The One You Fight For (The Ones Who Got Away #3). By Roni Loren.

The One You Fight For (The Ones Who Got Away #3). By Roni Loren. 2019. Sourcebooks Casablanca. ISBN-13: 9781492651468 (Paperback).

When the world and everyone you know defines you by one catastrophic tragedy...
How do you find your happy ending?

Fourteen years ago, Long Acre High School Senior Taryn Landry was labeled one of the “The Ones Who Got Away.” Having survived but losing her younger sister that night, Taryn has devoted her life to researching and developing interventions to prevent violent school events. As a psychology professor, she is smart, driven and a complete workaholic drowning in her and her parent’s obsession to get her proposed programs implemented into schools.

Shaw Miller’s life was also irrevocably changed that night. He became a shadow of himself—having lost his chance at Olympic Gold, being ostracized from his imploded family, and almost losing his sanity under the constant media scrutiny labeling him as the “Brother of a Monster.” He’s come to Austin to help the only friend who has stuck with him start a new business. It’s a little too close to home, but he has no plans of stepping foot in Long Acre and as long as he stays under the radar, his identity will remain a secret.

When Taryn and Shaw meet, the connection is there, but once they realize who the other is, they know there is no hope for them. But the unexpected attraction is too hard to ignore. In each other they find a haven where they can drop their shields and just be themselves—to confide their long held secrets about that dreadful night. But will others absolve them of their heartbreaking guilt?

All along, Loren has offered a variety of perspectives about the shooting and the immediate actions leading up to and following it. But now we get Taryn’s story, whom among the rest of this series’ group of survivors, was the only one to lose a family member. And Shaw’s story explores yet another side; what happens to the sibling who was left behind in the ashes of the other’s infamy? It’s a hard and unique premise for any author to pull off, but Loren makes it look easy and her signature style for this series will easily pull you in. If you devoured the first two books, you’ll do the same with this one.

382 pages