This book is two story’s in one, going between the difference in Lucy’s life depending if she decided to “Stay” in her seaside village or “Go” and move to London.

Although I feel like this is a unique concept and I believe it was really well written, I found myself liking half more than the other (the option I would of chosen for her! Stay / Go) despite this I still teared up at both, for better and worse 🥺 an emotional book about soulmates and how different life can be based on one choice

It’s no secret that Holly’s debut novel, The Sight Of You, is a huge huge favourite and one I take the opportunity to suggest to others whenever I can. I gave a sigh of relief when I read the first few chapters as Holly’s seemingly effortless but very brilliant style of writing and scene setting came from the pages with ease. It was like coming home. I also really like the book cover – and it captures perfectly the ‘Sliding Doors’ aspects of the novel. Two very different lives play out as a result of Holly’s choics between two men in her life. Very much what it says on the cover…‘What Might Have Been’ is explored with Holly’s brilliant writing style through alternate chapters focusing on Lucy’s lives.

However, (and this is a ‘But’…really – it’s such a hard one to write!) the characters and the storyline itself didn’t feel as perfected as Holly’s debut and I definitely wasn’t drawn to these characters either. Nevertheless you’ll never like absolutely everyone in fiction and that’s the point of literature. But the build up of each and the character profiles never really sat right with me. The Sight of You is still my absolute favourite, and I don’t see anything topping that in the future from Holly or anyone else. It’s something very special. But I will always pick up Holly’s books, just to check. Just in case… And I’m so glad that I read this because it was warm, comforting and entertaining throughout.

Throughout the scenarios that unravel in the book and the ‘What If’s’ and ‘If Only’s’ – I was constantly considering which life was better. Which would I choose, if I had a choice? I really like how this book challenged my thinking even long after I had finished it, and pushed me to consider which the perfect life was – and whether there actually is one. There are elements of both scenarios that are so important and life-changing as well as life-affirming.

Should I stay or should I go? The what if choices Lucy has. I liked that the book showed the alternative options. A really good read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

A great story and I particularly liked the "Stay and Go" options to the book bringing a fresh approach to the story.

This was a good read which I have recommended to my book club. I will be reading more by this author. Well done.

A really great read..When Lucy meets Caleb after leaving her job ,she catches site of her ex Max out side and suddenly her life can go in different directions. The story I very cleverly told by the author by writing about what will happen if she goes back to Max or stays and start a relationship with Caleb .Beautiful story with characters you can believe in which keeps your interest right from the beginning. I really loved it

Absolutely loved What Might Have Been. Lucy is given a choice of whether to stay where she is and follow her dream of writing a book or move to London and get back with her ex love, Max. The book explores what happens whether she decides to stay or go. It is brilliantly written, hard to put down and I found myself loving both of her lives so much that I didn’t know which I wanted her to have done, although it seems ultimately that choice is made for her. Caleb & Max are both such good men which is refreshing to read and all of the characters, perhaps bar Simon, are very likeable. Highly recommend this book! Best I’ve read in a while. 10/10!

When Lucy turns up to the pub after an awful day, all she wants is to drown her sorrows - but instead she makes a small decision that will change her entire life.

Caleb wasn't even meant to be in the same pub as Lucy but got the wrong address, and for some reason he can't help but talk to her, and slip her his number. While they're talking, she sees Max.

Max, the ex. The right guy at the wrong time who broke her heart over a decade ago. He looks great, and from what she's heard he's achieved everything he's set out to do and is still very single.

She might not know it yet - but she has two choices: Stay in her seaside town with Caleb to chase her dreams of being a writer, or escape to London with her former love and climb the corporate ladder. As we follow Lucy on the different journeys her life could take, we're left to wonder what might have been if we'd made different decisions in life too...

"Our eyes meet, and just for a moment, a universe of possibilities and what-ifs unravels and waltzes through the space between us. And it makes me smile."

What Might Have Been is a beautiful story about a woman at a crossroads in life, simply stunning - heartfelt and heartbreaking at the same time.

With such a unique, interesting concept of living two timelines at the same time, we get to see all the parallels, the certainties, the opposites - the way some things seem to be fated and intertwined with each other. While it felt a little confusing at first, it was so easy to get lost in the story and began to flow perfectly.

As we started on the journey, I was sure I knew exactly what path I'd have chosen for Lucy but as the decisions she made, good or bad, shaped her life I found myself realising there rarely is a perfect answer for anything - neither options were exactly what she wanted, but they were beautiful in their own unique way.

A thought-provoking, moving story for anyone who has ever stopped and wondered what might else have been.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I loved this. I was invested in Lucy and particularly the 'Stay' part of the story. Miller created likeable characters (although I wasn't keen on Max) and my attention was held well through out. I liked the premise a lot and it was executed excellently, although it would be nice if the formatting marking Stay/Go sections was a bit more obvious. However, a lovely read.

This is a tricky review to write because although a lot of parts of the book really did engage me, sadly there were equally the same amount of parts that did not.
This book is very much the Sliding Doors of the book world and I felt the book started really well, although I didn’t really get any proper attachment to any of the characters, except maybe Caleb.
To be absolutely honest, for me personally, I felt the story just dragged on a bit too much and there seemed to be so much going on in the two separate stories that were running alongside each other, and then intertwining between the two, that at times, it felt a little repetitive.
There are some lovely touching moments in this book that did make me warm to the story, and one in particular actually brought a tear to my eye.
Sadly though, this book just didn’t wholly work for what I like in a book so I give it 3 stars.

This is an interesting book - its a 'Sliding Doors' type scenario which considers how life would be if Lucy chooses to stay in Shoreham or move to London after leaving her job. She meets Calab in a bar and is chatting with him when she sees her ex, Max, outside and goes to speak to him. The story is about Lucy, her work her interests and her love interests but its also about family and friendship. Its funny, romantic and sad at times. I read this book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down! I really liked all the characters in this book and felt i invested in all of them.

This is a book that will pull on your heart strings and question whether its fate or choices that bring us together.

I was given a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley with no promise of a favourable review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. A lovely and endearing story told very much in the style of the movie Sliding Doors. Each chapter alternates between the two lives depending on choices made and it certainly is thought provoking from that perspective. Likeable characters and well written I would highly recommend this.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this one!

Having been a big fan of Holly Miller's, The Sight of You, I was very excited to be approved to read What Might Have Been.

I really enjoyed this one and felt like it was definitely an easy one to follow (although netgalley formatting is never that helpful). Split into different chapters; Stay or Go, we follow Lucy's life in two very different directions based on two very simple decisions. Stay where she is or move to London. Stay and move on from the ex-boyfriend or move and reconnect.

I have to admit that I was definitely erring on the side of Stay; I loved Caleb and felt he was such a breath of fresh air for Lucy. He seemed to bring out the best in her and really breathed a new leaf of life into the chapters. I will also admit that as the chapters developed with Max I learned to like him more but I was always on Caleb's side for where I hoped Lucy's life worked out. It was really interesting to see how Lucy's decisions impacted those around her and how it wasn't just her life that could have gone in two different directions.

My only drawback which is why I rated it 4* instead of 5* is because I wish there was a little more from the last chapter in uniting the stories together rather than this simply being two separate stories altogether. Other than that I loved it and it definitely had me tearing up at times.

I adored The Sight of You and this was just as good, such a good stpry, the writing is so good and the characters are relatable and endearing. It was so emotive i felt so many emotions when reading this book. I read it so quickly, it is such a good read.

What Might Have Been is one of my very favorite reads! I love stories that have a what if vibe to them and thus one was perfection. I was so curious to see what direction Lucy was going to go, Holly did such a good job building both sides of the coin so it really made it hard for readers to determine which path she was ultimately going to take. A must read! One of my absolute favorites for sure. I will definitely be reading and anticipating Hollys next book.

Premise
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?

Ever thought about the “what ifs” in your life? If you didn’t go to that particular place at that particular time or made a different decision then your life could be very different? One night Holly’s horoscope says she will meet her soulmate. She bumps into cute Caleb at the bar who leaves his phone number but also spots her ex, Max, the one that got away. The book shows the parallel lives that Lucy could have had if she had picked either of the men and the power that one small decision can make on your whole life.

Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. It had a unique structure with each chapter alternating the different lives of Lucy. I spent most of the book debating with myself which life I preferred for her. Caleb was a breathe of fresh air for her, someone she fell in love with slowly whereas with Max they attempted to pick up where they left off all those years ago and skip to the good bits. I was crushed for Lucy when her travelling experience was finally shared and I loved the way each man supported her when she told them. I thought the ending was very touching and by that point I was #TeamCaleb. But I felt that the final chapter just missed a little something to tie it all together rather than have 2 endings for the book.

Thanks for the opportunity to read this. I adore Holly Miller’s writing and loved this emotional and poignant story.

This love story had an unusual twist in that the central character, Lucy, follows 2 alternative life stories based on what would happen when she made a crucial decision at a turning point in her life. I loved both of her stories and although I did have a favourite ‘path’, as the reader you are shown how different her 2 lives were, based on just one important decision. I often think ‘what if?’ when I think of some of my own choices in life and this book explores one of these ‘what if’ moments for Lucy. Different, interesting, romantic and beautiful…I loved it!

I really enjoyed this book, it's a difficult one to write a review for without revealing any spoilers. It's very cleverly written and I liked how this was done. It's very much a book that reminded me of Sliding Doors, the John Hannah movie. I didn't see the ending coming, which I found to be very refreshing as so often in women's fiction you can.

I will definitely be recommending this to others when it is released, it's interesting, emotional and an intensive read to be enjoyed.

I absolutely adored Holly Miller’s debut and have fallen in love with the characters in this beautiful second novel just as much!

We meet Lucy, whose perspective this story is told from, at a crossroads in her life. She has just walked out of her unfulfilling job and knows she will need to decide on her next step. Should she stay in her seaside town of Shoreley and use her savings to work towards her dream of becoming a writer, or move to London to try and revive her career? It almost seems like fate therefore to Lucy when that very same night she meets Caleb, a beautiful stranger in a bar, and also spots Max outside the window who she runs out to speak to. A man who, ten years ago, was the love of her life. Should Lucy stay in the seaside town she grew up in, and in doing so, have the opportunity to get to know Caleb better? Or should she go to London and reconnect with Max again, even though he broke her heart a decade ago? As this story shows, sometimes one decision really does have the power to change the course of your whole life!

This novel captured my heart right from the outset and I loved how each chapter was split into ‘Stay’ or ‘Go’ meaning as the reader, we get to see what happens to Lucy as a result of each choice. Right from the beginning I was #TeamCaleb and this stayed the same all the way through the book for me. There was just no hesitation in my mind that ‘Stay’ was the choice I was most invested in. Caleb was just so kind and caring and thoughtful. That’s not to say Max wasn’t these things too, but something that Lucy learns about the way in which he broke her heart all those years ago is crushing to say the least!

I think every reader will be influenced in their narrative preference by their own experiences and beliefs in terms of work and love, destiny and fate and it is clever to have the two narratives exploring these differences. I cannot wait to read other people’s reviews in the coming weeks and months and see which they are behind the most. I would love to know if Holly Miller has a favourite life for Lucy or if she loves both narratives equally!

I also liked having at the back of my mind as I was reading the question around what happened when Lucy went travelling, shortly after Max left her. This is mentioned quite early on and it is clear it impacted on her writing dream and the way in which she has lived her life since. I was partly correct on a few theories about the ‘Nate’ character Lucy is haunted by, but the reality was even worse than I had first thought. The way in which both Caleb and Max learn about this element of Lucy’s past and try to help her was clever.

There were also some really brilliant overlaps within both alternate lives and I liked seeing how one particular event in both ended in very different ways. There was also one moment in particular (I am not going to say in which narrative) which totally floored me. I just didn’t see it coming at all and even now just thinking about it I feel emotional!

I have enjoyed What Might Have Been so much and didn’t want it to have to come to an end, even if both the ‘Stay’ and ‘Go’ endings left me smiling and excited for Lucy’s future!