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sc104906's review against another edition
2.0
I received this eARC through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Peter and Sophie are next-door-neighbors and best friends. There has never been a time when they weren’t friends and there has never been a time when Peter wasn’t sick. He suffers from kidney disease, which makes it difficult for him to take part in life to the fullest. He got tired easily and was in and out of the hospital. None of that mattered to Sophie. When they had to change plans so that Peter could still hang, Sophie was more than willing to do whatever for her best friend. She loved him and as they grew, she found that she loved him more than just a friend and wanted to have a deeper level of intimacy. Sophie and her kidney are a perfect match for Peter and the summer before senior year, she donates one of her kidneys to him. Peter is now healthier than he has ever been. He is going back to school and doing things that a typical teen guy would be doing. However, he feels like he owes Sophie and doesn’t know if he wants her romantically. He is trying to figure out who he is, now that he isn’t sick. Peter begins developing romantic feelings for his classmate and new bandmate, Chase. Is the relationship between Peter and Sophie as solid as they had always thought?
I was in the mood for this type of dramatic realistic fiction, but found that I never truly warmed up to the story. I liked Sophie and felt bad for her throughout the novel. Peter was seriously off-putting, it seemed like he was always climbing onto a soapbox to give the reader a Wikipedia definition about some other part of his identity. I liked Chase and found Sophie’s sister’s plot line interesting and different from the typical teen mom depiction.
Peter and Sophie are next-door-neighbors and best friends. There has never been a time when they weren’t friends and there has never been a time when Peter wasn’t sick. He suffers from kidney disease, which makes it difficult for him to take part in life to the fullest. He got tired easily and was in and out of the hospital. None of that mattered to Sophie. When they had to change plans so that Peter could still hang, Sophie was more than willing to do whatever for her best friend. She loved him and as they grew, she found that she loved him more than just a friend and wanted to have a deeper level of intimacy. Sophie and her kidney are a perfect match for Peter and the summer before senior year, she donates one of her kidneys to him. Peter is now healthier than he has ever been. He is going back to school and doing things that a typical teen guy would be doing. However, he feels like he owes Sophie and doesn’t know if he wants her romantically. He is trying to figure out who he is, now that he isn’t sick. Peter begins developing romantic feelings for his classmate and new bandmate, Chase. Is the relationship between Peter and Sophie as solid as they had always thought?
I was in the mood for this type of dramatic realistic fiction, but found that I never truly warmed up to the story. I liked Sophie and felt bad for her throughout the novel. Peter was seriously off-putting, it seemed like he was always climbing onto a soapbox to give the reader a Wikipedia definition about some other part of his identity. I liked Chase and found Sophie’s sister’s plot line interesting and different from the typical teen mom depiction.
hannah_rosem's review against another edition
4.0
Our Year of Maybe is a really clever book about a deeply complex and interesting friendship. Seeing how Sophie and Peter, both as individuals and as a pair, change over the period of a year was fascinating, and I think Solomon did a really good job at portraying their relationship realistically. There were times when I hated Sophie and times when I hated Peter, which made it easier to gain a balanced perspective of their relationship. I thought the ending was absolutely perfect. My only issue with this book was the incessant reference to bands and artists, which always bothers me in YA but isn’t really that big of a deal. Overall, a very worthwhile read!
vera_michele's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 Stars
Things I really enjoyed about this book:
1. The fact that Sophie is dyslexic. I've never read a book where a main character has dyslexia. It was really interesting because there were facts in there as well.
2. I love how Solomon incorporates Judaism into her books. It's always interesting to read about a different faith that you never grow up with.
3. The author put one of my favorite graphic novels, Saga, into it.
4. I really liked how it mentioned masturbating and periods. I mentioned this in an update, but I love when young adult novels do it. It's not really mentioned a lot.
5. The fact that there is a bisexual main character.
6. I loved Peter in the beginning.
7. I related to Sophie on so many levels. About having a different personality at school, with friends, and with parents. Plus, feeling alone in a crowd.
8. I loved how Sophie seemed to gain a little independence with dance.
Things I didn't love (Spoilers ahead):
1. I hated Sophie's chapters. She was all about Peter, and while it was cute sometimes, it was annoying after a little bit.
2. Sophie expected Peter to fall in love with her after the transplant.
3. Immediately after his transplant Peter seemed to get as far away from Sophie as possible. Which i get because he hasn't had a lot of freedoms, but still.
4. It got a little too dramatic. They slept together out of nowhere? That doesn't make sense. It seems like the author just had to do something to make them split apart.
Things I really enjoyed about this book:
1. The fact that Sophie is dyslexic. I've never read a book where a main character has dyslexia. It was really interesting because there were facts in there as well.
2. I love how Solomon incorporates Judaism into her books. It's always interesting to read about a different faith that you never grow up with.
3. The author put one of my favorite graphic novels, Saga, into it.
4. I really liked how it mentioned masturbating and periods. I mentioned this in an update, but I love when young adult novels do it. It's not really mentioned a lot.
5. The fact that there is a bisexual main character.
6. I loved Peter in the beginning.
7. I related to Sophie on so many levels. About having a different personality at school, with friends, and with parents. Plus, feeling alone in a crowd.
8. I loved how Sophie seemed to gain a little independence with dance.
Things I didn't love (Spoilers ahead):
1. I hated Sophie's chapters. She was all about Peter, and while it was cute sometimes, it was annoying after a little bit.
2. Sophie expected Peter to fall in love with her after the transplant.
3. Immediately after his transplant Peter seemed to get as far away from Sophie as possible. Which i get because he hasn't had a lot of freedoms, but still.
4. It got a little too dramatic. They slept together out of nowhere? That doesn't make sense. It seems like the author just had to do something to make them split apart.
thereadingchallengechallenge's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I picked this up for the kidney disease rep but that turned out to only be a small part of it, which was a little disappointing. But the way Solomon explores the relationship between Sophie and Peter and how it transforms over the course of the book was interesting to read about. I loved the background characters and subplots as well, especially with Tabby, Sophie's younger sister who had a baby at 15, and Liz and Montana, who were a queer couple Sophie befriended at school.
If you're looking for a book that explores the importance of friendship, this might be a good read for you.
If you're looking for a book that explores the importance of friendship, this might be a good read for you.
ashleyrosehaden's review against another edition
1.0
I just completely despise Peter as a character. While I liked the rest of the book, I couldn’t come back from that.
purpledragonz's review against another edition
5.0
The Jewish and Queer representation in this book was both unexpected and appreciated !!
booksmoviesandstories's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
tthe_cancerian's review against another edition
4.0
This was a heartbreaking story but also very heartwarming. It was a great exploration of unrequited love and how much one is willing to give to the person they love and how that changes a person.
The plot about missing the right timing of liking someone was so relatable. It broke my heart. But I also loved the new first love Peter discovers, it was beautiful and so cute!
The friendship between Peter and Sophie was complicated but real. Friendships can get messy and toxic when it feels unbalanced. I also loved their parents friendship.
Also, can we get a book about Tabby, Josh and their baby because their whole story in the background was so interesting and I want to read more about them.
The plot about missing the right timing of liking someone was so relatable. It broke my heart. But I also loved the new first love Peter discovers, it was beautiful and so cute!
The friendship between Peter and Sophie was complicated but real. Friendships can get messy and toxic when it feels unbalanced. I also loved their parents friendship.
Also, can we get a book about Tabby, Josh and their baby because their whole story in the background was so interesting and I want to read more about them.