I just can never get on board with the insta love trope so this book didn’t do it for me. Parts were enjoyable but then others just didn’t make sense and/or fell flat.

DNF @ 19%
There wasn’t a lot of depth and I wasn’t interested in the story. I felt like the detail was also lacking which made it hard to envision.
I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters which is a must for me when reading a book.
Overall I do think some would really enjoy this book but it just wasn’t for me.

This book is Anna and Adam's love story. Anna and Adam's marriage has lots of ups and downs and the reader is along for the journey. This book is truly heartbreaking to read at times but isn't real life? I enjoyed this book and all the emotions it made me feel. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Is this a romance novel? Fiction with romantic elements? Speculative fiction? Science fiction? I'm still not sure. Anna and Adam meet on her honeymoon (she's there with a friend, since the wedding didn't go as planned--she was left at the alter). Chapters alternate points of view between their relationship, marriage, struggle to start a family, and then Adam is injured in a heroic incident. Anna participates in a research project using VR to connect with her comatose husband... and finds an alternative reality where everything is fine, they've always been fine, and it's all magical...except the VR sessions are causing Adam to deteriorate, rather than bringing him back.
This was suspenseful, raw and emotional, but not a romance.

A beautifully written story of love and loss that made me smile and brought me to tears all at once. It was just as page-turning and gripping as a thriller while the characters, plot, setting, and pacing were all executed perfectly.

The Life We Almost Had was a roller coaster ride for me. I was really into the story and characters when it started and then it fell flat on the middle and it wasn’t holding my attention but I’m glad I kept trucking but it ending so nicely.

What an absolutely wretched book. I’m sorry — I try not to be openly negative about most books I read, because I know an author has likely poured heart and soul into their writing. But this one simply demands my condemnation. Let me save you from wasting any of your time reading this.

It’s also pretty impossible for me to detail how bad this book was with no spoilers, so if for some reason you’re still inclined to read this book, I warn you that there will be spoilers below.

First off. An entire host of all the worst romance tropes. Insta love, fertility problems (not captured well, in my limited experience), miscommunication CONSTANTLY, and a male MC who completely drops his life and career dreams to hang around the house with his new girlfriend. BARF.

The timeline is incredibly confusing; months or years pass between chapters and it isn’t mentioned so you just sort of have to figure it out from the context of the current situation. Multiple chapters retell the exact same event/conversation through separate POVs that really don’t differ much — I absolutely hate that, what a waste of my time. SPEAKING OF THAT, 400 pages???? Why? Truthfully I wanted out of this book at the 50% mark and started speed reading to finish it.

I haven’t even gotten to the worst bits yet. Adam, our male protagonist with no personality, has a hero complex and is injured trying to save an old woman from a sinking yacht. He’s then comatose and given a 3% chance of recovering. Enter, I kid you not, a crack scientist who has invented a virtual reality goggle/headphone combo that allows you to enter the mind of the coma patient and experience what they’re seeing/feeling, potentially even interact with them. Excuse me? Is this sci fi? So of course, our girl Anna jumps on this — and when I say “jumps on this,“ what I mean is, deliberates about it for 20 fucking pages before finally, obviously, agreeing.

So these two live out “the life they almost had” with the baby that never miscarried and an Adam who never was injured and it is pure madness. The VR thing is slowly killing Anna so Adam decides to “let her go” and sacrifices himself during a VR session. And then MAGICALLY, Anna discovers a baby that was orphaned exactly that day and he is exactly the baby they had in their VR hallucination sessions. MADNESS.

The devil really is in the details for me though; at one point someone hung up on Anna (on her cell phone) and she heard a dial tone. Pardon? Does anyone hear a dial tone when a caller disconnects anymore?? Is that a British thing??? And also, Adam‘s parents were cold and callous, not coming to their only child’s wedding or FUNERAL. His mom wouldn’t even send baby photos. For no reason. That wasn’t addressed in the story at all really. They’re just bad parents. Huh?

All I can say is, don’t read this. Please. Make my sacrifice worth it.

Normally I would have DNFed this at around 35%, but I was obliged to finish it so I could fairly review it for the publisher. Unfortunately I found it very lacking, but I still appreciate Amelia Henley, Forever (GC Publishing), and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This story of Adam and Anna and their making a life together will keep you engaged and eager to see the next chapter. I loved the energy of the writing especially as she finishes one chapter of say Anna and then you pick up Adam's chapter to see things from his prism. Likely appealing most to romance readers, I don't want to share too much but just encourage you to take the ride with the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

The Life We Almost Had is a beautifully heartbreaking book that follows Anna, in a Spanish beach town following her broken engagement, where she meets Adam. What starts off as a holiday romance turns into something deeper. Years later, cracks begin to appear in their marriage and they are no longer as happy as they once were together. They decide to go back to the place where they first fell in love to rekindle their love.

This book was so heartbreaking, I felt so emotional. I would compare it to The Light We Lost and All Your Perfects, as aspects of the book reminded me of both.

Overall, I highly recommend this book! Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book included many aspects and at one point it thought I might lose track of them all so I started writing them down:

Body issues/dysmorphia
Verbal/emotionally abusive relationships
Infertility
Infidelity
Marriage
Grief (so much!)
Jealousy
Science, medical trials
Friendships
Insta love
Spain!

Pacing. It was great up until about 35% and then I struggled to get through it. I lost interest in some of the science parts. But it picked back up for me around 70% and I couldn’t put it down.

This wasn’t quite instalove, more lole insta-attraction. It got me hooked and with the ending of each chapter, I could feel the imminent fall getting more heartbreaking.

I didn’t realize there was an aspect of infertility prior to reading. The writing and plot surrounding the topic was real to me but it was hard to read and at times I wanted to skip but I also couldn’t skip it at the same time. The story of Anna and Adam was beautiful and heartbreaking.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amelia Henley for the ARC.

I want to begin my review by reiterating what the author said in the blurb—this isn't a typical love story.

Anna and Adam find love in an unexpected way. After just a few interactions, it was easy for them to fall in love because they were those people that are just meant to be. But nothing in this world comes easily, does it? So they fight to keep the love they've found in one another. No matter the challenges that are thrown their way and the cracks that are forming in their marriage, they fight toe to toe with fate to keep their love—to keep each other. But can they win the fight against fate?

I can't even begin to explain how much I loved the writing in this book; it was pure poetry. I was hooked from the first chapter. The tone of the narration had some sadness in it that gripped my heart and squeezed it. The way Anna's struggles were written, the way certain scenes were expressed... everything just felt so vivid and palpable. I was swimming in a river of melancholy without even knowing the plot. The first 30% of the book was utter perfection. I couldn't peel my eyes off the screen. It would've easily been one of the best books I've ever read if it weren't for what came next.

A little after the 30% mark, everything went downhill. The Anna we knew wasn't there anymore. (Which is understandable to some extent. Especially when you put into account what she was going through. But still., some of the things that she did just didn't make sense and weren't even explained.)

I wasn't prepared for all the plot twists in this book. One chapter ends indicating something, then the next begins with something so out of the blue only to end with yet another suspense. It was disorienting, to say the least. At some point, it felt like I was less interested in Anna and Adam and more interested in finding out how it ends.

There was a story I expected upon reading the title and the description of the book. This book ended up being very different from what I had expected. I still enjoyed reading it nonetheless. It even made me cry. One thing that makes books precious is that they tell different stories. We got to meet Anna and Adam and experience their beautiful yet tragic story. We got to hear wise words from Adam himself. We got to explore a world so different from what we're used to. And most importantly we got to swim in the beautiful and intriguing imagination of the author.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a little bit of imaginative science in their romance. To those who enjoy and appreciate beautiful writing. (Especially in the beginning.) And to anyone who likes reading, really.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the digital advanced copy. This is my honest review.

4 1/2 stars!

The title on this one gives a great deal away. You already know it's going to break your heart...at least a little....and it definitely does. Yet, it's still a beautiful love story with an ending that leaves you hopeful in a different way. So, be warned, if you're looking for a neat and clean Happily Ever After with this one...keep looking. But if you're wanting a book that takes you on a journey of love and sacrifice, then this one just might be for you.

Anna and Adam meet on holiday. It was supposed to be her honeymoon with another man so she was there with her best friend instead since the wedding had been called off and the groom was already with another woman. With no intention of starting anything romantic, Anna meets Adam and they were instantly drawn to one another. For all intents and purposes, they didn't plan for their relationship to extend past the vacation...but their hearts had other plans.

Years go by and life is hard. The relationship they had to start with doesn't necessarily look the same after all the wear and tear life has put it through. Yet after tragedy strikes, they find their love is still solid and true underneath all the other bluster. And where there's love, amazing things sometimes happen.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This is a hard book to review without giving away spoilers. This is a book of three parts - the meeting and romance (which I loved), the marriage (which I hated), and the accident and its aftermath (which made no sense at all). I struggled to connect to the characters. Initially this wasn't an issue - I enjoyed how Anna and Adam met, and the beginning of their relationship. But somewhere, not too far into the story, I simply lost interest. Anna got whiney and irritating, and I became somewhat disapproving of her choices. At that same time, Adam's relevance just sort of "disappeared" in my head. And when I can't connect with the characters, the book really does become something I just read, rather than enjoy. I also struggled with the second half of the storyline. It was, in simple terms, weird and far-fetched

The best way I can describe this book (again without spoilers) is it became a sort of "fantasy-science fiction-psychological-romance-drama" genre. And that's a lot of genres to roll into one book. It simply didn't work for me.

I am always drawn to a love story with sad undertones so this book immediately caught my attention. I was so in the mood for a good emo cry but unfortunately this one just fell flat for me!!! I always have trouble with insta love so perhaps this just isn't a trope for me!

This book was absolutely nothing like what I thought I was going to read. It felt like the story moved too quickly. By the time Adam and Anna were having problems, I just didn’t know enough about them to care. Yes we’re told how they feel and events are listed out like lightening. But it felt distant and by the time of the accident, I wasn’t invested. The Oliver segment of the story didn’t connect with me; it was too much, in one book. There wasn’t emotional connectedness. Randomly Ross shows up, Anna’s tempted, they kiss. It all moves too fast for the reader to care without investing in the moment.

I did like the end when she finds Harry. That was sweet and so was Adam’s last chapter. I think the story could’ve been better told if their story was in flashbacks while Adam was in the coma.

I love sad love stories, call me weird but when a book pulls at my heart strings I’m able to connect to it so much more. When I read the synopsis to this one I thought I would cry my eyes out and fall in love with it. Unfortunately, it fell flat for me. I didn’t connect to the characters and I felt it had too much science fiction for my liking. I think the main reason I couldn’t connect to the story was because there was no build up to the romance. In the first two chapters Ana and Adam meet and instantly fall in love. It seemed a bit unrealistic to me. And If I’m being honest, I skimmed most of the second half. I did enjoy the fact that the story is Told in alternating points of view between Anna and Adam. It was a way to get to know them better and know their inner thoughts and feelings.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At its core, this is a true love story about Adam and Anna. The first half of the book was heavy but had me pulled in and completely invested as I felt for the couple and knew that the emotions and struggles they were feeling were real and raw, About half way through, the novel then takes an unexpected turn into the realms of science fiction and explores the concept of what you would do to get a second chance to make things right. While this through me off a bit, I still enjoyed the journey that Adam and Anna went through.

In the Author's Note, Henley does a good job of explaining how she came up with the premise of the book and how it is based on current scientific research.

This book was a complete surprise for me. I knew it was a love story, but it was so much more than that. Anna and Adam met when the time was right in both of their lives after both suffering heartaches. As some married couples, they started losing that honeymoon feeling. Little things started becoming big things, annoyances. Add in infertility and the stress really came on. They decided to take a trip to their favorite place to rekindle their feelings. A tragic event unfolds and makes Anna realize that the little things aren’t worth arguing over. That love is everything. The book does take a turn into what I would call fascinating stuff. I was glued to the pages and now I’m googling the topic. I haven’t been this invested and swallowed up by a book like this in a long time. I know I hugged my family a little bit more today. Amazing and thought provoking. Not to be missed! I’m so happy I was chosen by NetGalley to receive an arc of this masterpiece.

A compelling love story that made me cry more than I expected. I’m not sure if this should be shelved as magic realism or sci-fi though

I am…..confused?

Okay so the premise is that this is Anna and Adams love story which is a different type of love story. The beginning hooked me. But then as the relationship progressed and showed some cracks it lost me. It continued to lose me until I realized I was thinking “what on earth is the point here.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC.