The Love I Could Have Had

by C.J. Connolly

Meet Olivia. Her life is just about perfect. She has a great job, a close-knit family — and she’s going to marry the love of her life this summer.

So what’s missing? She’s twenty-eight years old and she’s never left her hometown. And Jake is the only boyfriend she’s ever had. Her friends tell her how lucky she is — and Liv believes them. But there’s still something bugging her.

After a romantic lakeside picnic to celebrate their one-year engagement, Liv takes a stroll to clear her head. She slips and loses her balance, plunging into the cold lake water . . .

When Liv wakes up, she’s in a hospital bed. The nurse tells her she was brought in by a dog walker who found her unconscious.

But Liv has no scratches or bruises. And there’s no engagement ring on her finger.

Her family, her fiancé and everyone else she thought she knew don’t know who she is. And Jake is about to propose to somebody else.

So now Liv has a chance to do all the things she never did. But maybe she doesn’t want to. Maybe she wants Jake to fall in love with her all over again . . .

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Fantasy, Fiction, Chick Lit, Magical Realism, Time Travel

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 11, 2023

About the author

CJ Connolly is the Vancouver-based, UK-born author of The Love of My Other Life, a top-five finalist in the 2023 RNA Awards for Debut Romantic Novel of the Year, The Love I Could Have Had, and The Love of Her Lives. CJ's books are published by London-based Joffe Books, and she is represented by literary agent Victoria Skurnick of Levine Greenberg Rostan in New York.

Reviews

[Kobe · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stories with magical twists are my catnip, but I struggled with this one. While celebrating her one-year engagement, Olivia accidentally slips off a cliff and wakes up to discover she's in a different timeline—one where she died as a child.

It was mostly spent with Olivia attempting to convince those around her she is truly the girl they once knew. I wouldn't say there was zero resistance from her family, but I had a hard time accepting how relatively quickly they accepted their dead daughter being miraculously back from the grave.

I was far more invested in the original timeline, which follows Jake, Olivia's fiancé. I really sympathized with his struggles piecing together the disappearance of Olivia, all while dealing with police investigations and interrogations. I was very curious how it would all play out.

But overall the conflict was lacking. I was hoping for more turmoil between the two timelines. Perhaps Olivia feeling pulled between the two. It wasn't like that. And the ending was so incredibly abrupt. It left me feeling very cranky.

(heat level: open door, mild details)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Patricia Rupell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. I did enjoy the story and was really interested to see how it would resolve. Unfortunately, the ending was very convenient, predictable, and abrupt. It could really use an epilogue.

Also, the use of British words and phrases was disorienting, since they were supposed to be from the perspective of someone who was American.

All in all, though, it was a good read, and I would read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC.

[Kala Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I don't know if there is a 'right' path, for anyone...there's not right and wrong. It just is. But we can change our fate by making the best choices we know how, given the information we have available to us. If we don't like our lives, or an aspect of then, we can work hard to fix it. That's all any of us can do."

This book was an incredible, emotional, unique multi-universe story that will have you intrigued right from the very beginning! We meet Liv, who is engaged to her childhood sweetheart. Standing at the precipice of the rest of their lives, she is questioning her life choices, until she somehow falls into an alternate universe where she died at the age of 12, and her family and friends, including her fiance, have moved on without her. In the "normal" universe, we get the POV of Jake, Liv's fiance, who has to deal with Liv having now disappeared from that universe without a trace.

I absolutely love multi-universe plots and this one was very unique, I loved how we got to have the of POV of Jake, as usually these kinds of books just cover the new universe and not the one that was "left behind". This book was not what I was expecting at all, it took on a lot more of a serious tone, with parts of it reminding me almost of a "Gone Girl" vibe.

There were a few plot holes but they were not important enough to ruin the entirety of the plot for me. I loved all the discussions around choices and fate, and the more serious tone was so emotional in the best way possible!

Thank you to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the ARC!

[Katie (spellboundbooks_) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️

Big thanks to C.J. Connolly, Joffe Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

I was originally drawn to this one by the promise of a woman who got to see what her life would have been like if she never got with her childhood sweetheart - and I mean childhood since they were like 12... With a magical twist, she's thrust into a new reality - one where no one knows who she is.

This one just ultimately missed the mark for me when it came to the huge (and I mean HUGE) plot holes in this tale. I get it is supposed to be a fantasy but honestly, none of it made sense at all. First off, you're telling me that these two who have been best friends, dating since they were 14 and are now 28 are JUST NOW about to get married. That just seems weird to me that they waited that long. I know everyone is different but my husband and I met and started dating when we were 17/18 and we were engaged by 19/20 and married by 21/22. It just seems unlikely to me that they would have held out that long considering they were "soulmates". Especially when this woman clearly was having cold feet and didn't even care about her soon-t0-be husband's interests and instead only worried about her design business in the FIRST CHAPTER.

Then comes the fact that she is thrust into this other reality where she died when she was 12 and they do a DNA test on her and her parents are just like YEP THAT'S MY DAUGHTER. I get she had all the memories and knew stuff no one else could have known... but it just seemed a little too overdone to me. The only part that even made sense was the fact that her own dad and sister never truly warmed up to her being back in their lives. The other main plot hole for me was the fact that even the police were just like go live with your parents, we don't give a FUCK that you can't get a Social Security number or an ID or ANYTHING. Literally, nothing was being done about that and there wasn't a SINGLE news story on the fact this girl who supposedly DIED 10+ years ago was just found naked in a quarry. THEN the cop tried DATING her while still just being like "sorry about not having an identity - but I'm tryin to bone you". WEIRD.

Overall, there just really wasn't any conflict or really any emotion for any of the characters. Nothing was ever really figured out about WHY it happened, and the ending was ridiculous and super abrupt. The whole premise was supposed to be like what would her life be like if this wasn't the only man she's ever been with in her whole life - and SPOILER ALERT he's STILL the only man she's ever been with. So idk what I just read. The theme and idea was great - the execution just didn't work. Sorry but this is a no for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

Merged review:

2⭐️

Big thanks to C.J. Connolly, Joffe Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

I was originally drawn to this one by the promise of a woman who got to see what her life would have been like if she never got with her childhood sweetheart - and I mean childhood since they were like 12... With a magical twist, she's thrust into a new reality - one where no one knows who she is.

This one just ultimately missed the mark for me when it came to the huge (and I mean HUGE) plot holes in this tale. I get it is supposed to be a fantasy but honestly, none of it made sense at all. First off, you're telling me that these two who have been best friends, dating since they were 14 and are now 28 are JUST NOW about to get married. That just seems weird to me that they waited that long. I know everyone is different but my husband and I met and started dating when we were 17/18 and we were engaged by 19/20 and married by 21/22. It just seems unlikely to me that they would have held out that long considering they were "soulmates". Especially when this woman clearly was having cold feet and didn't even care about her soon-t0-be husband's interests and instead only worried about her design business in the FIRST CHAPTER.

Then comes the fact that she is thrust into this other reality where she died when she was 12 and they do a DNA test on her and her parents are just like YEP THAT'S MY DAUGHTER. I get she had all the memories and knew stuff no one else could have known... but it just seemed a little too overdone to me. The only part that even made sense was the fact that her own dad and sister never truly warmed up to her being back in their lives. The other main plot hole for me was the fact that even the police were just like go live with your parents, we don't give a FUCK that you can't get a Social Security number or an ID or ANYTHING. Literally, nothing was being done about that and there wasn't a SINGLE news story on the fact this girl who supposedly DIED 10+ years ago was just found naked in a quarry. THEN the cop tried DATING her while still just being like "sorry about not having an identity - but I'm tryin to bone you". WEIRD.

Overall, there just really wasn't any conflict or really any emotion for any of the characters. Nothing was ever really figured out about WHY it happened, and the ending was ridiculous and super abrupt. The whole premise was supposed to be like what would her life be like if this wasn't the only man she's ever been with in her whole life - and SPOILER ALERT he's STILL the only man she's ever been with. So idk what I just read. The theme and idea was great - the execution just didn't work. Sorry but this is a no for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Becky C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always so intrigued by the premise of the 'multiverse romance' theme but unfortunately have yet to read it done well, and a shame this one was not much different.

I wasn't able to become invested in the characters due to the lack of personalities, nor was there much of a mystery to uncover with the transition of worlds since it was never explained or even addressed much. I don't mind suspending my disbelief a little, but was left disappointed - there was no reason behind the timeline switch, why it only ever happened to Olivia, etc - this could easily have been expanded on throughout to make more sense of the story. It ended so abruptly - no spoilers here, just that I was surprised it didn't continue further.

One positive point is there was some exploration of characters reacting to a loved one essentially 'coming back from the dead' years later - acceptance, disbelief & anger - everyone has different and complicated feelings towards something unbelievable happening that should have been impossible.

A shame I didn't enjoy this one as much as I was hoping - it really did have so much potential!

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a very promising plot. From infinity possibilities of how every decision has a different universe of the decisions you made in it. However there was something that was missing. But with this type of plot it was light and breezy and I did find Olivia knowing how it ends a bit annoying - because if she knew it was going to come to a end - why wait to come back to her normal reality when she felt so lonely in the alternative universe? Just my thoughts.

I did feel the characters were not strong enough as people. For example, Olivia in both universes did not come across having much interests. Her only life goal was about a person, Jake. She wasn’t strong within herself.

Overall, I was intrigued by this interesting plot line and do recommend it as a read.

Review: https://clife.blog/2023/10/03/book-re...

[Isobel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Love I Could Have Had by C.J Connolly

This book sounded very promising. I found the idea of a multiverse romance to be a new and intriguing premise. I was, regretfully, disappointed after reading it, though.

Although I didnt particularly enjoy this book, there were definitely some good points to it. I liked the writing style, as it came across very light and breezy, which made this book easy to read. The split point of view was also a good addition and this is what kept me reading rather than simply giving up on it altogether. I think if the author had delved deeper into certain aspects of the plot or characters, this could have been an outstanding novel.

Unfortunately, I found that too much of this book was dedicated to Olivia trying to convince her family of her "resurrection". Of course, this was entirely necessary to the plot, but it took up too many pages and therefore the romance aspect seemed to be lost for a large percentage of the book. I also felt that the fact Olivia stayed so long in the parallel world, especially after being shunned by practically everyone at the start, seemed illogical. If it were me, I'd have been jumping back into the quarry as soon as they told me that my family didn't know who I was!! I'm also not sure where the aspect of "The Love I Could Have Had" was within this book, and I'm still confused why it was titled this.

Olivia as a character was rather dry, and she didn't seem to have much personality other than constantly bringing up her love for Jake. I felt that every aspect of her character was so closely linked to Jake that she almost seemed to loose her individual identity, and vice versa. Jake as well did not have much personality other than obsessing (rightfully so) over Liv's disappearance. We know very little about either of the main characters, other than that they are childhood sweethearts, so it was really hard to warm up to them. The only character I even some-what liked was Adam, and I think that really speaks volumes.

Overall, I felt this book was slightly disappointing and did not live up to the excitement I had when I first read the premise. The idea was solid and the book did have several funny and engaging moments, but overall I don't think this landed as the author had hoped. I would also say that this did not have the feel of a romance book at all, nor did the title really fit with the contents.

I would be interested to read future work by this author and see if this is perhaps just a very hard story to make make sense to a reader.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olivia should be the happiest woman in the world. She's engaged to her childhood sweetheart and best friend Jake. She has her own interior design business and has just totally transformed their little fixer-upper into a palace. They are getting married in just a few months' time, in a wedding that she has perfectly planned. Jake is so thoughtful, but she just feels a bit anxious, they've never even kissed someone else how can they be sure that they should be together? Also Jake is so thoughtful and always buys her her favourite white roses, but sometimes it would be nice to get some other flowers. Also Jake left town to go to law school and now he's ready to settle down and start a family, but Liv has never left her hometown, she'd like to travel the world for a few years before she thinks about kids (mind you how she thinks she can travel the world and run her own business I don't know).

They are having a picnic at their special place, a lake in an abandoned quarry that no-one ever visits. Liv walks off while Jake packs up the picnic, both of them naked as jaybirds, when Liv slips and falls off the edge of the quarry, but instead of being dashed on the rocks below, or miraculously falling into the lake, Liv ends up in an alternate universe where she died at that same quarry when she was twelve years old, in her reality Jake saved her, but in this reality he couldn't.

No-one believes she is Olivia, her grieving parents and sister think she's a confidence trickster who has stolen a dead child's identity, even when the DNA tests prove she is their daughter her father still finds it hard to believe.

Meanwhile Jake is going frantic trying to find Liv who has just vanished into thin air. The police search the woods and drag the lake but can find no trace of her. Where could she have gone with no phone, no clothes, and no money? Suspicion inevitably falls on Jake, did she run away because she didn't want to get married? Or did they have an argument?

The book alternates between Olivia in her new reality, a woman with no social security number, unable to tell people who she is, unable to get a job, or a mortgage, forced to live in her parents' pool house and be treated like a child, and Jake desperately searching for her in his reality.

This was an interesting take on the alternate reality switch, really brought it home that without basics like a birth certificate and social security number you really are nobody in modern society. forced to work cash-in-hand illegally. However, my overwhelming feeling when I finished this book was, what was the point? The blurb bills it as a chance for Liv to do all the things she couldn't do in her other life, but that was negated by the fact that she couldn't tell people who she was or get a job or live alone because she had no papers, so she didn't have a chance to live a different life. Also, she was still in love with Jake so how could she truly explore a life where she didn't love him?

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Available on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read the description of this book, I was really intrigued. I love the idea of exploring what would happen if x had made a different decision. However what’s most intriguing is the fact that the main female character, Olivia, is aware of this alternate timeline she’s been thrust into. She had this perfect life with her fiancé and after slipping off of a cliff into a lake, she wakes up in the hospital and her parents, friends, and fiancé have no clue who she is and she has absolutely nothing.

I read this book in one day, not one sitting, but it was really engaging. What I loved most was the back-and-forth between the timelines. It begins with the normal timeline but after the cliff incident, it alternates between Olivia’s point of view from the alternate timeline and her fiancé’s point of view from her original timeline.

Overall, this was a great beach day read. It wasn’t too heavy, but it does have some suicidal thoughts if that is something that may have an impact on you. It was brief but thought I would mention it.  It didn’t have many sex scenes and they were fairly mild, in my opinion. The ending was a HEA (Happily ever after), and it was satisfying, but it did leave me wanting just a little more.

Just FYI, I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

[Gerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

[Kayley ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing.. meh

[auds · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 enjoyed this!

[bibliovirgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

And another one… I just adore C.J. Connolly’s books so much! Her stories are super easy to read, unforgettable, intriguing, and very well written! I absolutely devoured this story of Jake and Olivia and felt so invested in them and what would become of them by the end of it all.

I know a few readers that wished for a little more at the end, but I just enjoyed every second of this book. I cannot wait for her next one!

I recommend this book if you enjoy:
- Multi-verse tropes (I love them!)
- Dual POV
- Emotional yet heartwarming stories
- Likeable characters
- Quick reads that keep you intrigued and wanting to know what happens at the end
- The thought that life can change in the matter of an instant or if you ever stopped to think if you made one different choice, how your life may have looked instead
- A little bit of mystery in your romance story
- Reading about destiny and soulmates

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you ever wonder if there’s a different you in a parallel universe living quite a different life? In this book, Olivia walks around a world in which she died as a child. Currently, she’s engaged to Jake, whom she has been friends with since they were children. She disappears and reappears in another world—one that holds similarities to hers, and yet has important differences. “Liv” will find those differences hard to deal with.

She wakes up in a hospital where no one knows here. Her own family is shocked and angered that she is claiming to be who she is because their Olivia died when she was twelve. Liv has no prospects. She can’t get a job without identification. What is she going to do?

This story builds suspense as one problem after another presents itself. Liv must overcome many difficulties and deal with loved ones being less than kind to her. She also gains new friends, and this complicates things for her.

Another interesting aspect is that readers see this story unfold from Liv’s perspective as well as Jake’s as he must deal with being accused of harming Olivia (No one in his world can find her, and he was the last to see her). Sometimes the book is repetitive, but sometimes it is also charming. This is a good story where Olivia gets to see what life would have been like for her loved ones had she not made it to adulthood. I was given a complimentary copy of the book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.


Merged review:

Do you ever wonder if there’s a different you in a parallel universe living quite a different life? In this book, Olivia walks around a world in which she died as a child. Currently, she’s engaged to Jake, whom she has been friends with since they were children. She disappears and reappears in another world—one that holds similarities to hers, and yet has important differences. “Liv” will find those differences hard to deal with.

She wakes up in a hospital where no one knows here. Her own family is shocked and angered that she is claiming to be who she is because their Olivia died when she was twelve. Liv has no prospects. She can’t get a job without identification. What is she going to do?

This story builds suspense as one problem after another presents itself. Liv must overcome many difficulties and deal with loved ones being less than kind to her. She also gains new friends, and this complicates things for her.

Another interesting aspect is that readers see this story unfold from Liv’s perspective as well as Jake’s as he must deal with being accused of harming Olivia (No one in his world can find her, and he was the last to see her). Sometimes the book is repetitive, but sometimes it is also charming. This is a good story where Olivia gets to see what life would have been like for her loved ones had she not made it to adulthood. I was given a complimentary copy of the book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

My blog: https://traveltheages.blogspot.com/20...

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/l.ma123ma/

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story of parallel universes, and an opportunity to choose a new life, promises an exciting premise - but for me this didn’t quite deliver what I was hoping for.

Olivia and Jake have known each other the majority of their lives, and have been in love for almost as long. Their lives so tightly intertwined that Olivia has little memory of anything that doesn’t involve him. And with their wedding quickly approaching she beings to feel the anxieties of what if life was meant to be different, what if there was someone else out there she was meant to meet, a different life she was supposed to lead. An anniversary celebration at the quarry leads to a slip and fall that lands Olivia in a hospital room in an altogether different reality - Liv must decide what she wants, who she loves, and figure out whether a different life is in fact what she wanted all along.

To start with the things I did like: as aforementioned the concept of this story is entertaining, and it kept me holding on until the end in hopes of a satisfying conclusion. The author does a decent job at painting each scene clearly, and while I didn’t feel a particular attachment to the characters I was still able to root for them - overall it was a quick and easy read.

For the dislikes;

This book does a tremendous amount of telling and not showing, with a disproportionate amount of dialogue - we see many of the scenes built through conversation which only leaves the reader removed from the emotional experience of the characters. We see that Jake is sad, but we don’t ever get the chance to feel exactly what that’s is like, we see that Olivia is confused about what she wants but the anxiety of her situation is never really felt through the character

I’m usually a fan of dual POV, but I can t help but feel it could have done better if we spent the novel with only the FMC - Jakes love for Olivia could have easily been shared through her POV, we didn’t need an entire half book about his routine with the police and investigations in the other universe. Ultimately the result left us with neither character having much of a personality by the end of the book.

I came out the other end of this one with no real understanding of what the point was. If Olivia was put into the other universe was it for her to decide if the life she had with Jake was what she really wanted? Because it felt as though the scenarios placed before her left little room for this decision to hold much magnitude. Secondary love interests introduced in opposition to her path with Jake also leave much to be desired, the relationship felt underdeveloped and the character unlikable.

And lastly, the ending was abrupt and I was left feeling a lack of closure, it could have really benefitted from an epilogue

Thank you to Joffe Books and Netgally for a copy of this ARC

[Meagan Whitmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Riley K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if you could do all the things you never did . . .

Meet Olivia. Her life is just about perfect. She has a great job, a close-knit family — and she’s going to marry the love of her life this summer.

So what’s missing? She’s twenty-eight years old and she’s never left her hometown. And Jake is the only boyfriend she’s ever had. Her friends tell her how lucky she is — and Liv believes them. But there’s still something bugging her.

After a romantic lakeside picnic to celebrate their one-year engagement, Liv takes a stroll to clear her head. She slips and loses her balance, plunging into the cold lake water . . .

When Liv wakes up, she’s in a hospital bed. The nurse tells her she was brought in by a dog walker who found her unconscious.

But Liv has no scratches or bruises. And there’s no engagement ring on her finger.

Her family, her fiancé and everyone else she thought she knew don’t know who she is. And Jake is about to propose to somebody else.

So now Liv has a chance to do all the things she never did. But maybe she doesn’t want to. Maybe she wants Jake to fall in love with her all over again . . .

The Love I Could Have Had is an extraordinary and unforgettable novel for anyone who has ever believed in destiny and soulmates — or paused to wonder what your life might look like if you'd made a different choice.

Loved loved loved this story. I found it to be unique and amazing. Will recommend to others.

[Books 'n' All Promotions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olivia and Jake have been together since childhood and now the wedding is approaching. Although they are madly in love Olivia can't help wondering if she is missing out or is Jake missing out? A few years down the line will Jake wonder what it would be like to be with another woman? Then a freak accident and she was transported to her life in a different timeline one where she doesn't exist. Now she can do all the things she thought she may miss out on.

This is a brilliant story that had me hooked. The characters fit the story well, some I liked and some I didn't. Some I would have liked to know more about. Deb the friendly server flits in and out of the story without knowing much about her likewise Savanna. However the main characters were realistic and developed well.

I like the theory of alternate timelines but this one didn't seem to work for me I suppose in my logical mind I am willing to believe there may be windows to another time but for me those windows would need to be accessed in strict criteria - the same date and time etc whereas in this book just falling from a cliff could cause you to end up in a different timeline.

I also felt the ending left too many unanswered questions.

However, a very enjoyable read.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Love I Could Have Had is the perfect book for anyone who has ever believed in destiny and soulmates — or ever wondered what life would be like if they had made a different choice. I feel in love with this story line for these exact reasons and I am not sure I will ever forget it either.

From the outset you feel the way that Liv does and you understand why she's having doubts as it approaches her wedding day and when she finds herself in an alternative universe where her life isn't the way it should be, all you want is for her to make it back to where she belongs.

I loved that it was told from Jacob's perspective as well as Olivia's as you could see just how much love there was in their relationship and want nothing more than for them to find their way back to each other.

The only reason this isn't a five star for me is because I didn't get that five star feeling but this will be a book I recommend to all my romance lovers!

[Mim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wished I loved this.

The writing was so good and it started off fantastic until the storyline went a complete different way to what i was expecting. I would understand if the plot was like ' what if I took this path instead of this one' etc, but this was pure fantasy stuff. And i LOVE FANTASY. but this was not it.
My logical brain could not handle the swapping of 'lives' and how the FMC could just return to her previous life... and that ending? It was so so abrupt and I was left confused and disappointed.

[Charmaine D'souza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for letting me share my opinion about this book.

First time reading a multiverse book and I am not a huge fan. The story was intriguing with Olivia and Jake enjoying a blissful afternoon together and then her tripping and falling off a cliff into another universe. She goes back to another universe to her parents, after being dead from falling off the same cliff, when she was 12. She is now 28, and has been living a life where she had not died and life had continued on. Her parents don't believe she is alive after all this time, but after doing a DNA test, they confirm that she is their daughter. Her mom is delighted and since she had become religious after her death, thinks it's a miracle and embraces her into their lives . It takes a long time for her father and sister to come around.
Meanwhile, Jake, her fiance, is living in another universe, where he has just lost her at 28, and there is no trace of her in the quarry where she has fallen, only her engagement ring is left behind. His universe details how he is attempting to deal with Olivia's loss when they were to be married in three weeks. He is devastated, despondent and depressed. Social media is chock full of stories of how everyone suspects he is the murderer. He can't go back to work as a lawyer for refugee women and children, because of the optics of how he is being vilified in the media.

Olivia is trying to live a normal life with her parents but she has no identification and social security number, since is technically dead. She can't get a legal job and is dependent on her parents. She meets Jake in this new universe and tells him about her other "reality" where they both were together since they were 12 and were to be getting married soon. He becomes quite interested in her story and meets with her to learn more about it. He is dating one of Olivia's sister's friends, Charlotte, and seems quite happy with her. Although, after meeting Olivia and hearing her story, he reminisces about the times when they were growing up together.

Olivia decides to go back to her "reality" by jumping off the cliff at the quarry where she had fallen, so she could get back to her old life and back with Jake. They meet again and the story ends happily. There could have been more to the end of the story, since it ended abruptly.

[germie_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Laura Lloyd · Rating 1 out of 5]

ERC

Book review 📚

A huge thank you to the team @joffebooks for the ERC of ‘The Love I Could Have Had’ by CJ Connolly.

Meet Olivia. Her life is just about perfect. She has a great job, a close-knit family — and she’s going to marry the love of her life this summer.

So what’s missing? She’s twenty-eight years old and she’s never left her hometown. And Jake is the only boyfriend she’s ever had. Her friends tell her how lucky she is — and Liv believes them. But there’s still something bugging her.

After a romantic lakeside picnic to celebrate their one-year engagement, Liv takes a stroll to clear her head. She slips and loses her balance, plunging into the cold lake water . . .

When Liv wakes up, she’s in a hospital bed. The nurse tells her she was brought in by a dog walker who found her unconscious.

But Liv has no scratches or bruises. And there’s no engagement ring on her finger.

Her family, her fiancé and everyone else she thought she knew don’t know who she is. And Jake is about to propose to somebody else.

So now Liv has a chance to do all the things she never did. But maybe she doesn’t want to. Maybe she wants Jake to fall in love with her all over again . . .


I very very rarely leave reviews that aren’t in some way positive. For me this just didn’t land. The idea is fantastic, the dual timeline SHOULD be fabulous, the relationship angst - stellar. But somehow it doesn’t gel.
If the timeline had been what if and then what was it would have worked much better but I unfortunately found it tough to trudge through Liv convincing her family she was effectively back from the dead. It became gimmicky when it could have been a really lovely book.

As ever I’m hugely grateful for any opportunity to land an ARC and I still look forward to seeing what else CJ Conolloly brings in the future.

[Kathleen Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

BLURB:
What if you could do all the things you never did . . .

Meet Olivia. Her life is just about perfect. She has a great job, a close-knit family — and she’s going to marry the love of her life this summer.

So what’s missing? She’s twenty-eight years old and she’s never left her hometown. And Jake is the only boyfriend she’s ever had. Her friends tell her how lucky she is — and Liv believes them. But there’s still something bugging her.

After a romantic lakeside picnic to celebrate their one-year engagement, Liv takes a stroll to clear her head. She slips and loses her balance, plunging into the cold lake water . . .

When Liv wakes up, she’s in a hospital bed. The nurse tells her she was brought in by a dog walker who found her unconscious.

But Liv has no scratches or bruises. And there’s no engagement ring on her finger.

Her family, her fiancé and everyone else she thought she knew don’t know who she is. And Jake is about to propose to somebody else.

So now Liv has a chance to do all the things she never did. But maybe she doesn’t want to. Maybe she wants Jake to fall in love with her all over again . .

MY REVIEW:
I loved the premise for this book, after all, who hasn’t wished at one point or another that they could go back and change something, or have a different life altogether?

Although the plot of this book is a common one, and there are a number of movies and books using the same ideas and themes, I still enjoyed this read.

The characters were likeable enough to hold my interest, and the pacing was good.

A sweet, lightweight read easily finished in an hour.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

[Love_booksforlife Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[vince weldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

​4* ADVANCED KINDLE READER COPY REVIEW


Ok - confession time, I'm not a romantic novel reader...my genre of choice is crime fiction, and to date I've had the privilege (usually) of reviewing 29 Joffe Publishing novels..."The Love I Could Have Had" is a walk on the wild side for me BUT a commitments a commitment and at some point I've clearly told the publisher that I'm up for the task.


From the opening sentence I was challenging my sanity - how far did I want to go into tracing fingers over bare chests, diamond rings shooting tiny rainbow prisms of light, thudding heartbeats...no dead body or protruding knives to be seen...but a commitments a, you know what I said earlier.


...two days later and, surprising myself, I really enjoyed the ride...the basic premise is silly but it's executed well, I like the overall writing style CK Connolly adopts, chapters are divided between Olivia, living the alternate life and her fiancee Jake surviving the nightmare of her total escape from the "real world"...a quarter way through and I'm fearing that this will need a Bobby Ewing appearing in the shower moment to resolve BUT that would be a challenging disappointment that could work on a TV soap where we had just the single narrative to ignore as things progressed - here there are two distinct story lines...my fingers were crossing that the solution wouldn't ruin that feel good read factor.


So, no spoilers, there is a resolution, it isn't a dream...fingers uncrossed.


I'm heading back to crime fiction, this was an interesting diversion but I'd not want to live here 🙂

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came highly recommended by a close friend who is such an avid reader, and I am so glad she introduced me to C.J. Connely. I was on a 7 hour plane ride home and finished it from start to finish. I couldn't put it down!

I was so heartbroken for Jake. The anguish, the desperation, all the emotions he went through, I went through. Those parts were really well written, and it was refreshing to read so much pain from the male standpoint. It was raw without encroaching on exaggeration.

The scene when Livvie (yes, Livvie, because I feel like I have gotten close to her already) was saying her goodbyes, that resonated with me... the part where her mom had to say goodbye to her and lose her all over again. However, I felt like in the end, the only one Livvie really did lose was Taylor. In her version of reality, she always had her parents, her sister. She had Jake, all thoughout. It was just a matter of her not fitting in this other world, so she was ready to leave it just like that because the world she was returning to had all of them anyway.

On the other hand, she was Jake's whole world, so it really crushed him that she was gone. I really loved that approach and made me so invested in his character.

I do wish the ending wasn't so abrupt. I was hoping there would have been more, or even an epilogue. I was left wanting more, but that is not necessarily a good thing in this case. It felt somehow incomplete.

All in all, it was great! I loved the approach in writing and look forward to more works from C.J. Connely.

[Maree · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy book to read, enjoyable if you can suspend a lot of disbelief. I read to the end to see what would happen and the multiverse concept was promising, I was intrigued to see how it would all wrap up.

However, while the premise was good the story didn’t deliver. Instead of being about ‘what if you could do all the things you never did’, where I expected the main character would explore different choices kind of like a sliding doors moment, or have more if this/then that story, it focused more on ‘what if you lost everything you had’. Olivia spends most of the book wanting her life back and tallying what everyone else’s life looked like if she had never been there.

I was distracted and frustrated by the plot holes. How everyone just accepted the fantastical circumstances in both timelines without any complexity of emotion, or real device to make it make sense. Even at the end, it didn’t explore the anger, grief, confusion, exhilaration and relief of such a strange circumstances for the people involved and how that impacts relationships. The sub plot with the policeman ‘love interest’ didn’t seem right and there were so many things that just got glossed over - the lack of interest from authorities in her legal status, questions about the 12 year old buried somewhere, the sudden and weird repeated love interest from the police officer.
The end was really abrupt and could have done more. I wanted to see Olivia meet the police officer again there, the tramper, see the fall out from her return when the dust settled.