This story could be viewed as a midlife crisis, and I suppose it is. However, I think all of us have at one point or another in our lives, wondered "what if" this happened instead of that? Dear Old Love : Anonymous Notes to Former Crushes, Sweethearts, Husbands, Wives, and the Ones That Got Away I really enjoyed this book. I liked it because it didn't feel too far fetched, like some other romance booked. It wasn't overly lovey-dovey - but it was about mistakes and how each choice you make can completely change your life and take you on a different path. When it comes to the plot there is almost nothing I can say about it. I hope everyone will do the same to keep things from getting spoiled. The story is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. But really, give this book a chance. I thought it was excellent. What I didn't: For as well as the characters were developed in this book, I wanted closure and the epilogue didn't leave me feeling satiated. But, it felt real and true Clara and Benjamin- flawed people with immense regrets who have taken their time to move past and to the moments that have shaped them as a couple.

WOW THAT WAS SO GOOD!!!!! I only saw the cover and title, and thought straight away that this is my kind of book. I am so fascinated by stories like this, where someone cannot let go of their past and has to revisit it.

Here,” Clara says, scribbling her name and extension on a Post-it. “I only work part-time, but I’m in Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Give me a shout sometime.”

A stunning love story that had my heart racing from the first chapter and tears streaming down my face by the end. An instant favorite." ––Carley Fortune, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Meet Me at the Lake Then again, I started to wonder, (and a spoiler alert in this paragraph for Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl), didn’t Gone Girl do something similar, just from a female killer’s point of view? Was I being biased, appreciating the detailed descriptions of a female killer but feeling off-put by this male thought-pattern? But, no, it wasn’t just the gendered point of view. Gone Girl gave the impression of calculation and tactics; the narration moved the story forward with motive and logical action. The One That Got Away seemed rather to revel in unnecessarily violent descriptions. “No reply came from the dead woman, but he thought she had learned. She had said she had while he flogged her, but most of them did. They were willing to say anything just to make the pain stop. But there always came a point, usually just before he ended the punishment, when the sinner either confessed to their crimes or remained silent in defiant.” Rather than reading the logistical calculations to a cold goal, The One That Got Away provides entire chapters dedicated solely to the killer’s pleasure in his kills and desires for more. OK, characters - I love Benjamin . I felt for him all the way through and I actually agreed with what happened to him, but still felt bad for him. He was written in such a realistic way, it was so intriguing to read. Clara actually irritated me, both past and present versions but that is because she reminded me of me!!! I also loved Thom!! So many other supporting characters as well that were key to the story. My biggest critic is that I wish there was an epilogue, or one additional chapter to flush out the ending a little more. The reader is hit with a lot at the end – and then we are left to fully imagine the outcome (even though we are led to a somewhat conclusion).

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. The One That Got Away is available on February 2, 2023. Whilst I loved her books in the crime, psychological thriller genre, I do love her romantic fiction story... This is a story about true love and second chances told from two different narrators who have seemingly moved on with their lives, while missing the past.

Clara holds out her hand obligingly, moving it this way and that so Natasha can see the stone’s various angles. She is well-practiced at this now. The ring is beautiful but the stone is huge and heavy against her skinny, inadequate fingers, and every morning when she puts it on a phrase floats into her mind that she can’t quite get rid of: “You’re not wearing it, it’s wearing you.” I'm in my 40s and in the middle of a very big change in my life and my family's life. Perhaps this novel is for people who are at a point in life when they're reviewing their choices and making new ones. Benjamin’s world is turned upside down the night he meets Clara. Instinctively, he knows that they are meant for each other, but a devastating mistake on their last night at university will take their lives in very different directions. The whole plot of this book is really original and I thought the present day story (including the opening chapter) was brilliantly real and hard hitting. It was perfect way to hold the story together. This book is full of emotion, and I was happy to follow these characters. The book has a lot of angst, especially in the earlier timeline, but it’s all well-written and I grew to care for and root for these characters.Clara has worked for the newspaper for nearly twenty years, and she still hasn’t got used to the shiny office building that now houses it. Twenty years later, another tragic situation leads them to cross paths with each other again. The question is, can they overcome all the pain of their past or will they say goodbye to each other forever? A poignant story filled with powerful life lessons, The One That Got Away is a testament to the staying power of first love. This is one heartwarming read." I wouldn’t have expected Wood to take the time to answer out each question individually, but even the allusion to some greater meaner to these connections he had woven would have made the book worth the read. The one that got away” as the title indicates, tells us the story of a girl and a boy who were in love but drifted apart. Benjamin was, for Clara, the one that got away.