As I was resting and relaxing this weekend instead of watching the shows I’ve been wanting to watch I picked up my copy of The Only One by Lorraine Zago Renthal to read with Pheobie out on the balcony because I decided to deserved some me time and man oh man I needed that.
If your like me a book may catch your attention because of its cover. Or sometimes it’s the title. And sometimes you discover a new author and find yourself wanting to read everything she’s written. This time it was a combination of all these things plus the other books I saw she had written on Amazon.
Before I share my thoughts with you I wanted to let you know I hadn’t heard of Lorraine before I heard about the Book Feature from Women On Writing Book Tour, so this is a new author for me.Which if your like me I’m always looking for books to add to our ten-minute reading challenge.
This book caught my attention because it looked like it might be a romance. But after looking through the chapter titles and reading the book description, I have a feeling there may be more to this story than I initially expected. And before I even opened the book, there was something else that made this reading experience special. Especially when I discovered it was YA contemporary fiction and coming-of-age romance.
If you were to ask me what I thought about The Only One I would say The Only One is a young adult contemporary novel that blends coming-of-age themes with family drama, a touch of romance, and elements of mystery. Most of the books I receive for review arrive in ordinary packaging. But The Only One was different, and I absolutely loved it!
Someone took the time to wrap the book in beautiful white paper covered with hearts. It reminded me of Valentine’s Day, and the wrapping was so pretty that I had to stop and appreciate it before getting to the book itself. It even had my name on it! That made me feel special.
There was also a little purple sticker that said “Not for Sale,” which I noticed as I looked over the package. But what really made me smile was the thought that went into making this book feel special. There was a note thanking me for joining the Women on Writing book tour, a group I’m part of. The note said an advance reader copy of The Only One was enclosed and ended with best wishes from Laura.
I couldn’t make out everything written underneath, because the print was to small but I appreciated the personal touch. When Charlie is home the next time I plan on asking him to read the entire not to me because that is the perks of having a son with good eyes. Unlike his mom.
For me it’s easy to think of receiving a book as simply adding another title to your reading pile. But when someone takes extra time to wrap it in pretty paper, put your name on it, and include a personal note, it makes the experience memorable. And yes, I know the story inside is what matters most. Which is why I was looking forward to discovering Eden’s story and seeing what Lorraine had written.
But before I even read the first chapter, the beautiful heart-covered wrapping had already made me happy! Then there was the beautiful puffed heat necklace on the purple background that I wish someone would give me. Because I’ve always loved hearts and collected them.
One of the reasons I wanted to read The Only One was that Lorraine Zago Rosenthal was a new author to me. I hadn’t read any of her books before nor had I heard of her, and I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to discover someone new. I enjoy having books ready for our ten-minute reading challenge, and you never know when one new author might lead you to several more books you want to explore.
After visiting Lorraine’s author page, I discovered that she has written five other novels. Those titles immediately caught my attention, and I could see myself wanting to read all six books! But first, I want to get to know The Only One. As I looked through the book, I noticed that it has 25 chapters and 313 pages. And the final chapter is called “A Fairy Tale.”
Now, you know I love a good fairy tale! How about you?The chapter titles caught my attention, too. Chapter One is called “Bad Memory,” which certainly made me curious. Then I came to Chapter Twelve, “A Permanent Houseguest.” I had to laugh out loud at that one because I seem to have one of those myself!
Chapter Twenty is called “With You,” and that made me wonder again whether this really would be the romance I initially imagined. Between the title, the chapter names, and the description, I couldn’t wait to see where Lorraine takes the story and let me tell you I loved loved loved it.
As I prepared to read the book the description introduced me to Eden Russo, who is lucky in many ways, but whose life is far from perfect. Before you ask she is a girl which Charlie wondered about because of her name. Isn’t that true for so many of us? We can have good things in our lives and still face challenges that other people may never see. I know that feeling myself.
Eden has a devoted father, Marty, who owns a popular Brooklyn restaurant, and a protective brother, Drew, who hopes to become a lawyer. Unfortunately, Marty and Drew have been at odds for as long as Eden can remember. At least Eden has a devoted father. Mine wasn’t quite that way so that sentence in a book makes you think about your own life and the experiences that shaped you. Families are complicated, and not everyone’s experience is never the same.
Eden also has no memory of her mother, whose death continues to cast a shadow over the family she left behind. That part makes me curious. What happened to Eden’s mother, and how does her loss continue to affect everyone? I’m not going to tell you the answers but it gives me another reason to share the story with you because I know the answer and I’m not going to tell you it.
Eden hopes to attend her dream college the following year and treasures her relationships with her father, Marty, her brother, Drew, and her best friend, Libby King. First of all, I think Libby King is such a cute name! But Eden is concerned about Libby’s attraction to Shea Dwyer, an alluring young man with a troubled history.
Oh, a bad boy which most of us women are attracted to. As the truth about Shea’s past comes to light, Eden’s opinion of him changes, and those revelations create painful rifts in relationships she treasures. Isn’t that sad! It’s difficult when you discover something that changes the way you see someone. Sometimes the truth can complicate relationships, even when people care deeply about one another.
Then the description tells us that Eden faces even greater challenges when her world is unexpectedly shattered. Oh, wow! I’m not going to tell you what happens because I want readers to discover the story for themselves. I haven’t finished reading it yet, and I don’t want to spoil the surprises. But all I’m going to say is OMG!
I want to see how Eden handles everything that comes her way and whether she can hold on to the people and things that matter most. As Eden struggles to hold on to everything that matters, she gets closer to the love she has always hoped to find. That sounds promising to me!
We all have different ideas about fairy-tale love. Sometimes it’s the romance we dream about, and sometimes it’s finding someone who understands us, accepts our imperfections, and stands beside us when life gets difficult. With the final chapter titled “A Fairy Tale,” I’m especially curious about how Lorraine brings the story to a close.
Will it leave you smiling? Will it surprise you? Will you want to go back and read it all over again? I’m not going to tell you. All I’m going to say is you will have to read all 313 pages to find out. But in the meantime I also learned that Lorraine is originally from New York City.
That caught my attention for a personal reason. Suzzane had the opportunity to visit New York, and one day I’d love to go there with Charlie in her memory. It’s one of those experiences I’d like to share with him while remembering his sister and the places she had the opportunity to see.
Learning that Lorraine is originally from New York gave me another personal connection to think about as I begin exploring her work. It’s funny how reading can bring different things to mind. You start with a book and find yourself thinking about family, memories, and places you’d love to visit.
The Only One is Lorraine Zago Rosenthal’s sixth novel, scheduled for release on November 10, 2026. My birthday is November 4, so the timing made me smile. A new book arriving just six days after my birthday sounds like a pretty nice birthday treat to me! Now, David you know what to get me.
I’m looking forward to sitting down with the new book during our ten-minute reading chapllenges and discovering a new author one page at a time. Here is my full reading experience and final thoughts.
More Books by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal; After discovering The Only One, I visited Lorraine’s author page and found five other novels that caught my attention.
- Other Words for Love
- New Money
- Independently Wealthy
- Charmed
- Always and Forever
I especially liked the cover of Charmed, featuring a woman in a wedding dress holding a beautiful pink-and-white bouquet. Always and Forever sounds appealing, too. And New Money caught my eye with its cover featuring a woman with a suitcase looking toward a city skyline. One of the buildings made me wonder whether I was looking at the Empire State Building.
I haven’t read these books yet, so I can’t tell you what I think of their stories. But discovering them has certainly given me more books to consider for my reading list! Now, there is one thing I’ve been noticing that people don’t always leave reviews for the books they read, and I wish more readers would take a few minutes to share their honest thoughts where reviews are permitted.
Reviews can help other readers discover books they might enjoy and provide authors with feedback from people who have spent time with their stories. If you purchase a book and enjoy it, consider leaving an honest review. You don’t have to write a long essay. A few thoughtful sentences about what you liked, how the story made you feel, or why you would recommend it can be helpful.
And if you receive a book for an editorial feature, make sure you follow the review policies of the platform where you plan to post. Authors work hard to bring their stories into the world, and sharing our reading experiences is one way to help other readers discover them.
Now I have a question for you. Have you read anything by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal? If you have, I’d love to know which book you recommend. Are you someone who loves romance, enjoys a little mystery, or always hopes for a fairy-tale ending? I’m excited to begin The Only One and discover a new author. For now, I’ll be turning those pages and enjoying our ten-minute reading chapters. Because around here, there is always room for one more book!
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of The Only One for an editorial feature through the Women on Writing book tour. My opinions about the book will be my own. This post may contain Amazon affiliate links, which may earn me a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
