Literary agent Emma is an over-committed, stressed woman who ignores her husband and two children. One evening her husband, Dan, takes the dog for a walk, is hit by a car, and dies. The next morning Emma wakes up and Dan is still alive and the day repeats. This happens for four or five months, as she tries to change her husband’s fate, and gradually learns to slow down and appreciate her family. The ground hog day repetition goes on for too long before the inevitable ending. The author makes some good points about the stressfulness of life for today’s women, but I found the novel to be too long.

A moving novel that reminds readers to appreciate the present and find joy in their day to day. Similar premise to One Day with references to Groundhog Day, I enjoyed the fast-paced plot and the way the author took this trope in her own direction.

I found Maybe Next Time to be an okay read. The premise is intriguing, and the exploration of love and loss has its moments. However, I felt that the character development was lacking, making it hard to fully connect with Emma's journey.
The writing is engaging, but the ending left me wanting more—it felt rushed and didn’t quite deliver the emotional payoff I was hoping for. Overall, it’s a decent story with some thoughtful themes, but it could use a bit more depth and a stronger conclusion. If you're curious about the concept, it might be worth checking out!

Secrets started to be revealed when Emma had to live through the same day over and over again. It was interesting to see how Emma changed when her day kept repeating itself.

I enjoyed the opportunity to read this book. Typically I don't flock toward Groundhog Day-style romances, and yet this one kept me captivated throughout. There were moments in which the letters had me a bit lost within the time period we were in. And I also couldn't quite track what lesson Emma was meant to be picking up throughout. That said, the ending felt quite emotional and made reading the book feel worthwhile.

Emma's life has her always on the go. Her to-do list gets longer and longer and she doesn't know how to say no when asked to volunteer for something, take on another project, or do additional work for an ungrateful boss. In addition, Emma is like Pavlov's dog when it comes to her cell phone. Every notification draws her back into its grasp and her attention away from the people that matter. 

Then one day everything goes wrong and her husband is dead by the end of the day. The next morning she wakes up and she gets to relive the awful day all over again. What will Emma learn about herself and the people she loves? Can she get it right if she redoes the dreadful day?

The last chapter utterly crushed me. Grab the tissues. This book made me think about second chances, the things we miss out on because we make ourselves too busy or unavailable, the meaning of friendship and love, and what we mean to the people around us.

This novel delves into the intricacies of relationships and the impact of routine in the lives of Emma and Dan, a couple caught in a time loop where tragedy strikes daily at 10:17 p.m. Through fragmented time, readers witness the evolution of their relationship, from their initial meeting to the challenges of marriage, parenthood, and beyond. While the premise may take some time to resonate, the poignant and unexpected ending brings a sense of emotional closure that is both touching and bittersweet.

Despite initial reservations about Emma's character, the narrative gradually unfolds to reveal her journey of growth and self-discovery amidst the repetitive cycle. The exploration of themes such as anguish, grief, and acceptance adds depth to the storyline, offering readers a compelling portrayal of the complexities of love and family life. For those drawn to stories that blend emotional depth with the intrigue of a time loop trope, this novel offers a satisfying and resonant read.

My book club had a great time chatting about the Reese's book club selection. A bit of groundhogs day, time loop at the base of the story, we see how the daily life is not fulfilling her needs or the needs of her family. It's a great look at what happens when our priorities are skewed and a testament to pausing and choosing the right thing.

This was a sweet and sad story. Definitely provided perspective regarding recognizing what is important in life. I enjoyed it.

Here is my review, as posted on Goodreads. I apologize it is so late, but I was unable to complete it before the pub day due to serious health concerns with my son.

I’m grateful that the publishers allowed me to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

This is my first Groundhog’s Day trope and it didn’t disappoint! While the story is heartbreaking, I loved learning a little more with each day Emma relived. This book really makes you think about how you approach both the good and the bad in your daily life. Do you choose to get discouraged and give up or do you choose to view each day as a gift and make the most of every moment?

No spoilers but…what an ending! 🤯

I cry in most of the books I read, so take that with a grain of salt, but I sobbbbbed for a big stretch as this one wrapped up. Luckily having my cat in my lap to cuddle made it a little easier…
Do you ever cry when you're reading? I find it's a sign I care deeply about the characters. Which happens pretty often - and I like to think it's a good thing!
Emma's a literary agent in London, working hard enough that she forgets it's her dateaversary (even though she hates that title) when she and her husband Dan exchange letters expressing their love and appreciation for the last year. It's a tradition she first started, but now that they've been together for many years with two children, he puts more effort into remembering than she does. He's upset she forgot and storms off to walk the dog, where he gets hit by a car. Emma is devastated, trying to comfort the children and sobbing herself to sleep. But the next morning, she relives the same day a la Groundhog Day. No matter what small changes she tries, he still dies each night. So Emma makes bigger and bigger changes in the repeated day, hoping to awake in the future instead of reliving the same day over and over and over.
I started reading this book pretty soon after seeing Kimberly Akimbo, and the Act 1 finale of the show is a great song titled “This Time” whose lyrics are similar to the title of the book, with a theme of looking on the bright side and making the most of the next time. The song has been in my head throughout my reading and occasionally switching to the audiobook - maybe to quiet the song (even though I love it!). Anyway, this book left me wanting to appreciate each day and try to see the best in even the crappy things. Thank you to William Morrow for the ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. It's available everywhere now if you're looking for a good cry!

Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for letting me read this book.One Day meets Groundhog Day, in this heartwarming and emotionally poignant novel about a stressed woman who must relive the same day over and over, keeping her family and work life from imploding as she attempts to spare her husband from an unfortunate fate.

I didn’t really know what this book was about when I requested it. I saw a pretty London cover and decided to read it (cute American playwright here setting her current piece in London). It’s a Groundhog Day story. It started good but disappointing—I had higher hopes for it than what I was reading. About halfway through I was feeling it was a little mediocre. I was very wrong. This book takes its time to unfold, a mysterious puzzle slowly piecing itself together, and the final result is beautiful. The plot twists were genuinely shocking, the end absolutely heartbreaking and fulfilling. If you can handle a slow read, I would recommend this.

3.5 stars - cute story and not mad I read it.

This is a mix of Groundhog Day (reliving the same day over & over) plus PS I Love You (letters over the course of the relationship).

My favorite takeaway is the balance of fate and choice. Fate: there are some things destined to happen & there’s nothing you can do to change it; no reactions or emotions can undo what’s meant to be. Choice: There are decisions around fate that you can make; ways to react better or show up in different ways despite the inevitable.

I highlighted a lot of quotes in this one. It wasn’t quite a tearjerker for me but i could see it causing tears for some.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book as an ARC. This is a truly beautiful book, melancholy and bittersweet. The beginning of the book starts off like so many typical relationships. Emma is busy with her career and does not have the time to give attention to everyone in her life: her children, her husband, her friends, her career. So what is suffering the most is the marriage. She forgets their anniversary, and Dan (her husband). feels hurt. He leaves to walk the dog, and as you know from the book jacket, he is killed when a car hits him. Emma goes to bed, distraught and despondent realizing that she took him for granted, and will never have him back….Except the next morning she wakes up and there he is alive. The book does go through what would seem like Groundhog Day as she’s continually repeating the same Monday. But she’s not the same person on each Monday, and each Monday doesn’t go exactly the same way. You see Emma changing in her life and appreciating things that maybe she hadn’t before. She grows as a character. I don’t want to give too much more way, but this is a beautiful book- one that when you finish that you will close it and think about your own life and your own relationships and are you taking people for granted? I love this book, and I will definitely be looking to read more by Cesca Major.

Wow. I truly loved the concept of this story, and love even more how it was played out. I feel I can, as many busy mothers can, relate to Emma so well. The author has made me want to slow down and start taking more joy in the simpler things in life. Emma and Dan's relationship was so poignantly written, and while I would love more about this story, the ending was so perfectly written.

Review will be posted on 4/12/23

Emma is a literary agent in London and is busy with the demands of her career, motherhood, and all that comes with raising two children in a busy city. She is starting to let the needs of her family slip away and even forgets to celebrate the anniversary of when she met Dan, her husband. This is something they always celebrate with letters to one another, but Emma forgot as, like most mothers, she has a lot on her plate. Things take a turn for the worse when Dan unexpectedly dies and obviously, this turns Emma's world upside down. All those meetings, work emails, and volunteering she did don't seem so important now. However, she has another chance. When she wakes up the next day, Dan is alive. Does she have a chance to fix things or is this Dan's fate? Is she destined to live this excruciating day over and over again? Cesca Major's Maybe Next Time is a thoughtful and heart wrenching read about family, love, and living a mindful life.

Maybe Next Time truly resonated with me, much more than I thought it would. Emma's journey was reminiscent of Groundhog Day and it was a good reminder to live a more mindful life. So much of our days are filled with rushing here and there, attending this meeting, taking our kids to an activity, emailing back a coworker, that we forget to stop and look around and appreciate life and our loved ones. Maybe Next Time reminds us of this and while Emma's journey was hard at times to read, I was completely caught up in her story and was hoping she find a way out. The book truly makes you think. What would you do if you were Emma? Maybe Next Time is going to be made into a movie as it was picked up by Reese Witherspoon's company and I can't wait to see it! I may need a box of tissues though. If you like heartfelt novels with a touch of magical realism, pick this book up this spring!

Ground Hog Day meets the Overdue Life of Amy Byler in this charming tale in which a woman relives the same day over and over. Dan and Emma are good, kind, caring people. They love each other; they love their children; they love their families, even if some don’t seem to love them back. When Dan heads out to walk the dog one night, something happens that has Emma to re-experience the same day in an endless loop, making small changes each time until small problems start to improve.

The true purpose of this book appeared to be to encourage the reader to prioritize what’s important in their lives. To know your purpose in life. To know what makes you happy. To live in the present. To learn your limits. These chances, and the advice of a coworker, allow Emma to come to overcome getting lost in the hustle and bustle of life and to appreciate the good things in her life and relinquish the difficult of hateful things.

I loved how this book showed how difficult and demanding having a baby is on both the new mother and new father. How it can tear apart even a good marriage.

The ending of this book made me cry. It’s poignant and heart wrenching. I wasn’t sure I liked this book in the early chapters, but it grew on me. When I reached the end, I felt sad that I wouldn’t see these characters any more.

This is a lovely book. It starts slowly, and the repetition sometimes gets a bit annoying, but overall, this is a wonderful read. I recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank them for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

I needed a book to break me from a string of disappointing books and this one was it!

Emma has a very stressful life and she doesn’t quite realize the impact that it’s having on her until she has to relive the same day… over. And over. And over. And over again. And every single time, her husband Dan dies at 10:17pm. It doesn’t matter what she does, he dies and she wakes up and relives the same day.

This was an absolutely beautiful & heart wrenching story. I loved Emma’s growth in the book & how it felt SO real. This wasn’t her living the same day just a few times and waking up & realizing what needed to be done to fix it. This was a growth of over what was comparable to several months.

The ending was hard for me to process but it was so perfect to the story. While I felt like I knew how it ended, I hated not having the 100% certainty.

The story was captivating and never hit a dull or slow moment - right from the start I knew that this would be a book that I would absolutely love. And could see myself read again.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked this tale of harried working mom Emma who is trying to do it all, and feeling like she is failing on all fronts. Things come to a head on a Monday evening, when she realizes she has forgotten her anniversary, and the results are disastrous for her family.
She wakes up the next morning and, low and behold, it’s Monday morning again! She gets an opportunity to fix everything.
Maybe Next Time is a fun book to read between heavier choices.