This was such a cute book. Boarding school setting are the best. This book had it all great friendships, real-word problems and first loves.

I loved this boarding school ya read. It dove right in from the first page and I quickly felt like I was a student at school with them.

If I can only say one good thing about this book, I would say that it has a very interesting, new, and unique concept! I loved that the book had two different relationships happening (one relationship with an FMC and an MMC and the other relationship had some lgbtq+ representation with two MMCs!). This was really unique because I've read traditional romances that have one relationship focuses and some romances that have a ton of different slightly interconnected romances but I think I have yet to read a book like this that was focused on two relationships, simultaneously! Another unique/cool aspect of this is shown in the fact that this book has dual POV BUT one POV is from the FMC, Sage Morgan, in from one relationship and the other POV is from an MMC, Charlie Charmichael, from the other relationship! We do miss out on some of the traditionally enjoyed aspects of dual POV, like getting to see how much the other person in the couple loves their partner BUT this aspect is still kind of displayed through dialogue! This book was also interesting to me because I feel like it is a YA romance but it is like high school young adult, like on the cusp YA to adult, which is super interesting, i.e. seems kind of like a "fade to black" romance!

I will say, I did struggle a bit getting into the setting of the story, a boarding school called Blexley, because as someone who has never been to boarding school, I felt a bit more dunked into the story instead of sliding into the setting and the characters. I had a hard time keeping the characters right in my head because a lot of the times, characters were only/majority of the time, called by their last names so it got quite confusing at first...I think a piece of good advice is to start out reading it slow or make some notes so that you can match the characters to the right traits and people, etc.

I did enjoy this concept and story and think it was super interesting and can't wait to see more from K.L. Walther and more stories like this!

This was one of those books where I was really going through my emotions. This book had me fist pumping, made me anxious, made me laugh and also made me cry a little bit.

In Maybe Meant to Be we follow the POVs of Charlie and Sage who are both Seniors at a boarding school. We get the full package here: parties, best friends, drama, first love and the question of (sexual) identity. THE definition of a coming of age story. Charlie and Sage, as well as Charlie's twin brother Nick have been best friends forever and attending the same boarding school is the best thing that could have happened to them. But when the new senior student Luke enters the picture, it really changes up the relationship dynamics of the squad.

I rated this book 3.5 Stars, let me tell you why:

- I really enjoyed the characters in this. They made me giggle, they made me swoon and they also made me feel angry. I thought that the story was really immersive in this way because us readers are thrown right into the friendship between the characters.

- I LOVED the relationships in this story. I think the individual struggles where so well represented but especially Charlie coming out was done beautifully and with so much care.

Onto what I thought could have been better:

- The pacing felt very weird to me at times. I loved the fact that we were thrown into this story that quickly but it also made me feel like I was reading a fan fiction about people I don't know. It worked out in the end for me but I still feel like the pacing could have been a little bit better.

- This is a subjective opinion and not about the writing at all but I really started to dislike Charlie after 60% into the book. I understood his struggles with his own identity but I thought that he was acting SO self-centered and unfair to Sage, that it made my blood boil. I also think that Sage was a little bit too considerate when it comes to Charlie but oh well, who am I to judge.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend it if you like boarding school settings and are looking for a quick and cozy summer read :)

This was cute!
Twins, Charlie and Nick, are starting their senior year at boarding school. This school sounds amazing! They grew up as neighbors with Sage. She is best friends with Charlie but secretly wants Nick as more than a friend.

We follow their year with friendships, sports, secrets and love. It was a fun read!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this opportunity to read it as an ARC!

I’m a little disappointed about this one. Usually I love multiple POV’s but honestly this one didn’t need it. Even though I liked their friendship, I didn’t like Sage that much & honestly I could have done with just Charlie’s POV. I also could have done without Charlie being forced to come out. That’s one trope I really don’t like.

All in all I can’t say that I would necessarily recommend this book but I wouldn’t steer people away from it.

I loved K.L. Walther's previous books like Summer of Broken Rules and What Happens After Midnight, and this was another good read from this author. However, I found the point of view changes difficult and confusing to keep track of. Overall, the storyline was great, but I wish the narrative style could've been different. However, I recommend this novel for anyone who loves high school YA.

I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did but it was actually really cute. I loved following the character development of Sage, Nick, Luke, and Charlie as we watch them navigate through unchartered territory and learn about themselves in the process. The book is fairly simple and pretty fast-paced and it has dual POV which i really enjoy. Overall it was an entertaining, fun and easy read. Definitely recommend.

K.L Walther is one of my favourite authors however unfortunately this was just wasn’t for me. I had to DNF at about 20%.

I found it difficult to grasp the true story line, the pacing of it all just through me off? I couldn’t quite keep up, and to be honest didn’t really feel engaged or connected to any of the characters.

This won’t change my opinion on K.L, I still adore her and will absolutely continue to support her next works!

🏵️Maybe Meant To Be - K.L Walther 🏵️

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars

Charlie and Luke, Sage and Nick… what can I say!
This story had me from the start, I was intrigued and wanted to know who was who, what was happening and just the goss!
This book was such a quick and easy read! There were some floors and conflicting tropes through out but overall I really enjoyed the relationships and college story line!

🏵️ Slow burn
🏵️ Romance
🏵️ College
🏵️ First love

Thank you to NetGalley and K.L Walther

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I have loved every other book by Walther. Not sure what it was about this one, but I wasn’t drawn to the characters or the story.

this was my second K.L. Walther book and I really, really love the writing! if you want a fun romance with some good writing this is the book for you.

Absolutely loved the rep in K.L. Walther’s MAYBE MEANT TO BE, but the book itself is missing quite a lot.

The first being a writing style and plot that grab you. Rather than immersing you in its storyline, this is one of those books you have to force yourself to finish. I did eventually manage to do so, but it took more than a handful of well-intentioned attempts. I know this is YA, but both tone and structure appear to be unusually juvenile, which was one of the greatest barriers to losing yourself in its pages.

Now for the good: The relationships in MAYBE MEANT TO BE are its saving grace. (Kind of.)

Charlie and Luke, for the most part, are lovely. Luke in particular — I’m Asian American, and it makes me so happy and even a bit emotional to see love interests in stories like these with proud Asian heritage. Their slow-burn romance has all the charm and magic of an extraordinary, awkward and at times terrifying first love. That said, there are some *extremely* problematic tropes worked into the story, that several other reviewers have noted, which I hope the author addresses before this book goes to print.

Plus, Sage and Nick are impossible to root for. I hate to say it, but I almost feel like the whole thing would be more compelling if they weren’t a couple in it at all. (I’m still not totally sure what brought them together to begin with, aside from a shared history, and a game of spin the bottle.)

Although they also have some issues to work through, the best relationship of the bunch, without contest, is the bond between Charlie and Sage. It is largely wholesome and wonderful and the kind of lasting, lifelong friendship that is easy to wish for.

MAYBE MEANT TO BE might not be the strongest of books — and if I’m entirely honest, I’m not sure it’s one I would recommend based on the structural problems alone — but it does have a lot of heart, and that alone is something worth celebrating.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

Fabulous coming of age story with brilliant inclusion! I cannot wait to recommend this to all my students. It explores finding yourself and your sexuality is a humorous, sensitive and heartwarming way. Highly recommend!

Very confusing.

Are these people gay or not?

Is Charlie a boy or a girl?

I'm lost, very lost.

Like a boarding school Gossip Girl, I would’ve loved this book as a teen. It was dramatic, it was rebellious, it was corny. I also loved to see some gay representation. Good for fans of teen drama and coming of age stories for sure.

Charlie and Sage are both characters that are so vivid you feel like you have met them. In fact, you can really picture the whole friend group and what vibe the school has too.

*2.5 stars.*

Absolutely loved the rep in K.L. Walther’s MAYBE MEANT TO BE, but the book itself is missing quite a lot.

The first being a writing style and plot that grab you. Rather than immersing you in its storyline, this is one of those books you have to force yourself to finish. I did eventually manage to do so, but it took more than a handful of well-intentioned attempts. I know this is YA, but both tone and structure appear to be unusually juvenile, which was one of the greatest barriers to losing yourself in its pages.

Now for the good: The relationships in MAYBE MEANT TO BE are its saving grace. (Kind of.)

Charlie and Luke, for the most part, are lovely. Luke in particular — I’m Asian American, and it makes me so happy and even a bit emotional to see love interests in stories like these with proud Asian heritage. Their slow-burn romance has all the charm and magic of an extraordinary, awkward and at times terrifying first love. That said, there are some *extremely* problematic tropes worked into the story, that several other reviewers have noted, which I hope the author addresses before this book goes to print.

Plus, Sage and Nick are impossible to root for. I hate to say it, but I almost feel like the whole thing would be more compelling if they weren’t a couple in it at all. (I’m still not totally sure what brought them together to begin with, aside from a shared history, and a game of spin the bottle.)

Although they also have some issues to work through, the best relationship of the bunch, without contest, is the bond between Charlie and Sage. It is largely wholesome and wonderful and the kind of lasting, lifelong friendship that is easy to wish for.

MAYBE MEANT TO BE might not be the strongest of books — and if I’m entirely honest, I’m not sure it’s one I would recommend based on the structural problems alone — but it does have a lot of heart, and that alone is something worth celebrating.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

I read one of KL Walther's books last summer and LOVED it. It was the perfect summer read. I really enjoyed this one too. A cute romance that is the perfect beach read.

This was such a nice read. The plot was really great and I was never bored. Something happened all the time and even the small things like hanging out with friends felt like such a sweet moment.
I absolutely loved the setting, a boarding school! The characters seemed to have a lot of fun going to parties and hanging out in the different restaurants around campus.
It had a lot of depth and the topics can be discussed endless. It was also a LBTQIA+ representation and this was the first kind of book I read where the character comes out. I thought it was done really well and we as readers got the perspective of how difficult it can be but that you also want to come out to just live your life free and fully yourself.
I loved the friends group and the fun things they did. I love it when books include friends!

I requested an eARC of Maybe Meant to Be on NetGalley from publisher Sourcebooks Fire only to realize something strange. I’d read this book before. Sure enough, Goodreads confirmed it. Only it wasn’t called Maybe Meant to be, it was called If We Were Us. I’d checked it out of the library in October 2021. So, I have no idea what happened - I’m guessing maybe it’s being rereleased under this new title for so,E reason?

Anyway, it’s no wonder I requested the eARC - I’d really enjoyed this book the first time around. Boarding school tropes and an unconventional love triangle? What’s not to like! So regardless of the changing title weirdness, I’d recommend this book!