery. Nothing is over-complicated, and the focus stays on the plot, its characters, and the things they learn and relationships they make - no unneeded time spent on wacky technical aspects that wouldn’t rlly matter to the story anyway. I loved how once you pick up on the structure, the time shifts, the perspectives and so forth, the story is easy flowing with highs and lows in the right places. My only real complaint is that certain parts felt like they dragged, especially in the beginning where almost a bit <i>too</i> much was set up and I couldn't help but feel like I was getting info-dumped and ended up stalling this read a bit. BUT once it picks up, it picks up FRR and i finished everything past the first like 4 chapters in one sitting! How each day reveals smthn new is so MWAH, and the perspective shifting was also so masterfully done - I really hope to see more books like this!

The characters:
First of all, thank the LORD for an MC who does the right things, asks the right questions, and is just in her right mind period. I’ve gotten way too used to characters making dumb decisions, but this girlie is not one of them! I loved how Liv’s relationship with Kit and James are built up, as well as the extent nothing is exactly what it seems. I'm working SO HARD to not give any spoilers, but each character with their individual flaws and quirks are endearing and unique, even if not completely fleshed out considering we’re on a limited time frame here (6 days yall take it or leave it). Each piece is so authentic, and even the complexities of the relationships are unravelled so beautifully, I am in AWE. All i’m going to say is I love me some James fr, and Liv’s character gives me some hope for contemporary FMCs.

The ending:
SO SO happy with how everything wrapped up omg ALL THE CLOSURE MWAH (chefs kiss). No spoilers promise, but everyone is where they should be (eh ishh). While I was initially a bit unhappy where a certain character ended up, this is honestly just a me problem especially when this whole story talks about the beauty of moving on and taking steps forward, and thus the ending is at no fault hehe. I love how Liv got to appreciate those in her life even more and just how cutely everything came together.

tl;dr:
Aaa such a heartwarming read overall!! Please read this one for yourselves and i promise it’ll play out almost nothing like you expect in the best ways possible :)

Thank you SO SO MUCH NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Emma Cooper for an E-ARC copy of this book! <3

I enjoyed this book and how thought provoking it was, with the ultimate "What if?" question in regards to true love... It had me at the edge of my seat throughout and I felt like the story flew by as I was anxiously waiting to find out how it ended! I will be recommending to others!