What Might Have Been
-
-
3.9 • 9 Ratings
-
-
- $7.99
Publisher Description
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird meets This Time Next Year in a sliding-doors style romance and coming-to-self story about fate, chance, and the choices we make.
What if “meant to be” happened twice?
Lucy is at a crossroads. The same night she quits her thankless job she meets Caleb, a local photographer in her seaside town, and has a run-in with Max—the once love of her life. As Lucy decides the right path forward—finally pursue her dream of becoming a writer, or move to London and revive her career—her choice will change her life in unimaginable ways.
Stay. After a decade of trying to run from her dream, Lucy is finally facing her fears and putting pen to page. With her budding romance with handsome, artistic Caleb, she has more inspiration now than ever. But can Lucy and Caleb open themselves up after their past heartbreaks? And will their different paths take them to the same place?
Go. Lucy can’t believe her luck when a room in her best friend’s London house share opens up and she lands a job at the prestigious Supernova. It gives her the courage to face Max, who’s serendipitous encounter still has her reeling, and ask what really happened almost a decade ago? But does she really want to know, when being together feels like fate?
In concurrent storylines that track what would have happened if Lucy chose to Stay or Go, What Might Have Been is a sweeping story that poses the questions: is it destiny or chance that decides who we are meant to be, and who we are meant to love? And is there such a thing as a soul mate?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Questions of fate and whether anything is "meant to be" wind through Miller's tear-jerking latest (after The Sight of You), the events and tone of which range from sweetly charming to painfully emotional, even melodramatic. After eight years in the same unsatisfying position, Lucy Lambert quits her job and reaches a crossroads: stay in Shoreley, her coastal hometown, or move to London. The story splits to follow her down both paths, each with its own romantic and professional trajectory, alternating nimbly between the two to demonstrate the ramifications of choices large and small. Lucy has always been enchanted by the story of her parents' improbable whirlwind romance, from which she's derived an ardent belief in soulmates; but as the next few years play out, readers see how malleable destiny can be. Miller gracefully intertwines an impressive number of threads across the two paths, though the illustrations of small decisions leading to larger consequences can be heavy-handed, leading the story to occasionally feel emotionally manipulative. Still, Miller addresses intense, complicated issues with a sure hand and skillfully sustains the Sliding Doors conceit. Readers will be captivated throughout.
