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teacupsandfirereads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was not what I expected, but I am not sure how or why. This was presented in a way that makes a hard topic readable. I do think it was done well, but still felt the writing was lacking and felt juvenile in some sense. I didn't liked the main characters in parts, but I also understood her. Overall, I didn't connect with the book the way I wanted to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Suicide
Minor: Abortion and Gun violence
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Review:
Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli is a novel about grief. Full stop. After the unexpected death of her husband by suicide, Eve must grieve without closure and deal with a mother-in-law from hell who blames her for her son’s death. Nwabineli unflinchingly confronts the ugly, terrifying, messiness of grief head-on. Eve does not respond to her loss with dignity or strength—she careens into a bottomless pit of despair and does not begin to crawl out of it for months. She self-destructs and pulls everyone around her, including the reader, into the vortex of her pain. The result is a book that is excruciating to read; Eve’s pain is raw and unrelenting, and it’s hard not to become frustrated with her as she utterly fails to take responsibility for herself and behaves selfishly toward her friends and family. For some readers, Eve’s privilege might make her an unlikable or unrelatable character. After all, she shows little gratitude for her Herculean familial support system and the financial security that allows her to quit her job. However, in giving Eve access to anything that a grieving person could possibly need, Nwabineli underscores the way that grief is an inherently destructive force, even in cases of extraordinary privilege.
Someday, Maybe is a well-written debut that deftly traverses moments of heart, humor, and heartbreak. The book is illuminated by its rich cast of characters that make up Eve’s British Nigerian family and her friends, all of whom display strength and compassion in their own ways. One only wishes that the vibrancy with which Nwabineli constructs these side characters and their relationships carried over to Eve and her dead husband, Quentin. Despite the fact that the book is ostensibly dedicated to these two characters and their marriage, something about these two never quite feels authentic—almost like a rom-com relationship peppered with hinted moments of darkness rather than a realistic romantic relationship. The novel does an incredible job painting a portrait of grief and a British Nigerian family, but its inability to paint a strong enough portrait of its main character and her husband prevent it from reaching the level of a masterpiece.
The Run-Down:
****PLEASE READ TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS BOOK!***
You might like Someday, Maybe if. . .
· You want to read a gutting portrayal of grief
· You like books that feature loving and successful African families
· You want a raw, unrelenting, and unflinching depiction of grief as a destructive force
You might not like Someday, Maybe if . . .
· You are not in the best mental state or if you become triggered by topics of suicide and grief
· You don’t like main characters who behave selfishly and act ungrateful in the face of immense privilege
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Vomit
Minor: Racism, Abortion, and Bullying
michelle_my_belle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
From the very beginning, this book hits you with the harsh realities of grief and it just keeps it up. I loved how real and raw the emotions and thoughts were as well as the sprinkling in of humor. I listened to this on audio and the narrator was fantastic. There were a few points when the characters' actions didn't really make sense to me, or just didn't sit right. Overall, a very good read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical content, Suicide, Blood, Bullying, Pregnancy, Racism, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Drug abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion and Miscarriage
toniamarieparker's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Addiction, Blood, Death, and Grief
Minor: Abortion
booksandteawithmolly's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Mental illness, Grief, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Racism, Blood, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
patedm's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There were aspects of the book I didn’t like that much, but overall this was such an honest depiction of grief and the pain that comes with losing someone to suicide. With that being said, Luisa, Drew, and Henrietta were my favorite parts of the book bc how couldn’t they be?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Grief
Moderate: Vomit and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
tsodeur's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It wasn’t that there was anything particularly wrong with this book; it just was very sad and drawn out. I also didn’t love the direction the story ended up taking. I would read more from the author in the future though because I enjoyed their style and overall character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Alcoholism, Drug use, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
sophiemichelle34's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion
elisabethshelby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Whew.
This is undoubtedly both a beautifully written story about loss and grief and finding your way through the pain of your spouse dying, and a heavy, heartbreaking tale of the main character losing herself and her own life, so to speak, in discovering her spouse dead.
**CW** Suicide
It should be noted that this book is based heavily around Quentin's suicide, and the grief associated with that. The book goes into some details about how he died. I would warn that the reader should probably be a good head space to enjoy this book. I had to push this book back into my TBR pile when I was having my own anxiety issues.
That being said - I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so accurately and beautifully describes the grief a human can feel. The ups and downs that Eve felt as she came to terms with her husband's sudden departure is so painful to read because it is so relatable to the reader - her emotion is palpable on every page, and though I didn't agree with every choice she made throughout the novel, I understood that her decisions were being made when her emotional well being was at its lowest.
This book is a strong recommend read for me, though I'm not sure I'll be able to sit through a rereading of it anytime soon. Add this to your TBR pile this year, you won't regret it.
This is undoubtedly both a beautifully written story about loss and grief and finding your way through the pain of your spouse dying, and a heavy, heartbreaking tale of the main character losing herself and her own life, so to speak, in discovering her spouse dead.
**CW** Suicide
It should be noted that this book is based heavily around Quentin's suicide, and the grief associated with that. The book goes into some details about how he died. I would warn that the reader should probably be a good head space to enjoy this book. I had to push this book back into my TBR pile when I was having my own anxiety issues.
That being said - I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so accurately and beautifully describes the grief a human can feel. The ups and downs that Eve felt as she came to terms with her husband's sudden departure is so painful to read because it is so relatable to the reader - her emotion is palpable on every page, and though I didn't agree with every choice she made throughout the novel, I understood that her decisions were being made when her emotional well being was at its lowest.
This book is a strong recommend read for me, though I'm not sure I'll be able to sit through a rereading of it anytime soon. Add this to your TBR pile this year, you won't regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion
lauren_shilling's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book took me much longer to read than a book I would normally rate five stars, but honestly, this is definitely a new favorite of mine. It was so heartbreaking, but also such an honest portrayal of grief, especially the kind of grief the main character is experiencing. It was hard-hitting and absolutely stunningly written. The exploration of grief, the healing process, and everything the characters felt and did were so incredibly well done. I don't really know what else to say about this book except the fact that I think everyone should read this book (unless the subject matter is triggering to you) because of how honest and raw it is. Nothing is glossed over, and everything is fully thought out and explored to the depth it should be, no more and no less. You will feel for the main character the whole way through, but you will also feel for and understand the people around her. It is just a stunning book, and it is so heartbreaking. It is one of the best written and well-handled books I have ever read. This is almost definitely going to make it into my top 15 of the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
Minor: Blood, Abortion, and Death of parent
This book is so heavy on trigger warnings, and they are expressed in detail. However, they are handled incredibly well in this book, but still be aware of them going into it, please! It's a beautiful book, but please do not read it if you are triggered by any of the content!