Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, and I'm still not quite sure what I read, mostly because I felt I wasn't totally liking the book at times. There were parts I really enjoyed and others I was just "meh" on. Overall, I think it was a good book, but nothing I thought was totally memorable for me personally. In the end I unfortunately don't have much to say about the book as I felt that it was good for passing time, and a cute read.

The Writing
The writing was good! I think Hahn is a good writer, and I did enjoy the descriptions and the dialogue, i even enjoyed the chat conversations which I feel like can sometimes make things awkward in the book.

The Pacing
The pacing wasn't great for me. In fact, I know at times during this book I began to zone out and I struggled to keep my attention focused on the book. It just wasn't making me want more.

The Plot & Characters
Cute, again, like much of this book. Both the plot and characters were tied up with each other in this book, and it really doesn't work without the other. Anyways, the plot was fine and I really enjoyed the subplot about families, and I think that was well done. The romances in this book were cute all around, and again, the relationships between the characters were crafted nicely.

Overall
I think this book just wasn't for me overall. Something about it just didn't click. And therefore it is a me, not the book kind of thing! If you like music and such you will probably love this book!

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

I LOVED THIS!!!! I adored Luke from the moment he brought up Teen Wolf, and Vada from the second she was her badass self. As a lover of all things music, and someone who married a drummer in a punk rock cover band, this book just delighted me from start to finish. Love, love, love.

My YA girls kids are going to love this one. Well-developed characters and not your typical love story.

First off, I love a good British love interest, so this book got started on the right foot with all the slang. The book's casual language feels authentic and relatable, even through its dual perspectives. Luke and Vada are cut from the same cloth and a perfect match in this slow burn, cute YA romance. It's a quick, fun, and engaging read that you can polish off in a single setting. It's a sugary-sweet, slow burn romance that I couldn't put down. By the end, it's so darn cute and very enjoyable to read. Just like her first book "You'd Be Mine," author Erin Hahn perfectly melds the music world with teen romance for such an adorable YA read. Awww. But, I definitely think I preferred this book over "You'd Be Mine." Everything just felt so authentic and genuine.

Title: More Than Maybe
Author: Erin Hahn
Pub. Date: July 21, 2020
Rating: 4

This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I guess I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I thought.

Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy it, read it in one sitting, couldn’t put it down…but I didn’t get the same rushing feeling that I had reading Erin Hahn’s You’d Be Mine. Expected this to be another 5-star read, where I felt all giddy in my chest and wished I could wipe it from my mind to read it again for the first time.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t deliver that for me.

I don’t want to say that I felt “blah” while reading it, because it had some really cute moments, some really serious and intense moments – the conflict in this book is pretty good. But after expecting it to be a 5-star read, I don’t think this book is as good as You’d Be Mine. For everything I thought was good about this book, I also think it could have gone deeper? I do think that it was all a tad surface, and I wish there had been more?

I’m not really sure how to explain it, or even if I’m just trying to find a reason for my slightly let down expectations.
I will say that the formatting in this book left a lot to be desired. Within chapters, there was no visual for the scene breaks, so it felt very jumbled and the plot sped up. I kept finding myself having to re-read passages because there would be massive time jumps and I’d have to figure out how we got there. It grew to be quite frustrating, and it definitely impacted my enjoyment of the book. But I’m certain that wouldn’t be a problem in the final finished copy, so I don’t want to judge too harshly.

I enjoyed the cast of characters, Vada is pretty awesome, and I love Cullen and Zack, and how can you not love Luke? It kind of felt like the cast should have been a few years older? I don’t know. While I loved them, it just felt like something was missing. Maybe I’m still caught up on Annie and Clay and how epic and forever they felt. I just didn’t get the same vibe from Vada and Luke.

As for Cullen and Zack, I would like a novella of them just doing cutesy couple stuff. I kind of wish they had a slightly bigger role, for being the twin brother and best friend to Luke, they felt very side character-ish. So much of this book centers on the personal conflicts that Luke and Vada have with their fathers, and what the future might hold – that’s great, but it also made me feel like I was missing the “living life moments”. I live for the day-to-day moments that fill our lives – I think they make characters more relatable.

I don’t know…I’m so conflicted on my thoughts about this book. I did really enjoy it and thought it was cute, a fun read, definitely a book I’ll be pushing at my best friend who is a massive contemporary fan, and definitely a book I’ll be pre-ordering. But on the other hand, it didn’t meet my expectations, sadly, and annoyingly, I can’t quite decipher why. So, I’ll leave it at this as to not ramble on – if you enjoyed, You’d Be Mine, pick this book up. If you’re a fan of contemporaries, pick this book up. If you’re a Brigid Kemmerer contemporary fan, pick this book up.
More Than Maybe takes place in the same universe as You’d Be Mine, Netflix should really pick up these books to make movies, because they’d be damn perfect, and can we please get recordings of the songs that Erin wrote for these books? I can already tell you that I’d be listening to them on repeat. Do you hear that Netflix, not only would you get a movie out of it, you’d have a soundtrack as well.

I’m super excited for Erin’s next book, and I’m highly looking forward to it. If you have the opportunity to read More Than Maybe early, stop procrastinating and do it, and if you have to wait for its release in July, make sure you preorder and request it at your local libraries!

More Than Maybe explores the emotional highs and lows of two teenagers who develop a close connection with each other through their mutual love of music. Luke Greenly is the son of a punk rock legend of years gone by who puts a lot of pressure on Luke to follow in his footsteps. Luke has the looks, voice, and demeanor to be a rock star . . . only thing is, he hates the limelight. His dream is in the composition of music, not performing it. Vada Creswell is a well-known music blogger who also works at the Loud Lizard, a dive bar run by her mom's boyfriend Phil. She dreams of writing for The Rolling Stone and attending college on the west coast - partly to escape living in the same town with her alcoholic "ex"-dad. Vada has a secret crush on Luke . . . who has a secret crush on her. Cute, right? They begin to text song titles back and forth as a way of communicating their feelings and offering support to each other. And that's what takes this story to another level.

More Than Maybe started out as a cute, sugar-sweet, teenage first love/crush story. During the first part, I thought I was in trouble because this is so out of my wheelhouse. However, I was soon drawn into the emotional depth of each character as Hahn tackled family, communication, and self-worth issues. The plot line deepens as more characters and relationships, both functional and unfunctional, are explored. The evolving friendship and sweet romance between Luke and Vada are handled with care - slowly growing as they learn to trust each other with their feelings. I enjoyed the author's writing style along with the musical references throughout. It's easy to get lost in the melodies in this one. More Than Maybe is a peek into the young lives of two teenagers falling in love. Fans of sweet, young love and low-angst romance will enjoy this story.

If you love cute perfect YA Type romance you gonna love this one. I really appreciate the writing style, very light and fluid, perfect beach read if you want escape for a few hours.
It's about music, love, podcast, family, friendship, such a cute romance to read.

More than Maybe is like a music-nerd’s heaven.  It’s chock full of references to great bands and artists, and as I was reading, I kept wanting to listen to the songs they were talking about.  (In case you were wondering, lounging on the couch listening to The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” while reading a good book is the perfect way to spend a Monday night!)

While More than Maybe is well written, and I truly connected with the characters, it was missing that X-Factor.  Parts of the book felt a lot stronger than others. In particular, the prologue had me itching to read the novel, but it did start off very slow.  It gradually becomes clear that Vada and Luke already know who each other is (which isn’t entirely obvious from the description of the book), and they’ve been casual acquaintances for the last 3 - 4 years. We don’t get a meet cute, and the very beginning is so vague that it’s hard to tell how long they’ve known each other or how well they know each other until a little too far into the book.  

I loved both Vada and Luke and their dynamic, but I felt like the plot was lacking… something. There weren’t many obstacles for them to overcome in their love, unless of course both of them suffering from varying degrees of shyness is truly an obstacle.  Also--Luke is shy, and he’s had a crush on Vada since they met, BUT he’s had a bunch of girlfriends in the past? That part I don’t get. If he liked Vada, why didn’t he ask her out? There needed to be an explanation for this, and it could have been something simple and cliche like “He didn’t really like the other girls as much as he liked Vada, and he was afraid of rejection”. It would be cheesy, but still a solution to this little plothole.

Both Vada and Luke have issues in their lives that keeps the plot fresh.  Vada wants to go to college, and she’s dealing with navigating her relationship with her deadbeat dad and trying to find the courage to ask him for the money she needs.  Luke’s father is a former rock star, and Luke is dealing with the problem that his family doesn’t respect that he doesn’t want to perform music, and he’s writing his music in secret for himself.  There is a very subtle and well-executed character arc that Luke goes through as he discovers who he is.  (Super vague, I know, but I don’t really want to spoil anything).  

While the plot isn’t quite what I was expecting, this romance is very cute, and the novel has a nice, fulfilling conclusion.  

I recommend this book to those looking for a music-themed young adult romance.

*This review will be posted to https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/ and other platforms on July 21, 2020*

Rounding up to 4 stars because my music-loving teen heart would have LOVED it, but my older self is much too jaded for this sweet romance with virtually no conflict. And Luke doesn't seem to have much of a personality, but he's super cute and has a British accent and is talented musically (even if he doesn't want to perform in front of people or be popular in any way), so that's that.

Both Luke and Vada have father issues - Luke's is that his former-punk-rockstar dad wants him to be a successful musician (and he's got the talent, so, yeah), Vada's is that her father is a major jerk who has washed his financial hands of her since she turned 18, but still hangs out and gets drunk at the bar where she works. Vada's mother and step-father (and boss) are love goals, for real, and both are very supportive of her.

Vada isn't a manic pixie in this book, but her best (and extremely peripheral) friend is. Luke's best friend has been dating Luke's twin brother for a long time and they are also gloriously happy with each other and the world. So, pretty much, life is good for all the characters and I guess I like a little more tension?

But, oh, the music! (Except for the opinion that Adam Duritz is the end-all of music and discounting Kurt Cobain 100%, but I guess, de gustibus non est disputandum) Vada and Luke have entire text conversations in song titles. It's enough to make this curmudgeon's heart sing.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Son of a punk rock star, Luke used to love writing songs but doesn’t like to perform them, absolutely doesn’t want to follow in his dad’s footsteps. Instead, he has a podcast with his twin brother. Vada is a music blogger, writes online reviews of bands who perform at the bar where she works. The kicker: both secretly have a crush on each other. When a school assignment unites them as partners, they easily become friends. Their texts and musical knowledge only bring them closer. Until things don’t go as planned and Luke is faced with one thing he hates the most in order to save what matters to him.

First off, I’d like to say: doesn’t Vada make you think of the 90’s movie, My Girl?! And like me, do you think of the scene when Macaulay and Vada jump in the water trying to escape a swarm of bees?

Anyway... I LOVED Luke and Vada’s story! The text messages and all the music they send to each other. Their chemistry. Plus, Luke is British and I couldn’t help but read his POV and dialogue with an accent. Ummm sooo, all the more swoony. Luke actually reminded me of two guys when I was in high school (sans accent of course) because of we always ping ponged songs. Except instead of sending YouTube links, we were making each other CDs! I totally listened to Something Corporate back then, and I loved that there was a mention of Annie from You’d Be Mine. Yup, I found this all to be bloody brilliant!

In summation, I stayed up late finishing this book because I didn’t want to part with it, and I was dying to know how it was going to end. Ain’t nothing better than a cup of coffee in the morning after a few hours of slumber to help with the well-deserved sleep deprivation, am I right?

I’ve had my eyes on this book since forever: a romance in the universe of music seems like my jam...and I wasn’t disappointed!
This was such a lovely book OMG I can’t tell you how many times I swooned with <i>ohs</i> and <i>ha’s</i> and sighs... Luke is the perfect hot music nerd, he’s awkward while being confident in his choices...also British! Vada is struggling with financial issues and with his dad but is also strong, determined and ambitious. And together they were so adorable!!!! Real chemistry here!
The music references were amazing! Can’t say I understood them all but definitely enjoyed them!
I love the lyrics of the songs and my favorite moments were when Vada dances and Luke composes ...it was so powerful!
Some parts may be a bit "young" but it’s not an issue in a YA after all.
It was a very enjoyable, fun and swoon-worthy read!

In book TWs: alcohol, alcoholism, verbal and emotional abuse
I'm a fool for not having read Erin Hahn's debut. It's been sitting on my shelf untouched for months now and I'm kicking myself over it, because if it's anything like More Than Maybe, I'll love it. I have a soft spot for books about famous musicians, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like someone who didn't want the fame, but Luke was so delightful I immediately forgot about my qualms.
More Than Maybe follows Vada and Luke through a dual POV narrative, as the two fall in love and make decisions about their future after high school. Vada lives and breathes music, she works for her mom's boyfriend at his dive bar, and has taken over writing review on his somewhat popular music blog. Her goal is to one day work as a professional music reviewer, and lets her stress out by losing herself in music at dance class. Luke is the son of a famous rock star, and would like nothing more than to write and create music in the peace and privacy of his bedroom. Unfortunately, his dad just can't understand that, leaving him to hide his passion. The two of them having been crushing on each other, and finally start interacting for a school project. Watching them finally become friends and then become something more was a tension filled pine-fest and I loved it (the good kind of pining too). The way they fell in love was so well done, the pacing was excellent and it was extremely romantic while not seeming too ridiculous to believe.
Luke was such a softie, and his awkward crush on Vada just made me love him more as they sent each other texts with songs in them. It was a fun mix of classic songs and more recent music too, a nice change of pace from where teens in YA only listen to music decades older than they are. Despite me loving both of them, Vada was my favorite of the two, if for no other reason than the scenes where she's dancing. Hahn completely nailed why I danced, and to read about another character doing it for the same reason was fascinating and made me emotional.
I really appreciated how Hahn made sure not to have Luke and Vada just abandon everyone else in their lives too. They hung out in groups with their friends on top of spending time with just one another which was refreshing to see. More often than not the main character abandons their friends as they start dating and it drives me crazy because while it might be common, it doesn't always have to be that way. Vada's relationships with her (positive) parental figures and mom made me so warm and happy inside too. It was nice to have responsible and kind adults around in a YA novel, especially since they weren't written that way just as a ploy to make readers like them before killing them off.
If you're looking for a beautiful romance with a side of music and family, this book is for you! Luke and Vada are deceptively charming and their plot will keep you glued to the pages until you're finished. I'm really impressed with Hahn's sophomore novel, and I can't wait to start her debut, You'd Be Mine (which there's a subtle nod to in More Than Maybe).

Usually in books with talented musicians, the central plot involves overcoming doubt or stage fright to let your talent shine. I kind of love that this is not the case here. Yes, Luke struggles with stage fright. But he also knows himself well enough to know that he doesn't want to perform. For him the music existing is enough. His journey is more about learning to make himself heard, to stand up for himself with wisdom and maturity. ANd the importance of listening, of seeing the world beyond the end of his nose and how his decisions affect others. Some of the other elements are a big much but this is ultimately a surprisingly enjoyable read.

More Than Maybe is a Young Adult (or maybe New Adult) contemporary romance told in alternating POV's. Luke is a shy and dorky, but very good looking, high school senior with a long term unrequited crush on music blogger, Vada. He runs a podcast with his twin brother Cullen, and secretly sings and composes songs. His father was a punk rock musician who wants nothing more for Luke than to have him famous - but Luke wants nothing to do with it. Vada ALSO crushes on Luke, and has her own dad issues. Vada has a plan to take her music career to the next level and Luke was decidedly not a part of that plan. But when they work together on a school project, they get close enough to throw some plans out the window.

I LOVED this book. Definitely 4.5 stars for me. I loved the emphasis on music and how even though they are in high school, they are able to work in a bar and have their dreams planned out. It's so NOT how my life was in high school, but I love that they both know what they want - or DON"T want. I loved the characters, especially Luke. My favorite part of rom coms is when the guy also has a POV, and Luke does not disappoint. He is the softest, cinnamon roll of a boy ever and he makes me heart ache. He and Vada are just perfect for each other, because they bond over music and basically create their own language with songs.

There are some plot holes, and a plot line that I felt needed more attention at the end. Basically something kind of major happens and is never addressed again. Would've liked to see more closure with that piece.

Overall, the writing is beautiful, the descriptions and plot are pristine, and I loved watching Luke and Vada's story arcs come together.

More than Maybe was just okay for me. I'm not sure I was in the right frame of mind for a YA romance, which is definitely a "it's not you, it's me" situation. I think I'll try reading this one again someday.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel! I loved the writing style and the story and the characters! I'm not a huge music fan but I certainly did keep my finger on YouTube pretty much the whole time, listening to the songs that Luke and Vada texted each other back and forth! Their story was so heartwarming and sweet and I just loved their connections and I had a huge smile on my face every time they were together.

The main character, Luke, is spoiled, immature, overdramatic and whiny. I like Vada, but she didn't really grow as a character in her own right as much as I would've liked. Overall this book wasn’t horrible, just not my favorite. It was predictable and monotonous. I liked the music referenced and it was a good time-filler.

Cute, light read. This would be good for someone looking for a romance, but wants a book that isn't solely about the romance.

I loved this book! Luke and Vada are such a breath of fresh air compared other YA couples. They’re relatable and took me back to my first love. It was so sweet and such a fun read with their love of music matching mine! So many great songs included. Aww! Such a good, fun read!!

4 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 7 July 2020.


Luke Greenly and his twin Cullen host a popular local podcast called Grass is Greenly. The twins couldn’t be more unalike - Luke blonde and quiet, Cullen dark and flamboyantly gay. Their dad is a former punk rock superstar still madly in love with his wife who teaches at the University of Michigan.

Vada is a music prodigy. Her “sperm donor” gave her the genes for musicality and honed her skills. But since he divorced her school principal mom, he hasn’t given her another thing. Vada harbors a lot of anger toward her father, and angst about her future. Already accepted into UCLA’s music journalism program, her dad refuses to even discuss helping her out with tuition. Her escape from reality resides in her job at the Loud Lizard, a local dive bar/club, and her modern dance class.

When the modern dance class invites the music composition class to observe for the annual dance recital, Luke decides he wants to compose a piece for Vada to dance to in the recital. Suddenly Vada, who has been pining for Luke since freshman year, and Luke who has been crushing on Vada just as long, are thrown together. Their shared love of music eases them into a comfortable friendship, but will it ever be more?

With a fabulous setting of the Loud Lizard as a background, the adventures of Luke and Vada finding each other amidst their hectic senior years of high school are draped in current and classic music. The author clearly knows her way around a song, as the whole novel is sprinkled with references to great music - popular and obscure. It plays as a soundtrack to Luke and Vada’s lives.

The unrealistic expectations of Luke’s dad, wanting him to be a music star, are very much like any parent - sometimes pushing the child to be something they don’t want to be. Vada’s tragic relationship with her dad is all too real as well. Her dad moved on to a new family and left his original child behind. Her fears about being able to afford school and achieving her dreams are very much what most teens today experience.

Loved this YA novel. With some graphic language, and themes of Christianity, homosexuality, and teen romance, it might not be for everyone. However, it touches on reality for teens today. I think this novel will be gracing many a teen’s bookshelf for years to come.