It Might Never Happen
Published on 21. May 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
352 pages
978-0-00-862916-8 (ISBN)
Description
'Thought-provoking and beautifully written' Daily Mail
'Strangely compelling' The Times
'Astonishing. If you like Sally Rooney, read this book' Hattie Williams
(Look at these two. They have been sure that their fate is in their own hands - they have been desperate to believe this - and now they are learning it is not.
The ending is a pivotal moment in their story.)
Noa is desperate to be loved. More than anything else - more than her studies, more than her job, her friends, her family - she wants to belong to someone. And she knows if this can happen, if someone will just choose her, she'll finally be happy.
Elliot is terrified. Terrified about what will happen to his brother, Willy, if he isn't there to keep him safe. Terrified that his friends will find out that he doesn't have any of his own opinions. Terrified that the girl he loves will realise he isn't a real person.
When they meet, Noa and Elliot have an immediate connection. And each of them hopes their great love might be enough to quiet the voices that tell them they're not enough. But is it possible to love another person when you have no idea how to love yourself?
It Might Never Happen is a beautiful, painful, brutally relatable novel about the ways that love tears us apart, again and again. About fearing for the worst - and how we pick ourselves up when it happens. Perfect for fans of Talking at Night, Ordinary Love or Milk Teeth.
***
'Intimate and incisive' Woman
'Important and affecting' Charlotte Paradise
'Tender, raw, and painfully relatable' Woman's Own
***
Readers are giving FIVE stars to IT MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN
'A moving and beautifully written book'
'This book cracked me open ... I'll be thinking about this one for a long time'
'Totally absorbing ... One of the best books I've read this year'
'Strangely compelling' The Times
'Astonishing. If you like Sally Rooney, read this book' Hattie Williams
(Look at these two. They have been sure that their fate is in their own hands - they have been desperate to believe this - and now they are learning it is not.
The ending is a pivotal moment in their story.)
Noa is desperate to be loved. More than anything else - more than her studies, more than her job, her friends, her family - she wants to belong to someone. And she knows if this can happen, if someone will just choose her, she'll finally be happy.
Elliot is terrified. Terrified about what will happen to his brother, Willy, if he isn't there to keep him safe. Terrified that his friends will find out that he doesn't have any of his own opinions. Terrified that the girl he loves will realise he isn't a real person.
When they meet, Noa and Elliot have an immediate connection. And each of them hopes their great love might be enough to quiet the voices that tell them they're not enough. But is it possible to love another person when you have no idea how to love yourself?
It Might Never Happen is a beautiful, painful, brutally relatable novel about the ways that love tears us apart, again and again. About fearing for the worst - and how we pick ourselves up when it happens. Perfect for fans of Talking at Night, Ordinary Love or Milk Teeth.
***
'Intimate and incisive' Woman
'Important and affecting' Charlotte Paradise
'Tender, raw, and painfully relatable' Woman's Own
***
Readers are giving FIVE stars to IT MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN
'A moving and beautifully written book'
'This book cracked me open ... I'll be thinking about this one for a long time'
'Totally absorbing ... One of the best books I've read this year'
Reviews / Votes
'Thought-provoking on childhood trauma, heartbreak and how a lack of self-worth can impact a life. Beautifully written.' Daily Mail 'Strangely compelling - you're plunged so deep into this pair's forensically examined trials and tribulations, you can't help but want to know if they make it.' The Times 'A beautiful and heartbreaking examination of the first big romantic relationships that define us, navigating love and lust and identity and heartbreak with deftness and gentle, wry humour' Hattie Williams 'Important and affecting' Charlotte Paradise 'A tender, raw, and painfully relatable debut about two young people clinging to love in the hope it will make them whole' Woman's Own 'Intimate and incisive, capturing the quiet heartbreaks, uncertainties and fragile hopes of growing up. She lays bare the messiness of early love with unflinching honesty and compassion. It Might Never Happen will stay with you long after the final page. Whatever you do, keep tissues close.' Woman's Weekly 'Intimate and incisive, capturing the quiet heartbreaks, uncertainties and fragile hopes of growing up.' WomanMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 195 mm
Width: 128 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
240 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-862916-8 (9780008629168)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Emily Slapper grew up in Northampton before studying Cinema and Photography at the University of Leeds.
After graduating she moved to London to work in advertising whilst hoping to one day become a screenwriter. But wanting to write films turned into wanting to write books and so she started a Creative Writing MA at Royal Holloway.
In her spare time she loves walking around South East London with her dog, Tina.
After graduating she moved to London to work in advertising whilst hoping to one day become a screenwriter. But wanting to write films turned into wanting to write books and so she started a Creative Writing MA at Royal Holloway.
In her spare time she loves walking around South East London with her dog, Tina.