The Best I Never Had

Author: Amy Buchanan Title: The Best I Never Had Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin Date Published: 08/18/2026

Read Dates: 07/09/2026- 07/10/2026
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 📖 I received a gifted e-book ARC. The following is my honest review✍🏻

Best I Never Had is a dual POV fake-dating romance. Three years ago, desperate to get meddling family off his back, Owen hired Thea to be his fake-girlfriend to attend a cousin’s wedding, and then the two went their separate ways. When Thea’s younger sister tells her about her whirlwind relationship and quick engagement and begs her to come to the wedding, the last person she expects to see is Owen. The same Owen who’s been playing the “I’m too heartbroken for you to set me up with anyone” card for three years, who’s family thinks this is a great opportunity to get the two “back together” Thea has to balance keeping up the fake-exes ruse, while also balancing helping her younger sister win over her new family and a growing attraction to Owen that complicates everything!

This was so good, much more emotional than I anticipated, though. I was expecting some light-hearted shenanigans, which I got, but they were paired with complicated family relationships on both sides. I loved Owen and Thea, and Owen’s gaggle of interfering cousins. I intensely disliked Owen’s mother, and really struggled to find Thea’s sister redeemable. My heart broke for Thea several times, but I loved how fiercely devoted she was to the people who mattered to her, and I loved the way Owen unabashedly admired her and learned to stand up for himself.

Thea Pappas has always been the storm in her own life—fiery and unpredictable—traits that led her and her younger sister, Addy, through a series of foster homes. But with Addy's whirlwind engagement, Thea is determined to be the perfect maid of honor, even if she finds it odd that she hadn't heard of the fiancé until the ring was on Addy's finger. She believes she can survive a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a group of strangers without causing any trouble.

But upon arrival, Thea realizes these aren't strangers. Among the familiar faces is Owen Hayes—the man who, three years ago, paid her to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding. Now, he's looking at her with the same panicked expression.

Owen's life has always been about control—managing his mother's matchmaking schemes, his family's expectations, and the career path he never truly chose. Thea was his one rebellion, a beautiful lie that ended with a "heart-destroying" fake breakup. Now, with his younger brother's wedding underway and his mother on the prowl, Owen begs Thea to reprise their roles. One week. Same fake breakup. No feelings.

But as old sparks reignite and the lines between pretense and reality blur, Thea and Owen will have to choose: carry on their greatest performance yet or admit the truth—that it was never fake at all.