{Review} Maybe Not (Maybe 1.5) by Colleen Hoover

Page Count: 120

Published On: December 22, 2015

Published By: Atria Books

Genre(s): New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Novella

Source: audiobook via public library 

Age Rating: Adult NSFW 18+ content 

Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: no rating - problematic - reread will happen later 

Goodreads synopsis:

Colleen Hoover, the New York Times bestselling author of Maybe Someday, brilliantly brings to life the story of the hilarious and charismatic Warren in this new novella.

When Warren has the opportunity to live with a female roommate, he instantly agrees. It could be an exciting change.

Or maybe not.

Especially when that roommate is the cold and seemingly calculating Bridgette. Tensions run high and tempers flare as the two can hardly stand to be in the same room together. But Warren has a theory about Bridgette: anyone who can hate with that much passion should also have the capability to love with that much passion. And he wants to be the one to test this theory.

Will Bridgette find it in herself to warm her heart to Warren and finally learn to love?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

~~~

Hey, guys!

I read this novella via audiobook and I'm actually kind of a fan, but not a fan. While I kind of love the characters, their actions really made me angry. I'm not sure if it is because of their actual actions or if my irritation stems from my dislike for the audiobook's narrator. Either way, I'll be doing a reread eventually.

This story follows two side characters from the Maybe duology by Colleen Hoover, Warren and Bridgette. While their stories are fairly interesting, the execution was not done well at all. I felt like Bridgette's back story was skimmed over, her feelings and trauma from former experiences was ignored, and the relationship that developed was not developed well or realistically.

If I had read this physically, I would have liked it much more. The narrator was really awkward to listen to, I didn't like the way she did the dialogue. She often changed tone and diction randomly and it just really irritated me. It wasn't done well.

While both of the main characters are really funny and witty, the lack of consent in this book bothered me. I'm not the biggest fan of Warren. I thought I liked him in Maybe Someday, but I’m just not a fan of him in Maybe Not. Maybe I just need to do massive reread. I wouldn’t be surprised. Though I didn’t like Warren, I felt like Bridgette’s character had promise. I really wish Hoover had focused on her trauma and backstory, but that didn’t happen. I also really loved the side characters, specifically Warren’s sister and her family. They were so well written and I just wanted a full book that centered on them.

While I enjoyed many aspects of this book – the pacing, (sometimes) the sex scenes, the banter, and the side characters; I really cannot get passed how problematic the book is. If there had been trigger warnings or content warnings, I would have probably rated this book 3 stars, but the content was just too questionable.

Other CoHo Reviews:

• Confess
• Hopeless 
• Maybe Someday
• All Your Perfects [coming soon]
• Ugly Love [coming soon]
• It Ends With Us [coming soon]
• November 9 [coming soon]

I hope you enjoyed this review! Happy reading!

Olivia 

~Liv the Book Nerd~

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{Review} Confess by Colleen Hoover

Page Count: 306

Published on: March 10, 2015

Published by: Atria Books

Genre(s): Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Fiction
Source: Paperback 

Age Rating: 18+
TW: teen death, domestic abuse, emotional abuse

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Book Depository: {click here}

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

Auburn Reed is determined to rebuild her shattered life and she has no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to become deeply attracted to the studio’s enigmatic artist, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it—but can she do it? 

~~~

Hey, guys!

      I've been on a Colleen Hoover kick for a little while now. This past weekend, I actually got to go to Cincinnati, Ohio to meet her on one of her tour stops. It was very very cool. Colleen Hoover is such a cool person and she's so freaking nice. However, I've had to come to terms that Colleen's books are sometimes a hit or miss for me. As you'll see from my future Colleen reviews, sometimes I'm just not the biggest fan of her books or I'll just absolutely love them. 

      In Confess, Auburn is desperate to find a job. When she sees a "help wanted" sign in front of an art gallery, she applies and meets Owen. Owen owns the studio and is an up and coming artist. This story has a lot more depth than you would expect for a romance novel. There's a fairly nice focus on family, confessions, and moving on from the past. I really enjoyed the twists in this book, compared to some of the others. Most I didn't predict, but the few that I did predict weren't too disappointing. 

      Overall, Confess was just okay for me. Toward the middle, I got kind of bored. I also wish that the story had more of a focus on the family relationships rather than on the romantic relationships. The romantic relationships also seemed way too insta-love-y for my taste. It just didn't develop very naturally and it was kind of awkward sometimes. It just isn't my favorite CoHo romance. It just wasn't my cup of tea. Owen just acted like he was so entitled to the affections of Auburn and it just got really annoying. Colleen has a way of writing flawed but super fun characters that you cannot help but love. Sometimes the angst in the relationship was just annoying to me, but I think that's just a personal preference. 

      Auburn was such a realistic character. Her actions were never really irresponsible or annoying. She always tried to do what was best for the ones she loved and she often sacrificed her own happiness in order to do what was right. I really enjoyed that about her. Colleen also did such a fantastic job creating a truly horrible antagonist. Trey is just a flat-out dirtbag. He was just the worst. I love finding characters I can just hate. He's definitely hate-worthy. 
      Colleen did such a great job of creating a terrible antagonist. Trey is such a blatantly terrible character that I loved to hate. 

      There were so many elements to this book that made up for the slow and annoying bits. I really enjoyed the friendship that Auburn had with Emory. Emory was probably one of my favorite characters. I'd love to read her story. She's so fun. I also really enjoyed the artwork that was scattered throughout the novel, along with their corresponding confessions. It was just so beautifully done. I also really enjoyed the flashback elements of this story. They really gave an extra "oomph" to the end of the book that I really enjoyed.

      However, the end of the story seemed to be resolved too quickly. I really wish it had been expanded upon a little bit more. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the ending. This story was really nicely done, but it still had flaws that didn't make it a 4 or 5-star book. I do think this book is something that others will enjoy. If you like Colleen's other books, I recommend you check out Confess. 

Other Colleen Reviews:

• Hopeless 
• Maybe Someday

I will have more reviews coming soon! I've read so many of Colleen's books, so I can't wait to share my thoughts with you all. 

Happy reading!
Olivia 
~Liv the Book Nerd~
Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // YouTube // Bloglovin // Book Depository Affiliate Code

{Guest Review: Courtney} Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Page Count: 428

Published on: May 19th 2015

Published by: Greenwillow Books

Source: Purchased on a Half Price book adventure

Age Rating: TW sexual assault is briefly mentioned & domestic violence

Where to Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Goodreads synopsis:  

Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal.

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up. 

~~~

"I didn't have the luxury of taking reality for granted. And I wouldn't say I hated people who did, because that's just about everyone. I didn't hate them. They didn't live in my world. 

But that never stopped me from wishing I lived in theirs."

      If you know me, you know that books that contain themes revolving around mental health hold a very special place in my heart. I believe, when written correctly, they are a window into the people who suffer from these illnesses every day. I believe it is a way for us to put ourselves in other people's shoes. With that being said, Made You Up has made its way to my top ten list of 2018. The book held me at its grasp and I was unable to put it down. The book takes you on a journey where you do not know what is real and what is not because of Alex's schizophrenia and paranoia. She may be the most unreliable narrator I've read. She is unable to trust herself; however, the way that the story unfolds held me captive until the very last page.

      Our main characters world is filled with hallucinations, people, and noises that may or may not be really there. She takes pictures of the world around her knowing that reality will be there for her later in her photographs. She does perimeter checks of all the places she goes and she checks her food for poison. 

      This story also includes a romantic route, but surprisingly, I still fell in love with it even though romances are typically not my thing. This was not your typical romance. Their weird relationship was so interesting to follow because of the way that they interacted and attempted to understand each other. Their relationship had me hooked until the very end. I think the reason the relationship and love story didn't throw me off was because it was not your typical insta-love situation that usually drives me up a wall.

      In the end, Alex is able to come to terms with her mental illness. She starts the book with schizophrenia and she ends the book with it. She is not cured but that's okay. Zappia didn't romanticise going off your meds either and making it seem like everything is a walk in the park as long as the character stays on them. Because its not. Zappia also did an amazing job of treating Alex like an actual human being. There have been to many books where authors take too much from their characters and make it seem that just because they are mentally ill they must be wrong or they must not be able to make their own decisions all the time. And as someone who has struggled with her own mental health issues, it was really refreshing to see her being treated like an actual human being and not dehumanized for circumstances that are out of her control. 

      The only reason this book did not get a complete five stars was because of the ending. There was so much build up and it fell flat leaving me wanting more. It is still an amazing book that I recommend checking out and it will be one that I re-read in the near future.