Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major BLOG TOUR #MaybeNextTime @CescaMajor @fictionpubteam @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

Emma is having the worst day of her life. Frustrating. Chaotic. And the only person who could make it better is gone 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?

Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major was published on 30 March 2023 by HarperCollins. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour 

I've been a fan of Cesca Major's writing for many years. Her book; The Silent Hours, is an all time favourite of mine and one that I recommend to people on a regular basis. 

I was intrigued when I read the blurb for Maybe Next Time, this feels like a different direction for the author. There were lots of mentions of 'One Day' in relation to this, and as I'm one of the very few people who (whispers) didn't really like One Day, I had my misgivings about this one.  However, I know and love her writing so I picked it up and dived in. 

Well, move over One Day, and off you pop Groundhog Day.  Maybe This Time stands head and shoulders over both of you! And there's rumblings about this one being adapted for screen too, so fingers crossed, this is going to be huge. 

It's a love story, it's a story about ordinary, everyday people, living pretty average lives. It's also extraordinary in that lead character Emma gets to live out the same day, over and over again. You may think that this has been done before, and yes, it has, but don't let that put you off. Cesca Major has structured this perfectly, she's created characters and plot that draw the reader in and honestly, you will be desperate to find out what happens to them both. 

I found it hard to warm to Emma initially. She's fallen into that familiar female trap of totally over committing herself, doing too much, for too many people and not knowing how to stop. It is December 3rd and she and Dan have been together for fifteen years, traditionally they've written a letter to each other on their anniversary to celebrate what they've done, and to plan out their hopes for the future. This year,  Emma has forgotten to write the letter and they argue before Dan leaves the house. 

Tragedy strikes the family and when Emma wakes the next morning, she finds that it's actually not the next day, it's 3 December, and this happens over and over again. 

Whilst this could feel repetitive, it really isn't. Emma lives each 3 December in a slightly different way, taking opportunities and looking at things in a different way. It's difficult to describe, but I can assure you that it is clever and masterfully handled by the author.   I really began to like Emma, more and more each 3 December, as the reader learns more about her and follows her struggles. 

It's a glorious look at modern-day life and how how stressful and busy world can impact so much on relationships. Emma and Dan's relationship was not perfect, but it was theirs and despite outside factors, it was the centre of their universe. The depiction of Emma's emotions are beautifully portrayed, it's relatable and to be honest, it makes the reader sit and consider their own lives and what really is important. 

This is a wise, emotional, sometimes funny novel. It's insightful and very clever and comes highly recommended by me. 

Cesca Major is a novelist and screenwriter. She runs writing retreats and coaching
throughout the year, is a mentor for Black Girl Writers and has taught creative writing for Jericho Writers and Henley School of Art. She blogs and vlogs about the writing process on her social channels.

Cesca has written under pseudonyms in other genres and has been nominated for both the RNA’s Romantic Comedy Award and the CWA Gold Dagger Award.

She lives in Berkshire with her husband, son and twin girls.

Twitter @CescaMajor • Facebook.com/CescaMajor-Author • Instagram.com/cescamajorauthor • www.cescamajor.com