ARC Review: Not The One by Amy Daws

Title: Not The One
Author: Amy Daws
Series: London Lovers #4
Genre: contemporary romance, new adult

My name is Reyna Miracle. Even though a part of my name is Miracle, there’s nothing miraculous about me. My body portrays the tales of my life. Every feeling, every heartbreak, every emotion. Marked. Inked. Stained. A walking canvas of my messed up truth. But there’s one confession I can’t put in a tattoo. A confession that will kill me to tell, but my best friend died before I had the chance. Now I’m left with him. The only one who can hold me in the night and squeeze that spot on my neck that feels like my lifeline between sanity and chaos. But we don’t work together. We’re absolute poison for each other. We’re a stifling, suffocating, sickness of darkness. But I feel safe...because I’ve made an art of pushing people away. Now he’s pushing back… And making me believe... Making me wonder... Maybe, just maybe... I could be the one.

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FLO'S REVIEW

Not The One by Amy Daws
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 **all the feels** STARS

“Meaningful change is always painful. It’s always resisted. And it’s always awkward. Add in a sexy British blond alpha and it’s downright confounding.”

Let’s start with the obvious. COVERGASM! Holy smokes, I love love love the colours and the people. It’s perfect. Now that I have read the book, I can tell you it fits the story and the characters as well.

Second, Amy Daws was a new author for me. Also a complete love and win situation. That woman can write like no ones business. Just to put that out there. I’ll be reading more.

Third. Heart palpitations and cold sweats. I read a series out of order. Not The One is the fourth book in the London Lovers series and I know what you are thinking...the world might end. My OCD is acting up...I feel a little out of control. But I was assured this is a real standalone-standalone. Not one of those fake ones. So all is good I suppose and really I had no issues keeping up. In fact I was more curious to go back and discover all the other couples.

But let’s get into the story, shall we?

Not The One is the impossible love story of Reyna and Liam. It’s a rather complicated friends to lovers story, with elements of second chance romance and a lot of angst on top. A book that makes you feel all the feels. I cried, I laughed, my heart was broken and man it was hot.

“You were in my heart. You were in my head. You were in my pulse. You were with me every breath I took. I couldn’t not think of you. I couldn’t not wonder about you.”

Three years ago Reyna, Marisa and Liam were at Oxford, just about to graduate with their Masters degrees and ready to start a business together. But life happened and everything changed in a heartbeat.

I am not willing to give you much more about the plot, because it would give too much away. The story is told in alternating timelines. The present and three years ago. Little by little the author reveals what had happened to the friends back then and how especially Reyna ended up at this point in her life, applying for a job as a bartender at Club Taint.

Reyna is for all intents and purposes the main character here and the book is written from her POV. She is no quirky adorable heroine, she is sarcastic, straightforward and snarky. More often than not she shoots way past the line. Makes mistakes and pushes people away for a living. She has deeply rooted and legitimate issues, some self inflicted - some of no fault on her own. All result in guilt. I just wanted to peel back the layers and find out what had happened to her. She is a relatable character, I felt for her, I rooted for her and I desperately wanted her to succeed.

“I pushed and pushed until I hit rock bottom and then somehow, the rocks gave way beneath me.”

Liam is one of those swoon-worthy good guys who just knows when to be really bad. Just like Rey his life came to a halt three years ago and nothing turned out as it was supposed to. He is too good to be true in some regards, but also the perfect man to deal with Rey. If only they can figure out their issues.

There is also a vast cast of supporting characters playing important roles in both their lives. Friends, family and co-workers alike. The amount of people that built this world really makes it a well rounded and rich read. Every time someone new was introduced I wanted to go and find out if there was already a book written about them.

“Today, I want to be selfish. Today, I want to be impatient. Today, I want to choose the direction my life goes. Today, I want to make you mine.”

There are so many things I loved about this book. The character development, the drama, the heartbreak and mostly not taking the easy way out. It’s a complicated love with so much baggage at times it wasn’t clear if they can ever make it.

But all good intentions towards a character aside, it won’t go anywhere when an author can’t back it up with convincing writing and Ms. Daws managed just that. I was invested and captured from the first page. In fact recently I had to force myself to finish books more often than not, and with this one it just flew by and there was no self inflicted pressure involved. I was legit curious and interested.

Now the most curious thing was the clever way in which the author used dreams as a tool to move the plot. It was a bit eerie and fascinating at the same time. She managed to straddle the line of being fantastical and definitely thought provoking, while still being deeply grounded in reality. That’s the part that made it a very unique read for me and elevated the story. And if you want to find out what that’s all about, I suggest you read the book. ;)

As soon as I have a free spot in my reading calendar I’ll read the rest of the London Lovers series just because I hope there is more Frank. And Hayden needs a book ASAP!!!

That's all.



**ARC very kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review.