Book Review: Something Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

SOMETHING MAYBE
by ELIZABETH SCOTT

MY REVIEW:

All Hannah James wants is to be a normal teenager. But it’s not easy when your father is Jackson James, a sleazy celebrity famous for partying at his mansion with beautiful women, or as he calls them, his “special girls” (scantily clad young women who parade around with little on or sometimes nothing at all). To make things more complicated, her mother is Candy Madison, a former “special girl” who does live chats in her lingerie to make a living! Hannah attempts to fly under the radar at school by making herself as invisible as possible. She dresses in baggy clothes, pulls her hair back in understated ponytails and never wears makeup. However, all this doesn't completely shield Hannah from the inevitable whispers, insults and stares that come with being related to unorthodox parents such as hers. Money is tight, so she also works at a call center along with best guy friend Finn and the dreamy Josh.

Josh is the only person Hannah does want to actually notice her. He’s a deep “thinker” who writes poetry and reads Dostoyevsky. But every time she tries to talk to him, Finn seems to always interrupt and annoyingly ruin the moment. When she does finally get to know Josh, Hannah ends up wondering why she can't stop thinking about Finn instead. Turns out, sometimes when you get what you want, it really isn't what you needed after all.

From the start of this novel, it was completely obvious which guy was best for Hannah. Yet I was so drawn in by the passion and skill of Scott's writing, that it held my interest and made for an entertaining ride. I enjoyed the love triangle between Hannah, Josh and Finn. Though it was easy to recognize how phony Josh was, I could also relate to why Hannah would be infatuated with him. In fact, I imagine I would’ve felt the same way myself at seventeen! Finn on the other hand, had real heart and soul. He was always the guy I rooted for. It was so satisfying to read how his relationship with Hannah evolved, and so sweet how he would get tongue tied or blush when around her. He really "got" Hannah and I loved how quick he was there to support her when she needed someone the most.

The unusual family dynamics of the book definitely made for a unique read, and I appreciated the way Scott dealt with the deeper issues of love and loss in a sincere manner and didn’t have to resort to clichés. It was also impressive how well adjusted Hannah was for someone with such unorthodox parental figures. Her empty relationship with Jackson was downright sorrowful though. He treated her with a detached, flighty sort of affection. All of which was captured on film and manipulated into whatever ratings spin would work best for his reality tv show. After having a father like Jackson, it made so much sense why Hannah would desperately want something more consistent in her life to depend on. I definitely could put myself in her shoes and understand why it would be so hard to let people get close to me if I were Hannah.

This was my first Elizabeth Scott novel. I now understand why she is such a popular teen romance novelist and can’t wait to read more of her books. Something Maybe was an endearing, feel good read that will definitely evoke a happy sigh from readers at the end, and I’d highly recommend it.


Click here to read the first chapter.

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
ISBN-10: 1416978658
ISBN-13: 978-1416978657
Release date: March 24, 2009
Buy at: Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble,Books-A-Million, etc.
Elizabeth Scott's Official Website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Elizabeth Scott grew up in a town so small it didn't even have a post office, though it did boast an impressive cattle population. She's sold hardware and panty hose and had a memorable three-day stint in the dot-com industry, where she learned that she really didn't want a career burning CDs. She lives just outside Washington, DC, with her husband; firmly believes you can never own too many books; and would love it if you visited her website, www.elizabethwrites.com.