Lada. That’s their ship name.

I stumbled upon Erin Hahn’s You’d Be Mine last year when browsing on Netgalley and immediately fell in love with Annie and Clay and their whole dynamic. That same dynamic was seen a little differently in More Than Maybe. The music was still front and center but instead of wanting the spotlight, they; Vada and Luke; much preferred promoting and writing the music.

Hanging backstage if you will. Erin Hahn had made difficult topics front and center yet again in More Than Maybe From addictions to going to college to emotional abuse and a lack of privacy that I think everyone with siblings can empathize with.

The songs were bomb and the writing was bomber. (Is that a word?) Hahn talks of topics and uses words that young adults are actually concerned about and are actually using. Not to mention that the book was full of amazing tattoo inspiring quotes. It’s another one for the bank. I wish I could have something to say that it wasn’t good. Or something that irked me about the book but nothing. It was absolutely amazing. I loved it.

A love letter to music lovers, this incredible book is officially the newest member of my favorite books of 2020 list!

I’m not even sure if I can formulate the right words to properly express all my love for this book!! Low on angst, I loved how the Vada and Luke’s relationship blossomed through their mutual love language of music! They expressed themselves through their favorite songs when they couldn’t find the right words themselves and I have never related to something more! My taste in music may not be as eclectic as this book but I’ve always had a hard time finding the words for how I’m feeling until I hear a song that’s like it was written for me in that exact moment and that’s basically what this entire book is like. There were sooo many times where I actively stopped reading because a song was mentioned and I wanted to play it so that I could immerse myself into this story even more and that’s what made this book so special for me.

This book is all my favorite songs put together on one playlist set to repeat! And if that statement speaks to your heart at all, then this book is for you!

Luke is a Londoner in Michigan, where he is mildly famous for his podcast, which he hosts with his twin brother. Secretly he wants to write and play his own music, but he knows what the industry is really like because his father was in a punk band in the 80s and he doesn’t want all of that. Vada works at a musical bar and wants to go to college in California, even though her ex-dad won’t help her pay for the tuition. She runs a music review blog for the bar/venue where she works and her dedication to her music career is impressive. She does research, she listens to everything, good, bad, and in-between, and she works hard.

Luke and Vada are individually crushing on each other, and when his composition class and her body movement class are partnered up they have an opportunity to interact. The descriptions of how she feels moving to music are lovely. Soon Luke finds himself working at the same bar as Vada, and just as their relationship begins to develop, Cullen shares a recording of one of Luke’s songs, one he wrote for Vada, on their podcast without Luke’s permission and there is fallout, with the song going viral and all of the things Luke didn’t want coming to pass.

There are a number of things to like about this book. The text interactions and song exchanges between Luke and Vada are pretty cute, but surprisingly they both shine at in-person bon mots, even though both claim to be introverted and awkward. To be fair, they do each have their share of awkward moments, but even those are relatively charming, especially for a reader who is really hoping for a happy ending here. Additionally, I like the genre aesthetics game Vada plays, and Luke’s ability to pick out a song that perfectly fits the people he meets. They are both games I would like to try, but without the main characters’ encyclopaedic knowledge of music artists and songs, I would probably end up doing my friends a disservice in selecting their songs.

Speaking of doing friends disservices, the main characters’ friends are given a bit of a short shrift: Zack is Luke’s best friend and dates his twin, Cullen; Meg is too-pure-for-this-world and very involved in church things, won’t swear, and wants to spend a gap year with Vada in California, but hasn’t told her parents. She leads into a seemingly unrelated segment about relating to God that goes nowhere. Parents get a little more development, and clearly have their own lives, which is nice, even if the parents themselves are not always (nice).

This was a fun, quick read that I definitely enjoyed doing musical “homework” for. In non-COVID times, I bet libraries would have a hard time keeping it on the shelves.

This was cute!
The use of music as a way to express feelings is something I love in books and More Than Maybe did it well! A+ for music knowledge!

The characters were great, especially Vada and Luke and I loved Vada's relationship with Phil, her boss.

What I didn't love was how unbelievably slow-burn this was without much reward for the wait! Let me say this I'd rather have the burn to end at 50-70% not 80%! It's frustrating! There were also some parts I just wanted to skim through because they didn't feel overly relevant.

Writing, story and characters were great! But overall I was a bit disappointed with the execution.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book courtesy of Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book y'all. THIS. BOOK.

From the first chapter I knew I would love this book and here's why:

GLASSES

That's right, glasses! The very first time we see our male main character, Luke, he is dealing with his glasses and the rain! I was sold right there.

I've always been aware of TV and movie characters rarely having glasses but I never really thought about book characters not having glasses. I suppose it's because I can imagine them however I want to imagine and probably unconsciously add glasses to a lot of people. Let me back up, I've worn glasses since I was 7 years old. For 22 years now I've had to deal with glasses in the rain, and fogging with temperature changes, and pushing them up and I never realized how much I wanted that in written text. I did have contacts for awhile, still do but hardly wear them, but for the majority of my life it's been glasses. I completely adore and am in awe with the fact that Erin Hahn put in the story just how much Luke fidgets with his glasses. How often he has to clean them on a rare dry spot of his shirt after being in the rain. How they fog up going from an outside cold temperature to a nice warm house. Everything he did involving his glasses made me love the writing in this book even more, especially since it continued through the entire book and wasn't just a one off mention and then the glasses were forgotten.

Wow, okay. Didn't expect to talk about Luke's glasses for so long.

Now for the rest of the book.

It was addictive. I didn't want to put it down. I have even cut back on playing Animal Crossing to read this book...now that's saying something! (looks at the almost 700 hour play time) I completely adore Luke and Vada and all the supporting characters. Each one is unique and special and I want to hug them all....well..maybe not Marcus.

Although I adore our main duo, the stand out character for me is Phil. Phil is everything you want in parent figure character. I love his love for Vada and her mom, for the dive bar, for his employees, and for just about everything. I'm very happy we got to see so much of him and that he wasn't just a character to mention to prove an adult has been around.

While all the side characters got good page time, I still want more of them! I love them all and all their quirks but I want to know more about them too!

Not only is this book filled with a love for music but Luke and his brother, Cullen, have a podcast. I adore this fact and the podcast plays a decent roll. I'm interested to know if the audiobook plays up the podcast and makes those few segments sound more podcast and less book.

The plot is also fantastic. At one point I was mad at myself for not highlighting all the song titles to go back to later and listen to them all. Luckily this is a digital arc and I can search for them. I loved how into music they were and especially how Vada explained a concert experience. It's very interesting to me how someone gets into a concert. For me, I'm like Luke and Vada. I get into it to the point of not caring who's around and I sing and I dance and I have the time of my life. I also love watching others get into it as well. What I'm saying here is I connected with our two lead characters and their love of music and man am I missing live performances right now.

This book also didn't completely fall into a typical YA romance format. You know from the very beginning that they like each other and the romance felt real and happened gradually. There is some drama and conflict, but not as much as I was afraid there would be at one point. In some ways this book reminds me of Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (my favorite book) and I think that could be why I have such strong feelings about it.

I could go on and on about how adorable and well done this book is, but I'm afraid I'll start getting into spoilers. If you love music and fun romance then this is a book you should pick up, you won't be disappointed!

Also, did I mention GLASSES?!

3.5. This is a sugary-sweet book that will satiate even the most music-obsessed teens. Hahn's second novel introduces a likeable and well-developed cast of characters, from our main couple Luke and Vada to Vada's fairy-wing-wearing BFF Meg and Luke's best friend Zach (who happens to be dating Luke's twin brother, Cullen).

The conflict, when present, is fairly black-and-white (e.g., Vada's dad Marcus is an awful, evil, alcoholic absentee father who also neglects his "new family"), which was both a positive and negative factor.

The music references were fun and, though there were too many for my taste and a lot of it went over my head, I could see this being really special for a certain group of readers.

This book was so good! I always enjoy YA Contemporaries that include music because I'm introduced to new bands or caught up in the nostalgia of old ones.

Vada has a five year plan that will lead her to securing a career as a music journalist. She's already checked a few off the list but when she finds herself collaborating with Luke Greenly her world changes. She's had a crush on Luke since discovering the podcast he hosts with his twin brother and when he starts working at the Loud Lizard with her she gets the opportunity to know him on a much deeper more personal level. When she hears him singing a song on his podcast she starts to wonder if it could possibly be about her. I enjoyed Vada's go getter lifestyle. She knows what she wants and doesn't let anyone get in her way, not even her alcoholic father who seems to turn up at the most inopportune times.

Luke doesn't like the lime-light but when his twin brother releases a song on the podcast he shares he starts getting attention he's been so focused on trying to avoid. Now everyone is wondering who he's written the song about. He's had a crush on Vada since discovering her blog and has fallen for her even more after working with her at the Loud Lizard. He doesn't need the job but it gives him something to do and he has the opportunity to get to know Vada on a deeper level. I thought Luke was so adorable. I fell in love with this sensitive song writer. I hope you will too!

Luke and Vada balance each other out in this fun YA contemporary. Hahn includes so many great music references to help the relationship between Luke and Vada along. If you love a good romance than you'll enjoy this one!!

This was a sweet story about two teenagers crushing on each other set to a varied playlist of hits. I’d read the author’s previous book so I was looking forward to reading this book. Whilst the book was enjoyable I felt it was a bit hampered but not a huge amount happening in the story. The writing was good, which is what kept me reading. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC.

hank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Luke Greenly, an introvert British living in the USA, makes podcasts with his twin brother and is a son of a former famous singer. But he doesn't want to sing for the public, it is something that he wants to keep with him.

Vada, a girl from a broken family, writes reviews of concerts/new bands. Work in a bar of his mother's bf, have daddy issues. Love to dance but not in front of the public, it is her escape from reality.

Both have a secret crush on each other for years.

If you are a music lover, you are gonna love it, so many musical references and conversations.

The writing style is so easy to follow, characters are well developed, chemistry and relationship between characters are so realistic and easy to connect. I love all elements the author added in the story, nothing was overwhelming, everything felt balanced. Few parts were cliche,  If YA aren't cliche are they even YA?. There were a couple of references of You'd be mine.

4.5 Stars from me!

Wow, this book was like a love letter to music and it kind of put me in my fckn feelings (in a good way). This book is like the perfect playlist, strong from start to finish with a killer closer. I loved the relationships between the characters and loved the rapport between Luke and Vada even more. This book is super fun and really sweet, and I definitely recommend reading it!

.5 star off for the random religious part near the middle of the book. Full disclosure, I, personally, am not religious, but that doesn't deter me from religion in books. However, the literal come to Jesus moment had a very disjointed feel. I actually had to flip back to a few pages to make sure I didn't accidentally skip a page... it just kind of came out of nowhere and then wasn't discussed again and it felt really, really random.

MORE THAN MAYBE by Erin Hahn | Grade: B | No spoilers ahead.

Looking for a cutesy rom-com, even if sometimes flawed, to relax with? Look no further. Erin Hahn comes at us with a music-fueled romance that felt a little boring and derivative at times. Overall, I really enjoyed the music-aspect of the novel (even though it didn’t always reference my favorite artists), especially the bar/venue setting, but sometimes it felt a little too repetitive as a result. Once we finally got a definitive objective about 60% of the way through it, the story vastly improved and became a lot more enjoyable. And while the story was able to improve, I never really connected with these main characters. As other reviewers pointed out, they just didn’t feel very real or noteworthy. I feel like these characters will be easily forgotten, which isn’t always that uncommon for cutesy romances (I’m not bashing the genre, I swear), but I feel is still a disappointment. I’m going to wrap up my review here and keep it pretty short because I honestly didn’t have a lot of opinions about this book - it was perfectly okay. But I will end with this, if you are into cute teen romance, you should pick this one up. And if you pick it up and then struggle to get into it, don’t let the beginning dissuade you. A very special thank you to @netgalley and @wednesdaybooks for an advanced copy of the novel. While I of course appreciated this opportunity, my review is presented without bias. This book will be released on July 21st, 2020. (This review will be shared on my Goodreads and Instagram pages on July 13th, 2020)

I may sound like a broken record at this point, but YA contemporary is such a hard-sell for me. So when I find one I enjoy ... you better believe I'm going to shove it in your face!

Am I ever glad I didn't give up on this author. I received a digital ARC of Hahn's debut novel last year and was not a fan. This was another music based contemporary romance, but it was everything I hoped You'd Be Mine would be. Set mainly in an Ann Arbor dive bar, this felt grounded and real. It was a scene and an industry that I could believe. The characters were far more relatable and so very likeable. I nearly couldn't put it down half the time because I was so sucked into this world, these characters and their wonderful budding romance. Also a huge shoutout to Wednesday Books for sending me a copy!

This book contains a dual narrative that follows Vada Carsewell and Luke Greenly.

🎶VADA is a girl with a plan. A five-year plan, to be precise. (1) job at the local dive bar owned by her mom's awesome boyfriend, (2) take over said man's music blog, (3) get accepted at Berkley for music journalism, and (4) manage a summer concert series. Gotta love an ambitious girl, especially when she's already working on step 4 when we first meet her. I always admire a teenager who knows what she wants and goes for it. I flip flopped so much that I can admire Vada's drive wholeheartedly. She struggles a bit with her father, in that he chooses when he can claim her as a daughter, but still treats her like she isn't. It was really sad to see someone that awesome be beat down by such an empty-hearted man, but readers will enjoy how things get ... handled.

🎤LUKE is our British cinammon roll of a boy. It's very rare that I enjoy the male POV more than the female's, and Luke eked it out by the slimmest of margins. Luke is struggling to hold his ground in what he wants to do with his life, and that involves keeping his biggest talent—composing and writing songs—a secret, especially from his dad. His dad is an old punk rock artist who keeps trying to get Luke signed to an agent and a label to record his music, but that's hard to do when you have stage fright. He's forced to deal with fame anyway when his twin takes things into his own hands and posts a secret recording of Luke on their shared podcast.

The romance in this was exactly what I hoped it be, sweet and swoony. It would be considered a slow burn with the best kind of unrequited love. It felt like any kind of high school crush where you actually get to be with this person and you get to know them instead of pining from a distance. I have to admit that I was over the music references pretty quick. And there is a copious amount of them. I love that it's their cute love language but I don't listen to any of these artists. 99% of the songs were completely lost on me without context. But I think that's my only complaint about this book!

Loved the Annie Mathers shoutout, by the way! So cheeky.

There looks to be a spin off novel coming about Vada's delightful friend, Meg! After falling in love with this book and meeting Meg, you best believe I'll be checking it out!

I have mad love for this book. It was angsty, full of all the feels and largely a love letter to music. It wasn’t perfect and there are definitely some things that were annoying but they were easy to shove aside. The thing that bothered me the most was a super random, short come to Jesus scene that did not fit with the rest of the book. I honestly felt like I accidentally stepped into a different book for a minute and then it went back to normal. I was also frustrated with the slow burn of the book despite the characters’ clear chemistry and clear feelings for each other. Still definitely worth reading, just don’t go in expecting things to move quickly.

More Than Maybe
A Novel
by Erin Hahn

St. Martin's Press
Wednesday Books
Teens & YA
Pub Date 21 Jul 2020


I am reviewing a copy of More Than Maybe through St Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley:





More than Maybe has a way of finding a place in your heart the way a favorite song does. It has a way of sticking inside your mind like lyrics you love.



Luke Greenly has grown up under the spotlight of his Punk Rocker Dad. He wants nothing to do with the crowds, his gift is for writing songs, something he hides, hoarding songs in his bedroom at night. He also prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly happy with his long term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. He has another secret as well that Is the crush he has on music blogger , Vada Carsewell.




Vada has a five year plan, to secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from a local legend, who also happens to be her Mom’s boyfriend Phil Joseph, check. to take over Phil’s Music blog which she also did. She also had a goal to be accepted into Berkeley’s prestigious music journalism program which she has also achieved, as well as to manage Ann Arbor’s Music series and secure an internship with Rolling Stone. What definitely is not on that list is Luke Greenly. But there is something about his self-deprecating charm and out of this world music knowledge that makes her dizzy.



I give More Than Maybe four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

A huge thanks to @stmartinspress @netgalley @erinhahn_author @wednesdaybooks for the ARC.
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Music is such a huge part of our lives, especially my daughter. She’s a 5’0 firecracker percussionist, a concert lover, a music enthusiast...she is literally always singing or listening to music. Between her dad and I, we have introduced her to almost every genre of music and she has seen an incredible amount of live shows (yes, she wears protection). She is the exact same age as the characters in this book, so I hope she reads it.
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The book has alternates POV between Vada and Luke, both are highly motivated high school seniors with a love for music. They also both have crushes on each other...
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Luke has a twin, Cullen, who is the opposite of Luke in just about every way. Cullen dates Zack, and I loved these two together - if only high schools and kids were as accepting as portrayed in this book.
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The texts with all the musical references were my favorite. But seriously, Eddie Vedder can croon to me any day (Better man and Yellow Ledbetter are my two favorites).
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If you enjoy YA, music, well developed characters (including the parents - well not Marcus, he’s an a&$!), then I recommend this one!
Releasing 21 July!
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#morethanmaybe #erinhahn #booksandmusic #stmartinspress #netgalley #bibliophile #advancedreaderscopy #bookstagram #lgbtqbookcharacters #vinylisbetter #goodreadschallenge2020 #kindlepaperwhite #justread #july2020reads #readingduringcovid19 #readingduringapandemic #yabookstagram #yabooks

I was a big fan of Erin Hahn's debut You'd Be Mine when I reviewed it last year. However, I think her sophomore effort is even stronger! I usually finish books really fast, but I really savored More Than Maybe—I didn't want it to end. 

Hahn has such a way with weaving music throughout her books, something that I love. Even if I disagreed with some music choices (don't get me started on Twenty-One Pilots) I was able to put those feelings aside and focus on what I really enjoyed. Any kind of musical element—when done well—just adds so much to a story. Vada and Luke trading songs throughout the entire book, only for them to come back full circle at the end was so clever. 

Vada and Luke built this incredible friendship and flirtatious rapport that really made the slow burn romance satisfying. Both main characters held tight on to their beliefs and goals, no one was going to try to convince them otherwise. Especially when it came to Vada. She was such a strong and independent woman who was going to do what ever it took to make her dreams come true. And she deserved it. Vada was a great friend, daughter, and employee, that of course Luke would develop such a crush, willing to do anything to help Vada.  I think Luke Greenly is a new favorite book boyfriend—British, sensitive, and a wicked taste in music.

All the characters were just fantastic—well developed and mostly likable even through their mistakes. Hahn established really strong relationships whether they were familial, romantic, or platonic. I mean, who doesn't want their very own Phil?

Even if you're not the biggest music fan, still give this book a shot. Definitely on my favorites of the year. 

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

More than Maybe was just so much fun. I really enjoyed the slow burn and watching the relationship between Vada and Luke grow. I really connected to Vada as I had a very similar dad experience growing up. I loved how her story turned and how Luke grew with her in the process. I need some growth in a book, even in YA. I need to feel a friendship with the characters and to care about their struggles. This book does all of those things for me. I wanted more of their love story. I wanted more of what happens next. I can't wait for Erin's next book.

THAT WAS SO FREAKING LOVELY. I enjoyed this so much, I love everyone in this (dive)bar!
Vada and Luke were *chef’s kiss*
Meg and Cullen and Zack were gorgeous.
Phil IS THE LITERAL LIGHT OF MY LIFE. WHAT A PERFECT HUMAN, I CANNOT WITH THAT MAN.
Ahem. This was such a beautiful book and I can’t wait to read it again and again.

Review going up on blog July 22nd, 2020

More Than Maybe is told in dual perspectives of both Vada and Luke. Both are connected to the music world in different ways, but both have a love for it that brings them together.

Vada has grown up with a father who while interested in the music world and taught her almost everything she knows about it, still manages to be a terrible father. She lives with her mom who has always tried to make sure she had the best, and her mom's best friend Phil has made it so she has had a good life and opportunities to do what she wants.
Luke has grown up with a rockstar for a father and has managed to fly under the music world radar until his twin brother uploaded something of his without his approval. This creates a whole lot of drama, not only in Luke's family but in his potential love life as well.
Luke and Vada end up working together on a school project, and at an after school job to make their own money. This starts a friendship that might just turn into more if they let it.

Vada is having trouble figuring out how to pay to go to the school of her dreams because of her father being difficult. Meanwhile, Luke is now having to argue with his dad about things and has to stick up for himself against his entire family he feels like. Together they form a team of sorts in trying to make sure the other gets what they want, all while keeping each other at arm's length it feels like at times which creates some tension and hurt feelings between them at times.

Overall this was a sweet story. Luke and Vada are both likable characters and their reasons for doing the things they were doing were very real. Vada having to struggle and get creative for ways to pay for college is a very real problem for a lot of students, as well as the situation between her and her father. It was nice to see that play out in a book and have Vada be able to find a solution of sorts that might make it possible for her to still go to her dream school. Lukes problems while not as serious at times as Vada's were still very real. Him having to fight with his family about what he should do and how he's wasting his potential is another conversation that a lot of teens go through with their parents. Seeing him stick up for himself, as well as the relationship he has with his twin was nice.
I also really appreciated in this book how we got to see parents being involved and supportive at times. I'm loving seeing it in books after years of them being mostly absent in young adult stories. Hahn did a good job of showing the realities of parents and teens in their senior year of high school and the tough decisions they have to make.

I really adored this read. I normally love books that have a music/art element at the heart of it and this book was no different. I really also love how this book gave me both characters POV. I also just really loved both characters so much and love the side characters. This book had so many of my fave elements and just but a smile on my face. I love british boys and this book had a two in a handsome set of twins. I really loved the romance and also the various other elements of this read. I def need to read more by this author in the future.