*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!

K.L. Walther has recently become one of my favorite authors. When you open one of her books you are drawn into the story and you can’t put it down. This will be a hit with many different readers and they will love it as much as I did. If you haven’t read her book The Summer Of Broken Rules run out and get it you won’t be sorry it was amazing.

I actually already read this under it's previous title and cover. A good read by K.L Walther, just not my favorite by this author. Overall, it was a good book and interesting characters but her other two books fit my style a little better.