
Member Reviews

Bluebelle Shea flees the small Florida fishing town in which she was raised following the drowning death of her mother and her father being charged with negligence in her death.
Ten years later Bluebelle returns bringing with her, her young son, Murphy. Her return is one of rebuilding relationships, with Murphy after leaving an abusive husband behind, her father who she hasn't seen since she left, and her teenage love and the father or Murphy, Enzo.
Her quest upon returning is to get to the bottom of the details of her mother's death and exonerate her father of the old charges. As she does so, she rebuilds her relationship with Enzo and discovers what happened between her father and Enzo's father two years before her mother's death and how it created a domino effect for what was to come.
Largely a book about going home, healing relationships and personal growth (Bluebelle's from an abused woman to one who decides to change her path). I did enjoy reading this book and recommend it to other readers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read What We Could Have Been.

Bluebell’s journey to reconnect with who she truly is takes you on a winding path of family relationships, lost love, and discovering the truth. This story tugs on the heartstrings from the first chapter and you get to grow with the characters as they discover how to be happy again. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this novel. It's about family, forgiveness, choices made and the confidence, and lost love. There's a bit of everything, and it works. The manner in which it's written makes me believe a series might be coming. The author has been put on my "watch" list for books.
Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A great book to read - family drama and feuding! It's captivating and well written. Four stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. The setting was fab.

Suspenseful, captivating, a wonderful book! The author keeps the reader guessing on this emotional rollercoaster!

After her mother dies and her father is charged in her death, Bluebelle Shea leaves behind the only home (and childhood sweetheart, Enzo) she’s ever known and builds a new life elsewhere. 10 years later, she comes home and of course, her return isn’t welcomed by everyone
This story was very unexpected for me. It doesn’t fit easily into any box. To me It is equal parts thriller, romance, and domestic drama. It has suspense, forbidden love, and some surprises!
I do think the story could have been a bit less character heavy. Enzo has several brothers and I struggled to keep them straight. The writing left something to be desired for me as well. Some of the story lines had me questioning how certain characters could just accept something with absolutely no negative emotion at all. In some ways it seemed that instead of working on development more some of the storylines were just accepted as they were to make it fit the overall ending the author was working toward.
Overall, this was a quick, fairly easy read for me and I enjoyed the characters and the fishing village/beach setting. If you’re looking for a very deep, life-altering story this may not be the book for you, but If you enjoy drama, love, and some twists you will devour What We Could Have Been.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read this ARC.

This is a great novel about family, regaining your confidence, finding yourself, righting past wrongs and lost love, with a little mystery to puzzle out thrown in.
This was a well paced, quick read that was hard to put down. I loved young Murphy, who showed so much growth by then end of the book. And those Castellari brothers… I am hoping this becomes a series and each brother gets a book! I’m thinking I want to read Enzo’s story next, or maybe Marcello’s. Fingers crossed more books are planned!
Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.