Lovin' los libros

Maybe Someday
    by: Colleen Hoover

Publication Date: March 18, 2014
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 299 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I'm honestly at a loss for how to even start this review. I've put it off for a few days now, just to let this novel sink in. I'll begin by saying this: Colleen Hoover has written an incredibly moving story that will completely blow you away. There were moments that I felt not just my heart ache, but I felt it all the way to my soul. Colleen did an amazing job bringing these characters to life and showing us that love and matters of the heart are hardly ever simple.

I really enjoyed Maybe Someday. It was definitely a more character driven book than it was plot driven. I loved the relationships Hoover created- not just between Ridge and Sydney, but between all of the characters and how their lives are inextricably intertwined with one another. I went through a myriad of emotions while reading this book. It made me laugh, made me cry, made me angry, made me hurt, but most of all gave me hope. I knew that Ridge and Sydney were going to have a complicated relationship and I was terrified to see how it would all play out, as I knew that not everyone's hearts would get out unscathed.

Ridge is hands down one of my favorite male leads to date. There is a pretty big development with him that we learn early on and it completely changes the course of this book. It makes it even more emotional and beautiful and I have so much admiration for him. He is a genuine good guy who has been put in an impossible situation. He has a great girlfriend, who he is deeply in love with, and he is in love with music. Music is a part of him and he's worked hard to have it be what it is. He feels music and it is such an important part of him. He writes lyrics for his brother's band and it is through music that he inadvertently meets Sydney.

Sydney is having a rough time. At 22 her entire life has been turned upside down due to her boyfriend of 2 years cheating on her with her best friend and roommate. Not only does she lose the people she loves the most, but she is now homeless. She is a mess and thankfully Ridge is the one to help her pick herself back up. The two's balconies face each other from across the courtyard and Sydney can't help but be intrigued by Ridge who plays his guitar on the balcony. She assigns lyrics to his music and he needs her, as he is suffering from writer's block, thus beginning a musical relationship between the two. Upon moving into Ridge's spare room, along with his best friend Warren, and another girl Bridgette, Sydney knows the last thing she needs or wants is another relationship.

Sydney and Ridge have this undeniable connection through music and they find that connection strengthening and growing with every passing day. Ridge finds himself revealing information to Sydney that he never has to anyone before. There's one scene towards the end where he has another first with Sydney and I just.... I have no words. But I cried. Tears streaming down my face cried- it was that beautiful and heart-wrenching of a moment.

The problem? Ridge already has a girlfriend he's in love with. Maggie is sweet, good, and kind- and as much as you want to dislike her for being the obstacle in Ridge and Sydney's way- you just can't. There is another big revelation about Maggie that comes late in the book and I got really emotional as the situation hit really close to home for me, as I had a friend that was like Maggie. I won't say anymore than that, but oh my heart HURT.

There is no way around the heartbreak that this book offers, but it is so beautifully written and the characters are so well developed that you can't help but empathize with them and their situation. I mentioned earlier that this was more character driven than plot driven and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, I did feel myself a little underwhelmed by the storyline. It is very much a story about the connection between the two main characters and how hurting the people they love is the absolute last thing they want to do.

"Despite how hard we tried to fight it, all of those things happened between us because our feelings for each other are becoming so much stronger than our desire. Desire is easy to fight. Especially when the only weapon desire possesses is attraction. It's not so easy when you're trying to win a war against the heart." (e-ARC 48%)

This is just one you need to pick up and experience for yourself. I have purposefully left a lot out of my review as there is so much that would spoil this book and that is the last thing I would want to do. I hope you will pick this one up and experience the magic of love and music for yourself.