Maybe Once, Maybe Twice
Maybe Once, Maybe Twice - Alison Rose Greenberg
my review : ✮✮✮✮
Wow, this book left me breathless. Let me start by saying I am now a huge Alison Rose Greenburg fan. Her writing, whew. Most of the lines could be plucked from the story and served as poems or song lyrics. I was left reeling at her writing style, a bit reminiscent of Emily Henry (who loves this book). This is not your typical romance where you get lost in the windy path of the story, feeling safe in the knowledge that you know how it will end. This story is a bumpy path bursting with emotion reminiscent of a thriller, only in that you have no clue how it will end. I would also argue it’s less of a boy meets girl love story and more of a girl spends a lot of years figuring herself out and ultimately loving the hell out of herself. Not in an annoying or cheesy way.
I didn’t read the synopsis of this book, and I am so glad I didn’t. Going in blind was a treat, so I will give you the bare minimum. This story follows Maggie, whom we meet on her 30th birthday, where she asks her best friend Garrett to make a marriage pact; if they’re both single at 35, they’ll tie the knot. His response was, “Why do we have to wait until we’re thirty-five?” CATNIP. As soon as the breathless declaration leaves his lips, we are transported to her 35th birthday. Therein begins the wild ride of Maybe Once, Maybe Twice. The story hops from one birthday to another in a haphazard order, with the bulk of the story taking place during Maggie’s 35th year.
This story feels like real life in the subjects tackled around being a woman in your 30s looking for love, starting a family, grappling with your career, etc. It also doesn’t feel like real life in many of the amazing glittery opportunities and people that come Maggie’s way. And that’s exactly what I want in my fiction; I want a story rooted in reality that lets the characters have the unbelievable happen to them. I want to leave my stories feeling hopeful, which is exactly what this book did (it also left me heartsick, bursting with emotion, and a bit gobsmacked from time to time). It also left me knowing I’ll instantly buy whatever Greenburg pens next.
you’ll love this book if you love:
Emily Henry
Romance mixed with self-discovery
my favorite quote:
“I want you. I want you, and everything that comes with wanting you,” he said, with eyes unwavering on me.”
