One Last Shot, by Betty Cayouette

 Publication May 7, 2024

When I wasn't otherwise occupied rolling my eyes at Emerson and Theo, or wanting to shake some sense into one or both of them, I found them interesting, likable characters. Childhood friends, they're separated by a traumatic event, Emerson to later  become one of those one-name-only-needed models, and Theo to become a photographer. Just as a model needs a photographer, a photographer needs models, so it's rather inevitable the two would come back together, with or without that prod of a youthful pledge to each other. Emerson is by far the more famous of the two, stalked by paparazzi everywhere, and she's looking for a break. Well, a break that includes the possibility of reuniting with her childhood friend. Theo isn't quite as sure but, well, he's always loved her and feels that hole in his heart from their abrupt, unexplained separation. And thus begins this sweet, occasionally frustrating romance.

Utilizing duel POV and flipping back-and-forth from past to present at times, the author does an excellent job filling us in on the backstory. Second chance romances are always fun, albeit at times Theo and Emerson seemed to be their own worst enemies, doing or saying exactly the wrong thing at the wrong time. They have good intentions but miscommunication and/or misunderstanding or even self-doubt get in the way. Both main characters were easy to love and just as easy to dislike at times. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the emphasis on emotional connections as opposed to simply, uh, lust. It made it much easier to ultimately care about them. Oh, and Emerson is a voracious reader, so easy for me to root for.

I won't detail the plot but given the utter convenience of Emerson having had a very public breakup at just the time she receives a ten-year-old reminder and Theo conveniently being the photographer on a fashion shoot, albeit one that would normally be beneath her celebrated status, once I rolled my eyes at that and simply accepted, yep, could happen, I did enjoy the story. Italy seemed like an ideal romantic setting but loved the Hollywood scenic scene, too, as well as the more private settings. The supporting characters seemed sparse but were memorable, as was the supporting cast, so to speak, of the scene at the airport. I won't say why but donuts play a role. A cute role. 

Bottom line, while I wasn't quite blown away, it was a fun read from a debut author and I'll be looking forward to her future books. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartin'sPress - #StMartin'sGriffin for giving me this virtual tour to Italy for an early look at Emerson and Theo's story. It was fun and getting to read basically how a photo shoot works was interesting. Now I'm going to be looking for pins in fashion shots!