Title: Maybe Next Time

Author: Cesca Major

Genre: Adult Fiction

Main Characters:

• Emma – lead female, wife and mom
• Dan – Emma’s husband

Summary:

It’s an ordinary Monday and harried London literary agent Emma is flying out of the door as usual. Preoccupied with work and her ever growing to-do list, 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 seems sad.

She is far too busy, buried deep in her phone; social media alerts pinging; clients messaging with “emergencies”; keeping track of a dozen Whatsapp groups about the kids sports, school playdates, all of it. Her whole day is frantic – what else is new – and as she rushes back through the door for dinner, Dan is still upset. They fight, and he walks out, desolate, dragging their poor dog around the block. Just as she realises its their anniversary and she has forgotten, again, she hears the screech of brakes.

Dan is dead.

The next day Emma wakes up… and Dan is alive. And it’s Monday again.

And again.

And again.

Emma tries desperately to change the course of fate by doing different things every time she wakes up: leaving Whatsapp, telling her boss where to get off, writing to Dan, listening to her kids, reaching out to forgotten friends, getting drunk and buying out Prada. But will Emma have the chance to find herself again, remember what she likes about her job, connect with her children, love her husband? Will this be enough to change the fate they seem destined for?

Verdict:

Wow! This book was crazy (and a little confusing with all the jumping back and forth!) but it was good. And extremely thought-provoking. It sparked so much in me about living with regret and having the chance of a do-over if we could… but also the inevitable fate that we have. Not in my top ten but a good read nonetheless.

Have you read it? What did you think?

Any other good book recommendations that you would share?

x