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The Things I'd Miss
For fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Jojo Moyes. If you could go back and change anything in your past, what would it be? The new novel from the author of Learn Love in a Week
If you could change anything in your past, what would it be?
If only things had been different, Lucy Potts, 43-year-old mother of two, would be married to Hugh Ashby - the man she loved and lost. Instead, she married his best friend, Simon.
And then a devastating car crash leaves her unconscious, and she finds herself revisiting the crucial moments in her past. But everything is slightly different. Suddenly, she is able to change all the things she's always wished she'd done differently.
But by concentrating on her past, she is forgetting about all the things she would miss in the present, and as she comes round, she makes a devastating discovery.
If you could change anything in your past, what would it be?
If only things had been different, Lucy Potts, 43-year-old mother of two, would be married to Hugh Ashby - the man she loved and lost. Instead, she married his best friend, Simon.
And then a devastating car crash leaves her unconscious, and she finds herself revisiting the crucial moments in her past. But everything is slightly different. Suddenly, she is able to change all the things she's always wished she'd done differently.
But by concentrating on her past, she is forgetting about all the things she would miss in the present, and as she comes round, she makes a devastating discovery.
Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2014
About the author
Andrew Clover
23 books21 followersAndrew Clover is the author of the Dad Rules column published in The Sunday Times Style. Learn Love in a Week is his first adult novel. We talk about his brilliant solution to writers block, who’d he like around for dinner and his new novel…
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 2, 2015
Ummmm..okay. It was good enough to read and finish (with a few books thrown in between) but it was confusing. I like the premise... I always enjoy a "what would it be like to do things over again" story. We have Lucy, who is the mother to two boys and wife to big kid-like man, Simon. They get in a fight and he takes off and she's home frustrated with the kids and goes to run an errand. Crash!!! while laying bloodied and almost dying she starts to have these memories of her past where she was in love with a mutual friend of hers and simons, a man that Simon knows she loved but had committed suicide. She has regrets and through her memories she tries to change things even though a guy (some sort of guide) tells her she can't.
what was confusing was the order of events and even though it's dealing with all the same people it's hard to know when Lucy is watching herself as a person or when she's making changes. Because of that I didn't find it as enjoyable as it could have been.
The author is a good storyteller, reminding me of Mike Gayle.
Takes place on England.
what was confusing was the order of events and even though it's dealing with all the same people it's hard to know when Lucy is watching herself as a person or when she's making changes. Because of that I didn't find it as enjoyable as it could have been.
The author is a good storyteller, reminding me of Mike Gayle.
Takes place on England.
November 25, 2014
'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I found it to be a quick read, but I had mixed emotions about it. I liked the concept, and the delivery of the story was fairly unique, but I didn't love it.
The Things I'd Miss starts off in the present, and very quickly turns into a car crash (literally), after which the entire book is a series of memories, occasionally intermingled with present day. It uses the concept of the soul leaving the body and memories to tell Lucy's past.
I thought briefly that the story was going to have elements of 'the butterfly effect' to it, but it doesn't go down that route.
Yes, it might be a reminder that you should treasure the things you have and not worry about the past, that the past probably wasn't all it was cracked up to be and that you shouldn't want to change the past as that would destroy your future, but I personally didn't find it that moving. I didn't have the chance to get to know Lucy in the first instance, and most importantly, come to like her as an adult, and therefore when I was plunged into her past after only a few pages, I found myself feeling slightly detached.
The Things I'd Miss starts off in the present, and very quickly turns into a car crash (literally), after which the entire book is a series of memories, occasionally intermingled with present day. It uses the concept of the soul leaving the body and memories to tell Lucy's past.
I thought briefly that the story was going to have elements of 'the butterfly effect' to it, but it doesn't go down that route.
Yes, it might be a reminder that you should treasure the things you have and not worry about the past, that the past probably wasn't all it was cracked up to be and that you shouldn't want to change the past as that would destroy your future, but I personally didn't find it that moving. I didn't have the chance to get to know Lucy in the first instance, and most importantly, come to like her as an adult, and therefore when I was plunged into her past after only a few pages, I found myself feeling slightly detached.
January 21, 2017
This appealed to me straight away reading the cover and I ordered to put into the library when finished; it is a very original idea and it works well due to Lucy and all the supporting characters being well-rounded. I liked the way that the author created dialogue for a five year old girl terrified of witches and bereft at her mother’s dire choice in school shoes. As an adult, Lucy has been constantly haunted by ‘what if’ moments after the death of the man she believed to be her first true love, Hugh.
The novel explores how our own perceptions of the past affect who we are now and Lucy is put in the unique position of being able to go back and look at how she may have misread situations or missed small nuances that pushed her in the directions she took. She is given another chance to evaluate those in her life and their worth that she may have started to take for granted or over-looked. Lucy’s parents have reminded me to consider everything I say to my own children for fear it may affect them!
I would have preferred to have had a conclusion to her young boys she left alone at home just before the accident. It's not a book I would re-read but it was okay for a summer holiday escape.
The novel explores how our own perceptions of the past affect who we are now and Lucy is put in the unique position of being able to go back and look at how she may have misread situations or missed small nuances that pushed her in the directions she took. She is given another chance to evaluate those in her life and their worth that she may have started to take for granted or over-looked. Lucy’s parents have reminded me to consider everything I say to my own children for fear it may affect them!
I would have preferred to have had a conclusion to her young boys she left alone at home just before the accident. It's not a book I would re-read but it was okay for a summer holiday escape.
August 9, 2020
Overall it's okay and just okay. It's amusing but not very fascinating. Memory lane bring the regret and acceptance for decision, but the execution feels repetitive
Ya biasa aja dan gak ada yang buat gua merasa wah. Keren konsepnya dimanamembawa kita untuk berhenti mempertanyakan soal keputusan yang telah diambil. Akantetapi, karena eksekusinya repetitip. Ya rata-ratalah
Ya biasa aja dan gak ada yang buat gua merasa wah. Keren konsepnya dimanamembawa kita untuk berhenti mempertanyakan soal keputusan yang telah diambil. Akantetapi, karena eksekusinya repetitip. Ya rata-ratalah
December 7, 2018
An intriguing premise. It's good in parts. Some of it is cliched, other parts well-plotted. The character, Hugh is well-written both at his peak and his lowest. Some other characters become cartoonish.
May 3, 2021
I don't know. I like the lesson but isn't it too typical? I read this like years ago and i don't really remember the story but i remember how i found it "okay, is that it?". It's an okay book.
July 14, 2014
When I was offered the opportunity to take part in Andrew Clover's blog tour for his second novel, I said yes! It seemed like a vastly different novel to his debut, which I couldn't for the life of me get in to, so I was quite interested to see how he handled a novel that would see his main character have a car crash and wake up back in her university days. I love novels like that - they're super interesting, they allow for changes to be made, and the potential for life in the future to be altered, and I was ever so curious about the comparisons to JoJo Moyes, whom I adore. It was an interesting novel, but not one I would rave about, I must admit.
What I liked about The Things I'd Miss was the fact that, at the beginning, we're introduced to Lucy, and her husband and her kids, and we can see that her life isn't perhaps how she had planned it to be - 5am wake-up calls (that would end in MURDER in my house, fyi), fights about anything and everything, and kids who barely give you the peace and quiet Lucy so craves. Then, when the accident occurs, the novel hops around, from place to place - Lucy in Uni, Lucy as a kid, back and forth we go, with no linear storytelling, until a mystical being appears, and Lucy ends up back as a kid, and works her way back to her Uni days, and back to Hugh, whom she professes to love. If I'm honest, I preferred the hopping back and forth, to times in Lucy's life that seemed to define her as a person, I liked the zig-zag pulled from one place to another feel, because once the story settled into its Hugh/Lucy love-fest, I didn't find it as compelling.
Lucy's Uni days are certainly interesting, and I loved getting to know Hugh, Simon, Lucy herself, and her best friend Gemma, but what I couldn't understand was why, if Lucy liked Hugh as much as she says she does, why she didn't say anything! Wouldn't you just have told him, all those years ago? It's clear there's mutual feelings between the two of them, but for some reason or another, neither of them confessed to it, until Lucy ended up revisiting her memories after her crash. If you're going to write a novel about a great, Romeo-and-Juliet-type romance, there needs to be solid ground, and while I felt their connection, it seemed entirely pointless considering the fact they'd both stayed completely silent, and they were just friends for as long as they knew each other. I wanted more honesty! But, of course, if there had been honesty, and they had confessed their feelings, there would have, perhaps, been no book.
Overall, it was an interesting read. I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to a JoJo Moyes read, especially as, at times, I found the narrative quite jarring - too many exclamation marks and italicised writing, Lucy's mum talks to 5-year-old Lucy in the most awful, excruciating way, and 5-year-old Lucy talks and thinks like, well, not a 5-year-old. I also STRONGLY oppose the fact Clover made Kipper the dog go in the car with Lucy, when she crashed. That's just plain mean. But the pace wasn't too bad, and the novel skipped along quite well, it wasn't the perfect read, but it was enjoyable and I actually liked seeing Simon's progression the most - he's rather left out, when it comes to Hugh and Lucy, and yet he's always there, always present, and he's a sneaky bugger, which I liked. The Things I'd Miss is definitely a thinker, and there was a lot I liked about the novel and I do love a good going-back-in-time novel!
WIN!
To win yourself a copy of The Things I'd miss, see the Rafflecopter giveaway below! :)
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This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read
What I liked about The Things I'd Miss was the fact that, at the beginning, we're introduced to Lucy, and her husband and her kids, and we can see that her life isn't perhaps how she had planned it to be - 5am wake-up calls (that would end in MURDER in my house, fyi), fights about anything and everything, and kids who barely give you the peace and quiet Lucy so craves. Then, when the accident occurs, the novel hops around, from place to place - Lucy in Uni, Lucy as a kid, back and forth we go, with no linear storytelling, until a mystical being appears, and Lucy ends up back as a kid, and works her way back to her Uni days, and back to Hugh, whom she professes to love. If I'm honest, I preferred the hopping back and forth, to times in Lucy's life that seemed to define her as a person, I liked the zig-zag pulled from one place to another feel, because once the story settled into its Hugh/Lucy love-fest, I didn't find it as compelling.
Lucy's Uni days are certainly interesting, and I loved getting to know Hugh, Simon, Lucy herself, and her best friend Gemma, but what I couldn't understand was why, if Lucy liked Hugh as much as she says she does, why she didn't say anything! Wouldn't you just have told him, all those years ago? It's clear there's mutual feelings between the two of them, but for some reason or another, neither of them confessed to it, until Lucy ended up revisiting her memories after her crash. If you're going to write a novel about a great, Romeo-and-Juliet-type romance, there needs to be solid ground, and while I felt their connection, it seemed entirely pointless considering the fact they'd both stayed completely silent, and they were just friends for as long as they knew each other. I wanted more honesty! But, of course, if there had been honesty, and they had confessed their feelings, there would have, perhaps, been no book.
Overall, it was an interesting read. I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to a JoJo Moyes read, especially as, at times, I found the narrative quite jarring - too many exclamation marks and italicised writing, Lucy's mum talks to 5-year-old Lucy in the most awful, excruciating way, and 5-year-old Lucy talks and thinks like, well, not a 5-year-old. I also STRONGLY oppose the fact Clover made Kipper the dog go in the car with Lucy, when she crashed. That's just plain mean. But the pace wasn't too bad, and the novel skipped along quite well, it wasn't the perfect read, but it was enjoyable and I actually liked seeing Simon's progression the most - he's rather left out, when it comes to Hugh and Lucy, and yet he's always there, always present, and he's a sneaky bugger, which I liked. The Things I'd Miss is definitely a thinker, and there was a lot I liked about the novel and I do love a good going-back-in-time novel!
WIN!
To win yourself a copy of The Things I'd miss, see the Rafflecopter giveaway below! :)
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This review was originally posted on Girls Love To Read
September 16, 2016
Meine Meinung zum Buch
Gestaltung: Eher schlicht und unscheinbar ist dieses Buch gestaltet und wäre mir in der Menge gar nicht wirklich aufgefallen. Die hellen Farben harmonieren sehr gut miteinander. Und trotz der schlichten Gestaltung gefiel mir die Aufmachung, wobei der schöne Titel bestimmt auch einen Teil dazu beigetragen hat. Der doch recht kurze Klappentext machte mich sogleich neugierig und ich wollte das Buch unbedingt beginnen.
Einstieg: Ohne ein paar einleitende Worte beginnt der Autor seine Geschichte rund um Lucy, so dass ich förmlich hineinkatapultiert wurde. Die angenehme Erzählweise von Andrew Clover bekam ich gleich zu spüren und es dauerte nicht lange und ich befand mich in der Handlung wieder. Auch wenn dem Leser die harmonische Familie von Lucy vorgestellt wurde, spürt man gleich die Anspannung. Und diese Mischung aus Harmonie und Anspannung gefiel mir wirklich gut!
Charaktere: Für seine Geschichte wählte der Autor den personalen Ich-Erzähler. So konnte ich in die Gedanken von Lucy wunderbar eintauchen. Recht früh entwickelte ich eine starke Verbundenheit zu Lucy und ich schloss sie schon nach wenigen Seiten in mein Herz ein. Hin und wieder legte sie ein recht naives Verhalten an dem Tag, was der Figur aber irgendwie einen noch interessanteren Touch verlieh. Auch von Hugh sowie Simon war ich schnell angetan. Der Autor verlieh jedem seiner Protagonisten einen ganz eigenen Charakter, so dass jeder auf seine Art ein Platz in meinem Herzen fand.
Handlung: Die Handlung beginnt zunächst recht ruhig, aber das ändert sich schon nach wenigen Seiten und der Autor baut die erste emotionale sowie spannende Passage ein, die das Level direkt anhob. Während ich auf der einen Seite ein Teil von Lucys zahlreichen Momenten wurde, bangte ich auf der anderen Seite um sie. Der stetige Wechsel zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart gefiel mir sehr gut, auch wenn ich hin und wieder manchmal den Faden verlor.
Schreibstil: Andrew Clover hat eine sehr angenehme Erzählweise, das bekam ich recht schnell zu spüren. Durch seine lockere und leichte Art des Erzählens tauchte ich rasch in den Seiten und in der Geschichte selber ein. Ich wurde ein Teil der einzelnen Figuren, die der Autor so wunderbar ausgearbeitet hat, dass ich sie einfach lieben musste, und konnte in ihre Gedanken eintauchen, wodurch gleich ein noch engeres Band zwischen mir und den Figuren entstand.
Mein Urteil
Andrew Clover schuf mit diesem Buch einen wirklich wunderbaren Roman, der mich oft zum Nachdenken brachte. Die Grundidee, die nicht sofort erkennbar ist, sondern erst nach und nach vorkommt, gefiel mir sehr schnell und wurde durch den Autor gut umgesetzt. Auch wenn mir die Tatsache gefiel, dass die Geschichte zum einen in der Vergangenheit aber auch in der Gegenwart spielt, war es für mich manchmal etwas schwierig dem Faden Folge zu leisten. Hin und wieder gab es ein paar Ungenauigkeiten, die das Gesamtbild ein wenig trübten. Dennoch bescherte mir der Autor sehr schöne Lesestunden. Für mich hat es nicht ganz für die volle Punktzahl gereicht, daher bekommt es sehr gute 4 von 5 Welten.
Gestaltung: Eher schlicht und unscheinbar ist dieses Buch gestaltet und wäre mir in der Menge gar nicht wirklich aufgefallen. Die hellen Farben harmonieren sehr gut miteinander. Und trotz der schlichten Gestaltung gefiel mir die Aufmachung, wobei der schöne Titel bestimmt auch einen Teil dazu beigetragen hat. Der doch recht kurze Klappentext machte mich sogleich neugierig und ich wollte das Buch unbedingt beginnen.
Einstieg: Ohne ein paar einleitende Worte beginnt der Autor seine Geschichte rund um Lucy, so dass ich förmlich hineinkatapultiert wurde. Die angenehme Erzählweise von Andrew Clover bekam ich gleich zu spüren und es dauerte nicht lange und ich befand mich in der Handlung wieder. Auch wenn dem Leser die harmonische Familie von Lucy vorgestellt wurde, spürt man gleich die Anspannung. Und diese Mischung aus Harmonie und Anspannung gefiel mir wirklich gut!
Charaktere: Für seine Geschichte wählte der Autor den personalen Ich-Erzähler. So konnte ich in die Gedanken von Lucy wunderbar eintauchen. Recht früh entwickelte ich eine starke Verbundenheit zu Lucy und ich schloss sie schon nach wenigen Seiten in mein Herz ein. Hin und wieder legte sie ein recht naives Verhalten an dem Tag, was der Figur aber irgendwie einen noch interessanteren Touch verlieh. Auch von Hugh sowie Simon war ich schnell angetan. Der Autor verlieh jedem seiner Protagonisten einen ganz eigenen Charakter, so dass jeder auf seine Art ein Platz in meinem Herzen fand.
Handlung: Die Handlung beginnt zunächst recht ruhig, aber das ändert sich schon nach wenigen Seiten und der Autor baut die erste emotionale sowie spannende Passage ein, die das Level direkt anhob. Während ich auf der einen Seite ein Teil von Lucys zahlreichen Momenten wurde, bangte ich auf der anderen Seite um sie. Der stetige Wechsel zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart gefiel mir sehr gut, auch wenn ich hin und wieder manchmal den Faden verlor.
Schreibstil: Andrew Clover hat eine sehr angenehme Erzählweise, das bekam ich recht schnell zu spüren. Durch seine lockere und leichte Art des Erzählens tauchte ich rasch in den Seiten und in der Geschichte selber ein. Ich wurde ein Teil der einzelnen Figuren, die der Autor so wunderbar ausgearbeitet hat, dass ich sie einfach lieben musste, und konnte in ihre Gedanken eintauchen, wodurch gleich ein noch engeres Band zwischen mir und den Figuren entstand.
Mein Urteil
Andrew Clover schuf mit diesem Buch einen wirklich wunderbaren Roman, der mich oft zum Nachdenken brachte. Die Grundidee, die nicht sofort erkennbar ist, sondern erst nach und nach vorkommt, gefiel mir sehr schnell und wurde durch den Autor gut umgesetzt. Auch wenn mir die Tatsache gefiel, dass die Geschichte zum einen in der Vergangenheit aber auch in der Gegenwart spielt, war es für mich manchmal etwas schwierig dem Faden Folge zu leisten. Hin und wieder gab es ein paar Ungenauigkeiten, die das Gesamtbild ein wenig trübten. Dennoch bescherte mir der Autor sehr schöne Lesestunden. Für mich hat es nicht ganz für die volle Punktzahl gereicht, daher bekommt es sehr gute 4 von 5 Welten.
August 26, 2014
The lovely Philippa Cotton at Cornerstone, Random House UK sent me this book to read and review. I had requested the book after reading the synopsis. It just drew me in straight away. We all think to ourselves now and again 'If only I could go back and change this or that!' so I couldn't turn down the opportunity to read and review of this book.
I started reading the book the day before we were to leave to go on holidays. I didn't really get far into it, short lunch break and last minute packing granted me no more than 10 or so pages. So I began to read it on our journey the next day. I was instantly hooked. I remember sitting in the front passenger seat of our jeep, tears streaming down my face and my husband saying "Maybe you should take a break from reading that book." I took his advice. But after a short while, I couldn't put it off any longer and had to read more and find out what was going to happen next.
I loved this book, a beautifully written story that proves to us that some things are just meant to be and if you spend too much time reflecting on what could have been, you are going to miss out on what is here now and right in front of you.
So go get this book, it will not leave you disappointed. Oh and make sure you have your tissues at hand!
Congratulations to Andrew Clover, may you have many future successes!
I started reading the book the day before we were to leave to go on holidays. I didn't really get far into it, short lunch break and last minute packing granted me no more than 10 or so pages. So I began to read it on our journey the next day. I was instantly hooked. I remember sitting in the front passenger seat of our jeep, tears streaming down my face and my husband saying "Maybe you should take a break from reading that book." I took his advice. But after a short while, I couldn't put it off any longer and had to read more and find out what was going to happen next.
I loved this book, a beautifully written story that proves to us that some things are just meant to be and if you spend too much time reflecting on what could have been, you are going to miss out on what is here now and right in front of you.
So go get this book, it will not leave you disappointed. Oh and make sure you have your tissues at hand!
Congratulations to Andrew Clover, may you have many future successes!
October 3, 2014
I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend.
It's quite a page turner and kept me hooked right until the end.
It's a love story wrapped into the scrutiny of life. Whilst on one level you read it because you want to find out who falls in love with who, and you are keen to find out what just happens the book exists at another level which takes you back to scrutinising your own life and then forward to appreciating your life in the moment.
There are moments which seem so real and true - Clover captures the mind of a 5 year old exceptionally well, and also the complicated relationships we all seem to have with our parents. At these moments you find yourself forgetting you are reading a 'page -turner' and you stay with your own thoughts and memories.
But of course like all Clover's books it is also great fun - with the quirks of life and love fully exposed.
July 17, 2014
This is the story of Lucy and after having a crash she is alble to go back in her life. So what would you change?
This is a powerful and thought provoking story which will touch the hearts of many with subjects like ME & suicide being broached, as well as family, love, happiness and life.
The reader is taken on a rare journey where Lucy tries to change her life to how she thinks it should of gone had she of known back then. We can feel what Lucy feels as she see's herself in different stages of her life and becomes more aware of what actually happened.
I have to say I loved where she goes back to her 5yr old self and the ordeal of buying shoes. Brilliantly written and really makes you wake up/remember being that young and how simple life is sometimes.
A must read!!
This is a powerful and thought provoking story which will touch the hearts of many with subjects like ME & suicide being broached, as well as family, love, happiness and life.
The reader is taken on a rare journey where Lucy tries to change her life to how she thinks it should of gone had she of known back then. We can feel what Lucy feels as she see's herself in different stages of her life and becomes more aware of what actually happened.
I have to say I loved where she goes back to her 5yr old self and the ordeal of buying shoes. Brilliantly written and really makes you wake up/remember being that young and how simple life is sometimes.
A must read!!
May 7, 2015
Four and half stars this should have!! I actually cried when I got to the end.... this was soooo sad, but then to find it was inspired by a true story/person... tear jerker alert! Fantastic book I loved every single word of it, different from everything else I have read of late, lighthearted but at the same time quite thought provoking. Then with a tragic twist as you read the acknowledgements. I would certainly recommend this book thats for sure!
July 2, 2015
This is a sweet book, a story of a woman caught in the day to day bustle of family and marriage, lamenting that she may have married the wrong man. When she gets to relive some memories and perhaps create some new ones, will she still feel the same?
It's a quick read and probably best to read it that way, as it does jump around between present and past. Good theme to take note of, don't take the ones you love for granted.
It's a quick read and probably best to read it that way, as it does jump around between present and past. Good theme to take note of, don't take the ones you love for granted.
October 30, 2014
A fantastic novel, with brilliant character definition. I loved the premise that you could go back a redo the things you may regret from your youth. It rang very true with me and made me cry at the end ( not hugely shocking as I cry at most things to be fair!)
Heart-warming, funny, wistful all at once. Well done Andrew. It was a departure from your previous two novels but I really loved it.
Heart-warming, funny, wistful all at once. Well done Andrew. It was a departure from your previous two novels but I really loved it.
August 1, 2016
Lucy Pots yang terombang ambing dengan cinta masa lalu dan masa depannya. Dia harus memilih atau takdir yang harus memaksanya memilih. Hanya satu yang perlu diingat : tak ada yang bisa mengubah waktu. Tak seorang pun.
October 12, 2014
really enjoyed this book, found it hard to put down.
May 29, 2015
[ 3.5 STARS ]
August 4, 2015
I loved this book. I love the idea of going back in time to right your wrongs. Great idea.
April 11, 2016
3 1/2 stars. Liked the character of Hugh seen through Lucy's eyes.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews