Blog Tour: More Than Maybe - Erin Hahn

More Than Maybe
Erin Hahn
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Growing up under his punk rocker dad's spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn't in front of a crowd, it's on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.

Vada's got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom's boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil's music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley's prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor's summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?

REVIEW

Erin Hahn has once again filled my heart with joy and left me with that warm and fuzzy feeling I am always chasing. I was so in love with Vada, Luke, and their musical musings, that I devoured this book whole. 

WHO?

• Luke was this sweet and quiet guy, who was trying to live out his own musical dream. He loved writing music and wanted to be part of that world while staying out of the limelight. 
• Vada was a rather popular music blogger, who had already been accepted to one of the best music journalism programs in the country, but she wasn't sure if she could attend the school of her dreams without the financial support of her absentee father. 

WHAT?

Though they had admired and crushed on each other from afar, Luke and Vada had never really spent time together until now. They quickly formed a friendship and become each other's "person" to be there as they navigated the messy parts of their lives. 

WHY?

There were so many things I loved about this book, and I am not even sure I could pinpoint them. It was a perfect storm of so many of my favorite elements, and Hahn combine them in an impeccable way. 

Some things I adored:

• Vada + Luke = 😍 I seriously loved this pairing
• Music, music, everywhere! The musical references were fantastic. Hahn incorporated some of my favorites from back in the day, but I was also happy to recognize all the more contemporary references too. 
• Twinning! Luke and his brother, Cullen, had a great relationship. They were so different but complimented each other so well. 
• Grown up romances. It's always nice to see a married couple, like Luke's parents, who are still so deeply in love, and I was so happy when Vada's mom got her HEA too. 
• Let's hear it for Phil! Phil was the owner of the Loud Lizard and Vada's surrogate dad. He had been part of Vada's life for as long as she could remember, and was a big supporter of her dream. He was a quiet man who loved loudly, and I simply adored him. 
• Cameos. There is nothing that pleases me more than a well placed reference to characters from an author's previous books, and BOOM! Annie Mathers was on the page. This delighted me so much, and it was fantastic to get a little "peek" at how Annie was doing. 
• The use of media. I really appreciated the way Hahn worked in all different types of media. Some of the standouts were the Greenly brothers podcast, the nightly YouTube links, and the music blog. It was all seamlessly woven into the story, and added a little something extra because it was utilized so well. 

This book was really a sum of its parts for me. It was the characters, the story, the romance, and everything else, which all added up to something amazing. I wore a stupid happy grin on my face as I read this book, and was grateful for the way it lifted my spirits. Overall, this was a warm, wonderful, and musical experience. 

* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

This book was FILLED with musical references, and you can check out a playlist from the author HERE, but I am dropping a few songs here because I was excited to see them mentioned. 

Tears for Fears was the first band I ever saw live (back in 1986), and I have always loved this song in all its incarnations

The Cure is one of my favorite bands and I always found this song so beautiful and sad though it's a bouncy tune. 

Dramarama! I saw them live The Stone Pony back in 1991 (maybe 92) with two of my sorority sisters, and I had the BEST time. 

 

And, now for one from my all-time favorite band - The Smiths. Oddly enough, I read two books in a row, which were published 20 years apart, and both featured this song. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erin started writing her own books when her little sister gave her shade about a country music-themed Twilight fanfic. By day, she gets to share her favorite stories with her elementary students. By night, she writes swoons. Erin married her own YA love interest whom she met on her first day of college and has two kids who are much, much cooler than she ever was at their age. She lives in Michigan, aka the greenest place on earth and has a cat, Gus, who plays fetch.

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Do you have a favorite song? 
Let us know in the comments!