Review of The One You Can't Forget (The Ones Who Got Away #2) by Roni Loren
The One You Can't Forget is the second book in the series The Ones Who Got Away.
Rebecca Lindt is one of the survivors of the Long Acre school shooting, leaving her with extensive emotional and physical scars. She feels like an impostor, and to distract herself, she throws herself into her work as a successful divorce attorney.
Westley "Wes" Garrett is trying to piece his life back together after losing everything in a vicious divorce. One night he stumbles across a mugging in progress and gets there in time to help Rebecca and her fluffy savior, a stray dog.
Rebecca has secrets, like the fact that she was Wes's ex-wife's attorney, and that she had a hand in the Long Acre shooting. She keeps Wes at arm's length even as her emotions deepen because she sees the results of marriage every day. Better to keep things casual.
But the longer the fling goes on, the deeper they go, and the less either wants to let go. Then all threatens to come to light, and Rebecca must decide whether to keep her secrets or learn to trust again.
This second book in the series was better than the first. The emotions were deeper and rawer than in The Ones Who Got Away.
Both main characters were more layered than those in the first book. Rebecca's guilt and the layers of armor she hides behind made her more interesting as each layer peeled back to show what was underneath. Her guilt over the shooting I originally chalked up to survivor's guilt, but when she finally told her story, it was heartbreaking.
Wes was a good man who came from bad circumstances and looked like a bad choice on paper, but the real man had a big dream and a heart of gold. Rebecca quickly learns about his past and how it affects who he is.
The only thing I didn't like were that most of the side characters who were close relatives or confidants of the couple were working against them instead of supporting them except for Rebecca's high school friends who are all clamoring to hear about Wes and his dramatic rescue.
I would have liked more of a presence from Knight, the dog who rescued Rebecca from the mugger, but he was solidly in the background, healing from his dramatic wound at the vet's office.
The plot was a strong one and filled with plenty of heartwarming moments. The tragedy of Rebecca's past was always looming over her and affecting all her decisions and reactions. PTSD will always do that. It was something that was both painful to read and good because it added that layer of realism.
The mental health aspect was dealt with in a way to not make Rebecca an object of pity because she was written as a very strong, intelligent, capable woman who was ready to tackle anything and hides her weaknesses. I was happy to see her get therapy to help her deal with her mental health concerns so she could function better.
One thing I really liked was that the climax was not about a misunderstanding or temporary breakup but rather something that pulled the couple closer together. It gave Rebecca a chance to stand up for herself and advocate for her own happiness.
Descriptions were good. I could picture the locations in the story without it bogging down the narrative. The characters were clear, too, and even the more minor ones, some of whom became very important, were well-described.
The dialog was smooth and propelled the story forward. It was revealing of the characters, but not individual enough to make it really pop. Every character spoke much the same, and sometimes I didn't know who was speaking and unable to deduce it because of the way the character spoke.
I really enjoyed this book, and the series is shaping up to be a good one.
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