Let me begin by saying that "The Love I Could Have Had" by C.J. Connolly is an absolute masterpiece that left me utterly speechless. From the very first page to the final sentence, everything about this book was absolutely perfect—the pacing, the relatable characters, and the raw emotions that made the entire reading experience truly worthwhile.

Liv and Jake have been best friends since they were twelve, fell in love at fourteen, and got engaged in their twenties. However, Liv has always harbored a lingering doubt about whether they might be missing out on other experiences in life by only being with each other. What if there's someone better for Jake? Or someone better suited for her? Then, one fateful day, Liv wakes up in a hospital bed to discover a life where the same people surround her, yet none of them know the adult version of Liv.

"The Love I Could Have Had" takes readers on a breathtaking rollercoaster ride of emotions, weaving an intriguing plot that explores the concept of parallel universes branching out from our present choices. As someone who has always been fascinated by the idea of parallel universes and the multiverse, Connolly expertly delves into this concept, creating heartwarming stories about characters that readers will undoubtedly fall in love with.

This novel effortlessly tugs at all the right heartstrings, eliciting a range of emotions throughout its chapters. I found myself feeling deeply sorry for Liv, Jake, and even Adam, as their intertwined lives unfolded in the most unexpected ways.

I must commend Connolly for the incredible job she has done with "The Love I Could Have Had." This book not only captivated me, but it also inspired me to seek out her other work, "The Love of My Other Life”. I have no doubt that this book will be equally as remarkable.

Bravo, C.J. Connolly, for delivering an extraordinary reading experience with "The Love I Could Have Had”. Your talent as a writer shines through every page, and I cannot wait to explore more of your captivating storytelling. Well done!

2.5 Stars. The Love I Could Have Had was promising with it's originality but after the first few chapters, it derailed. The idea of an alternative reality/Multi-verse was so intriguing that I couldn't wait to read it. The theme itself could still work for C.J Connolly for future books but this story was lukewarm at best.

Olivia and Jake are childhood sweethearts who've only been together with each other. On the anniversary of their engagement, Olivia is feeling uneasy at the thought they've never really "lived" and though Jake is content and promising he's happy, she goes off on a walk to work through her emotions. Falling off the edge of a cliff, similar to when she was younger, Olivia wakes up in alternative reality universe.

I don't want to give away too much but my main frustration with this book was that the synopsis and story don't match up and I was left so dissatisfied with the ending. "So now Liv has a chance to do all the things she never did. But maybe she doesn't want to." In what way does Olivia have a chance to do anything when the world she wakes up in, she has literally nothing? Her story is spent trying to convince people of her identity. She doesn't spend that time on feeling out another relationship, traveling, etc., that she hints about in the beginning. I was expecting more of a contrast with the alternative reality storyline, especially since Olivia knew she wasn't in the world she's from but there's nothing. Not a come to moment or changing her anxieties she had, before going back to her world. There's absolutely no growth. We know she loves Jake but that's about it.

Alas, I struggled with the formatting and numerous times when the chapter is in a character's point of view but a sentence or two will be talked in third person randomly; which was so distracting. Overall, there was potential but I struggled with finishing this book. I felt like the synopsis was false advertising and I was super sad it wasn't the story I was excited for. I hope with future books from C.J Connolly they match up because her ideas are incredible and I would love to read more. Thank you for the free ARC from Joffe Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect beach or pool read. Quick and easy to read, I read this in less than a day. Yes, I had figured out what was going to happen quite quickly, but it was still a fun, easy read.

This read was so good. Not what I was expecting going into it but I really enjoyed it. The title is slightly misleading. I had a assumed Olivia’s other “love” she could of had would of been a completely different storyline one in which she isn’t thrust into another almost similar life. That being said this book is still going into my top reads of 2023 for sure despite that.

The story was very well written and was not too unbelievable as other multi-universe stories can be.

My heart broke for Olivia at how alone she must of felt not fitting into the other world. I am glad the story ended on a happier note. Although I do wish we got more from the story like what happens next… as a reader I don’t like being left to make up my own version of what happened I need the Author to give me the answers.

I really enjoyed reading The Love I Could Have Had and would recommend it to others. It is a story that will leave you thinking about it and all the possibilities out there in life after the last page.

Sweeping, heart-wrenching. I love this trope and it was well executed. I had to pull out the tissues a few times but it was worth it. Sometimes I struggled with the idea of the second timeline and was more invested in the one with Jake, but I thought it was a bold attempt at trying something different which I appreciate in novels.

Enjoyable and quirky read. Having never read anything like this before I was a little unsure if I was going to like the dual universe thing going on but found it very interesting. The main characters Olivia and Jake ( in original time) seem so in love that I was rooting for them to reconnect., especially for Jake who is genuinely heartbroken by the loss of ‘his ‘ Olivia . I wouldn’t normally read this kind of thing but it definitely held my attention. Well worth the read.

🧐 my thoughts:
This book was definitely not what I thought it was going to be. It sounded promising with the multiverse romance aspect, so I was very excited, but I did not enjoy this one as much as I thought I was going to.

👌🏻what i liked:
I enjoyed the writing style that CJ Connolly used. It was easy to read. I’m also a sucker for dual points of view, so I really enjoyed that as well.

🙃 what i didn’t like:
I felt like parts of the book really drug on, and could have been shortened down a bit. Olivia also could’ve been a little more exciting as a character. I found her to be very bland and not exciting.

🥰 special thanks
Thank you to NetGalley, CJ Connolly, and Joffe Books for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

he can win me any day of the week. I was hooked and loved it from start to finish. Must read it and you will understand and be hooked.

While I liked the premises of the book and overall I thought it was an interesting read. I did struggle with this book. The jumping timeline was confusing. I did finish the book and my final thoughts ... it's an okay read.

Book Releases July 11, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the E-ARC.

All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.

Liv and Jake have been together since they were kids. Now, as their wedding quickly approaches, Liv feels herself having doubts. When she accidentally falls off a cliff, she ends up in a world where she died at the same cliff when she was 12. In a world where she and Jake never got together, is there still hope for them?

I was back and forth with this book a lot.
What I liked:
The concept: It's cool! I like alternate reality or time warping books. It's always interesting to see how the characters will act in the different worlds.

The push back: Not everything was roses for Liv. It's outlandish to think that those who loved you will just open their arms for you, and that isn't what happens here. Even her parents are skeptical.

What I wasn't too keen on:

Too much time: While I did like that there was pushback, too much of the book is spent with Liv trying to fit herself into her old life. I would even be hard pressed to call this a romance because of this. Plus, the Jake in the world she falls into is seriously with someones else.

The other Jake: the book is told in sections where you get to see the Jake from the world Liv is from actually looking for her. I felt like this slowed the story down and I wasn't invested. It read almost like a thriller in those chapters, but it wasn't needed. Honestly, I would have liked it more if it was all in her head and she didn't actually travel different worlds. But having Jake's chapters forced that.

All in all, this was an interesting read, but not for me. However, I think there will be an audience especially if you like books that twist reality.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

I got lost and confused in Olivia's multi-verse and ultimately dnf, I wanted to like this but the switching didn't make sense to me. I liked Jake was sympathetic to everyone, but it just didn't make sense to me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'll be the odd one out.

Ultimately this was a good book but there was lots of jumping around throughout the timeline which I found a little difficult to follow. Once I put the book down for the night it was a little difficult to get back into next time I picked it up. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

Thank you for the advanced copy.

I struggled with this, I did finish it but the fantasy aspect I could not get my head around. I struggled with the timeline jump.

It is well written and the characters are likeable. A vast percentage will love this.

I really wanted to like this book, but struggled to get through it. The storyline was not terribly developed and was predictable. I was hoping for a good ending but was disappointed.

*Review set to auto publish on my blog on Wednesday 5th July at 9am*

I’ve never read this author before so it was the blurb that drew me to the book. I love sliding doors; alternate timelines; tales of amnesia, and the like so this sounded right up my street.

First off I think it’s important to share that I read this book in two sittings but in under 24 hours (probably in about 15ish hours). So it held my attention well. It was easy to read, likeable characters and the two different timelines were easy to follow. The author was able to weave side characters through both sides of the story, we met a fair number under different circumstances that seemed consistent.

This book isn’t going to make you think overly about any of the themes, which is exactly what I was looking for from it. The main male character is a bit of a manic pixie dream boy, perfect in every way. But so is the main female character. I feel like everyone in the story was nice and rich and making the best of their lot in life. Which isn’t a bad thing, if that’s what you’re looking for. It’s definitely a feel good beach/holiday read. I’d recommend if for anyone looking for a wee bit of light escapism (as long as you can accept a multiverse storyline with no attempt to explain the science behind it, which I’m good with!).

This was a really interesting read for many reasons: it gave me a different perspective for any thoughts I had for what ifs, it was very interesting how she analyzed her feelings and thoughts on certain things as they were different from her own perspective, and finally...the end. The end completely threw me off. It was very predictable throughout the story but it was a very sweet discovering with a slight romance in it. I wouldn't completely say this is a romance book but she does figure out her what if moments in the very beginning of the book about marrying her fiancé. I actually liked how each character had something different yet similar in the 2 versions she experienced. If I were her I would be frustrated too at the end but I do wonder if she ever got married...

I would recommend this to anyone who likes a predictable story, slight romance with a side of mystery, and self discovery. This was a good read but I wish it had a little less predictability.

what went well: I liked the premise

even better if: the perspective didn't shift so much from liv's first persono perspective and jake's third person perspective. It would have been better if like it was actually exlained why liv woke up in a new world and how she got there. i also didn't get why the title is named that because it doesn't reflect that in the book. The writing was also really clunky so I didn't get that.

This was a book that started out really interesting and quickly turned into kind of a miss for me. I was under the impression that it was a romance but there was a lot of fantasy/magic in the book that i simply was not expecting. It was a very interesting premise and I think had a lot of potential, but it ended up feeling a little clunky for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A mix of ‘Sliding doors’ meets ‘Gone Girl’. A great book that I couldn’t put down and read in one sitting. The emotional turmoil of all the characters was palpable and had me hooked. Can’t wait to read what CJ Connolly does next!

Overall this book was a good read exploring the possibility of multiple worlds and their own unique timelines. Unfortunately I didn’t really like any of the characters, they all had pretty bland personalities and I subsequently didn’t feel as if I connected with any of them.

I do wish that it was more in depth with this concept though, why Olivia changed worlds, how exactly it happened and had it happened to anyone else ever? The ending was also super abrupt and this definitely needed an epilogue at the very least to show her transition back into her world I.e their wedding, going back to their jobs, the whole missing person case issue.

Lastly, why does the grammar change between perspectives? All of Olivia’s chapters were written in first person yet Jake’s were third person which felt weird and abnormal and alienated Jake as a character despite him being in the ‘normal’ world.

I did enjoy this book, thanks so much to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing me this copy for a review.