The book revolves around Jo, a single mother of a teenaged daughter and a thirteen year old autistic and intellectually disabled, mostly non-verbal boy; for the last ten years and counting, since her ex-husband walked out over their son’s diagnoses, Jo has kept her family and their world together by her fingertips. Change is hard on them all, and now that Jackson is in middle school, Jo can’t seem to keep all the balls in the air anymore.

Of course this is when Gavin–handsome, fit, charming, almost-a-decade-younger Gavin–walks into her life, and everything becomes exponentially more complicated.

For everyone.

Beware: people being awful to an autistic boy having a meltdown in public; parent walking out of children’s lives; minor character being in a years-long affair with her married boss; there’s some heavy petting, but no explicit sex on the page.

Despite the amazing cover, I confess that I wasn’t so sure about requesting this ARC; I am not a fan of the “older woman, younger man” trope when it comes to genre romance, as I struggle to believe in a HEA for such a pairing. (see footnote 1). I also tend to be leery of autistic representation in fiction unless recommended by someone who are themselves autistic–a lot of commercially successful media caters to misconceptions and stereotyping, and I’d rather not contribute to it by ignorantly praising bad representation.

On the other hand, I once was a divorced mother who had to go advocate for her offspring at school more than once; the author has two autistic children with intellectual disabilities herself, so I knew that at least that aspect of the story should be fairly grounded.

The writing voice is very smooth, very engaging; each time I started reading, I got lost in the story for at least a couple of hours.

At first, I struggled to believe that Jo could make a living as a travel agent (remote, she works from home, entirely online and mostly through word of mouth); the contrast between all the scheduling precision and myriad details necessary not just to plan a vacation to somewhere off-the-beaten track, but do it well enough your clients recommend your services to their friends, and the utter chaos of their home life seems impossible to reconcile.

Of course, that’s exactly the point: as the story starts, Jo is barely holding things together.

It’s not only that Jackson’s transition to middle school has been, to put it mildly, problematic, and that school districts’ relationship with parents, especially parents of children with special needs, is usually adversarial (see footnote 2), or that Kayla is now in full teenage girl mode.

It’s the cumulative effect of almost a decade of non-stop stress, doing the best you can, with the knowledge you have at the time, always wondering what you are doing wrong, always tracing any and all setbacks back to a decision you made. Bit by bit, you start letting non-essential things go by the wayside–and usually the first “non-essential” thing to go is the parent themselves.

“When you were a caregiver, you had to put on your own oxygen marks before helping someone else put on theirs. …she was supposed to go out, and shower, and do hobbies, and not be all autism, all the time. But Gavin asking her out was the first time in a long time she’d felt like she was invited to something so far afield from the reality she swirled in–the diagnoses and snarky teenager and frozen pizzas and absent ex-husband. … Going out on a date with him felt less like some pastel, pamphlet-prerscribed version of self-care than sticking a middle finger up at the world. And she liked that.” (Chapter 18, Jo’s point of view)

I was very uncomfortable with how the relationship between Josephine and Gavin starts; they begin flirting over his work email while the whole bomb over Jackson’s classroom/school placement is about to go off. It’s true that they both acknowledge the ethics violation that’s going on; his job is to, essentially, move her son as a chess piece, to wherever is more cost-efficient for the district, whether it’s the best fit for Jackson or not is in actuality not the school’s primary consideration.

But flirt they do, and eventually find themselves in an honest-to-goodness relationship. At first, it’s a secret relationship, for obvious reasons, and this creates its own set of problems. Ms Andrew uses the need for secrecy to her advantage, having the characters take long car rides in lieu of public dates.

After a while, Gavin comes clean to his boss–he’s dating the parent of one of the children he’s supposed to ‘serve’ (place for the school district)–and the fact that he’s not fired on the spot was the second hardest to believe aspect of the book for me.

An added complication is that Gavin is Jewish, with parents who expect him to marry a good young Jewish girl, preferably from a family they know and approve of; there’s some space given to the pressure their expectations put on him, and how they conflict with his choice, and so on, but the resolution felt a bit too facile.

There are lots of little funny and sweet moments, as well as a few heartbreaking ones; the realities of single parenthood, let alone the caregiving of someone with special needs, aren’t glossed over. Teenage rebellion, public meltdowns, financial struggles, and more, it’s all on the page.

Eventually, all the chickens come home to roost, leading to a third act separation and final reconciliation that, while sweet, I couldn’t quite believe in once I finished reading.

The author works hard to justify Gavin’s decision to pursue a relationship with Jo, despite the thorny ethical issues and the potentially catastrophical professional consequences for him, as something almost beyond his control, because he’s so powerfully attracted to her.

I cannot say I was fully convinced, partly because of my personal bias, partly because Gavin feels written as wish-fulfillment; he’s almost like John Denver’s character in Oh, God: too good to feel true. (Obligatory Wikipedia link here for those too young to get the reference)

He’s a loving son and sibling who left a highly profitable career to work in public education so that he can help kids. He’s always concerned with respecting Jo’s boundaries, and asks for clarification often, to make sure he’s doing what she wants and needs. He’s great with both Jackson–who immediately develops an emotional attachment to him, despite Jackson’s usual difficulty relating with men–and Kayla, winning the latter over during a particular difficult moment for her. Even when telling Jo a few truths she doesn’t want to hear, he’s calm and careful not to hurt her feelings.

Mind you, I know people–including straight cis men–who are this to-the-marrow good and decent, but even they get occasionally bent out of shape, or angry, or say something bitter.

Not Gavin. The only time he gets angry, is at himself, for causing Jo pain (in the situation that leads to the late separation)

It’s a lot easier to believe why Jo would become involved with him; beyond the “attractive, fit, charming” bit, there’s the fact that Gavin approaches her knowing not only that she’s older, divorced, and a mother of two: he is aware, at least on paper, of the complexities of her life. He knows, at least on paper, that autistic, non-verbal, intellectually disabled children generally need care all of their lives in a way that other children don’t. And he still wants to be with her!

I really liked Jo’s character arc; she struggles with change as much as Jackson does, but over the course of the story she comes to realize that she needs to loosen up in some areas, to accept help and, more importantly, to ask for it. From beginning to end, Jo puts her children first; what changes is her realization that she needs to listen better to learn what they want and need.

Kayla is also very well written; she’s very much a teenage girl who’s living through all the emotional and hormonal changes of the age, while also very aware of how much the family’s life revolves around Jackson’s needs; there’s a heartbreaking conversation late in the novel where Kayla tells Jo that she knows that, eventually, she will be the one taking care of Jackson for the rest of his life.

I cannot vouch for Jackson’s characterization as I lack direct personal experience, but it felt right to me; he doesn’t come across as a sum of clichés or stereotypes, either of behavior and skills, or reactions, but as an individual. The only contrivance, to me, was his sudden and deep attachment to Gavin; it felt too much as a sign of “this is a good man, children love him, see?”

There are a number of secondary characters surrounding these four; from Gavin’s very Jewish parents to Jo’s support group, from Kayla’s sleaze of a boyfriend to their neighbors; some of them are there to fulfill specific plot needs–sounding board, Fairy Godmother, non-demanding helpful friend, and so on–while others have a bit more substance. Their existence helps ground the story and give the Palladino family a community.

In the end, I am not sure how I feel about this book. The writing is good and easy, the characterizations competent, the message lovely. I read it quite quickly, in just a couple of sittings, and while I was reading I was on board with the both the premise and the relationship; yet as soon as I was done, the artificiality of the plot and characters became too evident.

Maybe She Will gets a 8 out of 10, mostly because the author doesn’t shy from showing the messy, complicated realities of Jo’s family, of Jackson’s and Kayla’s needs, with the caveat, again, that I was not convinced by the Jo/Gavin relationship.

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1 Every couple I’ve known personally where the woman is older by more than a couple of years, has ended up with the younger man leaving; sometimes after a handful of years, sometimes after a decade plus, but in the end, all have left. This hampers my suspension of disbelief for such a pairing in contemporary stories (for some reason I don’t understand myself, I find it easier to buy in historical romances).

2 The ostensible mission of public schools in the U.S. is to serve its children, but that was not my experience, and that has never been the experience of any parent I’ve known who had to advocate for their children. Individual teachers and administrators do the best they can, but the system is not there to help all children; those who don’t conform one way or another are generally given short shrift.

Maybe She Will is a poignant tale of love, loss, and second chances. With authentic characters and emotional depth, it's a compelling read that captures the essence of women's fiction. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a friend.

Josephine, a 41-year-old single mother, finds herself immersed in the complexities of parenting. With a teenage daughter and an autistic son, her life is a whirlwind of responsibilities. Currently, she's embroiled in a battle with the special education department at Jackson's new school, tirelessly advocating for his needs.

The story takes us on Josephine's poignant journey, offering a glimpse into the challenges of raising a child on the autism spectrum. Compounded by the demands of single parenthood and navigating the typical teenage years with her daughter,

This emotionally charged book had me laughing, shedding tears, and eagerly turning pages late into the night, driven by my desire to uncover what awaited Josephine next.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and Writer G.G. Andrew, LLC for the opportunity to experience this heartfelt and compelling narrative.

This is my first time of giving an honest review as an exchange for an advanced reader copies from NetGalley. I am truly grateful and feel nervous at the same time.

I was delighted to read this book because of the description that mentioned 'an autistic son'. I am not sure why, but I truly love reading anything related to spectrum disorder. For me, autism is not only about being less sensitive to emotions, less eye contact, being isolated from people, agarophobia, feeling overwhelmed with surroundings, boring routine in life, hating changes, the same menu for food in life, etc. but autism is a spectrum disorder that we need to celebrate with together, holding hands in hands to be with them because they are Different Not Less.

Therefore, in conjunction with the #autismacceptancemonth, reading a book about it makes me feel closer and have a better understanding of what autism is.

Interestingly, this book is different. It does not only focus on autism, yet it talks about the life of a single mother who has to handle her two children, which requires her attention at various levels.

One is an autistic son, Jackson, who needs to be under her surveillance 24/7 and, the other one is her teenage daughter, Kayla, who is full of temperament.

Though it may look chaotic, the story is really enjoyable to read because you will find joy in each one of them and the presence of a thirty-two-year-old guy in this storyline made it more amusing.

After finishing reading this book, it makes me realize the feelings of a single mother with a disabled child. I don't blame Josephine in this story for being over-protective by her children. At the same time, it felt really grateful to have Gavin here because his existence brings a difference to the family life.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

If you are looking for a story of a family life with a disability child plus romance and humor, this book is yours!

BOOK: MAYBE SHE WILL
AUTHOR: GINA ANDREWS
PUB DATE: APRIL 2024
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was amazing. When I started, I was skeptical because I thought I would like it because it was over 300 pages, but I devoured all the pages. It was never slow for me, and I liked every single page.
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This is the first book that I read that realistically showed how it is to be a parent to a special needs child. Our FMC, Josephine, is a mother to two kids, one of them on the autism spectrum. The author did not mince words when describing Jackson, and it made me understand him better. My favorite part of this book was Josephine's zeal in fighting for her son's rights. At the end of the day, I liked the author's decision at the end of the book
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Our MMC, Gavin was the 'enemy', he works with special needs kids and was trying to change Jackson's class. I liked him because he was exactly what Josephine needed, and he's a good guy. I also liked his zeal for his job and his family members.
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I liked that the forbidden Romance was not overplayed. When they started dating, both of them came clean immediately. There was no running behind everyone to go for dates or something like that. I liked their relationship, how Josephine was able to rediscover herself and let go thanks to Gavin and her daughter, Kayla. It can be tasking taking care of a special needs kid, and I liked that she was able to prioritize herself. I also liked the support groups of the parents.
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This book was amazing, I liked the storyline and characters, and I learned a lot. I also liked the perfect ending. It was what Josephine and Jackson needed. You should definitely read this book!
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This is a funny book.

It’s also a book about single parenting a teenage girl and a middle school boy who is nonverbal autistic and trying to figure out all those things plus date a guy who works at your son’s school and take time for yourself and let other people in.

But it’s a FUNNY BOOK.

Multiple time I laughed out loud or gasped with delight. The author knows how to WRITE. The words flow and the story makes you want to keep reading as you get invested in Jo’s family life, her struggles and her humor and her joy. The author tackles her subject with personal knowledge but also a sensitive and even-handed outlook, and this book is full of heart and humor. It’s also very romantic. Gavin was delightful and he was exactly the right guy for Jo. Seeing Jo fall in love after so long was so satisfying.

The character are so relatable human in their choices and their thoughts and actions, even when they’re messy, even when they fumble the ball. I highly recommend this book.

Heat level: 1. A sweet but sexy closed door.

Authors, take note: this is how you write a story.

This is how you write a story about an autistic child. Jackson is not precocious. His special interest is not something he will info-dump about; it's tracing people's hands. He is not hyper-verbal; he's mostly non-verbal, with most verbalizing being a form of echolalia. When he melts down, he melts down in a big way (a throwing-cartons-of-yogurt, often hurting himself kind of way). And yet he is treated with such compassion, such warmth, by the characters in the story and by the author herself. Jax was easily my favorite part of this book because he is portrayed as a kid. A wonderful, music-loving kid.

This is how you write a story about a teenager. Kayla is moody, rebellious, sensitive, and scared. She both wants to talk about colleges non-stop and is afraid to start the conversation. She wants her mom to have a life, but not in that way. She lives life with the knowledge that she will be her brother's caretaker one day, and that terrifies her. She too is treated with compassion and understanding of the difficulties of being young and having a disabled sibling.

This is how you write a closed-door romance. The forbidden aspect is addressed in full, never swept under the rug. The age gap is not a cute trope; it is something the characters work through. The slow burn is worth it as the characters fall in love with each other, and the third-act break-up is not contrived. It is raw and emotional. Though the story centers on Josephine and her experiences as a mother of an autistic child, Gavin is given his own chance for growth as he grapples with what it means to have purpose. He finds his purpose in Jo, Kayla, and Jackson. Jo is the center of the story. Gina Andrew puts so much of her experience into Jo, and the dedication shows. The IEP meetings, the fears, the joys. All written with sensitivity and kindness.

This is how you write a story. It was a privilege to read it, and I am very grateful to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Drawing on her personal experience as the mother of two sons diagnosed with autism, the author creates a sensitive and compassionate portrait of the joys and the challenges of parenting a child on the spectrum. The novel explores how one woman struggles to find a balance to meet the needs of her son, her teenage daughter, and herself. While there are serious issues addressed, they are balanced by some witty dialogue and a budding romance with a charming man.

I enjoyed entering Josephine’s world, which was both entertaining and educational. While I do not have first – or even secondhand experience with autism – the story shines with authenticity and pragmatism. I appreciated the author’s candor as well as her sense of humor.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.