In the spirit of Ruth Hogan and Adriana Trigiani, bestselling British author Debbie Johnson brings us the ultimate in “happy tears”: a heartfelt story about a woman seizing the chance to reconnect with her lost love.
The truth changes everything. For years Jess believed that Joe—the father of her child and the only man she ever loved—had abandoned her during her greatest time of need. That … her greatest time of need. That belief nearly destroyed her. Seventeen years later, when cleaning out her mother’s house, Jess unpacks a box of cards and letters hidden in the attic and makes a discovery that changes everything about life as she knows it.
Shaken but empowered, Jess—and her two stalwart best friends—set out on a remarkable journey to follow a set of faded postmarks around the world. Is Joe still alive? Does he know that Jess never forgot him? Maybe their love story isn’t over.
Maybe one day they’ll find each other again…
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Beautifully written, full of gorgeous prose and killer one-liners. What a lovely book this was!
Clever and wise, brimming with warmth and poignancy.
Love it. I loved the idea of telling a story through letters!
Audiobook Review
Overall 4 stars
Performance 4.5 stars
Story 4 stars
This book really put my heart through the ringer. It was an emotional ride filled with lots of ups and downs. I knew going in that it wouldn’t be an easy read, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how heartbreaking this story would be. There are quite a few CW’s that readers should be aware of before starting this journey (please see below).
Maybe One Day is an epic love story, but it’s also a story about facing tragedy and finding yourself. I was fully invested in Jess and Joe’s story and couldn’t wait to see where it would all lead, but I also loved seeing Jess finally come into her own. Following the letters and clues from place to place kept me on the edge of my seat, as I pieced together the years right along with Jess, Michael, and Belinda. Speaking of Belinda and Michael, they really helped balance the story so well. They gave much needed comic relief when things got a bit too heavy and I loved how supportive they all were in seeing this journey through. Unfortunately, the ending left me wanting more and it all wrapped up a bit abruptly (especially because of how much these two endured through the years). My heart was left happy and hopeful though, and I want to believe I know how things look in the future.
The audiobook was wonderful and the narration by Laura Kirman was truly a treat. She gave such an emotional performance, making me tear up one moment and then burst out laughing the next. I did have problems at times understanding the different accents, but she really did such a fantastic job.
CW: death of parent, death of child, car accident, PTSD, complicated grief, mental illness and hospitalization, homophobia, child abuse, toxic family/foster family relationships
*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this book*
This one was a tear jerker but oh so good! A heartfelt second chance romance. After her mother’s death, Jess and her cousin Michael are cleaning out the attic, and find a box full of letters from Joe, Jess’s lost love! She was lied to by her parents! There was an accident, and they had lost their young daughter Grace. Jess ended up hospitalized with a breakdown. Her parents then told her Joe had left her because he couldn’t copw. She was devastated. Now come to find out, it just wasn’t true. Jess, her cousin and her friend set out to try and find Joe by following the letters addresses so Joe and Jess can have their happy ending. This one pretty much had it all! Highly recommend!
4.75 Stars!
It was the perfect ending, but I still want more!
This was my first Debbie Johnson book and I loved the writing style. Lots of detail and development at a gently moving pace. The story ebbed and flowed through tragedy, whimsy, heartbreak, and little surprises. I’m all about the feels and this one nearly did me in on multiple occasions. I wasn’t ever sure of the direction, or rather the destination, but was completely there for the ride and wasn’t at all disappointed
This was the best book I have read in a long time! Heartbreaking but beautiful. Loved the characters and had to pace around my house waiting for the ending. Wish they had an epilogue but I figured out my own.
How can one book bring you to tears not only from heartbreak and but also from hope? Debbie Johnson’s MAYBE ONE DAY had me in tears on more than one occasion as the story unfolded.
On the day of her mother’s funeral, Jess and her nephew, Michael, decide it’s time to take inventory of the attic, just to start somewhere. Jess never expected that what she found would turn her life upside down and question everything she thought she knew about her life and her parents and throw her on a path that could either help her move on or completely break her.
Jess grew up with parents that expected her to follow the rules, weren’t emotionally expressive, and definitely didn’t talk about feelings. Jess followed her parents’ expectations until she stood her ground and went to a public University, which was like nothing she experienced before. On the first day she meets Joe and her life is forever changed. He accepts her and loves her for who she is, and she feels the same about him. Together they can do anything. Her parents don’t like him, but she knows he is the best thing that could ever happen to her. Then tragedy strikes and it literally breaks her. As she is working here way through it all, her mother tells her Joe moved on. The discovery that her Mother kept a box of letters and cards from Joe makes her realize that he didn’t leave her and he needs to know she didn’t let him go by choice. It also forces her to remember both the tragedy and the grief that broke her.
With Michael by her side, they turn to the only other person that loved Joe as much as she did, his friend Belinda. Armed with his letters and postcards, they set out on a journey not only across the United Kingdom but even across the ocean, tracing his path and discovering all the people he’s impacted along the way. Maybe one day Jess will get the chance to tell Joe that she never stopped loving him.
This was my first read by Debbie Johnson and I was knocked flat. There was so much emotion and Jess was a character that was so nuanced and real. The tragedy she faced would have broken anyone and it’s no wonder it broke her. Johnson did an exceptional job with Jess and her many layers and emotions, including her portrayal and understanding of Jess’s emotions and mental breakdown. At times heartbreaking, at others happy, this was a beautiful story of strength, hope, resilience, and love, that left me wrung out but emotionally satisfied. I will definitely have to look into Johnson’s other works.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#MaybeOneDay #DebbieJohnson #WilliamMorrow