The One That Got Away: A Short Story
£0.90
From bestselling author Mike Gayle, a story about exes and how to get over them. Or not.
Reuben thought he’d spend the rest of his life with Beth, until she broke his heart six months ago. He’s not even remotely over her, so he’s devastated to hear she’s getting married—this weekend.
Now he’s faced with the ultimate question: what should he do on the day of the wedding? Grieve? Disrupt the ceremony? Or do everything in his power to pretend it’s not happening?
Enlisting the help of his friends, Reuben is all set to mark the occasion with distraction on a grand scale: Ferraris, champagne, and a VIP box at the races.
But on the morning of the Big Day, Reuben gets a phone call that not only derails his elaborate itinerary: it may well change his life completely…
For fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby and the agony uncle of heartbreak himself, a story that asks: just how far would you go to get over the love of your life?
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Additional information
| Publisher | Amazon Original Stories (1 May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 3.6 MB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Print length | 100 pages |
by Kindle Customer
Light romcom short story where the main character is still hurting from the breakup with his ex girlfriend (who said she didn’t believe in love). He learns that she is getting married just 6 months after the break up. Without spoilers, I’ll say that he spends time figuring out what went wrong and what he wants out of a relationship. Story ends with an HEA including old friends mending fences. Cute but a little too neatly tied up for me. Not especially believable. But overall fun dialogue, especially in the beginning before it got all philosophical.
by Candice Peterson
This short story was a good quick read! The storyline was quite detailed, very captivating and, made me feel like I had read a 500 page novel in just 100 short pages.
by Mary Ellen
Too much talking going on in the head of the main character…way too much.
Could have been a cute die short story, a quick read that was amusing. But it was bogged down in the verbiage.
Took me two days to read, wasn’t sure I cared enough about the characters. Didn’t want to wade thru all the head talk. But I did finish it, so that says something for the story.
by Mrs Sylvia Rose
This is a funny and charming little story, it is nicely paced and has a heartwarming twist in it. Enjoy it. I certainly did.
by Kindle Customer
A quick and easy read, which can be read quickly in a couple of sittings or dipped in and out of. I did enjoy it, although I found the characters a little frustrating at times.
by The Cat’s Mother
This was a freebie with my monthly Kindle First choice. Although romantic comedy is not my usual reading genre, it was a short and easy read, both funny and sad, but with a happy ending. It was a bit cheesy, and I was frustrated with the two main characters, but it was a quick and lighthearted read between more serious novels.
by MicT
This was funny, uplifting and also thought provoking. I really enjoyed it. I liked the format of how it was written with the story from the past woven with the one in the present.
by Daisy Coo-Kasprzyk
This is my first Mike Gayle story and it looks promising for when you need a simple read. It doesn’t have elaborate characters or descriptive scenes, just straight to the point of the story which makes it very easy to read and follow. No cliche lines our memorable quotes either – I don’t know if that’s good or bad.
by Christina
This was the perfect little “get me out of a slump” book. Short, funny, sad. I really enjoyed the story and the ending seemed to fit perfectly. Anything other ending wouldn’t have worked.
by BEACHCOMBER
An easy to read and not get confused, then and now storyline. Just a few important characters kinda shows you you never know how you will.actually react in a situation. Definitely worth the read.
by Cloclo1900
And it was fun to read! I rolled my eyes few times but overall I enjoyed this short story particularly if you’re short in time, get this one.
by Saminess
Mike Gayle always manages to pull it off. This novella is short and sweet but covers the basics of a situation all of us in our 30s are experiencing… or just our celebrity crushes getting married. I definitely enjoyed it and it was quick and easy to read too
by Andrea R
Review of ‘The One That Got Away’, a short story, by Mike Gayle, published on 1st May 2025.
Having always been a fan of Mike’s books, I very much enjoyed this book, with his usual style of humour, laced with a touch of heartbreak, acceptance and a feel good ending.