Many thanks to SJ and the Books and the City team for inviting me to take part in the blog tour for Penny Parkes’ latest novel, Maybe Tomorrow, and for supplying me with an advanced copy. All thoughts written here are done so in an unbiased manner.
Before I get into my review, here is a little bit about the book:
What a difference a year could make…
Jamie Matson had once enjoyed a wonderful life working alongside her best friend, organising adventures for single-parent families, and her son Bo’s artistic flair a source of pride rather than concern.
She hadn’t been prepared to lose her business, her home, and her friend. Not all in one dreadful year. And now she finds herself reeling – rebuilding her world, with Bo at its heart – swallowing her pride and asking for help.
Jamie certainly hadn’t expected to find such hope and camaraderie in the queue at her local Food Bank – thrown together with an unlikely and colourful group of people – all of them struggling to get by, yet still determined to reclaim their lost careers and agency over their lives. Even if just choosing their own groceries again is a goal they can all share.
As their friendships flourish, they quickly find it’s easier to be objective about each other than about themselves, and decide that – when you’re all out of options – it’s okay to bend the rules a little and create your own.
My Thoughts.
This may be a chunky book to read, however it is one I urge you to buy and read….like right now.
Jamie is a single mum with a young boy, a flat that isn’t fit for purpose, a job which just about pays her bills, and enough debt to keep creditors in business. Basically, she’s just about keeping her head above water and naturally she’s concerned, especially as her lad has asthma and allergies and finds himself in A and E more often than not, thus causing her to miss work, not get paid….you see where I’m going with this.
Like many people, Jamie has had to rely on the food bank to keep her and her boy fed and, whilst there’s no shame in that, people do obviously feel embarrassed. Luckily, Jamie needn’t have worried as, without queuing up for her weekly bag, she wouldn’t have met a group of people who would end up becoming the lifeline she didn’t realise she needed.
I loved this book. It was so relatable, and I found myself agreeing with something nearly every page. The comradary of Kath, Bonnie, and even the duo she ends up meeting later on, was heartwarming and so tender to read. I was so pleased that her luck was turning. It is true what they say, you don’t know what goes on in someone else’s life just by face value, and Jamie’s story proved that and then some.
Maybe Tomorrow is a story that cemented the fact that tomorrow is never promised, and that you are the only person who can steer your life based on what happens. It was such a joy to read, emotional at time and, without a doubt, one of the best books I have ever read. There is no ‘maybe’ about it, Maybe Tomorrow will stay with me for a long time to come.
‘Maybe Tomorrow’ is available to purchase now from Amazon
The Writing Garnet 