Cover of The One That Got Away

The One That Got Away

Perfect for fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner, this bright, funny debut from a fresh voice in fiction offers a delicious take on love, family, and what it means to build a home of one's own.

Read more

Sarina Mahler thinks she has her life all nailed down: a growing architecture practice in Austin, Texas, and an any-day-now proposal from her loving boyfriend, Noah. She's well on her way to having the family she's hoped for since her mother's death ten years ago. But with Noah on a temporary assignment abroad and retired Olympic swimmer — and former flame — Eamon Roy back in town asking her to renovate his new fixer-upper, Sarina's life takes an unexpected turn.

Eamon proves to be Sarina's dream client, someone who instinctively trusts every one of her choices — and Sarina is reminded of all the reasons she was first drawn to him back in the day. Suddenly her carefully planned future with Noah seems a little less than perfect. And when tragedy strikes, Sarina is left reeling. With her world completely upended, she is forced to question what she truly wants in life — and in love.

Full of both humor and heartbreak, The One That Got Awayis the story of one woman's discovery that, sometimes, life is what happens when you leave the blueprints behind.

Setting
2010s
Mood
light
Audience
adult
Length
medium · 352 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked The One That Got Away? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The One That Got Away. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. When You Walked Back Into My Life Shares chick lit, romance, contemporary
  2. Don't Get Me Wrong Shares chick lit, romance, women’s fiction
  3. The Status of All Things Shares chick lit, fiction, contemporary
  4. Craving Perfect Shares chick lit, romance, contemporary

“People who read The One That Got Away tend to reach for these next.”

  1. The Balance Project
  2. Come Away with Me
  3. The Lake Season
  4. The Idea of Love

“If you want more of the same (women’s fiction), start with these.”

  1. Where Love Lies
  2. The State We're In
  3. Summer by the Sea
  4. Seven Days of Friday

“If it was the chick lit that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. One True Theory of Love
  2. Fatty Patty
  3. The Cosy Teashop in the Castle
  4. Arranged

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. The Ball's in Her Court
  2. Blood & Milk
  3. Fix Her Up
  4. The Book of Old Houses