Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Maybe Someday

by Colleen Hoover

published March 18th 2014 by Atria Books

New Adult/Contemporary/Romance/Music

384 pages

***

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.

“Hey, heart. Are you listening? You and I are officially at war.”

Colleen Hoover, YOU DID IT. Frankly, I've never thought I would give her book five full stars on Goodreads before Maybe Someday (sorry not sorry!) I mean, I enjoyed her previous books, especially Hopeless (Not one that stays with me for a long time but I remember that I quite loved that one!) it's just that most of the time I'm asking why she always feel the need to write unnecessary sequels. I dislike her sequels. I guess I'm pretty much indifference about her books.

But with Maybe Someday, I can't say the same thing. I love it so much, like, SO much. It's a wonder because this book contains topics that I usually avoid in stories: Infidelity and love triangle (UGH). When we first meet Sydney, she has just punched her bestfriend for cheating with Syd's boyfriend. Pages later, she's in love with a boy who already has a long-time girlfriend! Duh, right? I'm glad, though, because the story is SO much more than that. I love how Colleen tries to explore the whole 'nothing in this world is purely black or white' case in Maybe Someday. No character in the story is 'basically mean' or 'basically kind', Colleen Hoover fleshes them out beautifully. The dual point of views are done really well that I cannot help but to feel sympathy for both Sydney and Ridge. I don't think I will ever justify the act of infidelity in real life, ever, but with this book, I can't make myself hate them because it's just so confusing to pick a side! I mean, I want Syd to be with Ridge, but I hate her for not distancing herself right away when the feeling starts to bloom. I want Ridge to be with Syd, but I don't want that too because it means someone is going to be hurt! My delicate heart is so torn reading about the whole thing.

It's a bit surprising to learn about Ridge's..... condition, and it's quite hard to accept at first when he's described to be a great musician. Ridge's disability, actually, is the main reason why I quickly become interested in the story. It's still quite rare, I guess, for (YA) authors to explore a story when one of the main characters has disability, and it makes Ridge quite unique, different from other boy-main characters. To be honest, hearing impaired is one thing that I share with Ridge (not as bad as him, noooo, my left ear only functions at about 95% rate, but the other one is completely normal. I can still talk and hear and communicate well, no worries!) so I can empathize with this boy a lot. Ridge isn't just so kind, he's wonderful! He's capable of fully loving people the way they should be properly loved. You can feel how much love he has for the people in his life, not just through his words, but also through his actions. Unfortunately this later becomes a problem when he cannot stop feeling what he shouldn't feel.

"People can’t control matters of the heart, Warren. They can only control their actions, which is exactly what Ridge did. He lost control once for ten seconds, but after that, every single time temptation reared its ugly head, he walked in the other direction. The only thing Ridge has done wrong is fail to delete his messages, because by doing so, he failed to protect Maggie. He failed to protect her from the harsh truth that people don’t get to choose who they fall in love with. They only get to choose who they stay in love with."

I love the way Colleen Hoover combines all the aspects in this book, she successfully mixed up things that could easily make me hate Maybe Someday into something so beautifully woven. Then there's music, which brings Sydney and Ridge together. I've always loved books that features music as a big part of it, so this point contributes another reason why I love Maybe Someday, aside from its characterizations and emotions that the story evokes from me. Maybe Someday is just so achingly good, it can easily make you laugh then cry within the same chapter. I can't stop reading it page by page until I reach the final conclusion.

Another refreshing thing is that eventhough Maybe Someday is categorized as New Adult, the story is safe from any 'graphic' scenes that usually present in other NA books. It's practically YA, I think, only with older characters. Fans of Colleen Hoover will no doubt feel satisfied with this one, but I can guarantee that most NA/YA readers will also find Maybe Someday as an enjoyable read, at least. The book is worth to try, just be sure to read it with an open mind. :)

“Hurts to see you everyday
Cupid shuts his eyes and shot me twice
Smell your perfume on my bed
Thoughts of you invade my head
Truths are written, never said
And if I can't be yours now
I'll wait here on this ground
Till you come, till you take me away
Maybe someday
Maybe someday”

Read other reviews of Maybe Someday by: OceMei | Kristin | Hazel | Aestas Book Blog

What do you think about Maybe Someday? Have you ever read anything by Colleen Hoover? If your answer is not, this book might be a good one to start!

What's your favorite book(s) from the NA genre? Any similar books like Maybe Someday? Books where the main character has disability, or books that combines music and romance (my fave kind!)? 

Do not hesitate to share with me! :)

Have fun and read some more,

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

How to Love

written by Katie Cotugno
published on October 1st 2013 by Balzer + Bray
389 pages
Young Adult/New Adult/Realistic/Coming of Age/Contemporary
other books by author: None (yet...)

***

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he’s never seemed to notice that Reena even exists…until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in a messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated—and pregnant—Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there’s a new love in Reena’s life: Her daughter, Hannah. Reena’s gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she’s finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn’t want anything to do with him, though she’d be lying if she said Sawyer’s being back wasn’t stirring something in her. After everything that’s happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

Oh, shout-out to books with lovely covers!

Seriously, and while we're talking about How to Love, which has a very simple yet SO awesome book cover (Don't you want to own the book just so you can shelve it at home and stare at it anytime you want?) here here, a full first star for Katie Cotugno's debut novel.

The second star goes to Serena, or Reena in short. This girl is basically a good girl who happens to be unlucky. Just having a shitty bestfriend is already enough to make your life uncomfotable, yeah? But that's not only what Reena has to deal with, because later her boyfriend suddenly disappears, then she finds out that she is pregnant with the said-boyfriend's baby. Uh oh.

But this girl has some pretty admirable characteristics. Reena is strong, no doubt. With a witty personality that makes her so fun to be around. Being a mom at 16 is never easy (and really, this girl has been through A LOT. She comes from a very religious family so being pregnant in Reena's case was pretty much unforgivable), but Reena did a good job with taking care of baby Hannah! The only problem I have with her is her inability to resist Sawyer, which makes her seems childish and indecisive at times. I was disappointed to read about the end of her relationship with Aaron (even though I've seen it coming), because let's be honest here, Aaron is obviously the better option!

“The hideous thing is this: I want to forgive him. Even after everything, I do. A baby before my 17th birthday and a future as lonely as the surface of the moon and still the sight of him feels like a homecoming, like a song I used to know but somehow forgot.” 

Teenage pregnancy is not actually my favorite subject to read, since there will (of course) be so much angst and all. But all the reviews I've stumbled upon before reading How to Love were mostly positive, and I can see why. How to Love was a very enganging read. Katie Cotugno doesn't offer a new angle on seeing this unwanted pregnancy problem, but she presents it raw, honest, and real. She's so good at describing emotions, making me (as the reader) feel as much as Reena feels. We can easily understand Reena's desperation, her anger, her resentment toward everyone who treated her badly since the thing happened, her family included, who didn't exactly do their job at being a strong support system when Reena needed them the most. The part where she finally exploded at their family dinner was my favorite! It's unhealthy for her to just keep all the emotions inside so I was like 'YES YES YES you go girl!' when she lashed out in front of everyone. That moment was epic and the way Katie Cotugno describes it... Ugh, all the feels! Third star for this point.

The story was told in before and after parts, but I prefer reading all the afters, most of the time I just skimmed the befores... I couldn't bring my self to really like Sawyer as a character. Aside from being manipulative toward Reena sometimes, there were very minimal explanation on why he did the things he did on his bad boy days (Also, the drug problems? Why why why why WHY? I need a backstory!), that's why I think his part of the story kinda lacks of depth. The after version of Sawyer was so much better, I love him and Reena together, even though I still think he doesn't deserve that girl *shrug*

In short, How to Love isn't perfect, but to read the book was worth it. For a debut novel, How to Love was enganging, enjoyable and quite a page-turning one. I love Katie Cotugno's writing style. Did I mention how the dialogues are so realistic? (Its exactly the way people would talk in real life!) and I will put her on my radar so that her next books will not be missed!

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

On the Island

Title: On the Island
Author: Tracey Garvis-Graves
Publisher:  Plume
Price: Unknown (read it in ebook format)
***


A heartwarming light read.

"Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island."

I love the story, I love the plot, I love the two main characters. Eventhough I kinda feel weird about the dialogs between the characters (the story's told from dual point of view from both Anna & TJ. Most of them are short, and a story with short-simple dialogs plus minimum internal monologues sometimes is just not for me) but I love how real the characters seems.

Anna is 30, while TJ is still 16 by the time they landed on the unknown Island. Clearly they have completely different way of thinking about life and... love and everything else. Interesting to read how the two of them taking on their new adventure of living together, only two of them, with a very little hope on being saved. Lots of things I discovered and I found fun on this book are mostly the tips of survival :p They started by collecting waters from the raindrops, eating coconut's meat, making fire from sticks, and then continuing to make a real living as the time goes by... and as they got older.

I like how it's not instant between both of them. Eventhough it's been years from the beginning, Anna's still struggling with her uneasiness about dating TJ who's 13 years younger than her. Understandable and realistic. This woman feels as if their relationship is somewhat inapoppriate, moreover when it comes to society's eyes. And I also love how TJ, in such a young age, has become so mature. The journey of living in the island did it to him.

And also, since the story's setting is located in an island somewhere near Maldives, I keep picturing the secluded island to be somewhat familiar like this...



White sands, crystal-blue waters, wide-unending skies... Ugh, I'm a sucker for beaches!

4 of 5 stars.

(This review is taken directly from my Goodreads page.)