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A review by midnightvenus
Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I remember reading this book for the very first time, at the tender age of 13 or 14, and finishing it thinking: wow, what a masterpiece. Since then, I've noticed the steady amount of criticism (and hate) Colleen Hoover has been receiving on social media. I'm not a diehard fan, so I didn't really care; but I decided to reread this partly out of curiosity if she truly is that bad) and partly because I wanted to do so for old times' sake.
Disappointingly, though not surprisingly, Maybe Someday is not as good, contrary to what my teenage self thought it was. I must have read this with rose-tinted glasses, because I recall during those days finding Ridge adorable—the dream boyfriend. Now, that is not so much the case. Several times I found myself annoyed at him. Firstly, the strange sexism that seems to be an undercurrent in the novel: in one of Ridge's POV, wherein him and Sydney were exchanging texts and she vented about how much she missed Hunter; before laying out what he thought, Ridge prefaced it with "…I'm not a girl, so I'm not about to tell her that what she's feeling is normal." What exactly are you implying? I feel as though Hoover wants to portray Ridge as this kind and loyal man, and I almost believed it, but it all falls apart when he included this line in a confession letter he wrote to Sydney: My loyalty still lies with Maggie. I simply lost all respect for him (and there was barely any in the first place!). Honestly, it seems to me that he pities Maggie more than he 'loves' her. Not to put too fine a point to it, but even Maggie herself admits this (although indirectly): their relationship started on a mutual idealization.
Also, this book is chock full of hypocrites. Hunter warning Sydney the irony of her situation with Ridge; Warren being furious about cheaters when he is somewhat one himself. This wouldn't be that big of an issue, really, because I'm big on messy, convoluted feelings being resolved: wading through the ugly muck of it produces a satisfaction unlike any other. I was also interested in seeing how exactly Hoover will answer the question: what happens when two good people, with good intentions, end up having objectively bad feelings for each other because of that goodness?
Disappointingly, though not surprisingly, Maybe Someday is not as good, contrary to what my teenage self thought it was. I must have read this with rose-tinted glasses, because I recall during those days finding Ridge adorable—the dream boyfriend. Now, that is not so much the case. Several times I found myself annoyed at him. Firstly, the strange sexism that seems to be an undercurrent in the novel: in one of Ridge's POV, wherein him and Sydney were exchanging texts and she vented about how much she missed Hunter; before laying out what he thought, Ridge prefaced it with "…I'm not a girl, so I'm not about to tell her that what she's feeling is normal." What exactly are you implying? I feel as though Hoover wants to portray Ridge as this kind and loyal man, and I almost believed it, but it all falls apart when he included this line in a confession letter he wrote to Sydney: My loyalty still lies with Maggie. I simply lost all respect for him (and there was barely any in the first place!). Honestly, it seems to me that he pities Maggie more than he 'loves' her. Not to put too fine a point to it, but even Maggie herself admits this (although indirectly): their relationship started on a mutual idealization.
Also, this book is chock full of hypocrites. Hunter warning Sydney the irony of her situation with Ridge; Warren being furious about cheaters when he is somewhat one himself. This wouldn't be that big of an issue, really, because I'm big on messy, convoluted feelings being resolved: wading through the ugly muck of it produces a satisfaction unlike any other. I was also interested in seeing how exactly Hoover will answer the question: what happens when two good people, with good intentions, end up having objectively bad feelings for each other because of that goodness?
Unfortunately, the answer to this was not delivered in a way I find acceptable.
Contrary to what Sydney thinks, her and Ridge are not Tori and Hunter. They're simply Sydney and Ridge. What they had was not sexual in nature; even Maggie herself notes this: they organically developed feelings for each other. I don't doubt the love they have for each other—I simply dislike their love story. Especially Ridge.
As for the technical parts: Hoover's writing is generic. There is nothing special about it. It's easy to read through, though some parts I find hard to follow such as when a character is being described performing an action. The characterization is also insipid and weak.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
If you have low tolerance for the OW/OM (other woman/other man) trope in romance, then steer clear of this book, there is a lot of that in here (and cheating).