Review: Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Release date: March 18, 2014
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 370
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository

At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her;and she's forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney's tumultuous world from the very first page.

It doesn't come as any surprise to me anymore when I adore a book by Colleen Hoover. She takes difficult situations and creates beautiful, heartbreaking stories. And while I've loved all that I've read from her so far, Maybe Someday is a special experience. And while you could read Maybe Someday without listening to the music from Griffin Peterson, you'd be missing out on the full emotional impact of the story, which takes Maybe Someday from being a good read to an outstanding read.

Sydney, a music education major in college, is having the worst birthday of all time. She's just found out her best friend and longtime boyfriend have been hooking up behind her back. And now she's out of her apartment because she can't stand to see either of them. When her neighbor Ridge, the boy whose solo balcony concerts Sydney can't get enough of, offers a place to stay, she takes him up on it, knowing she has nowhere else to go. Sydney and Ridge begin writing songs together, and soon they can't deny their attraction to one another. Problem is, Ridge has a girlfriend.

In all technicality, you could call the romantic situation in Maybe Someday a love triangle, but it acts as so much more than the device has come to be known to. Ridge loves Maggie deeply, and there's really no problem in their relationship, but his attraction to Sydney is not lust. It's not that they want to sleep together (though they certainly would, too), but their relationship grows through their conversations and writing together. Instead, Maybe Someday explores what happens when you're in love with two people. It questions how to know who is right for you and if you truly have one single "true love". It's heartbreaking to read about, but their struggle is moving.

As I said, as a book, Maybe Someday is good, and I would have really enjoyed it no matter what. But, what makes this such an outstanding and singular read is the music that accompanies the story. There are lyrics in the text, and being able to hear a song where a song would actually be played, instead of just imagining or reading the lyrics, makes those songs Sydney and Ridge are writing all the more potent and touching. They're exploring their feelings for one another and their situation through the lyrics, and it adds a new dimension to their relationship.

Maybe Someday is a reading experience unlike any I've read before, and it's in the best way possible. I love music and books about people who love music, but I now love nothing more than books about people who love music with music. In true CoHo fashion, it's romantic and heartbreaking, but ultimately fulfilling and lovely to read.

About the author:

Colleen Hoover is the author of five New York Times bestselling novels. Her first series was published in 2012 and includes SLAMMED, POINT OF RETREAT and the companion novel THIS GIRL. Her second series, published in 2013, includes the #1 NYT's bestseller HOPELESS and the companion novel, LOSING HOPE. She has released a free novella, FINDING CINDERELLA, as a thank you to her readers for their continued support. The novella is a companion to her Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

You can follow Colleen on Instagram @colleenhoover if you want to watch her pointless, random videos. You can also follow her on TWITTER, but she rarely tweets anything worth following. You can also find her on her blog at www.colleenhoover.com or on her very active Facebook page at facebook.com/authorcolleenhoover where she loves to give away free stuff when her husband isn't looking.