Absolutely loved this story!! There's so much packed into this novella you won't want to put it down until you've reached the last page! Spending the summer with the mother who abandoned her years ago is the last thing Carrie wants but what seems like the worst summer of her life may just be the summer that changes her life forever. This story is emotional, real, and at times a little fun! And that Reed family once again shows us why we all want to be like them.

Grab this book, some tissues (trust me you'll need them), and sit back and enjoy a lazy afternoon with a great book. I highly recommend it. ( )

I am a huge Tammy Falkner fan. I admit to stalking her twitter and facebook in hopes of glimpses of what’s to come. I’ve been waiting for this book to be released for months, when it originally was supposed to be out before Proving Paul’s Promise (which I reviewed last month). Mrs. Falkner didn’t give any hints what this novella would be about, besides the title and the Reed connection, until she posted the first chapter online the other day. Up until then, based on the title, I thought Only One was going to tell the tale of how Henry fell in love with his beloved wife. Boy was I surprised (and slightly disappointed) when I found out it was about completely new characters!

Only One is the story of two recent high school grads, Nick and Carrie, who used to spend summers together during their childhoods. Family issues cause the lovebirds to drift apart, until Carrie returns to spend the summer with her mother. I would say the biggest aspect of the novella isn’t the romances, but the importance of forgiveness and family. I did enjoy Nick and Carrie together, but I was left wanting more. We didn’t get to see the couple together as much as I would have hoped and the happily-for-now, fade to black ending was annoying after such an emotional roller coaster.

The Reed brothers and their families were very present in Only One. Taking place a few months after the epilogue of PPP, we see how fame is treating them and learn some exciting news. Seth has a small role in this novella, so I’m hoping when he finally gets his time to shine, maybe we’ll get to revisit Carrie and Nick.

I enjoyed Only One, but not as much as I’ve loved the Reed brother’s books or the previous novellas. The writing was great, I even teared up, but I felt too much was left open-ended, and secondary characters unexplored. Maybe it was intentional, but with ZZZ’s characters already announced, and the future series in the works, I don’t know when Mrs. Falkner would have time to come back to Nick and Carrie’s friends and beach town. ( )