Maybe Next Time

Emma and Dan meet cute on a tube in London in 2006. They move in together, have two children, Poppy and Miles, and later decide to marry. Every year, on the anniversary of their first date, they exchange heartfelt letters. This sounds romantic, and it is, but as time passes, Dan and Emma drift apart. A major issue is Emma's obsession with her career (she's a busy literary agent who is glued to her phone). In addition, although something is clearly going on with Miles and Poppy, they are reluctant to reveal what is bothering them; Emma brushes off Hattie, Dan's sister and Emma's best friend and staunch ally, when Hattie repeatedly suggests meeting for lunch; and Dan becomes increasingly upset when his wife continues to prioritize her job show more over her family.

In "Maybe Next Time," Cesca Major delves into her central characters' backstories, shows their strengths and weaknesses, and in an engaging homage to "Groundhog Day," forces the heroine to relive a torturous Monday, December 3rd, again and again. A desperate Emma tries to figure out how to escape from this depressing and frustrating loop that is threatening her sanity.

Major makes clever use of dialogue, text messages, and other correspondence to provide a window into how Emma and Dan change during their fifteen years together. The author effectively explores the consequences of placing the demands of work and other obligations ahead of our loved ones. Even if Emma belatedly learns her lesson, can she undo the damage that has already been done? "Maybe Next Time," with its engrossing plot, bittersweet humor, and vivid descriptive writing, should generate lively book club discussions. show less

Ohhhh......I wanted JUST a few more pages at the end...... Great story but absolutely and totally exhausting to even imagine. Very impressive how Major managed to come up with such a multitude of examples of....the repetition, with changes and changes upon changing....and working through several issues in Emma's and Dan's lives at the same time. An unusual take on a sort of "time travel" book.

Described as One Day meets Groundhog Day I went into this book really excited to dig into it as part of the @another.chapter.podcast read for May 2023. I've always loved the Groundhog day movie and while I read One Day many years ago it has stayed with me

In a book that explores missed opportunities and the impact of our choices, we meet Emma, a literary agent who is just trying to get through the day. Preoccupied with a meeting she shouldn't have to even attend, her ever growing to-do list, a bike clogging up her hallway and various pingings of her phone from Whatspp messages to authors texts. She fails to notice her lovely husband Dan seems bereft, her son can barely meet her eye, and her daughter won’t go near her. Even the dog show more seems sad.

As tragedy strikes and the day repeats itself Emma is forced into looking at her life from different angles again and again as she attempts to 'get it right'.

This one didn't quite hit home with me. I think I was expecting something more heartwarming (and funny) than melancholic, but despite its somber tone, it offers a poignant reminder of life's complexities. A recommended read for its personal resonance and thought-provoking narrative. show less

August 2024. Picked up for the time loop aspect. But, as is happening in the books I've been trying to read all too often lately, reading the first third or so and then the last 5-10% was more than enough. I mean, these are not especially interesting or likeable people that I want to spend so much time with.

The only thing here is that the ending seems open-ended, and quite possibly not happy. Did none of the GR reviewers notice that? If you read the whole book, do you assume it's going to end the way you want, and just gloss over the actual last paragraphs? Or, possibly, is there something in the middle that somehow explains how it's going to end (though I can't actually imagine what or how that telegraphing would be)?

Anyway, if you're show more not a fan of ambiguous endings, be wary. show less

Maybe next time by Cesca Major
It's the familiar groundhog day trope, but still an original story. Emma, a wife and mother of two young children relives the same - terrible - day over and over and goes from devastated, angry, scared, sad, crazy-funny to depressed until she learns to accept that she can't change fate but be present with the people who matter. I truly enjoyed going on a rollercoaster of emotions with Emma. This book is a reminder to focus on the important things in life

This novel is a unique read. One would almost need to know this prior to embarking on this story of a working wife and mother that is stretched beyond reason. I suggest going with his read just because it is so creatively done. It isn’t so much time travel as it is a time loop.

MAYBE NEXT TIME by Cesca Major (aka CD Major, Rosie Blake and Ruby Hummingbird) is a thought provoking love story. What if you had a chance to redo your life? But only one day - a very terrible day. And you had to do it over and over. The best advice is that every day is a gift not to be wasted.