The Ones Who Got Away

I'm a huge Roni Loren fan & this tease of her new book has left me wanting more. Her characters are always strong with a hint of vulnerability & chemistry that would blow the roof off any building they happen to be in. This new book looks to be no different with the heat between Finn & Liv.......I wrote these words back in July when I read the teaser & they are truer now than when I wrote them. The damage caused by their past tragedy has changed the lives of Finn & Liv but it hasn't changed the love they still feel for each other even 12 yrs later. What starts out with a return to their hometown for an interview of the survivors for the charity documentary on the tragedy, turns into a chance for 4 of the survivors to come together & reconnect. It also brings Finn & Liv back to each other. For Finn his life's goal has been to find the people responsible for putting the guns in the hands of the killers, putting himself in danger for years as an undercover FBI agent. Now back in Liv's life, he's stuck between staying with his mission & showing Liv just what she means to him. Liv's life also takes a new direction after old promises come to life & decides to try to make her dreams come true, including her dreams of Finn. With attempts at shedding the past & changing their futures these survivors grow through the experience of opening their teenage promises for the future & a chance to live the lives that they promised their fallen classmates they would. The story was written with strength in the characters, but also with a certain vulnerability that the tragedy has put in their lives. The gravitational pull between Finn & Liv is still so strong & the chemistry between them is still off the charts. The beauty & love coming out of this book is amazing. Definitely recommend this book. I received an ARC from Net Galley for an honest review.

In high school Finn was the good looking jock who came from money and could have any girl he wanted. Liv came from the other side of the tracks ... her father was Finn's family gardener. Liv lost her mother when she was just a teenager and rebelled with coloring her hair purple and pink, doing and saying whatever she wanted. Finn and Liv were opposites ... but remember that old saying "opposites attract"? Finn was scared to go against his parents, so they kept their relationship a secret. And then at prom, the unthinkable happened ... 2 students got their revenge and shot all the students that were "happy". It was one of the worst school shootings. And what did Finn do? He left Liv in a closet to defend herself while he saved the girl that was his prom date. After the shooting, his family ended up moving to get away from all the media attention.

I really liked at the story line about the 4 unlikely girls who became friends through their counselling after the shooting. A year after the shooting they each put a letter in a time capsule that stated their dreams and wishes for their futures. 12 years later, all the survivors are being interviewed for a documentary on the shooting. This is the first time the women have been together since then so they decide to open the time capsule and see which dreams came true.

At the interviews, when Finn and Liv lock eyes, all those old feelings come rushing back. But after all this time is it love or lust? Liv got most of her anger out in college by drinking too much and sleeping around, but she still has nightmares. Now all she does is work on website designs ... not the photography she wanted to do back in high school. While Finn joined the FBI and wanted to put those responsible for the students getting the guns behind bars and he's spent the last 2 years deep undercover trying to do just that. They each have deep scars that may never heal.

This book is so full of emotions ... you will laugh with them, you will swoon at the love story and you will cry with them. This is a heart wrenching love story that I could just not put down ... I ended up reading till the wee hours of the morning to finish the book. And then I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about it. That is the sign of a GREAT book ... when it sticks with you! I HIGHLY recommend this book! I can't wait for the next book - Rebecca's book. But the one I hope is after that is Kincaid's book ... she just cracked me up.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

The Ones who got Away - Roni Loran - 5 Stars