Review Detail

I wanted to read Maybe One Day because I am drawn to stories about sickness and cancer and always have been since I was a preteen and devoured Lurlene McDaniel. So I was thrilled when my diva at Harper Teen sent me a copy. I am pretty sure there was dancing involved when I got that envelop.
Maybe One Day was above all else, a story about friendship. Zoe and Olivia has that special bond of being friends for years and continuing that relationship in high school. They have inside jokes, countless hours spent together and that sisterhood without the rivalry that is so sweet.
This, of course, has an emotional punch. We see both Olivia and Zoe dealing with the illness and the fallout--nausea, hair falling out, strain on their relationship, how Zoe has the wild mood swings as she tries to come to term with the fact that her closest friend has a serious illness and that she could die. Things that teenagers shouldn't have to worry about, but in real life, sometimes come face to face with.
I like that Melissa Kantor wrote layers into the story though. The girls had been dancing together for years, part of what made them so close and had so much in common, and sadly, they were talented, but not enough to continue to study at the prestigious school they were attending.
The romance isn't in your face, but it is there, and I def find myself conflicted at the circumstances on how it developed but part of me was certainly pulling for it because of their chemistry as well as the things they had dealt with together.
I couldn't put this one down, even though emotional, Zoe is snarky and stubborn but loyal and she cares so deeply. I got lost in her voice, and everything she was doing to continue to be Livvie's best friend. She sees and deals with things that I don't know if I could personally but she tries to be strong and she does the best she can, but it is always by Livvie's side.
I loved seeing Zoe interact with the kids. That was priceless, and I loved the give and take, what they each had to offer, even though not perfect and never under the best of circumstances. But it gives the book another unique twist, and shows Zoe something to do for Livvie as well as brings back something she thought she'd never do or love again.
The ending was so sad, but perfect I think for the book and the themes. I always want the HEA, but sometimes the bittersweet is the only way to go because of the odds and where the author is going.

Bottom Line: Emotional tearjerker that is more than a girl with cancer, it is a story of friendship.