The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren

Title: The Ones Who Got Away

Author: Roni Loren

Publisher: Sourcebooks

Publication Date: January 2018

Blurb: Twelve years ago, tragedy struck the senior class of Long Acre High School. Only a small number of students survived, a group the media dubbed as The Ones Who Got Away.

Now, web designer Liv Arias, along with the rest of the survivors, have returned to the small Texas town to tell their stories for a documentary. Which means Liv seeing former star-athlete and old flame Finn Dorsey. A lot happened between them that night and Liv is ready to end their decade-long riff and move on. But when her attempt at closure turns into a steamy kiss, moving on proves much more difficult than either of them thought...

Review:

The Ones Who Got Away by Roni Loren is a daring tale about the courage it takes to survive and who doesn’t love a story about survivors?  I certainly do.  Roni Loren told a dark tale that many wouldn’t have dared touch and she did so with the respect it deserved.  This story starts off at 100 miles per hour and keeps at that speed throughout its entirety.  I had my nose pressed to the pages from start to finish.

Getting to know Olivia as a character was a real treat.  She was bold, brash, and completely unapologetic.  She said what she meant and she meant what she said.  It was quite refreshing.  Her feelings for Finn and the honesty with which she expressed them made for an amazing, emotional read with which I really connected.

And Finn.  Oh lord, Finn.  My only regret reading with this novel is that it didn’t really delve into Finn’s time between high school and the present and I imagine Finn has experience some tough shit.  Not only that, but some more backstory would have been fabulous simply because Finn is such an honorable, respectable man who has clearly spent his life trying to make up for a few high school mistakes.  I wanted to know everything about his life. 

It’s a beautiful thing to watch two people meant for one another find each other.  Finn and Olivia were written together by fate and only their own stupidity could keep them apart.  I appreciated that they didn’t play around with one another but rather opened themselves up to their need and passion.  The story moved quickly, for two people who haven’t seen each other in ten years, but it wasn’t so quick that I didn’t believe it possible.  It had just the right balance.

I’m very excited for more stories by Roni Loren.  It’s clear that this book is not the last time we will see these characters and I’m especially excited for Rebecca’s story, Finn’s prom date that fateful night and the reason Olivia ended up with a gun pointed at her head.  She has some major secrets she’s hiding and I’m eager to watch her explore them.  The Ones That Got Away was a fabulous, contemporary read with dark emotions and some incredible story-telling.  It will be enjoyed by anyone and everyone.