Anything Could Happen: A gloriously romantic novel full of hope and kindness

Product Information

The book we all need – full of escapism and beautiful places, fabulous characters, romance, hope and kindness. I adored it – MILLY JOHNSON Thank you so much to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book, all thoughts are my own.

Eliza needs answers – and so does Lara. Their journey to the truth will take them on a road trip across England and eventually to New York, where it all began. Dreams might have been broken and opportunities missed, but there are still surprises in store… This is actually my first time reading anything Lucy Diamond has written and I will make sure to try out her other books. So this story contains two big secrets hidden by Lara, one of the main characters, surprise you have a daughter, surprise your dad isn't your dad, a possible car theft, possible second chances, humor and sometimes you get 4 pov which really isn't hard to follow. On the negative side it does feel too long, there is extraneous detail that gets in the way and maybe a few too many characters. It’s a bit frustrating as I just want the storytelling to speed up! I really enjoyed the storyline to this book, for the first couple of chapters I really though Eliza was a bit of a brat, it really was just her circumstances though and I loved seeing her grow as a person and mature into a lovely strong independent young woman.

Customer reviews

So now that Eliza knows who her father is, and he knows she exists, will she finally be able to have the relationship with her father that she always wanted? Will Lara ever be able to stop wondering what would have happened if he had gone on a second date with her, would her life have turned out differently? Would they have all been a happy family together? You’ll have to read this book to find out the answers to your questions. Favourite things: beaches, holidays, chocolate, wine, reading, Green Wing, bubble baths, sunshine, hearing my children laugh, babysitters Life does tend to throw us all curve balls and naturally we all wonder what could have been about many different relationships in our lives, it’s this kind of closure that everyone seeks to have, otherwise you always have this little hole that never truly closes. Second chance romances are always intriguing and Lara and Ben’s story of one amazing night in New York together and then losing each other for various reasons looked as though it would be interesting. Eliza is 18 years old and has had a pretty shitty day. She's confronted her father for having left her and her mother Lara, only to find out he's not her father, and his finding out was his reason for leaving. So Eliza's understandably P#@@%d at Lara for not telling her the truth for the past 18 years. Understandable...

Anything Could Happen started of with a really good beginning that was in an prologue. After reading that I knew I would like this book a lot. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review. I did also really like Ben. He is a well-rounded male character. He is handsome but, like Lara, has his flaws and does his best to embrace them. He also steps up when it comes to Eliza. Lara reluctantly told Eliza the story of her biological father – a man who didn’t even know she existed. A young British girl, Lara Spencer was a fashion journalist in New York when she met Ben McManus and their immediate connection was obvious. The arrangement of a second date was exciting – the fact that the date didn’t happen, devastating for Lara. She returned to her home in Yorkshire, pregnant, with the father of her child completely unaware. Now that child wanted to meet her father and get to know him… Eliza needs answers – and so does Lara. Their journey to the truth will take them on a road trip across England, and eventually to New York, where it all began. Dreams might have been broken and opportunities missed, but there are still surprises in store…Eliza has just turned 18 and although she hasn't seen her father Steve in years, she now wants to reconnect with him. However, when they eventually meet, Steve drops a bombshell. Her real father is a man called Ben who her mother Lara spent a night with in New York, but never saw again. The characters are easy to like especially the daughter Eliza because in my opinion she made the story funnier with her ideas and thoughts. I really did love this book. It’s a perfect escape, even if that is only this book, a comfy chair, and a favourite drink. For Lara and her daughter Eliza, it has always been just the two of them. But when Eliza turns eighteen and wants to connect with her father, Lara is forced to admit a secret that she has been keeping from her daughter her whole life.

The story had a great flow during the reading and it wasn't too obvious what would happen at some points. Fast forward nineteen years and Eliza is an angry young woman confronting her father about why he left her and her mother when she was only small. Her father drops a huge bombshell that shakes Eliza to the core - he is not her father. Lara has been lying to her for her entire life. When Eliza does eventually connect with her real father, Ben, it also causes repercussions in his marriage. So, a new Lucy Diamond would be a treat, right? Well, yes or no. I started reading the book hoping for a great, interesting story but the more I read, the slower and slower and slower and also reptitive it became, so much that I found myself skim - reading the last third - even though it probably contained the most important information and resolutions. But it wasn't able to keep my attention anymore - sadly. At its core, Anything Could Happen is a book about love, family, second chances and how one decision can truly change your life. I think fans of both Lucy Diamond and Paige Toon will enjoy going on a journey across the UK and to New York alongside the cast of characters in Anything Could Happen.Ben and Lara only meet again after Lara’s daughter, Eliza, finds him after an internet search and goes to Cambridge meet him. Eliza is an impulsive teenager who only thinks about what she wants, whatever the outcome, she wants to meet her Dad and doesn’t consider what this news will do to him or his wife. As you can see, there are a lot of complex relationships forming and collapsing in Anything Could Happen. It's a book that undeniably takes you on a journey as Eliza and Lara both connect (and reconnect with Ben). Every character has their flaws, which to me makes them so much more real and relatable. Filled with heartbreaking, heartwarming and tender moments, the book had a good pace as it takes you on a journey. Anything Could Happen is a wonderful read – the twists and turns of the story meant I couldn’t put it down – JILL MANSELL Whenever a book is described as feel good or laugh out loud, I wonder if it will be and in this case I didn’t laugh out loud or feel particularly good when it ended, but I suppose that is a question of personal taste. Anything Could Happen is a warm, wise, funny and uplifting novel about love, second chances and the unexpected and extraordinary paths life can take us down.

In this book we meet Eliza, she is an 18 year old girl who is about to finish her school life and trying to find out exactly who she is and where she fits in, in her life.De afwisselende perspectieven, mooie karaktergroei, sterk neergezette dynamiek en krachtige dialogen houden het geheel levendig en terwijl alle levens op hun kop worden gezet, kiest de auteur zeker niet overal voor de meest voor de hand liggende uitkomsten, waardoor verschillende wendingen je zullen verrassen. Het leven loopt vrijwel nooit zoals je had verwacht en soms is het goed om je levenspad te heroverwegen, je relaties onder de loep te nemen, die ‘wat als’-vragen te beantwoorden en in het diepe te springen om je verwaarloosde dromen toch achterna te gaan.