More Than Maybe was the first book I have read by Erin Hahn, but it definitely won't be my last. I was so, so impressed with it. The writing was fabulous and pulled me in from the start. I immediately fell in love with Luke and Vada. They were fun characters on their own, but together they were freaking adorable! The build up to their relationship was so dang cute, I almost couldn't handle it. I loved the way music was woven into the story. More Than Maybe was EXACTLY what I'm looking for when I pick up a YA contemporary. I can't wait to read more from Erin Hahn.

I whizzed through this high school romance that is centered around rock music.

Hahn does a wonderful job bringing Vada, whose laser-focus on getting to the college of her choice, and a career in the music industry, and Luke, son of a punk rock star who hates the limelight and wants to write his own type of music, to life.

I adored how tentative these two are. Luke, especially, could have been so obnoxious but Hahn does a great job with his uncertainties, his relationship with his much more outgoing brother, and above all his friendship first with Vada.

How Vada's family situation was handled provided an absorbing, and sometimes painful, counterpoint to Luke's family. Hahn lightly touches on the cost, and sometimes distortions, of fame, and what it does to families.

I particularly appreciated Hahn's evocation of how music is central to the kids' lives. Their passion about it, the games they play with titles and lyrics of songs. It was all the more admirable as I didn't recognize most of the musicians or songs mentions, and a whole lot of those mentioned I remember with loathing. Hahn did a great job of showing why what sounds like distorted noise to me gets listeners excited.

For those who care about such things, the language is pretty blue right from the start, but there is no onstage sex.

I loved this book! I love music so that drew me to the synopsis. I read this in one sitting--would love to see a sequel that shows what happens with Vada's BFF. If you are looking for a cute, fun read, pick up this book and read it!

Luke and Vada were so much fun to read about. I loved that Luke wanted nothing to do with fame and I loved Vada's ambitions goals.

4/5 stars
More Than Maybe is a super cute & fun contemporary that is way too bingable. I flew through it in 24hrs, and definitely missed a couple hours of sleep to finish it. The main characters, Luke and Vada, are absolutely too cute, and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole “secret crush/fangirl” thing they had going on with each other. It was a refreshing change from my normal diet of hate-to-love romances. I also loved the music industry backdrop and zany retired musician characters that are the framework of this book. It’s such a different setting from the one seen in Erin Hahn’s debut novel, You’d Be Mine.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. More than maybe is a great book and I don't mean just a great YA novel because this is still definitely a genre that is looked on. A big part if the plot is wrapped in the typical teen cliches found in these books but it actually works because Vada and Luke feel like fully developed characters. Luke is the son of a punk rock dad and while talented does not want to be famous. Instead he focuses on his podcast with his brother. Vada has her five year plan, he mom's boyfriends dive bar and her behind the music blog her her stepping stones to writing for UCLA. Luke and Vada work well together and are so sweet having had a crush on each other for years. Their relationship feels like a normal progression and they really connect on a deep level. The side characters are also amazing and developed. They feel organic instead of just there to push the plot forward or distracting from the plot. I look forward to what comes next from this author.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Well!!! I just finished More Than Maybe and I have to say, that was one long, drawn out, slow sizzle of a romance between two totally likeable young adults: Vada Careswell and Luke Greenly.

Would they or wouldn't they?! The suspense was killing me. Then..... the KISS! Picture a big smile on my face! Etta Jame's At Last is playing in the background (- or Beyonce's version, if you prefer it.) Hey! I couldn't resist my own song reference! This story is full of them. The various songs were woven into the story line and had me running to Vevo or Youtube more than once! Vada writes a blog focusing on live music performances, and Luke has a beautiful voice and can be counted on to compose a swoony lyric. Shy Luke likes to stay under the radar, and does not want to follow in his rock star father's footsteps. When Luke's brother sneakily releases a song Luke created while pining for Vada, and it becomes a huge internet success, the action and the romance - thankfully - move along more quickly.

I didn't agree with all of Vada's negative opinions about certain artists. Sorry Vada, but Kurt Cobain snuck into my heart with Teen Spirit and Where did you Sleep Last Night. And unlike Vada, I never had any time for the Rolling Stones, especially after their horrific treatment of Richard Ashcroft, of The Verve, when they claimed the rights to (and the award for) Bittersweet Symphony, despite a verbal agreement allowing Ashcroft to use that hypnotic melody. Totally uncool! I was disappointed that someone as musically astute and informed, as Vada was supposed to be, would support a group that took the royalties and the credit for another artist's creation. I loved the references to Kodaline and Panic at the Disco, but, sorry, Durritz doesn't send my soul up to the rafters. I just wasn't "feeling it." Luckily, there is enough musical diversity to keep almost every reader happy, and I reluctantly decided to forgive Vada's negative comments about dance music. I know this book is aimed at young adults, but Hahn has inadvertently alienated an entire cross-section of my generation (who haunted discos and pled allegiance to the incomparable Donna Summers!) by that ill-advised comment.

I ultimately enjoyed this story about two emotionally cautious young lovers who finally find the courage to reach out to one another, and pursue their dreams. I rate this a 4.7 rounded up to a 5 because the whole kissing in the street scene was epic!

I loved this book so much! The characters were fun and relatable. I liked that they all looked out for each other and no one had any ulterior motives. There was genuine love in this book. The song references were so fun and put this book over the top for me!

This was a really cute book! Vada and Luke were each relatable in their own ways.

I absolutely loved all the different relationships we got to see. Vada had a terrible relationship with her father, but a great one with her mom and Phil, her boss. Also with her best friend Meg, who I do wish we'd seen more of because I liked her so much. Then Luke had a pretty good relationship with his parents and twin brother, and I liked seeing how they dealt with their problems as a family.

I also liked all of the different music references and how they all tied together in the end.

The romance between Vada and Luke was a slow burn that I really enjoyed reading about!

One of my favorite things about this book is the setting. It takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Northern Michigan is one of my favorite places to visit, and I loved hearing a mention of Mackinac Island!

The only thing I didn't really like was the language. There was a lot of swearing, and that's not something I love reading.

For reference, I read this book in one day. That's how much I loved it. I have read many books where authors are writing Gen Z characters and have absolutely butchered our humor and our awkwardness. However, Erin Hahn nailed it. I laughed out loud at the Teen Wolf kiss, marry, kill and I completely understood Vada's instant Hallmark Movie script. Hahn's characters were insanely lovable and engaging. I specifically enjoyed the text conversations between Vada and Luke; their banter was adorable and the music links were such a great edition to the story. Excellent representation. Excellent romance. Excellent book.

According to author Erin Hahn herself, More Than Maybe is a sunshine book about two music nerds falling in love, and I'd say that's an apt description. Luke Greenly wants nothing more than to be out of the spotlight, and spends his time not co-hosting a podcast with his twin, Cullen, up in his room writing lyrics and playing piano. Vada Carsewell has her eyes set on a future in music journalism, and proving that her deadbeat dad was wrong all along. Both are crushing on the other, hard. And when they have to work together senior year, it becomes harder and harder to deny their obvious connection.

I have been in such a mood for heartwarming young adult stories, and More Than Maybe was an excellent addition to my ever-growing list of favorites. I loved how connected to music Luke and Vada were: Vada's passion for reviewing and Luke's for writing allowed them to both to understand the essence of each individual song, and that brought them together in a way not many of the side characters could understand. I felt that all of the relationships, not just the one that develops between Vada and Luke, were well established - the platonic relationships of Vada/Meg and Luke/Zack, romantic ones of Zack/Cullen and Mary/Phil, and even the dysfunctional dynamic of Vada/Marcus (her "father"). The novel does tackle some deeper topics - dealing with familial expectations that don't align with your own dreams, learning how and when to distance yourself from toxic family members, and working so much towards your goal only to find that it may be unattainable after all, due to something you cannot control. But it's also hopeful, full of people doing anything for the ones that they love.

Holy moly I absolutely loved this book. It was everything you could ever want in a YA romcom. It was trope-y without being overwrought, and endearing with characters you couldn't help but root for. I absolutely adored Vada and Luke and would love to read another book (or ten) about their light misadventures.

St. Martins reached out to me to see if I wanted to review this because I had also read “You’d Be Mine” this time last year and really dug it, so I was excited to read this one, and Hahn did not disappoint.

Luke’s father was a singer in a punk rock band, and while Luke loves writing songs, he has no intention of following in his footsteps. He despises being in the limelight and the more his father pushes him into the lifestyle, the more Luke wants nothing to do with it. He’s been low-key stalking Vada’s music blog. Vada has a 5-year plan to make her way in the music world. Luke is definitely not in that plan. But the more they find themselves together, the more she sees how compatible they really are.

All the characters in this were great, except for Meg, who wasn’t well-detailed and didn’t appear often. It wasn’t until she became more of an active character later on in the book that I started to see any personality from her. I especially loved Phil and his relationship with Vada. I think the world needs more step-parents and ‘would-be’ step-parents like Phil. I liked that Luke was into Vada long before they had these long, intimate conversations. I think Hahn was light on the angst, but the things Luke said and thought were swoony.

This book has interactive titles that you can click to take you to a Spotify song that goes along with the chapter. I adore having a playlist to go along with what I’m reading, and I love that music played such a huge role in this book. This was a slow-burn read that is going to leave you hanging for a while. But it gives you all the feels along the way. Their friendship is sweet and endearing, and the fact they both struggled with less than stellar parents was not only relatable, but it brought them closer together. I abandoned the two other books I had going once I started this because I did not want to put it down. Super fun read!

This book. is. EVERYTHING. I love Vada and Luke so much. Their romance is so much fun, so exciting, and so musical! The music references are such a fun addition to this story, and make it an extra engaging read. Also the switching POVs were done SO well. I feel like readers grow to love and cheer for both Vada and Luke, and will find themselves so in love with this contemporary read.

Oh my heart, my heart! MORE THAN MAYBE had me cheering and dancing right along with the characters and left the biggest trail of happy tears down my face. I didn't think it was possible to top YOU'D BE MINE, but Hahn's sophomore book has me longing for my days in Ann Arbor and super upset I never met my Luke there!

More than Maybe was such an enjoyable light uplifting read. Vada (can we just pause and appreciate her amazing name!) captured my heart from the start and her journey and growth through this story was a blessing to experience. Luke. Oh Luke! (Taking a moment to swoon here). Luke was just the best and I have no perfect way to describe him. Just read the book and find out for yourself.

4.5 stars.

I love music and books with music and love. This had all of these. Likable characters and a sweet story.

My only quibble (and this was an ARC so hopefully it will get polished up before release) is that sometimes the American female MC came off sounding British. Like the author forgot to switch off from the Britishisms of the male MC.

Also, who eats slices of lasagna with their hands? I am confused.

But nothing detracted from my enjoyment in this fast and adorable read.

Recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC! These comments and opinions are all my own!

First of all, I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book. It's probably one of my favorites of the 2020 young adult releases! I wasn't impressed with this book at first, but it slowly grew on me and I ended up LOVING it. More Than Maybe sent me back to 15 years old when I didn't have a clue what love was but I was sure I felt it towards someone. The awkward encounters at first, the conversations you thought you'd never have with someone else, the way your heart pounded a little faster when a text came through from that special person - I felt ALL of that again reading this book. You'll fall in love with Luke and Vada and their love towards each other. Please please PLEASE read this book when it comes out! Teen angst meets first loves and I LOVED IT.

**Review will be published on my blog/Insta/Goodreads May 6th! I will update the links at that time**

SUPER CUTE.

I feel like I use that word a lot when describing books, but I like reading cute books! Maybe I’ll come up with another adjective at some point, but for now, I found this book super cute.

When I read Erin Hahn’s first book (You’d Be Mine), I found it charming, but only alright. Upon seeing her latest book and the summary, I was enthralled and it sounded completely up my alley. Take a chance? YUP. And I’m happy I did.

There were plenty of pop culture references throughout. I usually find them more on the obnoxious side, but guys, these made me laugh. Actually giggle at my book because they were spot on. They reference would hit at the right moment and I loved them in this book.

I love allllll of the music. One of the few things that could make this book better would be putting it together as an actual movie. I would be all over hearing these songs because the lyrics are stunning and heartfelt. I was pleasantly surprised that I knew most of the songs referred to by Vada and Luke. Music plays a big role in the feelings and emotions and creates a great backdrop for the story as a whole.

Luke and Vada were adorable. Simply adorable. I LOVED the way their relationship developed over the course of the book. It didn’t need an enemies to lovers trope to sway me. This friends to lovers things was perfect. The awkward, young love flirtations made me smile and I was smitten with them together. I liked both of their personalities and interactions and the natural way everything came together for them. The side characters were great in their own right. Cullen and Zack were a sweet and funny couple. I love how accepted they were and what they added as a brother and friend to Luke.

Not to mention, the side story between Vada’s Mom and Phil (Vada’s boss) was everything I needed in a sub-plot. These two were flippin’ cute and I am so happy we got their full story too. I love when other characters who get page time have a beautiful and moving adventure too.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult contemporary romance
Language: some strong throughout
Romance: kisses/make-outs; mentions of sexual relationships (side characters), but no actual scenes in book
Violence: drunk/belligerent father

More Than Maybe is a cute story that can be read in one sitting.

Luke Greenly loves music but, having grown up under his punk rock dad's spotlight, doesn't want to be in the spotlight himself. He has no desire for the fame he saw his father acquire, he instead prefers to use his talent to create music in secret with no intention to ever perform in front of others himself. He also happens to have a, not so, secret crush on Vada Careswell, a music blogger whose wit and expansive knowledge on all things music has created a lasting impression on him.

Vada Careswell has big plans for her future, which includes following a five year plan to land her a dream opportunity. On the right path to achieve all of her goals as she follows the path to her future, Vada begins to develop a crush for Luke. However, Luke is most definitely NOT on her five year plan. As they pair up to work on a school project, they both begin to realize that there may be more depth to their feelings than they could have ever could have anticipated.

I adored Hahn's writing style, the cultural references, and how fast it was to go through this book. It made the entire story an overall sweet read. Vada is the type of protagonist I would necessarily root for, I found her narration to be highly entertaining and realistic. It was also entertaining to read about Vada's family, particularly her parents' relationship. The dynamics between almost every character in this story felt quite authentic and made the story that much sweeter to read. It was interesting to read the influence music played on both Vada and Luke's characters and how it can support them as well as connect them to each other.

Overall, More Than Maybe is a cute fast read that would be perfect to dive into during the Spring and one I definitely recommend adding to your TBR.

eARC was kindly provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!



Posting review on April 28th on my blog, Goodreads, and social media accounts. It will be posted on online retail sites (Amazon, Indigo, etc.) upon publication.