Maybe Next Time

Major (The Silent Hours) draws on Groundhog Day for a poignant tale of love, regret, and second chances involving a London couple. High-powered literary agent Emma, married with two children to hopeless romantic Dan, has forgotten to write him a letter on Monday, December 3—the day the two met on a London tube. Dan has come to expect these letters each year, and after a tiff, he goes out to walk the dog—and gets hit by a car and dies. Or does he? Emma wakes up the next morning and suddenly it’s Monday, December 3, all over again, and she has a second chance to show Dan how much she loves him. For months, Emma and Dan are caught in a time loop of endless Mondays, and despite Emma’s most fervent efforts—ignoring the constant pings from WhatsApp is a significant sacrifice—Dan dies every time, whether by car, heart attack, or other circumstance. Things culminate in a surprising coincidence, and Major caps it all off with an ambiguous ending. Well-drawn supporting characters add depth, in particular Emma’s sister-in-law, Hattie, with whom the couple is especially close, and whom Emma forces herself to make more time for as well. Women’s fiction fans will love this tearjerker. Agent: Kristyn Keene Benton, CAA. (Mar.)