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holliejoy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Eating disorder, Blood, Medical content, and Grief
badmom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Simply put - this is a deeply beautiful account of the vast range of emotional reactions to suicide, and the disparate forms love & support & grief might take. Our narrator is understandably distraught over her husband’s death; his mother’s response, extreme in its ugly vindictiveness, is also shown to be understandable, in a way. Everyone in Q’s orbit is shaken by his death but shows their sorrow in different ways, leaving his widow feeling even more unmoored as she tries (or doesn’t) to find a path forward.
We are treated to the sweet and sometimes bittersweet history of this couple and with that we see the unfolding of characters that reveals layers of relationships. Nwabineli’s writing is subtly astute in the ways it shows growth in even the slightest of characters - she makes us notice everyone and compels us consider their stories within our own stories while allowing connections we might otherwise resist.
We are treated to the sweet and sometimes bittersweet history of this couple and with that we see the unfolding of characters that reveals layers of relationships. Nwabineli’s writing is subtly astute in the ways it shows growth in even the slightest of characters - she makes us notice everyone and compels us consider their stories within our own stories while allowing connections we might otherwise resist.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Medical trauma, Grief, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Drug use, and Vomit
Minor: Gaslighting, Car accident, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy
christopher_shiprack's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Alcohol, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
suzquinn97's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Suicide
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Miscarriage
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
kirstym25's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicide, Death, and Grief
tlaynejones's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
The best book I’ve listened to this year. Warm, messy as hell, funny, so searingly sad, honest. This is a story about grief and love. I don’t know if I would have started it if I’d realised just how foundational grief is to the story, but I’m very glad I did. Nwabineli has written about a Nigerian British woman in her early 30s, who had, she thought, been happily married for the last 10years. But then she discovered her husband had died by suicide. The story takes place during the first months after this devastating event. I found the story to include enough balance to make the book compelling and enjoyable. Ugh enjoyable feels crass, considering the topic. I enjoyed getting to know Eve and her family, I found the process of grief, as it’s described in the book, challenged me and made me think, and I enjoyed discovering a new author to look out for. Obviously the grief and loss are a lot, and the specific mind fuck for loved ones coming to terms with a suicide is a lot. With that caution in mind, this is highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Grief, Suicide, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Racism, and Vomit
kaylielongley's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.5
This is my first book via Storygraph, inspired by representation (ie, not Besos) and nuance within SG's rating system. I appreciate protag Eve's self-awareness how she depends on people through her hurting and healing over her husband's Q's suicide. Grief may feel like an individual experience but hope is usually found in the collective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Infertility, and Pregnancy
rockin_robyn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Alcohol, Grief, Pregnancy, Racism, Blood, Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm