Maybe Next Time

by Cesca Major

This novel sells itself as One Day meets Groundhog Day. I would add, meets best selling self-help book, The Gift.  Worth reading for a lesson in lively, energy-filled writing that makes each word feel fresh, even though they’re the kind of words we use every day. Major is great at show not tell, and instantly immerses us in the inner worlds, lives and viewpoints of her two central characters. The book starts as a compelling and innovative love story, which made me laugh, cry and fill with empathy for characters trapped in the lives they have created. But I did sigh when, near the end, the situation being ‘a gift’ became the theme, alongside bringing ‘joy to other people’. “I didn’t sign up for a self-help book,” I screamed as I neared the end, but the novel did change the way I think about my own life, and make me appreciate my partner and repeatedly rush to tell them, so whatever it calls itself, I guess it works.