More Than Maybe is the second book by Erin Hahn that I’ve read. She was a new-to-me author with You’d Be Mine, and I loved it so much, I knew More Than Maybe was going on my TBR list! I used to say that new adult romance wasn’t my thing, but so far, this author has made me change my tune (pun intended!).

NICUnurse’s Rating: It’s hard to put my finger on what it is that made me love this story so much. I’ve been sitting here trying to find the words, and if you follow any of my reviews at all, you know I usually don’t have a problem with words! Maybe suffice it to say that it was just the sum total of it all. More Than Maybe is a slow-build, friends-to-lovers story that just resonated with my music-loving soul. I loved Luke and Vada and their bond that grows over their love of music. Music has always been something that speaks to my soul and a story written about two people who are about as wrapped up in it as I am was just an automatic 1-click. And it didn’t disappoint. Despite my lack of words in this review, you should definitely dive headfirst into this story!

I give More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn 5 out of 5 stars!

I'm thrilled to have another book by Hahn as I really enjoyed her debut book, You'd Be Mine, and I'm so happy to say I loved her sophomore novel even more! This is a book Teenage Nicole would have simply loved as well, and Adult Nicole appreciates that teens now have the chance to have this book in their hands!

Picture this: 16-year old emo Nicole finding this in the bookstore and instantly wanting to buy it with her weekly allowance or begging her parents to buy it for her. Putting on her headphones to her Walkman where My Chemical Romance's Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge CD never leaves the device and reading away. Perfect bliss.

This book is everything, y'all! It's incredibly nuanced and touches on so many important things like respecting a person's privacy, what it means to be a parent, and discovering your crush. It's beautiful. I really loved the pacing of the book, too, and how the author takes care to handle each issue delicately as Vada and Luke (and the readers) face it. During the entire book I truly felt like we saw a genuine Vada and Luke and how they fit with each other. Not to mention I enjoyed reading a book that had positive parent/children and sibling relationships (minus one, sort of).

I loved Vada and Luke so much! Their entire families are wonderful! I like that their parents were actually parents but also friends at the same time and there seemed to be true respect for one another. I'm so about parents who are mushy and in love in front of their kids and this book definitely had it, lol. The way Hahn built background stories around Vada and Luke's parents added more depth and dimension to each individual. Vada and Luke also were very determined in what they wanted for their future and while some of it was thwarted during the book, they didn't stray or feel pressured by those around them to make a different choice. I will say, though, I felt a little disconnected when the two attended school mainly because that wasn't the main setting of the novel. Hence, Vada's other hobby felt rather distant.

*insert me YouTubing all the songs mentioned* Some I knew, and some I did not! I am all for contemporary books included some form of texting since it's such a common thing now, and so I loved how that was incorporated in this book. Every time I put this book down to do something, I wanted to pick it right back up again. This was simply such an enjoyable, wonderful read and one I can't wait to add to my personal library. Please do yourself a favor and pick up this book if you're a fan of YA contemporary.

I love music. And I love good books about music and/or musicians. And Erin Hahn's sophomore novel, More Than Maybe, is a GREAT book about music and musicians.

This is a totally meet-cute romance novel. Luke and Vada have been secretly crushing on each other for years. Vada works at her mother's boyfriend's bar, Loud Lizard, and Luke and his twin brother Cullen record their podcast at the bar's sound booth. Cullen and Luke's father is an ex-punk rocker who would love nothing more than to push Luke into the music business - he has the talent to be a star, but lacks the desire. He loves to write, but not perform.

Vada loves to dance, but as therapy. She writes a music blog and hopes to become a music journalist. So when Vada's dance class pairs up with Luke's composition class to participate in the Senior Showcase, Luke chooses Vada as his partner and things progress (or not?) from there.

I love the way Vada and Luke communicate by texting youtube videos to each other. I love all the relationships depicted in the book - Vada's deadbeat dad and awesome mom, Phil the bar owner, Cullen and his boyfriend Zach (who happens to be Luke's best friend, too), the twins' relationships with their parents. It's so intertwined and well driven and the plot is perfectly paced right down to the HEA ending (because after all, it IS a romance!).

If you like music and you like romance, you need this book.

Vada knows exactly what she wants out of life. Even though she’s still finishing her senior year, she’s got her music review blog that gets quoted by nationally respected sources, she’s working at a dive bar with good concerts, and she’s got her eyes on a music journalism degree and then Rolling Stone magazine. And she has her eye on podcasting skateboarder Luke Greenly, but that’s just a distraction. An adorable distraction, with a British accent. But still, a distraction. And anyway, he barely knows who she is.

Luke and his twin brother are the sons of punk rocker Charlie Greenly of Bad Apples. The boys grew up in pubs across England, and now that they’ve settled in Michigan, the boys have had to find things of their own. They started their podcast, with their “dreamy” English accents, where they talk about life, music, school, and whatever. They record the podcast in the sound booth at a dive bar, the one where Luke’s crush works. But he’s pretty close-mouthed about that, as his last girlfriend recorded their kiss for Instagram, and he’s really a pretty private person.

Luke is hanging out at the bar after a podcast recording session when Vada needs help. She had begged her boss for more responsibility, so he let her close the bar on Sunday nights. But then one of her bartenders needed to bail, and Vada was short-staffed on her first night as manager. Having spent so much time in pubs through his life, Luke offers to jump in and help. Vada makes an executive decision and hires him on the spot. Luke loves having something of his own, no twin, no father, no expectations, and immediately feels at home at the bar. Vada’s first closing night is a success, and she loves how easily Luke has slid into his new role behind the bar.

As Vada and Luke spend more time together, they get to know each other’s tastes, dreams, frustrations, and they truly become friends. They text each other songs from YouTube, discovering that they share a way of seeing the world through music and wanting to share that magic with others. But as life gets more complicated, will their crushes have a chance to deepen into something more, or will life prove itself too difficult for love?

More Than Maybe is a totally adorable music-centric rom com about teenagers in Michigan who are more grown up than some adults I know (and some adults they know). This is just a delightful, charming story that wins you over with great characters, fun dialogue, and zesty music. Author Erin Hahn delivers a complex but winning dance that takes you back to high school, but only mostly for the good parts. If you’re into YA fiction, rom coms, music, or great writing, then you need to check out this book! It’s as inspiring as your favorite playlist and as fun as dancing with your best mates.

Egalleys for More Than Maybe were provided by St. Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books) through NetGalley, with many thanks.

A love story written by someone who I imagine is obsessed with matching moments to music, this is a contemporary that deserves to be fallen in love with.
Our main characters are Luke Greenly, son of a rather famous British punk musician, and Vada Carsewell, daughter to an ex-musician and determined to follow her dreams of being a music journalist. Luke, along with his twin Callum, hosts a regular podcast and Vada is desperately trying to help keep her boss’s bar afloat (not least because it forms a major part of her plans). It could only be this way, but each harbours a secret crush...on each other...so we get to watch as they get thrown together for a college assignment and then start to develop their relationship.
Alongside the love story between these two, we get a lot of attention on their family set-ups as they’re instrumental to the choices these two make. Some of the characters are more appealing than others, but the general vibe is a positive one that you can’t help but smile at. I defy anyone not to be full of love, rainbows and sparkly unicorns (or whatever else signifies happiness to you) by the closing moments.
What made this book stand out for me though was the obvious love of music and the significance it can hold for us as we go about our business. Huge thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication, and now I need to go and dig out some old music!

Fantastic! If you are looking for a light-hearted, summer beach read, this is the one for you! I may have felt such a strong attachment to this book because I completely relate to the characters' love of music. Especially live music, which I miss horribly right now due to all the gathering restrictions.

I was initially concerned that this might be too much flighty teenage romance but there is lots of growth and maturity in the short story. Language is strong throughout, so might not be for younger readers. I thoroughly enjoyed this YA novel!

Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 20%. I’m not sure why but I’m just not connecting to this one. I set it down and then am not interested to pick it back up after almost a week am only 20% into the story. I think this is more a case of my quarantine reading and less about the book but this isn’t for me right now. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance reading copy.

Erin Hahn brings us another teenager romance that was incredibly relatable and easy to love. While You'd Be Mine focused on characters who created music and then performed their music on stage and rode the path of fame with all of its ups and downs, More Than Maybe focuses on the people who listen and feel the music, but don't necessarily want to ride the road to fame. More Than Maybe centers around 2 main characters, Vada and Luke who are two "ordinary" teenagers who just happen to live and breathe music. You'd Be Mine focused primarily on country music performers, while More Than Maybe revolves around rock music lovers with no desire to perform. I compare these two because while they sound very similar (aside from the music genre and the who appreciating the music), these two books are in fact very different.

Hahn has now established herself as a writer who can craft a romance with all the feels, but also bring us characters so full of life they could walk right off the page and go to coffee with you. However, she was able to show us that she's not just talented at writing heart throb singers with tragic pasts and the all the moving parts of the music industry. In More Than Maybe, Hahn shows us that she can write dynamic families with each member just as memorable as the main characters, lovable and interesting best friends, side characters who still make a mark, and an incredibly and 100% relatable love story.

The first thing that stood out to me while reading this book was the love story. Both Vada and Luke have huge crushes on each other, but neither ones know. There was no unrequited love where one side loved the other more at first before it equaled out. It was genuinely just two teenagers who had huge crushes but were too awkward and shy to do anything about it. On top of that, their chemistry was off the charts. They had all the makings of two people who were seriously made for each other, and every interaction felt natural. It really felt like I was watching (and cheering on) my two friends as they fell in love with each other. And when they finally get end up together, it wasn't so slow burn you were going "Finally!" but it wasn't so fast that you were like "ugh. so wouldn't happen in real life." It just happened at the right speed.

I can gush all day about this book because it was truly amazing. It made me smile. It made want to hold the book close to my chest. It made me want to shove it into everyone's hands and force them to read it. That's how much I loved this book. I can honestly say it is going to be one of my top books of 2020 if not ever.

3.5*

More Than Maybe was a cute, fun, sweet read. For the most part it was light-hearted, but both Luke and Vada had some family issues that weighed heavily on them, and brought some seriousness to the book. I think that helped to make this a well-rounded story.

I’m not much in the way of a true music fan, so a lot of the songs and artists mentioned in the book kind of went over my head, at least the more recent stuff- give me 70s and 80s tunes and I’m there! In saying that, it really didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story at all. I liked how Vada and Luke shared their thoughts through songs, I think that was a cute way for them to communicate and get to know each other.

I really enjoyed the entire cast of characters, except Marcus of course! Vada’s mom, Phil, her friends, Luke and his family and friends, they all played integral parts to the story and weren’t just there as filler. They helped move the story along and show both Vada and Luke in different lights.

Luke and Vada were very sweet together. They crushed on each other without knowing the other was feeling the same way, and that was the cutest thing. The romance was a definite slow burn, but I liked the journey to get there. Overall I thought More Than Maybe was a very entertaining YA read. There wasn't the typical over the top drama you find a lot in YA, it was just a nice story about 2 young people figuring things out and finding their way

Fans of Tweet Cute by Emma Lord , More than Maybe is your next fun and lighthearted read. This is a friend-to-lover romance, a perfect summer read. I truly enjoyed the experience because this book made me work for it, and I mean that in the best possible way. It's more like a fun scavenger hunt than actual work. I can’t say much without spoilers, so you’ll have to read it :)

I’ll be totally honest: I was very neutral in a way on the author’s first book, She’d Be Mine. I didn’t think the story was for me, but I could tell that it was truly more of a personal choice. Because of that, I decided to give this story a try, and it truly exceeded my expectations. The first thing I would say is that this is a super cute story with some witty banter and colorful characters.

Vada is a passionate music blogger who deals with the pressure of finding a way to pay her college tuition and a parent who is causing more trouble than anything else. Vada sets everything in motion to reach her goals, but she finds quite a few obstacles along the way. In the meantime, fate meddles, and her crush is now working with her. Luke is an introvert who hates attention. He is a very gifted composer and singer, but his extrovert family has expectations for him that aren’t aligned with what he wants. But one day, he decides to take matters in his own hands and go after what he truly wants.

The supporting characters are as amazing as our two music lovers. I particularly enjoyed reading about Phil. I even wanted to hug him by the end of the book and just hang out there with the crowd. I love this story and, to tie back to what I mentioned earlier, the research done is actually very entertaining.

There is a lot of references to various songs, bands, and music genre. Half of it didn’t speak to me, but I loved the passion for music that the two main characters shared. They speak their own language in a way. This romance is definitely a slow burn and one that blossoms in such a beautiful way. There are elements that reminded me of Tweet Cute, which is a book I really enjoyed reading too, so if you’ve read this book and enjoyed it, I’m positive you will love this one.

Well, between that cover and the synopsis, I was sold on this one and I'm happy to report that it delivered for me.

I loved Vada and Luke. They're both so passionate about music and I love love loved that they spoke to each other in lyrics. Vada's mom and Luke's parents were all fantastic, not to mention Vada's mom's boyfriend and Luke's twin. It's always great to see present and positive parents and while these family members weren't all sunshine and rainbows, it showed a supportive set.

Plot wise, it was good. Lots of yearning and I am absolutely here for that sort of thing. Of course, I wanted more kissing, but the music legit sustained me. The way Vada and Luke talk about how lyrics and melody relate to a person had me nodding along and fuck if I don't want to hang out with these kids who could definitely come up with a life altering playlist.

Overall, this was everything I could have wanted and makes the list of my top 10 of 2020.

**Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for providing the arc free of charge**

Wow, wow, wow! For her sophomore offering, Erin Hahn hit it out of the park. While I enjoyed her debut novel, You’d Be Mine, this one is even better.

Let’s start with location. This is the thing about the story that won’t speak to everyone the same way it spoke to me, but as a Michigan girl I loved that the book is set in Ann Arbor. So, right from the start, there were bonus points from me.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way, let me tell you about the connections. This story is about Vada and Luke, but I’m going to talk about other connections first. Vada was raised by her mom with her dad being more on the periphery. He’s a sometimes drunk with a new wife and twin toddlers who couldn’t wait until Vada’s 18th birthday so he could stop paying child support. He shows up in her life when it’s convenient for him…for babysitting, to lecture her, to try to steer her life to his liking. In other words, the man will be no help when it comes to her college tuition. On the other hand, her mom’s boyfriend Phil has always been there for Vada. Even when her mom and Phil were friends and nothing more, Phil has supported Vada’s hopes and dreams to the best of his ability. Not only does Phil champion Vada, he is also a champion of any rising talent he sees. His bar/club doesn’t make tons of money, but he gives many bands a venue they wouldn’t otherwise have. He helps young adults like Luke and his brother by providing them a place to record their podcast. He puts on a summer concert series to help bring music to his community. Phil is an all-around great guy and I loved watching him interact with all of the young people in his orbit.

As for the connection between Vada and Luke, it’s perfect. Not as in perfect, no flaws. As in perfect because it comes across the way it should. Two 18-year-old high school seniors who know what they want but are still unsure of themselves. The author writes their insecurities so beautifully it brought back memories of high school for me, and that was a very long time ago. Both Vada and Luke have a certain innocence about them when it comes to matters of the heart. I loved watching them forge a strong bond in friendship, not wanting to scare the other off so taking it slow. It was touching and gave me all the feels. Here’s an example of the amazingness of these two, a thought straight from Luke’s brain. “Science has shown, once you start noticing constellations in freckles, you’re fucked.” Gah!!! Yes!!! I love it!

There are so many complicated family relationships in this story. Luke has a twin brother who is wonderful but does a boneheaded thing thinking he’s helping. Luke’s parents are amazing, but his dad truly doesn’t understand him and, like his brother, does some idiotic things along the way. I feel as though Luke is really misunderstood by his whole family. Not because they’re bad people, but because they are different from him and have a hard time wrapping their heads around his introverted nature.

Before I wrap this up, I have to address the music. I am someone who loves music. I’m always humming and singing without even realizing it. But I know nothing about music. I’m also the type that is super curious and cannot just read the title of a song and keep reading if I don’t know what song is being referenced. Most of the music reference throughout this story is well-known, I’m just not good at artists and titles. I had to laugh at myself when I would look up a song and realize I knew the song, but sang it all the time. The author does a great job of giving a wide variety of genres that are known, but not the most popular of that artist. And once I got super excited when she referenced one of my favorite bands, Guster, which I find not many people know. (Again, I’m not expert. I only know them because many years ago they opened for another band I was seeing in concert and I fell in love with their music.)

This story was a lot of fun along with the young adult angst. I cannot wait to read more by this author. She has a knack for digging deep while keeping the reader engaged and not overwhelming the senses. I’ll be recommending this one to many.

Whenever I’m reviewing an ARC, I highlight on my Kindle app and make notes for favorite quotes and scenes.

I had 101 highlights.

More Than Maybe is absolutely phenomenal. Please excuse me while I fangirl over the writing.

This novel had an aspect to the writing that doesn’t often occur in books – a spark. At one point in the story, a character is referred to as a firecracker and honestly, that’s what reading this book felt like. The pacing was on fire in the best way.

I read it in one sitting and ended up staying up until 2 AM to finish the book. I literally cancelled my classes for the next morning so I could stay up and binge-read the book. It’s just that good – or, as they say in the book, a five-eyes-closed experience.

And oh, the characters. The characters. Vada and Luke had such strong voices, there was never any confusion as to who was talking even when I was way too absorbed in the story to notice the chapter markers of who’s point of view it is. Vada, with her witty sarcasm and determined drive inside of her. Luke, with his adorable shyness and journey to finding his own voice in writing. I also high-key related to Vada’s best friend Meg, who reminded me so very much of myself with her quirky sayings and cheerful disposition.

More Than Maybe also had an incredible way of weaving incredibly poignant lines into casual conversation. It felt like the words were settling into my heart and I’ll carry them with me -much like the music in the story.

Also, I have to take a moment to talk about Vada’s relationship with her parents. Erin Hahn’s skill with writing teenagers and knowing exactly what it feels like already has astounded me, but the way the characters interacted with parents was amazing. It’s so refreshing to see a character who gets along with her mother and both loves and supports her mother’s boyfriend. I teared up several times, to be honest.

More Than Maybe was just….amazing. I’d give it six stars if that was an option. Thank you, Erin Hahn, for writing one of my new favorite books that has moved me and touched my heart.

Did anyone else not know this was a YA book before picking it up? No? Just me because I never pay attention? Oops. That’s totally fine with me because this year I’ve discovered my newfound love for Young Adult books and this one definitely lived up to the hype. It’s a refreshing love story that showcases two music lovers in Ann Arbor, MI - complete with texting each other YouTube clips of songs based on their mood towards each other. I was here for it. I loved being able to see their relationship grow from awkward friends into more and the ending may or may not have given me goosebumps. It’s an adorable and quick romance read that I highly recommend as a pallet cleanser in between some heavier books.

This story will have readers recalling their first major high school crush and smiling at and rooting for high school seniors Luke and Vada as they navigate their first non-date silent dance party and the ever-increasing connection between them. More Than Maybe is a sweet read about taking chances and finding oneself.

Vada and Luke have long harbored crushes for each other, but neither have braved to start a conversation. Although Luke is incredibly shy, he shares parts of his life in a podcast co-hosted with his brother. This is how Vada gets to know him and his taste in music. Likewise, Luke has gotten to know Vada through her blog posts about music. When they finally begin to get to know each other, it's a sublimely sweet, slow-burn crossover from friendship to something more.

One of my favorite things about this reading experience is how Erin Hahn uses some very clever devices to convey the communication channels between these two, whether it be texts pointing each other to YouTube video's or blog posts. The flirty messages are wonderful, the heart-felt confessions about life events, disappointments, their goals, and how important they've become to each other, show the reader their emotions.

The cast of secondary characters, Luke's brother Cullen, his best friend Zach, and their families alike contribute much to the humor and direction of the story. I highly recommend this smart and YA read. 4 Stars!

More Than Maybe by Erin Hahn has my heart!
This YA romance was just what I needed for my lakeside vacation a few weeks ago! It's filled with music and heart, and drives with the strength of a bass line! I adored the characters - their realistic flaws and fears holding them back from what they want most in the world. This messy and hopeful coming of age story is so uplifting, you'll want to start it over once you've finished it!

Happy Book Birthday, Erin Hahn! And thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Let’s dive into this YA Romcom of a book!

Rants, Raves, and Reviews
Okay, as someone who is both a podcaster and a blogger, I was immediately down for a rom-com story between the two types. While I was hoping for something a little more similar to You’ve Got Mail vibes, I did enjoy the story here! Vada and Luke are passing acquaintances in school and because of the bar that brings them together (a bar owned by Vada’s mom’s boyfriend who has recording space he lends to the Greenly twins for their podcast!) Really, it was hard for me not to be hooked on this story idea.

I like the struggle both teens have outside of love issues. Vada is dealing with an emotionally abusive and narcissistic father who happens to be the reason she has her love for music. Luke has all the skill and ability to be a famous musician, but absolutely hates the spotlight and popularity, something his family of extroverts cannot quite understand. The book focuses more on these issues rather than a ton of “BUT DOES HE LIKE ME?!” Rather, the romance building between the two is more of a “I think they like me, but I’m not going to try and rock the boat on this awesome budding friendship.” It isn’t a lack of communication that causes everything to go awry, it feels more of a natural love story.

That being said, I definitely enjoyed this book because of my ability to relate to Vada. Her relationship with her father rang very true in my head, though if it helps, my relationship has definitely improved with my own father as I’ve gotten older. And I do appreciate that no one actively tells Vada that he’s her father, she needs to give him infinite second chances, especially while Vada does struggle with that concept internally.

I did have a few issues with this book, as I do with most. There is a lot of church and religious chatter that I didn’t quite understand? Vada’s mom and best friend are both super religious, which just took me out of the book every time it is mentioned? I really worried there was going to be a “talk to Jesus about these problems with your dad and/or relationship with Luke” but there isn’t. It does serve as more of how her mom copes with her terrible dad, but it makes her best friend Meg come off more and more like a manic pixie dream girl.

And on Luke’s side, his twin brother is gay. He’s been dating the star athlete for ever, and it isn’t a thing in the school. Everyone loves them and is rooting for them. And we are told this repeatedly. Like the author really wanted to make sure you understand that everyone in this town is super cool with the head-power-couple is gay. Because did you know that his twin brother is gay and they’re homecoming kings together? It’s ….a lot. While I appreciate the attempt to normalize queer characters, it feels like it swung hard the opposite direction of I AM GOING TO MAKE SURE TO REPEATEDLY TELL YOU THIS IS SO ACCEPTABLE DID YOU REALIZE?

I also had some issues with the formatting of the book and the jump arounds….which is likely because it was an ARC rather than on the author. It did take me a few chapters to settle in with the author’s writing style….especially trying to figure out who Phil is.

Final Thoughts
I am so glad that there is officially a romance book between a podcaster and a blogger! I can’t wait to see more of this. This book also heavily relies on music (which my love of music is pretty bad compared to most?) and I was really glad to find out that there is a Spotify playlist!

If you need a cute romcom that feels a little more realistic, give this one a shot.

Recently I read Erin Hahn’s debut You’d Be Mine and I really enjoyed it. It hit all of the notes I love in a good YA book. It had music and road trips and good friends and relationship drama. I immediately became a fan of Hahn was I was really excited to have More Than Maybe to look forward to. Another book dealing with music and family relationships? Sign me up. And I can report not only did it also hit all the notes, it hit me straight in the feels.

More Than Maybe is a delightful story about Vada and Luke. Vada has been checking off things on her 5 year plan and almost exactly where she wants to be. She is working at the job she wanted, she is writing music reviews on the blog she was determined to take over and get into UCLA’s music program. She is well on her way to her dream of getting an internship at Rolling Stone. And then there is Luke. Luke knows one thing, he has no interest in being a punk rock legend like his father and is happy writing songs and doing his podcast with his twin brother. Everything is going right for Luke and Vada until it isn’t. Between Vada’s horrible father making life harder for than it needs to be and Luke going viral thanks to his brother, the two of them end up leaning on each other more and more. Suddenly what starts out as a crush becomes something they could never have dreamed of.

Full disclosure, I didn’t start out loving More Than Maybe. I actually struggled a lot in the beginning. It wasn’t clicking for me and I didn’t find myself wanting to read more. And then I hit 20% and the magic happened for me. Luke and Vada had a genuine conversation and I was hooked. Suddenly I was in love with everything about the book (minus one random part about religion I didn’t understand the point of) and I didn’t want it to end. And it wasn’t just Luke and Vada I loved. It was Vada and Luke’s boss Phil, and Luke’s twin Cullen and Cullen’s boyfriend Zack. It was Vada’s mother Mary and her best friend Meg. It was Luke and Cullen’s parents. Everyone in this book made this story what it was and made me fall in love with it. All of these characters supported each other and owned up to mistakes and just loved one another and it was perfect.

In the end More Than Maybe was a gem of a book I was hoping for but not expecting. It was heartfelt and smart and entertaining. It was a perfect character driven story and I loved what it made me feel as I was reading. Make sure you pick this one up so you can fall in love with Vada and Luke like I did. Highly recommend this one.

When I read this author’s debut novel, You’d Be Mine, I knew I was going to keep an eye out for her next release. I wrote in that review about “my love for the poetry in her lyrics” and she again captures those same emotions with her lyrics in More Than Maybe. However, More Than Maybe has a completely different tone and got to the heart of the love story sooner which made me love it just a tad bit more.

What can I say about these characters? I can’t help but start with their names. Vada Carsewell and Luke Greenly sound like they should be the hero’s in a Cassandra Clare novel wielding magical swords, instead of magical lyrics. Despite those otherworldly names, I found these characters very down to earth. Vada’s vast knowledge of music and lyrics was fascinating to a woman (me) who can’t remember the titles of her favorite songs. I loved how she and Luke used song titles and lyrics to hint at their emotions and level up the tension to their romance. Luke’s shy charm and interest in composing rather than performing only made him an even more perfect fit for Vada. They were a very easy pair to fall for and from their first text exchange I was all in.

The title ‘More Than Maybe‘ coincidentally was exactly how I felt as I settled into this novel. I had medium expectations from having read Erin Hahn’s first novel and some hesitations over whether she could follow up such a great debut with another hit. My hope for a ‘More Than Maybe’ story quickly changed as I got caught up in this music themed YA novel. Maybe this author should re-title the book ‘Better Than Good’? Or Much Greater Than Average? Just kidding, the title is more than apropos for what happens in the story, but my feelings upon finishing it were “Much Greater Than Expected” and I was very pleased with that discovery. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

I received a copy of this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

Erin Hahn has officially become one of my favorite contemporary author. More Than Maybe is my first book of hers, so I went into it without really knowing anything, but Erin Hahn somehow manage to exceed all of it.

This book follows Vada, a music blogger and aspiring music journalist, and Luke, a songwriter who only loves to write songs but not perform it. They both met during joint composition-dancing class, and they both worked together at a bar. So to put it simply, More Than Maybe is a love letter to music. From their texts to their activities, all involve music in one way or another. Music is everywhere in this book, and as someone who loves listening to music, this made me enjoy the book more. I have to admit that I didn’t recognize some of the songs mentioned in here, but honestly it’s more fun that I could discover new songs while reading.

While music enhance my enjoyment toward this book, it’s actually the romance that made me love this book. I think Erin Hahn manage to perfectly capture the feeling of teenage love, in the sweetest and realest way possible. Based on the summary, I originally thought it’s only Luke that has a crush on Vada since the beginning, but turns out they both have a crush on each other. It’s definitely a nice surprise, and you can imagine all the longing/pining/yearning this book has (spoiler alert : a lot). Erin has such a way with writing that the whole time I read this book, it feels like I’m the one who become friends-and-then-something-more with my crush.

This book also tackles the subject about family, particularly toxic relationship between Vada and her father. Getting out of toxic relationship is no easy task, especially with a family, but I think Erin Hahn handle this subject quite well and resolve it clearly. There’s also the matter between Luke and his father, since his father didn’t approve of Luke’s dream to write songs but never perform it. This subject wasn’t really discussed a lot here, but again, I think Erin wrap this problem nicely.

All in all, More Than Maybe is a story about loves and relationship, imbued by music. If you’re a fan of soft-and-slow romance, I highly recommend this book to you.