Review: When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer

 

When the Day Comes

by Gabrielle Meyer

 

About the Book

 

How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice?

 

Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she’s the same person at her core in both times, she’s leading two vastly different lives.

 

In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives–and any hope of love–are put in jeopardy.

 

Libby’s life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about–women’s suffrage–is discouraged, and her mother is intent on marrying her off to an English marquess. The growing talk of war in Europe only complicates matters.

 

But Libby knows she’s not destined to live two lives forever. On her twenty-first birthday, she must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she choose when she has so much to lose in each life?

 

My Thoughts

 

This book… I am at a loss for words. It was absolutely engrossing and I truly had a hard time putting it down. The writing is impeccable. The plot is fascinating. Both eras are well-represented. It’s just such a good read!

 

Libby is a dear heroine. In both her paths, she is presented with hard choices and appreciates the gravity of each decision she must make. My heart went out to her as I read of her financial worries and longing for Henry in 1774, as well as the tense relationship with Mother Wells and the terror caused by Reggie in 1914. A constant theme throughout the book is that God’s ways are mysterious and we can’t always understand them, but that He is, nevertheless, there to guide and help us.

 

I loved getting to read about two captivating eras in history; the colonial era and the Gilded Age. Meyer includes such rich details for each period, allowing the reader to immerse themselves in both eras. I also appreciate how different Libby’s life was in each of her paths. In her 1774 life, she and her mother worked hard for everything they had, while in 1914, Libby wanted for nothing. I think the struggles she faced in 1774 helped her to see things from a different perspective in 1914 than had she simply been a Gilded Age debutante, giving her much more empathy for those less fortunate and prompting a deeper involvement in the women’s suffrage movement. The inequality toward women is very well portrayed in the book and I loved seeing Libby defy the expectations for women in both eras.

 

Incredibly well written, tender, and fascinating, When the Day Comes is a fantastic book that is surely one of the best releases of 2022. Highly recommended.

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.