This book is going to stay with me for a long time.

We follow Eve in the days and months following her husband’s unexpected death. As Eve loses herself in grief, her familyy try to help her as best they can and she also has to deal with her horrible mother in law who seems determined to make her feel guilty for the loss of her son.

Not only is this just a beautifully written book that left me in an emotional heap, I just don’t think I’ve read a book that captured the confusing, overwhelming feeling of grief and the not so linear process of getting over the loss of someone. Not only that but we also have a secondary element to Q’s death in this book as he died by suicide. We follow Eve’s confusion and guilt over the clear mental health crisis Q was suffering from that he had apparently completely hidden from her as well as the anger that eventually surfaces over such a death, and the repetition of the guilt for feeling the anger - and then also the anger at others for being angry at Q. It was a whole cycle that was very real and very full of feeling.

The importance of family and friends is beautiful in this - Eve comes from a Nigerian-English family and we see time and time again how the presence of her parents and her brother, and the staunch protector in her older sister brings Eve peace even if she doesn’t quite realize it. Eve feels frustrated that her family think she needs to ‘get over’ Q’s death quicker than she ever could but what they really want is a flicker of their old Eve back and how afraid they are of losing her as well. Not to mention they are also dealing with grief too as they loved Q as well.

Eve’s mother in law is potentially one of the worst characters I’ve ever read - she doesn’t really have any redemption but I don’t think she deserved one anyway. Every time her name came up, I boiled with rage on Eve’s behalf. And also felt anger at Q for allowing his mother to be this way to Eve for their entire relationship.

I like that this book didn’t tie up Q’s death in a neat bow. It was tragic, awful and may have been preventable if he had been able to communicate better about how he felt. There was no note because sometimes there isn’t. The story was still full of questions by the end that could never be answered because Q wasn’t here anymore.

This book is a raw gut punch of emotion and absolutely amazing.

This is a gut wrenching novel about grief. The writing is beautiful and describes the seven stages of grief. The characters are well developed.

After requesting this book on netgalley a few months back I wasn't really expecting anything out of it. But I'd say this book quietly made it's way into one of my top books of 2022.

It follows Eve after she finds her husband, Q, after he has taken his life. Eve doesn't know what to do, she is overwhelmed with grief and can't manage to do anything to keep herself healthy. Fortunately for Eve she has a strong support network of family and friends who aren't letting her lose herself after losing Q. The book follows Eve's journey through the hard times and through the slightly better times aswell as she battles not only her own grief, but also the different grief her mother in law is facing.

I thought this book was really beautiful. It was difficult to read in places, especially if you have experienced loss in the past. The author didn't shy away from the emptiness people feel after loss but also didn't shy away from the moments of joy that you can feel. And then the hurt you feel for being happy. It's definitely a book I would recommend and I think it's one I'll return to.

Thanks to @netgalley @oneworldpublications for the e-arc

One of the most captivating reads of this year, I was completely absorbed from the first page to the last. Searingly honest and heartbreakingly visceral emotion runs throughout this story of grief, family and love.

Utterly broken after her husband's suicide, Eve has given up on living. Her grief is so well described, and so compelling that I wanted to crawl into the book to comfort her. Her family and friends have held her but she senses their increasing frustration and is angry that they expect her to get over Q's death.

The writing is sublime in this book, we are with Eve at every stage in her grief, and somehow despite overwhelming sadness, we move into the light as Eve hears her family's wisdom and begins to live again. And then some.

I was lucky enough to receive a digital arc of this wonderful book, but I loved it so much that I've ordered the hardback as well as I know I will be reading this again and again.

Loved this book. It was beautiful and incredibly moving. How the author describes grief is very good and again incredibly moving. I would 100% recommend this book to a friend!

Someday, maybe is a superb read. Telling the story of Eve in the aftermath of her husbands death. Totally unforeseen, she is blindsided by his death and her world collapses. Her family and friends rush to support her but grow frustrated by her inability to start moving forewords in a life without Quentin.
The passages dealing with the grief itself are incredibly moving and so raw, but there is also lightness and humour in this book as we see the family dynamics in force. There is a villain in the shape of Eves mother in law ( and her depiction probably my only criticism of this book as she’s in pure pantomime territory). Some plot lines might appear predictable but they are handled and written so well that I loved them.
A wonderful read.

Loved this!!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

This was beautiful. Even though this is an exploration of how the protagonist deals with grief and nothing much happens, it never becomes dull or repetitive. Highly recommended!

Someday, Maybe is a book that interrogates the many faces and stages of grief. Yet, despite the heavy subject matter, the prose retains this lightness that kept me turning pages. The first quarter of the book brought to mind a favorite author of mine, Mhairi McFarlane, minus the comedy. That is not to say that Someday, Maybe lacks wit, Eve happens to be a very engrossing narrator who is more than capable of making amusing remarks. Some of the interactions that she has with her family members could also be rooted in humor. The novel however retains a somber and eventually bittersweet tone that will definitely appeal to readers who are looking for a read that will pull at their heartstrings.
The novel revolves around the aftermath of Eve’s husband's sucide. Eve and Quentin, who goes by Q, met at uni where, in spite of their different backgrounds (she is British-Nigerian, he is as from a very white and exceedingly wealthy British family), they were able to form a very strong bond. Eve struggles to reconcile herself with Q's suicide, and spirals into depression. Her grief manifests itself in many different ways so that she finds herself unable to think of anything or anyone outside of Q. She blames herself for not being able to prevent his death, for not having realized that he was struggling.
Eve's family and her best friend attempt to be there for her but she often finds herself pushing them away in what becomes a withdrawal from life. Her mother-in-law, who due to racist and/or classist motives was opposed to their match, seems after her, making cruel accusations and seeming intent on making Eve’s life even more difficult than it already is. The narrative renders Eve’s sadness, confusion, anger, and despair with empathy and insight. While we do get glimpses into Eve’s relationship with Q, how they met, their years together, and the tension caused by his mother, the focus remains on Eve ‘now’ and the overwhelming grief she feels in the days, weeks, and months after Q's sucide.
I liked Eve's interactions with her family members. Her moments with her father were particularly touching. Her best friend serves more of a clichèed role, that of the spunky no-nonsense best friend who is there to cheer you up and encourages you to get your shit together. Alas, as much as I liked the author’s writing and the dynamics in her book, several plot points did not agree with me. What happens with Eve’s workplace struck me as very rushed and not particularly credible given her circumstances and her role within her company. There is a ‘revelation’ that is truly eye-roll worthy in that it is the kind of plot device I expect from Netflix originals. Additionally, I swear this ‘twist’ is often used in books/media that focus on widowed women and the like. Come on. There is something very sentimental and slightly manipulative about this type of plotline ('here is a reason to go on' type of thing). I would go as far as to call it one of my least favorite tropes, period. The evil mother-in-law was ridiculous and I wished she had been portrayed as more believable. I did not want her to be nice or likable but I do believe that having her be a caricature of the disapproving snobby mother-in-law did the story no favors. Lastly, the latter half of the book strayed too closely to Eat, Pray, Love territory. I am just not the right reader for this type of soapy/schmalzy reveals and healing ‘journeys’.
I just wished that the story had remained focused on Eve and her family dynamics, rather than the later plot-line...still, I did like the way the author articulates Eve's grief and the writing was fairly engaging.
But by no means do not let me dictate whether you should read this or not. If you are a fan of emotional and heartfelt stories about loss, love, and healing, definitely add this to your tbr list.

I loved it and I think the author did an excellent job in mixing themes and cultures. A well thought, poignant and funny at the same time story that kept me reading.
Fleshed out characters, excellent storytelling, an empathic way to deal with serious topics.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a tough read because of the content which comes with several trigger warnings surrounding death, suicide, substance abuse and child loss.

It is sensitively and beautifully written but very dark and relentless. Despite Eve’s loving and loyal support circle it still felt very bleak and hopeless to me. It’s not an uplifting read about lessons learned from grief, it’s a gritty story about barely surviving it.

I’ve never lost a loved one so have no idea how I would cope but Eve is lucky to make it out alive and you feel every ounce of her despair. Weirdly, I could most relate to Gloria, her older sister. I feel this is the role I would end up taking on if my family were in a similar position. I could feel her desire to protect Eve but also her frustration and desperation when nothing works.

This is a powerful and interesting read and I would read more from this author.

This is such an emotional read and trigger warnings for suicide and suicide of a loved one. Eve is a 30 something Igbo-British woman whose husband, Quentin (Q) has committed suicide. We experience her heart-breaking grief with her as she struggles to come to terms not only with the loss of her soul-mate but with the fear and the guilt that she could maybe have saved him. Has she missed the clues that he was suffering? The novel is written so that we understand her feelings, the intense sorrow, the anger, the love. With the flashbacks of her life with Q, this is a novel that feels real.

What I loved was the support system that was her family and friends. They drop everything to make sure that Eve is not alone, that she is aware that she is loved deeply. The humour that exists within families, even families in grief, is present within these pages and sometimes I surprised myself by finding myself laughing. Another thing I liked was the representation of Eve's Igbo culture.

This book shows us that there are no rules when it comes to grief. Eve finds that people expect her to be sad for x number of weeks and then get over it, but that is not the case. It is the fact that she feels that she wasn't enough to make Q stay alive that is so hard for her and the exploration of her feelings is so true - the way she sometimes pushes away those who are wanting to support her, the way that she will be too deep in grief to think about guarding what she says.

Eve stays with you and you watch her as she navigates this strange landscape that she has been thrust into and follow her as she takes her baby steps to healing herself. An incredibly sad but at the same time, a heart-warming read.

Trigger warning/content warning: suicide, grief, death

Someday, Maybe follows Eve, who has just lost her husband and is navigating the aftermath. Onyi Nwabineli expertly and delicately tackles the 'after' that we don't get a lot of insight into. How does one deal with death when everyone around you seems to have gotten over the event much quicker? How long until the people around you start to get sick of your grief and expect you to speed up to the getting over it phase? Onyi Nwabineli delves into these topics with such care and skill that it was shocking to learn that this was her debut novel. We see all the layers of Eve's grief, from the denial to the anger, the dissociation, and all the in-betweens. With such complex, full-realized supporting characters and a tightly written narrative, this book is a must-read.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.