BLOG TOUR: Maybe Tomorrow - Penny Parkes

A story of friendship, possibilities and hope that maybe tomorrow will be brighter than today . . .

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.

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, their friendships flourish and, finding it easier to be objective about each other than about themselves, they decide that – when you’re all out of options – it’s okay to bend the rules a little and create your own.

What a difference a year could make . . . 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, Penny Parkes, what a rollercoaster of emotions you have just taken me on; I laughed, cried and everything in between whilst reading this delightful book.

Maybe Tomorrow is set in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and single mum Jamie has been hit harder than most as she lost her business partner and friend to Covid, which led to her losing her job and consequently her home.  Struggling to make ends meet, Jamie has no option but to take a minimum wage job in an artisan supermarket but she has to visit the local food bank to feed herself and her son Bo.

Bo completely stole my heart; I absolutely adored him.  There's nothing wrong with being different and it really annoys me when people try to attach labels to others.  Good on Jamie for standing up for her son and fighting for what's best for him.  She may be down, but she's not out; especially where Bo is concerned.

Friendship and community plays a huge part in the book and it was so lovely to see friendships develop in the most difficult of circumstances.  There are a lot of pearls of wisdom in Maybe Tomorrow and one that stayed with me the most is the fact that it's not a weakness to ask for help.

Heartfelt and poignant, Maybe Tomorrow is a beautiful story that is gently paced but completely compelling and I loved every single page of it.  A highly recommended read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Gray Mountain - John Grisham

Donovan Gray is ruthless and fearless. 

Just the kind of lawyer you need, deep in small-town Appalachia.

Samantha Kofer is a world away from her former life at New York's biggest law firm. If she is going to survive in coal country, she needs to start learning fast.

Because as Donovan knows only too well, the mountains have their own laws. And standing up for the truth means putting your life on the line . . 

What did I think?

An interesting read that begins with Samantha losing her job in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse.  Lehman created a domino effect, with professionals the world over collecting their personal items in cardboard boxes and being escorted out of their workplace.

The first half of the book was a little slow as Samantha heads off to Appalachia for an unpaid internship at a legal aid clinic but this was needed to set the scene.  Then BAM! Grisham strikes again and kills off a major character - this is when my page turning reached record speeds.  Samantha settles in to the community and you can feel her start to care about her clients, many of whom are suffering from coal mining related diseases.  They don't expect to win, but it doesn't stop these small town lawyers fighting the huge international coal mining corporations who have no scruples about playing dirty.

The suffering of the townspeople due to the mining business was heartbreaking at times with people making the ultimate sacrifice to save their loved ones.  It actually felt quite realistic and I could imagine companies comparing costs for cleanup of cancerous material versus damages payable to residents for causing cancer.

Perhaps not as good as some Grisham books, but from half way through I was gripped.  I had nothing but admiration for Samantha when she was considering her employment options - would she take a highly paid boring job in New York or the poorly paid enjoyable job where she could make a difference?

I received this book from the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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