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Maybe One Day
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.
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.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 18, 2014
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July 20, 2016
2.5 stars
This is supposedly a story that highlights the friendship between Olivia and Zoe. Both are ballerinas and have been best friends since they were little. Just the blurb alone has already caught my attention because I’ve always loved books that focus on friendship and I thought with dancing as an element in the story, this would be something really exceptional except somehow, the plot managed to take a completely different turn from what I have been looking forward to.
I’m not saying it’s bad because I think it’s still a good story about friendship and what it really means to be there for someone you care about no matter what. It’s just that the main themes of the story seem to have been overcome by the tragedy and then later the romance that the other interesting elements have been scarcely explored. It could have been so much more.
I don’t think it’s really the catastrophe that prevented me from completely enjoying the novel. I think it’s that I couldn’t completely relate with the main character and the narrator (Zoe) and I couldn’t help but disagree with a lot of her worldviews as manifested in her thoughts, actions and words. Some of the things she says could really be offensive for particular types of readers. The rest of the characters (except maybe for Olivia) seemed one-dimensional, very stereotypical and in a not so flattering way. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing because even though this is supposedly an emotional story, I didn’t think there was enough emotional depth in the writing and I just felt quite detached.
Like I said though, it wasn’t a bad read. In fact it holds a lot of potential and for the idea about friendship and the dancing thing alone, I’m still giving this my generous 2.5 stars.^^
This is supposedly a story that highlights the friendship between Olivia and Zoe. Both are ballerinas and have been best friends since they were little. Just the blurb alone has already caught my attention because I’ve always loved books that focus on friendship and I thought with dancing as an element in the story, this would be something really exceptional except somehow, the plot managed to take a completely different turn from what I have been looking forward to.
I’m not saying it’s bad because I think it’s still a good story about friendship and what it really means to be there for someone you care about no matter what. It’s just that the main themes of the story seem to have been overcome by the tragedy and then later the romance that the other interesting elements have been scarcely explored. It could have been so much more.
I don’t think it’s really the catastrophe that prevented me from completely enjoying the novel. I think it’s that I couldn’t completely relate with the main character and the narrator (Zoe) and I couldn’t help but disagree with a lot of her worldviews as manifested in her thoughts, actions and words. Some of the things she says could really be offensive for particular types of readers. The rest of the characters (except maybe for Olivia) seemed one-dimensional, very stereotypical and in a not so flattering way. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the writing because even though this is supposedly an emotional story, I didn’t think there was enough emotional depth in the writing and I just felt quite detached.
Like I said though, it wasn’t a bad read. In fact it holds a lot of potential and for the idea about friendship and the dancing thing alone, I’m still giving this my generous 2.5 stars.^^
Shelved as 'dnf'
January 26, 2014Pages Read: 93
Nope, I can't do it. Lots of my friends enjoyed this one, but I cannot force myself through 307 more pages of this. Every single thing the main character does make me hate her more. She's up there with Tris and everyone from Jude the Obscure on the list of characters I would like to punch in the face. If it were 300 pages or less, I might struggle through, but I ain't got time for this.
Maybe One Day actually started out well enough. The ballet is intriguing, but unfortunately not much of a focus. In fact, both Zoe and Olivia are kicked out of their fancy ballet school. I did question what school would bring the two girls in together to dismiss them at the same time. This seems like a huge violation of privacy, even if they are best friends. Also, wouldn't their parents need to be there? Whatever, moving on.
As my friend Jenni's DNF review already pointed out, the cancer stuff is totally off base. Zoe doesn't know what leukemia is, but does understand the meaning of both cardiology and oncology. As she heads to the hospital to visit Olivia, she does a grand jete on her way, because she's so sad she has time for ballet. She wishes that Olivia's brother Jake, who she actually likes, were the one dying of cancer instead.
More problematic is the behavior of the doctors in this universe, since it's obviously not set in the US where I live. Olivia goes to a doctor's appointment. The doctor, Dr. Weiss, notices some strange bruises, and combined with her headache and exhaustion, sends her to the Med Center. At the med center, they take blood, in which they find abnormal cells. Then, they send her to UH to do a bone marrow aspiration. They find blasts in her bone marrow, and put in a central line so the medication will go straight to her body. The medicine for her leukemia that they've just found.
Yes, how IS that possible? It is indeed the most implausible part. In my experience, a person is lucky to get into the doctor's office within two hours of their appointment, but in eight hours Olivia went to three different medical buildings, had a whole battery of tests run and started getting treatment. My dad had carcenoids (a benign, slow-moving cancer), so he has to visit a lot of medical practitioners and get tests run regularly. The results do NOT come back within a couple of hours. Generally, they take days or weeks to come back. My mom had to go to the emergency room for an emergency gallbladder removal and it took several hours for her to get into surgery, probably just a couple less than it took for Olivia to go from her GP to the hospital to receive treatment for her now fully diagnosed cancer. That is total bullshit. Unless Olivia is the daughter of someone incredibly rich and powerful with strings to pull, this is impossible. Even then, I'm somewhat skeptical.
Let's add to the magical medical profession the fact that Olivia asked her doctor to come back in to tell her best friend about her condition. The doctor has already told the family how Olivia is doing, but Olivia wants the doctor to tell Zoe directly. AND THE DOCTOR DOES. Doctors aren't busy or anything. It's not like the parents, who had already been informed, could have passed on the information. Oh no, Zoe needs the technical version from the doctor, because her insight is crucial.
On top of all of this is Zoe generally being a horribly obnoxious person. From the beginning, she's hugely judgmental of all of the cheerleaders, one called Emma in particular. Now, I'm not opposed to some good old-fashioned mean girls or airhead cheerleaders in my fiction, because some are really like that, however they are ALL like that in Maybe One Day.
Zoe's also a pretentious know-it-all who delivered a snarky little commentary about people who misuse the word "literally," when what they actually mean is figuratively. I thought that was funny to be honest, and it was one of the few things I liked about her early on, until she did this:
Oh really, Zoe? Was he LITERALLY swarmed and engulfed? He better have been completely invisible, buried under a dog pile of brainless cheerleaders, or I think you meant figuratively. Of course, it's not just the cheerleaders:
DO NOT EVEN TRY TO SNEAK RAPE INTO THAT LIST LIKE I WON'T NOTICE. I FUCKING SEE THAT. While I personally hate football and have never counted a football player among my close friends, I would never say any shit like this. All football players are not rapists. Do I really need to say this?
Zoe agrees to teach the ballet class Olivia led while she's out sick with leukemia. Only when she shows up like she's the best fucking person in the history of the world, the woman who runs the center for underprivileged kids is pissed because she's been guilted into hiring this girl who didn't apply for the position and who she doesn't know at all. This pisses me off for two reasons: 1) Zoe refuses to acknowledge that there is any reason this woman should be unhappy putting an unqualified person in front of these kids and 2) The fact that the woman hired this girl without references or an application or ANYTHING but the word of another teenager. This is not real life any more than the doctor's offices in the book. Hiring an employee involves a lot of rigamorole, even in a non-profit like this.
The one thing I liked was that she was really sweet to Olivia, so I DNFed when this happened after the conversation with the Director.
Apparently the statute of limitations for being nice to your friend after she's diagnosed with cancer only lasts for a couple of days. I quit here because there is literally nothing Zoe can do at this point to make me not hate her, especially since I spy a romance coming with Olivia's crush, who Zoe of course purports to hate. I love bitchy mean girl heroines, but NOT when they think they are sweet and saintly.
From the acknowledgements:
That basically sums up about half of my issues with this book. It's not set in the real world. It's not a realistic story about a girl whose friend gets cancer and the impact that truly has on a person's life. It's a melodrama that uses cancer as a dramatic plot point. If you like that, cool, but I don't see the fucking point in it.
Also, you cannot convince me that the narrative required Olivia to go from the GP to treatment for leukemia within twelve hours. Making that a realistic timeline would not cause any problems to the narrative. Similarly, Olivia could have been in the room when the doctor explained Olivia's disease and treatment to the family, rather than having the doctor dick around explaining it to Olivia's best friend because reasons. Both of those things are easily fixed. It's just lazy.
Fuck this shit. I'm out.
Nope, I can't do it. Lots of my friends enjoyed this one, but I cannot force myself through 307 more pages of this. Every single thing the main character does make me hate her more. She's up there with Tris and everyone from Jude the Obscure on the list of characters I would like to punch in the face. If it were 300 pages or less, I might struggle through, but I ain't got time for this.
Maybe One Day actually started out well enough. The ballet is intriguing, but unfortunately not much of a focus. In fact, both Zoe and Olivia are kicked out of their fancy ballet school. I did question what school would bring the two girls in together to dismiss them at the same time. This seems like a huge violation of privacy, even if they are best friends. Also, wouldn't their parents need to be there? Whatever, moving on.
As my friend Jenni's DNF review already pointed out, the cancer stuff is totally off base. Zoe doesn't know what leukemia is, but does understand the meaning of both cardiology and oncology. As she heads to the hospital to visit Olivia, she does a grand jete on her way, because she's so sad she has time for ballet. She wishes that Olivia's brother Jake, who she actually likes, were the one dying of cancer instead.
More problematic is the behavior of the doctors in this universe, since it's obviously not set in the US where I live. Olivia goes to a doctor's appointment. The doctor, Dr. Weiss, notices some strange bruises, and combined with her headache and exhaustion, sends her to the Med Center. At the med center, they take blood, in which they find abnormal cells. Then, they send her to UH to do a bone marrow aspiration. They find blasts in her bone marrow, and put in a central line so the medication will go straight to her body. The medicine for her leukemia that they've just found.
"There's a . . . I mean, there has to be some mistake. How could you be getting medicine already?" Somehow that was the most implausible part of what she'd told me. I'd slept at her house Saturday night. She'd been fine. I'd talked to her this morning. Eight hours later she was in the hospital and getting medicine? How could they even diagnose what she had that fast?
Yes, how IS that possible? It is indeed the most implausible part. In my experience, a person is lucky to get into the doctor's office within two hours of their appointment, but in eight hours Olivia went to three different medical buildings, had a whole battery of tests run and started getting treatment. My dad had carcenoids (a benign, slow-moving cancer), so he has to visit a lot of medical practitioners and get tests run regularly. The results do NOT come back within a couple of hours. Generally, they take days or weeks to come back. My mom had to go to the emergency room for an emergency gallbladder removal and it took several hours for her to get into surgery, probably just a couple less than it took for Olivia to go from her GP to the hospital to receive treatment for her now fully diagnosed cancer. That is total bullshit. Unless Olivia is the daughter of someone incredibly rich and powerful with strings to pull, this is impossible. Even then, I'm somewhat skeptical.
Let's add to the magical medical profession the fact that Olivia asked her doctor to come back in to tell her best friend about her condition. The doctor has already told the family how Olivia is doing, but Olivia wants the doctor to tell Zoe directly. AND THE DOCTOR DOES. Doctors aren't busy or anything. It's not like the parents, who had already been informed, could have passed on the information. Oh no, Zoe needs the technical version from the doctor, because her insight is crucial.
On top of all of this is Zoe generally being a horribly obnoxious person. From the beginning, she's hugely judgmental of all of the cheerleaders, one called Emma in particular. Now, I'm not opposed to some good old-fashioned mean girls or airhead cheerleaders in my fiction, because some are really like that, however they are ALL like that in Maybe One Day.
Except, I quickly discovered, having lunch with Stacy Shaw, Emma Cho, and the rest of the Wamasset cheer squad. Because even the tiniest calf had a bigger brain than they did.
Zoe's also a pretentious know-it-all who delivered a snarky little commentary about people who misuse the word "literally," when what they actually mean is figuratively. I thought that was funny to be honest, and it was one of the few things I liked about her early on, until she did this:
The girls literally swarmed Jake, and I watched him be engulfed by them. Emma managed to nuzzle in closer than all the rest.
Oh really, Zoe? Was he LITERALLY swarmed and engulfed? He better have been completely invisible, buried under a dog pile of brainless cheerleaders, or I think you meant figuratively. Of course, it's not just the cheerleaders:
he and a bunch of the other guys on the football team would be teaching kids how to bench-press or tackle or rape or whatever it was that football players knew how to do well.
DO NOT EVEN TRY TO SNEAK RAPE INTO THAT LIST LIKE I WON'T NOTICE. I FUCKING SEE THAT. While I personally hate football and have never counted a football player among my close friends, I would never say any shit like this. All football players are not rapists. Do I really need to say this?
Zoe agrees to teach the ballet class Olivia led while she's out sick with leukemia. Only when she shows up like she's the best fucking person in the history of the world, the woman who runs the center for underprivileged kids is pissed because she's been guilted into hiring this girl who didn't apply for the position and who she doesn't know at all. This pisses me off for two reasons: 1) Zoe refuses to acknowledge that there is any reason this woman should be unhappy putting an unqualified person in front of these kids and 2) The fact that the woman hired this girl without references or an application or ANYTHING but the word of another teenager. This is not real life any more than the doctor's offices in the book. Hiring an employee involves a lot of rigamorole, even in a non-profit like this.
The one thing I liked was that she was really sweet to Olivia, so I DNFed when this happened after the conversation with the Director.
I dialed her number. "That's information I could have used a little earlier," I hissed. "And she's not 'okay,' and nice of you to tell me she doesn't even want me teaching the class. I thought I was doing her some big favor."
"You are doing her a big favor," Olivia assured me. "As soon as she sees what you can do with these girls, she's going to realize that."
"Now I feel like she's just waiting for me to fail so she can fire me." Irritated by what I'd just said, I slapped the wall. "Listen to me. How can she fire me. I don't even work here."
"Is this fun?" asked Olivia. "Are we having fun yet?" As Mrs. Jones had directed me to, I headed down the hallway and up a well-lit flight of dark wooden stairs.
"Your cancer is a complete pain in my ass, Olivia Greco," I told her.
Apparently the statute of limitations for being nice to your friend after she's diagnosed with cancer only lasts for a couple of days. I quit here because there is literally nothing Zoe can do at this point to make me not hate her, especially since I spy a romance coming with Olivia's crush, who Zoe of course purports to hate. I love bitchy mean girl heroines, but NOT when they think they are sweet and saintly.
From the acknowledgements:
This is a work of fiction. Whenever possible, I tried to include accurate medical information, but when the narrative required it, I chose the story over the realities of cancer treatment.
That basically sums up about half of my issues with this book. It's not set in the real world. It's not a realistic story about a girl whose friend gets cancer and the impact that truly has on a person's life. It's a melodrama that uses cancer as a dramatic plot point. If you like that, cool, but I don't see the fucking point in it.
Also, you cannot convince me that the narrative required Olivia to go from the GP to treatment for leukemia within twelve hours. Making that a realistic timeline would not cause any problems to the narrative. Similarly, Olivia could have been in the room when the doctor explained Olivia's disease and treatment to the family, rather than having the doctor dick around explaining it to Olivia's best friend because reasons. Both of those things are easily fixed. It's just lazy.
Fuck this shit. I'm out.
November 8, 2013
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
**This is a pre-review.**
4.5 stars
Thank you HarperTeen for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
This book. Wowza. Just...gosh. If you are looking for a book with an achingly beautiful friendship, this is the one to seek out. Also, if you are interested in a little bit of insanely sweet romance, this is also the book to get. And if you want to be thrown off your feet; this one is your book. Read it and you won't be sorry.
What didn't work for me:
THE CONSTANT CRYING: I get it. Your best friend has leukaemia and you feel absolutely hopeless. What do you do? You cry. That is perfectly okay. Touching even. But when you start crying because you made someone else cry or just crying for the slightest little problem is just plain annoying. And very wimpy. And not pitiful at all.
What did work for me:
THE FRIENDSHIP: This, ladies and gents is how you write a good friendship. Zoe and Olivia's friendship was heart-achingly deep and genuine. We all have friends, but there are only one or two that we can spill everything; our troubles, thoughts, fears and passions towards. To be honest, I felt like crying halfway just because it was so authentic and I could completely relate to their relationship. I have a best friend that I treat like I sister, so when I read this, I was completely immersed. This friendship of Zoe and Olivia's had flaws. They have fights. But they soon forget and forgive after realising how stupid the fight was. This friendship had me in more fangirling moments than I normally do when I start shipping a romantic couple.
THE ROMANCE: Melissa Kantor's latest novel is not about finding your true love. It's about friendships and futures and hope. It's about finding strength to live even though the thing you loved most is no longer by your side. Yet I still couldn't help but love the romance in Maybe One Day. It may start with a bit of lust but the feeling between the two soon catch up and seriously, Melissa Kantor nailed the romance and what it's like when one of them is experiencing a difficult time to cope with the world around them.
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING: My main two loves was the friendship and romance but everything else that was combined into this novel was pretty much close to perfection. The characters, all so deftly drawn and easily distinguishable grew onto be like a leech.
This is my first 2014 favourite, and I have a feeling it could be one of the best I'll ever read.
**This is a pre-review.**
4.5 stars
Thank you HarperTeen for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter this review.
This book. Wowza. Just...gosh. If you are looking for a book with an achingly beautiful friendship, this is the one to seek out. Also, if you are interested in a little bit of insanely sweet romance, this is also the book to get. And if you want to be thrown off your feet; this one is your book. Read it and you won't be sorry.
What didn't work for me:
THE CONSTANT CRYING: I get it. Your best friend has leukaemia and you feel absolutely hopeless. What do you do? You cry. That is perfectly okay. Touching even. But when you start crying because you made someone else cry or just crying for the slightest little problem is just plain annoying. And very wimpy. And not pitiful at all.
What did work for me:
THE FRIENDSHIP: This, ladies and gents is how you write a good friendship. Zoe and Olivia's friendship was heart-achingly deep and genuine. We all have friends, but there are only one or two that we can spill everything; our troubles, thoughts, fears and passions towards. To be honest, I felt like crying halfway just because it was so authentic and I could completely relate to their relationship. I have a best friend that I treat like I sister, so when I read this, I was completely immersed. This friendship of Zoe and Olivia's had flaws. They have fights. But they soon forget and forgive after realising how stupid the fight was. This friendship had me in more fangirling moments than I normally do when I start shipping a romantic couple.
THE ROMANCE: Melissa Kantor's latest novel is not about finding your true love. It's about friendships and futures and hope. It's about finding strength to live even though the thing you loved most is no longer by your side. Yet I still couldn't help but love the romance in Maybe One Day. It may start with a bit of lust but the feeling between the two soon catch up and seriously, Melissa Kantor nailed the romance and what it's like when one of them is experiencing a difficult time to cope with the world around them.
PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING: My main two loves was the friendship and romance but everything else that was combined into this novel was pretty much close to perfection. The characters, all so deftly drawn and easily distinguishable grew onto be like a leech.
This is my first 2014 favourite, and I have a feeling it could be one of the best I'll ever read.
Shelved as 'did-not-finish'
January 10, 2014DNF at 17%.
I just can't do it with this book. I am finding absolutely no details about it to be realistic at all. Olivia woke up with a fever on Sunday morning, went in and was diagnosed with Cancer on Tuesday morning and was receiving chemotherapy Tuesday afternoon. Now, I admit I am not fluent in the American medical system but I know my mom had weeks of tests and meetings, fuck there was even a chemo class she had to go to before receiving treatment! I don't find it realistic that she would be admitted and treated the same day as being diagnosed. I also don't find it realistic that Olivia would ask her doctor to come back and explain everything to her BFF (the MC) after having explained everything to Olivia and her family already and the doctor would actually do it. Why would this doctor take the time out of her busy day in the cancer ward to explain everything to someone's friend? Make a special trip for it and all.
Then we have the MC. Oy, this girl had no idea what leukemia was, only that people could die of it and then upon arriving at the hospital saw the word oncology and immediately knew it was cancer. What high school aged person doesn't know leukemia is cancer? Hell, I would know the word leukemia way before the word oncology. Oh and what about the moment that she walked into the hospital room where her friend was getting her super fast chemo treatment and noticed the view out the window first and foremost. Then she proceeded to see Olivia's brother and have a fantasy in her head about how he was actually the one with cancer and she was just mistaken. She felt bad about this thought for a second and then RATIONALIZED IT AND FELT OK ABOUT IT. And don't forget about how she danced onto a curb minutes after finding out her friend had cancer... but I guess at that point she didn't know it was cancer because she's an idiot.
I can't do it.
I just can't do it with this book. I am finding absolutely no details about it to be realistic at all. Olivia woke up with a fever on Sunday morning, went in and was diagnosed with Cancer on Tuesday morning and was receiving chemotherapy Tuesday afternoon. Now, I admit I am not fluent in the American medical system but I know my mom had weeks of tests and meetings, fuck there was even a chemo class she had to go to before receiving treatment! I don't find it realistic that she would be admitted and treated the same day as being diagnosed. I also don't find it realistic that Olivia would ask her doctor to come back and explain everything to her BFF (the MC) after having explained everything to Olivia and her family already and the doctor would actually do it. Why would this doctor take the time out of her busy day in the cancer ward to explain everything to someone's friend? Make a special trip for it and all.
Then we have the MC. Oy, this girl had no idea what leukemia was, only that people could die of it and then upon arriving at the hospital saw the word oncology and immediately knew it was cancer. What high school aged person doesn't know leukemia is cancer? Hell, I would know the word leukemia way before the word oncology. Oh and what about the moment that she walked into the hospital room where her friend was getting her super fast chemo treatment and noticed the view out the window first and foremost. Then she proceeded to see Olivia's brother and have a fantasy in her head about how he was actually the one with cancer and she was just mistaken. She felt bad about this thought for a second and then RATIONALIZED IT AND FELT OK ABOUT IT. And don't forget about how she danced onto a curb minutes after finding out her friend had cancer... but I guess at that point she didn't know it was cancer because she's an idiot.
I can't do it.
February 17, 2014
“It would be impossible for any God to ignore that many
prayers, that much love.
He would have to let her live”.
Maybe One Day was a beautifully written story full with hope, heartache and purposeful relationships. If you know my reading style by now, you know that I love picking up books once in a while which shatter your heart in a million pieces and ones which keep you sobbing away in the middle of the night. Maybe One Day was just the emotional endearing book I had been in the mood for. Melissa Kantor excelled in writing a gorgeous friendship between Olivia and Zoe, one of the best ones I have seen written in a long time, their love and appreciation for their friendship was always apparent, even when they received the most soul destroying news ever; Olivia had leukaemia.
Now there are a lot of cancer books around, but what I think I appreciated the most about this story was how Kantor showed how quickly things could change. Olivia and Zoe were having sleepovers one day and the next Olivia was being whisked away to UH hospital for tests to confirm she had leukaemia. Olivia was told she couldn’t go to school for the next few days as she had to start on her rounds of treatment. This was a big bombshell for Olivia’s family and Zoe to take. Zoe wasn’t the biggest social flower at school; she used to do everything with Olivia so it was hard doing everything without her. Also after Olivia’s news broke, everyone wanted to comfort Zoe, something that she wasn’t used to.
It really was a testing time for Olivia and Zoe, Zoe wanted to be with her whenever she could, but Olivia also wanted Zoe to experience and live her life as much as possible. I loved watching the friendship between Olivia and Zoe bloom, it was comforting to know that they had had such a beautiful relationship, but there was always that niggling that this friendship could end so suddenly. Olivia was a rock solid character throughout her treatment, it was a challenging time for all those around her, but throughout the book there was hope that she would make it.
The cancer story was an integral part of this story, it went onto prove just how strong and important Zoe and Olivia’s friendship with each other was. I also enjoyed the smaller stories which made this book even more gorgeous. We had Zoe who was trying to make sense of what was going on around her, girls who she never would have imagined spending time with being the most thoughtful and considerate people ever during her time of need. There was always this invisible battle between Olivia’s parents and Zoe, during this time it was when Olivia needed Zoe the most, but of course Olivia’s parents were concerned of Olivia catching an infection when her immune system was already so weak and of course not wanting to overwhelm Olivia with too many visitors. It was a heartbreaking time for Zoe, her best friend needed her, but she always couldn’t be there for her because of other reasons beyond her control. There were some really heartbreaking scenes, but Kantor was able to infuse the story with some gorgeous moments which made my heart swell in delight. We had some young ballet dancers who Zoe was teaching on behalf of Olivia, who were quick to bring a smile on my face with their sweet delicacies and enthusiasm. And then we had Calvin Taylor, again this was a character who Zoe was quick to make judgements about early on, judgements which were later quick to be trampled on. Calvin really came through as a rock through this testing time for Zoe. I appreciated his understanding and patience he had for Olivia’s family and Zoe. I really think I fell for this guy, as I felt my heart fall when he wasn’t around in some of the scenes. Also he was totally swoon worthy *sigh*.
Maybe One Day was a poignant story it was full with endearing characters and beautiful relationships, but most of all a story full with hope. I know it’s really early on in the year for me to say this but I’m sure that Maybe One Day will remain one of my favourite reads of 2014.
This review can be found on The Readers Den
prayers, that much love.
He would have to let her live”.
Maybe One Day was a beautifully written story full with hope, heartache and purposeful relationships. If you know my reading style by now, you know that I love picking up books once in a while which shatter your heart in a million pieces and ones which keep you sobbing away in the middle of the night. Maybe One Day was just the emotional endearing book I had been in the mood for. Melissa Kantor excelled in writing a gorgeous friendship between Olivia and Zoe, one of the best ones I have seen written in a long time, their love and appreciation for their friendship was always apparent, even when they received the most soul destroying news ever; Olivia had leukaemia.
Now there are a lot of cancer books around, but what I think I appreciated the most about this story was how Kantor showed how quickly things could change. Olivia and Zoe were having sleepovers one day and the next Olivia was being whisked away to UH hospital for tests to confirm she had leukaemia. Olivia was told she couldn’t go to school for the next few days as she had to start on her rounds of treatment. This was a big bombshell for Olivia’s family and Zoe to take. Zoe wasn’t the biggest social flower at school; she used to do everything with Olivia so it was hard doing everything without her. Also after Olivia’s news broke, everyone wanted to comfort Zoe, something that she wasn’t used to.
It really was a testing time for Olivia and Zoe, Zoe wanted to be with her whenever she could, but Olivia also wanted Zoe to experience and live her life as much as possible. I loved watching the friendship between Olivia and Zoe bloom, it was comforting to know that they had had such a beautiful relationship, but there was always that niggling that this friendship could end so suddenly. Olivia was a rock solid character throughout her treatment, it was a challenging time for all those around her, but throughout the book there was hope that she would make it.
The cancer story was an integral part of this story, it went onto prove just how strong and important Zoe and Olivia’s friendship with each other was. I also enjoyed the smaller stories which made this book even more gorgeous. We had Zoe who was trying to make sense of what was going on around her, girls who she never would have imagined spending time with being the most thoughtful and considerate people ever during her time of need. There was always this invisible battle between Olivia’s parents and Zoe, during this time it was when Olivia needed Zoe the most, but of course Olivia’s parents were concerned of Olivia catching an infection when her immune system was already so weak and of course not wanting to overwhelm Olivia with too many visitors. It was a heartbreaking time for Zoe, her best friend needed her, but she always couldn’t be there for her because of other reasons beyond her control. There were some really heartbreaking scenes, but Kantor was able to infuse the story with some gorgeous moments which made my heart swell in delight. We had some young ballet dancers who Zoe was teaching on behalf of Olivia, who were quick to bring a smile on my face with their sweet delicacies and enthusiasm. And then we had Calvin Taylor, again this was a character who Zoe was quick to make judgements about early on, judgements which were later quick to be trampled on. Calvin really came through as a rock through this testing time for Zoe. I appreciated his understanding and patience he had for Olivia’s family and Zoe. I really think I fell for this guy, as I felt my heart fall when he wasn’t around in some of the scenes. Also he was totally swoon worthy *sigh*.
Maybe One Day was a poignant story it was full with endearing characters and beautiful relationships, but most of all a story full with hope. I know it’s really early on in the year for me to say this but I’m sure that Maybe One Day will remain one of my favourite reads of 2014.
This review can be found on The Readers Den
August 9, 2013
Nose Graze — Young Adult book reviews
I almost didn't read Maybe One Day , and oh my god that would have been a massive mistake! I think my problem was that I like romance books, and this is not a romance; it's about friendship. Those kinds of books usually don't get me as excited as romances. Then I just woke up one day a few weeks later and was like, "Wait a minute.. this book sounds good!" So I downloaded it and read it. THANK GOODNESS FOR WEIRDLY IMPULSIVE THOUGHTS!!!
Maybe One Day has one of those best friend relationships that I'm always jealous of. The best friend you do everything with, the one you call about anything and everything, the one you share dreams with, the one who you visit so often that their house is your second home.. I want one of those friendships! I was so incredibly envious of Olivia and Zoe. Usually I don't get this obsessed over friendships (I save that for the romances!) but man, this one totally pulled me in! I wanted it for myself!
As I'm sure you can imagine, Maybe One Day is a definite tear-jerker. That's something you should expect from the synopsis alone, and it definitely pulls though. Towards the end it was a little awkward for me because I was reading in Starbucks but I felt like I wanted to start bawling so I kept trying to blink back tears, to the point where I was blinking so much that I could barely read! *BLINK BLINK BLINK* I will not cry I will not cry I will not cry *BLINK BLINK BLINK*
Even though a lot of Maybe One Day is just living day to day without tons of drama/excitement/twists/turns, I was never bored. In the context of the story, I really enjoyed the day-to-day set up of it. I think it worked really well for an illness, because that's definitely something you have to keep dealing with, and it keeps affecting you.
There is a tiny bit of a romance in Maybe One Day (as noted in the synopsis) but it's definitely not a focus. It's a side plot, and I'm really glad for that, because the friendship is what dominates this story and that's how it should be!
This book left me with so much to think about. There are a lot of messages about death, afterlife, God, dreams, and futures (or lack thereof). I think it touched on a really strong and emotional topic but without being cheesy or lame (especially about the afterlife parts). Seeing a teenager having to think about those things literally crushed my soul! Maybe One Day will leave you a broken, sobbing mess.
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I love a good cry book. Maybe One Day is an excellent cry book, but it's also so much more than that! It will emotionally own you and I promise it will haunt your thoughts for weeks to come!
I almost didn't read Maybe One Day , and oh my god that would have been a massive mistake! I think my problem was that I like romance books, and this is not a romance; it's about friendship. Those kinds of books usually don't get me as excited as romances. Then I just woke up one day a few weeks later and was like, "Wait a minute.. this book sounds good!" So I downloaded it and read it. THANK GOODNESS FOR WEIRDLY IMPULSIVE THOUGHTS!!!
Maybe One Day has one of those best friend relationships that I'm always jealous of. The best friend you do everything with, the one you call about anything and everything, the one you share dreams with, the one who you visit so often that their house is your second home.. I want one of those friendships! I was so incredibly envious of Olivia and Zoe. Usually I don't get this obsessed over friendships (I save that for the romances!) but man, this one totally pulled me in! I wanted it for myself!
As I'm sure you can imagine, Maybe One Day is a definite tear-jerker. That's something you should expect from the synopsis alone, and it definitely pulls though. Towards the end it was a little awkward for me because I was reading in Starbucks but I felt like I wanted to start bawling so I kept trying to blink back tears, to the point where I was blinking so much that I could barely read! *BLINK BLINK BLINK* I will not cry I will not cry I will not cry *BLINK BLINK BLINK*
There are some things you worry about. And then there are some things you don't worry about. You don't worry about them because they're too awful to contemplate worrying about.
Even though a lot of Maybe One Day is just living day to day without tons of drama/excitement/twists/turns, I was never bored. In the context of the story, I really enjoyed the day-to-day set up of it. I think it worked really well for an illness, because that's definitely something you have to keep dealing with, and it keeps affecting you.
There is a tiny bit of a romance in Maybe One Day (as noted in the synopsis) but it's definitely not a focus. It's a side plot, and I'm really glad for that, because the friendship is what dominates this story and that's how it should be!
This book left me with so much to think about. There are a lot of messages about death, afterlife, God, dreams, and futures (or lack thereof). I think it touched on a really strong and emotional topic but without being cheesy or lame (especially about the afterlife parts). Seeing a teenager having to think about those things literally crushed my soul! Maybe One Day will leave you a broken, sobbing mess.
"We're not going to be dancers, but one day our lives are going to be amazing, Zoe. Totally amazing."
I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I love a good cry book. Maybe One Day is an excellent cry book, but it's also so much more than that! It will emotionally own you and I promise it will haunt your thoughts for weeks to come!
"Life is Long."
"Not always," I reminded her.
November 24, 2015
This book destroyed me.
February 17, 2014
Most "cancer books" I've read have either been semi-enjoyable or just plain bad (I recently read Side Effects May Vary which was horrible, and The Fault in Our Stars was cute but lacking), which is why I went into Maybe One Day slowly but surely. Then again, I'm just not the kind of person who reads books about illnesses (they usually make me bawl my eyes out), so it could just be that these kinds of books just aren't for me. Or, maybe the right "cancer book" for me is yet to come. It wasn't Maybe One Day, though.
Again, I'm feeling like the black sheep. This one has gotten praise from a lot of bloggers I've seen, but it just didn't do it for me. I thought that it would just be boring initially, considering we'd be introduced to Oliva's sickness and how lonely Zoe would be. But the whole book just dragged on, pulling me to the ground with it. The only feels this book got from me were irritation and utter boredom. (Okay, fine, I did cry in the last 5% of the book.)
Maybe it was the writing style. Maybe it was the heroine. But something about the book just felt so flat and without any personality. Or maybe that it was more of a telling than showing kind of book. The point is, it didn't make me cry as much as I wanted to, or made me want to spend more time with my friends or family and things like that. It was just so plain for me.
"She wanted to be Jake's official girlfriend as opposed to what she was, which was the sad girl who threw herself at him."
Now see? That's a look at the mind of our dear heroine Zoe. From the beginning until the end of the book, I felt that she was insensitive, selfish and judgmental. Maybe it's because her best friend's dying that she acts and thinks that way, but I just couldn't get into her character. She was also one to give up quickly. When she deemed herself not good enough to dance, she just quit. She did learn some lessons in the end, which was a bit of a comfort to know.
Olivia, the cancer patient, was a much kinder character. Even when she was sick, she showed concern for her brothers and tried to teach little girls ballet through Skype. She really fought the disease, going through all sorts of difficult times, because she knew that she was young and she didn't deserve to die.
"I couldn't help feeling like they saw me as this weird birth defect of Olivia's, something she would have been wise to have removed but for some reason chose to live with."
As friends, Zoe and Olivia had chemistry. They were very supportive of each other, and pushed the other to try their best, fight and to be strong. They brought out the best in each other, and I enjoyed scenes with them together (mostly).
We also have a bit of romance thrown into the story. The love interest is Calvin, Olivia's crush and her brother's best friend. I did not like this aspect of the book. Zoe went from hating Calvin, to thinking he was a douche, to thinking he was hot, to falling for him. Talk about bipolar. I did think they had some chemistry (a bit), but mostly I didn't feel any development between them. It was just like, one moment, the "love" was suddenly there! I would've wanted more scenes of them together before kind of making out and stuff (drunk) at a party.
Overall, I would recommend this one to fans of The Fault in Our Stars, if you're okay with a bit less romance. It was a bit of a tear-jerker through the end, but the first 90% bored the hell out of me. I do think a lot of other readers will enjoy this one more than I did, so just keep an open mind out when reading this one!
March 22, 2017
This book is so sad it's beautiful. I loved Zoe and Olivia so much!!
This book will forever have a special place in my heart.
Song listened to while reading:
Natalie Taylor - Come to This
This book will forever have a special place in my heart.
Song listened to while reading:
Natalie Taylor - Come to This
September 29, 2014
”We're not going to be dancers, but one day our lives are going to be amazing, Zoe. Totally amazing.”
Where do I even start. I don’t cry when I read books – I just don’t. I may feel sad and all melancholy for a bit, but I can count on one hand how many books I’ve read where tears were involved. This is now one of them. If you go into this book expecting it to be a book about cancer, well it’s not…not really. At least it wasn’t for me. Instead, it’s about friendship, it’s about love, it’s about sisterhood and it’s about growing up and dealing with the shitty things that life sends your way. Cancer just happens to be one of those shitty things.
Olivia and Zoe have been best friends since the day Olivia asked for help with a barrette before a dance recital. Thirteen years of growing up together, having each other’s backs and basically becoming sisters have passed. So when Olivia gets a diagnosis that rocks their world, Zoe is determined to be there for her with positivity and support.
It’s hard not to take a book like this personally��to turn page after page and not feel every emotion that these characters are going through because almost all of us know someone who has been affected by cancer. What I found unique about this story was that we see everything from Zoe’s point of view. We see her dealing with and watching her friend be ravaged by something that she can’t do a single thing about, and that has to be one of the hardest things to accept.
What I loved the most about this story was that the bare bones of it, despite everything going on around these characters, is about friendship and how amazing it can be. And how rare is it that we see a YA book that hones in on that instead romance these days. It’s lovely to see a book that focuses on positive relationships and shows us characters who love each other unconditionally, yeah they may get mad at each other, but at the end of the day that doesn’t change their love for each other. It was also amazing to see the support system for these girls. Not only their parents, because they were a big part of it, but the other girls at school. Zoe never really formed that true friendship connection with many other girls but regardless, there wasn’t a mean girl in the bunch, which in itself was refreshing to see. Mia and Stacey and even Emma while secondary characters to the main friendship were absolutely a positive addition to the story, and I especially loved Mia’s tenacity and determination to not let Zoe push her away permanently.
I mentioned the parents above, and I have to say they were wonderfully done here. Zoe’s parents in that they offered Zoe someone to share her frustrations and disappointments with and yet they still were able to give her some good advice “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” that we saw her use later on. We also got to see quite a bit of Olivia’s parents… the effect from Zoe’s point of view that the illness was having on them, not only as a family, but as a couple. The stress it was having on their relationship and the different thoughts on how best to care for Olivia seen from Zoe’s eyes was enlightening.
And yes, there was a teeny tiny bit of a romance… and I’m not even sure I would call it that, but I have to say that I loved how patient and understanding Calvin was with Zoe. At times she may have been using him as an outlet to forget all the bad things going on, but I have to commend the maturity that he was written with, because despite Zoe being all over the place emotionally, he never really gives up on her and if it came down to it, he would and will be there for her in a heartbeat when she needs him. And I think Kantor uses that to show us that life goes on, the world continues to spin and things continue to happen even though all we may want to do is freeze time and stop to cherish everything we’ve had, I just wish that she had pushed herself to let Calvin in a bit more. However, we would have missed Zoe’s character growth had she done that… her realizations that there is hope for some happiness and a future and it’s okay to lean on others when you need to are wonderful to see.
If you love raw, emotional, realistic coming of age stories I can’t stress enough that you need to pick this book up. The writing is wonderfully done, the story flows naturally and at a wonderful pace and you will be incredibly moved by this friendship and the relationships Kantor has created within. Maybe One Day is a sad but beautiful story that I’m positive will be on my top reads of 2014 list when the end of the year rolls around.
Thank you to Harpercollins/Harperteen for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This review will post on Fiction Fare closer to release.
Where do I even start. I don’t cry when I read books – I just don’t. I may feel sad and all melancholy for a bit, but I can count on one hand how many books I’ve read where tears were involved. This is now one of them. If you go into this book expecting it to be a book about cancer, well it’s not…not really. At least it wasn’t for me. Instead, it’s about friendship, it’s about love, it’s about sisterhood and it’s about growing up and dealing with the shitty things that life sends your way. Cancer just happens to be one of those shitty things.
Olivia and Zoe have been best friends since the day Olivia asked for help with a barrette before a dance recital. Thirteen years of growing up together, having each other’s backs and basically becoming sisters have passed. So when Olivia gets a diagnosis that rocks their world, Zoe is determined to be there for her with positivity and support.
It’s hard not to take a book like this personally��to turn page after page and not feel every emotion that these characters are going through because almost all of us know someone who has been affected by cancer. What I found unique about this story was that we see everything from Zoe’s point of view. We see her dealing with and watching her friend be ravaged by something that she can’t do a single thing about, and that has to be one of the hardest things to accept.
What I loved the most about this story was that the bare bones of it, despite everything going on around these characters, is about friendship and how amazing it can be. And how rare is it that we see a YA book that hones in on that instead romance these days. It’s lovely to see a book that focuses on positive relationships and shows us characters who love each other unconditionally, yeah they may get mad at each other, but at the end of the day that doesn’t change their love for each other. It was also amazing to see the support system for these girls. Not only their parents, because they were a big part of it, but the other girls at school. Zoe never really formed that true friendship connection with many other girls but regardless, there wasn’t a mean girl in the bunch, which in itself was refreshing to see. Mia and Stacey and even Emma while secondary characters to the main friendship were absolutely a positive addition to the story, and I especially loved Mia’s tenacity and determination to not let Zoe push her away permanently.
I mentioned the parents above, and I have to say they were wonderfully done here. Zoe’s parents in that they offered Zoe someone to share her frustrations and disappointments with and yet they still were able to give her some good advice “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” that we saw her use later on. We also got to see quite a bit of Olivia’s parents… the effect from Zoe’s point of view that the illness was having on them, not only as a family, but as a couple. The stress it was having on their relationship and the different thoughts on how best to care for Olivia seen from Zoe’s eyes was enlightening.
And yes, there was a teeny tiny bit of a romance… and I’m not even sure I would call it that, but I have to say that I loved how patient and understanding Calvin was with Zoe. At times she may have been using him as an outlet to forget all the bad things going on, but I have to commend the maturity that he was written with, because despite Zoe being all over the place emotionally, he never really gives up on her and if it came down to it, he would and will be there for her in a heartbeat when she needs him. And I think Kantor uses that to show us that life goes on, the world continues to spin and things continue to happen even though all we may want to do is freeze time and stop to cherish everything we’ve had, I just wish that she had pushed herself to let Calvin in a bit more. However, we would have missed Zoe’s character growth had she done that… her realizations that there is hope for some happiness and a future and it’s okay to lean on others when you need to are wonderful to see.
If you love raw, emotional, realistic coming of age stories I can’t stress enough that you need to pick this book up. The writing is wonderfully done, the story flows naturally and at a wonderful pace and you will be incredibly moved by this friendship and the relationships Kantor has created within. Maybe One Day is a sad but beautiful story that I’m positive will be on my top reads of 2014 list when the end of the year rolls around.
Thank you to Harpercollins/Harperteen for the advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
This review will post on Fiction Fare closer to release.
January 20, 2014
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Maybe One Day is only the second "cancer book" I've read but, just like The Fault in Our Stars, it made me tear up. Only, unlike Green's renown novel, Kantor's latest is a little less humorous, a little less romantic, and has a little less to take away from it too. Where Maybe One Day excels is in its portrayal of friendship. Olivia and Zoe, two high school juniors, have been best friends since the age of four. Ever since they met in dance class, they've had the type of friendship most people only dream of or witness in the movies. Thus, when Olivia is diagnosed with leukemia, Zoe is devastated.
Kantor builds up the friendship between these two teens beautifully. It isn't riddled with flashbacks, but just from their day-to-day interactions we are able to glean just how close the two are. As such, when tragedy strikes it isn't only Olivia who is affected, but Zoe as well. Now, Zoe is forced to be strong for her best friend, caught between comforting her and going on with her life. Kantor is unapologetic in her portrayal of both Olivia and Zoe. Both girls go through a series of complicated emotions in coping with their current situation and their friendship, but told from Zoe's point of view, this novel takes on a different subject matter than we're used to. After all, just how does it feel to be that awkward best friend in a hospital room, surrounded by your best friend's family members? Is it an intrusion or a welcome hand of support? And how does one continue through life, talking to other people, when such an event occurs? All of these questions - and more - are answered with such an honest appraisal. It isn't easy to see Olivia's family members act out, even at Zoe, in their grief but it is understandable, as is the growth that Zoe experiences for the first time - on her own - without her best friend by her side.
I really appreciated that this novel took a no-nonsense stance on Olivia's treatment, explaining everything meticulously but also not focusing on it too much. Instead, it is the emotional relationship between these two girls - more sisters than friends - that takes center stage. Even the romance, a side story at best, with Calvin, the best friend of Olivia's older brother (who Olivia has a tiiiny crush on), is subtly handled. Admittedly, Zoe does come to have feelings for Calvin but instead of causing a rift between these friends, they genuinely want each other to be happy and both of their characters are so mature in the face of so much loss. Maybe One Day isn't a novel about grief, however. It's about living with someone who may not have much time left. Where my main issue with this novel arises is in the fact that, ultimately, there isn't much to take away from it. Is it sad? Gosh, yes, it's sad. We begin to feel Zoe's emotions right alongside her as Kantor draws us so deeply into the friendship between these two girls. As such, the writing is impeccable, pacing admirable, and growth of Zoe just right. Yet, where The Fault in Our Stars brings up fascinating questions about the purpose of our lives, infusing light humor into a dark tale, Maybe One Day didn't make me think much beyond the scope of the novel itself. It isn't a flaw, per se, but it does make this story an ever-so-slightly forgettable one. For fans of contemporary fiction, issue novels, or just gritty emotion this novel is a must-read which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. I just wish I could have taken more away from it.
Maybe One Day is only the second "cancer book" I've read but, just like The Fault in Our Stars, it made me tear up. Only, unlike Green's renown novel, Kantor's latest is a little less humorous, a little less romantic, and has a little less to take away from it too. Where Maybe One Day excels is in its portrayal of friendship. Olivia and Zoe, two high school juniors, have been best friends since the age of four. Ever since they met in dance class, they've had the type of friendship most people only dream of or witness in the movies. Thus, when Olivia is diagnosed with leukemia, Zoe is devastated.
Kantor builds up the friendship between these two teens beautifully. It isn't riddled with flashbacks, but just from their day-to-day interactions we are able to glean just how close the two are. As such, when tragedy strikes it isn't only Olivia who is affected, but Zoe as well. Now, Zoe is forced to be strong for her best friend, caught between comforting her and going on with her life. Kantor is unapologetic in her portrayal of both Olivia and Zoe. Both girls go through a series of complicated emotions in coping with their current situation and their friendship, but told from Zoe's point of view, this novel takes on a different subject matter than we're used to. After all, just how does it feel to be that awkward best friend in a hospital room, surrounded by your best friend's family members? Is it an intrusion or a welcome hand of support? And how does one continue through life, talking to other people, when such an event occurs? All of these questions - and more - are answered with such an honest appraisal. It isn't easy to see Olivia's family members act out, even at Zoe, in their grief but it is understandable, as is the growth that Zoe experiences for the first time - on her own - without her best friend by her side.
I really appreciated that this novel took a no-nonsense stance on Olivia's treatment, explaining everything meticulously but also not focusing on it too much. Instead, it is the emotional relationship between these two girls - more sisters than friends - that takes center stage. Even the romance, a side story at best, with Calvin, the best friend of Olivia's older brother (who Olivia has a tiiiny crush on), is subtly handled. Admittedly, Zoe does come to have feelings for Calvin but instead of causing a rift between these friends, they genuinely want each other to be happy and both of their characters are so mature in the face of so much loss. Maybe One Day isn't a novel about grief, however. It's about living with someone who may not have much time left. Where my main issue with this novel arises is in the fact that, ultimately, there isn't much to take away from it. Is it sad? Gosh, yes, it's sad. We begin to feel Zoe's emotions right alongside her as Kantor draws us so deeply into the friendship between these two girls. As such, the writing is impeccable, pacing admirable, and growth of Zoe just right. Yet, where The Fault in Our Stars brings up fascinating questions about the purpose of our lives, infusing light humor into a dark tale, Maybe One Day didn't make me think much beyond the scope of the novel itself. It isn't a flaw, per se, but it does make this story an ever-so-slightly forgettable one. For fans of contemporary fiction, issue novels, or just gritty emotion this novel is a must-read which I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. I just wish I could have taken more away from it.
May 7, 2018
Meh. It was okay, it just didn't click for me. A fairly typical cancer book on my opinion.
Zoe the MC was a bit annoying, but not enough for me to hate her. She was just kinda annoying in the background of my mind through the whole thing, but she never did anything for me to dislike her outright.
Olivia was nice, but though I hate to say it, she did kind of become her illness. I just know close to 0 about her character, and I know quite a lot about her leukemia. I think these priorities are the wrong way around!
I wish that the friendship was explored more. It. Was. Meant. To. Be. The. Main. Point. Of. The. Book. I felt like there was too much focus on some other elements of the story, and more could have been done to build on the friendship of the two girls.
The book (and Zoe) just kept telling me over and over how they were such great friends and were basically twins & inseperable, etc. But there was hardly any of this acted out. They talked about their friendship more than they had one. SAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT YOU ARE BEST FRIENDS DOES NOT SHOW THE READER THAT YOU ARE BEST FRIENDS! You actually need to do stuff together in more than like 5 scenes in the book.
But I did like the book. It was well written, and even when the characters were being idiots, I still felt the need to keep on reading. I was never bored while I read this, and that was definitely a positive.
Also, I got emotionally attached to the characters.
And I kinda wish there was more focus on the dancing bit at the start, since it was such a key element in the story.
All in all, it was a fairly typical cancer book. There was nothing about the story that made it stand out, or particularly relatable or realistic.
Zoe the MC was a bit annoying, but not enough for me to hate her. She was just kinda annoying in the background of my mind through the whole thing, but she never did anything for me to dislike her outright.
Olivia was nice, but though I hate to say it, she did kind of become her illness. I just know close to 0 about her character, and I know quite a lot about her leukemia. I think these priorities are the wrong way around!
I wish that the friendship was explored more. It. Was. Meant. To. Be. The. Main. Point. Of. The. Book. I felt like there was too much focus on some other elements of the story, and more could have been done to build on the friendship of the two girls.
The book (and Zoe) just kept telling me over and over how they were such great friends and were basically twins & inseperable, etc. But there was hardly any of this acted out. They talked about their friendship more than they had one. SAYING OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT YOU ARE BEST FRIENDS DOES NOT SHOW THE READER THAT YOU ARE BEST FRIENDS! You actually need to do stuff together in more than like 5 scenes in the book.
But I did like the book. It was well written, and even when the characters were being idiots, I still felt the need to keep on reading. I was never bored while I read this, and that was definitely a positive.
Also, I got emotionally attached to the characters.
And I kinda wish there was more focus on the dancing bit at the start, since it was such a key element in the story.
All in all, it was a fairly typical cancer book. There was nothing about the story that made it stand out, or particularly relatable or realistic.
January 19, 2014
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
17-year-old Zoe and Olivia have been best friends since the age of four when they began taking ballet together, and even after they got kicked out of their ballet class, they still stayed just as close.
Then one day Olivia phones Zoe with bad news – she has leukaemia. Now it’s a waiting game.
Can Olivia recover from the leukaemia? Will she need a bone marrow transplant? And will she ever be the same again?
This book was so sad, that I really just cannot stop crying.
I loved both Zoe and Olivia in this story. Both loved each other so fiercely, and both were really passionate about dance, even if Zoe couldn’t admit it at times.
The storyline in this was really good. The whole thing flowed so nicely, and was just so real. The emotions and the way things happened just felt so realistic and believable.
This was a sad story though, a really sad story. The last 10% just killed me, and even now I can’t stop crying. I really just fell in love with the characters in this book, and couldn’t help but be upset by how this book ended.
This really is a tearjerker, but it’s so good it’s worth the emotional turmoil!
Overall; sad, but good.
8.5 out of 10.
17-year-old Zoe and Olivia have been best friends since the age of four when they began taking ballet together, and even after they got kicked out of their ballet class, they still stayed just as close.
Then one day Olivia phones Zoe with bad news – she has leukaemia. Now it’s a waiting game.
Can Olivia recover from the leukaemia? Will she need a bone marrow transplant? And will she ever be the same again?
This book was so sad, that I really just cannot stop crying.
I loved both Zoe and Olivia in this story. Both loved each other so fiercely, and both were really passionate about dance, even if Zoe couldn’t admit it at times.
The storyline in this was really good. The whole thing flowed so nicely, and was just so real. The emotions and the way things happened just felt so realistic and believable.
This was a sad story though, a really sad story. The last 10% just killed me, and even now I can’t stop crying. I really just fell in love with the characters in this book, and couldn’t help but be upset by how this book ended.
This really is a tearjerker, but it’s so good it’s worth the emotional turmoil!
Overall; sad, but good.
8.5 out of 10.
September 26, 2017
This book...I don't think I have any tears left because the last 10% or maybe a little bit more I cried. I'm not talking about slow tears going down or even just my eyes getting teary, I'm talking full on ugly cry. I had to stop reading because I couldn't see the words anymore. Don't let the fact that it's a tear-jerker dissuade you from reading Maybe One Day though. My goodness no, this story is not sad all the way through at all.
Maybe One Day is about two friends who have been friends for almost their whole lives, they are the best that friends could be, they danced ballet together, and did everything together. Livvie ended up getting sick, which they thought was the flu. It turned out to not be the flu at all and a lot more serious than they expected or dreamed. Zoe is there for her every single step of the way and also dealing with the new way their friendship is, finding her feelings out and how she can go on doing things when Olivia is sick at home or in the hospital.
The twos relationship is fantastic because Zoe does stick with Olivia through the whole thing. They have their ups and downs and it just seemed real to me. Their jokes, their fights, the way they bond, it was all just so real.
One of the reasons that I was wishy washy about reading this book after I had been accepted for the eARC was this sentence in the summary: "Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush." Initially, I thought that this was going to be all about Zoe going out with Calvin and going behind Olivia's back to do it while she is there sick. It's not. It's totally not. While it does touch on the romantic relationship of Zoe and Calvin a tiny bit, the focus is Zoe and Olivia's friendship.
There was a part of the book that I didn't agree with at all. I mean, it's kind of messed up and a huge stereotypes to people that play sports.
"Where-while I taught ballet and the cheerleaders taught tumbling-he and a bunch of other guys on the football team would be teaching kids how to bench-press or tackle or rape or whatever it was that football players knew how to do well."
Okay, so, the rape comment is what threw me and I didn't like at all. I know that Zoe is pretty angsty at times but, was that necessary?
That was the only thing that annoyed me about Maybe One Day though. Everything else was fantastic.
"Time does not care how precious it is, how hard you are working not to squander it. Time passes."
June 4, 2018
This heart-breaking story about friendship really got to me. It starts out all hopeful, but soon it just keeps on getting worse and worse, making the reader worried about both Zoe and Livvie. I also really liked this book because it also taught a lesson of how when someone knocks you over with your passion, it doesn't mean you can't get back up and enjoy your passion anymore. Overall, this is one of my favorite books and I wish that one day there will be a movie.
April 12, 2020
I read this a little over a year ago and I absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend this book!
August 8, 2017
Hastalığı konu edinen kitapları okurken veya filmleri izlerken ister istemez bir beklenti oluşur bende. Ne olursa olsun ağlatmasını en azından gözlerimi doldurmasını isterim. Bu kitapta öyle bir şey olmadı. Beni ağlatmadı veya gözlerimi doldurmadı ama yine de o hissi verdiği için kitabı sevdim. Karakterleri de sevdim. Ayrıca Olivia o olayları yaşarken sürekli kendimi onun yerine koydum "Ya bana olsaydı?" diye. Gerçekten başınıza geldiğini düşününce daha iyi anlıyorsunuz. Genellikle çoğu kitap böyle konular içerdiğinden bir zaman sonra olaylar size tek düze, alışılmış geliyor fakat empati kurduğunuzda gerçekten berbat bir şey olduğunu anlıyorsunuz.
Bu türde fazla kitap okuduysanız sizi etkilemeyecektir. Şahsen okurken gözlerim bir kere bile dolmadı. Ama verdiği his, duygu bu yönünün açıklığını biraz kapattı. Öneririm fakat sizi hüngür hüngür ağlatacak bir kitap beklemeyin.
Not: Bu arada kitabın adını çok sevdim. 'Belki Bir Gün'. İçeriğe oldukça uyumlu olmuş hem de umut aşılayan bir yönü var.
“Dans etmeyi bırakmamak için onu sevmeniz gerekir. Size hiçbir şey vermez, ne saklayabilecek metinler, ne duvarlarda sergilenecek hatta belki müzelere asılacak resimler, ne basılıp satılacak şiirler, hayatta olduğunuzu hissettiğiniz o tek bir uçucu an haricinde hiçbir şey.”
Bu türde fazla kitap okuduysanız sizi etkilemeyecektir. Şahsen okurken gözlerim bir kere bile dolmadı. Ama verdiği his, duygu bu yönünün açıklığını biraz kapattı. Öneririm fakat sizi hüngür hüngür ağlatacak bir kitap beklemeyin.
Not: Bu arada kitabın adını çok sevdim. 'Belki Bir Gün'. İçeriğe oldukça uyumlu olmuş hem de umut aşılayan bir yönü var.
“Dans etmeyi bırakmamak için onu sevmeniz gerekir. Size hiçbir şey vermez, ne saklayabilecek metinler, ne duvarlarda sergilenecek hatta belki müzelere asılacak resimler, ne basılıp satılacak şiirler, hayatta olduğunuzu hissettiğiniz o tek bir uçucu an haricinde hiçbir şey.”
March 24, 2020
Not my style...
June 9, 2014
Instead of focusing on romance like The Fault in Our Stars, Maybe One Day revolves around the friendship between Zoe and Olivia. Zoe always thought she and Olivia would be together forever. Through getting into one of the most prestigious dance academies in New York, getting cut from said dance academy, and trying to figure out what to do with their lives afterward, they have stuck side by side for as long as Zoe can remember. Until one day Olivia learns that she has leukemia, and Zoe has no idea what to do. Unsure of how to function in school without her best friend, Zoe ends up teaching Olivia's dance class for disadvantaged kids and trying to keep her act together until Olivia gets better. But when Olivia's condition worsens Zoe realizes that what she thought she would always have - her best friend at her side - is not a guarantee anymore.
I liked Maybe One Day. Melissa Kantor wrote Zoe and Olivia's friendship with honesty and emotion, and I came close to tearing up once while reading the book. She did a good job of portraying Olivia's battle with leukemia by incorporating just the right amount of detail, and Zoe's voice stayed consistent throughout the story.
However, I felt that so much more could have been done with Maybe One Day. Zoe's relationship with dance, Olivia's religious parents, and Zoe's attraction to Calvin all could have improved with more development. Perhaps Kantor could have spent more time showing Zoe rekindling her passion for dance, or maybe she could have created more room for conversation between Zoe and Calvin about how they felt regarding Olivia's illness or their emotions for one another in general. The concept of God came into the story a few times, but it felt as if Kantor dropped it in to make us think just a little bit, instead of developing the idea of religion as a solid theme in the book. The writing, while nice and non-distracting, did not convey the emotional depth of the characters well enough for me to genuinely care about them.
Overall, a decent read, but not one that will stick with me like The Fault in Our Stars or other young-adult works of realistic fiction. Recommended for those who want a story about cancer or strong friendship between two girls.
Thank you to The Midnight Garden for a free copy of this book!
I liked Maybe One Day. Melissa Kantor wrote Zoe and Olivia's friendship with honesty and emotion, and I came close to tearing up once while reading the book. She did a good job of portraying Olivia's battle with leukemia by incorporating just the right amount of detail, and Zoe's voice stayed consistent throughout the story.
However, I felt that so much more could have been done with Maybe One Day. Zoe's relationship with dance, Olivia's religious parents, and Zoe's attraction to Calvin all could have improved with more development. Perhaps Kantor could have spent more time showing Zoe rekindling her passion for dance, or maybe she could have created more room for conversation between Zoe and Calvin about how they felt regarding Olivia's illness or their emotions for one another in general. The concept of God came into the story a few times, but it felt as if Kantor dropped it in to make us think just a little bit, instead of developing the idea of religion as a solid theme in the book. The writing, while nice and non-distracting, did not convey the emotional depth of the characters well enough for me to genuinely care about them.
Overall, a decent read, but not one that will stick with me like The Fault in Our Stars or other young-adult works of realistic fiction. Recommended for those who want a story about cancer or strong friendship between two girls.
Thank you to The Midnight Garden for a free copy of this book!
July 11, 2020
3.5 stars
April 11, 2014
Everybody knows how much I love to read realistic stories. I can never get tired of them. At first I didn't want to read Maybe One Day because the first cover was giving me some fantasy/paranormal vibes. I didn't read the blurb so I ignored it altogether. And then one day, the cover was changed and I had to read the blurb. Once I did, I knew I would be reading it sooner of later. It turned out to be later because I didn't read the book for months. I'm not even sure why that happened.
Zoe and Olivia were inseparable. They've been friends since they were little. They were thinking about being professional dancers one day and living in Manhattan together and then Olivia got sick. What seemed to be a simple case of flu, turned out to be leukemia. Now both girls need to find a way to stay strong despite everything that's going on.
Maybe One Day was a hard book to read. I'm still not sure what to say about it. I did cry towards the end a lot. I was expecting it because Kantor did prepare us for the worst. I was waiting for it to happen a lot sooner but I'm glad it didn't.
Zoe was impulsive and in the moment type of person while Olivia was usually the kinder person who was well liked in every circle. They complimented each other in every possible way. Their friendship was the center of this novel. Nothing else came even close. Not even the romance which was believable and hot despite the fact Zoe and Calvin not having a lot of scenes. He was suck a good guy I found myself wishing he was a bigger part of the novel even tough it was obvious he would be there for Zoe, no matter what.
i'm glad I read this book even though it made me feel mad sad and mad at the same time because not everyone can win against leukemia. I'll be on the lookout for other Melissa Kantor books because she proved herself as a writer with this wonderful story about friendship.
Zoe and Olivia were inseparable. They've been friends since they were little. They were thinking about being professional dancers one day and living in Manhattan together and then Olivia got sick. What seemed to be a simple case of flu, turned out to be leukemia. Now both girls need to find a way to stay strong despite everything that's going on.
Maybe One Day was a hard book to read. I'm still not sure what to say about it. I did cry towards the end a lot. I was expecting it because Kantor did prepare us for the worst. I was waiting for it to happen a lot sooner but I'm glad it didn't.
Zoe was impulsive and in the moment type of person while Olivia was usually the kinder person who was well liked in every circle. They complimented each other in every possible way. Their friendship was the center of this novel. Nothing else came even close. Not even the romance which was believable and hot despite the fact Zoe and Calvin not having a lot of scenes. He was suck a good guy I found myself wishing he was a bigger part of the novel even tough it was obvious he would be there for Zoe, no matter what.
i'm glad I read this book even though it made me feel mad sad and mad at the same time because not everyone can win against leukemia. I'll be on the lookout for other Melissa Kantor books because she proved herself as a writer with this wonderful story about friendship.
May 11, 2014
I don't know if I can say that I really finished this book because I literally just thoroughly skimmed through the middle and just read the first 10 and last 10 chapters and mind you, I'm definitely NOT that kind of LAZY reader but this book made me one. I hate it so much I just did what I can do to really finish it.
I rarely give low ratings because if I don't like the book, I try to put myself into the mind of its target audience and review it as such but this one is just too disappointing. I really felt awful through out my reading experience, not just because of the horrible main character or the condition Olivia is in, frustration is what really made me feel bad, I just wanted this book to be good so bad, I tried to forget about how annoying the narrator is.
Some reminders:
1. This is not a dance book.
2. This book is not primarily about friendship
3. This book is about a boy and a girl and their love story.
P.S.
I had nightmares after reading this book.
Detailed review to follow.
I rarely give low ratings because if I don't like the book, I try to put myself into the mind of its target audience and review it as such but this one is just too disappointing. I really felt awful through out my reading experience, not just because of the horrible main character or the condition Olivia is in, frustration is what really made me feel bad, I just wanted this book to be good so bad, I tried to forget about how annoying the narrator is.
Some reminders:
1. This is not a dance book.
2. This book is not primarily about friendship
3. This book is about a boy and a girl and their love story.
P.S.
I had nightmares after reading this book.
Detailed review to follow.
August 31, 2016
Actual rating: 4.5. There were tears! Loved how it depicted such a beautiful and strong friendship between Zoe and Olivia! Review to come!
July 26, 2014
*4.5 star rating*
"Cancer. How could my friend have cancer? Cancer killed people. But Olivia wasn't going to die. We were sixteen. People who are sixteen, people you've known your whole life, don't die of cancer. Why not? asked an ugly, scary voice in my brain. Why don't they die of cancer? "Because," I said out loud, the sound of my voice startling in the quiet room. "They don't."
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. Cancer stories are my favourite contemporary reads. They make me cry, inspire me, and crack my heart every single time. That's not the only positives of them--there's many more. Melissa Kantor has absolutely created a gorgeous petrifying read about loss and friendship, and both of those mixing together.
The Darlings series by Melissa didn't really please me. It compared too much to Joanna Philbin's Daughters trilogy, and I didn't see the main idea very well. But when this was released, it got critically acclaimed very quickly and most reviewers were saying that this is the best book of 2014. And it really is.
In order to read this book, you need to have a good amount of patience. If you don't, well then you'll be crying every minute. You need to have patience with the author and protagonist because nothing will happen quickly. These types of stories are slow-paced, and that's the way they're meant to be. You can't be expecting a fast-paced roller coaster with plot twists every two pages. These stories need to build and build up to become something heart-pounding and scary at the same time.
This book is about two dancers slash best friends, Olivia and Zoe. They have been friends for over a decade, and there's no signs of slowing down. When they get kicked out of their studio, they're both devastated but Olivia moves on faster. They both have big plans for their futures involving each other, and when Olivia gets sick with leukaemia, that all changes. She begins to miss months of school because of chemo-therapy, and Zoe slowly begins to break without her best friend by her side. Then Zoe begins to fall for Olivia's crush, Calvin. Zoe keeps on telling herself that Olivia will make it through this, and everything will slowly go back to normal. But the alternative ending is still haunting her all the time.
I was broken after reading this book. I cried like crazy and I felt so broken like I was Zoe.
This is a very sad but happy book at the same time. Zoe's voice makes everything seem like it's okay and her and Olivia's friendship will always be there. The bond that they have was so unbreakable and so beautiful and I'm absolutely jealous. Olivia and Zoe had one of the most powerful friendships that I've ever read about. Together, their voices made the bookish world a better place.
This book was amazing. The plot was very real and beautiful. The beginning was the only flaw. Everything wasn't sorted out correctly and it fell apart, but the middle and the struggles that the characters had built everything back up and made up for the struggle that the plot had in the beginning. It got stronger by every page, and by the end, my heart was racing and I was unable to leave the book's pages.
Zoe's voice stuck with me, and is still stuck with me to this day. I received an unforgettable book hangover, and I felt like I was in their world for a long time. Zoe's voice makes you feel like you're living the pain and struggle that the characters were going through, and it's so difficult to pretend like you never read this book. I was seriously broken because of the not-knowing-part. Not knowing how Zoe moved on, and how her life came to be in the end without Olivia. I can't stand to think Zoe without Olivia. It's like one shoe without the other. It just doesn't fit.
So as you can see, the characters formed a very relatable relationship with me. I learned to love them. Zoe was such a strong person, much stronger than I would ever be. She was depressed and tiring out before the end of the book, but she stayed strong and stayed with her best friend until she left her for the angels. She didn't show her hurting and it was all stuck inside her, slowly falling apart.
Olivia was an angel. She was beautiful, and she was amazing and such an inspiration, although she is fictional. I can tell that many people could look up to her and her passion and strength. She knew her time was coming, but she lived her live according to the amount of time she had left, and didn't think about it, although the people around her were slowly hurting inside. I loved her and you will, too.
The romance wasn't needed in this book. I disliked Calvin, and Zoe certainly deserved better. This type of book written by this author didn't need that, but it didn't bother me too much that it was there.
The ending was predictable, but I loved it. This book was amazing and is recommended to lovers of TFIOS and anything contemporary with a twist. You'll love this one.
"Cancer. How could my friend have cancer? Cancer killed people. But Olivia wasn't going to die. We were sixteen. People who are sixteen, people you've known your whole life, don't die of cancer. Why not? asked an ugly, scary voice in my brain. Why don't they die of cancer? "Because," I said out loud, the sound of my voice startling in the quiet room. "They don't."
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD. Cancer stories are my favourite contemporary reads. They make me cry, inspire me, and crack my heart every single time. That's not the only positives of them--there's many more. Melissa Kantor has absolutely created a gorgeous petrifying read about loss and friendship, and both of those mixing together.
The Darlings series by Melissa didn't really please me. It compared too much to Joanna Philbin's Daughters trilogy, and I didn't see the main idea very well. But when this was released, it got critically acclaimed very quickly and most reviewers were saying that this is the best book of 2014. And it really is.
In order to read this book, you need to have a good amount of patience. If you don't, well then you'll be crying every minute. You need to have patience with the author and protagonist because nothing will happen quickly. These types of stories are slow-paced, and that's the way they're meant to be. You can't be expecting a fast-paced roller coaster with plot twists every two pages. These stories need to build and build up to become something heart-pounding and scary at the same time.
This book is about two dancers slash best friends, Olivia and Zoe. They have been friends for over a decade, and there's no signs of slowing down. When they get kicked out of their studio, they're both devastated but Olivia moves on faster. They both have big plans for their futures involving each other, and when Olivia gets sick with leukaemia, that all changes. She begins to miss months of school because of chemo-therapy, and Zoe slowly begins to break without her best friend by her side. Then Zoe begins to fall for Olivia's crush, Calvin. Zoe keeps on telling herself that Olivia will make it through this, and everything will slowly go back to normal. But the alternative ending is still haunting her all the time.
I was broken after reading this book. I cried like crazy and I felt so broken like I was Zoe.
This is a very sad but happy book at the same time. Zoe's voice makes everything seem like it's okay and her and Olivia's friendship will always be there. The bond that they have was so unbreakable and so beautiful and I'm absolutely jealous. Olivia and Zoe had one of the most powerful friendships that I've ever read about. Together, their voices made the bookish world a better place.
This book was amazing. The plot was very real and beautiful. The beginning was the only flaw. Everything wasn't sorted out correctly and it fell apart, but the middle and the struggles that the characters had built everything back up and made up for the struggle that the plot had in the beginning. It got stronger by every page, and by the end, my heart was racing and I was unable to leave the book's pages.
Zoe's voice stuck with me, and is still stuck with me to this day. I received an unforgettable book hangover, and I felt like I was in their world for a long time. Zoe's voice makes you feel like you're living the pain and struggle that the characters were going through, and it's so difficult to pretend like you never read this book. I was seriously broken because of the not-knowing-part. Not knowing how Zoe moved on, and how her life came to be in the end without Olivia. I can't stand to think Zoe without Olivia. It's like one shoe without the other. It just doesn't fit.
So as you can see, the characters formed a very relatable relationship with me. I learned to love them. Zoe was such a strong person, much stronger than I would ever be. She was depressed and tiring out before the end of the book, but she stayed strong and stayed with her best friend until she left her for the angels. She didn't show her hurting and it was all stuck inside her, slowly falling apart.
Olivia was an angel. She was beautiful, and she was amazing and such an inspiration, although she is fictional. I can tell that many people could look up to her and her passion and strength. She knew her time was coming, but she lived her live according to the amount of time she had left, and didn't think about it, although the people around her were slowly hurting inside. I loved her and you will, too.
The romance wasn't needed in this book. I disliked Calvin, and Zoe certainly deserved better. This type of book written by this author didn't need that, but it didn't bother me too much that it was there.
The ending was predictable, but I loved it. This book was amazing and is recommended to lovers of TFIOS and anything contemporary with a twist. You'll love this one.
May 28, 2015
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.com/2...
I received this one a while ago and it took me a really long time to finally read it. SO MANY REGRETS. While I dislike the fact that it’s compared to The Fault in Our Stars (I think nothing can really compare to John Green’s novel), I loved this book. I actually went in thinking I would hate it because of some reviews that I’d read, but thankfully it was the complete opposite. Maybe One Day was full of heart and I couldn’t stop reading once I’d started it.
Truth be told, Zoe’s character pissed me off now and then. Especially at the start of the book. She seemed to constantly make it all about her when her friend was sick. I mean, come on. Yes, it’s absolutely tragic that your best friend has cancer, and OF COURSE you’re going to freak out and feel sad at the prospect of losing her. But making it about you? Not cool. There was also the whole language thing. I’m not one to shy away from f-bombs. But when it becomes part of your vocabulary and you put it in every sentence then it becomes a problem. It’s not shocking, which is the impact it should have–it’s just annoying. Thankfully, Olivia’s character was so much better. Zoe’s did get better later on but it was a constant pain having to read some of things she does. However, what I did absolutely love was their friendship: the funny moments between them as well as the really sad, gut-wrenching ones. There’s no denying that their friendship was the best part of this book.
❝I stood on the edge of the lawn, the phone still pressed to my ear. Cars pulled in and out of the parking lot, and kids rumbled from the building, taking the stairs two at a time as they raced into the liberty of the afternoon. The sky over my head was almost painful blue, the grass a bright and vivid green. It was a crisp, beautiful, perfect fall day.
All that beauty was completely wrong. The sky should have been black, the grass withered, the students wailing with grief. Olivia is sick! I wanted to howl. What are you people doing? My friend is sick! It was impossible–the sky, the cars, the kids walking around as if it were a day like any other day. Nothing made any sense.❞
–p. 42, ARC*
*text is subject to change in the final version
The author must have really done some research on this book. It was integrated so seamlessly into the book that it just felt natural learning about it through Zoe’s perspective. As Olivia’s cancer goes through various ups and downs the pain that is conveyed was so tangible. Kantor’s writing is fantastic in essence but it was a punch to the stomach with the emotions that it brings up. As a reader you can really see the ups and downs that not only Olivia goes through but also Zoe. While I still didn’t really like her character, going through denial, loss, hope, acceptance, ignorance was quite the rollercoaster.
I found it difficult to start writing this review because this book was all over the place and I couldn’t really piece together how I really felt about it, despite really loving the book once I’d finished it. In one word, Maybe One Day is powerful. Beautifully written, make sure you have tissues on hand when reading this book: Melissa Kantor’s amazing story of friendship will be sure to bring tears.
▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Megan from HarperCollins International for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪
I received this one a while ago and it took me a really long time to finally read it. SO MANY REGRETS. While I dislike the fact that it’s compared to The Fault in Our Stars (I think nothing can really compare to John Green’s novel), I loved this book. I actually went in thinking I would hate it because of some reviews that I’d read, but thankfully it was the complete opposite. Maybe One Day was full of heart and I couldn’t stop reading once I’d started it.
Truth be told, Zoe’s character pissed me off now and then. Especially at the start of the book. She seemed to constantly make it all about her when her friend was sick. I mean, come on. Yes, it’s absolutely tragic that your best friend has cancer, and OF COURSE you’re going to freak out and feel sad at the prospect of losing her. But making it about you? Not cool. There was also the whole language thing. I’m not one to shy away from f-bombs. But when it becomes part of your vocabulary and you put it in every sentence then it becomes a problem. It’s not shocking, which is the impact it should have–it’s just annoying. Thankfully, Olivia’s character was so much better. Zoe’s did get better later on but it was a constant pain having to read some of things she does. However, what I did absolutely love was their friendship: the funny moments between them as well as the really sad, gut-wrenching ones. There’s no denying that their friendship was the best part of this book.
❝I stood on the edge of the lawn, the phone still pressed to my ear. Cars pulled in and out of the parking lot, and kids rumbled from the building, taking the stairs two at a time as they raced into the liberty of the afternoon. The sky over my head was almost painful blue, the grass a bright and vivid green. It was a crisp, beautiful, perfect fall day.
All that beauty was completely wrong. The sky should have been black, the grass withered, the students wailing with grief. Olivia is sick! I wanted to howl. What are you people doing? My friend is sick! It was impossible–the sky, the cars, the kids walking around as if it were a day like any other day. Nothing made any sense.❞
–p. 42, ARC*
*text is subject to change in the final version
The author must have really done some research on this book. It was integrated so seamlessly into the book that it just felt natural learning about it through Zoe’s perspective. As Olivia’s cancer goes through various ups and downs the pain that is conveyed was so tangible. Kantor’s writing is fantastic in essence but it was a punch to the stomach with the emotions that it brings up. As a reader you can really see the ups and downs that not only Olivia goes through but also Zoe. While I still didn’t really like her character, going through denial, loss, hope, acceptance, ignorance was quite the rollercoaster.
I found it difficult to start writing this review because this book was all over the place and I couldn’t really piece together how I really felt about it, despite really loving the book once I’d finished it. In one word, Maybe One Day is powerful. Beautifully written, make sure you have tissues on hand when reading this book: Melissa Kantor’s amazing story of friendship will be sure to bring tears.
▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Megan from HarperCollins International for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪
February 19, 2014
3.75?
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
Have you ever read a book that was completely addicting, really moving (enough to make you cry), and in the end, still had no idea how to rate it?
That’s exactly my relationship with Maybe One Day. On one hand, I was so thrilled to have a strong female friendship portrayed in my young adult literature. And on the other, some rough transitions, offhand comments from the main character (football players learning to rape?), and overlooked characters and situations continued to nag me and therefore, affected how I felt about the entire book.
Zoe and Olivia’s friendship reminded me of a few of my high school friendships: knowing each other since childhood, spending time together after school pursuing other passions, practically sharing family, and making plans for that future far and beyond high school and college. They were lifers. So I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was for both of them with Olivia got sick. First you guys are both cut from the New York Ballet Company, and now your partner-in-crime is laying in a hospital somewhere — hoping that treatment can zap this villainous disease out of her system.
Nothing prepares you for moments like this, that’s for sure.
I admired Zoe’s devotion to Olivia, big time. She visited the hospital, she called, she even took over her dance class on the weekends and Skyped her in when she could. But most of the time, she feels helpless. Her grades slipped because when she’s not spending time with Olivia, she’s thinking about her. Truth is, Zoe was kind of lost before this happened with Olivia. She missed dancing, soccer didn’t cut it, and maybe she just wasn’t ready to trust herself dancing again. She didn’t have something to fill her time like she used to. I can imagine how out of control everything felt for her.
We do have a potential romance with Calvin, which is kind of complicated because Olivia has a crush on him and Zoe doesn’t like him much at first. But I really liked him. Even when Zoe was difficult, he never stopped trying to be her friend. (Plus he was always there for Olivia’s brother. Nice guy.) I could have used more of him to lighten up the book and make his story arc a bit more complete. He felt glossed over, and his chemistry with Zoe was just too good to be ignored. (Even if it was a messy pairing; in the beginning, I thought she would hit it off with Olivia’s brother.)
While I loved Zoe and Olivia’s bond, the heartfelt efforts of their classmates, how Kantor’s words made me feel so much, there was something that didn’t click for me. Was it the deep detail that was given to some scenes and not to the ones where Zoe’s character growth could have been realized? Or maybe how the first section of the book was substantially longer than the others making it feel a little uneven? It’s true the emotions were heavy in Maybe One Day and the friendships were meaningful but sharper focus on who the story was actually about would have made it entirely more effective.
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading Blog
Have you ever read a book that was completely addicting, really moving (enough to make you cry), and in the end, still had no idea how to rate it?
That’s exactly my relationship with Maybe One Day. On one hand, I was so thrilled to have a strong female friendship portrayed in my young adult literature. And on the other, some rough transitions, offhand comments from the main character (football players learning to rape?), and overlooked characters and situations continued to nag me and therefore, affected how I felt about the entire book.
Zoe and Olivia’s friendship reminded me of a few of my high school friendships: knowing each other since childhood, spending time together after school pursuing other passions, practically sharing family, and making plans for that future far and beyond high school and college. They were lifers. So I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was for both of them with Olivia got sick. First you guys are both cut from the New York Ballet Company, and now your partner-in-crime is laying in a hospital somewhere — hoping that treatment can zap this villainous disease out of her system.
Nothing prepares you for moments like this, that’s for sure.
I admired Zoe’s devotion to Olivia, big time. She visited the hospital, she called, she even took over her dance class on the weekends and Skyped her in when she could. But most of the time, she feels helpless. Her grades slipped because when she’s not spending time with Olivia, she’s thinking about her. Truth is, Zoe was kind of lost before this happened with Olivia. She missed dancing, soccer didn’t cut it, and maybe she just wasn’t ready to trust herself dancing again. She didn’t have something to fill her time like she used to. I can imagine how out of control everything felt for her.
We do have a potential romance with Calvin, which is kind of complicated because Olivia has a crush on him and Zoe doesn’t like him much at first. But I really liked him. Even when Zoe was difficult, he never stopped trying to be her friend. (Plus he was always there for Olivia’s brother. Nice guy.) I could have used more of him to lighten up the book and make his story arc a bit more complete. He felt glossed over, and his chemistry with Zoe was just too good to be ignored. (Even if it was a messy pairing; in the beginning, I thought she would hit it off with Olivia’s brother.)
While I loved Zoe and Olivia’s bond, the heartfelt efforts of their classmates, how Kantor’s words made me feel so much, there was something that didn’t click for me. Was it the deep detail that was given to some scenes and not to the ones where Zoe’s character growth could have been realized? Or maybe how the first section of the book was substantially longer than the others making it feel a little uneven? It’s true the emotions were heavy in Maybe One Day and the friendships were meaningful but sharper focus on who the story was actually about would have made it entirely more effective.
January 18, 2014
Disclaimer: I received this e-ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review:
Bare with me here as there's bound to be a lot of tears that I will disguise as allergies while I write this review.This book was pretty much near perfection for me. As a child I gravitated towards the fictional works of Lurlene McDaniel and Melissa Kantor's One Day Maybe is right in that very same vein. Actually I would argue that they are extremely similar in a lot of ways. The way Maybe One Day sounded was not at all unlike Lurlene McDaniel's work fifteen or so years ago.
Zoe and Olivia were more than just best friends. They were sisters, not bound by blood,but by love and friendship.Their friendship made me jealous. I wished so badly that I could have had a friend like that at their age.They were there for each other in way that their parents and families couldn't understand. Olivia's mother had the most problems with the friendship. It was implied that Adriana Greco didn't believe that Zoe was a good influence on her daughter.
Once Olivia starts treatment, it becomes very clear how Mrs. Greco sees Zoe. She sees her daughter's best friend as "just a visitor" That was heartbreaking. No one wants to think that their best friend's mom doesn't like them. It becomes clear what Mrs. Greco's motive is. She's gone into protective mama bear mode. Her entire existence has turned into keeping her immuno-compromised daughter as healthy and germ free as possible.
Back to Zoe and Olivia though, Zoe is the perfect friend. She's unbelievably supportive and she spends hours upon hours visiting Olivia in the hospital.Hospital visits are something no teenager should have to do.Yet Zoe does it.She stays unfailingly loyal to Olivia despite the fact that they are living two different lives.
That loyalty is tested when Zoe finds herself dancing and kissing the boy who Olivia has been crushing on. Zoe takes it a step further by not telling Olivia about it until later, a lot later.I am really, really glad that the inkling of romance was just that, an inkling. I think any more romance would have taken away from the beautiful story of friendship that Melissa Kantor had so carefully crafted.
I loved, LOVED that both girls had family units that were fully immeshed in the book. That's a new YA trend that I am loving. In the past, the families of YA characters have been difficult to spot in a book. I really liked Olivia's brother Jake.He was an amazing brother to Olivia and friend to Zoe. Sometimes the friendship between brother and sister's best friend seems forced,but not in this case.
This book was a very emotional read and by the end of it I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe. I was sobbing pretty loudly and violently. Yes apparently there is a way to sob violently.All the feels in this book were intense and amazing. This book will definitely be on my list of my favorite books of 2014. It should come as no surprise that I'm giving this book, the full 5 stars.If I could give it six stars, I would.Everyone should go pre-order this book now.I plan on pre-ordering a finished copy for myself.
Review:
Bare with me here as there's bound to be a lot of tears that I will disguise as allergies while I write this review.This book was pretty much near perfection for me. As a child I gravitated towards the fictional works of Lurlene McDaniel and Melissa Kantor's One Day Maybe is right in that very same vein. Actually I would argue that they are extremely similar in a lot of ways. The way Maybe One Day sounded was not at all unlike Lurlene McDaniel's work fifteen or so years ago.
Zoe and Olivia were more than just best friends. They were sisters, not bound by blood,but by love and friendship.Their friendship made me jealous. I wished so badly that I could have had a friend like that at their age.They were there for each other in way that their parents and families couldn't understand. Olivia's mother had the most problems with the friendship. It was implied that Adriana Greco didn't believe that Zoe was a good influence on her daughter.
Once Olivia starts treatment, it becomes very clear how Mrs. Greco sees Zoe. She sees her daughter's best friend as "just a visitor" That was heartbreaking. No one wants to think that their best friend's mom doesn't like them. It becomes clear what Mrs. Greco's motive is. She's gone into protective mama bear mode. Her entire existence has turned into keeping her immuno-compromised daughter as healthy and germ free as possible.
Back to Zoe and Olivia though, Zoe is the perfect friend. She's unbelievably supportive and she spends hours upon hours visiting Olivia in the hospital.Hospital visits are something no teenager should have to do.Yet Zoe does it.She stays unfailingly loyal to Olivia despite the fact that they are living two different lives.
That loyalty is tested when Zoe finds herself dancing and kissing the boy who Olivia has been crushing on. Zoe takes it a step further by not telling Olivia about it until later, a lot later.I am really, really glad that the inkling of romance was just that, an inkling. I think any more romance would have taken away from the beautiful story of friendship that Melissa Kantor had so carefully crafted.
I loved, LOVED that both girls had family units that were fully immeshed in the book. That's a new YA trend that I am loving. In the past, the families of YA characters have been difficult to spot in a book. I really liked Olivia's brother Jake.He was an amazing brother to Olivia and friend to Zoe. Sometimes the friendship between brother and sister's best friend seems forced,but not in this case.
This book was a very emotional read and by the end of it I was crying so hard I couldn't breathe. I was sobbing pretty loudly and violently. Yes apparently there is a way to sob violently.All the feels in this book were intense and amazing. This book will definitely be on my list of my favorite books of 2014. It should come as no surprise that I'm giving this book, the full 5 stars.If I could give it six stars, I would.Everyone should go pre-order this book now.I plan on pre-ordering a finished copy for myself.
November 17, 2013
For this review and more visit my blog
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 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 was realistic and beautifully written. It made me laugh and cry and it was seriously moving it parts. I highly recommend that you go out and get this book when it becomes available in the New Year.
July 30, 2016
Best friends Zoe and Olivia are devastated when they get kicked out of their ballet school. All their plans of the future seem unreachable now. Then Olivia gets sick and is diagnosed with cancer. Zoe tries to put on a brave face, stay positive for Olivia's sake, because she friend will beat this, she has to.
First, I really love this cover. It's pretty simple at first glance but(maybe I'm reading too much into things because I tend to do that) I like how it seems calm, no wind-blown hair or waves, but the clouds are dark so there's a sign of something bad coming.
I think this book will turn out to be one of those love it or hate it ones, with not a whole lot of people in the middle. There's some scenes and wording choices that could be taken two completely different ways, such as Zoe's reaction to the oncology ward when she thinks 'Leukemia was cancer. Olivia has cancer'. That could easily be taken as Zoe not knowing what Leukemia is or that she knows but seeing it as opposed to hearing it over the phone just made it that much more real for her.
Zoe is someone I would never befriend in real life. She could be judgmental, mean, and kind of bratty. But I actually liked that about her in this book. To say she hates gender generalisations then be guilty of it herself, it happens. There's no censoring Zoe's thoughts to make her seem like a perfect person. And she definitely has some petty and horrible thoughts throughout the book. All these little things that made her less perfect, just made her feel more real.
Olivia was amazing. I felt for her so much. Everything about her reactions felt realistic. She just seemed like a genuinely good person.
The core of this book was definitely the friendship between the two girls. They were more like sisters than friends and it was so easy to see how big of a part they played in each other's lives. When the romance was introduced I was worried it would start overtaking the friendship but it was mostly in the background. It's also a bit about self-discovery, as Zoe has to figure out who she is without dance and without Olivia at her side while she's in the hospital.
The pacing was a little slow at first but seemed to pick up the sicker Olivia got. It ended up being a pretty quick read. There were a few editing problems(that did find their way into the final copy I looked at) like Zoe sitting in the driver's seat when she wasn't driving, which took me out of the book a bit. The author does admit she chose story over medical reality when necessary, which I get, happens all the time on TV shows.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
First, I really love this cover. It's pretty simple at first glance but(maybe I'm reading too much into things because I tend to do that) I like how it seems calm, no wind-blown hair or waves, but the clouds are dark so there's a sign of something bad coming.
I think this book will turn out to be one of those love it or hate it ones, with not a whole lot of people in the middle. There's some scenes and wording choices that could be taken two completely different ways, such as Zoe's reaction to the oncology ward when she thinks 'Leukemia was cancer. Olivia has cancer'. That could easily be taken as Zoe not knowing what Leukemia is or that she knows but seeing it as opposed to hearing it over the phone just made it that much more real for her.
Zoe is someone I would never befriend in real life. She could be judgmental, mean, and kind of bratty. But I actually liked that about her in this book. To say she hates gender generalisations then be guilty of it herself, it happens. There's no censoring Zoe's thoughts to make her seem like a perfect person. And she definitely has some petty and horrible thoughts throughout the book. All these little things that made her less perfect, just made her feel more real.
Olivia was amazing. I felt for her so much. Everything about her reactions felt realistic. She just seemed like a genuinely good person.
The core of this book was definitely the friendship between the two girls. They were more like sisters than friends and it was so easy to see how big of a part they played in each other's lives. When the romance was introduced I was worried it would start overtaking the friendship but it was mostly in the background. It's also a bit about self-discovery, as Zoe has to figure out who she is without dance and without Olivia at her side while she's in the hospital.
The pacing was a little slow at first but seemed to pick up the sicker Olivia got. It ended up being a pretty quick read. There were a few editing problems(that did find their way into the final copy I looked at) like Zoe sitting in the driver's seat when she wasn't driving, which took me out of the book a bit. The author does admit she chose story over medical reality when necessary, which I get, happens all the time on TV shows.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 17, 2014
2.5 Stars
This book is...odd and I feel weird reviewing it. I feel like Karma is going to bite me in the ass if I give this novel anything less than a stellar review. But I can't because I found this novel to be far less than that. It left me feeling bored and apathetic and just all around annoyed. I only found one part containing any redeeming qualities but it's over too soon and everything from there just turned back to mush. Maybe I'm just sick of books surrounding cancer. Or maybe I have such high expectations for these stories that when they don't meet them, I get left disappointed. Either way, I didn't enjoy this one, it's mediocre through and through.
Maybe One Day starts off with a lot of info-dumping which was strike one for me. I cannot stand it when authors shove a bunch of information in the first few chapters and then expect readers to remember it when it actually comes into play. I read about four books at a time. Hell no do I have time to remember that shit. I also found the writing to be a bit stiff and awkward exactly like how I felt towards the romance. It's all contrived and rushed and just thrown together because this is a YA novel and romance is needed no matter what. On top of all that, the characters are choppy and annoying. Zoe is so very self-centred and mean, she does nothing but think about herself and how Olivia dying will affect her life and her plans. I couldn't stand her and her pettiness. Your best friend is dying, console her and her family along with yourself.
What I did enjoy about this novel is Zoe's humour towards most things. This is probably the only reason that I kept reading, because it made most things bearable. The memorial service is the most well done part of the story. It's described lovely and very realistic, I felt as if I was right there beside Zoe and her family. I was actually close to shedding a tear at this part.
Melissa Kantor does have some talent but I still find it hard to believe in the realism of her books. I always found them a little too far-fetched and contrived for my liking. However I do recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories surrounding cancer and will never get bored with them. Maybe One Day has at least one sad part that'll for sure make readers cry or at least want to.
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