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Sometimes, Always, and Maybe
What starts as a nostalgic reunion takes a dark turn when a steamy kiss in an abandoned cottage is interrupted by the discovery of a dead body.
Twenty-six years ago, they were inseparable. Now, five old friends gather at a secluded hill station, each weighed down by secrets and trapped in relationships that no longer fit.
Vaishali clings to a love that’s unreturned as her partner urges her into a relationship she can’t accept. Agnes watches her child fall prey to the same toxic patterns she’s desperate to escape. Sharmila fights for independence while bound by family, Ashwini’s glamorous social media life hides her pain and loneliness, and Kavitha fears her daughter is headed for the same fate she once couldn’t avoid.
As each woman faces her breaking point, they are forced to confront a to sacrifice everything for what it is, or to risk everything for freedom—even if it means exposing secrets that could unravel them all.
In the heart of mist-laden hills, they’re faced with an impossible Can they find freedom from their tangled lives, or will the truth destroy them all?
Sometimes, the key to a new beginning lies in unravelling the past.
Twenty-six years ago, they were inseparable. Now, five old friends gather at a secluded hill station, each weighed down by secrets and trapped in relationships that no longer fit.
Vaishali clings to a love that’s unreturned as her partner urges her into a relationship she can’t accept. Agnes watches her child fall prey to the same toxic patterns she’s desperate to escape. Sharmila fights for independence while bound by family, Ashwini’s glamorous social media life hides her pain and loneliness, and Kavitha fears her daughter is headed for the same fate she once couldn’t avoid.
As each woman faces her breaking point, they are forced to confront a to sacrifice everything for what it is, or to risk everything for freedom—even if it means exposing secrets that could unravel them all.
In the heart of mist-laden hills, they’re faced with an impossible Can they find freedom from their tangled lives, or will the truth destroy them all?
Sometimes, the key to a new beginning lies in unravelling the past.
247 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2024
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 12, 2024
I have the strangest reason for reading this book -- I bought it on Kindle on a whim because I follow the author on social media and I've liked her writing previously. She posted that she had made it free for a day, and I downloaded it. I started reading it out of curiosity, and before I knew it, I was 25% in and hooked.
Sometimes, Always, and Maybe is about five boarding school friends who come together for a reunion after twenty-six years, at the wedding of one of their daughters. Each of the women is dealing with a different type of relationship / marriage issue. These issues surface at the reunion, and the discovery of a dead body adds to the chaos.
Pros:
- The book was super fast-paced; I finished it in an evening.
- The author hasn't shied away from honestly portraying a lot of the issues women go through in marriages - being taken for granted, having to be at the family's beck-and-call, not being allowed to be financially independent or dress the way they want to (this book definitely needs a trigger warning for DV though and if there was a trigger warning for toxic patriarchy I would totally put that in).
- Well-detailed backstories for all the women (though slightly unbelievable that not one of them is in a happy marriage, come on)
Cons?
- Many many typos -- clearly this book wasn't copy-edited before publication
- I couldn't tell most of the characters apart for the first half of the book, and had to keep referring back to the first few chapters to remember who was who and who was whose spouse
- The last 25% felt a little phoned-in, both the writing and the resolution of the plot (more details below after the spoiler warning)
Overall a good read that could have done with some editing.
!!SPOILER ALERT!!
These are the issues I had with the ending:
1. It was a little unbelievable that everyone was willing to conspire to cover up a murder. These four men have so far been shown as mostly negative characters who care only about themselves, and they are suddenly okay to help hide a body? Please.
2. Four of the five men suddenly deciding to be nicer to their wife / significant other was the other point that was unbelievable. They have been mistreating them for upwards of twenty years, but suddenly they decide to act better?
Sometimes, Always, and Maybe is about five boarding school friends who come together for a reunion after twenty-six years, at the wedding of one of their daughters. Each of the women is dealing with a different type of relationship / marriage issue. These issues surface at the reunion, and the discovery of a dead body adds to the chaos.
Pros:
- The book was super fast-paced; I finished it in an evening.
- The author hasn't shied away from honestly portraying a lot of the issues women go through in marriages - being taken for granted, having to be at the family's beck-and-call, not being allowed to be financially independent or dress the way they want to (this book definitely needs a trigger warning for DV though and if there was a trigger warning for toxic patriarchy I would totally put that in).
- Well-detailed backstories for all the women (though slightly unbelievable that not one of them is in a happy marriage, come on)
Cons?
- Many many typos -- clearly this book wasn't copy-edited before publication
- I couldn't tell most of the characters apart for the first half of the book, and had to keep referring back to the first few chapters to remember who was who and who was whose spouse
- The last 25% felt a little phoned-in, both the writing and the resolution of the plot (more details below after the spoiler warning)
Overall a good read that could have done with some editing.
!!SPOILER ALERT!!
These are the issues I had with the ending:
1. It was a little unbelievable that everyone was willing to conspire to cover up a murder. These four men have so far been shown as mostly negative characters who care only about themselves, and they are suddenly okay to help hide a body? Please.
2. Four of the five men suddenly deciding to be nicer to their wife / significant other was the other point that was unbelievable. They have been mistreating them for upwards of twenty years, but suddenly they decide to act better?
Displaying 1 of 1 review