ARC Review: The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett

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I received an ARC of this book via Bookouture and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Description

What if you met The One on his wedding day?

Izzy doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but when Sam walks into the cafe where she works one winter’s morning, she knows without a doubt that he’s the one. Too bad Sam’s getting married. Today.

Nearly a year later, Izzy still can’t stop thinking about Sam, the one that got away, but she knows it’s time to move on: he’s a married man and probably wouldn’t recognise her if he passed her on the street.

But Sam has never forgotten Izzy, the funny, gorgeous woman who asked him out on his wedding day. If the timing had only been better, he knows they could have had something wonderful.

When Izzy and Sam’s paths finally cross again, everything has changed. But with the Atlantic Ocean and decades of baggage between them, they are about to find out whether some obstacles are too big for even true love to overcome.

My Thoughts

Based off the description, I conjured up books like Where Rainbows End (which I loved!) and other decade-spanning slow burner romances. This First Time We Met is just another one of these books, except with a slight twist. The two central characters, Izzy and Sam, meet on Sam’s wedding day.

I’m not necessarily a believer in love at first sight but I do love reading about it and I did enjoy the sweet, fluffy romance unfolding page by page. I liked that Izzy and Sam’s meeting isn’t spectacular, or over the top, it just happens.

The fact that this truly was a chase appealed to me greatly. It wasn’t one of those romances that just happened, it took effort and distance and I really felt like Lovett was writing about a real couple as opposed to characters.

There were a few things I wasn’t so keen on where this book was concerned. Obviously the characters endure distance, so it’s not a case of them seeing each other physically for a large number of chapters, but I just think the choice of them emailing each other just fell flat for me – I had to remind myself sometimes that they fancied each other, and weren’t just best mates!

Another thing I wasn’t that keen on was the time jump. I know it made it more realistic, and it shows it’s a slow burn romance, but it meant I lost track a lot. Plus, there were bits of the plot I think Lovett brushed over that I would’ve liked her to explore more.

Saying that, The First Day We Met was an easy, fluffy read that I think would be perfect for the colder, darker nights we’ve been subjected to.