The One That Got Away: A DI Heather Filson Novel

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One night, Clara makes a decision that will have lasting repercussions and follow both of them for years.

When Clara and Ben met during their first year at university, they both became quickly enamored with each other, convinced that they were each other's person. Rixon brilliantly uses a literal inciting incident to put the once-lovers back into each other's lives with the years between them presenting both challenge, opportunity, and sense that time was not on their side -- and neither were they ready for it to be. They both had flaws, issues and problems throughout their lives, but the fault for these didn’t lie with one specific person but more as a result of what happened over their lives. I loved the chemistry between the two main characters, and the plot was so engaging I was hooked right away. Initially I thought this was going to be a bit of a light hearted, predictable romance and it was far from that.

I am so fascinated by stories like this, where someone cannot let go of their past and has to revisit it. I went into this book thinking it was going to be this one thing, and it turned out to be the complete opposite. It wasn't necessary to keep this hanging - the book already starts with a "cliffhanger" where there is someone who bombs a soccer stadium and we don't know who it is (we do find out by the end).

As for Benjamin, he is far too guy, lacks in all sorts of communication, acts like a d*ck in Uni instead of just being honest. Another thing I didn’t like about her, was how she treated Thom and how she was clinging to love that never lasted. Personally, I was not a fan of Clara’s character, she felt possessive and somewhat irritating, yet there were aspects of her story that made me want to like her. Two powerful messages explored through this book were the importance of your first love and that people can enjoy life despite how messy it is, and maybe even because of it.I was fortunate enough to get my hands on Charlotte Rixon's novel The One That Got Away and I am so glad I did! I went into this book with no information and it turned out that, although it is not my usual genre (Women’s fiction), I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The gentle pastel colours of the cover of “The One that Got Away”, and probably the novel’s title, leads you to believe you’ll be delving into a classic romance story, but this has a lot more grit than you might expect.

I found the lack of communication between both Cara and Benjamin at times was hard to believe but other than that, I enjoyed the book. Yet I somehow kept wanting to know what happens, how will they get together and can it just happen already. I really enjoyed the two timelines as we get to see how this couple meets and how their relationship changes over time, it was also great to have the story from both points of view.This is the first time I’ve read anything by the author but I’ll be sure to check out her other books now. Whilst this is marketed as a romance, I’m not sure it is that - it’s more about two people who feel that draw together even over 20 years. Despite the polarity of their upbringings, they both feel an immeasurable spark immediately after meeting in a bar while at college. What a rollercoster story with so many emotional trigger life changing episodes: anxiety from nearly loosing a sibling/ being forgotten by parents so absorbed by the sick child.