Genre: Contemporary RomancePublisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 3/18/14
Format: ARC
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5 stars
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.
At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.
Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…
From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.
WOW. I don't even know where to begin with Maybe Someday, for two reasons. One, Maybe Someday is a very unexpected and very surprising story with layer upon layer of elements that take what is a very good story, and creates something almost unbelievably heartbreaking, insightful, and gorgeous. I don't want spoil those moments for anyone because I truly do believe that what makes Maybe Someday so remarkable is the surprising layers. And two, if I truly let go and say everything I want to say about this story, it's possible that my brain will turn to mush. Also, you would likely think I am just a ridiculous fan girl who can't control herself. To be perfectly honest, though I own them all, I've only read one other of Hoover's books, Hopeless. So I don't qualify as a fan girl, though I am a fan. Hopeless is a great book, but it also made me hurt in a way I don't always like to willingly experience.
I really wasn't sure I was ready to go there again with Maybe Someday. Not that "there" is the same place is Hopeless, but I do know that Hoover has the capability to break me. I received a copy of Maybe Someday in the mail in late-January, and was happy yet hesitant. I put it in my "to-read-eventually" pile, and let it go. I later received an email from a publicist, and something about that email, between discussing the music that plays such a large role in the story, what a unique and gripping story it is, got to me. So I picked up Maybe Someday, and even though I finished it the same day, I don't think it's left my mind or my heart since.
Some may choose not to read Maybe Someday because of the relationship between the MCs, Ridge and Sydney. I went into this a lot of skepticism, and I am a very hard sell on this point. I won't lie, what happens in the story made me wince, make all sorts of strange noises and a few times I had rage face. But I also had tears streaming down my face at almost every moment. When I wasn't laughing, that is. Maybe Someday, for all of it's heart-wrenching moments, was also funny. If you've read Hoover, you know she can bring moments of levity to even the most tense of situations.
Maybe Someday... if it isn't the perfect story, I honestly don't know what is. Every single word, every single moment, combined to create a story that is magical and full of love and pain and complicated relationships that change and shift and hurt at the same time they are filled with joy. I was positive Maybe Someday could never end in a way that made me 100% satisfied. Happily, I was wrong. Colleen Hoover is kind of a genius. (I guess that's my fan girl moment?)
I feel as if my review might not be helpful in the slightest. And maybe it's not. But I feel like I owe it to other readers to discover this amazing story for themselves. You don't need me to tell you what happened, you need to experience it, to live it like I did. If you go into Maybe Someday with an open mind, reserve judgment until all the facts are in, and let the story unfold, I think you will be as satisfied as I was.
Favorite Quote:
(I have approx. 50-60 tabs in my book, highlighting favorite passages. So though I've chosen a couple, this doesn't even come close.)
My entire body is battling itself. My left brain is telling me this is somehow wrong, my right brain is wanting to hear her sing again, my stomach is nowhere to be found, and my heart is punching itself in the face with one arm and hugging itself with the other.
What happened between us didn't happen because we were weak. Ridge didn't run his hand up my jaw and around to the back of my head simply because I was in front of him and he was in the mood to make out. He didn't press his body against mine because he thinks I'm attractive and knew it would feel good. He didn't part my lips with his because he enjoys kissing and knew he wouldn't get caught.
Despite how hard we tried to fight it, all of those things happened between us because our feelings for each other are becoming so much stronger than our desire. Desire is easy to fight. Especially when the only weapon desire possesses is attraction.
It's not so easy when you're trying to win a war against the heart.
Purchase Links
Describe Maybe Someday, Twitter-style.
Colleen: A novel. A soundtrack. An unforgettable experience.
Whose point of view was harder to write, Ridge or Sydney?
Colleen: Typically, I actually prefer writing the male POV. I would say Ridge's POV was slightly more difficult, but for reasons I can't really explain because I don't want to give spoilers. I think once people read the book, they'll get it.
What part/aspect of Maybe Someday was the hardest to write?
What part/aspect of Maybe Someday was the hardest to write?
Colleen: Honestly, the hardest part was probably trying to put the music to the book. Don't get me wrong, the songs fit the story perfectly, but I've never done this before and there were a lot of extra steps involved in getting this book ready that I hadn't originally anticipated. The ending was really hard for me to write, too. I think I rewrote it 15 times before I finally felt satisfied. So, compared to those two aspects, the rest of the book was easy to write.
Did you already have lyrics that could be used for Maybe Someday, or did you use the story for inspiration?
Did you already have lyrics that could be used for Maybe Someday, or did you use the story for inspiration?
Griffin: It was a little of both. Some of the lyrics and songs were already written, some of them were brand new, and some of them were just tweaked to fit the story a little better. Colleen would send me scenes from the book, and I would respond with some lyrics set to music that I thought would fit the scene well. It was actually pretty crazy how well some of my songs fit the story. It just shows how relatable her story really is. Colleen also wrote most of the lyrics to the song "Maybe Someday." It was really fun to work with her on that one!
Maybe Someday made me cry. A lot. Did you ever get overwhelmed as you wrote it?
Colleen: I didn't cry, but I definitely get emotionally involved. My characters develop minds of their own and it gets to a point where I feel like I have no control over what they do, so sometimes they make me really mad. The only book that's ever made me cry while writing, though, is Ugly Love.
Have you read Maybe Someday? Did you cry?
Have you read Maybe Someday? Did you cry?
Griffin: I have read it! I can't say I cried, but it's a great book and I know everyone is going to love it.
Maybe Someday will likely push some readers boundaries in regards to relationships and choices. Do you worry about readers' acceptance, or do you trust they will take this journey with you and will be happy in the end?
Maybe Someday will likely push some readers boundaries in regards to relationships and choices. Do you worry about readers' acceptance, or do you trust they will take this journey with you and will be happy in the end?
Colleen: I do think some people will have a hard time accepting the story. I know a lot of people have already. However, I think if everyone goes into it with an open mind they'll understand why the characters do the things they do. Of course, readers should always keep in mind that I don't write my stories to condone certain behaviors; I tell stories about life, and sometimes life sucks and bad things happen and people make mistakes.
Is there anything you'd like to say to readers as Maybe Someday -and the music- is released?
Is there anything you'd like to say to readers as Maybe Someday -and the music- is released?
Colleen and Griffin: We would both just like to say we are SO excited about this project, and the amount of support we're receiving from readers (and listeners) has been amazing. We'd like to thank everyone for being a part of this with us, and we hope you like it!
GIVEAWAY
I will give one winner my extra copy of Maybe Someday.
Must be 18+ years of age to enter; open to US only.
About the author
Writer. Mother. Ninja. Wife. Avett Fanatic. Hardcore Realist. Read more about Colleen. email her at colleenhoover@live.com.
