Review - Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Title: Maybe Someday

Author: Colleen Hoover

Release Date: March 18, 2014

Pages: 367

Goodreads Rating: 4.51/5 Stars

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Content Rating: 18+ (NA - Sex is not particularly explicit and doesn't overwhelm the plot)

Summary from Goodreads:  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 #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.

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.

Includes a free original soundtrack by musician Griffin Peterson.

When I heard about Maybe Someday, I was incredibly intrigued by the concept. I read several posts on Colleen Hoover's blog about how she collaborated with Griffin Peterson on the soundtrack and how the music would be integrated with the story and I definitely wanted to check it out.  Then I started seeing the overwhelmingly positive reviews and I was convinced - I just had to buy it.  

Well, I was not disappointed. In fact, I fell so in love with this book that I bought tickets to the upcoming book signing and concert that happening in Chicago. Let me tell you, I cannot wait!!

The negatives:

• Cheating.  This book skated on some really thin ice with me because I really worry when I read a book that's essentially about cheating (or nearly cheating). Here's the thing, not only does Sydney's boyfriend cheat on her at the beginning of the book with her best friend, we find out really early on (which is why I don't think this is a spoiler) that Ridge (her new love interest) is seriously dating someone when they meet.  And Hoover doesn't let us off easy - Ridge's relationship isn't brand new or seriously broken and he really loves his girlfriend. Yet, he's falling for Sydney. This would normally be a recipe for a horrible book, in my opinion. As someone who's been in a committed relationship for many years (seven years of dating and fifteen years of marriage) it always hurts my heart a little when someone chooses (or even considers choosing) that "new and shiny" relationship over a long-term current relationship that they need to work a bit more at.  So, how on earth did this book earn 4.5 stars from me?  Well, it's all about the way Hoover handled the relationships.  Read on ...

What I LOVED:

• The complexity of love.  I actually ended up really appreciating that Hoover didn't give us any easy outs with this book. It would have been easy for her to make Ridge's girlfriend a nasty person or have him find out she was actually cheating on him or something so that we could truly root for Sydney and Ridge to get together with no sense of guilt. Instead, I found myself somewhat uncomfortably rooting for them - wanting them together because of the bond they shared but, at the same time, hoping against it. As a reader, I ended up feeling as horribly conflicted and anguished as Ridge and Sydney did - I felt their pain, their angst over wanting something that couldn't be - that shouldn't be. I was never sure throughout this book what would happen with Ridge and Sydney and how I would feel about what did or didn't happen. I, of course, won't spoil the result, but I will say that Hoover makes it work in a way that ends up feeling bittersweet and somehow right. Hoover shows us love that's real - that's painful and messy and wonderful and amazing and agonizing all at the same time. That leads to compelling reading.
• The music.  What set this book apart from anything else I have ever read was the music.  First of all, let me say that I now love Griffin Peterson.  LOVE him. Since so much of this book revolves around songwriting, the music is really essential to the story. Listening to the songs added so much to the experience of the book. I'm listening to "Maybe Someday" right now as I'm writing this review and I swear the characters' emotions just wash over me while I listen. It's intense. And amazing.  (I can't wait for that concert!!!)
• The twists.  There are a few twists in this book that totally blew me away and made me LOVE this book even more!!  One of my favorite aspects of the book, I can't even discuss (even though I'd love to go into a whole story about it) because it was a shock to me when I found out and I do not want to spoil it for anyone.  Honestly, I could go on and on and on about the book if I wanted to post spoilers, but I don't ... So, just know that there's lots of good stuff that you don't want to miss.
• The banter.  I found myself often laughing out loud at the banter in this book.  My husband kept looking at me like I was a crazy person when I was reading it!!  Doesn't seem like the type of book that would be funny, but it totally was, which was perfect to offset the sometimes seriousness of the subject matter.

So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should read this book. If you are at all a fan of Colleen Hoover then I'm pretty sure you'll love this one. Don't wait for Someday ... get it now! 4.5/5 stars.