Member Reviews
A really lovely story about missed opportunities and second chances. The characters are great, totally relatable and believable, each with their own flaws which makes them even more likeable.
This was the perfect pick me up on a cold weekend, a really warming read.
It's never too late for a happy ending.
When 18 year old Eliza decides she wants to find her father she tracks him down via social media then bullies Lara, her mum, to find then confront him.
The story uses a series flashbacks describes the lives of Lara and Ben, the missing father until Lara and Eliza blunder in and blow Ben’s relationships apart.
The ending is totally predictable. A very easy, lightweight read.
I absolutely adore this author and have read all of her books over the years and feel like I have grown up with this author. Anything can happen is a brilliant story of serendipity and how if something is meant to be then it will be no matter what the odds. It is also a story of self discovery and finding the person you really are inside and not just being the person you are expected to be or settling for second best. I would love a sequel to this to see where the characters journey takes them next and what the future holds.
A Fantastic five-star read. I adored Lara and Eliza, even if Eliza reminded me a little too much of teenage me, their journey was an emotional one, but also a powerful one. When you question ‘who am I’ its something you really need to know, and it’s a journey that will take you where you all need to be, at least hopefully it will. This author has always been one I enjoyed reading, but this story had that something extra about it, the settings are always lovely, the people nice, but this one, I don’t know why, this one had real people in it, they didn’t all make me happy, and that made this story real. I was rooting for everyone, even the secondary characters, finding myself crossing everything for those learners, as they weren’t just background filler, they were people. This will certainly be a standout read for me.
This was a very enjoyable read from start to finish. The description of the short time Lara and Ben spent together in New York was portrayed so beautifully that you could feel the attraction and special connection that they shared. The introduction of Kirsten was extremely clever as we hear about her attraction to a man she met in the paint aisle of her local DIY store. I could visualise Lara as an edgy, vivacious and stunningly attractive young woman enjoying her time working in the fashion industry in the US for four months, who morphed, through the trials and tribulations of being a single mother., into a browbeaten and sometimes lonely forty something driving instructor. I highly recommend this book, a wonderful escapist adventure.
Really enjoyed this book. Lara has been a single parent to Eliza for 18years. Eliza thinks her dad is a man who ran out on them when she was young, but was in fact was someone Lara had though was ‘the one’ in New York 18 years earlier. Now Eliza knows the truth she wants to meet her real dad.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
Another fabulous books from Lucy Diamond.
It’s. a story of opportunities not taken and second chances.
Lara Met Ben in New York and they had a connection when they spent the night together. They both agreed to meet the next night, but things didn’t go to plan as they don’t meet. Soon after Lara find out she’s pregnant and on her own, after tying to get in touch with Ben. She brings her daughter Eliza up on her own.
When Eliza turns eighteen, she wants to find her father, but rather thinking it through and a way to go about it, she plows into everything, and it has all sorts of consequences!
She’s had this dream of a beautiful family which includes her father, not just her and Lara, so she tries her hand at matchmaker…..
As the story continues, it proves that true love does win, it may take a while, but it’s worth the wait.
This was a heartfelt read.
Another excellent book by Lucy Diamond. Great characters, full of emotion and I loved escaping into this story.
Happy to recommend . 4.5 stars
I absolutely loved reading Anything Could Happen by Lucy Diamond. It was such a heartfelt and utterly heartwarming book. This is a story that reflects on missed chances and lost opportunities, those what ifs and fork in the road moments. But it also one of second chances and hope. It is a story of love and one of the importance on family. Simply put, it’s wonderful.
Anything Could Happen centres on Lara and her daughter Eliza. They’re a team and for so long it’s only just been the two of them. But as Eliza turns 18 she decides it’s time she wants to connect with her father. For her to do so Lara must admit to a secret she has kept for her daughter’s entire life. In their journey for answers they travel across England and eventually to New York, where Eliza’s story first began. But what will this mean for them both, and will it mean a second chance at love for Lara?
Lucy Diamond’s novel takes us on such a journey, both in terms of the characters life’s but also a literal one. We start on Scarborough, go to New York (via memories), then Cambridge, then to New York in the present and finally Edinburgh. Diamond writes about each of these places so vividly, bringing points of reference and local knowledge that make you feel as though you are really there with the characters. Given how many places we visit as the reader you never once feel lost and always have an excellent sense of place.
I very much loved the characters in this novel. The relationship between each of the different characters was so special. Lara and Eliza were wonderful, I loved how they were with each other, they were loving but also very funny. What was also very special was how their journeys also helped them figure out more about themselves and who they truly are. Without giving anything away I loved Lara’s father and the efforts he went to to connect to his daughter.
This is a love story, but it is as much about the love shared between families as it is between two people trying to find their second chance. For that I felt the story was even richer and more powerful.
This is such a warm and heartfelt book. It was a joy to read and upon reading the final line I was left with such a happy smile and deep sense of satisfaction, it really was an aww moment. I thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend this book.
I enjoyed this book although Eliza was a bit reckless and thoughtless at times. Lots going on and very engagingly written. I hadn't read this author before but I shall look out for her previous books now.
Another perfect little romance from one of my favourite romance authors! Perfect for a rainy day, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I don't have a lot to say about this book. I enjoyed it, but can't say it had the wow factor. Maybe not quite as good as previous books by Diamond. I liked the theme of second chances. Lara was my favourite character. I took awhile to warm to Ben. I felt the ending was realistic. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was another really enjoyable read from Lucy Diamond. The story of Lara and Ben had me fully engaged and I wasn’t sure towards the end how the story would resolve itself. Really great novel and would totally recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for givin* me access to an early copy to review.
Lucy Diamond has done it again with Anything Could Happen and written a very enjoyable, easy read.
Eliza, at the age of 18, believes that she has been abandoned by her Dad and her quest to confront him, takes her on a much bigger journey.
Lara and Ben met in New York and fell in love but circumstances meant that they only got to spend the one night together.
I found the characters very likeable and easy to relate to. The story was easy to follow and get lost in.
It's an idea beach read or a great book to snuggle up with on a cold evening.
Just a joy to read!
this is a cosy story for a cold winters evening- yes there are twists but they are gentle and the characters are well thought out and beautifully described.
Nothing not to love!
An enjoyable read with some definite feelgood heartwarming moments. Well drawn wonderful characters although I just didn't like Eliza at all, naivety mixed with selfish underlying manipulation without thought for anyone but herself and she seems to get what she wants without, or at best, very little consequence. Even making allowances for teenage behaviour and not knowing her father (plenty of people in that position who don't act so impetuously). However, there is a touch of humour here and there making it a light read of missed opportunities with second chances and new starts.. Overall another good story from Lucy Diamond.
This a feel good - on no, not so good - oh good again story which certainly keeps you on your toes! One minute you absolutely know what’s going to happen, then all is thrown into disarray again.
My only quibble is that young Ben was a a great character, grown up Ben was a bit wishy washy. That said, I enjoyed the book very much
Anything Could Happen is a story of missed opportunities and second chances!
Eliza is getting ready to start the next chapter of her life - university but doesn't feel like she knows who she is.
In her quest to find out who she is, she finds herself on a quest to track down her absent father and getting much more than she bargained for along the way.
The story is told through different character's perspectives and we're also taken back in time before Eliza is born.
Eliza's mission to find her father causes shockwaves and upheaval - her mother has been keeping a secret from her for her entire life and more than one marriage becomes broken beyond repair.
As Eliza gets to know her father and he her, her mother goes on her own journey of self-discovery.
Will Lara get her spark back?
Will Eliza and her father have a relationship?
Will Lara and Ben rekindle their romance after that whirlwind of a night 19 years ago in New York?
The reader is taken on an emotional rollercoaster as the characters find their own paths and discover who they really are.
It’s been a long time since I read a Lucy Diamond novel but Anything Could Happen instantly transported me into a warm-hearted feel good novel. We follow Lara, who along with her daughter Eliza, lives in Scarborough. For years it’s been just the two of them, but when Eliza turns eighteen, she’s intent on finding her father and Lara is forced to admit the secret she’s been keeping. This book takes you on a road trip across England, onwards to New York and on to Edinburgh. I loved the place descriptions, the characters and how the novel unfolded and would rate it 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author for the chance to review.
This book had me shrieking out loud at my kindle as fate yet again stuck her oar into the smooth running of relationships! I loved this story, told from three different perspectives of how life turned out when love, death and pregnancy collide, and life before mobile phones was just a disaster! Set in New York, Cambridge, Scarborough and Edinburgh, I loved the descriptions of lots of places I recognised! Another cracker from Lucy Diamond! Fab, 5 🌟