There are no spoilers in this review.
More than Maybe, Erin Hahn
Published on July 21st, 2020 by Wednesday Books.
? Buy More Than Maybe, by Erin Hahn.
Growing up under his punk rocker dad’s spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn’t in front of a crowd, it’s on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.
Vada’s got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom’s boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil’s music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor’s summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?
☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS: click here to see them.
divorced parents, absentee parent, alcohol consumption.
I ENJOYED…
☂️
- If you’ve been reading my blog for a little while (thank you. I love you!!), you might remember me falling in love with Erin Hahn’s debut, You’d Be Mine, last year. I have been anticipating More Than Maybe ever since and I’m thrilled to say that this book completely lived up to my expectations.
- I love how invested I am in Erin Hahn’s books and the characters she crafts. Like, I immediately grow fond of them and care for them SO MUCH.
- Told from two different POV, we discover Vada, a music blogger dreaming of becoming a music journalist, working on her spare time at a local bar and concert hall owned by her almost-step father. I loved Vada SO much. I could feel her passion for her craft seeping through the page, in every word I read and everything she likes and I adore passionate characters like that so damn much.
- We also get Luke’s point of view and oh, Luke, I loved him with all my heart. With his British accent, his hidden talent for writing songs, his rock-star of a father, his relationship with his twin brother and his adorable crush on Vada, too.
- Obviously, More than Maybe has a lovely romance at its heart and I was so invested in it! I loved seeing a little crush turn into friendship, turn into something more, page by page. It was slow-burning, it was realistic and I! ship! it! okay.
- Despite the big presence of romance in this story, I really liked how we got to see both characters grow individually, just as well. I especially rooted for Luke and his song writing, for him to show the world his incredible talent.
- I could really feel every single relationship in this book and I loved that so much. Not only the romance, but the friendships, the siblings relationship, the family relationships, too, were wonderfully crafted and I really felt like this was a living and breathing cast and I loved them.
- All the music! This book is made for music nerds, I am not and therefore maybe didn’t get all the musical references (hello, you can boo me if you wish, aerm), but I appreciated seeing Luke and Vada’s passion for it go back and forth as they shared favorite songs, made playlists and just grew a pretty strong bond over something they love so much, right from the start. That was so wonderful to read.
OVERALL
☂️
I really do think that if young adult contemporary reads are your thing, you should go ahead and read More Than Maybe as soon as you can. This is the kind of book that just makes you swoon and sweep you off your feet and, before you know it, you’re away in a world filled with music and concerts, beautiful lyrics and crushes and it’s just so, so, so wonderful. I loved this and will be screaming about it a lot okay.
Final rating: 5 drops, a new favorite!
Thank you to the publisher for inviting me on the More Than Maybe and MacMillan International for sending me an ARC of this book. This did not, in any way, influence my thoughts and rating.
? Buy More Than Maybe, by Erin Hahn.
? About the author, Erin Hahn
ERIN HAHN is the author of You’d Be Mine and More Than Maybe. She teaches elementary, would rather be outside and makes a lot of playlists. So many playlists in fact, that she decided to write books to match them! She married her very own YA love interest who she met on her first day of college and has two kids who are much, much cooler than she ever was at their age. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, aka the greenest place on earth and has a cat named Gus who plays fetch and a dog named June who doesn’t.
? Find Erin Hahn on her website ⋅ twitter ⋅ goodreads ⋅ instagram
Did you read More Than Maybe? Do you want to?
What was the latest contemporary book you read and enjoyed? Let me know in comments!
Personal note: I will be on a little bit of a blogging hiatus from this Sunday, July 12th, 2020 to Sunday, July 26th, 2020. Meaning: I won’t be answering to comments or/and blog hopping and visiting blogs and be very active until then, with the small exception of a couple of reviews I had to put out. Thank you for understanding and take care, love you all!
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Never Not Reading says
I added this a few weeks ago, but since seeing so many ultra-positive reviews on this blog tour I might have to bump this onto my must-get-to-in-2020 list.
Marie says
AH YES please do! I hope you’ll read it, I love it so very much!! ?
anovelglimpse says
I loved this one, too! It was one of those books that made me happy. The writing is just so good and that love story is so sweet! Great review!
Marie says
Yes exactly! This book made me so very happy, too ? Thank you!!
Belle says
Lovely review, Marie ?! I’ve enjoyed hearing about this book more lately from different bloggers, and it’s awesome to know that you liked it so much ?. Contemporaries with bloggers never fail to hit home for me haha, and I love how you described how music and other relationships got a spotlight in this story too ??!
Marie says
Belle, thank you so much!! ? I hope you’ll give thihs one a try and will enjoy it!
Sophie @BewareOfTheReader says
I have seen so many amazing reviews about this one and yes YA are my thing! Great review Marie!
Marie says
Yay! I hope you’ll love it, Sophie 🙂
Jules_Writes says
Lovely review, it is not a genre I read much in but you’ve tempted me 😀
Marie says
Ohh yay! This makes me so happy!! ?
Meggy | Chocolate'n'Waffles says
I love how your reviews are amazing both in words and visual! xxx
Marie says
Aww thank you so much!! 🙂
Sam@WLABB says
*high five* This was a stupendoud 5-star read for me as well. I adored the characters and the music, but mostly, I loved the way it made me feel. I was so happy when I finished this book, which is everything for me these days.
Marie says
YAY! This makes me so, so happy. This book was so wonderful and gave me all the swoony feelings I needed. <3
Ash @ Starlight Strands says
i’m so happy to see that this is a favorite for you because it’s been on my tbr for a while and i can’t wait to read it!! the aspect of music in this sounds amazing, honestly, and i am so here for family & friend relationships ?? your paragraph under the ‘overall’ section has me convinced, marie, and i can’t wait to read this!! ?
Marie says
Aaaahh yay! I can’t wait for you to read it, Ash, it’s such an incredibly wonderful read!! <3 <3
ashley @ socially awkward bookworm says
Great review! This book sounds so good and I’m happy to see it as a new favorite. 🙂
Marie says
Thank you so much, Ashley!! <3
Lydia Tewkesbury says
This sounds so good! Since I finished Daisy Jones and The Six I want ALL the books about music so this is definitely going on the TBR
Marie says
Ahh yay, I hope you’ll love it!! ?
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators says
I’ve been hearing such great things about this book, so I’m very happy to hear that you loved it! Especially since it was a follow up to a favorite from last year!
I’m always hesitant when going into books that are pop culture heavy because I don’t tend to get the references. There have been so many books that haven’t even centered on music, but still mentioned enough bands and songs (and sometimes even movies) to make me feel completely lost while reading! But I absolutely adore character relationships and interactions, so the fact that you adored all the characters and their relationships has me interested!
Marie says
Thank you so much Malka! ?
I understand what you mean! This book had a couple of music references and, to be completely honest, I didn’t get them all, at all ? but I was so invested in the characters and their relationships that I didn’t mind ?
Jenna @ Bookmark Your Thoughts says
YAS! I was HOPING you’d have a great review for this! I want to get it (eventually), so I’m happy there seems to be more pros! 🙂
Marie says
AH YAY! I hope you’ll read and will love it 😀