A boy is trapped in a time loop—and in a girl’s body—in this heartfelt and wryly humorous love story.
Laurie wakes up in a girl’s body with no memories, driving down an unknown highway, and promptly crashes the car. Thankfully, a handsome stranger named Gideon comes to his rescue. It’s awkward for Laurie to pretend that he’s a girl, but at least this is the scariest thing he’ll ever have to deal with.
Except the next morning—and every morning after—Laurie wakes up barreling down that same highway. He re-meets Gideon every day, with no idea who this girl whose body he’s inhabiting even is. Only one thing is clear: he’s on a countdown. Laurie has been given only one hundred days to get back in the right body, break the time loop, and not fall for Gideon while he does it.
Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know is a funny, deeply felt exploration of love, identity, and what it means to move through the world in a body that is truly yours.
Alex is a Canadian artist, musician, and YA author of DEAD GIRLS DON’T SAY SORRY from Knopf BFYR and I WISH YOU WOULDN’T. When they’re not at the keyboard, you can find them hosting tabletop game night, working on illustrations, or at their other keyboard composing music.
Alex’s love of art, music, and the western Canadian landscape regularly spills into their writing, which tends to feature complex friendships, twisty romances, and explorations of queerness. They live in Calgary with their roommate, cat, and dice collection.
“Beauty creeps in slowly, but you have to make space for it on purpose.”
I thought this had a beautiful message, which just took very long to get there. While I also understand the necessity of it, to depict the realism of how such decisions and choices are not and cannot be spur of the moment, it does also affect one's reading. And to have numerous chapters dedicated to too many of the days of the countdown in the time loop did get taxing.
Laurie's struggles and growth was expressed in a sincere and cathartic light. A confused boy waking up every morning in a girl's body, unaware of how he'll get out of it. One where even the mystery behind their unknown identity was gripping as slight memories emerged as truths were pieced together from each time loop. ⏲️ A reckoning towards an eventual fallout that would either save them or destroy them. It's a nerve-wrecking journey. It's a gut-wrenching process. Waiting for a tomorrow that may never come.
“Even when I’m not looking for Gideon, I find him.”
As we get glimpses into the one whose body they inhabit, I could connect the dots, but it's sad to see that it still takes time for Laurie to solve a jigsaw puzzle, except I don’t know what the final picture is supposed to be. 😟 But, at least Laurie was not always alone. Gideon was a welcome reprieve, an honest friend, a helping hand that gave Laurie the strength to be brave.
The Author's Note is an important one, because even though I felt the last chapter was unfair, I also agree with it. It gives us hope not to lose hope; that even when one takes that fateful very scary plunge, it may not be the answer to escape, but it leaves you with a profound feeling of being released. I know that sounds like a double entendre, but when you read it, you do understand.
“It is mine, is the thing. Mine, and still wrong.”
I know I cannot relate, but my heart goes out to everyone who does. That scene with Laurie's parents was heartbreaking. It was a pivotal buildup, highlighted even in the printing that really set the tone. Please don't ever forget to be a loving and caring parent. 🥺 Love should not come with a price or forced expectations. It is such an unsettling fear, and to live with that extra burden and shame of being true to yourself is unimaginable.
My niggles may be insignificant, but sadly it did dampen the overall experience. I read it one go, and the writing soothed my palette, and was fitting for its Young Adult target audience. However, a few inclusions of representation did not quite feel fitting; they were not impactful, but felt a forced inclusion. 😮💨 Too much emphasis on the side characters' drama. It was exhausting to the point that going around and around in circles could have easily been cut out - in both Laurie and Gideon's friend circles.
“I see you.” His grip tightens around me. “I’m sorry, I see you now.”
Gideon was special. He was not perfect, but he was perfect in how he cared deeply for Laurie. I do wish it could have toned down the various instances in which their days reoccurred, but I suppose it was the only way to show their relationship develop, as not an instant, nor a slow-burn, just a believable bond of love and trust. 🫂 That heartfelt honest intimacy Laurie so desperately yearned for with that pitch perfect understanding of what was never needed to be said.
And for that this is an important read; one that certainly reminds us the importance of empathy. It's a bittersweet but poignant look that I hope in this world that still shows so much hatred, people will still remember that it costs very little if nothing at all to be kind and accepting to those who truly deserve it. ❤️🩹
*Thank you to Edelweiss for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
look okay i know this isn’t out yet so i haven’t even read the polished version yet but GENUINELY. book of my soul. all you transmascs out there are gonna lose your shit about this book (in a good way). i was inconsolable for about five days afterwards
Thank you to Netgalley and Norton Young Readers for sending me this ARC!
“Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know” is a very surprising novel. This is the first novel I have read that has a unique representation of finding yourself: a time loop. Through Laurie’s repeated experiences with love, acceptance, and truth, I understand the depths of identity and change. I can understand the feeling of being in a body that is unfamiliar to you and how the truth can change your life in many ways. I wouldn’t characterize the change of events as plot twists, though. They were more of steps toward the truth and an unveiling of what lay beyond Laurie’s visions, which I loved. There were many details I adored: Gideon (love him so much) and his scenes with Laurie, the realistic dialogue between Laurie and his loved ones, the alluring hooks and mystery, and finally, the epilogue. The epilogue was quite vague, but it defined the meaning of “tomorrow.” Tomorrow is defined by Laurie’s fears, by Laurie’s love, and by Laurie’s inability to predict. The epilogue was a fresh start, a reminder to welcome tomorrow and the changes that come along with it. (Of course, the faint familiarity between Laurie and Gideon still almost made me cry). Overall, “Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know” is an amazing and raw novel—I would recommend it to anyone!
HEAR YE HEAR YE! MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR APRIL! I feel like I’m the town crier for this book and I will continue to ring my silly little bell and hoot and holler about it because it really is that wonderful. Will be tucking my ARC copy of this book gently into my bookshelf with a kiss on the head goodnight.
The concept and hook of this book is so unbelievably clever and such an immensely tender, smart, and empathetic lens into what it’s like to be trans. I have no doubt this book will deeply touch any and all people, but particularly important for kids figuring out who they are in this crazy world, even (and especially) when it can be incredibly scary. PLUS you get a time loop and romance and GIDEON?! HELLO?! It had me down bad for Nanton. NANTON!!!
On top of it all, as usual, Alex is immensely talented at capturing the spirit of YA & making me giggle/blush/punch the wall when my beloved characters don’t kiss when I want them to. It’s a masterclass in split perspectives, pacing, dialogue, and humour.
this is and most likely will remain my favorite book of all time. i finished reading it on a flight home from visiting my parents on 0 hours of sleep and something genuinely shifted in my universe. it is the perfect book to me. i can't believe i forgot to review it until now. when i have a physical copy of it in my hands i'm going to start sleeping with it like a teddy bear.
This book felt like a warm hug. As someone in the LGBTQ+ community, I really connected with its affirming message and how it shows the long, sometimes painful journey of figuring out who you are and learning to live that truth. There were moments that straight-up brought me to tears, just because books like this are so important. Seeing these experiences on the page felt validating in a way that still feels rare.
I was totally hooked at the start, but the middle lost me a little. The repetition, especially with the countdown element, got a bit tedious and my attention drifted. That said, the story pulled me back in by the end, and I finished feeling really emotionally attached.
I loved Laurie as a character. His frustration, confusion, quirks, and growing self-awareness felt so real. I loved how he could be so certain about some things, like hockey and his feelings for Gideon, while still quietly knowing who he really was. Gideon was great too. He was warm, accepting, and honest, but still dealing with his own stuff. I appreciated all the LGBTQ+ representation and the idea of a “village,” though at times it felt a bit forced. On the other hand, the less than affirming characters felt realistic and added real emotional weight.
The writing worked for a YA audience, though I got a little lost in some of the dialogue and small talk here and there. I really loved the Groundhog Day meets Freaky Friday element. It was such a clever way to show what it might feel like to be transgender, carrying all that weight, hiding out of fear, and still longing to be seen.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend this as a YA read, especially for LGBTQ+ teens, but also for anyone who wants to better understand the trans experience. Books like this matter, and I really wish I had one like this growing up
* Thank to the publisher for the DRC via NetGalley for an honest review.
This is the first book that I’ve read which takes place within a time loop, and I’m not sure if it’s this reason that took me a while to get into it. I did struggle at the beginning with the repetitiveness but once I got into it, about 20% through, I was hooked. I love the idea of this book, however I do believe the plot twist about the main character was blatantly obvious from the get go, I wonder if this was the intention? For this reason,I can only give this book 3 stars although that is not to say I did not enjoy parts of it greatly!
Wow 🤯 just wow. This book is amazing. I don’t even know what to say, it’s left me speechless. I read this in one sitting because the story just pulled me in. I needed to know the ending. Also that ending was perfect. I felt for Laurie, and can understand the over religious parents who just wouldn’t understand. And for someone who had to leave to find herself, I can understand why Lawrence and Laurie needed to leave! Also Gideon is just everything!! 😍😍
* I was lucky enough to win this book through the Goodreads giveaways. *
"A YA romance with a body swap twist pitched as If I See You Again Tomorrow meets Every Day. Laurie wakes up in a girl's body with no memories, only to discover he's stuck in a time loop with 100 days to figure out whose body he's in and how to break the loop—all while inconveniently falling in love with a boy who forgets him at the end of each day."
Thank you to Norton Young Readers for this ARC via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
This book releases April 7, 2026
Laurie wakes up in a girl’s body with no memories and then proceeds to crash the car he was driving. There, he needs Gideon, a local farmer who helps him out. Laurie thinks all he needs to do is figure out who he is, but then he wakes up on the same day doing the same thing - again and again. Now he needs to figure out a way to stop this time loop, find his real body, and not fall in love with Gideon and he only has 100 days.
First off, as a fellow Canadian, finding out that not only was this book by a Canadian author, this book was also set in Canada was a very pleasant surprise. I loved knowing about the area the person was; that was just so cool. I rarely see that in books so I was tickled pink.
On to the plot. I’m a sucker for a good time travel book, and this one checked all my boxes. Some time loop books tend to linger on the days even if they’re exactly the same, but in this book the days seemed the perfect length and where often different enough that you didn’t feel like it dragged on. I liked the growing bond between Laurie and some of the characters. I enjoyed seeing the different ways the day went and meeting new characters. And while I had lots of theories of why Laurie was stuck in the time loop, I can’t say I figured it out. Figuring out plot twists are not really my forte what can I say?
This book focuses on finding oneself, and you can see it in side character arcs finding out they’re queer or taking a chance on love. On the main character finding out who he was throughout the arc of the story and growing a lot in those short days. It shows the good and bad reception to trans people and how a trans person feels in their body, how they feel when they’re in a wrong body, and Alex wrote this all in a very touching way.
I loved Laurie. He knew who he was and there were some things that he knew that he liked despite not having his memories. He felt real and grounded, and he always brought out the best in Gideon no matter when or how they met. And while Laurie had a lot of fear and confusion, he still grew as a person. Gideon and Laurie together made them better people. They found peace in each other that they couldn’t find elsewhere and I love love love that trope so much.
The ending might be unsatisfying for some people, but I actually loved it. I understand why Alex wrote it that way and it’s one that I will always think about.
Alex Ritany’s YA novel, Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know, is rather unique - both in plot direction and what genre it belongs to. To best categorise this novel is to attach the label of a drama as its genre, one that includes the standard YA conventions within, the likes of coming of age themes, family drama, romance, and relationships central to the story and storytelling. Yet the story never affixes it to any of these like a romance or coming of age would, instead centralising the plot and said conventions around its overlying mystery, not quite structured enough to earn a thriller title, but still a story that revolves around solving a mystery, and getting to know the main character.
In post, it makes a lot of sense why the story takes this unconventional approach of writing what is best described as a drama/thriller, but whilst you’re reading it, it feels like a “good” YA novel. It reads like a slow burn, and the book blends subdued versions thriller reveals alongside overt romance and drama conventions of a YA novel. It's a page-turner, the obvious countdown and the slow reveal of information alongside the story developing overall a really fun story.
The main duo that we follow are interesting characters, both characters with evolving plots that eventually intertwine and who share enjoyable interactions with one another. I largely enjoyed their romance and their characters (especially our main character), who I felt were perfect for the novel, and perfect for readers. I would hesitate to praise the extended cast the same, as they feel as good as YA characters can be. Most of the extended cast I felt lacked any clear conclusion to their character arcs that the story prompted, despite each having intriguing characters and promising plot lines. However, despite the lack of conclusion, they still satisfy, intriguing and complex on screen (or I guess page, lol?), despite certain characters getting discarded as the story moves on.
A simplified description of the novel is that it is a book where the main character is given a chance to “right their wrongs” under unknown mystical circumstances. This framework, is applied to a YA novel, where the book overall satisfies in both plot and main characters, entertaining readers whilst incorporating a wonderfully diverse cast of characters.
“Maybe Tomorrow I’ll Know” was not quite what I was expecting after reading the teaser. With Laurie waking up in a girl’s body (Valerie) and reliving the same calendar day over and over, I expected the story would focus more on the discomfort of being a boy in a girl’s body and the practical aspects of that dilemma— clothes, makeup, hormones, societal expectations, etc. However, that is not how the author incorporates the transgender aspect of the story. And I am glad the story was not what I expected because I think the book is better for the approach the author took.
The time loop concept was an interesting one, especially once some of the actions that Laurie took remained permanent instead of resetting each time the day was experienced again, and once Gideon became caught in the time loop and recognized that he was reliving the same day over again as well. I was glad that the story not only gave Laurie a second chance but also allowed Gideon’s future to be altered in a positive way. I enjoyed the evolution in their friendship/relationship. It was also interesting to see what the author had them do (where they traveled, how they spent their time, etc.) on days they were not actively trying to figure out how to get out of the time loop.
The story kept me guessing. Laurie believes he has somehow switched bodies with Valerie and is trying to figure out who he really is so he can find the real Valerie and somehow switch back. I thought I knew who Laurie was going to be, but I was wrong. The truth of Valerie/Laurie was even better.
I appreciated the overarching message about the importance of self-acceptance and living authentically, along with the recognition of how hard that can be, especially when significant people in your life are not accepting.
Thank you Netgalley for letting me get a sneak peek of this book - I still have it on my wishlist - and waiting approval :) lol.
Okay this of this book like Footloose, mixed with Groundhogs day, and strict non supportive Christian parents, mistaken identity (at least in the FMC mind) - and you have a winner on your hands.
I am bad about giving away the whole book - but our main female lead, believes that she is not in her body, like Freaky Friday, her soul was swapped with a male - and she has 100 days to try to find the real her so that way they can change bodies.
Throughout the book, you see her trying to find herself, like talking to her parents, going to school, sending messages on the deep web trying to say "hey if your in the wrong body here I am" - and she winds up in a town meeting the main male lead character.
This is a book, about honoring what you know to be, standing up for yourself, love (at least unconditional from siblings and friends), I think also it should be a wake up call to parents - who might be so unsupportive and unloving to their child (just because they didn't live the life you wanted them to have- do you stop loving them and how can you do that (I had a talk with my husband about this).
A great book and thank you again for letting me read this Netgalley!
I generally dislike time loop stories and because of that, this isn't a book I would normally have chosen to pick up on my own. I won this in a book festival giveaway and didn't even know I'd won until the book showed up at my house. As for the book itself, there are a few reasons it stands out to me in the realm of time loop stories and only some of them I can actually say. The biggest thing to me is that it's not repetitive. My main gripe about stories like this is that details often get rehashed so many times over the course of the story. In this one, there are two different towns involved and each day's story alternates between those towns, then how the story is approached is always different, sometimes actually changing events of the day in the process. The other thing that stood out in this one is that the main character has none of his own memories, but is trapped in another person's body--a female's body to be exact, and has to find out who she is as well as finding out his own life in order to solve the puzzle. There were some reveals that I wasn't expecting in this book, but also added to the story.
Wow. I'm so thankful I had the chance to read MAYBE TOMORROW I'LL KNOW. Alex Ritany's voice is so strong and accessible, and I was immediately pulled into the mystery: why is Laurie speeding down an unfamiliar highway? And what happens at the end of the time loop?
I loved getting to know the characters. They felt alive to me, and it was so easy to root for them. I also really appreciated the nuance Ritany brings into the interactions between different family members. Relationships are rarely one thing, and I liked seeing that complexity on the page.
By nature, time loops are repetitive (that's kind of the point, right?), but the story kept me invested in the characters and turning pages. Ritany left a few unanswered questions I'm still wondering about, but at the end of the day, those details weren't necessary to the story, and I don't mind letting my imagination fill in the gaps.
All around, I really enjoyed this captivating, hopeful story and highly recommend it.
Thank you to Norton Young Readers for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley!
a little heartfelt story involving a time loop and a girl/boy that doesn't know how they got there as they try to figure out their own identity.
I haven't read many time loop stories, if any at all really, so I was really enjoying myself with this one. we get to pass many days while unraveling something new and that helps keep building the anticipation for what's going on.
I think this was a cute, easy read for anyone looking for something light-hearted. I think the author posed the overall theme and reason for writing this book really well within the time loop setting. there were obvious points where I wanted to be like, you could totally just do this instead, but you know, for the sake of the story, that doesn't work. we must suspend what we know.
did I guess the truth? a little. but I don't think that was the point. by the end I was like yeah, this feels like a story that the youth could use.
thank you to netgalley and Norton Young Readers for the eARC!
A book full of characters you can’t help but root for every step of the way. While I don’t have much experience reading time-loop stories, this one was a genuinely fun ride with a deeply relatable message. What do we do when we feel lost? Who do we turn to in moments of anxiety? And who stands by us as we work through those feelings?
I especially enjoyed the romance between the main characters. The reader can truly feel the personal growth of each character, both individually and as their relationship slowly begins to bloom. The story explores important topics that deserve more open discussion, with the hope of encouraging meaningful conversations.
Overall, this is a great YA novel that made me reflect on empathy and acceptance, even when we may not fully understand someone else’s experience. A thoughtful slow burn with a beautiful, satisfying ending.
Thank you to Norton Young Readers for an early copy of this book via NetGalley. I’m excited to see what Alex Ritany creates next.
This is such a powerful exploration of repressed memories and how we build our own stories, both to form cages and to set ourselves free.
The writing is strong and engaging, and the protagonist, Laurie, immediately captured my heart. The story unfolds with elegant precision, avoiding the cliches so endemic in time-loop plots. The romance also avoids tropes, developing naturally and spontaneously into a truly moving and healing relationship.
I'm completely obsessed with this book. Both high concept and earnest, fun and profound, this book will burrow into your heart and take up permanent residence there. Time loops, flirting, and GIDEON omg please read it because GIDEON (you'll know when you know).
guys, listen. author here. this book was my last shot-in-the-dark passion project and it changed my life. that it exists in the world at all is already beating the odds i gave a time loop story about gender, and i am so grateful for the opportunity to share it with you.