Ramblings of a Daydreamer: Review: The One That Got Away by AJ Pine

The One That Got Away by AJ Pine
Series: Kingston Ale House #1
Published: April 18th, 2016
Publisher: Entangled Published
252 pages (eARC)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Acquired this book: Via NetGalley in exchange for honest consideration
Warning: May contain spoilers
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{If Only || What If || I Do || One Night}

How far will one man go for the woman he's loved since high school?

Jamie Kingston has been Brynn Chandler's best friend since middle school. Only once was their friendship tested—when Brynn gave Jamie a single kiss. Since then, they've had an unspoken agreement never to cross that line again, and she’s ready to let go of the past and move on.

But Jamie has loved Brynn for as long as he can remember, and now that he's ready to tell her, she has her sights set on someone else. Knowing this is his last chance, he asks Brynn to go on a two-week road trip. But their time alone brings old hurts to the surface, and Brynn has to decide if the one that got away lies at the end of the journey or if he's been by her side all along.

After reading and loving four of AJ Pine’s books, I couldn’t wait for The One That Got Away, the first in Pine’s new Kingston Ale House series. While all her stories are wonderfully unique, I’ve come to expect a lot of humour, swoons, emotion, and sexiness, and The One That Got Away encompassed all those things.

Brynn and Jamie have been friends forever, but have been secretly in love with each other for the last ten years. I love friends-to-lovers stories, but especially when the friends have a ton of history like these two do. It made for a lot of fun inside jokes, shared memories, and a familiarity that made it easy to root for them. Both characters were well fleshed out and I loved the little personality traits and quirks each of them had, especially Brynn with her love of The Monkees (I went through a HUGE Monkees phase in my early twenties) and her tendency to gesticulate wildly and often end up injuring Jamie. Both characters were passionate, funny, and smart, and I loved getting their story from both perspectives. The cross-country road trip provided a great opportunity for them to explore their feelings for each other and figure out what they wanted, plus learn a few things about themselves in the process. Throughout the story, I did a lot of laughing, some swooning, and I even teared up a few times. There were parts that were so romantic without being over the top or cheesy. With their shared history and the obstacles they faced, it was all believable.

The One That Got Away is another winner from AJ Pine. Whether you’re looking for a friends-to-lovers story, a second chance romance with a twist, a road trip story, or just a super fun contemporary love story, this book is definitely worth picking up.

Have you read The One That Got Away? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Have you read any of AJ's other books? Do you have a favourite friends-to-lovers book? Or a favourite road trip book?