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Expected March 18, 2014
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance—and the enchanting music that inspires one young woman to put her life back together.
At twenty-two years old, aspiring musician Sydney Blake has a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her good friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers Hunter cheating on her with Tori—and she is left trying to decide what to do next.
Sydney becomes captivated by her mysterious neighbor, Ridge Lawson. She can’t take her eyes off him or stop listening to the daily guitar playing he does out on his balcony. She can feel the harmony and vibrations in his music. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either: He seems to have finally found his muse. When their inevitable encounter happens, they soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one…
From the author of the New York Times bestsellers Slammed, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, This Girl, and Losing Hope, Maybe Someday is destined to become another bestseller and long-lasting fan favorite.
The entire time I was writing my review, I had this song on repeat running through my head. For me, this fit Ridge and Sydney perfectly. I wanted to share it with you...
Maybe Someday is one of those books you need to go into blind.
“Hey, heart. Are you listening? You and I are officially at war.”
“I've learned that the heart can't be told when and who and how it should love. The heart does whatever the hell it wants to do. The only thing we can control is whether we give our lives and our minds the chance to catch up to our hearts.”
From the very beginning, you'll quickly realize that there is
nothing black or white about Sydney and Ridge’s relationship. If you walk into
this book with a closed mind, you’ll miss the true beauty of it; therefore, I suggest trying to having an open-mind. It’s best if you’re accepting of the fact
that there are sometimes lines crossed in life that fall within the gray areas.
Maybe Someday will have you realizing
that there aren't always concrete answers; no right or wrong. The story is messy;
heart wrenching choices and decisions have to be made. There is absolutely
nothing clean or easy about the sacrifices and consequences being faced. Maybe Someday is a book full of complexity, conflicts, trepidation and angst; however, Ms. Hoover does balance
this out with some light-hearted and fun antics. Just keep in mind, the journey you're
about to encounter will question everything you thought you knew to be morally
correct. Guess that’s why this affair of the heart is considered so
forbidden. Nevertheless, this book is extraordinarily written, unique in its
own right; making it an excruciating as well as breathtaking read.
“I’m worried that feelings are the one thing in our lives that we have absolutely no control over.”
“We try so hard to hide everything we're really feeling from those who probably need to know our true feelings the most. People try to bottle up their emotions, as if it's somehow wrong to have natural reactions to life.”
Maybe Someday is without a doubt emotionally draining. To
say, I was antsy and on edge is an understatement. Each turn of the page, each
word my eyes greedily devoured left my heart aching. Ridge and Sydney’s
relationship is so profoundly expressive, never failing to evoke a myriad of
feelings and reactions. Their gravitational allure towards each other is intricate and fierce. Every second spent with this couple is a slow powerful
build. I could feel the pull between them; the struggles of where they wanted
to be and where they felt they needed to be. Ridge’s heart was leading him to
Sydney; Sydney’s heart was leading her to Ridge. That in its self is a major complication.
Now, ask yourselves, how do two people walk away from something
that feels so right yet is so wrong, especially once the heart
becomes deeply cemented.
“Why do I feel like your fangirling right now?” That's because I totally am Ridge, totally fangirling...sigh!
I truly can’t wait for everyone to meet this newest book boyfriend. His character is so refreshing,
memorable, and distinct. My words to describe this character wouldn't come close to doing him justice. The only way I can think to properly explain it is by using a comparison. Kellan Kyle has been my ultimate first choice book boyfriend for two years now; however, Ridge has effortlessly moved into
that spot. Yes, I loved him that much.
“Words can sometimes have a far greater effect on a heart than a kiss.”
Ridge
and Sydney had so many piercing moments, but for me personally, the one that
held the most weight was when he wrote on her body. Of all the different ways they
reached out to each other, this method affected me the most. The symbolism of the things he needed to communicate felt more significant in meaning. I loved that it was used sparingly, placed at precisely the right periods of time. I know for others
it was the music they wrote together. And in no way am I discrediting the
intensity the music brought to their connection. Those scenes were so poignant
and visual; they left me with goose bumps running along my flesh. The music factor exposed these characters, unraveling integral layers that
allowed us to truly see their courage, conscious, and depth. At first, I didn't truly get the lyrics as they didn't really move or make sense to me; however, I
would recommend that when you reach the lyric parts you listen and experience the
beauty of Griffin Peterson. Listening to the actual songs while reading made a world of difference. The scenes took on a vibe of its own. The raw emotion heard though Mr. Peterson’s voice gives the reader
the opportunity to really feel this couples all-consuming passion; it lends a hand to the powerful and
verbally unspoken bond, giving it a new level of intensity. I
promise the unsaid words and feelings that they are trying hard to suppress will leave you
physically aching between the heightened yearning and their relentless denial.
Colleen Hoover has snatched my breath away with these two
characters. I kid you not, one moment I was laughing out loud at their antics
and interactions and the next moment I was literally bawling my eyes out. In my humble opinion, this soul
searing story may very well be the best book the author has written to date and
that’s saying a lot as I have loved every single book she has written.
Thanks to Colleen Hoover and Atria for providing me with a galley copy for review. Quotes are from advanced galley copy and are subject to change.
However, I've learned that the heart can't be told when and who and how it should love. The heart does whatever the hell it wants to do. The only thing we can control is whether we give our lives and our minds the chance to catch up to our hearts.
I honestly don't know where to even start with this review. I am not sure I can do it justice and I know I don't not want to reveal any spoilers because part of what makes it so interesting and intriguing are all of the hidden layers. There are little surprises, mysteries, and big twists. There is heartbreak, betrayal, friendship, love, guilt, humor, passion and pain.
There are connections that are so deep and powerful that they cannot be denied. But there is also a man with a heart that is split by strong feelings, guilt, and confusion.
There are friends and family that may be a bit obnoxious and crazy, but provide a framework of love and support them all the same. While there are others that cause stress and anger.
This is a different type of love story. It just sneaks up on you and totally sucks you in. It is not insta-love. Friendship and a shared love of music come first and fuel their intense attraction. But there are circumstances that make them deny, fight it, and hurt. It is a difficult situation and I understood just how torn they were. I felt every ounce of longing, need, passion, guilt, and pain. The intensity of the emotions literally oozed off the pages. My heart was completely pulled in and I as in suspended animation as I watched their complicated, tumultuous story play out. I swear I could almost hear their heartbeats and the vibration of the music as I was reading. It was so intense.
I absolutely, positively adored Ridge. He was so funny, caring, charismatic, and protective. His talents, openness, and uniqueness made him such an interesting multi-facted male lead. He had a complicated back story and issues in the present causing him so much conflict. I really spent much of the book wanting to hug or soothe him. Those who really knew him understood how his heart worked, even when he had a hard time expressing it. And knew how special he was even during difficult and confusing times. But many times, he was so eloquent in the written word that his feelings were open and right out there for us to see even when they were conflicted.
Nothing in my life has ever felt so good, yet hurt so achingly bad.
Sydney was refreshing. Even though she had reasons to be weak and not trust, she was still sweet, vibrant, caring, compassionate, and understanding. She was as respectful as she could be in a difficult situation and often did not put her own needs first. She was constantly growing and learning about herself.
Their chemistry was amazing. But they were ambivalent with their feelings and really tried not to feel them. The guilt, fear, insecurities, and jealousy all swirled around them. But the connection was so strong and undeniable that they were powerless at times to keep their barriers in place. They literally and figuratively made beautiful music together.
There isn't a doubt in my mind that we could be perfect for each other's life, Sydney. It's our lives that aren't perfect for us.
There were so many other interesting, well developed characters in this story. Maggie was also a vibrant, wonderful, inspirational character. She also had secrets that added to the mystery. I really liked her. And the room mate, Warren...Oh My...One minute I wanted to slap him and the next hug him. He was one of those delightfully obnoxious goobers that you can't help but love. And their other room mate, Bridgitte was another over the top girl that had me laughing. Their pranks on each other in the house were so funny and threw in some great comic relief in the tense situations. I was intrigued by Ridge's brother Brennan who is lead singer for their band Songs Of Cedar. He is interesting enough to perhaps warrant his own story.
The lyrics and music were really a character in itself. They brought in so much emotion and unshared feelings. The same can be said for the texts and messages that exposed so much more of themselves. And having the companion songs from Griffin Peterson just made it more real and special.
Words can sometimes have a far greater effect on a heart than a kiss.
This was told in both points of view allowing us to feel all of the unspoken feelings and hear their thoughts. It was beautifully written, flowed flawlessly, and kept me enthralled from the beginning. This book had me wondering where it was going at times and unsure of how it would all play out. I was rooting for their "Maybe Someday" to become a reality, but had no idea how it would ever happen. I kept thinking about all of the puzzle pieces and trying to put them together to form the bigger picture all throughout the book. That was all part of the journey. And what an emotional, poignant, passionate journey it was. This book completely surprised me, but I guess it shouldn't have since it comes from Colleen Hoover. I usually have high expectations of her books as she has brought me some of my fave book couples. Her books have unique multi-layered plot lines, well developed characters, and amazing connections. This was no exception. It completely engaged and touched me. I laughed, smiled, swooned, gasped, cried, sang along, and held my breath. It is one of those books that will stick with me and the characters are now embedded in my heart.
Colleen Hoover is the queen of making me gut laugh, turn the page, and find my guts spilled all over the floor. Ok, maybe not literally, but the emotional evisceration of her characters so close on the heels of humor is like nothing I’ve read from any other author. No one makes me feel such opposing feelings at the same time like Colleen Hoover. She writes emotional situations with perfection. I found myself laughing out loud at the characters’ antics and on the next page I’d be on the brink of tears. Her writing is engaging and entertaining in a way that makes it difficult to put her books down once I’ve started reading.
Ridge. I don’t even know what to say about him without revealing too much. He may be my favorite Colleen Hoover man yet. I liked him early on, while he and Sydney were only talking via text and hadn’t even stood in the same room. He has a character trait that I would never have guessed from the teasers or the blurb that is done so perfectly. It is treated with great sensitivity in that it doesn’t define him, though it does make for a few communication challenges with Sydney.It’s just a part of who he is. He is a musician, writing songs for his brother’s band while he works from home.
Reading Sydney’s story for a while felt like I was on a wild ride. She’s happy, then she’s reeling, then she’s building things back together, then she’s reeling again. When she finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her with her roommate, she is lost. Her independent streak, while admirable, in this case ends up getting her soaked. But while she is fiercely independent, she is also caring,
Together, I wanted to root for them, but didn’t want them together at the same time. Sydney and Ridge are fighting a hard fought battle through the course of Maybe Someday. They are so perfect together. They can work together on music and fill in gaps where the other get stuck. They laugh, they protect, they connect. But so much about their situation just can’t work as they find it. And that hurt to read. At one point I made a note about doing what’s right hurting so much it feels wrong because they do fight it so hard. I kept asking myself why they would have to be fighting so hard when it would be easy to fix the major roadblock to their relationship, but when we learned why it wasn’t really an easy fix I was breaking all over again.
There is so much symbolism in the connection between song, story, and senses. Having the soundtrack isn’t a requirement for reading the book. It’s not even a requirement for enjoying the book. But together the two make the experience more. More emotional. More conflicting. More honest. More. I hadn’t planned on buying the soundtrack while I read the book because I wanted to be able to talk about the book by itself, but knowing it was available and out there was too much temptation and I ended up buying it when I was halfway through the book. Going back to the scenes where Ridge and Sydney were actually writing and listening to the songs while re-reading changed the reading experience more than I anticipated. I should have known based on experiences with other books and being able to YouTube unfamiliar songs, but knowing Griffin’s album was written specifically for this book, and that the lyrics referenced in the story are the real lyrics in the songs made it a sensory experience. But I also refused to listen to each new song until I reached it’s reference in the book to keep the story a surprise, because the subtext in each song really does tie in with where Sydney and Ridge are and what they are feeling. To me, that was the best compromise between having the soundtrack as background music, and having the music give me spoilers, or even extra impetus to keep reading.
Maybe Someday is maybe a book I would not have picked up if I knew more about the plot points. It has two plot aspects that normally turn me off to a book, or at least make me cringe while reading, but I never felt those negative feelings here. Not knowing those things before I fell in love with Ridge and Sydney in the chapter teaser that was released before I had the book in my hands, I was caught up in those two. This was not an easy book for me to keep reading in the first few chapters. But I am so glad I did. It was one of those stories where we needed those challenges for what these two find to mean everything. This will be one of my favorite books for the year, of that I’m sure.
Thanks to Colleen Hoover and Atria for providing me with a galley copy for review.
Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. She released her debut novel, SLAMMED, in January 2012 and the follow-up novel, POINT OF RETREAT, in February, 2012 both of which became NYT's bestsellers. In December, 2012, she published a standalone novel, HOPELESS, that went on to become a #1 NYT's bestseller.
As a "Thank you" to her fans, she went on to write the male point of views of both SLAMMED and HOPELESS. THIS GIRL, (Will's pov plus a lot more) was released in April and LOSING HOPE will be released in July.
She is currently working on two standalone novels, UGLY LOVE and MAYBE SOMEDAY, both of which will be released in 2014.
(1) Paperback copy of Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover (US ONLY) & (1) Digital Copy of Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover (INTERNATIONAL)
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