Cover Image: It Was Always You

It Was Always You

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

A beautifully-written book based around the simple question, "would you choose a different life if you had the chance?" This plot was a heart-wrenching emotional rollercoaster, with realistic, relatable characters and a completely emotion-invoking plot.

Was this review helpful?

This book was just what I needed. The characters were so well developed that I couldn’t help falling in love with them and it felt so comfortable to be in their world and read about them. This book was emotional and you will definitely need tissues!

Was this review helpful?

Sorry this story wasn't for me, I thought it was more about time travel and that sort of fantasy thing - it just didn't grab my attention - just my personal opinion

Thank you for the ARC

Was this review helpful?

This book was a real tearjerker... it was an emotional read with a combination of some real light moments in the relationship between Ella and Will, and then the darker moments when we flashback to some of the troubled times in their marriage.

The relationship between Ella and Cole had an interesting dynamic and i enjoyed the parts of the story that featured Cole.

The end was exceptionally sad but really tied the whole book up so well.

Simply put, I enjoyed this book.

Was this review helpful?

Great audiobook! Romantic and emotional

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this title in exchange for my feedback.

Was this review helpful?

A wonderful premise with engaging and likeable characters I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook - a wonderful concept that was well done. I look forward to reading more from. this author.

Was this review helpful?

I listened to the audiobook of this title and was hooked from beginning to end. I listened to the whole thing in a day as I couldn’t put it down.
Ella is such a loveable character from the start and the narrator did a great job.
I loved the “then” and “now” timelines and also the dual point of view from both Ella and Will.
I can’t wait to read more from this Author 💕

Was this review helpful?

After finishing this book a week ago I am still not over this.... I am so in love, I am so heartbroken.
I honestly couldn't tell you who I wanted to be Mr Right until the end and then I was wow Emma Cooper nailed it, then she ripped our hearts out in the only way it could end with any truly heartfelt meaning - I love it.
Why it wasn't 5 stars, because I was being a little picky, I had the audiobook and didn't love the narration, it was pretty good but the voices were a little overplayed.
I wasn't a big lover of the paranormal trip to the past but see how it set it all in motion and how without it the story just wouldn't work.

Was this review helpful?

It was an excellent love story, of fate, choice and unrequited love. A mystery ran all the way through it and kept you hooked.

This novel tells the story of Ella and the two men in her life, over the course of two points in her life. The story flashes back to her early 20s when she made a choice and then back to real-time when she's in her 40s and her marriage is falling apart. Through therapy, she discovers more about her younger self and gets to ask herself if she had a chance to go back and change everything, would she?

Was this review helpful?

Overall I really enjoyed this story, I did find the first half a little slow but was invested in the characters and woah what an ending!

Was this review helpful?

Thankyou to Headline Audio for this deeply moving book .

General Fiction { Adult}


My Thoughts :This is defiantly don't judge a book by its cover . so the story has two time lines one in 1999 where they are all much younger and December 2022. which I very much enjoyed .
The story its self is very emotional it brought back feelings I once felt just like Ella the story had a few tears from me , I really loved how Emma writing was very delicate and honest to life as it is for Ella character.
I also felt the story had a bit of magical realism that I wont give away that for the reader to enjoy .I can also say that to story had many funny moments which gave me the belly chuckles and I know so many would enjoy that from this story .tit was also full of great nostalgia from the 90s . I was totally hooked to this story as you really just want to know what happened, you will all feel the same .


as for the characters they are all wonderful in their own ways , Will is a very soft and charming character but also very closed which at times I wanted to scream at him cause of how he would be as a character. but he also holds so much as a character to the story which I really enjoyed about him .as he was Ella love for alone time you really loved him how much he love Ella for a while anyways .

Ella character really reminded me of myself as we both went though seemlier things and are personality , she very uplifting ,fun to be around even when life was feeling very dark for her she would still use her fun loving charm , happy go lucky and cheekiness even when crumbling . she really made the story for me .


Cole who has been friends with Ella since they was young , he definitely brought the laughs to the story , he a very cheeky chappy ,but also very sensitive when it came to Ella who would do anything for her but it was just friendship , I think you will all love him .


The narrator Helen Keely I've heard few times before I thought it was brilliant she really can suck you in and make it a great story and give you all the feels .
The story over all is just amazing and will pull your heart strings and leave your heart feeling warm .

I give this book 4.5 heart-warming stars

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish. I thought the writing was stunning and loved the storyline. I hadn't heard of this author before I saw this book on Netgalley and loooking at Goodreads it seems she has lots more books that sound like something I would enjoy!

Emma, Will and Cole are all excellent charaters - they aren't anything out of the ordinary but they jump off the page and feel real. The plot centres around real life issues that make this book really relatable and easy to read. There is an element of magic in the book that I feel we didn't need - the plot was strong enough without it.

Really enjoyable and I will definitely be recommending this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Really enjoyed this book, a romance with a difference. You could really feel the joy and the heartbreak throughout Cleverly written characters who all had light and shade. Will definitely look out for more from this author.

Was this review helpful?

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. I could have listened to the narrator all day. The way she narrated brought out each characters personality and really gave the personalities depth.
The story was a love story, although not just a love story, with nuances and parts that I could really relate to. It tells the story of Will and Ella's relationship over the years and how Ella's best friend Cole fits into their relationship.
I finished listening to this book on a dog walk and I was struggling to hold back the tears, I love when a book can bring out such emotions in me.
I have recommended this book to friends as soon as I came home from my dog walk. It is definitely one I will be recommending to others and that I will buy to gift.

Was this review helpful?

I think the description of the book makes it sound like it is going to be much more time - travel led. I was sort of thinking Time Travellers Wife style, but it really is not!

Nice novel about real love and relationships. Characters are likeable but not enough to be upset or concerned for them in my opinion.

Was this review helpful?

This has to be one of the best audio books I have listened to. The narrator certainly did the book justice. Absolutely loved the story - took me through all the emotions. The story really tugs at the heartstrings - loved all the characters as flawed as they were. I am no good at predicting endings or plot twists - I like to enjoy the story as I'm reading it and not second guess stuff. But that ending......

Is 5 stars enough - I could have given it more. I think this is one of my top reads of the year.

Was this review helpful?

Well this was my first by this author, but it certainly won't be my last and I'm glad that I have the back catalogue already on my shelf.
If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be? That's the premise for this book.
Ella is turning 41 when she remembers a moment in her past, seeing her older self with the same clothes as she is wearing in that exact moment, but what was she trying to tell her younger self?
So begins a dual timeline book, going between present and past leading up to now. We see marriage struggles and friendship struggles, alcoholism and how the choices made can change the future, this book is super emotional, but gosh I needed to know how it ended and the last section my heart was in my throat.
Highly recommend this one.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this , the story was different and kept me interested from start to finish . I liked Ella the main character and I enjoyed the duo time line. The narrators voice was slightly irritating in parts but I still enjoyed the story.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley and Headline Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just couldn't get into this book. I don't like the characters or the narration. Don't get me wrong, it is a well written book, but I was looking for more of a fantasy with the time travel. I was looking for something more like They Both Die at the End and this just wasn't that. I don't even know why there was a time travel element as this story could have been told without it. It just jumbles it up. I felt no emotion throughout, although other readers said they laughed and cried. I just couldn't connect with the characters or the story. There will be an audience for this book and there absolutely already is judging by the stellar reviews on Netgalley and Goodreads, but this just didn't move fast enough for me.

The audio was HORRIBLE. I despised the voices for Will, Cole and young Ella. Will and Cole sounded like they were constipated and young Ella was whiney and annoying. All around not enjoyable to me. Two stars.

Was this review helpful?

What a fabulous book this was, I absolutely loved it! The narrator was brilliant, she brought each character to life beautifully, and read at a perfect pace too.
The storyline was so good and very well written. I don’t always get on with books that jump backwards and forwards between timelines, but the way this was done made it easy to keep track and each time the timeline moved it was integral to the story.
The characters were really well developed throughout the story and I very quickly became totally invested in them and fell in love with all three of the leads. They were so well written that it was easy to picture them as real people.
This is one of my favourite audiobooks ever and I highly recommend it.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?