It Would Have Been You

***** 5 Stars

Nikki Belgrave’s debut novel is absolutely compelling! I was very privileged to read the very first version of this novel, and I can say, even in the earliest form, I felt the heart of the story beating forth! It Would Have Been You features a fantastic, complicated heroine and a wonderful, compassionate love interest hero!

Drew Bailey fiercely loves her family and her friends, but she suffers from one major problem: the big lie that she believes about herself is that she is Cursed Drew, bad luck, and doesn’t deserve to be a part of the people who love her the most. Her brother and her boss (who is also a close friend) challenge Drew to remake herself into Epic Drew (who is definitely not cursed or bad luck) on a writing retreat they paid for her attend. Drew takes the big step to fly out to the retreat and meets the gorgeous and charming Cameron. As Drew gets to know Cameron, she soon comes to understand he sees the Real Drew, not the false Cursed Drew or the Epic Drew persona Drew put on for the retreat.

I loved Drew and Cameron’s interactions from the very start, but when Cameron understood Drew on a level that no one else did, they were absolutely endgame for me. As the writing retreat starts heating up and tragedy happens, Drew and Cameron’s relationship is forged in fire as they learn to care for each other, even though they just met. The kisses are very steamy, but that’s as far as it gets in terms of spiciness.

Emotional, Compelling, Thoughtful, Heart-Pounding, Nikki Belgrave’s romantic suspense novel has such heart and depth, and I love the characters of Drew and Cameron so much. They are such a sweet and wonderful couple, and I feel so honored that I got to be one of the first to experience their relationship on the page! An amazing debut novel!

P.S. Congratulations, Bestie! I'm so proud of you, and it is such a joy to see so many people connect with your story!