You, Maybe by Rachel Vail

Josie is very content with her life, which includes working as a clown for children's birthday parties, having the funkiest friends, and being friends with a cute boy who is more like a friend-with-benefits than anything else. So when the hottest boy in school, Carson Gold, lands his sights on her and approaches her during lunch, she is happy with just having an occasional hook-up, but that only works when both people agree, and Carson wants more than just kisses; he wants her for his own. She tells him that she doesn't want to date but after a lot of begging and a little singing, she reluctantly says yes. Little does she know that by saying yes that she is in for way more than she could've ever expected, and that's not always a good thing. Her and Carson's relationship continues to grow as her other ones--as well as her life in general and everything that she once knew and believed in--crumble and fall apart. Sometimes instead of trying to fix the destruction that was caused, what's causing the destruction should just be gotten rid of, which in this case is Carson Gold, but for Josie that's going to be harder than she thinks.

The author, Rachel Vail, always does a splendid job of incorporating the book titles into her stories. You, Maybe made me laugh, cry, and feel all of the many emotions of the up and downs of teenage relationships, before, during, and after the break-up. It was easy to relate to Josie since we're both teenagers in high school, she was kind of shy, and the author described a lot about her thoughts, character, and personality. I could picture the scenes very well since they were well described. I liked most of the characters and their unique personalities except for the hunky Carson Gold because he seemed like a preppy snot who played girls and always seemed to get his way. The ending was fairly enjoyable and came as quite a surprise to me since it wasn't the perfect fairy-tale ending I was expecting. Overall this story was well-written and a fun read, but it left a few questions unanswered such as the outcome of her mother's health. I recommend this romantic and drama-filled novel to teenage girls looking for a quick summer read.

There was some sexual content and references.

Reviewer Age:15

Reviewer City, State and Country: Upper Strasburg, PA USA