When Eliza finds out that the dad who abandoned her was not really her dad, she wants answers. Lara is forced to confront her past and face some difficult truths. When they track down Ben he welcomes Eliza into his life. It turns out fate had played some awful twists in preventing them being a family before. Will Ben turn his back on his current life for a future with the daughter that he never knew he had? I loved this book. Another great book by Lucy Diamond.

Book Review***
Anything could Happen by Lucy Diamond

This book is a contemporary fiction novel, that centres around 18year old Eliza who goes in search for answers to questions on who her father is. This book has all the drama you could hope to read in a story. It made me laugh, smile, gasp in shock. I found this book had enough twists and turns to keep your mind from wandering off.

This book is beautifully written and tells a lovely story of family dynamics, to missed love romance. Ive never found a Lucy Diamond book I didnt enjoy and this one was no different. I loved that this book was set so close to home in Yorkshire but also ended up with many scenes in Cambridge and New York, the travelling within this book made me feel like I was travelling too especially in a time when travelling is limited.

Thank you to @netgalley and @quercusBooks for the earc. I throughly enjoyed this book.

A really enjoyable book , well written with strong characters.
Laura and Ben initially met in New York, with a memorable outcome .
Life took over! and 19 years later, back in the Uk we have Laura’s daughter Eliza wanting to know who her mystery father is . Ben is now married to Kirsten
This book is all about the past unraveling and a journey of discovery beginning . It is a book with many twists and turns to the plot as all three of them adjust to what is happening in their lives with the added insights of Kirsten
This is a feel good book which draws the reader in . I would recommend this book, loved the epilogue!
Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus Books and Lucy Diamond for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

A lovely story of what ifs and if things had been different. A lovely warmhearted book of a daughter's search for a father she didn't know existed and reconnections after 19 years, great characters and fun along the way make this a lovely cosy read

I really enjoyed this story of taking chances and what ifs. Ben and Lara met one magical evening in New York but although they both felt the spark of something special, circumstances conspired against them.

It's not until 18 years later that they find each other again, as the events of the past become clearer and secrets kept for years come to light.

I loved the exploration of how people's lives rarely turn out the way they plan, but how equally its never too late to take a chance and see what could happen. The characters were really engaging and relatable, I felt for all of them and was sad to leave them behind when the book ended!

A very enjoyable story about missed chances, along with a few hurt feelings which stopped some matters being resolved a lot earlier.

Lara and her nearly 18 year old daughter have a good life, but Eliza is feeling a bit lost without her father (Lara is divorced) and goes to confront who she thinks is her father, only to find out he's not her biological father and her mother has kept a secret about her birth all these years.

The rest of the story is about Eliza finding her real Dad, Ben, and upsetting the apple cart with his marriage, although to be fair it was on the rocks anyway.

Eliza is very determined to reconnect with her father, who is delighted to find out he has a daughter, but equally upset that he missed all her earlier years. Lara and Ben have a lot to sort out too, as their 'relationship' was only one day whilst they were both in New York and events transpired to part them, but is the spark still there, after the hurt feelings are sorted out?

A very easy-reading story.

A new author to me, this was my first book by Lucy Diamond, so I didn't know quite what to expect. I was immediately drawn to the synopsis on NetGalley so thought i'd give it a go.

I really enjoyed the premise. A night of instant connection between Lara and Ben in New York, that should have led to much more, results in a missed second date and an unplanned pregnancy. I'm not always a fan of 'whoops babies' as they can, unfortunately, be a sign of lazy writing, but not in this case.

Lara is already back in England before she realises, and despite unsuccessful attempts to contact Ben, she eventually has to just get on with life. It's only when her daughter, Eliza, discovers the truth that Lara must confront what might have been.

So, firstly, I loved the chemistry. The writing is warm-hearted and all of the characters well-rounded, including the supporting characters (particularly Ben's sisters). I did find it a bit slow in parts and found myself skimming some pages, and unfortunately, I never felt any real jeopardy, even with certain events. That said, I liked the ending and will definitely give more books by Lucy Diamond a try.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review*

I have also reviewed on Amazon UK, but awaiting moderation.

When Eliza turns 18 she decides that it is time to reconnect with her father, forcing her mum Lara to reveal a secret she has kept hidden for the last 18 years. Eliza is determined to get to know her father at all costs, taking Lara along for the ride, and what a journey it is. From Scarborough to Cambridge, and then overseas to New York where things first began, Lara begins to realise that her long forgotten dreams can still come true.

I’ve read a couple of Lucy Diamond books now, and they are generally light-hearted feel good books. This one was of the same ilk, but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as I have previous ones.

I really liked Lara. I appreciated her being a character who is happy with where her life is, despite it not being everything she expected. It’s great that she isn’t portrayed as a damsel in distress, needing a man to come in and fix her life up for her. Even though she does make some pretty major changes as the book progresses they are all things that she instigates herself, for herself, rather than to impress someone else.

I found Eliza difficult to take, especially early on in the book. She seemed the epitome of entitled teenager, and although I could understand her hurt and frustration I found her selfishness too much. Even later in the book her meddling got my back up, although I had started to warm to her a bit more by then. To be honest this is probably a sign that Diamond has nailed the eighteen year old girl character she was going for, but I found her a little off putting.

The story definitely had a feel good factor to it. From early on you can get a sense of where things are going, and are expecting that all of the key characters involved will get a version of a happy ending (even Kirsten who isn’t really made to be a likeable character). I did think that things seemed a little forced, and in real life I think it would be very unlikely that things would tie up nicely like this with no hard feelings across the board.

Overall it’s an enjoyable read and perfect for the warm summer weather we’re having in Perth as I was reading. It’s an ideal beach read. It’s definitely worth a look, I just wasn’t as engrossed by it as I have been with the author’s previous works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by Lucy diamond. A heart warming well written book that you can curl up on the sofa with. I was so absorbed with this book I read in one sitting. Thank you for the opportunity to read it early #netgalley

Eliza is eighteen and wants to know who her father is. On a mission to find him, she uncovers the secret her mum has been hiding; the man who she knew as her father, who had walked out on her and her mother when she was a child, is not her biological father.

Eliza continues to delve into the past, searching for her father and uncovering why her mother and father's romantic meeting lead to a one-night stand.

This novel has a strong narrative and the characters show emotion and depth.

However, the issue I had with this novel is that so many words were not needed; I found myself skimming over paragraphs just to get to the point of what was happening.

Because of this, I felt the novel became predictable, but also while the characters had depth I found Eliza to be selfish. She didn't consider other people's feelings or the repercussions of her actions, this may have been due to her age but I just found her selfish.

I also don't understand why you would straight off believe someone is your biological child. Surely you would question this?!

Lucy Diamond has done it again, yet another one of her novels that I got lost in devouring it in a single sitting.
Like her other books before this one was well written, and I found the story to be heart-warming and entertaining.
Thank you so much to the publisher & NetGalley for kindly gifting me this ARC to read.

Having never read any of this author’s books previously I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy this. I have, however, read great reviews about Lucy Diamond’s back catalogue, but for some reason never picked up one of her books before.

I am so delighted that “Anything Could Happen” was the exception. I really enjoyed this, the story was charming, entertaining and beautifully written. I found it impossible to dislike.

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure about Lara and Eliza’s relationship and how they were meant to be portrayed as individuals but it didn’t take long to warm to them both as main characters. As the story progressed, so did my curiosity of how everything was going to conclude for them both. (I’m being really careful not to add spoilers here!)

If you are looking for a great read to snuggle down with under a warm blanket, on a wet and cold wintery day then I definitely recommend this! Just be prepared to find this hard to put down and lose yourself in Lucy Diamond’s writing for a while.

As always Lucy Diamond is a reliable source of a good, well written story and this is no exception. The storyline is interesting with a few unexpected turns and the ending neatly brought everything together with a very feel good, somewhat aspirational, epilogue. One minor theme running through it reminded me of an old novel I still remember ‘ The man who planted trees’ , it’s always nice to be taken back to a previously read story. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really like Lucy Diamond's books, and I was pleased to receive an early preview copy from Netgalley and the Publisher.
This book was a little slow in places, but still a good and enjoyable read. It had realistic characters and I liked the different settings in this book.
It was a little predictable in places, but also had a few surprises along the way. It definitely made me think about what ifs and who things can unexpectedly change. It is a good read.

A new Lucy Diamond book? Yes please! I love Diamonds books so was so excited to get the opportunity to read her new one.

At eighteen, Eliza wants to know what happened to her father. Ever since she was young, it was just her and her mum, Lara. However, as Eliza pushes to find out the truth, she is faced with unexpected news about where she comes from. Taking us throughout the UK and over to New York, we see Eliza and Lara explore what really happened eighteen years ago, and who they really are.

I loved the travel aspect of this book - I’m a time when travel is so restricted, travelling vicariously through books is the next best thing! I also loved Eliza and Lara’s relationship and seeing them grow. A definite must read for fans of Lucy Diamond!

Thanks to @hachetteaus, @quercusbooks and @netgalley for the review copy.

A good story and a great beginning of what would have happened if……..? I thought it set the book up well and I enjoyed reading about the characters. For me it lost its way a bit in the middle and felt a bit slow. It picked up,at the end and is an easy read with romance featuring as well as family relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It all began 19 years ago and a chance meeting of Lara and Brian in a New York bar. There was an instant attraction between the pair, and after a very intimate night, they parted company planning to meet that evening. Events were to keep them apart, but Lara would have a constant reminder of that night when nine months later, she gave birth to their daughter, Eliza. The thing was that when Lara had arrived back in the UK, she had a bit of a fling with another young man, who believed Eliza was his. That was until it was proved that she couldn’t be.
Time passed, until at eighteen years old, Eliza demanded to know who her real father was. She was full of anger, reckless and unstoppable. Brian had been blissfully unaware of her existence all this time.

To be honest, I didn’t like Eliza at all, she was like a bulldozer stuck in high gear with a five-year-old driving it, she didn’t care about the wreckage that she would wreck into other peoples lives. Lara, I found weak, with her daughter in control of their relationship, setting the rules and demanding. So after a few chapters disliked both of the two many characters in the story immensely.

There are some cringing moments in the story and heartbreak in many other ways. It was strange because I still felt compelled to find out where this would all end. I liked the story because it brought out such strong emotions in me, even though they may not have been the ones I was supposed to feel. So would I recommend this book? Most definitely.

I wish to thank Net Galley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book that I have reviewed honestly.

Yet another wonderful book by Lucy Diamond. With loveable characters and hidden secrets making it a heartwarming winter read.

What a wonderful read, very uplifting in allowing yourself the time and space for reflection and self improvement. Lara and Ben are star crossed lovers that fate had plans for. Their story really touched me, Lara had to make some pretty quick life choices and no longer put herself first when she discovers she’s pregnant, this was very relatable, then doing it as a single parent, it’s only natural that her outlook on life is going to change, and the things she found fun in her youth just as important to her. Ben gives her a wake up call 19 years later and she allows herself the chance to change and to find herself again, all the little things that added up to her being her. I loved this aspect as she also had to deal with her daughter Eliza flying the nest, which is always an emotional time of which I could also relate to.

I liked that Ben and Lara didn’t have that instant attraction when they met again and they had to work hard just to get along and be friends for Eliza’s sake. Their growing friendship was nice to see as Ben also took stock of his life and deal with the fall out of New York 19 years ago.

A lovely story that wrapped itself around me and made me feel cosy.

Warm and bittersweet, Anything Could Happen felt remarkably close to home while still managing to capture the essence of the contemporary romance genre where everything does work out in the end - just perhaps not in the way you might have originally thought.

Following Lara and her daughter Eliza, the pair have always been a secure familial unit. That is until Eliza starts to push to find out who exactly her dad is and why he's never mentioned. The novel follows the rollercoaster of uncovering the truth, a very impromptu road trip, and Lara and her old beau Ben finding themselves back in New York where it all started (but with the addition of their child this time).

The miscommunication between the characters in the novel made me both want to laugh and cry; simply because of how obvious it would be to solve their situation if they just spoke to one another. But that's the fun of it - as things between Lara and Ben circle from past to present, neither really knows what happened between them and their brief encounter that could have been so much more. Eliza really ramps up this cycle of omission. Young and inexperienced but dealing with her own pain, much of her meddling brings her parents back together but at the sacrifice of Ben's marriage and Lara's feelings. In this tale, everything has to get incredibly messy before things start to look up again.

However, relationships aside, I really enjoyed reading about the character growth in this novel. There's a lot of introspection for the four central characters - Lara, Eliza, Ben, and his wife Kirsten - who are each coming to terms with their identity, their desires and their aims. I particularly enjoyed this journey for Eliza and Kirsten who both found some level of sexual freedom and how these encounters shaped their way going forward. Kirsten's narrative was wonderful for not demonising her as 'the other woman' and showcased a freedom for choice to chase what makes you happy, even if you have to deal with the consequences.

Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable and engaging read with a wide variety of topics covered that made it stand out against other similar novels on the shelves. Diamond's authorial voice shines through and I can guarantee, you won't want to put this book down.