Reviews

More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn

ashction's review against another edition

3.0

I feel really iffy on what to rate this. I LOVED You'd Be Mine, and I really wanted More Than Maybe to continue the magic of that series. But this one... it just wasn't good enough for me.

There's a lot here to be liked. The sheer abundance of song knowledge Erin Hahn has - which she states in Q&As here is all her, no research - is incredible. A more dedicated reader than I would certainly find it fun to Google all the lyrics of the songs Luke and Vada send each other. (I only Googled a few that seemed important.) And though I had a lot of personal grievances with this story, the relationship does have so many cute moments! And though you might find Luke and Vada pretentious (I sure did!), it's pretty realistic. I could have met teens like this - heck, I could have BEEN this teen - in high school. So that, at least, worked for me even if it made me want to grind my teeth together at times.

But. UGH. What didn't work for me is how absolutely slow the romance was. You're telling me two teenagers, on the cusp of graduation, sending each other LOVE SONGS by text, weren't kissing until the 80% mark of this? The mark that roughly translates to four months into the novel? Absolutely not. But even if you brush that aside, my biggest critique with More Than Maybe is that I didn't feel once that the writing was even close to what I expected from a teenager. Erin Hahn's writing favors a more new adult tone, which sort of works since they're close to graduating, but it also sort of doesn't. It's like I'm hearing an adult say the things I expect a younger, more cringe teen to say. (I don't know a single teenager when I was in school who typed out "Oh. Em. Gee," and that was nearly a decade ago. Gen Z types even less like that. There are several instances like this in the book; it's very early millennial in a bad way.)

Also, I was on the fence about reading Never Saw You Coming since I don't really have religious trauma to speak of, but after reading this weird caricature of Meg in this - manic pixie dream girl/Jesus lover with... fairy wings? - I frankly just don't want to. Like, there is nothing in this book that makes me even remotely interested about learning more about her because her character is so flat it puts Flat Stanley to shame. I actually felt that way about pretty much every character that isn't Vada or Luke. Because those two are so complicated, so unique, that no other character seems to be in their world. No one else truly gets any page time that makes an impact, save for Phil. And that is a disappointment as a character reader who could have used some balanced interactions that helped deepen Vada and Luke past VadaAndLuke's relationship.

Anyway. Idk. I wanted to like this so much more because You'd Be Mine was just pure magic. And I did get some really grin-worthy moments out of it. But overall, this was NOT for me.

heabooknerd's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved MORE THAN MAYBE and it was an incredibly cute and endearing young adult romance. In particular, I really enjoyed how Luke and Vada built a friendship first on their mutual love of music. The way they would send songs to each other to express their feelings through lyrics was so adorable and something my husband and I actually do, so I loved seeing it in a book. Erin Hahn has a wonderful writing style that engaged me the entire time and had me wanting to read more.

For me, the characters mean everything in a book and Vada and Luke were wonderful leads and I was completely into their sloooow burn romance. Vada is outspoken, independent, and determined to get the job she wants writing for ROLLING STONES. But for all her confidence she's still a teenage girl with a crush and I liked those endearingly awkward moments that would pop up. I also loved Luke as much as I loved Vada. He's introverted and more shy about expressing his feelings but he's also a great friend. The son of a punk rocker he's determined to forge his own way and enjoy music without the element of performing which is his worst nightmare. I liked watching Luke come out of his shell a bit as he spent more time around Vada. They were just so cute together and perfectly suited. It takes them a while to admit their feelings and I was dying from all the lingering glances but I loved every second of it!

The side characters also really bring MORE THAN MAYBE to life. I really loved Vada's relationship with her boss, Phil, who is also her mom's boyfriend. He's such a great father figure and it's obvious how much he cares for Vada like a daughter. Luke's twin brother, Cullen, was a lot of fun even though he makes some typical annoying brother mistakes but luckily, Luke's best friend Zack who is also Cullen's boyfriend is there to keep Luke grounded. There was just so much to love in this book and I'll definitely be reading more by Erin Hahn.

ARC provided by publisher convention booth in exchange for an honest review

kells_'s review against another edition

5.0

I was so intent on finishing this book because I felt like I was taking an awful long amount of time to finish reading this, but once I finished the book, I felt sad that I had finished reading the story. This truly was a pleasure to read and I just love all aspects of this book. I can't seem to find a flaw in this book when I think about this story. This book has so many great things going for it, where do I even begin? What do I begin to talk about when it was so great? Firstly, I love all the characters/characterization in this novel. I think Erin Hahn did a good job in portraying 3 dimensional characters such as Luke and Vada. Not just them, but I liked how unique each character in this book was. From portraying a shitty character such as Marcus to a lovable one like Phil, I think the author did a good job in doing so. I also like the roles that the supporting characters play. Despite them not being the main focus of the story, I find that they are still memorable and add some spice into the book. Secondly, I think the relationship between the two main characters in this book was well paced. Sometimes, I find love stories to go too fast and I wonder to myself, how is it possible these 2 people are already acting so close to each other when they barely know each other? However, this book is a different case. I like how Vada and Luke's relationship was built up. Although in the midst of reading this book, I kept wondering when they would finally get together, I now realize after having completed this novel that the pacing of their relationship was well done and realistic as well. It's no secret that relationships take time to develop, and it's because Vada and Luke spent time to get to know each other that as significant others to each other, they were quite compatible. Finally, I also like the incorporation of music in this novel. To be frank, I don't know most of the songs mentioned in this novel (with the exception of one song). The genres of music I listen to are different from the genres of music referenced in this novel. However, I still found it neat how songs were referenced in this novel and I thought it was nice that there was a tracklist. I will be looking up the songs referenced :) Overall, this book,"more than maybe," by Erin Hahn was amazing. Thank you for this novel, author!

tales_of_a_bookbug's review against another edition

relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

karrama's review against another edition

4.0

Feel good "reading up" opportunity for younger realistic fiction readers and a sweet romance besides, More Than Maybe follows two artistic seniors through their last assignment and the lives they live outside school. Veda wants to go to college and knows that she needs to be exceptional to achieve her dreams. To this end, she's working for a music bar and writing her blog to ready herself for music journalism later. She's grounded in a rock-and-roll world both by her personality and by her circumstances. At the same time, Luke's dad is a rock legend who wants to see his children succeed in the industry that brought the their comfortable lifestyle. Luke's a good singer, painfully shy, and secretly dreaming of writing music.

Veda and Luke's senior showcase forces the to work together, but they wanted to be together anyway...School is giving them an excuse to reach out.

chemistryreads's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Erin Hahn is proving to be a consistently enjoyable author to read. I have previously read a few of her adult books and this was my first venture in a YA book of hers. The writing style is incredibly similar along with the continuing thread of music as an overarching love for all her characters. Luke and Vada are two incredibly likable characters who seem confident in themselves while still navigating the weird age of high school. They both have some issues with their dads, but they tend to handle situations with about as much grace as you could wish for 18-year-olds. Their friend groups are adorable and supportive and also feel like well-rounded characters on their own and not just supporting parts. I enjoyed the plot and the book in general. I don’t think this is a book that I will be screaming from the rooftops about, but it was a happy read that I recommend for anyone wanting a simple and sweet romance. 4.25⭐️, 0.5🌶

helloooooree's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

2.0

I liked writing style and Vada but her and Luke have insta-love and I just couldn't get connected with that.

ladyareads's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This is stand alone young adult romance that ties in beautifully with other romances by Erin Hahn. I love the happily ever after romance story. It’s light and cozy. There is one kissing scene but there is a bit of profanity used. If the use of four letter words makes you cringe this is not for you.

# More Than Maybe
# 4/29/2024 ~ 4/30/2024
# 4.0 / 5.0

perchedinthedark505's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0