Book Review: Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

It takes a lot to make me cry and I mean a lot.  Some people might say I am cold hearted, this is not true, I feel a great deal about a great many things but I don’t often cry.  I have read books that people have sobbed over but not even suffered a lip wobble.  For an author to make me cry they have to do a great number of things right, it’s not just about the storyline but the characters and the writing. It has to be super good because I have to lose myself in it so much that it hurts enough to make me feel that amount of emotion.

Maybe One Day made me cry and not just a little bit, a lot.  I sniffled most of the way through it and at the end when I put this book down I sat on my sofa and I had a good old cry.  Even now as I am writing this review a week after reading this book I have tears in my eyes. 

I was a bit like this:

I found Maybe One Day to be deeply moving, profoundly effecting and in parts extremely beautiful.  It is not just the subject matter, there are plenty of books out there that are like this one and have affected me less.  It is Melissa Kantor’s writing and the way she chose to tell this story that made this book so emotional.

I have to seriously commend her for the way she approached this novel.  It all felt so real and that is probably why I found it so deeply touching.  The characters are not black and white and sometimes they do stupid things but you understand why.

What I think was great about this book was that it wasn’t told from the point of view of the character with cancer but her best friend.  You got to see up close the emotions she went though, how she was not only dealing with school and hormones but the illness of someone she loved.  It was at times a painful read but also a beautiful one.

Another reason this book worked was the friendship between Zoe and Olivia.  It was really beautiful and written so well.  They loved each other so much and it was amazing to see the strength they managed to build up not for themselves but for each other.  Zoe is an amazing character, I felt like she was on the edge of losing it throughout this book but she managed to keep it together.  There was nothing she wouldn’t do for Olivia, nothing and that was why I liked her so much.  Her best friend having cancer scared her but she didn’t let it show and she was a constant pillar of support not just for Olivia but for her family as well.

Maybe One Day is an amazing coming of age story that is realistic and beautifully written.  It made me laugh and cry and was seriously moving in parts.  I highly recommend that you go out and get this book.

5 stars

Published February 18th 2014 by HarperTeen.  A free copy was provided for review.  Images courtesy of Goodreads.

Review by Kate Phillips