Maybe Next Time

The first chapter gave me some good giggles but I could almost sense the repeated heartbreak that was going to come my way…
So many marriages get stuck in a rut and Dan’s and Emma’s was no different. This is a tale that makes you think to hold onto your loved ones that little bit tighter. It’s a tale to realise that you need to jump off the hamster wheel and make time for those you love.
Cesca’s storytelling is exquisite and my heart was on tenterhooks. As cheesy as it sounds, time passed me by so quickly whilst I was reading. I was absorbed. ‘Maybe Next Time’ is sublime. I was only a quarter of a way through before I decided that it is definitely going down as one of my books of the year!

I feel that over the last 12 months or so, I have read a few books centering around the GroundhogDay phenomenon, where the MC is reliving the same day of their life over and over.
Maybe Next Time is of the same ilk, but I didn't feel like was reading the same kind of story over and over.
Emma, the MC, is a busy woman. A literary agent rushed off her feet with two children at difficult times in their own lives, a sister-in-law who is struggling, so many other demands on her attention, and a wonderful husband, Dan, who she barely gets to spend time with.
A little tradition of theirs is to celebrate each year they have been together with a letter to each other, highlighting the highs of the year. She forgets her letter in all the chaos of her life and experiences the day from hell, from work to her family life, and a heartbreaking end to it.
Every time she wakes up for the next goodness knows how many days, weeks, or months, it is the same painful day over and over, and no matter what she does, the eventual outcome won't change.
I loved how each repeated day is separated by one of Dan's letters over the years, so we get a real feel for who he is, as well.
It lifts your soul in some ways to see how Emma goes from hating her life to embracing the chance she has to make things in her life and the lives of her loved ones better, but I warn you, the ending will make you cry!
A wonderfully emotional read that I would recommend you might need a box of tissues to accompany you as you read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, UK, for an ARC.

This is a five-star read that will break your heart and put it together slowly, but my goodness as you go through the pages your heart rate will bounce up and down. Emma will surprise you, she will annoy you and she will make your heart grow. Monday is a rubbish day for us all, but this Monday may just be the Mondayest Monday of all time, every step Emma takes seems to be the wrong one, and each one will bring you close to tears, but as Monday falls again you start to see the light, but is there light enough? This is beautifully poignant and such a powerful story that it will sweep you up and spit you out for the stronger, I really didn’t know what to expect and when it first started I did wonder if it would get repetitive, but then it started going and just sucked me in, and I never wanted to leave, I wanted to be in that Monday, to feel the emotions as they pour off the page. I hadn’t read this author previously but as soon as I finish this, I will be checking out what else they have as I simply adore the writing, it was an emotional roller-coaster I never wanted to get off.

I loved this book! What a beautiful read.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about it to begin with and then suddenly I was sobbing. After that, I couldn’t put it down and was desperate to get to the end.
This book will stick with me for a long time.
Whilst I was fully engaged in the story and characters, I also really identified with the message around not being fully present with family.
A great read and one that I feel really fortunate to have had the opportunity to read.

A beautiful story of love and heartbreak……..over and over and over. I couldn’t put this book down and so wanted a day to end differently.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

I read this in a day. I was absolutely engrossed. Emma is a successful literary editor trying to balance her work and home life. Tragedy hits, bringing this starkly into focus and we follow her story as she tries to identify and subsequently save what is really important to her in a Groundhog Day-esque loop.

There are so many important themes, not least of all social media and career burnout. Emma’s phone is constantly pinging, and we see the different messages build up. It’s pretty overwhelming and many women will recognise the pressure of trying to keep all those plates spinning - being spread too thin and not really delivering on any front.

But the thing that hit hardest was the need to take a step back and remember what’s really important. Work will replace you in a heartbeat - it just pays the bills. Being present (physically AND mentally) at home is the most precious thing - we never know how much time we have.

I cried buckets. I love Emma and Dan as a couple - Cesca Major writes the perfect couple as they are not perfect. They are flawed and real which makes this romance land exactly where it should - straight to your heart.

What a read! This has to be book of the year so far. A beautiful story that is very thought provoking and a reminder for us all to be more present and appreciate what we have.

I really loved this book and it had me in a flood of tears by the end. I could really relate to Emma’s fast paced life and feel inspired to look around my own life and focus on what is really important.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Net galley for the chance to read this Arc of Maybe next time! Wow what a read it’s absolutely beautiful I cried so many times, this book is about a couple who celebrate there dataversary on the 3rd December every year they write each other a letter about the past year and there just beautiful, I absolutely loved this that much I didn’t want it to end it broke my heart and then fixed it so many times throughout the book, Emma and Dans relationship is beautiful, it really makes you think about taking a step back from the not so important things in life and enjoying your life more and spending more time and with your loved ones!

I can’t rate this enough if I could give more than 5stars I would it’s my favourite book of this year so far! Please just read it!!

Even the greatest love stories end. But what if this one didn’t have to?

Emma is having the worst day of her life. Frustrating. Chaotic. And the only person who could make it better is dead by the end of the day.
Yet even worse than all of that: Emma keeps waking up to the same day, over and over again.
But what if this is a sign things could be different? Can Emma change the heartbreaking end to this love story?

This is my first read of 2023 and wow…I hope the rest of the books I read this year are as good as this one.

A thought provoking read that will stay with you long after you finish the book. It really does make you reflect about your own life. Keep the tissues handy!

Thank you to Harper Collins, Netgalley & the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was recommended to me and I couldn't put it down. It really made me want to appreciate all the small, every day things we forget about. A great story and characters, highly recommend.

Emma is a hardworking literary agent, mother of two, devoted wife and the sort of person that has to make everyone happy. But lately, she’s been so focused on work that she is slowly leaving her family behind.

One Monday, Emma is again swooped into the stress of work and other events and forgets about her and her husband’s anniversary. They have a fight, Dan storms out of the house, gets in an accident and dies.

After this tragedy, Emma goes to bed. The next morning she wakes up. It’s still Monday. Still the 3rd of December. And so it will be for many days after this.

I know I would always love this book, no matter when I read it. But I just finished it and, at this point in time, I relate to it in more ways then one. How easy it is to get wrapped up in the stress of work and everyday life and lose sight of what’s important.

It may be a magical realism type of novel but it deals with such real topics. It’s beautiful, poignant, and the pages just pull you in.

I loved Emma. I thought she was really beautifully written and a well-rounded character. I definitely saw myself in her (I think a lot of us will), which made this book a whole lot more real to me. And a lot to digest as well. I know I’m still going to be thinking about it in years to come.

Definitely a 5-star read for me.

*******************************************I’d like to thank NetGalley, Harper Collins and Cesca Major for providing this ARC.*******************************************

WOW! WOW! WOW! Powerful and life affirming, So much more than five stars. If there is only one book you read this year, make it this one!

I saw this book advertised on HC Readers Room and was excited to see it offered as an ARC on Netgalley. This book was my first read of 2023 and will most possible be the best book I read all year.

The book centres around Dan and Emma's marriage, how easy we take things for granted and how we forget to look at what is in front of us and the most important things in life.

Emma wakes up in a groundhog day moment, completely reliving her husband's death. On each cycle she tries to stop the inevitable with both some positive and negative outcomes for her, her family and friends.

I finished this book in one sitting, I sobbed uncontrollably and yet it made me pause to reflect on my own life. Everything was just so beautifully written, so relatable to modern day life and up there as one of my greatest books ever.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for this ARC. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to read such an amazing book.

I've been hearing about this book for months and was desperate to read it, as it sounded so, so good. I was delighted when I got approved for an early review copy, and the book really lived up to the hype and my expectations: it's romantic, moving, engaging, funny, and just the right amount of infuriating too. I loved it from start to finish and devoured it in less than three days.

Take a love story, mix it with a stress dream, add moments that will stop you in your tracks and take your breath away while somersaulting on an emotional rollercoaster. The best way that I can describe Maybe Next Time other than completely addictive.

*New auto-buy author enters the chat*

Cesca Major absolutely nailed it with this one. Culturally poignant and poses such an important challenge on modern society. Granted, we live in a time where everything is too accessible, leading to an imbalance of appreciation for the little, seemingly insignificant things.

The timeline was utilised effectively- repetitive and meaningful. I’ve never read a book that made me constantly reflect on my life and own choices, quite as much.

A sensational read which I will recommend to everyone.

Gosh, don’t read this without a box of tissues near by… this was an utterly compelling and absolutely beautifully written story. I definitely identified with Dan and Emma finding life was getting in the way of them as a couple and that the distractions of every day life were stopping them all from focussing on their relationships with each other, with their children and with Hattie too. What Emma had to go through every day for months on end, reliving the worst day of her life, was just unimaginable and so so sad. It was beautiful to see her make peace in the end and find the gift in the time they had. I genuinely enjoyed every minute of the book and devoured it in less than 24 hours because I just could NOT put it down. Would highly highly recommend

This book had me in tears, what an emotional read, don't get me started on the ending! Just wonderful.
Thank you to the publishers Harper Collins and Netgalley for the e-arc.

I loved this book, I raced through it hoping and waiting for a happy ending. I felt for Emma, she sounded so lovely, kind, and overwhelmed balancing work life, love and all the extra commitments she can never say no to, but never having enough time and focus for her family and husband. The letters that are written at different stages of their lives throughout are an insight into her and Dan’s relationship and family throughout the years.

I found the book emotionally hard to read at times, it broke my heart, time and time and again and made me cry.

A must read

The theme is not new (although it's definitely one of my favourites), but the story is beautifully written, emotional, compelling, in many ways relatable and simply wonderful. I warmed to it instantly and enjoyed every single page, heart twisting, soul thinking until the very end (the only possible ending. Brilliant).
It's going straight into my top ten reads for 2023 and it'll stay there.
This is the first book by Cesca Major that I read, but it won't be the last.
Thank you to Harper Collins, UK, the author and NetGalley for providing an early copy.

Aww such an emotional book that really pulls at your heartstrings. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review this book.

Emma - married to Dan - mum to Miles and Poppy is stuck in Groundhog Day - replaying the same day over and over again - culminating in her husband dying.
Emma is a busy mum who works in publishing, struggles to switch off from work which impacts her marriage - often she can't see what's going on under her nose as she is wrapped up in work.
But no matter what Emma does, she cannot save Dan.

Major's writing is heart wrenchingly honest and beautiful. Her novel leaves the reader questioning their own lifestyle choices as Emma's marriage mistakes are ones most readers will recognise that they have committed themselves.

A recommended read

‘Maybe Next Time’ is a heartfelt story of love and loss that pulls on your heart’s strings and then breaks it completely.

When 42-year-old literary agent Emma lives the same horrifically chaotic and tragic day on repeat, she tries to change its course - and her priorities - in order to save her husband Dan from dying.

Despite its repetitive ‘Groundhog Day’ nature, the plot is fast-paced and gripping, complemented by Dan’s anniversary letters and Emma’s endless incoming text messages.

The author portrays the realities of publishing (or any career) burnout exceptionally well, reminding us to appreciate the little things of every day over corporate drama and people pleasing.

‘Maybe Next Time’ is an exciting 2023 release and I highly recommend this book to readers of contemporary romance and drama - and those of us in the publishing industry who can especially relate!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Harper Fiction/Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book and raced through it, dying to know what would happen, so it’s an easy five stars for me. BUT that ending killed me, and not in a good way!!! I can’t like - I threw the book down in exasperation after the last page.

Urgh, I just had to know what happened - I’m assuming Dan did die ☹️ And she has that beautiful letter to help her move on. But my god, it’s too sad 😭 The author has flipped the whole Groundhog Day trope on its head really - it always has a happy ending and she didn’t give us this. I’m usually pretty secure in the knowledge that everything will be put right when the MC achieves or learns what they’re meant to, but it just kept not happening. The whole Groundhog Day premise can be really tired and cliched, but this just wasn’t. I suppose it was perfectly heartbreaking.