The One That Got Away by A.J. Pine

Title: The One That Got Away (The Kingston Ale House #1)

Author: A.J. Pine

Publisher: Entangled Select

Release Date: April 18, 2016

Source: ARC from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / B&N / Indigo

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.

Every so often I’ll read a book that I’ll keep thinking about long after I’ve finished reading it. If you ask me, those are the best kinds of book. The latest book I can’t seem to stop thinking about? A.J. Pine’s fun and adorable contemporary romance, The One That Got Away.

Brynn and Jamie have been best friends since middle school. They’ve been the constant in each other’s lives and except for that one night when they graduated high school, they never crossed the line beyond friendship. Brynn might have put that one night behind her, but that’s not the case for Jamie. He’s been in love with Brynn for as long as he can remember, but he’s never said anything. But now Brynn is ready to make a move on her dream guy and Jamie needs to speak up before it’s too late. His plan? Take Brynn on a two-week road trip in the hopes she’ll realize that she doesn’t want the guy at he end of the road, but instead the one who’s been right next to her all along.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve read A.J. Pine’s The One That Got Away and I still can’t stop thinking about it. It was just that good. Thinking about it now still brings a silly smile to my face. It was simply the kind of romance story that I love. And honestly, this story was kind of Emilie-bait. Or at least that’s how it felt when I read the description. I mean, it involves two of my favourite things: a road trip and a friends-to-lovers romance. It would have been almost impossible for me not to love this story. And love it I did. I loved the way the story played out, the way the relationship  between Brynn and Jamie changed and developed over the course of that story. And the romance. I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved the romance. There were so many moments where it was so adorable and perfect it hurt (in a really, really good way). I can’t remember the last time I smiled so big while reading about two people falling in love. And that’s because Brynn and Jamie were pretty much perfect.

Guys, Brynn and Jamie are the absolute best. It doesn’t hurt that I love reading about best friends falling in love, but seriously, they were awesome. I loved reading their story and seeing how their history played into everything that was happening to them in the present. Basically, I loved Jamie and Brynn’s relationship in all its incarnations. Despite the drama, they were just two people who cared about each other and had fun together. And no jokes, they made me laugh so many times. Beyond loving their relationship, I loved Brynn and Jamie themselves. I loved Brynn, even if there were moments when I wanted to yell at her to see look at what was right in front of her instead of pining for someone else (thankfully, she finally got it). And don’t even get me started on Jamie. Because Jamie might just be my dream guy. I pretty much fell for him right from the start. And the more I read the more I loved him. Even when he wasn’t always making the smartest decisions. So Brynn and Jamie? They’re my new favourites.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I absolutely loved A.J. Pine’s The One That Got Away. it was the perfect contemporary romance—it was funny, it was heartwarming and it put a huge smile on my face while I was reading.