I really enjoyed this story where we mainly follow Amy, then (18 years ago in the UK) and now single mother and café owner in New Zeeland. After all this time Chris, her teenage boyfriend suddenly shows up in her café and Amy wonders why and how to approach the subject of their daughter and what happened all those years ago. I loved following the ups and downs and twists as Amy and Chris get reacquainted and finding out if they have a second chance at love, while also going back to the 90s where they were teenagers in the UK and finding out what had happened then. The ending was a little abrupt and left somethings unanswered, but other than that a great story.

Oooo the twist at the end!!! I really enjoyed this book and it kept me interested and gripped throughout.

The characters drew me in and I travelled along with them as they find their way through life. I was supporting Amy and at one point I really disliked Olivia. I didn't expect the twist towards the end but loved the ending. Highly recommended

Tender and delicate story telling , the storyline of the impact of a teenage pregnancy is wonderfully handled, as is the more recent storyline where the teenage couple reconnect after many years, The author let the characters grow and develop naturally and mature as people, both individually and in their relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and of course the author for gifting me this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an emotional book describing the tests of time (18 years) and how far love will travel (11000 miles). When Amy fled with her parents from England to New Zealand 18 years ago, pregnant and heartbroken, she was forced to leave Chris behind, the love of her life. Fast forward 18 years, Amy's path crosses with Chris once again and old secrets are revealed as Amy was led to believe that Chris had no interest in her or the baby when she left England.

Full of heartbreak and love and tears, such an emotional rollercoaster that was really well written.

This was a great novel to read! The writing style is very good and it kept me engaged from start to finish. I liked the alternate povs in different timelines and the characters are flawed but real. I was sometimes annoyed at the lack of communication between the characters but I understand that was the main point of the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!

This debut novel is a second-chance romance combined with an accidental pregnancy. I typically love the first trope, but I'm not a fan of the second one. Nevertheless, this was a great read. The reconciliation between Amy and her mom was so welcome and heartwarming; it was one of my favourite parts of the book. I'll admit, the dynamics between "Then" Amy, Chris, Olivia and Paul seemed odd and a bit awkward at times. Olivia does redeem herself a bit in the end, but she's a character that I did not like very much. Ultimately, this book highlights the dangers of keeping huge secrets from loved ones... they always have a way of getting out!

I don't think I have read a book set in New Zealand lately! I enjoyed this one that took you back and forth in a dual timeline about second chances and whatever happened when the way your life works out not like you hoped.

The story itself was promising and had me engaged throughout but the characters felt superficial and I couldn't understand completely their motives

Fantastic book, I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This book was okey. The premise of this book is exactly what I like and want to read. This whole story is based on complicated misunderstandings, that could easily been solved with just a simple conversation. Nah, this didn't work out for me at all. Unfortunately.

Enjoyed the beginning, it was kind of slow for me toward the ending.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review.

The characters in this book were not really likable at all and this book was not all that interesting and I had to make myself finish it,

Such a great story alternating the past and the present and a misunderstanding taking years to be resolved, giving second chances in love and life to all. Really enjoyed reading this story.

An emotional and hopeful debut that Can first love survive 18 years, 11,000 miles and a lifetime of misunderstandings? Eighteen years ago, teenage Amy fled England, pregnant and heartbroken, to start over in New Zealand with her parents. Now Chris, the love she left behind, has walked into her beloved café by the beach and thrown her life into turmoil.

This was such a sad but beautifully written book. I felt every emotion that every character felt and I felt very connected to them.

The back and forth between Olivia and Amy was a perfect addition to the book and helped paint a very clear picture before the grand twist towards the end.

I rated this book 3.5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and lake Union Publishing for sending me the E-Arc in exchange of an honest review!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/

This book felt so long , not in a good way. The dual timeline was was okay , enjoyed the beginning few chapters of "Then" not much of "Now" . The whole poor communication and lack of communication is frustrating. Also wondered why did Amy just drag out the fact that Chris is Bea's father , it was until the end of the book for the most important conversation to come out and that felt very wrong given the fact that she started dating him again. Also the fact that Bea didn't show up until the epilogue is also disappointing and the ending was such a let down. Overall the writing is good but Crittenden could've done better.

This story was very different than I had expected I was prepared for a second-chance romance, but not at all for the complicated misunderstandings that stood in the way.

I liked the writing and the setting, but the entire story was really frustrating to endure.

I liked Amy right away. I was, however, really confused by the dual perspective between Amy and Olivia. I figured that Olivia was what complicated the relationship between Amy and Chris, but I still didn't understand why the reader needed her perspective.

I also understand that Olivia was a very troubled youth, but her point of view was just so cringey and obsessive that I felt very uncomfortable reading her chapters

I'm all for happy endings, but this one was way too far-fetched for me. All is forgiven and everyone is one, big, happy family in the end? It just felt too unrealistic to me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review

Rounded up from a 3.5. I sped through this story and it was interesting. I was pretty sure I had the secrets figured out early on but it was a good vacation read about long lost loves, mistakes made, forgiveness, and finding happiness.

That’s more than two books in a row that challenge my knowledge of other countries and their customs and language, which also made it an extra learning experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for this early read.

When her high school boyfriend suddenly shows up at her doorstep half a world away after almost two decades, Amy is a little overwhelmed…… he has no idea what he’s been missing.

I enjoyed this book but I found Olivia’s chapters to be consistently slow. I would have preferred to see the “then” chapters told from Chris’ perspective instead, or honestly even from Amy’s mom’s perspective. I also found the end to be a little unlikely and too perfectly convenient.

Overall I enjoyed it, it was a cute story, just not one of my favorite second chance romances.

Worlds Apart is Jane Crittenden's debut novel, I knew just by looking at the cover I needed to read this book, it's just so pretty. This novel is a dual POV and a dual timeline, but I appreciate how the author put "now" and "then" at the beginning of each chapter, so I would know when the timeline would change, it wasn't confusing at all. Now, I expected this book to mentally destroy me, did it? A little bit. I expected to sob, did I? No, not at all. Was my heart broken? Just a little bit. This book didn't disappoint in any way. But I went in with too high expectations. All of the characters were unique in their own ways, no one was perfect, I absolutely love when an author writes characters that way because each character is going to have their faults and mistakes, just like in the real world outside of books. Not everything is going to be sprinkles and rainbows. At first, it took me a little bit to get into the story, it started off a bit slow, but then it started picking up pace, and eventually I couldn't put the book down. I can't recommend this book enough, so please do yourself a favor and grab your copy immediately. I didn't exactly <b>love love love</b> this book, but I enjoyed most of it. Don't let this review stop you from reading Worlds Apart, you may love it more than I did, these are just my opinions.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND AMAZON PUBLISHING UK FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

<b>Can first love survive eighteen years, eleven thousand miles and a lifetime of misunderstandings</b>?

Eighteen years ago, Amy fled England, pregnant and heartbroken, to start over in New Zealand with her parents. In high school, Amy met Olivia and Chris. Olivia was new to the school, and Amy was her first real friend, or so Amy thought. Amy wanted to go to culinary school, but her mom thought it was a waste of time, so Amy would always bake at home and bring tasty treats for her friends, expecting them to guess her secret ingredient. Chris and Amy were friends way before Olivia arrived. Chris would always smile at Amy. Later on, Olivia would always have thoughts of Chris smiling at her like the way he smiled at Amy. Amy became pregnant with Chris's baby, but she never told him she was pregnant. Amy and her parents were about to move to New Zealand, so Amy wrote Chris a letter explaining everything, and Amy's dad was supposed to deliver that letter to Chris man to man, but he saw something that would destroy Amy, OLIVIA AND CHRIS WERE KISSING UNDER A TREE, while Amy was carrying Chris's baby. Amy's mom thought she was so stupid for getting pregnant at such a young age.

Fast forward to now, Chris, the love Amy left behind, has just walked into Amy's beloved cafe down by the beach in New Zealand, and has now thrown her life into turmoil. Amy never saw Chris kissing Olivia, she just believed what she was told. Chris is on an architecturing job in New Zealand, a place where Amy calls home and has raised their child alone. As far as Amy is concerned, Chris chose to ignore the child she was carrying when they last met. Amy brought up their child alone, and created a happy home for the both of them on the other side of the world away from Chris and Olivia. How could Christ betray Amy like that? But how could Olivia do that to her best friend as well? She knew Amy and Chris had feelings for each other. With Chris suddenly back in her life, Amy can no longer ignore the past and begins to wonder what really happened all those years ago. Amy and Chris's daughter, Bea, is away on a trip, and now is the time for Amy to come clean with Chris, but what does Amy learn? CHRIS HAS ANOTHER CHILD WITH OLIVIA!!!!!! The <b>NERVE</b> Chris and Olivia had just wanted to make me scream. But I couldn't help but cheer on Amy, she was so strong for going through with her pregnancy despite her mom's smartass remarks.