This book was stunning! Beautifully written, well-researched and highly emotive.
I loved the characters, even the side characters were interesting and relevant.  Adam and Anna are so in love, but real life has a habit of throwing things in the way.  They have the usual struggles as everybody does, but they are starting to question whether they are destined to stay together as it is getting so hard.  A cruel turn of events leaves them further apart than ever while they battle to come back together.
I have read and enjoyed the psychological thrillers by the author under her real name but I adored this book and I hope she continues to write under this genre also. One of my favourite reads this year

I first heard about The Life We Almost Had at HQ’s New Voices Fiction Showcase back in January, where Amelia Henley pitched her novel to us in 60 seconds. At the end of her pitch, she said, “At the beginning of the book Adam and Anna question whether love can be eternal, by the end of their story they have their answer.” Oh my! Little did I know at the time the journey that Adam, Anna and myself, as a reader, would go on to find out whether love can last forever. As the blurb says, The Life We Almost Had is not a typical love story but it is the love story of two characters who clearly love one another deeply – this jumps off of the pages.

Anna and Adam were destined to meet when neither was looking for someone. Several years later, something happens in their marriage and it really puts into question whether love can last forever. I am not going to say anymore as I would give away far too much of the plot.

Amelia Henley is the pen name of Louise Jensen, who writes bestselling psychological thrillers. I’ve not read any of Louise Jensen’s books so I can’t compare styles here but there is absolutely no doubt that Amelia Henley/Louise Jensen knows how to construct and tell a story that keeps the reader engaged and committed to the characters and their stories from the beginning. The Life We Almost Had is a corker.

The Life We Almost Had is a page turner and I could easily have read it in one sitting. In fact, if I added up the time I spent reading it, it probably equates to 1 day! It has short chapters, which keeps up the pace of the story and some longer ones where it is necessary. There are some heart pounding moments. Just when you think you’ve worked out where it’s going, Amelia Henley pops in a plot twist and bam! You’re off in a completely different direction. The intricacies in the plot and the rich level of detail show that Amelia Henley knows her characters and their stories inside out.

If you’re expecting this to be a romantic novel, think again! Yes, there is romance in it and it is about the love two characters have for one another but it’s also an exploration into true love, the harder side of marriage and relationships, what happens when what you know is tested and changes your outlook, living for the moment and not sweating the small stuff in relationships. The Life We Almost Had is fresh and full of raw emotion. There is real power in Amelia Henley’s words.

The Life We Almost Had is a beautiful, heartbreaking, poignant love story with a twist, sprinkled with a bit of magic. I loved it!

This is an easy read about love, loss and the ups and downs of relationships.

Anna and Adam meet on holiday. Anna has just been jilted and has no intention of having a holiday romance, but, the way that these two connect is written in a way that is funny and engaging and from this holiday they form a deep relationship and get married. This is a romantic novel with a difference and what follows tugs on your heartstrings in many ways and is a well written emotional read as the marriage gets into difficulties when Anna can't conceive and they both want a family and Adam strives to recreate that first holiday. However, there is danger ahead and a situation neither of them could have foresaw.

The story takes us on their journey through the marriage and difficulties they face and their attempt to come together again. Anna could be so frustrating, I felt I could slap her on a number of occasions, but, overall, this is a good holiday read for those who enjoy romance with a heartbreaking element. 
A strong 3* Good Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to preview.

I liked this book, but thought it drifted in the middle as I felt that the scientific stuff didn’t really ‘sit’ with the story. However, will  now read some of the author’s other work.

A story of love, life and loss
Anna and Adam meet on holiday, will their holiday romance survive the distance?
Following Adam and Anna as their lives move on from meeting on holiday to falling in love and getting married we feel their love as their life doesn’t quite go as planned. Returning to the island they 1st met in the hopes of rekindling their relationship a tragic accident happens
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and how it developed
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review

Not typical love story, that's for sure.

When I found out who Amelia Henley is I knew it's going to be an extraordinary story.

The beginning is very predictable, heartbroken Anna falls in love with a handsome man who saves her from drowning.

A holiday romance turned into strong, loving relationship. Only that it wasn't as strong as it seemed. Anna and Adam start drifting more and more apart. They decide to give each other a second chance and fix all the cracks to their love. And then, by the twist of fate they they become even more detached.

I can't lie, I was going through very strong emotions while reading this book. I was happy, heartbroken, hopeful and hopeless. All at the same time. I wanted to finish the book as quick ans possible and at the same time I didn't want it to end. It took me a day to read it. I have a feeling I'll have a long book hangover after this one.

I loved the scientific plot, even though I thought it's a bit unrealistic.

As I said at the beginning, it's not a typical love story, so even it's romance is not your favourite genre, give it a try!

I went in blind to this book, knowing only that it was a love story so I was unprepared for the heartbreak I felt whilst reading.

Adam and Anna meet whilst both on holiday and it was love at first sight for the pair. Cracks begin to show in their relationship a few years later and I thought that this was as upsetting as it was going to get. How wrong I was!

Amelia Henley's writing was wonderful, I really felt part of the story, that Adam and Anna were my friends. She pulled me in to this wonderful relationship only to break my heart further in the book.

The characters were realistic, they had flaws, were relatable and just perfect in that "everyday normal" way. The tragedy later in the book could happen to anybody, and it really emphasised how anything could happen at any given moment.

This book grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go.

Many people will know that Louise’s books are ones I will undoubtedly love. When she told me she was working on a new genre and writing a contemporary romance I was delighted for her but as a reader dubious because of the change of genre being so different to her normal psychological thrillers. 

I started this with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised that not only had she written the story of Anna and Adam so beautifully I found she had once again written a literary masterpiece! 

I can’t praise the her enough for this book. Not only were the sentences poetic, the end of the chapters had little cliffhangers which I loved the familiarity of, creating those subtle links between the two genres the author writes. The suspense and intrigue was running throughout which was great being a contemporary fiction and also have a familiarity to her writing. 

To be a fabulous thriller writer, then to swap genres and again get it spot on just shows what a talented writer Amelia Henley really is!

The Life We Almost Had was astounding! It’s beautifully written with lovely snippets of wisdom. The love between Adam and Anna pours off the page as their lives unfold. It’s a truly magical love story that’s realistic to real life with the ups and downs and the parts where they visit the life they could have had, had imaginary expertise through it. 

A very clever story and a delight to read.

I’ve read and love all of Louise Jensen’s novels to date so when I heard that her new book was to be a different genre under an alter ego I was so keen to read it. I’m so pleased to say that I completely and utterly adored it!

The Life We Almost Had follows the love story of Anna and Adam. Anna was newly single when she met Adam on her honeymoon! Her fiance had dumped her two weeks before the wedding so she was on honeymoon with her best friend Nell and she absolutely wasn’t looking for a holiday romance. However, she soon meets Adam and he is everything her fiance wasn’t. He’s kind and charming and soon utterly besotted with Anna! I loved reading about the beginnings of their romance, the writing really captures that feeling of getting to know someone who you know it going to be special in your life. The novel moves on to the realities of trying to continue a holiday romance when you get back home and realise you live hours apart from each other. They try to make it work but face some really difficult times over the years.

We know from the beginning of the novel that something has torn these two apart but we don’t know what. I love that as I got absorbed in the early days of their love story that I forgot things were going to go awry and I was so upset for them when it did. The way that Adam and Anna begin to fall apart was so real. We get each of their perspectives and you really can see it from both sides. There were times when I wanted to reach into the pages and sit them down and make them talk honestly to each other. The pain they were each in stopped them being able to talk though and it was so sad to read. I was rooting for them to make it work, to find a way to talk to each other. So when Adam suggests something to Anna I was so sure it was all going to work out.

There is so much more in this novel that I can’t mention here because I wouldn’t want to spoil this book but there is something so beautiful and remarkable in what Amelia Henley does. I wanted it all to be real and possible because it’s breathtaking and incredible.

The Life We Almost Had is a novel that made me cry but it also made me smile; there is so much love running through this book, even when it seems Anna and Adam have got too far apart you can see that the love is still there between them. I adored this book and it’s one that I can’t stop thinking about. It’s a stunning novel and one that I know will stay with me. I highly recommend this one!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I have enjoyed reading. 
The Life We Almost Had by Amelia Henley Is an interesting read but I am not sure that I would want to read it again. The first parts of the story are a normal every day love story that is predictable and safe and then you have the events from the yacht onwards.  It is from then onwards that I felt uneasy reading the storyline, but possibly it was more about how science can open up worlds that we as humans are not ready for.
Sorry to be so enigmatic but I didn’t want to spoil the book for other readers.
 Recommended.

Firstly I would like to say that I’ve read and loved this authors other books which were written u dear a different name.  So I was very excited for the opportunity to read and review her first romantic novel.  This book started off really well and I loved reading about how Anna and Adam met and Anna’s friendship with Nell.    Halfway through the book however I just felt it went a bit flat.   I found the scientific aspect a bit far fetched and it just went over my head at times.  There was various things happening that I just couldn’t make sense of and thought it was a bit ott.   However looking at all the brilliant reviews I am definitely in a minority.   Event though this book wasn’t totally for me I will have no hesitation in reading more books by this author.

Having never read any books previously  from this author, I had no presumptions of What to expect. I am so pleased I was accepted to read this book through NetGallery. It is not your normal love story but one that will pull at your heart strings and have you routing for the main characters. Would highly recommend!

Tissues at the ready!!
The Life We Almost Had is not your typical love story. With a prologue written in the voice of Anna, seven years after her relationship with Adam, this is a love story that will make you laugh, make you smile, make you rant at life’s injustices, make you think and make you cry. 
If you’re a hopeless romantic, the beginning of Anna and Adam’s story will satisfy your belief in love at first sight as they meet in a holiday resort where the sun shines, the sea is sparkling and life is for living. They make an adorable couple and you can’t help hoping this is a match made in heaven, maybe even envious that they are fortunate to have found their happy ever after.
Fast forward a few years and Anna and Adam could be any married couple. Just as it is easy to fall head over heels in love, so it is equally easy to fall out of love. Life is full of ups and downs and through the characters of Anna and Adam, the author is able to explore and tackle some hefty topics. Grief, loss,infertility, the desperation of wanting something so badly that is just outside of your grasp are all emotions and problems our lovebirds encounter. But it is the idea of letting go of a loved one and with them all your hopes and dreams that evoke the strongest emotions. I felt like I was experiencing all the highs and lows alongside Anna and Adam as life deals them the worst possible deck of cards. Can their love stand the test of time? Read on but be prepared for some heart wrenching emotion as you immerse yourself in their lives.

The concept of state of the art technology allowing individuals to connect with a loved one’s consciousness in their final days is the thought provoking angle in this bittersweet novel. The idea that we could have the opportunity for one more hour, one more day with a loved one,tapping into their mind, and experiencing all their thoughts and feelings, hopes and dreams sounds like a chance we’d willingly grab. Think about it for any length of time and the moral implications of such technology are impossible to ignore. It’s also a reminder to cherish the time we have with loved ones whilst we can and don’t hold back when it comes to difficult conversations. 

I think you can tell the author is a master of the psychological thriller because there is definitely tension in some of the writing, which took me by surprise. It’s at this point in the narrative that my heart was in conflict with my head. I knew which direction Anna and Adam’s story was taking them but my heart was telling me to slam on the brakes and derail them down another path. Wishful thinking on my part I know!

I loved that Anna and Adam had two fantastic witnesses to their love in the form of Nell, Anna’s best friend and Josh, a brother like figure to Adam. Friends like these are worth their weight in gold as is Oliver, but for very different reasons. I also loved all the little details that add up to make Anna and Adam’s love story unique to them, like the watch and the coin. We all at some point have trinkets or mementos that hold sentimental value of a past love and our fictional pair are no different. It’s these extras that enhance the story and make you forget these characters exist only in the author’s imagination.

Approaching the end I felt emotionally wrung out, chiding myself for shedding a bucketful of tears over a piece of fiction. I’m so glad I was alone reading the final pages because I was a mess!! Reading this felt akin to ripping off a plaster. You know it’s going to hurt and the longer you take the more pain you will feel but you have to do it!!!  I can’t express how appreciative I am to have had the opportunity to read such a thought provoking love story. The balance between romance, sentimentality and realism is just about right. I will be recommending to fellow die hard romantics without a doubt.

The Life We Almost Had is a compelling beautiful love story that totally got under my skin. If you’ve read and loved Holly Miller’s The Sight of You then this is most definitely a book you’ll enjoy and remember. Although it only took me a few hours to read from beginning to end, Anna and Adam are characters that will remain in my mind for a long time to come. I eagerly anticipate book number two from an author whose writing has left such an impression on my heart.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. This book was beautifully written. It covered topics such as endometriosis and infertility which aren’t covered enough and the story of these characters was both gripping and heartbreaking. I am excited to see what comes from this author next.

My heart. I think its broken! This book made my eyes leak!!!!

Wow….I was NOT expecting this AT ALL! The tagine of the book ‘this is not a typical love story’, is absolutely bang on. I probably would even go as far as to say that I have never, ever read a love story quite like this. Don’t get me wrong, the psychological situation towards the end wasn’t a new thing to me, however everything together was and it caught me off guard big time.

Anna and Adam’s relationship was one of a kind. They loved hard, and they fought hard. Being together sometimes was difficult, yet being apart was even more difficult, something which was put to the test dramatically.

Its really difficult reviewing a book like this without giving away spoilers, because the storyline and every situation in it, are intricately woven together, making talking about one thing in particular a tricky thing to do incase something gets accidently spilled. Not going to lie though, I want to shout about what happened from the rooftop of my house! I want to talk about Anna’s love for Adam, and Adam’s love for Anna. I want to talk about when life threw them both a curveball. I want to talk about Oliver! Oliver! The random person who I thought was about to break both of their hearts!

I want to talk about the very last part of the book, and how a new character was brought to life! My mind couldn’t make sense of how that came to fruition, yet on the other hand, I didnt need to know the whys and wherefores because I didnt want to sheer beauty of it to falter. I call it magic. I call it perfection. I call it meant to be.

A bit like this book in all honesty. ‘The Life We Almost Had’ was meant to be written, it was meant to be read. Anna and Adam’s love story was meant to have been told, and i absolutely cannot fault one single thing about it.

Yes, my heart broke and I was in tears, but i would have been incredibly shocked if I hadn’t reacted at all to the storyline in one form or another.

It was an absolute honour to have been given the chance to fall in love with this beautiful story, just like Adam and Anna fell in love with each other.

Probably the best book I have read so far this year, and I have no doubt whatsoever that Amelia Henley will be touching hearts all over the world with such a detailed, emotional, and outstanding tale of true love, and learning when and how to trust your heart.

I absolutely love discovering new authors and Amelia Henley is certainly a new author for me.  However I will let you into a secret (well not really but it sounds better) Amelia Henley is a pen name of Louise Jensen, who writes psychological thrillers.  Louise has branched out into writing romantic fiction, so it makes sense to write under another name.  Anyway back to the point.  I love Louise's books so I had the impression that I would love 'Amelia's' book too.  I just love it when I am right.  I loved reading 'The Life We Almost Had' but more about that in a bit.
It took me next to no time to get into this book.  In fact as soon as I started to read, I knew that this was going to be one book that I would be unable to put down at all!  I was so taken with the characters and the beautiful story that I just couldn't put the book down.  The book wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me.  I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story.  I managed to read this book in one long reading binge over the course of a day.  'The Life We Almost Had' was one of those books that you couldn't wait to finish because you needed to know how the story ended but you were enjoying reading the book so much that you just didn't want it to end.
'The Life We Almost Had' is extremely well written.  Louise/ Amelia has proved that she can turn her hand to any sort of fiction.  She has a way of grabbing your attention and drawing you into the story.  In fact with one of Louise's/ Amelia's books, the reader actually feels as though they are part of the story themselves.  That's how I felt at any rate.  'The Life We Almost Had' certainly took me on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ride.  I would find myself becoming emotionally in tune with the different characters.  I would switch between smiling and becoming  quite choked up.  'The Life We Almost Had' gripped me from start to finish and it really is a beautifully told story.
In short, I really enjoyed reading 'The Life We Almost Had' and I would recommend this book to other readers.  I will definitely be reading more of Amelia's work in the future.  The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

This book was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. It was light, fluffy, warm and a great read.i found myself compelled to keep reading, to keep turning the pages.

This was definitely a book that took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. I mean it had love, sorrow, hope, friendship and determination. A book that definitely made you sit up and think about family and friends and those that you love. Amelia Henley definitely had me sob a little whilst reading this book.

This book is about Anna and Adam. They met by chance whilst on Holiday in Spain and as the movies say the rest is history. Anna has left an abusive relationship, she left her ex-fiancé after she found out that he was cheating on her. He was psychologically and emotionally abusing her and she found out before it got worse. He best friend Nell ever her most strident supporter encouraged her to go on her "Honeymoon" which she did and that is where she met Adam. The thing is Anna doesn't want another relationship so soon.

Adam also had a really harsh breakup, his ex was cheating on him with her boss and Adam literally caught them in the act.  Adam spotted Anna straight away at the hotel they were staying. For him it was love at first sight. He couldn't forget about her. A freak accident seeing Anna nearly drown brought them together and they were inseparable.

So the book, I enjoyed the storyline of the book, the chance meet the insta love. I know some people don't like it but sometimes there is just a need for it. They fell in love but it wasn't all hearts and birds chirping merrily like a Disney film. There were ups and downs in Anna and Adam's relationship and it made them seem more real to me as characters.

The main focus for me in this book is around Anna and Adam trying to conceive a child together. I personally don't have any knowledge around this not having a child myself but you can see the sorrow and pain in each of them when they fail to conceive. The strain on their relationship is real and they both try things to make it better. I can sympathise with them for their struggles.

All things take a turn for the better when Anna finds out she is pregnant and they return to Spain where they first met for time to relax and find themselves again. To communicate their fears and wants. Tragedy strikes things take a turn for the worse when Adam is injured.

This is when for me the book doesn't quite fit what i thought it was going to be. I mean I didn't not like it I just felt that it was a bit disjointed from the book. Adam is now in a coma and Anna is approached by a scientist who is doing research on persons that are in a coma, he is trying to find out the persons last memories.

Anna wanting to know about Adam's takes the risk and does under with Adam. The thing is his memories aren't just memories it feels to Anna like they are living their life with their child, happy and safe.

I really did enjoy the concept of this book and the style of writing. It definitely brought out my emotions and my heart literally broke for Anna. Having been a witness to my best friend lose the love of her life brought home how fickle life can be and how you need to tell the ones close to you how much you love them.

This is not your typical love story. It is so much more complex. It's tragically sad and wonderfully romantic. It's clever and sweet and deep. Adam and Anna's relationship is not smooth sailing but it's their love story. Tragedy strikes and turns everything upside down. Can they ever recover and have the life they dreamt of?

The science in this book is so thoroughly researched it's impressive. Kudos to Amelia for that! There is so much emotion in this story and I laughed and cried. I sobbed actually. 

Beautiful from the first page.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley. 

Anna and Adam's is beautiful love story. There are a lot of pause for thought moments in this book and cause to reflect on your own relationships and how you would respond. I was concerned at the turning point it was going to become a Sci-Fi book! But thankfully this didn't happen. I felt there were things left unexplained, exactly like real life, and I know it's a book that will stay with me for a long time. 

Kindle available now!