We Live and Breathe Books: Library Loans

Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major
Published by William Morrow on June 4, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction, Time Loop
four-stars

Goodreads

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.

It is 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 realizes it is 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 each 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, reconnect with her children, love her husband? Will this be enough to change the fate they seem destined for?

A moving “What if” story of what it is to be a woman in the modern world—never feeling we’re getting it quite right—about learning to slow down and appreciate life that is sure to resonate with women’s fiction fans.

Emma is forced to relive the same day over and over again. It's the day she and her husband celebrate their first date, but this year, it ended in tragedy.

I rather enjoy time loop books, and like most of those I have read, this one goes through all the usual stages. There was realization, surprise, attempts to change things, breaking all the rules, sadness, growth, and acceptance. Emma also experienced all these things while she was navigating this day on repeat and reliving her husband's death over and over again.

What stood out in this story were the letters from her husband, Dan. Each year, Dan and Emma would celebrate the first day they met. They would write each other letters where they reflected on the past year. This was where we got to see things from Dan's point of view. It was where he recounted the good and the bad from his and Emma's past, and I have to admit, they were really emotional. The last one was the most beautiful of them all. I am tearing up just thinking about it.

I love the big message of making sure you focus on the important things and being present. It's so easy to get caught up in work and obligations, but it's vital to give time to the people and things who matter most because you never know how much time you have left.

Overall, kind of sad, but with a really wonderful message.

Within Arm's Reach by Ann Napolitano
Published by The Dial Press on April 30, 2024
Age/Genres: Adult, Fiction
four-stars

Goodreads

A tender and perceptive debut novel about three generations of an Irish American family jarred into crisis by an unexpected pregnancy—from the bestselling author of Hello Beautiful

“This stunning . . . exquisite, skillfully written gem addresses serious issues–e.g., guilt vs. loyalty, the past vs. the present—[but] remains hopeful and includes ample doses of humor and wit.”—Library Journal (starred review)

No one in my mother’s family ever talks about anything that can be categorized as unpleasant or as having to do with emotions. . . .

This spellbinding debut by bestselling author Ann Napolitano is a poignant reminder of how connected we are to those we love, even when we cannot find the words to say it. The unforgettable story of three generations of a large Irish Catholic family, Within Arms Reach is another rich and deeply satisfying novel from the author who captured the many dimensions of grief in Dear Edward and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood in Hello Beautiful.

Families can be complicated, and with its vast size, this family was bound to have more than its share of complications. Catharine, the matriarch of this clan, was approaching the end of her life and worried that her family would continue to drift further from each other without her there. And then what some in the family saw as a shameful mistake was welcomed by Catharine as the event that would bring the family back together.

I have a lot of feelings about this book. These are some of the messiest people I have ever read about all gathered in one place. This family experienced loss and trauma, but they never really tackled it head on. That pain lingered and affected each member of the family in different ways.

This was not a happy, fluffy story, but I was very invested and entertained by it. Sort of in the way you can't stop watching a soap opera. Right when I thought I saw the worst of them, someone did something worse, and I just shook my head.

I suppose I did grow to care for some of these characters, as they were able to disappoint me with some of their choices, but at least they seemed to grow. I think I am left a bit wishy washy because I like more definitive endings. Though I think it was heading in a hopeful direction for most of the main players, there were so many loose ends! I needed answers, and I was left with NOTHING. That's something that is frustrating to me.

Though the McLaughlins were a mess, there was love, a shared history underneath it all, and a desire to care for each other in some capacity. Overall: A compelling family portrait.