Maybe Meant to Be has a charming premise, but the story feels rushed, and the chemistry between characters lacks depth. Missed opportunities make it fall short of delivering a memorable romance.

I did not enjoy this book. I DNFed @ 21%. I was really invested the first couple of chapters because I liked the boarding school setting, back to school for senior year, and two best friends ready to make it their best year yet. But as the story went on and all these side characters were introduced, the more confused I got and the more bored I became. I didn’t connect with any of the characters because I felt like there were way too many of them to keep track of. If the story focused mostly on Sage, Charlie, Luke, and Nick, I think I would have liked this more.

This is definitely a YA book and not necessarily my cup of tea. I have liked others from KL Walther, but this one was not her strongest and harder for me to get through. I will still continue reading novels by her and recommending others, but will not be recommending this one to friends.

The Summer I Turned Pretty meets Today, Tonight, Tomorrow in this romance where two best friends are forced to confront the truths about their friendship, identities, and relationships.

This book recently went through a cosmetic rebranding, getting a new cover and title, but it unfortunately did not go through any kind of new editing or revising. As KLW's debut novel, it makes sense that this isn't as strong as her more recent books. Which makes me wonder - why have a rerelease three years later if none of the content is updated to reflect the author's more developed writing?

This is just a little too simple, relies a little too much on stereotypes, and the best friend trope just isn't used as effectively as it could have. I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more if I read it as a teenager because it's your classic YA coming-of-age novel. But with my older age, I need a little bit more substance from my stories.

So all in all, not a terrible book, but it definitely could have been better.

I’ve really liked K.L. Walther’s other books like The Summer of Broken Rules and What Happens After Midnight, but I really struggled to get into this book and unfortunately, I had to DNF. I think a lot of people would like this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the author for this EARC :)

O livro é bem fluído e eu estou impressionada por ser um debut YA tão bom! A autora conseguiu realmente trazer o que se passa quando tu ainda não está confortavel em ser quem você é.

A história acompanha dois casais e a narração é intercalado pelos personagens Sage e Charlie, ambos "presos" num eterno "ai como vocês combinam e deveriam ficar juntos" por conta de todos ao seu redor. Mas isso muda quando Sage percebe seus sentimento por Nick, irmão do Charlie, e Chalie por Luke.

Tanto Sage como Charlie percebem o quanto eles negar aquilo que eles desejam pode afetar aqueles que tu quer ter por perto, por que acabam continuando essa farsa de 'eles foram feitos um pro outro" para proteger um ao outro. Especialmente Charlie... Eu fiquei com muita pena do Luke ali pelo 85% do livro.

As the characters grapple with societal expectations and the fear of judgment, the narrative unfolds with authenticity and depth. "Maybe Meant to Be" is a poignant exploration of love's complexities, and K. L. Walther skillfully navigates the nuances of friendship, romance, and self-discovery. With relatable characters and a richly developed plot, this novel is a must-read for those who appreciate coming-of-age stories and the enduring power of true connections

I couldn't quite get into this one, maybe I will come back to it but at the moment I just found it a bit confusing and fell flat for me.

Thank for for the eArc in exchange for my honest review!

This was cute and enjoyable! I was rather confused during the first 20% but overall am enjoyable quick read.

2.5 stars rounded up

Honestly, I am a big fan of K.L. Walther but this one fell flat for me.

Charlie and Sage are best friends since, well, birth. They're all attending a boarding school and preparing for college. Charlie and his twin brother, Nick are school athletes. Luke is a new student; he's doing a senior year victory lap because he doesn't know what he wants to do next.

The story just kind of drops you in the middle of their relationships. I felt like I was missing some important information right from the get-go. I also had trouble with Charlie and Sage's friendship and all the secrets between them. As best friends went, they really didn't seem to trust each other enough to share what was most important to them which was very frustrating at times.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was the cutest coming out story! This is a story following two different point of views from the main characters, where Sage is trying to come to terms with her romantic feelings towards her best friend and his brother, and Charlie is coming to terms with his feelings and sexuality. The author did an amazing job of describing the stress and anxiety of someone who is coming out to their friends and family. I would recommend this to anyone who is struggling to come out, as it gives hope that not everything will be negative when and if they do.

Sadly didn’t like this book at all. Could not get into it and DNF which I normally do not prefer to di

✨ 4 STARS ✨

i loved the summer of broken rules so much so naturally i was very excited to read another one of k. l. walther’s stories. while this book was hard for me to power through at times, it deserves 4 stars anyway and i loved it overall. a cutesy, young adult book about a group of kids who attend a special school and navigate their senior year.

the story alternates between two main characters sage & charlie who are best friends that everyone believes are in love. charlie dates around and sage doesn’t date at all. the story follows sage, charlie, charlie’s twin
- nick & the new boy, luke as they all develop into their love stories, creating two simultaneous romances in one.

the dynamics between all of the friendships and families are so fun and easy to love. the side characters also added a lot to the story and it is overall just a feel good, cute YA story.

- queer representation
- non traumatizing coming out
- cute besties
- twins
- dual pov
- friends to lovers

luke and charlie 🥺 luke and sage 💖 sage and her girls 🥰 sage and nick 😊 charlie and sage 🥹 charlie and nick 🤩

I unfortunately had to dnf this one. There was nothing particularly wrong with it, i just could not get into it at the moment and will possibly come back to it in the future. I would really love to give this author a try, as i see her books highly praised in all corners of the book world.

Another great YA from K.L. Walther! This was a quick and easy read. I loved the setting and loved Sage, Nick, and Charlie. It was slightly cheesy, but that never bothers me in YA's. Plus, the teenage angst was real.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC

I loved the setting within a boarding school! Overall, I felt it to be a little juvenile. Just wasn’t my cup of tea.

thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.
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This book was cute enough, I have absolutely loved every other K.L. Walther book I have read so I was super excited when this one was announced. Although I did enjoy it and found it entertaining. The story seemed very simple and was underwhelming at times. I did enjoy the characters and the relationships between each one but the plot was not not my favorite.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for another K.L Walther eARC in exchange for an honest review. I've enjoyed this author's previous books ( I have read two others), but this one just didn't do it as much for me. The writing style just isn't as sophisticated as the others. However, the MCs are enjoyable and the plot is nice, so I'd give it a go--especially if you enjoyed What Happens After Midnight since this book also takes place at a boarding school and the MCs are seniors.