Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon! I am so excited to share my thoughts on this amazing book with you, and give you a chance to win a copy, too! ?
Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon Published by Simon Pulse on January 15, 2019
Pages: 384
Format:eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley
Aspiring choreographer Sophie Orenstein would do anything for Peter Rosenthal-Porter, who’s been on the kidney transplant list as long as she’s known him. Peter, a gifted pianist, is everything to Sophie: best friend, musical collaborator, secret crush. When she learns she’s a match, donating a kidney is an easy, obvious choice. She can’t help wondering if after the transplant, he’ll love her back the way she’s always wanted.
But Peter’s life post-transplant isn’t what either of them expected. Though he once had feelings for Sophie too, he’s now drawn to Chase, the guitarist in a band that happens to be looking for a keyboardist. And while neglected parts of Sophie’s world are calling to her—dance opportunities, new friends, a sister and niece she barely knows—she longs for a now-distant Peter more than ever, growing increasingly bitter he doesn’t seem to feel the same connection.
Peter fears he’ll forever be indebted to her. Sophie isn’t sure who she is without him. Then one blurry, heartbreaking night twists their relationship into something neither of them recognizes, leading them to question their past, their future, and whether their friendship is even worth fighting for.
“Because I was in love with him— the kind of love that made my throat ache with all the things I couldn’t say.”
This is probably going to be one of “those” reviews that just amounts to incoherent gushing, and I am not sorry. When I heard there was a new Rachel Lynn Solomon book coming out, I had no doubt I’d like it. I loved You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone, but more than that I could just kind of tell that the author had a certain… specialness to her writing.
“The only regrets I have when it comes to Peter are things I don’t do. Things I don’t say.”
And right I was. This book was absolutely everything I had hoped and expected, but then somehow, it was even more. In YMMWIG, while I related to the characters quite deeply on a human level, I never went through many of the things they had gone through. This one… well, it was different. Because it spoke to me. Told me things I needed to hear. And honestly, it’s pretty damn powerful when a book has that ability.
“It takes a lot of energy to love someone this much without being loved back the way you want. It drains you.”
And sure, I will tell you about all its positives from a more objective angle! The characters are incredibly relatable, whether you have been through any of the junk they have or none at all. Just like YMMWIG, it has the uncanny ability to make you love and care for these characters. They are flawed, and messy, and at their cores just good, decent people trying to navigate the world. The world with all its unwanted feelings and harshness and ups and downs.
You need more? Okay! It has funny moments, charming moments, heartwarming moments, and yeah, heartbreaking moments. The stories-within-stories make the pages fly by. You’ll learn so much about all the relationships, beyond just their friendship-turned-mess. You’ll see them coming of age, and dealing with all the highs and lows it encompasses.
“Sometimes you hurt, and sometimes you ache, but the worst pain is one you can’t put a name to and can’t swallow a pill to fix.”
And yes, maybe you’ll learn something about yourself, or about relationships of all sorts. Maybe this book will help you process some of your own bullshitty life stuff. Maybe it’ll tell you stuff you had to hear, had to hear in the way Rachel Lynn Solomon tells it. Maybe, if you’re really lucky, it’ll be exactly what you need.
Bottom Line: This book is beautiful and honest and relatable, and quite frankly, flawless.
Win a signed copy of OUR YEAR OF MAYBE by Rachel Lynn Solomon (US Only)
Oh, I was SO close to signing up for this tour, but I talked myself out of it. I obviously made a grave mistake. Sigh.
Aww ♥♥♥ That is okay though because at least it will be out in the world soon and you can read it!!
I really love books like these, where I can either TOTALLY relate, or it just makes me THINK. I feel like this is going to be something that I actually relate to though, which is a bit nerve-wracking because I’m my heart will break. haha
-Lauren
YESSSSS. Honestly it will break, ughhh mine still is I think. But it was still totally worth it!
The book sounds lovely as is the cover. Good luck with your novel.
It really is beautiful! Worth it for sure!
This book is one of my most anticipated of 2019. Excited to get a copy soon!
Yayyy I hope you LOVE IT!
I’ve been reading less and less YA but this one is definitely calling to me. I’m already intrigued by the dynamics in the relationships both before and after the transplant.
YESSS it is seriously awesome. And I think handled really well- like parents are very involved and VERY worried that the transplant is a terrible idea (this is in the first few pages, so not a spoiler!) so you don’t have to worry about any shenanigans or suspension of disbelief either!
Wow! I always think it’s amazing when a book can speak to us like that! 🙂
Indeed it is. Even if we maybe didn’t want to hear it.
I am flipping tearing up reading this review. This book wrecked me. It was happy and sad. I was so happy for Peter, but so sad for Sophie. It was 5-stars from me too.
AW thank youuuu! It really did wreck me too. Like- I usually don’t like when things turn out the way they did but WOW it was SO REAL. And like I said, something I needed to kind of… come to terms with in my own life. Which SUCKS but somehow reading Sophie’s journey helped me cope a LOT.
Oh my goodness, my heart is already tugged after reading this book summary. How could that end well?!
Listen, my crybaby radar is blinking red telling me I’m going to ball reading this book! Like a dummy, I got over-excited and went to Amazon to buy it, but then I saw the release date lol. This is the type of ya contemporary that I loveee and because I’ve never read anything by this author, and also because you rated it 5 stars, I definitely will be picking this up when it releases!
For sure I will be adding it. This sounds intensely wonderful!
Yup.
It sounds like a very interesting read. I added it.
I have not seen a negative review for this book at ALL. Everyone is loving it which means I so need to read it as well. And if a book can tell you things that you feel you need to hear at a certain time? That’s when you know it’s a good book. I am so happy you loved this one ^.^