The One We Fell in Love With

by Paige Toon

*** SELECTED FOR THE ZOELLA BOOK CLUB ***
Escape to the summer and feel the warmth of Paige Toon's storytelling

Phoebe is caught between a rock and a hard place. Settle down and get married, or return to the French Alps to pursue her passion?
 
Eliza is in love with someone who is no longer hers. In fact, he probably never was… And her dream of becoming a successful musician seems to be vanishing before her eyes.

Rose is out of a job and out of a boyfriend. To make matters worse, she’s been forced to move back in with her mother…
 
But these very different girls have one thing in common. Angus. The one they fell in love with…

Praise for Paige Toon's novels:
'You'll love it, cry buckets and be uplifted' MARIAN KEYES
'I blubbed, I laughed and I fell in love... utterly heart-wrenching' GIOVANNA FLETCHER
'Devoured this in one sitting' COSMOPOLITAN
'An absorbing and emotional read' HEAT

• ISBN10: 1471138445
• ISBN13: 9781471138447
• Publish Date: 19 May 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I remember when I first read a Paige Toon book. I was on holiday  in Corfu and my friend lent me her copy of Lucy in the Sky. It turned out that this was actually Paige's debut book. I adore Paige's writing but I struggled with her last book, The Sun in Her Eyes, so I was a little worried about starting this one.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book at the 2016 Spring Blogger Evening, unfortunately I have only just managed to read it. When I was at this event Paige warned that there was a big twist/shock in this book. Even still when it came I didn't see it coming.

The story follows identical triplets Phoebe, Rose and Elizabeth. I love books with multiple POV so I really enjoyed seeing this story through three different sets of eyes. All three girls have been in love with Angus since he moved in next door to them when they were 15.

This review is very tough to write without giving away the story. I loved each of the girls for different reasons but, I also wanted to give them a kick at times. I have to say that Angus wasn't my favourite main male character. I didn't really see what the girls saw in him to be honest. I loved Toby, there was something about him that was so endearing. This story will pull you in, give you all the feels, break your heart and stitch it back together again.

The writing in this book is some of Paige's best and it definitely made me fall back in love with her. It was an absolute pleasure to be back in the world that she has created again. It made me want to re-read some of her earlier works like Lucy  in the Sky, Chasing Daisy and Johnny Be Good.

[Leah]

Paige Toon has been one of my favourite authors ever since I read Lucy in the Sky and I count those first four books - Lucy in the Sky, Chasing Daisy, Johnny Be Good & Pictures of Lily some of my favourite books, ever. But I wasn't so enamoured with the past few, if I'm being perfectly honest, so I was a bit dubious about reading The One We Fell In Love With, because I didn't want yet another love triangle book - or, in this case, a love quadrangle, if that's even a thing? But The One We Fell In Love With is right up there with Lily, Johnny, Daisy and Lucy in terms of how amazing it was. It's like I fell right back in love with Paige Toon.

The One We Fell In Love With seems to be a turning point for Paige Toon, as she takes a bit more serious approach to her novels and there isn't one point of view, there's three, identical triplets (which is a rare thing, apparently) Rose, Eliza, and Phoebe. It's all about how they fell in love with this guy Angus, but it's actually so much more than that, and I can't even mention half of it because you need to read this book with as little information as possible, because then you'll get the greatest reading experience. There was lots of talk on social media about some kind of big twist, which made me sad to hear because I didn't want to know, but knowing there was a twist coming didn't change a thing, because it absolutely blew me away. And to find out exactly what that twist is you'll have to go and read the book. Sorry.

This is actually a hard review to write. Because I don't want to accidentally ruin anything. I will say that I loved the girls. Well, I loved Phoebe and Rose. Eliza was harder, because reasons. But each of their voices were strong, and for once, I loved all the points of view, instead of wanting to rush back to Phoebe or Rose or Eliza. Instead, I liked hearing what all the girls had to say. And I LOVED Toby. Oh man, did I love Toby. (And yes, you'll notice I didn't say I loved Angus). To me, Angus was just there, it wasn't really HIS story, it was the girls story (to me, anyway) and I never really felt anything for him (sorry Angus).

This truly was an amazing read, deserving of all the praise heaped upon it by Marian Keyes and Giovanna Fletcher, to name the two authors quoted on the book itself. I can't believe it's Paige's tenth novel, mind, it seems like only yesterday I was reading (and loving!) Lucy In The Sky. In fact, I'm desperate to re-read those earlier books. Pictures of Lily has been calling my name for weeks. The One We Fell In Love With was delightful. I've fallen back in love with Paige's writing completely, and I'm so glad I took the plunge and bought the book, because it was stunning. One of the finest books I've read this year, for sure. It'll take a lot to top this book, I'm telling you. It hit me in all the right places, and it's a book that just has to be read.