Omg what an amazing, heartbreaking love story, I absolutely loved Adam and Anna, this is definitely a recommended read.

The Life We Almost Had is a contemporary romance but as the book’s blurb says ‘this is not a typical love story.’ The narrative starts with the story’s mirror moment, where seven years after meeting and falling in love with Adam, heartbroken Anna is writing a letter. At this stage, it appears Anna and Adam’s relationship has broken down and Anna is ‘hopelessly, irrevocably, lost without him.’ The story then flashes back to when the couple met before continuing in a linear structure as the alternate first-person narratives of Anna and Adam tell the story of how they fell in love and how it all started to fall apart.

Plot wise, the first part of the story has all the trappings of any good romance novel; however, once the story reaches about thirty per-cent it moves to a completely new level and is totally not what I was expecting. Many readers will know that Amelia Henley is the pseudonym of Psychological Thriller writer Louise Jensen, who not only has a reputation for writing stories based on avant-garde medical science but also for her in-depth research into such topics. This is where The Life We Almost Had pushes the boundaries and transcends the romance genre. I don’t want to give any spoilers here but I can reveal the author’s research into this branch of neuroscience is utterly fascinating, and so futuristic the novel felt borderline science fiction. I was gobsmacked when I read the author’s note at the end of the book to discover that it was based on current research.

But it is not just the story’s plotline that makes this book exceptional. The author’s narrative style, in particular the use of first-person narration, takes the reader deep into the character’s thoughts and feelings through an inner stream of consciousness. The prose is almost poetic at times; however, lexical structures are clear and the story moves along at a pace that sucks the reader right in to Anna and Adam’s heart-wrenching story. But make sure you leave some of those tissues for the end of the story. Oh that ending! Just WOW…

Without a question of doubt, Amelia Henley has proven that her skill as a writer is not restricted to one genre. Not only is she able to send shivers down the reader’s spine through placing them in a terrifying situation, but also through the magic of true love.

I would recommend this book for fans of Jojo Moyes, Carol Mason, Emma Cooper, or Caroline Mitchell (author of Chains of Gold).

💫 𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕓𝕦𝕕𝕕𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕! 💫

The life we almost had - Amelia Henley

This book was from netgalley and I also saw it on facebook on a post by Louise Jensen.

Buddy read with @booksinthebath_reviews41

As soon as @booksinthebath_reviews41 and I saw this on Facebook, we both knew we had to request this book on netgalley straight away. We were both approved and started reading the book the same day.

We both love Louise Jensen's books, however this book has been released under her pen name, Amelia Henley.

I couldn't wait to get stuck in and I finished the book within a couple of days.

I absolutely loved both the main characters, Anna and Adam. I loved reading about how the met on holiday and romance blossomed from it.

This book made me cry a few times and it was very emotional. I loved how the book was written and how each chapter has so much description. I could really imagine the characters and the story playing out in my head.

RATING; 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis;

This is not a typical love story, but it’s our love story.
Anna wasn’t looking for love when Adam swept her off her feet but there was no denying their connection, and she believed they would be together forever.
Years later, cracks have appeared in their relationship. Anna is questioning whether their love can really be eternal when a cruel twist of fate delivers a crushing blow, and Anna and Adam are completely lost to one another. Now, Anna needs Adam more than ever, but the way back to him has life-changing consequences.
 
Is a second chance at first love really worth the sacrifice? Anna needs to decide and time is running out…

Where to begin with Adam and Anna. Firstly prepare yourself for tears to fall as you will need those tissues set aside for novels such as this.
They met in unusual circumstances, Anna having been dumped excruciatingly close to her wedding is on her (would have been) honeymoon with her friend Nell, Adam holidaying with his long standing friend Josh. The attraction was immediate and in true holiday romance style the casual quickly became intense. They attempted to carry their relationship on once home, yet the travelling Adam owned took its toll. Love won out again however, and Adam and Anna took the next step of marriage. Their relationship unfortunately once more starts to veer off course due to Infertility, communication issues, and both blaming themselves. Is their love still strong enough?
Then. The heartbreak intensifies. (I’m getting chills even writing this). A tragedy occurs which shatters Anna and Adam’s love story. Ethical issues present themselves and Anna is torn what to do next. If that wasn’t enough Anna suffers further heartache.

If this book doesn’t have you sobbing then I’m not sure what will. I knew the authors previous work and this was a change of genre for her. Yet somehow she still drew me in from the first paragraph and I identified with large aspects of the story. Compliments to Louise Jensen, I predict this will be another bestseller!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I never thought my favourite psychological thriller author could write in a completely different genre and absolutely nail it.

If this was a physical book that I was reading for the first time, without a doubt, I know I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from flicking a few chapters ahead for a little peek. I needed answers. I felt everything that Anna was expressing. The pages are littered with emotion. This is not a perfect love story, written in a book, this felt like a real story. I cried until my eyes stung and I couldn't help from laughing out loud in some places following the emotional rollercoaster that made up Adam and Anna's story. It is written so cleverly, so raw, it is brilliantly realistic and I couldn't help loving and simultaneously detesting fate. This review does not do this book justice and if I could award more than 5 stars, I would.

I was highly anticipating this The Life We Almost Had. And rightly so as it is a phenomenal debut from the hugely talented Amelia Henley - she is definitely an author to look out for!

It’s not often a book leaves me with a lump in my throat, but this certainly did. It is far fetched in places - very much so - but it’s well written enough that such a thing almost doesn’t matter.

The characters are beautifully drawn and developed, and it’s a real page turner - I finished in a night.

Recommended.

Wow Wow Wow. I loved it. Not what I expected. An amazing love story. The scentific part was way beyond what you think about. The engagment ring story was lovely. The problem of not being able to concieve was so sad as it was destroing their love. But the ending was so unexpected and perfect. Best read of 2020 so far. Will highly recomend it.

I found the initial chapters somewhat formulaic, but then the story descended into science fiction. The events in the research unit were rather far fetched. The appearance of "Harry" was just too ridiculous to believe!

This book is an absolute gem, it's beautifully written and I fell in love with the characters so easily. A heartbreaking story but written in a way that made it very upbeat and full of hope and love. Such a captivating story of a couples relationship and the troubles that came with it. I so so want there to be a sequel.
Just truly wonderful

Wow - this was an emotional rollercoaster and a real tearjerker! The story of Anna and Adam is beautifully written and the characters are well developed. It's easy to read this book in one sitting as every chapter grips you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher HQ for the advanced copy of this book.

A very touching love story - a story about what happens when everything goes wrong, when life throws heart-breaking situations at Anna, one after another. I felt so sorry for her! But life has a way of sorting things out, even if it isn't in the way you'd imagined.

Wow oh wow! I'm actually sat typing this with tears streaming down my cheeks. What an absolutely stunning and breathtaking read.
I haven't been able to put this one down. I absolutely adore Adam and Anna. They are definitely characters who belong together and deserve the happy ever after. However, things don't always work out as you plan. Fate has other ideas....
I was extremely suspicious when the character of Oliver was introduced. I found myself resisting the urge to tweet the author to see what she was doing to me. However, his part in the story became integral and allows the reader to gain more of an insight into Adam and Anna.
This has made me cry but it's absolutely beautiful and really has taken my breath away. I don't want to give away any spoilers in this review, one theme that emerged towards the end is something which is extremely close to my heart. Henley has covered this in a highly sensitive and compassionate way, which has filled my heart with hope. It's definitely touched me and will stay with me for a long time.
This is such an easy rating to give, this is without a doubt a five star read. However, I wish I could give this all the stars because it is a magical read which should be added to everyone's TBR's.

A huge thank you to HQ and Amelia Henley for this advanced copy. It has been an absolute delight to read.
This is available from July 2020.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. This was an amazing book. It has been ages since I have found a book that literally hooked me or I didn't end up skimming parts of it. I will admit I was on the fence as I love her thrillers, and not all authors can go back and forth between genres, but she nailed it! The description of this book is very vague and does not do justice for how intense and gripping this book really is. I cannot wait to read more books like this by her. I love her thrillers, but I may actually like this one better!

Oh my days, how on earth do I review this book and do it enough justice, and to not give any spoilers?

I requested this book from Netgalley yesterday and as soon as I saw I was approved, I was intrigued to read it.
Firstly, because of the genre change that Louise Jensen has done,from writing Psychological Thrillers, to writing Romance under the pen name of Amelia Henley, and secondly, because this is a genre that was my first choice when I first started reading, and it is a genre that I feel totally at home with.

As soon as I’d read the first chapter I knew this was going to be a special read. The way Amelia Henley has captured Adam and Anna is just absolutely beautiful. These two really pulled at my heart strings and every step of their journey was followed by me urging them on their way. The story is so unpredictable in so many ways, and so gently and lovingly displayed throughout the story. I lost count how many times this book brought tears to my eyes, but towards the end, oh my days, there are no words to describe the gut wrenching ache I felt as Adam and Anna’s story got nearer the end of their story.
There are so many things I’d love to highlight about this book, such touching moments about special memories for the many other characters in the book, but I’d hate to spoil anything others who are going to read this beautiful book.
This is a beautifully written book with words that touch the heart, and at times, breaks the heart as you read Adam and Anna’s story ❤️

Thank you so much Amelia Henley for this absolutely stunning debut. I look forward to reading many more from you ❤️