Review: Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor

Critically acclaimed author Melissa Kantor masterfully captures the joy of friendship, the agony of loss, and the unique experience of being a teenager in this poignant new novel about a girl grappling with her best friend's life-threatening illness.

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

In this incandescent page-turner, which follows in the tradition of The Fault in Our Stars, Melissa Kantor artfully explores the idea that the worst thing to happen to you might not be something that is actually happening to you. Raw, irreverent, and honest, Zoe's unforgettable voice and story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.

My Review:

This is an amazing story of friendship and what happens when one of the friends gets cancer.  It is definitely a sad book, but I also loved it so much.  The emotions in it were written so well.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

The friendship in this book is so powerful and heartbreaking.  When Zoe finds out that her best friend, Olivia, has cancer, I could tell how much it really had an effect on her as well.  To see Olivia suffer through that wasn't something that was at all easy for her.  As difficult as it was for Zoe to see Olivia suffer, I loved how much she was there for her.  She was by her side at the hospital.  In the end, this friendship was a heartbreaking but sweet one.

The romance was nice, and much more background than a central focus.  Because, when Zoe's best friend has cancer, her first thoughts are not going to revolve around a boy.  Calvin is a sweet guy, and I liked his relationship with Zoe.  The only thing I didn't really like about their relationship was how quick Zoe's opinion about him changed.  At the beginning of the book, she was thinking about how much of a jerk he was, and then, soon after that, she was developing a crush on him.  Also, I didn't like how she was so secretive with Olivia about her relationship with him.  I can see how she didn't want to hurt Olivia since she used to like Calvin, but keeping secrets was hurting her more, and I don't think she was that likely to get super upset about Zoe dating him since she had a lot bigger problems.

I also enjoyed the dance class parts of the book. Zoe and Olivia were both kicked out of their dance studio at the beginning of the book for not being good enough.  It really showcased the competitiveness of the world of ballet.  What was interesting was that, after being kicked out, Olivia started teaching ballet to kids at a community center, while Zoe stopped dancing altogether.  When Olivia got sick and asked Zoe to teach the ballet class for her, Zoe made some realizations about her ballet, and how she hadn't been having fun with it for a while.  It had been a lot of pressure, but when she taught these kids she was able to have fun doing something she loved again.

If you like YA contemporary, read this book.

Katie