I couldn’t be more grateful to the lovely folk at Team Bookends and to Milly Reid at Quercus for sending me a copy of Anything Could Happen by Lucy Diamond in return for an honest review. I’m delighted to share that review today.

Published by Quercus in ebook on 14th December and other formats next year, Anything Could Happen is available for pre-order through the links here.

Anything Could Happen

Your big secret is out. What next?

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.

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…

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.

My Review of Anything Could Happen

Life hasn’t always been straightforward for Lara and Ben.

Not having read Lucy Diamond before I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from her writing. What I got in Anything Could Happen was fabulous story-telling, perfect characterisation and the most wonderful reading experience. I loved Anything Could Happen unreservedly from the very first word. There’s just enough description to create a sense of place, Lucy Diamond’s direct speech is natural and convincing and her narrative is spellbinding.

What drew me in so completely was that there are no unrealistic heroes, no super human wonder women between the pages of Anything Could Happen, but instead I found glorious, flawed, perfectly imperfect human beings that were real, vivid and as important to me as any real person I know. I was so invested in the outcomes for Lara, Eliza, Ben and Kirsten that I put life on hold, unable to tear myself away until I discovered what the final outcomes were in their lives.

The plot is so brilliantly crafted. It follows the natural rhythms of ordinary life so beautifully, enchanting the reader and drawing them into the story completely. This makes Anything Could Happen relatable and emotional because there is something for every reader to identify with here. Relationships, family, love, second chances, loss and being true to yourself are just some of the wonderful themes explored with such humanity.

Anything Could Happen is a tender, realistic exploration of the ‘What ifs’ of life that I found utterly gorgeous, utterly convincing and a total must read. I adored this book. It’s one of my favourite reads of the year.

About Lucy Diamond

Lucy Diamond grew up in Nottingham and went to university in Leeds where she studied English Literature. After graduating, she lived in Oxford, London and Brighton, working in publishing and at the BBC. She now lives in beautiful Bath where she writes full-time.

As a Sunday Times bestselling author with sixteen novels, two digital novellas and a Quick Read under her belt, Lucy writes with warmth and honesty about the joy and surprises, as well as the complications, that love, family and friendships can bring. Her seventeenth novel, Anything Could Happen, is out as an ebook this December and published in hardback January 2022.

For more information, visit Lucy’s website, follow her on Twitter @LDiamondAuthor and Facebook or find her on Instagram.