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The Love of Her Lives
Another life. Another chance. Another love?
Millie has a pretty good life. She loves her job and her little studio apartment. She’s single, but she has Bonnie, the most wonderful best friend in the world.
Her love life is a total train wreck. She’s always attracted to the wrong men. She’s in love with Stephen — but he’s married to somebody else.
Millie always wonders what if? What if she’d met Stephen first, before he met his wife? She daydreams that somewhere, in another life, she and Stephen are together.
One day, Millie is heading to Bonnie’s lake house for the weekend. She arrives early and lets herself in through the basement door. But when she steps through it . . . something extraordinary happens.
Millie finds herself in another version of her life. Now, at last, she has a chance to capture the heart of the man of her dreams.
But what if Stephen isn’t The One after all?
What if Millie has unknowingly been in love with someone else all along . . .
The Love of Her Lives 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.
Millie has a pretty good life. She loves her job and her little studio apartment. She’s single, but she has Bonnie, the most wonderful best friend in the world.
Her love life is a total train wreck. She’s always attracted to the wrong men. She’s in love with Stephen — but he’s married to somebody else.
Millie always wonders what if? What if she’d met Stephen first, before he met his wife? She daydreams that somewhere, in another life, she and Stephen are together.
One day, Millie is heading to Bonnie’s lake house for the weekend. She arrives early and lets herself in through the basement door. But when she steps through it . . . something extraordinary happens.
Millie finds herself in another version of her life. Now, at last, she has a chance to capture the heart of the man of her dreams.
But what if Stephen isn’t The One after all?
What if Millie has unknowingly been in love with someone else all along . . .
The Love of Her Lives 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.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2024
79 people are currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Connolly
3 books86 followersCJ 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
June 12, 2024
🎵IT'S ME, HI, I'M THE PROBLEM, IT'S ME🎵!!!!!! The Love of Her Lives written by C.J. Connolly had the potential to be good, but once again, the cheating trope ruined it for me. I absolutely hate the cheating trope more than anything, it's one of my biggest icks in books, why can't people just be honest and truthful with their significant other? Once again, I fell down the rabbit hole with the cute covers and the book not delivering for me. The time traveling in this book was poorly executed in my opinion, it was just all over the place. I couldn't connect with any of the characters at all. I'm going to keep this review short because I don't want to spoil this book for others that want to read it. I wanted to DNF this book more than one time, but of course I had to keep going, but in all honesty, I feel like I wasted my time reading it.
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND JOFFE BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!
"Home is not a place, but a feeling".
Millie Mackenize is a pick me girl, to be honest. Millie wants to love one man, but at the same time she's in love with another man. Millie and Bonnie had the best friendship, I think that was the best part of this book. Their friendship was golden. Ben, Bonnie's brother has feelings for Millie, but Millie has feelings for Stephen, her co-worker who also happens to be married. Millie always has these second thoughts, would life be different if she met Stephen before he married his wife? One day, Millie is heading to Bonnie's lake house for the weekend, but when Millie steps through the basement doors, something extraordinary happens, Millie time travels to another version of her life. I liked Ben, but I don't understand why Millie wouldn't give him another chance if she was so focused on one aspect of their time together?
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND JOFFE BOOKS FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!
"Home is not a place, but a feeling".
Millie Mackenize is a pick me girl, to be honest. Millie wants to love one man, but at the same time she's in love with another man. Millie and Bonnie had the best friendship, I think that was the best part of this book. Their friendship was golden. Ben, Bonnie's brother has feelings for Millie, but Millie has feelings for Stephen, her co-worker who also happens to be married. Millie always has these second thoughts, would life be different if she met Stephen before he married his wife? One day, Millie is heading to Bonnie's lake house for the weekend, but when Millie steps through the basement doors, something extraordinary happens, Millie time travels to another version of her life. I liked Ben, but I don't understand why Millie wouldn't give him another chance if she was so focused on one aspect of their time together?
September 5, 2024
Again thank you NetGalley for this arc read!
I enjoyed this story it had love, friendship and heartbreaks. The story itself was interesting and I loved the main character in this story. It was a great read! I gave it 3 stars only because I didn't like certain situation (cheating) that happened and i wanted a little bit more.
I enjoyed this story it had love, friendship and heartbreaks. The story itself was interesting and I loved the main character in this story. It was a great read! I gave it 3 stars only because I didn't like certain situation (cheating) that happened and i wanted a little bit more.
May 18, 2024
The premises of this book were really intriguing. While going into her friends' house, Millie finds herself in an alternate reality. She gets to live a few days in the multiverse of other Millie's lives, to see what would have happened if she had made a different choice.
She has to reset many alternate realities before she finds one that could suit her. She finally finds herself married to the co-worker she's been pining for for a couple of years now. But not everything is as good as it seems.
The idea of a character exploring her own self in the mnultiverse is really intriguing. I have also enjoyed the dual timelines, seeing Millie's past and why she took specific decisions. What left me a bit disconcerned is the fact that there could have been several realities that we could have done without, others could have been explored a bit more.
I get that Millie had to realise for herself a thing or two about the men in her life before going back to her own reality, that was obvious, but the epilogue could have been less rushed. I would have loved less multiverse resets and more of Millie going back to her own reality with newfound resolutions and exploring her feelings about the man she really loved.
She basically realised she was in love with someone she had known all her life, then the moment she saw him, she blurted out she loved him and that was the end.
Good premises but not the best execution.
Still, thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books to let me read this book for an honest review
She has to reset many alternate realities before she finds one that could suit her. She finally finds herself married to the co-worker she's been pining for for a couple of years now. But not everything is as good as it seems.
The idea of a character exploring her own self in the mnultiverse is really intriguing. I have also enjoyed the dual timelines, seeing Millie's past and why she took specific decisions. What left me a bit disconcerned is the fact that there could have been several realities that we could have done without, others could have been explored a bit more.
I get that Millie had to realise for herself a thing or two about the men in her life before going back to her own reality, that was obvious, but the epilogue could have been less rushed. I would have loved less multiverse resets and more of Millie going back to her own reality with newfound resolutions and exploring her feelings about the man she really loved.
She basically realised she was in love with someone she had known all her life, then the moment she saw him, she blurted out she loved him and that was the end.
Good premises but not the best execution.
Still, thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books to let me read this book for an honest review
July 20, 2024
Title: The Love of Her Lives Author: C.J. Connolly Rating: ★★★★
Imagine getting a second chance at love—sounds dreamy, right?
Millie has a decent life: a job she enjoys, a cozy studio apartment, and Bonnie, her fabulous best friend. The only downside? Her love life is a complete disaster. Millie's heart is hopelessly entangled with Stephen, who happens to be married to someone else. She constantly wonders, "What if?" What if she had met Stephen before his wife did? In her daydreams, they're together in another life.
But daydreams turn into reality when Millie heads to Bonnie's lake house for the weekend. She arrives early, steps through the basement door, and—voilà!—she's in an alternate version of her life. Here, she finally has a shot at winning Stephen's heart.
Yet, as Millie navigates this new world, she starts to question if Stephen is truly The One. What if her heart has been secretly longing for someone else all along?
The Love of Her Lives is a beautifully woven tale for anyone who has ever pondered the path not taken. It's a rollercoaster of emotions, and yes, there were moments where I screamed at Millie, but her journey of self-discovery is captivating and heartwarming.
Connolly's story is perfect for those who believe in destiny and the magic of soulmates. Millie's adventures in love and life make you think about the choices we make and the ones we wish we could redo.
Loved this book—highly recommend it for a heartfelt, thought-provoking read!
Thank you to The Publisher Joffe Books & the author C.J. Connolly for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.
May 26, 2024
this hurt my head to read I won’t lie
June 4, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advanced copy of The Love of Her Lives in exchange for an honest review.
I generally write spoiler-free reviews. However, I feel it is necessary that I provide more detail as to why I am giving this book such a low rating. Spoilers ahead- read at your own risk!
*The Love of Her Lives* in an adult romance with a touch of magical realism. This is CJ Connelly’s third book and my first CJ Connelly read.
The notion that making a different decision or bumping into a stranger at a party could completely change the course of your life or the lives of those around you is an interesting concept. Ultimately, I feel like this novel had a lot of potential, but I found the execution was lacking.
There are so many moving part in this story. Millie’s father abandoned her to move back to Ireland. Her mother is a “hippie” and not a supportive figure in her life. Millie considers her best friend, Bonnie’s, parents to be the only true parental figures in her life. Bonnie’s parents are now dead. Millie feels stagnant, and she cannot help but wonder *what if* she romantically connected with her co-worker, Stephen, when they were in college. But when Millie was in college she was actually too concerned with sleeping with her married professor to care about anything else. Oh, and also, why does she not like any of Bonnie’s brother, Ben’s, girlfriends? Why does she find herself thinking about the first time she met Ben so often?
Now, add all of the aforementioned personal issues, character flaws, and dynamics to a plot that is focused on shifting between multiverses where Millie is living very different lives… Needless to say, there was a LOT going on.
BOOK ENDING SPOILERY DETAILS AHEAD
I feel like a lot of the early multiverse jumps ultimately did not contribute to the story. Millie does not get to a universe with Stephen until the 65% mark. The narrative then consists of nearly a dozen universe changes within a couple chapters, most of which continued to even add less to the storyline than the initial chapters.
There was one life that Millie briefly entered in which she was struggling with substance abuse and experiencing homelessness. The way that Millie describes her situation in that life came across very insensitive, stereotypical, and overall extremely judgmental. This was a very short part of the story, but it was enough to make me nearly DNF.
Millie finally begins to realize that Ben is who she belongs with around the 90% mark. After coming to this realization, she is able to go back to her own life and reunite with Bonnie and Ben. She tells Ben her feelings for him, they immediately jump into bed together, and then he asks her to move in with him… That’s the end of the story. There is no time jump or epilogue. No further explanation of how she was able to jump between universes. Millie literally gets back to her own timeline, confesses her love, and he asks her to move in all in the same day!!!
If you are looking for a romance novel that explores the what ifs of life, you may enjoy this novel. However, Millie’s character flaws and its’ many moving parts did not make it a book for me.
I generally write spoiler-free reviews. However, I feel it is necessary that I provide more detail as to why I am giving this book such a low rating. Spoilers ahead- read at your own risk!
*The Love of Her Lives* in an adult romance with a touch of magical realism. This is CJ Connelly’s third book and my first CJ Connelly read.
The notion that making a different decision or bumping into a stranger at a party could completely change the course of your life or the lives of those around you is an interesting concept. Ultimately, I feel like this novel had a lot of potential, but I found the execution was lacking.
There are so many moving part in this story. Millie’s father abandoned her to move back to Ireland. Her mother is a “hippie” and not a supportive figure in her life. Millie considers her best friend, Bonnie’s, parents to be the only true parental figures in her life. Bonnie’s parents are now dead. Millie feels stagnant, and she cannot help but wonder *what if* she romantically connected with her co-worker, Stephen, when they were in college. But when Millie was in college she was actually too concerned with sleeping with her married professor to care about anything else. Oh, and also, why does she not like any of Bonnie’s brother, Ben’s, girlfriends? Why does she find herself thinking about the first time she met Ben so often?
Now, add all of the aforementioned personal issues, character flaws, and dynamics to a plot that is focused on shifting between multiverses where Millie is living very different lives… Needless to say, there was a LOT going on.
BOOK ENDING SPOILERY DETAILS AHEAD
I feel like a lot of the early multiverse jumps ultimately did not contribute to the story. Millie does not get to a universe with Stephen until the 65% mark. The narrative then consists of nearly a dozen universe changes within a couple chapters, most of which continued to even add less to the storyline than the initial chapters.
There was one life that Millie briefly entered in which she was struggling with substance abuse and experiencing homelessness. The way that Millie describes her situation in that life came across very insensitive, stereotypical, and overall extremely judgmental. This was a very short part of the story, but it was enough to make me nearly DNF.
Millie finally begins to realize that Ben is who she belongs with around the 90% mark. After coming to this realization, she is able to go back to her own life and reunite with Bonnie and Ben. She tells Ben her feelings for him, they immediately jump into bed together, and then he asks her to move in with him… That’s the end of the story. There is no time jump or epilogue. No further explanation of how she was able to jump between universes. Millie literally gets back to her own timeline, confesses her love, and he asks her to move in all in the same day!!!
If you are looking for a romance novel that explores the what ifs of life, you may enjoy this novel. However, Millie’s character flaws and its’ many moving parts did not make it a book for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2024
3.25 stars, rounded to 3. The book wasn't bad (and maybe it's just me) but the time jumping and all the different lives were so hard to follow lol. I also felt like the book was so predictable seeing her interactions with Ben at the start. It was clear they would end up together at some point. Otherwise, I loved the female friendship in this story and how important it was. Hands down the best part of the book. The author mentions taking inspiration from other books, like the midnight library. If you liked that book, you will also enjoy this one. Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC of this book.
June 13, 2024
Three and a half stars.
Millie has everything, a job she loves, a great BFF, a fabulous apartment. Unfortunately, she's in love with her very married work colleague, Stephen who she met at college and she often wonders what would have happened if she had chosen to join the astrological society at college with him instead of the a capella group. In fact, she and Stephen used to discuss the possibility of endless alternate realities.
Going to her best friend Bonnie's family home for the long weekend, Millie goes in through the basement door and finds herself in an alternate reality, one in which Bonnie no longer owns the house and Millie is married to a guy she briefly dated in college. Once Millie gets her head around the fact that she has somehow entered a parallel universe through the basement door in Bonnie's house she realises it could be possible to find a universe in which she and Stephen dated and got married. In each parallel universe Millie sees her life through fresh eyes and tries to help her other self, to escape addiction, or an abusive marriage, etc. Always, she checks to see if she and Bonnie are still friends, because Bonnie, her brother Ben, and their parents (until their tragic deaths) are the closest thing to real family Millie has ever known.
This is told partly through flashbacks to key events in Millie's life, starting with when she first met Bonnie, and partly through each of Millie's alternate lives, although the blurb makes it sound like she steps straight into a world where she and Stephen are together. I liked all of this, because I'm a sucker for things like Sliders and Stargate and Quantum Leap. However, and trying not to be spoilery, it was immediately obvious to me who Millie would end up with and therefore some of the surprise was lost, it needed to be more subtle. So, at first I was going to give this three stars because of the lack of suspense about Millie's MMC but I really liked the rest of the plot and would otherwise have given it four stars, so we end up at three and a half stars.
So, if you ever wondered what would have happened if you took that job, caught that bus, accepted that invite, you'll love this.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Bumped for release.
Millie has everything, a job she loves, a great BFF, a fabulous apartment. Unfortunately, she's in love with her very married work colleague, Stephen who she met at college and she often wonders what would have happened if she had chosen to join the astrological society at college with him instead of the a capella group. In fact, she and Stephen used to discuss the possibility of endless alternate realities.
Going to her best friend Bonnie's family home for the long weekend, Millie goes in through the basement door and finds herself in an alternate reality, one in which Bonnie no longer owns the house and Millie is married to a guy she briefly dated in college. Once Millie gets her head around the fact that she has somehow entered a parallel universe through the basement door in Bonnie's house she realises it could be possible to find a universe in which she and Stephen dated and got married. In each parallel universe Millie sees her life through fresh eyes and tries to help her other self, to escape addiction, or an abusive marriage, etc. Always, she checks to see if she and Bonnie are still friends, because Bonnie, her brother Ben, and their parents (until their tragic deaths) are the closest thing to real family Millie has ever known.
This is told partly through flashbacks to key events in Millie's life, starting with when she first met Bonnie, and partly through each of Millie's alternate lives, although the blurb makes it sound like she steps straight into a world where she and Stephen are together. I liked all of this, because I'm a sucker for things like Sliders and Stargate and Quantum Leap. However, and trying not to be spoilery, it was immediately obvious to me who Millie would end up with and therefore some of the surprise was lost, it needed to be more subtle. So, at first I was going to give this three stars because of the lack of suspense about Millie's MMC but I really liked the rest of the plot and would otherwise have given it four stars, so we end up at three and a half stars.
So, if you ever wondered what would have happened if you took that job, caught that bus, accepted that invite, you'll love this.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
Bumped for release.
November 25, 2025
it wasn’t great but it held me captive for my 9 hour drive and for that I have gratitude
October 5, 2024
(audiobook) cutie read!! got a little anxious every time Millie went through the basement door and there were people home LOL but i love the concept and how well it was written/explored.
May 12, 2024
What a wild ride, really. I've always wondered too about parallel universes where I've made different choices, and it's given different outcomes. This book explored this big time, and more than just 1 or 2 lives. It went deep.
This story is told alternating between the past and present. Each alternate universe explores a different decision in her past, which runs almost parallel in order to which choices affect her life in that current world.
It was extremely interesting and definitely pulled me in. I thought it sounded interesting and I was not disappointed at all. Thank you to the author and netgalley for a copy!! I really enjoyed it!
This story is told alternating between the past and present. Each alternate universe explores a different decision in her past, which runs almost parallel in order to which choices affect her life in that current world.
It was extremely interesting and definitely pulled me in. I thought it sounded interesting and I was not disappointed at all. Thank you to the author and netgalley for a copy!! I really enjoyed it!
May 15, 2024
I think this book was very interesting and there’s definitely an audience for it however, I’m not necessarily sure that I am the target audience. It’s an adult romance and the main character goes from universe universe or like Multiverse Multiverse and it gets kind of confusing at some parts and each world she’s with a different lover or in a different career or married to somebody else. I just find it a little unrealistic and confusing and at the end, she just discovers that she’s loved this guy that she was never with in any of the universe after she supposedly dies in one of the universe and she realizes oh wait I actually do like this guy. I think that it’s crazy that somebody would have to literally die for her to realize oh wait I actually kind of like that guy and I think overall it’s very drastic and dramatic. I also don’t really connect with each like universe having different people dying. It’s just kinda confusing because if there really was like a butterfly effect or something like that that was mentioned I don’t really think it would happen like that it just seems very unrealistic.
Then again traveling between multi-verses is unrealistic it just seems like it could’ve been done better and better explained.
The main character is also really un relatable because almost every single guy that she gets with which is a lot is not good for her or not a good person in general like one of her husbands was a married man who was a professor of hers one of her guys was like her best friend‘s brother and that fucked up the whole dynamic that they had (that we don’t even get to see) one of them was a devout Christian conservative, who had some really problematic takes and got mad at her for having birth control there was another time she was with one guy who was her friend, and then there was another guy who she had literally spent like 30 seconds talking to in her original verse it just seemed like it made no sense and it was really hard to keep up with all of her lovers.
Then again traveling between multi-verses is unrealistic it just seems like it could’ve been done better and better explained.
The main character is also really un relatable because almost every single guy that she gets with which is a lot is not good for her or not a good person in general like one of her husbands was a married man who was a professor of hers one of her guys was like her best friend‘s brother and that fucked up the whole dynamic that they had (that we don’t even get to see) one of them was a devout Christian conservative, who had some really problematic takes and got mad at her for having birth control there was another time she was with one guy who was her friend, and then there was another guy who she had literally spent like 30 seconds talking to in her original verse it just seemed like it made no sense and it was really hard to keep up with all of her lovers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 10, 2024
I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for allowing me the chance to read this book. Below is my honest review.
Everyone thinks of the what ifs in life. For Millie, her "what if" happened. This book reminded me somewhat of 13 going on 30, but still sticking original to itself. I do think this book has major movie potential. I was drawn in immediately and never wanted to look away. The story alternates from past to present, and it really pulls the story together nicely.
Millie finds herself going through a door that transports her to different versions of her life. It's chaotic, funny, and even sad at times, but Millie starts to wonder if she'll ever be able to land back in her original life. Will she find happiness and the person she's meant to be with? This was such a fun read that I'll recommend to anyone.
Everyone thinks of the what ifs in life. For Millie, her "what if" happened. This book reminded me somewhat of 13 going on 30, but still sticking original to itself. I do think this book has major movie potential. I was drawn in immediately and never wanted to look away. The story alternates from past to present, and it really pulls the story together nicely.
Millie finds herself going through a door that transports her to different versions of her life. It's chaotic, funny, and even sad at times, but Millie starts to wonder if she'll ever be able to land back in her original life. Will she find happiness and the person she's meant to be with? This was such a fun read that I'll recommend to anyone.
January 29, 2025
This was a cute read. When going to visit her best friend Millie finds herself in a new and alternate life. This happens numerous times over the course of the book.
Sometimes I enjoy reading books like this where the main character asks, “what if…” and we are brought into an alternate version of their life where perhaps one tiny change was made that would lead to a totally different outcome.
When jumping into alternate lives and realities it can sometimes be difficult to follow. Even though Millie’s character often annoyed me it was easy, cute, and ended exactly the way I wanted it to!
3.5⭐️
Sometimes I enjoy reading books like this where the main character asks, “what if…” and we are brought into an alternate version of their life where perhaps one tiny change was made that would lead to a totally different outcome.
When jumping into alternate lives and realities it can sometimes be difficult to follow. Even though Millie’s character often annoyed me it was easy, cute, and ended exactly the way I wanted it to!
3.5⭐️
August 7, 2024
This book had potential, but just didn’t live up to it. The description of the book, while intriguing, wasn’t fully accurate and it felt like there wasn’t enough foundation laid down before the “life jumping” began.
It was clear, from the beginning, how the book would end, and it felt like the author was just playing with scenarios to take up space before moving to the oh so predictable ending. By the time the two main characters got together, I was not super interested in the verbal diarrhea*ish* proclamations of feelings. Rated with eye rolls, it’s a perfect 5. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Giving it two stars for mostly keeping my interest.
It was clear, from the beginning, how the book would end, and it felt like the author was just playing with scenarios to take up space before moving to the oh so predictable ending. By the time the two main characters got together, I was not super interested in the verbal diarrhea*ish* proclamations of feelings. Rated with eye rolls, it’s a perfect 5. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Giving it two stars for mostly keeping my interest.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2024
The idea of this book is cool. Millie finds herself travelling through a portal to an alternate reality. She gets the opportunity to explore her different lives throughout the multiverse. You get different timeline POVs, going back to see different scenarios that brought her to the different realities that she travels to. I feel like the romance in the book is definitely less of the upfront focus. Millie was a bit hard for me to connect with and I thought the book ended up being a bit predictable. But all in all, it was written well and I did enjoy the journey.
September 25, 2024
Not super well written but extremely entertaining so it got an extra star for that. I am easily entertained
November 22, 2024
Hún var 3 þangað til í endann… þá datt ein stjarna af
December 4, 2024
I knew exactly how it was gonna end within the first 2 chapters
September 17, 2024
This book was very entertaining. FMC was definitely a bit messy but I think she began to get there toward the end 😅 This was a solid read for my commute.
May 7, 2024
A wonderful tale exploring all of the ‘what if’ moments we face in life. Some really great messages are weaved throughout the storyline and makes you question just how much our choices have influenced the person we are today - I highly recommend this book!
June 27, 2024
Had the potential to be so, so much better.
May 16, 2024
Firstly I would like to thank C.J. Connolly , Joffe Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of ' The Love of Her Lives' to read and review.
Due for publication in June , the novel follows the story of Millie who is always attracted to the wrong men - the ones she cant have and the ones she shouldn't. She always daydreams about a world where she had made different choices and her already great life could have been more fulfilled. She lives with an all consuming love for her male friend Stephen and whilst it seems that this is reciprocated they both know that nothing can happen beyond their friendship. He is settled and married with a family of his own and they both seem haunted by the ' what ifs ' . Millie always wonders how a life with him as her partner would have been if only they had made choices that lead them both down a different path. She knew Stephen before he met his wife and things could have been so much different if she started a relationship with him then rather than wasting time with the wrong men in relationships that had no future. Everyday that Millie sees the wedding ring on his finger her heart breaks a little more and she would give anything to see if the grass would have been greener if she had been a little braver back then.
Out of the blue Millie's life is forever changed when she walks into the house of friends that she has known for years to find that the family she grew up with and became apart of don't live there anymore and apparently never did. The portal that she has stumbled through allows her to discover how diverse life could have been had the smallest change taken place. Stepping into the shoes of alternate versions of herself allows her to try to make their lives better before she transports into the next constantly seeking the life she has always wanted for herself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and devoured it within a few days always looking for the opportunity to read just a bit more . Millie was engaging and I adored the fact that the book didn't follow the usual recurrent theme of novels within this genre of the main character being involved in an accident that resulted in a brain injury or awakening from a sleep or coma . The plot was realistic - well as realistic as a story involving multi universes can be. This is a story about true friendship and meaningful relationships and I highly recommend it to those looking for an easy and contemporary read that still gives you all the ' feels'
#THELOVEOFHERLIVES #NetGalley
Due for publication in June , the novel follows the story of Millie who is always attracted to the wrong men - the ones she cant have and the ones she shouldn't. She always daydreams about a world where she had made different choices and her already great life could have been more fulfilled. She lives with an all consuming love for her male friend Stephen and whilst it seems that this is reciprocated they both know that nothing can happen beyond their friendship. He is settled and married with a family of his own and they both seem haunted by the ' what ifs ' . Millie always wonders how a life with him as her partner would have been if only they had made choices that lead them both down a different path. She knew Stephen before he met his wife and things could have been so much different if she started a relationship with him then rather than wasting time with the wrong men in relationships that had no future. Everyday that Millie sees the wedding ring on his finger her heart breaks a little more and she would give anything to see if the grass would have been greener if she had been a little braver back then.
Out of the blue Millie's life is forever changed when she walks into the house of friends that she has known for years to find that the family she grew up with and became apart of don't live there anymore and apparently never did. The portal that she has stumbled through allows her to discover how diverse life could have been had the smallest change taken place. Stepping into the shoes of alternate versions of herself allows her to try to make their lives better before she transports into the next constantly seeking the life she has always wanted for herself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and devoured it within a few days always looking for the opportunity to read just a bit more . Millie was engaging and I adored the fact that the book didn't follow the usual recurrent theme of novels within this genre of the main character being involved in an accident that resulted in a brain injury or awakening from a sleep or coma . The plot was realistic - well as realistic as a story involving multi universes can be. This is a story about true friendship and meaningful relationships and I highly recommend it to those looking for an easy and contemporary read that still gives you all the ' feels'
#THELOVEOFHERLIVES #NetGalley
June 14, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the e-ARC.
I love a good magical realism book. This one had a great premise and was quite fun, but I did have some issues with it. 2.5 stars.
The main character was not very likable. She made a lot of bad decisions. I understand that she was influenced by her upbringing to choose the wrong guys and let the good guys go… but unfortunately it didn’t come through very well. The author made it seem like she was experiencing growth every time she went through a new multi-verse of her life, but she was only in the majority of them for like 24 hours. If anything, the only thing it did was allow her to essentially be a fly on the wall of different versions of her life and see why she would or wouldn’t like them. But they all revolved around a guy essentially and whether he was too dull, too ambitious, etc. There was no character growth, the premise of the novel just allowed her a way to see all of the potential guys in her life and help narrow down her choices to what would were best. And you know what? This is fine… it’s not great. But it was still fun. I just have a problem with it being made to look like character growth when it 100% wasn’t.
Another issue is her friends, siblings Bonnie and Ben. We get seamless flashbacks of her life starting from 11 years prior to help us gather what Millie’s life has been like. Which… bottom line from these flashbacks: she chooses the wrong relationships. But we rarely get to see what makes her relationships with Bonnie and Ben so amazing. It’s talked about a lot, but to be honest, very little is actually shown. I liked the flashbacks, but they, again, lacked to show what the author was definitely trying to show: character growth.
When it gets to the end and she finally gets her HEA (I’m sure you can guess who), it was done with very little chemistry and was honestly way too quick. One second they are kissing for the first time and the next second they are talking moving in and marriage. Like, what?
One more issue: the dialogue felt like a lot of monologues versus banter. Not the worst thing, but just didn’t feel as realistic since there wasn’t a lot of back and forth dialogue that is more common in real life.
Besides some glaring issues for me… this was still a fun book. I really enjoyed the premise (I love magical realism). The pacing was great too. A nice, quick read that never dragged.
I love a good magical realism book. This one had a great premise and was quite fun, but I did have some issues with it. 2.5 stars.
The main character was not very likable. She made a lot of bad decisions. I understand that she was influenced by her upbringing to choose the wrong guys and let the good guys go… but unfortunately it didn’t come through very well. The author made it seem like she was experiencing growth every time she went through a new multi-verse of her life, but she was only in the majority of them for like 24 hours. If anything, the only thing it did was allow her to essentially be a fly on the wall of different versions of her life and see why she would or wouldn’t like them. But they all revolved around a guy essentially and whether he was too dull, too ambitious, etc. There was no character growth, the premise of the novel just allowed her a way to see all of the potential guys in her life and help narrow down her choices to what would were best. And you know what? This is fine… it’s not great. But it was still fun. I just have a problem with it being made to look like character growth when it 100% wasn’t.
Another issue is her friends, siblings Bonnie and Ben. We get seamless flashbacks of her life starting from 11 years prior to help us gather what Millie’s life has been like. Which… bottom line from these flashbacks: she chooses the wrong relationships. But we rarely get to see what makes her relationships with Bonnie and Ben so amazing. It’s talked about a lot, but to be honest, very little is actually shown. I liked the flashbacks, but they, again, lacked to show what the author was definitely trying to show: character growth.
When it gets to the end and she finally gets her HEA (I’m sure you can guess who), it was done with very little chemistry and was honestly way too quick. One second they are kissing for the first time and the next second they are talking moving in and marriage. Like, what?
One more issue: the dialogue felt like a lot of monologues versus banter. Not the worst thing, but just didn’t feel as realistic since there wasn’t a lot of back and forth dialogue that is more common in real life.
Besides some glaring issues for me… this was still a fun book. I really enjoyed the premise (I love magical realism). The pacing was great too. A nice, quick read that never dragged.
May 4, 2024
I was unsure of how much I would like this book, given that I tend to like slightly more in depth romances, but this book really surprised me. The main character Millie was very endearing and overall a very “normal” person. I really enjoyed how the author wrote from the heart about her reactions and emotions every time she entered a new reality, as they were true to how I’d think most people would react given the circumstances, and not artificially inflated for the sake of making Millie seem more interesting.
I think what surprised me the most about this book though was how the author made it so every reality/relationship had a lesson to be learned, yet it wasn’t framed in a way to make the book take a turn for something more akin to a self help book. Reading each universe was like looking through the lens of my past through Millie, and connecting experiences similar to hers and the learnings to be had. I think the most interesting reality for me was the relationship with Stephen, and how Millie was so excited to finally be in the universe where she met Stephen before Eve, yet they ended up totally incompatible.
I also liked how the author made it so the universe-traveling Millie helped out the other Millie’s in the book. Particularly, the universe that stood out to me was the relationship with Rufus, where Millie finds the notes of Rufus’ alleged encounters tracked by the Millie in that universe, and writes her a letter confirming his cheating. It was a powerful realization for the universe-traveling Millie, and I think the author did a great job of really making it hit home that despite how great things may look, there’s always stuff hidden behind the curtain.
Lastly, the conclusion with Millie finally telling Ben how she feels was a perfect conclusion. I think there is just enough detail about the relationship, and the fact that Ben is so eager that Millie finally realized how she felt for him was adorable to say the least.
Overall, I would recommend this book for an easy, yet enjoyable romance. It’s by no means the most in depth typical romance due to the exploration of the differing relationships and universes, but the unique take this author took really made all the difference, and I think everyone will be able to see apart of themselves in Millie and enjoy this book.
I think what surprised me the most about this book though was how the author made it so every reality/relationship had a lesson to be learned, yet it wasn’t framed in a way to make the book take a turn for something more akin to a self help book. Reading each universe was like looking through the lens of my past through Millie, and connecting experiences similar to hers and the learnings to be had. I think the most interesting reality for me was the relationship with Stephen, and how Millie was so excited to finally be in the universe where she met Stephen before Eve, yet they ended up totally incompatible.
I also liked how the author made it so the universe-traveling Millie helped out the other Millie’s in the book. Particularly, the universe that stood out to me was the relationship with Rufus, where Millie finds the notes of Rufus’ alleged encounters tracked by the Millie in that universe, and writes her a letter confirming his cheating. It was a powerful realization for the universe-traveling Millie, and I think the author did a great job of really making it hit home that despite how great things may look, there’s always stuff hidden behind the curtain.
Lastly, the conclusion with Millie finally telling Ben how she feels was a perfect conclusion. I think there is just enough detail about the relationship, and the fact that Ben is so eager that Millie finally realized how she felt for him was adorable to say the least.
Overall, I would recommend this book for an easy, yet enjoyable romance. It’s by no means the most in depth typical romance due to the exploration of the differing relationships and universes, but the unique take this author took really made all the difference, and I think everyone will be able to see apart of themselves in Millie and enjoy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2024
“The Love of Her Lives” by CJ Connolly is the latest book in the author’s series considering parallel or alternative universes. Think of it like Sliding Doors or “Spider Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
I absolutely loved the first book published, “The Love of My Other Life” in which a bike accident lands Josie in an alternative world where she is wealthy, dating a fabulous man, tragedy in her life has not happened, yet nothing is quite right for our FMC.
I was surprised by the impressive anguish of second book, “The Love I Could Have Had” in which Olivia seems to have disappeared from her wonderful life (into another reality in which she died as a youngster) and her fiancé must cope with loss of his partner until they are reunited again.
In this latest entry, Connolly increases the stakes from one alternative life to multiple lives, small and large turning points for Millie, whose choices dramatically and subtly change her life and her partners.
I really loved how flawed Millie was as a character. Minor spoiler, but she has an affair with an older, partnered man in the “main” story (and in various alternative universes). There was a wonderful lack of judgment by the author about this decision, something that is filled with yearning, guilt and lust. If you don’t like your romantic leads to be flawed, then this book may not be for you.
Millie continues to make good and bad decisions for herself, and Connolly does a great job of showing the ways in which our lives can significantly change when two roads or more diverge in – if not a yellow wood – than Chicago, Illinois.
If you love “what if...” stories or exploring ideas of “the grass is always greener anywhere else....” I recommend this book. It was a satisfying end to this series, and I look to more from this Vancouver-based author. 3.5/5
I absolutely loved the first book published, “The Love of My Other Life” in which a bike accident lands Josie in an alternative world where she is wealthy, dating a fabulous man, tragedy in her life has not happened, yet nothing is quite right for our FMC.
I was surprised by the impressive anguish of second book, “The Love I Could Have Had” in which Olivia seems to have disappeared from her wonderful life (into another reality in which she died as a youngster) and her fiancé must cope with loss of his partner until they are reunited again.
In this latest entry, Connolly increases the stakes from one alternative life to multiple lives, small and large turning points for Millie, whose choices dramatically and subtly change her life and her partners.
I really loved how flawed Millie was as a character. Minor spoiler, but she has an affair with an older, partnered man in the “main” story (and in various alternative universes). There was a wonderful lack of judgment by the author about this decision, something that is filled with yearning, guilt and lust. If you don’t like your romantic leads to be flawed, then this book may not be for you.
Millie continues to make good and bad decisions for herself, and Connolly does a great job of showing the ways in which our lives can significantly change when two roads or more diverge in – if not a yellow wood – than Chicago, Illinois.
If you love “what if...” stories or exploring ideas of “the grass is always greener anywhere else....” I recommend this book. It was a satisfying end to this series, and I look to more from this Vancouver-based author. 3.5/5
May 7, 2024
This book was so beautifully written, that I read it within 24 hours. Millie and her best friend Bonnie are always doing fun things together since college. She's developed a strong bond with Bonnie and Bonnie's older brother Ben and they're like family for Millie. Millie has always had relationships with unavailable men and the men who are interested in her, she's not really interested in. At an office party, Millie chats to her colleague Stephen and she contemplates out loud what if her life turned out differently. She enters a portal where she visits different time zones of her past and her future.
Loved Millie 😊 She is such a relatable character with her thoughts and insecurities about life, especially her love life. For me, there are so many takeaway gems and food for thought from this book such as we always think that happiness lies somewhere in the future, somewhere out there. Also other people’s lives always seems to be better and brighter than ours. They seem to have the perfect partners and the perfect marriages, but no-one’s life is perfect. Meanwhile we don’t realize our relationships and who we connect with are what’s important. “Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling” as it says in the book.
The book also touches on what we all can relate to. The “what-if” factor that we all think about now and then and it happens when life isn’t going so great. So it’s like this carousel that Millie’s on and she can’t get off. Never happy, never satisfied, constantly wanting to change her situation when things get uncomfortable and doesn’t quite seem to be working out for her. Eventually Millie discovers that there’s a pattern here and she slowly realizes what’s important to her and who’s important to her. He was there all along ❤️
Loved Millie 😊 She is such a relatable character with her thoughts and insecurities about life, especially her love life. For me, there are so many takeaway gems and food for thought from this book such as we always think that happiness lies somewhere in the future, somewhere out there. Also other people’s lives always seems to be better and brighter than ours. They seem to have the perfect partners and the perfect marriages, but no-one’s life is perfect. Meanwhile we don’t realize our relationships and who we connect with are what’s important. “Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling” as it says in the book.
The book also touches on what we all can relate to. The “what-if” factor that we all think about now and then and it happens when life isn’t going so great. So it’s like this carousel that Millie’s on and she can’t get off. Never happy, never satisfied, constantly wanting to change her situation when things get uncomfortable and doesn’t quite seem to be working out for her. Eventually Millie discovers that there’s a pattern here and she slowly realizes what’s important to her and who’s important to her. He was there all along ❤️
May 10, 2024
"It's terrifying, when you think about it. How close we all are, at any time, to life being so incredibly different than it otherwise might. One wrong move, one misspoken word, could be all it takes."
Mille's life is going pretty good. Good job. Studio apartment she loves. Friends who are her family. Her downfall is her love life. The more unavailable a man is the harder she falls. No one more so than her married with children co-worker Stephen. In her melancholy moments, she often dreams of what her life is like in an alternate reality. How are those Millie's different? And is one lucky enough to be with Stephen?
Walking into her best friends lakehouse one Friday evening, she's instantly transported to an alternate reality. She's herself, but different variables. Partners. Jobs. Friends. While some lives seem like they could work, she quickly realizes no life is quite as good as her own. And maybe whats she's been looking for has been right in front of her the whole time.
Yall I loved this book! Every single CJ Connolly book has been five stars. She has this magical ability to blend love stories with actual human emotion that is such exceptional talent everyone should read this! Including alternate realities in any novel can absolutely ruin the story if not done well. In this instance, it's vital to the story as a whole. Five stars just isn't enough!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to CJ Connolly, Joffee Books, and NetGalley. 🫶
Mille's life is going pretty good. Good job. Studio apartment she loves. Friends who are her family. Her downfall is her love life. The more unavailable a man is the harder she falls. No one more so than her married with children co-worker Stephen. In her melancholy moments, she often dreams of what her life is like in an alternate reality. How are those Millie's different? And is one lucky enough to be with Stephen?
Walking into her best friends lakehouse one Friday evening, she's instantly transported to an alternate reality. She's herself, but different variables. Partners. Jobs. Friends. While some lives seem like they could work, she quickly realizes no life is quite as good as her own. And maybe whats she's been looking for has been right in front of her the whole time.
Yall I loved this book! Every single CJ Connolly book has been five stars. She has this magical ability to blend love stories with actual human emotion that is such exceptional talent everyone should read this! Including alternate realities in any novel can absolutely ruin the story if not done well. In this instance, it's vital to the story as a whole. Five stars just isn't enough!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
I received an advanced copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to CJ Connolly, Joffee Books, and NetGalley. 🫶
May 11, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.
The Love of Her Lives has such an interesting premise that I was excited to get into it and see how it delivered on that. I can say that it played with the concept of living different scenarios that come from different choices well, though it had some opportunities with the overall background and the main character, Millie, was a little frustrating as a result.
Millie is always falling for the wrong guy as is the case with her coworker Stephen. After going to her best friend, Bonnie’s, house she suddenly gets a chance to try see how life would have gone if certain choices she made were changed. The different life scenarios were enjoyable and I appreciated that we got so many instead of just staying in one. Millie has a lot of things in her past, her relationship with her mom and dad as well as Bonnie and Bonnie’s brother Ben. These are the points in the book where some more development may have made the plot points and different life scenarios that were focused on them a little more impactful.
If you are also interested by the premise I encourage you to pick this up, but following the main Millie we begin with is a little unfulfilling due to some opportunities when exploring her past.
The Love of Her Lives has such an interesting premise that I was excited to get into it and see how it delivered on that. I can say that it played with the concept of living different scenarios that come from different choices well, though it had some opportunities with the overall background and the main character, Millie, was a little frustrating as a result.
Millie is always falling for the wrong guy as is the case with her coworker Stephen. After going to her best friend, Bonnie’s, house she suddenly gets a chance to try see how life would have gone if certain choices she made were changed. The different life scenarios were enjoyable and I appreciated that we got so many instead of just staying in one. Millie has a lot of things in her past, her relationship with her mom and dad as well as Bonnie and Bonnie’s brother Ben. These are the points in the book where some more development may have made the plot points and different life scenarios that were focused on them a little more impactful.
If you are also interested by the premise I encourage you to pick this up, but following the main Millie we begin with is a little unfulfilling due to some opportunities when exploring her past.
May 30, 2024
How would your life be different if you made one small decision differently? The Love of Her Lives explores all the possibilities through Millie’s point of view. Millie accidentally discovers a way to move to alternate realities of her life, and she continues exploring the multiverse in hopes of finding a reality that she likes better than the one she has been in so far.
The author’s note mentions that this book was partly inspired by The Midnight Library, and I definitely see some similarities, but it is also entirely its own book. I really enjoyed the story alternating between flashbacks to important moments in Millie’s life and various alternate realities of her life. Millie is in love with her (married) co-worker, and she hopes to find a reality in which she ends up with him. Will it be all she ever hoped for? Or would she be happier with one of the other partners she had throughout the multiverse?
I have found myself thinking about this book many times since finishing it. I find it so interesting to think about how life would be different with just one different decision, and this book is the perfect avenue to explore that through a fictional story. Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books, and C.J. Connolly for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
The author’s note mentions that this book was partly inspired by The Midnight Library, and I definitely see some similarities, but it is also entirely its own book. I really enjoyed the story alternating between flashbacks to important moments in Millie’s life and various alternate realities of her life. Millie is in love with her (married) co-worker, and she hopes to find a reality in which she ends up with him. Will it be all she ever hoped for? Or would she be happier with one of the other partners she had throughout the multiverse?
I have found myself thinking about this book many times since finishing it. I find it so interesting to think about how life would be different with just one different decision, and this book is the perfect avenue to explore that through a fictional story. Thank you to NetGalley, Joffe Books, and C.J. Connolly for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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