Luke Greenly has a famous dad (former punk rock icon Charlie Greenly), a popular and outgoing twin brother who has sorta stolen his best friend (they're going out now), and immense musical talent. But Luke prefers his music more private. He writes songs instead of singing them. Just try telling that to his family. He also has a longtime crush on music blogger Vada Carsewell. Vada loves music too. She lives and breathes it--working at the Loud Lizard, the club owned by her mom's boyfriend, Phil (a legend in his own right). She wants to be a music journalist. Vada just needs to get into the right music journalism program to do so; it would be a lot easier if her deadbeat dad would help out financially. But she's got it all figured out: learn from Phil, work on her blog, and manage Liberty Live, a summer concert series. Vada, too, has had a crush on Luke for ages. But when the two are unexpectedly thrust together, the results surprise them both.

"I met my other half three years ago, and as far as I know... she has no idea."

This was one of the best books I've read in ages and absolutely perfect for right now. It was one of those reads that just make you smile while flipping the pages. I adored Luke and Vada. I found it completely refreshing to pick up a romance where our couple liked each other from the beginning--even if they didn't know it--versus the "hate to love" trope.

Hahn has given us such a fun book. The sweetest characters. A book packed full of musical references. (She dropped in a Guster one, and I about died.) If you love music, you will get lost in this book. If you love well-written characters who are vulnerable and realistic and just pop off the pages, you will find yourself immersed in this book. There is nothing saccharine or silly about about More Than Maybe. Luke and Vada--as they get to know each other and fall deeper in love while sharing music links--are just so tender and cute. While Vada and Luke are falling in love, they are finding their way and themselves. The story is told from both of their POVs, letting us get to know both of them.

The supporting cast in Maybe is excellent, especially Phil, who doubles as a boyfriend for Vada's mom and a father figure for Vada. He's wonderful, and also joined by Cullen (Luke's twin) and good turns by both Luke and Vada's BFFs. Family is important here and they are not shortchanged.

Overall, I needed a book to make me happy, and More Than Maybe did not disappoint. An excellent romance, lots of fun music, and a great story with surprising depth. Absolutely loved this one. 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This one was adorable. If you’re a music junkie, this is the perfect book for you. Vada and Luke are funny and charming and you can’t help but cheer them on because they were made for each other in every way.

It’s a fast paced quick read that keeps you interested and wanting to know what happens next, but it’s also super light in the way that you know nothing super bad could ever happen. That being said it also deals with some hard things such as abusive parental relationships.

Great characters and story! Great setting and great ending! My critique is that there is ZERO reason for an author to rely on four letter words so much. Every darn page. That’s just not my thing. Other than that, well written and I would definitely love to read more from Erin Hahn.

More Than Maybe is a Young Adult novel about Vada and Luke. Vada loves music and wants to write for The Rolling Stones. Luke is a podcaster and son of a former rock-and-roller and writes music in secret. They meet at the Lounge Lizard (a music club dive bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan). If you want a cute young adult novel, this is for you!

Definitely "me, not you" situation. Not a story I'm getting into. Thank you for sending the book, but it didn't work out for me. YA is really tricky for me and unfortunately this one didn't spark my interest.

I'm not even sure where to begin, there is so much to love about More Than Maybe!

It starts with Vada and Luke. Both equally awesome in their own right, but super cute together. They both love music, but want different things from it. Vada wants to write about the next big thing and Luke wants to write music.

A lot of the book takes place in the Loud Lizard, a dive bar that is run by Phil. Phil is Vada's father figure and her mom's boyfriend. Vada works at the Loud Lizard and also took over Phil's music blog. Luke and his twin brother Cullen record their podcast at the Loud Lizard. I'm not normally one for bars of any kind, but I'd love to hang out here.

Speaking of Luke's twin, Cullen was adorable. I loved every moment between him and his boyfriend Zach (who is also Luke's BFF). Luke and Cullen and Luke and Zach have strong bonds and are their to support each other all the way.

While music is the focal point, there is a lot more happening in More Than Maybe, there are some family struggles and incidents that make life harder. But it all comes to an ending that I couldn't have been happier with.

i was so looking forward to more than maybe. but i was also really nervous because i loved you'd be mine. and you just never know with second books. and i still don't know. because i certainly loved luke and vada and their relationship, but maybe this book wasn't quite for me.

but as much as i love books about music, i think i love books that are about the making of music. the way sound and words play together to make music on the page. this book was about music, but about songs and bands and stuff i actually find really boring. i don't listen to music this way. i don't hear lyrics. i feel things when i listen to music. the words to a song don't matter to me as much as the way i feel about it. so i don't remember the names to songs or the bands that played them. i would never identify people based on songs, and i think the issue is that using that as a descriptor makes it hard as a reader who doesn't have the same musical knowledge nor the interest. i didn't want to have to do homework to "get" what a character was, i guess.

this is stuff that kills my music-loving husband. but we just listen in a different way. the way vada and luke experience music and love it, is different from the way i do. and it's totally okay. it's just ended up not being the best fit for me. ah well.

**more than maybe will publish on july 21, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/wednesday books in exchange for my honest review.

More Than Maybe was an entertaining romance with the added interest of the musical talents and interests of the main characters. Luke and Vada are nicely matched and the romance was an engaging diversion.

DNF @ 25%

This book is not as original as I had expected it to be. Also, the aspect of insta-love in the story is not my cup of tea. Not for me, unfortunately.

A huge thanks to Wednesday books for my ARC of this book!

Seeing as this is Erin Hahn’s second book, it’s always really hard to follow up a great debut, but she totally nailed it. What a fun read! This was a massive page turner, and was ridiculously easy to read. I do have to say, comparing the two books, You’d Be Mine, her debut novel was more of a classic romantic, swoony read. Where More Than Maybe, was mostly hip, fun, quirky, and a very 2020 style, page turning read. I mean that in a sense of the way it was written, it was like reading a script. Hahn would regularly feature Luke and Vada’s text messages in the book, which I feel is geared to the young adult readers of today. It’s a definite ‘Now’ type of read that a lot of teens would resonate with. I myself enjoyed it loads. I liked the music references, I liked the characters, and I liked the easy going writing style.

This is a great book for all the music lovers out there, and is also simply a super fun book to read for when you’re craving a sweet story. You don’t have to be a young teen to read it either you guys! Give it a go :)

First off, can we comment on how cute this book cover is? Probably one of my favs this year.

For me, this was the kind of story you just want to follow, not just to the end of the book, but beyond. You feel for the characters and want to know how they do in college (sequel maybe?).

My one complaint is that for me it took too long for the main characters to realize that they liked each other when it was apparent to you, me, everyone else in the book, and their own subconscious. There were times I wanted to reach into the book and say “Ok look, see how they keep touching your arm? Yeah they like you.” I mean, they would literally text each other “I like you.” But I digress.

Other than that the story was super cute. And while there were a few components happening to make everything come together, the story was easy to follow and had heart.

You can see my video review here:
https://youtu.be/aynQD6OUSM4

This book was a really cute read. I loved the plot and the musical aspect. I especially enjoyed the songs they sent via text. Luke and Vada were both completely loveable characters.

Make this a movie, STAT!
If you took the energy of “Empire Records,” “Almost Famous,” “Pump Up the Volume,” with a dash of “Love, Simon,” cleaned it up a little for the YA set, and tossed it all together in 2020 Michigan with a killer playlist, you’d get this book!
Despite Luke and Vada’s music and social media savvy, they’re not pretentious, and together with Luke’s twin brother, Cullen (oh—did I mention they’re British?), Luke’s Best Friend/Cullen’s Boyfriend, Zack, and Vada’s friend, Meg, there’s no one else you’d want to hang out with on a Saturday night with owner Phil, bartender Ben, and the rest of the bar crew. Erin Hahn always comes up with these great lyrics (that includes a shout-out to Annie Mathers from Hahn’s previous book, “You’d Be Mine,” who’s referenced here), that if they haven’t been set to music somewhere, then they should be. A great book to keep in mind for YA patrons who are big music fans.

This book is such a sweet book, I fell in love with the characters from the beginning. Its a coming of age for both Vada and Luke, this is the age of self discovery, of finding out where they want to be in life. I loved the humor, I am a sucker for books with Humor, especially Vada. I also love Lukes Brother and his relationship, which is amazing to read about.

I love reading romance YA books in general, but I love how Erin keeps up with the times, this day and age its not all roses, not every teen has it made, and they all go through it, especially with family.

This book was seriously NEEDED!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book!

I love a sweet love story where two people like each other but think the other one doesn’t reciprocate those feelings. It just makes the story even more sweet when the two main characters have little intimate moments together!

I love this cast of characters! Our two main characters kept me entertained and wanting more. The dancing, the music! It was just great.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-ARC of More Than Maybe in exchange for an honest review! Quotes used in this review are from the ARC & may not line up with the final copy.

I had a quarter of the book left and I was in legit fear that More Than Maybe was going to go in the direction of my biggest YA Contemporary pet peeve, thankfully -- I was sort of wrong & finished this book with zero disappointment.

As a person from Michigan, I have to squeal about what drew me in instantly. More Than Maybe takes place entirely in Ann Arbor, Michigan -- a place that I am well-acquainted with. Hearing about shenanigans taking place at the Briarwood Mall and Pinball Pete's truly warmed my heart. So, already More Than Maybe is already pretty special to me.

More Than Maybe's romance had me SCREECHIN'. Like, one of our main characters, Luke, had me absolutely blushing, and I wasn't even the one that was supposed to be swoonin'. I was 100% in love with their connection and felt so much chemistry between the two. Probably one of my favorite ships in a YA book so far.

I loved the music scene in More Than Maybe & the references to songs that I adore. However, definitely side-eyein' the Stevie Nicks hate. I was convinced that hating the Witch Queen was impossible, but Vada proved me wrong there. We love Stevie Nicks in this house.

"But you know I'm not running away from you, right?"


There are some major daddy problems in More Than Maybe; so much so, that I actually felt for our main character, Vada. However, I'd sort of consider this a found family-esque story, and I do believe that Vada ends up getting a way better life than her deadbeat father would ever be able to give.

Also!! Major kudos to the main character not holding a grudge after an argument & actually admits that it was petty & not necessarily the other person's fault!!

This was really just what I needed. Like and Vada were just the sweetest and it was so easy to lose myself in this book! The pacing was EXCELLENT and this author did and incredible job with the tension between Vada and Luke. I loved every encounter they had with each other.
I read this in one sitting..... i has to cancel my plans for the day because I COULD NOT put this down!! I also loved how there wasn’t TOO much drama going on.... I didn’t roll my eyes, or cringe. It was just the right amount! I was so tempted to just skip to the end though because I just wAnted them to figure out they were in love with each other quicker!! I’m glad I didn’t though because I would’ve missed out on and AWESOME book filled with the sweetness of first love and the magic of mucin.

This took me awhile to get into. I would not recommend it to the 5th graders because of the cursing. I would put it more at 9th grade and up possible. They would also get all the Ann Arbor references. (If they live in Michigan, GO BLUE!)

Luke and Vada are musically inclined and secretly pining for each other. Neither one will admit to the other how they feel. We switch back and forth from POV from Vada to Luke, I normally do not like this type of writing but it works here as they are usually with each other when they are switching.

Erin Hahn has done it again! After reading You'd Be Mine last year (and rereading this year), I knew I needed to read More Than Maybe. It had the same wonderful qualities as the first: loveable characters, full storyline, and phenomenal writing!

The synopsis was promising, and it completely delivered! More Than Maybe was so heartwarming and sweet –– a great summer read. Vada and Luke's relationship is an essential part of the story, but family and friendship themes and relationships take priority at times. I enjoy having the variation because a healthy relationship doesn't cut out all other ties. The story also wasn't always sunshine and rainbows –– it dealt with more nitty-gritty topics. For example, there were mentions of active shooter drills (and that fact that we actually have them). 

The characters are full of life and easily recognizable. Vada and Luke are the main characters, and the POV switches between them every chapter. Vada is the author behind the popular music blog Behind the Music. She is an introvert; however, her voice shines through in her blog posts. Many people often associate an introvert with push-over qualities, but Vada proves that belief wrong. I love that she's more of a quiet strong –– standing up for herself and others in an inobtrusive, but still firm way. One of her most significant conflicts is with her father, who left when she was young. It spans the story, and using it as a reference clearly shows how Vada came more into her person. What I also love about Vada is how straight-up, sincere, and dedicated she is. 

Luke is also on the quiet side (finally! two characters that aren't two completely opposite people). He is a twin, and identical one if I remember correctly, and making things a bit more complicated, his brother and best friend are dating. Yes, there is LGBTQ+ rep in this book, something I love seeing! Luke seems more pensive and is less of an open people person. At times, it seemed as if Luke and Cullen (his twin) were just written as opposites of each other to make up for the lack of physical differences. Thankfully, they did share some common interests (such as the podcast), which is a more realistic situation. 

I relished watching Vada and Luke's relationship grow in this story. Both have some family issues, and by the end, it was easy to see how it changed and evolved. It was not always smooth sailing, nor were their problems similar. Vada deals with a father only there when convenient, and Luke's father expects him to fill his music legend career. Their relationship was the cute and classic "I really like her and think she's cool, but I can't tell her that" "he's super cute and talented, but I don't think he'd like me back" situation. Their conversations with each other were peak cringe moments at times, but considering their personalities, it fit.

The other characters felt fully fleshed out, much like the supporting characters in You'd Be Mine! They all had their own goals and problems, even if they weren't as blatantly obvious as Vada and Luke's. It is the snarky comment here, the knowing look there that helped to bring them to life! My favorite was Phil. It is apparent while reading: Phil is such a great guy. Throughout the book, he does everything he can to support Vada and help her five-step plan come into fruition. Besides being the original owner of Behind the Music, Phil has helped to fill a mentor position in Vada's life through his extensive music industry knowledge. 

Finally, the most crucial part: the writing! Hahn did a great job overall with it; however, there were still some off moments. There are paragraphs and internal dialogue where you can just feel the emotion! It was easy to see how overwhelmed certain characters were from the run-on, single breath paragraphs. As a result, I got a better sense of what the characters were feeling, giving them more depth. The voices and dialogue were also on par with the characters' age –– at least I didn't note out of place vocabulary too much. Luke, who comes from the UK, used, from what I can tell, the corresponding British phrases and words, which helped keep me in the story.

In the novel, there were also text conversations that helped to add another element to the story. They varied in length but proved to be the perfect medium to get more character information without being too on the nose. I thought it was particularly cute how Luke and Vada would share songs. I only looked at the song title, but I bet a stronger, more nuanced message would be apparent if you had a knowledge of the song and lyrics. 

Unfortunately, there were some confusing and less-than-perfect parts in the writing as well. My most significant complaint would be descriptiveness. At times, I loved how descriptive things were described because it is what was needed. Other times, the descriptions felt like a filler, and frankly, they confused me too. An example that sticks out to me is when Vada is dancing. Hahn tries to put us in Vada's head and express the chaos and passion that she has. It was a couple of paragraphs, and I got lost and overwhelmed. I would have preferred a more simplistic, toned down moment. 

If I were to sum up More than Maybe in a couple of words, they would be fantastic and lively with strong relationships. The characters were multi-dimensional; I connected with them through writing choices, such as run-on inner thoughts. The song references in the novel and the texts between Vada and Luke always made me smile –– they were creative, and I recognized some too! And, while this book is perfect for summer because of its lightness, it touches some critical details as life isn't always perfect. Basically, Erin Hahn has yet to let me down, and I know I'll be picking up her next book! I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a contemporary romance with LGBTQ+ rep, music references, humor, and great characters.

“I’d rather lose myself in a sea of strangers than find myself one-on-one with an acquaintance” (chapter 4).

Luke is in introverted, shy artist, and Vada is confident dreamer, they’re as different as can be. Yet, both have deeply dedicated ex-musician dads, which means their upbringing and their very blood is made up of rock music. It’s the thing that connects them, and it helps them work through their fears and disappointments. Music brings the world together, and Vada and Luke are no exception.

I kinda didn’t enjoy Luke’s brother, Cullen. He was very pushy and didn’t respect his brother. He performs a “self-less” act by leaking Luke’s VERY personal song, but honestly, the fact that he didn’t listen to Luke’s desires made it feel way more like it was about what Cullen wanted. I mean, I guess typical teen stuff, a lot of teens are learning to look outside of themselves and their small world, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. I wasn’t able to attach myself to Cullen like I was to basically everyone else.

Two published books into her career and I already know that I am going to care about every single main character (and most side characters) that Hahn writes. I feel almost like a mama bird, I just want to tuck them all under my wing and tell them everything is going to be alright. I know life seems like a lot to handle right now, but trust me, Erin Hahn has it all figured it, babies. You’ll be alright. The only thing that would just nail me in as a fan girl for life is if I could actually listen to the songs her characters write. However, MAJOR plus, guys. More Than Maybe IS basically a big ol’ playlist. Next time I read this (yeah, you heard me), I’m going to read it slower and listen to every song listed.

I honestly don’t have the words to tell you how lovely this story is. I’ve been saving it because the world has been so upside-down and reading has been hard, but this book is just exploding with joy and music and romance and feelings. Luke and Vada won me over from the very beginning of their story and I devoured this book in about 2 sittings, and honestly would have read it in one if things like work and sleep hadn’t gotten in my way. 🙂

Hahn did a magnificent job with keeping the tension just right between the characters. The pacing is perfect, and there is just enough drama, just enough angst to keep you turning page after page, wanting to know when these characters will figure it out already. LoL. This book is a beautiful ride, filled with the true melody of what it’s like to be in love. I love every word, and every song woven through it.