source: Bethany House / Twitter
title: When the Day Comes
author: Gabrielle Meyer
published: May 3, 2022
pages: 373
genre: Christian historical fiction romance
first line: For as long as I could remember, my mama had told me that my life was a gift.
rated: Sweet historical fiction with a dash of romance and time travel.
4 out of 5 stars
blurb:
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 without any time passing. On her twenty-first birthday, Libby must choose one path and forfeit the other–but how can she possibly decide when she has so much to lose?
my thoughts:
I meant to read When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer last year and I’m glad I finally got to it. This was a sweet, moving, historical romance with a dash of time-travel in the mix that had me hooked until I turned the final page. This is book 1 in the Timeless Series.
At the heart of the story is Libby who is turning 21 in about a year. Libby is a time-crosser which means she lives simultaneously in two different time periods. She wakes up 1774 Colonial Williamsburg one day and then goes to sleep at night and wakes up in 1914 as a socialite in New York City the next day. She awakens daily alternating between these two time periods, which are so different from one another. In one time frame she is wealthy but unhappy, in the other time period her family struggles financially but she’s happy. On her 21st birthday, which is 13 months away, Libby needs to pick a time period to stay in permanently. This means she will have to leave one of her lives behind, including her friends and family in that life. In the timeline Libby chooses to leave behind she’ll pass away in her sleep on her 21st birthday, so it’s a hard choice for her to make knowing she’ll be breaking her loved one’s hearts in the process.
I can’t really say too much without including spoilers but the American history nerd in me loved this book through and through. The author does a fantastic job at doing her research in setting the story up in Williamsburg Virginia 1774 on the cusp of the American Revolution and in New York City and England 1914 as WW1 is about to begin. The 1914 and the 1774 settings both jump to life within these pages. Libby is pretty much experiencing two pivotal wars in history at the same time. American history and the sacrifices people have made for liberty is also at the center front of the story. Libby works hard to help others in both of her timelines.
The story flowed and the descriptive settings transported me through time and place. The cast of supporting characters like Libby’s mom and her father and her 1774 love interest Henry, all added to the storyline. The story had plenty of twists and turns and I wondered how Libby would choose a permanent era to stay in.
This is also Christian fiction and the main theme in this story is that what is meant to be, will be. Libby’s faith gets her through the tough times and on looking back in the end, she sees why things turned out the way they did. As Libby’s story comes to a conclusion, the ending also leaves it wide open for the next book in this series.
I loved the heartfelt way the story turned out and how the author wrapped it all up and gave us a nice surprise at the end. In reading the afterword I discovered Gabrielle Meyer began writing When the Day Comes in 2020 while having some health issues herself and I can see how this influenced the way the story went. I recommend When the Day Comes if you enjoy well researched historical fiction with faith, romance, time travel and family drama in the mix. I really enjoyed this one.
“Just ahead, the Raleigh Tavern loomed. It was a large establishment by Williamsburg’s standards, but it was even larger in my imagination. It was one of the most important places in American history and would play a part in the outcome of democracy.
A group of men exited the building as I approached, including George Washington and Henry Montgomery, among others.”– p,150, When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer
“Freedom isn’t stagnant or guaranteed. It lives and breathes and must be defended constantly. Don’t take it for granted. Fight for it, both in the public and private spheres of your life. And always look for ways to help.”- p. 311 When the Day Comes
about the author
Gabrielle Meyer grew up above a carriage house on a historic estate near the banks of the Mississippi River, imagining real and make-believe stories about the occupants who had lived there. She went on to work for the Minnesota Historical Society and loves writing fiction inspired by real people, places, and events. She currently resides in central Minnesota on the banks of the Mississippi River, not far from where she grew up, with her husband and four children. By day, she’s a busy homeschool mom, and by night she pens fiction and non-fiction filled with hope. Learn more about Gabrielle and her writing by visiting http://www.gabriellemeyer.com. – quoted from Goodreads
Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Special thanks to Bethany House for my copy of When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer.
source: ARC courtesy of 
the bookworm 