Comparisons to anything remotely related to Emily Giffin are more than enough reason for me to pick up just about *any* book -- so, of course, The One That Got Away was definitely no exception. And, as if that wasn't reason enough to consider this sweet story, look at that cute little blue bird on the cover?! How can you say NO to that face?! 
 So, the story line here made me a little hesitant, I must admit -- a young woman is set to be engaged but is still oddly hung up on a one-night stand stud, with whom she be closely working on an architecture project. *love triangle* No! Not again... right?! 
 Right. But, it wasn't even necessarily the incredibly predictable love triangle that really deterred me from The One That Got Away. No, unfortunately, what really killed this story for me, I think, was the unfortunate and frustrating main character, Sarina. 
 I'm all for a strong female lead, don't get me wrong, but Sarina really took the cake when it came to selfishness and immaturity throughout this novel. One moment she's practically begging for her long-time boyfriend Noah to hurry up and propose -- but only pages later she whines and rambles about her inability to actually imagine herself married to this same man. And then there's, of course, the odd fixation on Eamon, who for all intents and purposes, was little more than a one night stand from eight years prior. But, even there, Sarina seems to have very little self-awareness (and very little consideration for those around her). She seems to instigate a game of passive aggressiveness with Eamon, even after finally realizing she is madly in love with him, in which she expects that he will not only read her mind but will also wait around for her endlessly, while she insists over and over that she sill never leave Noah to be with him. Whatever, girl! 
 I was secretly hoping for Eamon to dump Sarina at the end of the story, leading to a chapter or two of introspection, followed by a bit of character growth and maturity... but, alas. The ending is pretty much exactly what one would have expected, had one bothered to speculate about ten pages into the overall novel. 
 I've always connected with Emily Giffin's characters, so I think the frustration and irritation at Chase's main character was what really differentiated this title from favorites I've read by Giffin in the past. I expect that this story may appeal to a younger audience -- perhaps females around the later high school age? That's really the only crowd that I imagine could identify with the teen angst that perpetuated Sarina's character for the most part. 
 That said, I really can't say anything negative about the writing or the general story structure. I'd definitely consider reading another title by Bethany Chase in the future -- I just hope for a more likeable character next go around, I suppose.