Our Year of Maybe

ladybean0814

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

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Super cute romance

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lauren.lerner

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

There was something about our collaboration, about watching her move to my music, that messed with the tempo of my heart.

ā€¢

[This sentence is such perfect peak #YA, I gasped more dramatically than I meant to & startled my toddler from across the room.]

šˇ¹š©°

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monalyisha

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

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OYoM is about two BFFs who grow up together & maybe fall in love. They excel at creative expression; Peter plays the piano & Sophie duets with him through modern & interpretive dance. Ironically, this expressive friendship is fraught with personal repression: there‘s a lot that‘s hidden, unsaid, & unhealthy. It‘s an emotional sickness & a physical one, as Peter fights kidney disease & Sophie is determined to provide him with a transplant.š‘‡š¸»

monalyisha 1/10: My reaction to this story was...unexpected. I don‘t know if I loved it but I found it compulsively readable. I think it‘s because I saw myself (as a teenager) in Sophie. It‘s strange to see your flaws magnified in a protagonist, especially when they‘re actual, painful flaws & not cute, pseudo-flaws like ā€clumsyā€¯ or ā€shyā€¯; they‘re things you‘re embarrassed about being or about having been. (edited) 6y

monalyisha 2/10: So, I had to keep reading. I had to *hope* that I‘d see Sophie grow & achieve a modicum of self-worth & independence. It felt important. So important, in fact, that I stayed up until 2am reading on a work night. š± (edited) 6y

monalyisha 3/10: Despite this, I don‘t know that she‘s a relatable character; I was beyond frustrated with her (& with Peter!) for the majority of the book, which isn‘t a great, prolonged feeling to have as a reader. But she was exasperatingly-relatable *to me.* (edited) 6y

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monalyisha 4/10: This isn‘t, as I was hoping it would be, the kind of YA romance that you can snug into. Though it‘s tempting to do so, I wouldn‘t characterize it as a romance, at all, actually. It‘s more of a coming-of-age story. (edited) 6y

monalyisha 5/10: And I don‘t think the structure of the story was without flaw. I worry, for instance, that Peter‘s bisexuality was used as a tool to make him more likable. I think bi-visibility is important; independently, I liked this part of Peter‘s story *a lot.* I love the queer, open, & punk-rock group of friends that he finds. But it does feel slightly manipulative (on the author‘s part). Not definitively. But...ā€¯maybe.ā€¯ (edited) 6y

monalyisha 6/10: What would the story have been like if Peter had been interested in another girl? Would readers have mutinied? Would that have been fair? (edited) 6y

monalyisha 7/10: The best part of the book is undeniably the cast of side characters. They felt real & developed, though the focus was not on them. (edited) 6y

monalyisha 8/10: I was most impressed by how many of the characters love books: Tabby & Josh dress up for Halloween as characters from ā€Sagaā€¯ with their baby who‘s literarily named Luna; Liz loves an epic fantasy series & compels Sophie to attend book readings with her; Peter loves Salinger; Kat is an English major whose favorite author is Janet Fitch (swoon). Sophie‘s dad loves murder podcasts (podcasts being another form of story). Audiobooks are heralded. (edited) 6y

monalyisha 9/10: Usually, there‘s only one character who loves books, and that love is used to differentiate & define them. But I think Littens, especially, can get behind the idea of a community of readers vs. a special, bookish Chosen One. It‘s the healthiest thing in the book. Solomon conveys that reading doesn‘t have to be isolating. It can be social & supported. (edited) 6y

monalyisha 11/11: I‘d read another book by Rachel Lynn Solomon. I‘m not a super-fan; there are some choices she made that I‘m still chewing on. But I think she has a knack for character-development, & some complicated & interesting stories to tell. 6y

monalyisha WOW. THAT WAS A LONG REVIEW. š… 6y

Ashley85 Sold! 6y

CSeydel Long but well written and interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 6y

monalyisha Thanks @CSeydel ! I appreciate that. š 6y

76 likes5 stack adds14 comments

monalyisha

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

I think I might still be going through my ā€portal fantasy phase.ā€¯ š…

I can feel a reading slump nipping at my heels, so I‘m trying to stave it off with some YA. š¤˛š¸»

monalyisha Pictured: The Yew Trees of St. Edward‘s Church, š‡¬š‡§ 6y

hermyknee I‘m having a hard time focusing on anything after work, so I‘m re-listening to an audiobook I love for like the one millionth time š‚ Why not? š¤·š¸»ā€¨ā™€ļø¸ Enjoy your book (and you‘ll totally find that portal š’•) 6y

monalyisha @hermyknee I read too many good things in a row. It was bound to happen. š¤·ā€¨ā™€ļø¸ What are you listening to? 6y

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hermyknee I just love her story

The Sober Diaries: How one woman stopped drinking and started living

monalyisha @hermyknee I know someone who‘d love that! I‘ll have to let her know. š’– 6y

hermyknee š™š¸¼š™š¸¼š™š¸¼ 6y

Clare-Dragonfly š™š¸» 6y

81 likes1 stack add7 comments

GondorGirl

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

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Sophie and Peter have been best (and only) friends forever. When Sophie turns 18 she's finally able to donate one of her kidneys to Peter, who has always been ill. But what happens when Peter has a chance at a normal life because of Sophie?

Rachel Solomon broke my heart with her debut novel last year, and this sophomore effort does the exact same thing. If I had to relate her to someone, I'd say she's the Jodi Piccult of YA books. š¨šš“–

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bookishkai

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

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I liked it, but I didn‘t love it. I felt like I was supposed to identify with Sophie, but I liked Peter better. But I suppose that since I never had one of those all-consuming friendships I will never understand the dynamic. I saw every step of the train wreck coming, but I‘m pleased that both Peter and Sophie are finding their way at the end.

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Lovesbooks87

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

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Peter and Sophie has been friends since toddlers. When Peter gets sick and needs a kidney transplant, Sophie is excited to her she is a match. She is hoping that the transplant bring them closer because Sophie has been in love with Peter for years. Now that Peter can start to live a somewhat normal life he is trying to found out who he really is and who he loves. This book was amazing and showed how one choice can change the people's lives forever

RinaBrahmbhattBarot I love the cover :) 6y

75 likes3 stack adds1 comment

bookishkai

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

Carpet cleaning, laundry, Sunday school lesson prep (I‘m SO behind this week), and reading this. Those are my plans today. And other than reading they are must-do tasks. Oy.

Lovesbooks87 I got this today. Can't wait to read it. I loved her other book! 6y

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kate_reads

Our Year of Maybe | Rachel Lynn Solomon

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Haven‘t cried like this because of a book in a while š Any book that can make snot stream down my face deserves all the stars

JennyM Totally stacking!! 6y

30 likes5 stack adds1 comment

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