Book Review: The One That Got Away? by Emma Bennet

Books: My thoughts about The One That Got Away? by Emma Bennet

Welcome back to the blog! Today, I’m sharing my thoughts on The One That Got Away, a book that left me completely torn right up until the final page. It kicks off with Iris, a single mum to two-year-old Paola, who has a chance encounter in the park with her ex, Sergio—an incredibly handsome Spaniard who has no idea he’s actually Paola’s father. What follows is a whirlwind of drama, infuriating character choices, and plenty of Mediterranean warmth. Whilst I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the main characters and spent half the time wondering if they were far too toxic for each other, I still couldn't put it down. Here is my honest breakdown of why I ultimately gave it 3 stars, plus how it helped me tick off number one on this year's Clock Reading Challenge!

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ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BNQHP9M7
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books romances and sagas
Print length ‏ : ‎ 162 pages

The book synopsis for The One That Got Away? by Emma Bennet

Please note this was previously published as His Secret Daughter

Three years ago
Iris spends a magical night with her gorgeous but arrogant Spanish boss, Sergio. Then he goes around acting like it was just a fling. A few weeks later Iris finds out she’s pregnant, but if he’s not interested she’s going to have to raise this baby alone.

Now
Iris bumps into Sergio strolling through a leafy London park. She’s pushing their now two-year-old child in a buggy. Sergio instantly realizes that beautiful little Paola is his.

Demanding as ever, Sergio flies Iris and Paola out to his stunning Barcelona villa, so he can start to be a real father to his daughter.

After a few weeks, Iris begins to enjoy Sergio’s company and warm Spanish hospitality. She can’t stop thinking about what might have been . . . But part of her fears he might take Paola away from her.

The pair grow close once more, but Iris can’t shake the feeling that Sergio just wants to play happy families for Paola’s sake — is he really interested in rekindling their relationship?

He broke her heart once. Can she trust him with it this time?

3 Stars

Discussing The One That Got Away? by Emma Bennet

My Review Summary:

Key Takeaways from the video:

Book Overview: I reviewed The One That Got Away, which follows Iris, a single mother to two-year-old Paola, who runs into her Spaniard ex, Sergio. He discovers Paola is his daughter, completely altering both of their lives.
Rating: I gave the book 3 stars (though I wrestled between 3 and 4 stars, settling on a 3.5 feel).
Character Dynamics:
- I found both main characters frustrating: Sergio comes across as arrogant and emotionally mistreats Iris (though he has a softer side), whilst Iris often acts over-the-top and jumps to conclusions.
- Despite finding their relationship somewhat toxic and at times wishing they would not end up together, I still found myself flying through the pages and rooting for them as a family.
Personal Connections: As a Brit living in Italy, I really related to the Mediterranean setting, the lifestyle differences from the UK, and the food culture depicted in the book.
Wrap-up & Challenge: This book counted as my first read for this year's Clock Reading Challenge (reading 12 books by the end of the year). I invited viewers to share their thoughts on the book and join the challenge.

Quotes from The One That Got Away? by Emma Bennet

She staked her claim by somewhat awkwardly hanging her bags on the pushchair’s back. She felt Sergio’s eyes trained on her the whole time.

She knew she was being silly and childish, but she’d always been the most adored person in Paola’s life, and she felt like Sergio was trying to usurp her position. She was used to it just being the two of them, and that was something she was going to find very hard to let go of.

Their lives, despite now being so entangled, couldn’t be more different.

Sergio had the upper hand: money. His money could buy him the means to have pretty much anything he wanted, including his daughter in Spain with him, for however long he wanted.

How she missed the freedom she had before he’d come back into her life! Having a baby had tied her down, but at least she’d been in charge of her own life, and she adored Paola so much she could never begrudge any of the changes she’d made for her daughter. Now she was being pushed around, and she really didn’t like it. Why, oh why did Sergio have to be in the park that day?

As usual, when he wanted something, Sergio seemed to be making an extra effort to be nice to her.

“My mother likes me to relax when I am with her, she can be rather strict about it,” he replied with a smile. “But I do know a few places I can drive to nearby ‘on errands’ where I can get online.”

"...My dad died when I was a baby, I don’t remember him at all, but somehow I’ve always missed him.”

She smiled appreciatively at him, using the moment to take him in: black tie definitely suited his physique. How could he look even sexier all covered up than when he was wearing a lot less?