November 1, 2023

The Pandemic Was My Groundhog Day

Part mystery, part love story, I wanted to write this book as a reminder of the many ways women are pulled in a hundred different directions.

The Pandemic Was My Groundhog Day

Part mystery, part love story, I wanted to write this book as a reminder of the many ways women are pulled in a hundred different directions.

Picture the scene. It’s 2020 and I’m locked down. I’ve got three kids, two in nappies, one not keen on being home schooled, a husband working away as a key worker, relatives wanting me to do Zoom quizzes, 163 WhatsApp threads and a book deadline. We don’t go anywhere. We wake, we work, we play, we laugh, we scroll, we cry, we eat, we sleep. And we do it again the next day.

I was living groundhog day.

I needed escapism. And I needed to remember that I loved the man I kept passing out next door every night. I knew then I wanted to write a great love story – an extraordinary love between two ordinary people: Emma and Dan. A love that had been a little forgotten in the middle of a busy life. A love that is suddenly brought sharply into focus when the very worst happens…

Maybe Next Time was born.

It’s a manic Monday for Emma. A completely normal Monday for Emma – literary agent, partner, mother, committee member, colleague, friend, sister-in-law, daughter, dog mama and more. Her phone is pinging, her kids are surly, one has lost her blazer, Dan appears to be in a bad mood. She hasn’t got time to drill down. She tears through her day putting out fires, her brain full of the next thing. And that night she discovers why her husband is upset. And that night she rows with him. And that night… he dies.

And she wakes the next day. Only it’s not Tuesday. It’s Monday again. And Dan is lying next to her. And now Emma has a chance to try and change her day, change everything. She has a chance to find out what is happening to the people in her life. She has a chance to reflect on how she is living her life. And she has a chance to save the love of her life.

Part mystery, part love story I wanted to write this book as a reminder of the many ways women are pulled in a hundred different directions. The many ways we push the things and the people we love down the list so that we can tick off other things. I wanted to see what would have to change to make me stop, to make me reflect and to make me change.

I hope you love Maybe Next Time. I hope it makes you stop, pause, gasp, cry buckets, laugh and celebrate the loves in your own life.

Stories are more than words on page — they’re memory, tradition, and love carried across generations. 

This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re honoring the voices that keep culture alive. In A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey, a Cuban-American teen finds herself far from Miami, but never far from the heart of home:

“Our story, our people live on in these words. They grow between pages that are sized to fit between a reader’s hands. Small, yes, but somehow they hold us all.” 

Here’s to honoring the voices that remind us where we come from– and where we’re going.  Drop a 🇨🇺 if you've read A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow (or if it's on your TBR!)
Ali Kriegsman has a gift for making the art of reinvention feel accessible and empowering. ✨

On this week's episode of Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club podcast, @AliKriegs chats with @DanielleRobay about her new psychological thriller 'The Raise', reinvention, and her bold, fun approach to self-publishing. 

Listen now at the @iHeartPodcast app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you love to listen. 🎧
Hoping your week is filled with coffee and good reads! 📖☕ 

Our August Pick Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by @AshleyJordanWrites is one of those rare books that can lift your spirits and set a positive tone for the week ahead.
✨ From the voice of @ElianaRamage herself, prepare to be swept into the cosmos. To the Moon and Back will leave you star-struck 🌙🔭 Tap the link in bio to grab a copy.
"If you are on the hunt for a book that has heart, ambition and authenticity dripping from its pages, add this one to your TBR immediately."

📷+💬= @thatbookladybythesea
These characters are taking us back! We're HUGE Judy Greer fans. ✨

This week on Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club Podcast, we welcome the incredible @MissJudyGreer! @DanielleRobay and Judy chat her new Stephen King movie adaptation, @HelloSunshine's The Last Thing He Told Me, and of course, dream bookclubs.

Listen on the @iheartpodcast app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you love to listen, and discover which of Judy’s other iconic characters got the book club invite🎧
GIVEAWAY ✨ We're giving away 5 advance copies of the coveted Gone Before Goodbye by @ReeseWitherspoon and @HarlanCoben. Be the first to dive in!

To ENTER:
1. Like this post 💙
2. Follow @reesesbookclub
3. Tag a friend!

Giveaway ends 9/24/25 at 11:59 PT. (5) winners will be notified by DM from @reesesbookclub. No purchase necessary. U.S. only. See official rules in our link in bio.
To the Moon and Back by @ElianaRamage truly shows us that the stars are in reach! ⭐ Grab this exclusive version, including a letter to YOU, an extra chapter, discussion questions, book club insights, and even a conversation with the author at the link in our bio.
#ad The ultimate literary escape is calling ✨ 

We teamed up with World of @Hyatt and brought you an unforgettable bookish adventure with upscale accommodations, scenic views, campfire conversations, and more. Grab your book club and prepare for the dreamiest getaway. Head to our link in bio to book your trip now!
Loving this bookish insight from @MissJudyGreer! Books truly meet us where we are, and take us to where we've never been! 💙

This week on Bookmarked, the Reese's Book Club Podcast, we welcome the incomparable @MissJudyGreer! @DanielleRobay and Judy chat all things power of story, female friendships in media, the new Stephen King book-to-screen adaptation, and more!

Listen on the @iHeartPodcast App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you love to listen! 🎧

Photo courtesy of Gregory Russell.