What Might Have Been - Holly Miller

 On the surface this looks like a straightforward romcom/chicklit novel but when you delve a little deeper you find out that it is a very cleverly structured and plotted novel. Using the old sliding doors theme this novel has a dual narrative. In a nutshell, the protagonist is in a situation where a choice and a decision has to be made -  to stay in one place or go to another. And of course any decision sends us hurtling down one certain path and a different decision would send us hurtling off down another. And in books where that is the theme the reader is often left to surmise what might have happened if a different path had been taken. What is quite unique about this book is that the author has chosen to give the reader both scenarios. And so the sections are titled “stay“ and “go“. Effectively you almost have two different stories but with the same characters in. For Lucy, our heroine, there are certain elements that feature in both the storylines but, of course, the outcomes from the two decisions are very different. What is so clever though is how elements and characters from both scenarios weave in and out seamlessly. And of course it is only the reader who is privy to both. For the most part it’s a feel good read, ultimately, but there is a part where you might be reaching for the tissues. It’s a book to disappear into on a chilly winters evening.

My thanks to Team Bookends for a gifted proof.