Something, Maybe

Reason why I liked this book would be that it reminded me of diaries because everything Hannah said seemed like it came from a diary. It’s just that I kept a journal for a couple of years, while I was in highschool and it looked something like that. Pages and pages of boy talk and bitching about my parents.

Hannah’s father is basically like Hugh Hefner. He is a wealthy old fart who likes to have ‘special girls’ and only worries about himself. Hannah is a smart girl and she realises he will never care for her the way she wanted, but he is still her dad, so it’s not easy to forget he ever existed with his reality show on air all the time.

Aside from her daddy issues, she has some problems with her mom since her stepdad died a couple of years ago. Hannah’s mom is still not over him and she is trying to pay the bills with her live webcam business which involves her talking about her glory days with strangers while wearing sexy costumes.
Hannah also has some boy trouble. She likes Josh who is as f-a-k-e-r, just like Finn said. Now Finn is a great guy. He sees Hanna for what she really is and sticks up for her at work or when people are bullying her at school. Who wouldn’t want to have a guy like that by their side? He also irritates her but deep down she can feel there is something more going on with them and she is afraid of admitting it to herself because she doesn’t want a love like her mom and stepdad had since you never know when will it end.

All in all, Something, Maybe was a very enjoyable book. If you are looking for a sweet story to read during a rainy day, you found it.

Reader reviewed by Yan

Something, Maybe had a uniquely interesting start. I mean what other book have you read that includes naked moms!? But I felt that the delivery was too short to fill the reader wholly satisfied. Its the type of feeling that you get after reading a book that was good, but you needed and wanted more from it. You expected more, whether it may be in the plot or in the characters. For me, it had to be the characters&okay and some of the plot as well. Again, nothing really off, just wanted a lot more.

There were certain traits that I love from the separate characters. Josh was the typical perfect boyfriend and I love how the author played on that, especially the ending. Huge shock, Ill just leave it there. There were small hints and foreshadowing, but who really notices it all until the end? Definitely not I.

Finn was also another sweet and adorable character for me. He just made me want to go aw every page. From his blushes to his fallback topics, Finn was delightfully fun to read.

Ms. Scotts definite strong points are her male characters. The lead female characters are typically boring, one dimensional, and sometimes annoying. Not to say they are all awful and hateful to read. Not in the least. Its just that comparing to the other characters, I expect more from the main star.

Family dynamics, another reoccurring theme in her work. Once again, this is definitely one of her stronger assets. You can tell how the conflict between parents afflicts on Hannahs traits, how she portrays certain topics, and her actions to certain problems. This can be applied to almost of Ms. Scott's books, not just Something, Maybe. The family conflict can also affect the mother, whom of course the female character has strong bonds to. Back and forth they play on each others emotions and actions.

Overall: Something, Maybe was a pleasant read. And I hate to admit this, but Im starting to see a correlation between Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott. Well, I sort of did before but I try my best to not compare authors.

Reader reviewed by Elise

As far as ChickLit goes, this was pretty good. As a teenager myself, I
find that many of the protagonists in these kinds of novels are
troubled in one way or another -- they smoke, they drink, they have sex
-- and my experience is that not every single teenager is like that.
This book, thankfully, proves this. Our heroine, though she comes from
a slightly questionable background, is somewhat normal and has ethics.
I liked that about her. She had a normal problem, social anxiety and
embarassment, that many, many of these readers can relate to. A lot of
the plot twists were surprising and juicy, though overall I found the
book predictable. And though I know it isn't the author who writes
this, the jacket summary kind of gave it away for me. The mention of
Finn and the cryptic final sentence, "what she wants may not be what
she needs" sort of gives the reader an idea of the whole plotline
before we've even passed the title page. However, the writing is pretty
well-done and overall, I think it was a worthwhile read.