The Ones Who Got Away

March 26, 2018
Loren’s tender romance about former high school sweethearts who survived a mass shooting at their senior prom is regrettably timely. It’s been 12 years since Olivia “Liv” Arias laid eyes on Finn Dorsey, who’s now an FBI agent, and she’s hoping her luck will hold long enough to avoid him now. He jilted her to take another girl to the prom, and then took a bullet for his date. But she’s agreed to be interviewed for a documentary recalling the tragedy, and so has Finn. As soon as they see each other, memories of their adolescent love affair come flooding back. During an extended stay in their small Texas hometown, where the documentary is being filmed, an adult love affair grows and helps them both heal old emotional wounds. A small cast of credible supporting characters, all dealing with their own grief, lends gravity without becoming maudlin. Loren writes movingly about the long-term effects of violent trauma on survivors in this warmhearted romance. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary.

December 15, 2017
Two survivors of a mass shooting at Long Acre High School return for the making of a documentary. This puts Liv Arias back in touch with Finn Dorsey, who had been her secret high-school sweetheart before the tragedy. Finn, now an FBI agent who's been undercover for two years, has been ordered to rest and decompress. With his encouragement, Liv decides go back to photography, her calling before the shooting. They agree to simply spend the summer together, knowing that is all the time they have, but love intervenes. This slow-paced tale begins a new series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 1, 2018
The 12th anniversary of a school shooting reunites two survivors in a second-chance romance that explores the lasting effects of trauma.Olivia Arias returns to her Texas town to participate in a documentary commemorating the night her prom was invaded by two gunmen. On film, she recounts the moments before the tragedy and how she took shelter in a janitor's closet. What she doesn't reveal to the filmmaker is that she was in the janitor's closet making out with Finn Dorsey, her school's football star. No one needs to know that detail, especially since Finn arrived at the prom with someone else and left Liv alone in the closet to save his date once the shooting started. Though she's willing to participate in the documentary, since proceeds go to help the victims' families as well as "research that could help prevent things like this from happening," she isn't expecting Finn to show up to add his own memories. After the shooting, Finn became a local hero--he was shot protecting his date, Rebecca--and his family moved away when the media attention became too much. Liv is in no hurry to have a reunion and relive her feelings for him. However, with both of them staying at the same small lodge during filming, seeing each other becomes unavoidable. Every page is packed with tension, and the frightening plausibility of the school shooting could easily have overwhelmed the promise of a happy ending. Loren (By the Hour, 2017, etc.) undertakes a careful balancing act with tenderness and tact as she introduces men and women who were forever changed by one horrific night. Liv and Finn's romance--wary, hesitant, and incredibly patient--is a soothing balm for the characters and reader alike. With the issue of gun violence at the forefront, this isn't an easy story, but every word, scene, and bit of dialogue is thoughtfully crafted.Unforgettable; have some tissues handy.

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