some day x by Debby Buxton

 Emotional Engaging Intriguing

Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary Fiction/Family Drama

Someday x by Debby Buxton Author

On the surface, they were very different people, but, if explored deeper, there had been, in fact, a myriad of alignments within their relatively short lives, that had conspired to bring them together. It wasn’t just coincidences or fate, but divine intervention. The losses of that small group of individuals who mattered most to them, had prompted them both to make a promise to themselves that those watching their journey could never let them fulfil. But would it be enough to make them see where there destiny really lied?

‘We must let go of the life we had planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us’…..

Having followed Debby Buxton on social media for the last year or so, I was excited for this book to be published. Aesthetically, the book is very pleasing and something that any reader should be proud to have on their book shelf. The cover is very well designed and instantly gives the reader an idea as to the setting of the story. The title is placed in the sky at the top of the front cover giving you a sense of lazy summer days. The ‘x’ to denote a kiss on the end gives the book a warm and welcoming quality. The illustrations inside marking parts one and two of this substantial novel, although not in colour, match the front cover and are beautifully created. The photo of Debby at the back of the book in the ‘About the author’ section is a fun loving, happy photo and is the same one as she has on her Facebook profile page. It always makes me smile.

The Author has topped and tailed the novel with Jason and Lisa in Italy, and although I began to see the relevance of this as I progressed reading, I was initially thrown by the sudden change of topic in chapter two, when the first chapter had been left on such a cliff hanger. For the first few chapters I really just wanted to discover the outcome of the drama that had unfolded and been so well set up at the beginning, and had to fight the urge to see how long I had to wait, and have a sneak peek at what lay ahead. I resisted and would advise you to do the same. It is worth the wait! The subsequent chapters tell the life story of our main characters, building a portrait of them as people and the events, both good and bad that they have encountered during their twenty something years. Based on real events, the writing is well-articulated, vividly described and came over powerfully when required.

Lisa is an introverted soul, having been very sheltered from the more unattractive parts of life. She enjoys a wonderful, if rather spoilt relationship with her parents, and I felt that this had left her with somewhat of a ‘princess’ complex. Her reluctance to get acquainted and close to people from a young age, is exacerbated after an event that most of us deal with at least once in our younger, if not adult lives. Although the way her parents respond to this and her subsequent devastation is admirable, I would say that their actions, plus Lisa’s level of hysteria is perhaps a little disproportionate. To shut one’s self off from any emotional response to anything for the rest of their life, feels extreme. It grated for me, that no matter what happened, even when she was included amongst her neighbourly group, as she had at school, Lisa still put emotional and physical distance between her and them. Her decision to take things one step further with Jason on a purely perfunctory basis, was therefore very surprising! It was nice to see her taken under her sister-in-law’s wing. This clearly helped her grow in confidence and personal achievement but sadly failed to encourage her to be more extrovert. The support she receives at work was no doubt deserved, but exceptional for someone with such an unpredictable and needy nature. She was fortunate to be given far more support that I think most management would provide.

Jason’s back story was mostly one of sorrow and torment, although, like Lisa and her parents, he was close to his own, as well as a wider family that doted on him. It was very heart-warming how he held his grandparents in such high esteem and cared for his nans, and they in turn, were always there when he needed them. The way in which he decided to ‘decorate’ his bedroom once he moved into his own house, made me slightly uncomfortable and I thought it was an unusual course of action, although perhaps understandable given the circumstances. His further refusal to let anyone into the room or tell anyone what he had done, I found as frustrating as Lisa’s refusal to tell anyone any real detail about her life. His relationship with his best friend, Simon is a touching addition to the story, especially when Simon continues letting rooms out at his house at University and makes sure that Jason has a ground floor room, sacrificing the preferences of another tenant for Jason’s peace of mind.

The dynamics of the other characters and the camaraderie of the residents in which Jason and Lisa lived, was peppered with both humour and fun, with John’s outrageous behaviour and dress sense, Phil’s efforts in attempting to keep his partner’s shenanigans low key, with Pietro very obviously uncomfortable at first, but gradually adapting to his flamboyant neighbour whilst constantly winding up Jason about the lack of a female in his life.

I very much enjoyed Jason and Lisa’s adventures in Bologna and beyond. I really got the sense of how emotional and scared they must have been at first, but really admired Lisa for gaining the inner strength to not only protect Jason from the trouble that had befallen them, but to have taken charge and manage to find a solution. I felt proud of her for that. Lisa’s long hill climb alone, to meet Jason and watch the cyclists ride through the village was most certainly something to admire, and their angst over struggling to locate adequate accommodation over the time they were there was palpable.

Having found the little book on Tuscany in Jason’s wash bag, I thought it was very perceptive of his travelling companion to have realised that it was a holiday that he would regret not continuing with if they went home. What she lacked in warmth, she definitely made up for in practicality and common sense.

The highlight of their trip for me was Jason’s efforts to find Lisa a birthday present and the shop owner’s confusion when Jason identified his premises as a pawn shop. You’ll have to read the book to find out why this is such a hilarious scene.

Lastly, the way in which events from their past aligned so perfectly to bring them to their current situation was a huge twist. I hadn’t fully appreciated that particular epiphany until it was presented on the page. It was, if a true element to this re-telling of a time in two people’s lives, a wondrous way to discover your soulmate…. if imagined, I am, to say the least, very impressed with the comprehensiveness of Debby’s writing.

I believe that there will be a sequel and another beautiful book for me to place on my bookshelf in the offing at some point in the future, which I look forward to absorbing myself in. Thanks Deb x