Holly Miller

I'm not sure what I was reading here, but I do know that I didn't like it at all. I did manage to finish after an interminable time, but that was only because I received this book as a SweetReads book, so felt obliged to read it as I paid for it. This book is conducted in two parallel universes. The protagonist, Lucy experiences two different life instances, with two different men. But really the men weren't that different, and I could not stand Lucy. Needy ad immature; annoying and a drama queen. I guess the problem is that all the characters were not believable or likeable. Romance has never been my genre, so I shouldn't dabble in it. I'm not sure if even romance lovers could relate to this very badly written book. I've never been so happy to shut the overs on a book before.… (plus d'informations)

Holly Miller's first book, The Sight of You, was one of my favourite reads of 2020. I commented in my review that I read the last 100 pages in one go. I did the same with What Might Have Been. I had this need to know what was going to happen and I was so completely engrossed in the lives of Lucy, Caleb and Max.

This book is not quite a Choose Your Own Adventure book but it's a similar concept. It's all based around the idea of what would have happened if Lucy had made a different decision. She initially believes in soulmates, that one person you are always destined to be with. But is life about destiny or about the choices you make?

Lucy works in an advertising agency in a seaside town called Shoreley. It's not her dream job and a snap decision leaves her pondering which path to take. Should she stay in Shoreley, give writing a novel a go and see if anything comes of her brief encounter with a man named Caleb, or go to London, interview at a very exciting agency and give a relationship with Max, her university sweetheart, another go?

Here's where the book gets clever. In each chapter we follow Lucy's story from the perspective of 'Stay' and 'Go'. We see the outcome of each path. You might think this would get confusing (I did wonder) but it really doesn't at all. It flows beautifully and I liked how some things would have happened anyway and some things happened because of the decisions the characters made. It certainly made me think.

Initially I was mostly team Caleb. After all, Max had broken Lucy's heart in the past. But with less than 100 pages to go I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. I was heavily invested in not only both relationships but also the vastly contrasting lives Lucy had built for herself.

As with The Sight of You, Holly Miller made me cry as I headed towards the end of What Might Have Been. It's an emotional and moving read, but it felt so real and raw at times, highlighting the fragility of life and those difficult choices, where both options make sense. I thought it was a unique and gorgeous story with characters I didn't want to let go.… (plus d'informations)

Joel kann die Zukunft von anderen Menschen träumen. Das belastet ihn und er kann mit niemandem darüber sprechen. Daher bleibt er für sich, denn niemand soll von seiner Fähigkeit erfahren. Doch dann trifft er in einem Café Callie, die nach dem Verlust ihrer besten Freundin sich auch zurückgezogen hat. Die beiden verlieben sich ineinander und Callie wendet sich dem Leben wieder zu und wird mutiger. Joel bestärkt sie darin. Ihre Beziehung wird immer enger, doch dann träumt Joel wieder. Doch wie kann man mit dem Gedanken leben, wenn man genau weiß, was passieren wird? Joel trifft eine Entscheidung, die sein Herz zerreißt.
Es ist eine wundervolle Liebesgeschichte und ein sehr berührender Debütroman der Autorin Holly Miller. Der Schreibstil ist einfach toll. Joel und Callie erzählen ihre Geschichte, die überraschend und herzzerreißend ist.
Die Charaktere sind sympathisch und sehr individuell und Callie und Joel sind ein traumhaftes Paar. Ich habe mit ihnen gefühlt und gehofft. Joel weiß, was Menschen um ihn herum geschehen wird und versucht immer wieder Schicksal zu spielen, doch nicht immer gelingt das. Was kann er ausrichten, als er Callies Zukunft träumt? Wie kann man damit leben, wenn man weiß, was für ein Schicksal der großen Liebe bestimmt ist?
Es ist eine ungewöhnliche und emotionale Geschichte, die einen packt und nicht mehr loslässt.… (plus d'informations)