I have given The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren a ☆☆☆☆ rating. It is a swoon worthy Contemporary Romance. Sourcebooks Casablanca publishes it. It will be published January 2, 2018.
The synopsis reads:
Liv’s words cut off as Finn got closer. The man approaching was nothing like the boy she’d known. The bulky football muscles had streamlined into a harder, leaner package and the look in his deep green eyes held no trace of boyish innocence.
It’s been twelve years since tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a few students survived that fateful night—a group the media dubbed The Ones Who Got Away.
Liv Arias thought she’d never return to Long Acre—until a documentary brings her and the other survivors back home. Suddenly her old flame, Finn Dorsey, is closer than ever, and their attraction is still white-hot. When a searing kiss reignites their passion, Liv realizes this rough-around-the-edges cop might be exactly what she needs…
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Can you guys believe that it’s almost Christmas? I cannot. It seems like the year had quickly creeped up on us and passed us by! Time flew so extremely fast this year that I’m still trying to catch up. Today’s review is not YA but rather, it’s a bonafide romance and oh so definitely swoon-worthy and curl your toes worthy and let’s just get to it. As always, my reviews may contain spoilers. I say may because what’s a spoiler to you may not be a spoiler for me.
Put aside your YA goggles for a while and lend me your ears, fellow bookworms.
When the cover was first revealed, I immediately thought The Notebook, the iconic rain scene and the steamy sex that followed. That’s exactly what The Ones Who Got Away brings you: a heated young romance is rekindled, filled with tons of heartaches, tears and why-the-fucks. It is also sexy, witty and charming.
I can wax poetic about how great it is that Liv, our main character, has girl friends who are willing to drop everything to make sure she’s alright, especially when a guy has broken her heart or when the nightmares are too much. I can go on about how she’s chasing her dreams and not letting anyone tell her no. But let’s face it, The Ones Who Got Away is a romance.
And a romance means a great leading lady and a leading man with loads of angst, pain and heart-rending confessions whispered in the dark of night followed by tear-your-clothes-off sex.
The Ones Who Got Away = check, check and check.
I have a very soft spot for small town romances and there’s always very strong angst and tons of plot lines to explore. But, I’ve never, ever seen one where the lead characters, Liv, Finn and their friends are survivors of a mass shooting/gunman rampage. I’ve read one where the leading lady is a survivor of a bombing but not teenage shootout. It adds an extra level of hurt/pain not just to the romance but also to the characters psyche and it’s very believable. It also calls to a more contemporary situation and I love that the long-term effects were explored, and not just the immediate aftermath.
The shooting drives a lot of their motivations and who they are as people, hence, the title of this book.
In terms of romance plots, I think The Ones Who Got Away does nothing new and I wasn’t particularly fond Liv and Finn’s declarations of love. But, that’s a trope (or maybe not even a trope) that I see quite often in contemporary romances these days. The leads are just too willing to fall head over heels in love. There definitely are more ways than one to break a character’s heart AND keep the “I love you’s” for when it’s closer to the end.
But, I do absolutely love how naturally their relationship developed.
This brings me to another thing which I really loved: they were high school sweethearts! The tension between their former selves and who they are today was just perfect. It’s like they had unfinished business (unfinished sexual business, that is) and now, they’ve returned to find their other halves or rather, another way to see the world.
But, along with my dislike of the too-early-declarations, the sex was blah. While our first meeting with Finn and Liv finds the pair almost rutting up on the back porch of a bar (and I dare say it made my toes curl), the same sort of sexy momentum does not continue throughout The Ones Who Got Away. The sex was boring.
Moving along, let’s talk a little about the characters.
Liv is a downright sweetheart. She’s genuine and honest; for a leading lady, she’s close to perfection. Which irks me a little but she’s also incredibly sexy and playful, igniting a spark in ice cold, Finn. Her only flaws stem from her inability to break out of her routine, mundane life and chase her artistic dreams. Also, she gets nightmares and suffers from PTSD and anxiety, which although not heavily highlighted in the book, does make an appearance.
Finn is sexy, charming and cold. From the moment we meet him, Finn is the epitome of tall, dark and handsome. He’s brooding and silent, content to go through life as a stoic hero. I love that Finn isn’t flawless (unlike Liv). He also has a bit of a hero complex, after being branded the town’s hero when he takes a bullet saving Rebecca, their classmate. And, he goes through life trying to live up to it, joining the FBI and wanting to take down the guys responsible for the massacre/shooting.
Put both Liv and Finn together and it’s magic. They both belong together, they know it, we know it and their friends know it. But they can’t (read: don’t want) to be together. Finn lives a life of semi-adventure, chasing baddies and basically having no stability. He doesn’t want to put Liv through waiting for him. Liv, although she is chasing her dreams, is looking for stability in the arms of the only man to have ever sparked her curiosity and emotions.
But, they bang any way. And steamy banging in the shower, in the bed, against the wall. Everywhere.
The Ones Who Got Away is definitely set up to be part of an amazing series, featuring Liv and Finn’s other friends, Rebecca and the rest of the squad. And I can’t wait to read each of their individual stories!
The Ones Who Got Away is a great way to start the year, renewing and reviving your faith in finding your one true love. It was a great way to end my year, of course, seeing as I read an ARC but it goes on sale January 2!! So it’s a great year-starter (is there such a thing?). It’s a true and true romance with no other subplots which can be very refreshing if all you’re looking for it some pain to stab your heart and then a beautiful happily ever after. Finn and Liv are a match made in heaven; I can find no reason to hate The Ones Who Got Away and that’s why you should put it on your to-be-read lists!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. This review edition may differ from the final edition.
B for Bookslut 