Maybe One Day by Debbie Johnson : All About Romance

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Women's Fiction

Maybe One Day

By Debbie Johnson

Grade : A

Buy on Amazon

Maybe One Day is a novel that follows a woman’s journey to find the truth of her past, and resolve the trauma of her youth. In doing so, she walks in the footsteps of her first love, the man she believed abandoned her, and tries to find her way back to him.

Jess has spent the last few years caring for her ailing mother in their family home, but now both of her parents have passed on, and she discovers a secret they kept from her until the grave. Joe, Jess’ boyfriend, partner, and the father of her daughter, did not abandon her as she’d believed. Jess discovers the box of letters and cards Joe sent over the years, and realizes that the man she loved and trusted never wanted to leave her. Armed with little information, Jess decides she has to find Joe again, and bridge the gap of years between them. Accompanying Jess is her younger cousin Michael, and an old friend, Belinda, who was once Joe’s foster-sister, both of whom want to help Jess and Joe reunite, and at least clear the air between them.

On their journey, the trio get to know the people who were touched by Joe’s kindness, and they track his progress through letters, tenuous connections, and the help of strangers. Jess, through the power of love and friendship, is able to begin healing fully from the darkness of her past, and start moving forward into the next phase of her life.

It cannot be overstated how emotional this story is – it is bittersweet, heart-wrenching, and at times achingly melancholy. The writing evokes a kind of sad nostalgia, a longing for the past but an understanding that longing is futile. This is not a lighthearted adventure, though there are moments of levity and joy, it is a journey from weakness to strength, featuring all of the gory, sad bits that are a part of that trip. Maybe One Day is a story of tragedy, but also of hope, hope that not all is lost, that what was once broken can be whole again, if imperfect. It is also about the people we love, and how they shape us, disappoint us, fill us up when we are empty.