Reviewed by Cayla Carhart for TeensReadToo.com

YOU, MAYBE is a great book about high school romance. This book really captures how romance in high school can be confusing and heartbreaking, but can also be fun. This book is a page-turner; it keeps you wondering what could possibly happen next.

Josie is a fifteen-year-old girl who is very independent and has never wanted to be anybody's girlfriend. She believes that when you become a couple, you yourself are only half of something and not whole. She's just a regular kid who never understood why they say that these are the best years of your life.

Josie is living her regular life; going to school, trying to make some extra money, hanging out with her friends, and everything else a regular teenager would do. Josie loved hanging out with her best guy friend, Michael. Everything was fine between Josie and her friends. But what happens when she starts to think that she might be falling in love with Carson, a BP (beautiful person), the kind of person she had always hated? What happens when Carson starts to notice her? Carson had previously had a hard time when his first love, Emelina, got accepted to college early and fell in love with an older college boy. Will Carson learn to love Josie and give up on Emelina? And what will happen when a tragic event happens? Will Carson love Josie or break her heart?

To answer all these questions, read this great book. ( )

Joise is an independent, unique sophomore who doesn't really understand love or relationships at all. Her belief is that when you are in a relationship, you are only half of something and never whole. That is, until Carson Gold, a BP (Beautiful Person), suddenly starts showing an interest in her. Josie has sworn she would never fall for Carson the way every other girl has, but Carson is persistent... how long can she resist?

This is a great book about a first love and how confusing it can be, especially in high school. First of all, Josie is a great protagonist. She is funny, sarcastic, and very likeable. Especially toward the beginning of the book, I found myself laughing at some of the things she said. Of course, she has flaws too, which makes her relatable. Whether it was struggling with insecurity, or fighting with her parents, I felt like I knew where she was coming from.

However, throughout the book, she starts to change and mold into what she thinks Carson wants her to be. It really showed how being caught up in a relationship can change a person, especially someone as unsuspecting as Josie.

The secondary characters were all very realistic in my opinion. Michael, her friend-with-benefits, Zandra and Tru, her best friends, and even her parents were all well-drawn characters that I could understand.

As for the ending of the book, it's a love-it or hate-it type of thing. Personally, I loved it. But, at the same time, I can see where it would be disappointing for other people. I don't want to give too much away, so I think I'll stop there.

The only think I didn't get (and I don't know if I missed something) was the timeline. I couldn't really figure how long Josie and Carson had known each other, or how much time there was in between certain events. It didn't particularly bother me, but it was just something I thought about.

All in all, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute romance that has some depth to it. It's a great summer book, so check your local library!

Four stars! :) ( )

Susan says: The emotions in this book are definitely raw and real, and reminded me very much of my own high school experience. Josie is a sophomore who is very determinedly her own person. Until the day Carson Gold, a senior jock, starts paying attention to her and starts dating her. At the beginning, Josie plays it safe – she is still making out with her best boy friend on a regular basis as well. But within a couple of weeks Carson has begun to subtly change her, and she decides she is in love with him. The relationship disintegrates as his ex-girlfriend comes back into the picture, and it ends badly. But even when it ends, Josie tries to do it on her own terms and reestablish who she is. I think this would definitely be a popular book with teenage girls, since they love the sad parts of romance just as much as the romantic parts. ( )