A heartfelt story of finding lost love. Maybe One Day was an easy read with a cute premise. I would recommend this for a light read. There was nothing compelling to the story that had me wanting more though.

I read 30% of this book and have decided not to finish it. The main reason is the 40 minutes of letters that I was reading. I actually liked the writing at first, but then we get a VERY long chapter with nothing but multiple letters and it felt so tedious. I’m wondering why the shift. Unfortunately it caused me to lose interest very quickly.

I was not ready for this book. It was so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time and I loved every word.

This is a somewhat tragic tale about Jess and Joe and how their relationship came to an end because of the meddling of Jess's parents.

Jess's mother has just died and her cousin is helping her process life and start going through some of her things. Jess finds a box of cards and letters and is taken back to before the accident and when she was mentally healthy. The story is a revisiting of her life at that time and finding people from her past to help fill in some of the pieces from the time after the accident. The adventures Jess embarks on to retrace Joe's travels is a testament to her love and desire to find out what happened.

This is a lovely story that I didn't want to end. There are many hard moments especially the recounting of the accident and the profound after effects that change Jess and Joe's lives.

I look forward to reading more Debbie Johnson

For seventeen years, Jess believed that her love, Joe, had abandoned her. After her mother’s death, Jess finds a box of letters hidden in the attic and discovers that everything she was told about Joe was a lie. Together with her cousin, Michael, and her friend, Belinda, Jess sets out on a journey in the hopes of finding her love once again. This is a heartbreaking story, slow-paced and very sad. Although this book was not for me, other readers may enjoy Jess’ emotional journey to find out the truth about Joe. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3

Oh my gosh what an emotional roller coaster. If you love a little romance with a little mystery, this book is for you. Sprinkle a little luck and humor and you have a winner.

This book is a sweet journey of lost love. Jess has just buried her mom and is finally going into the attic of her mother's house. The attic was always closed off and protected by her mom. Jess is ready to find out why her mom seemed so secretive. Her life will soon be turned upside down. A discovery of a box full of letters from her first love puts her on a mission. Joe was no ordinary first love though. She has history with this guy. She had a life with him. A tragic event changed everything, and now she must know after all these years what happened to him.
Her journey begins with her cousin Michael, who brings a bit of humor to this book. He's a great character with his own family drama, but is more than willing to help Jess on this journey.
Jess's journey is not only a journey to find Joe, but a journey of self discovery. A way to deal with the past. She meets some amazing people along the way, and each have their own moments with Joe. The overall census is that Joe is an amazing man and she must continue to find him. The question is, is Joe happy and will she ruin his current situation?

I thoroughly enjoyed this ARC from #netgalley. I love a romance that has more substance than a fight and make up repeat scenario. This one has so much substance and an urgency to find out the truth of what happened oh so long ago. I was so absorbed In the characters, the scenery, and the adventure aspect. I would say my only criticism is the ending built on "luck or magic' for that matter. No spoilers here though. This is not your typical romance and it's worth the read.

This was a heartwarming story about a young couple who were separated by loss. Each of them changed after an accident that left them torn apart by "well meaning" parents. After the parent's die, letters are found and now Jess starts a quest to find Joe. We learn the couple's history and why Jess so desperately wants to find Joe. Jess needs to find closure for this time of her life and see how Joe healed after their accident. Will she find him?

While their journey is a little bit beyond believable, they travel across several countries and a body of water, Jess and her friends, including one from the time when she was dating Joe, will renew a sense of hope in those who love a good romance.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC copy = views are my own and not influenced by this giveaway.

I’m afraid I didn’t finish this book, felt like I was reading someone’s high school writing paper. I didn’t care about the characters and was annoyed by the basic prose, not entirely sure how far I got but life is too short to carry on reading what is uninteresting, or not entertaining.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a review. I requested this book because the cover looked like it would be your typical light rom-com novel. It was not that. Instead, this is a story beautifully crafted in flashback, letters, and memories.The main character Jess has had so much trauma in her life. This is definitely not a light hearted romance. It's very heavy and emotional. After the upbringing and life that the love of her life Joe had he is still one of the most kind and caring souls. The characters who shape Joe's character after he "abandons" Jess are just delightful. While there is so much loss and sadness in this story, it's also reality. Nothing is ever simple and easy I like the fact that this was real. Overall this was a 4 out of 5 for me. A beautiful story of friendship, loss, and most importantly love.

Possible spoilers

Wow...what a beautiful book! Reminiscent of The Light We Lost, Adriana Trigiani’s Valentine trilogy, and even P.S I Love You, Maybe One Day is a story of loss, grief, trauma, hope, acceptance, and enduring love. When Jess’s mother dies, she starts cleaning out her house and comes upon a cache of letters, cards, and notes from the love of her life, Joe Ryan. Following an unspeakable tragedy and the temporary loss of her sanity due to grief and PTSD, Jess is told that Joe has abandoned her. Her snobbish parents, who never approved of him, kept the letters and cards from her, justifying it by assuming that Joe’s presence will prevent her from recovering and living a full, happy life. After she reads them and realizes how badly her parents betrayed her, she begins a multinational quest, with the help of her cousin Michael, a recent law school grad and gay man who’s afraid to come out to his cold, rigid parents, and Belinda, a high school friend of Joe’s, using the postmarks and postcards to guide them. It’s a way for her to learn about Joe’s life in the 17 years since he left and meet all of the people along the way who came to love the kind, compassionate man who briefly passed through their lives. At the times when Jess feels less than brave, sad, lonely, ready to give up, or in need of a laugh, she opens one of the notes Joe left, letting his thoughts and words of support strengthen her.

Written in Jess’s voice, readers become intimately aware of her grief and bravery in pushing past her fears to find the truth about the only man she’s ever loved, causing a visceral reaction to her pain and sharing the tenuous hope that she’ll find Joe alive, happy, and perhaps still unattached. Johnson has written a masterful account of how profoundly grief affects us and how love can make us react in myriad ways, sometimes bringing joy and, other times, despite best intentions, causing irreparable harm and heartbreak. Don’t let the ill-chosen, cartoonish cover fool you. This is not a light-hearted love story, but one that will tangle with your emotions, leaving you guessing until the very last page. Must-read!

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from William Morrow Paperbacks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

4.5 stars

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but I really enjoyed reading it, and I wish I didn’t have to let go of these characters at the end.

After her mother’s funeral, Jess returns to her mother’s -- now her -- home, accompanied by her cousin’s adult son, Michael. Reeling from the grief of losing her mother whom she had been caregiver to for many years and unsure what to do, she decides that she should start going through her parents’ things in the attic. But when she does, she discovers a giant, life-altering secret that they hid for her entire adult life -- a box of letters from Joe, the love of her life, who she was told left her when she was at the lowest moment one could imagine, almost two decades earlier. Slowly her whole story is revealed and she and Michael go on a quest to find him, learning a lot about love, loss, and life in the process.

This is a very sad book, and trigger warning, there is child death in it, so be forewarned.

But, I enjoyed learning about each of the characters, so much so that I don’t think I can choose a favorite from the main ones. Jess went through so much over the years and barely survived it all but is learning to find her voice again now that she’s free from her parents. Michael is struggling balancing his sexual identity with his unsupportive, bigoted parents. And Belinda, a childhood friend of Joe’s and a former teenage parent who has found her path as a lawyer, helping those in her community now that her own child is grown. This trio makes an unlikely alliance to solve the mystery of what happened to Joe and why the letters hidden in the attic suddenly stopped arriving several years ago.

Definitely read this one with a box of tissues, but be prepared to be sucked into this story. You won’t be sorry.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, William Morrow, and The Book Club Girls in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.

My heart almost couldn’t take this one y’all 😭 It was such a beautiful story of loss, grief, and second chances. Jess has spent years believing that Joe, the love of her life, abandoned her during her darkest days. When her mother passes away she finds a box of letters from Joe that takes everything she thought she knew and turns it on it’s head.

This one is heavy, at times I had to take a minute away from what I was reading because the author did such a fantastic job of capturing Jess pain. As much as it was sad and heartbreaking there was always a sense of hope and in the end, that’s exactly how I felt. Do you ever find yourself in the mood for a book that’ll break your heart? The next time that happens give this one a try, it really was wonderful ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If I’d have known how sad this book was at times, I likely wouldn’t have thought it would appeal to me. But it pulled me in immediately and I really cared about the characters and ached for them to be happy.

Without spoilers, I’m going to try to describe this book a little more clearly than book flap does.

Jess’ mom has just died. She spent the past few years taking care of her mother. She doesn’t have much left now. Her and her cousin Michael start clearing out the attic and find a box that shocks Jess and completely changes the story of what happened in her life.
Jess and Joe met when they were so young. They had a baby soon after. Jess thinks that Joe left her at her absolute worst moment in life. But the box in the attic is filled with letters from Joe that her parents clearly hid from her.
Joe never abandoned her like she thought he did. And considering the letters went on for years, Joe must have thought Jess actually abandoned him.

After reading through the letters, she’s able to track a bit of Joe’s life’s path from the post cards. The last letter he sent, in 2013, says that he knows that if he ever saw her again she would likely not feel connected to the events of his life anymore.

The book flap says she goes off with her two best friends to follow his path. Actually, it’s her cousin Michael and Joe’s best friend from highschool.

Jess decides that of course she wants to find Joe, but she also wants to follow the path that he took over the years. If she ever gets to meet him again, she wants him to know that she understands him still.

I think it was well said, by one of the characters, that Joe is near legendary status.
Joe had a brutally rough life growing up and got his heart broken over Jess. But when he had nowhere to go, he seemed to float from one person in need to another and helped them along the way.
This portion of the book actually reminded me a lot of Big Fish. All the people who can tell his tales.

I was practically screaming at this book, please let Joe be alive! I know if Joe wasn’t alive than of course Jess still learned a lot of lessons along the way. But I wanted it for Jess and I wanted it for Joe too. Joe also deserved to know what really happened.

I said this would be spoiler free and of course I’m not going to say, or even imply, whether Joe is alive at the end of the book. You’ll have to wait and see yourself.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster but I’m glad I read it. Joe was definitely a legendary character.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!

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.

Maybe one day was a heartbreaking story; full of deep and complex characters trying to find hope and happiness after having dealt with excruciating moments.
It took me more days to finish this than I thought it would because the story talks about some serious issues and everything that happen to Jess and Joe was… just so sad. Sometimes it wasn’t easy to read but the story is interesting and touching. There are some lighter and funnier moments of course. I especially enjoyed reading about the trip and about the way Jess was changing. I also would have loved more Joe in the story, he was a great character but also a bit mysterious. I loved Michael, and I liked how Belinda balanced everything as well.
Overall, it is a captivating story and even though I was expecting perhaps something lighter, I am glad I got to read this book because it is beautiful and I enjoyed it.

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

What a beautiful love story. This is a book that you just keep routing for the main character to continue her journey and you pray that there is a happy ending. Jess & Joe even sounds cute. The trauma they endured and they had to endure it without each other. I don't understand how a mother
and father could be so cruel but, I guess if they thought they were protecting their daughter then I would forgive them too. Thankfully, Jess found something that got her motivated to find her person, the love of her life. She followed his journey and learned about him and herself along the way. Such a great read. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to #WilliamMorrow, #netgalley, #bookclubgirlearlyread and @DebbieJohnson for an ARC of this book.

I received an ARC of this novel and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the first novel I read by Debbie Johnson and it will not be the last.

At the start of the novel, we are introduced to Jess. Jess has spent the last seventeen years dealing with a horrible tragedy that resulted in the death of her daughter and the disappearance of the man she loved, Joe.
However, upon her mother's death, she discovers a box of letters that indicate that Joe did not abandon her and that her parents kept the truth from her about Joe.

Jess decides to set out to discover where Joe has been these past seventeen years with her cousin and one of Joe's best friend's, Belinda. They are a motley crew following a trail of postmarks to fill in the gaps of Joe's life since he "disappeared." On this journey, they meet an interesting cast of characters who lives has been touched by Joe and learn just how deeply Joe cared for Jess and their daughter. Plus, despite not coming from the best of circumstances and a difficult upbringing, Joe is truly a good and decent man.
Additionally, regardless of whether the group finds Joe or not, each of them find elements of hope and inspiration in the world and the inner strength to go on.

Life isn't easy and we all deal with loss, pain and tragedy. This novel is about hope, inner strength and the belief that there is still goodness in the world.

Maybe One Day follows Jess as she tries to find the love of her life again. I enjoyed watching Jess's story unfold in the present and the past. I loved getting to see little glimpses of Joe and his life through the people Jess met while tracking down his life. I really enjoyed her cousin Michael and friend Belinda. I was invested in the story and really wanted to see the girl find the boy in the end. This was a good story with all the right feels.

I really liked this book! Girl meets boy, falls in love, tragedy strikes, girl loses it for a time. I really liked how this book unfolded. I loved the supporting characters of Michael and Belinda and then reading further of how Joe affected the more minor characters. I loved loved loved the ending and my heart was so appreciative. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow/Custom House for this advanced reader’s ecopy.

Typo loc 531 in chapter 4: She’s heard more “F-words - needs a closed quotation

Typo loc 3105 in chapter 23: “ ‘He liked a pint but didn’t have a drinking problems.’ “

Typo loc 3512 chapter 29: “ ‘You’re not even that prissy an more.’ “

Quote I liked: “There’s loss all around us—you just have to try not to let it overwhelm your whole life.”