For me, this was one of those books that came exactly when I needed it. I was coming off reading a bunch of mysteries and thrillers, and I needed something to cleanse the palette. I’d had this book since it was released last spring and then forgot about it, but when I read that this was Reese’s pick for November, I decided to give it a go, and I am so happy I did.

I went into this one thinking it would be a light rom-com. Honestly, the premise reminded me a bit of Cassandra in Reverse, so I went in expecting something similar, but what I got was so much more. I love those unexpected surprises!

In this novel, Cessca Major takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions as we immerse ourselves in the world of Emma, a busy London literary agent who – like many of us – finds herself overcommitted to her job and other activities. She’s so busy that her home life has started to suffer, but her family has always been solid and pretty self-sufficient, and she figures it will all work itself out. But then, one night, her husband, Dan, takes the dog out for a walk and is hit and killed, shattering Emma’s life. She’s devastated and has no idea how she’ll go on, but then she wakes up the following day, and Dan is lying beside her. Was it a dream?

But then Emma realizes that it is December 3 all over again. Emma relives the day, hoping maybe things will end differently, but they don’t. She once again loses Dan.

Now Emma is stuck in this endless loop, and it seems that no matter what she does, Dan ends up dying at the same time every day. What is the universe trying to tell her?

I won’t say much more about this because you really do need to experience it, but what I loved the most about the book was even though it held the fantastical element of reliving the same day over and over, it had a ton of heart and a lot of good life lessons to learn.

Many of us – especially working mothers – lead very busy lives – so much so that our jobs/careers begin to become who we are. Within the first few pages, Major lets us in on the chaos that engulfs Emma’s life, bringing us face-to-face with the sometimes overwhelming reality of juggling career, family, and personal aspirations.

Emma is given a gift that many of us wish for – the ability to go back and redo something differently in hopes of a better outcome. The problem here is that Emma’s unending Monday seems to be full of missed opportunities and regrets. She didn’t ask for this day to be repeated over and over; she just wanted her husband to stay alive. She has no idea why the reset button keeps getting hit – what lesson is she supposed to learn? What thing is she supposed to do differently? How can she get out of this?

The narrative ebbs and flows seamlessly, maintaining a perfect pace that keeps readers eagerly turning the pages. Despite the repetitive nature of the story, Major manages to keep readers fully engrossed, constantly yearning for Emma to break free from her seemingly inescapable cycle. Pay attention because she expertly places little clues and subtle changes in certain scenes, which subtly lets the reader know what may or may not change that day.

While the story is told primarily through Emma’s point of view, peppered throughout the novel are letters from Dan to Emma. The two of them met on December 3 several years ago (yes – the same date that Emma keeps reliving in a future year). The two promised each other that every December 3, they would give each other a letter where they told each other how much they meant to them and reflect on important things that happened throughout the year. It’s through these letters that we get to see the history of Dan and Emma’s relationship unfold from dating to marriage to children. We get all of the ups and downs, which really helps flesh out the connection between the two of them and how they got to where they are.

All of the characters are fully realized and important to the overall story. Emma is loveable and relatable, and it was easy for me to understand why she was so in love with Dan. Their kids, Dan’s sister (and Emma’s best friend) Hattie, and even Emma’s co-workers and the dude she sees every day at the coffee shop all play an important role in the overall story, and I loved them all.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry a few times while reading this. There were also several times when I laughed out loud. In my opinion, this book had everything I love: a fantastic cast of characters, humor, heart, and essential lessons wrapped in a beautiful and well-written story. A lot of people were complaining about the ending, saying it didn’t make sense or that it was too open-ended, but I disagree entirely. If you read that last page again and notice the subtle differences, it’ll be pretty clear what happened. I thought the ending was perfect.

If you like a sweet, emotional read with a good message, I highly recommend this one.