Reviewed by phyllish on
Sophie's mother didn't seem to know her at all. On Mother's Day, when the community party for mothers and daughters involved a "quiz" to see how well mothers and daughters knew each other, her mom's answers were so outdated! She was so out of touch!
Sophie's story is one of trying to figure out who she is; what makes her special. She struggled with not changing based on what others expected or wanted, and in trying to find her unique style. I love the way this had been hinted at and yet was subtle enough that it surprised me to discover this with her.
I really enjoyed getting to know Sophie, Micah (her best friend), and Andrew. While the verbal sparring that Andrew and Sophie engaged in was a little sharp at first, it was not over-the-top cruel.
Though he didn't have a huge role in the story, I loved Gunner, Sophie's little brother. Being ten, he was old enough to not fall into the super cute kid role, yet he had a vulnerability and innocence that was sweet.
Micah Williams' family tans dark. This deterred some of the townspeople from using their catering business, which in a small town is significant. This was mentioned more to explain how Andrew and his father related to the story than having prejudice as a theme. I appreciated the way it was so casually mentioned.
Author Kasie West made a great choice in narrating this solely from Sophie's perspective. While I was curious what Andrew thought at times, I was probably more invested in the story because I didn't know.
While Maybe This Time is certainly a fun, romantic story, it is also a beautiful investigation of family matters, trust, friendship, and dreams.
Kasie West is at the top of my list of favorite young adult authors. Readers of young adult fiction need to read her books!
Read my full review at Among the Reads
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 22 July, 2019: Reviewed