Mr Maybe

This was one Jane Green book from her chick lit days I never read. I wondered why I never bought this and now I know why. I must have read the sample and said no thank you. That was a smart decision. I am kind of horrified at how bad this book was. The main character was awful, so were two of her love interests. Her friend was having issues (serious ones) that she ignored. Her mother made Mrs. Bennett in Pride and Prejudice look like a saint. I mean my God. That's a terrible bar to be lower than. So why did I keep reading? I kept wondering how bad could it get. It got really bad.

Told in the first person, we have Libby Mason who is looking for love in all the wrong places. Libby is told constantly by her terrible mother that she's not show more worth a damn until she gets married and married to a man with money. And though Libby has dated (and frankly based on the way she acts, I can see why men left her butt) she is still looking to date a rich man who can keep her in designer clothes and a million dollar mansion. Working in publicity has Libby next to the wealthy, but she's not wealthy.

When she goes out with friends, she runs into Nick (who she has met before). She and Nick have insta-chemistry/lust in this one and though Libby knows it won't work out, thinks she is capable of just having a fling with Nick (she's not).

Nick is everything that Libby doesn't want, he's jobless, poor, and doesn't see a problem with dressing like he's homeless. But you know, hot sex, yadda yadda yadda. When Libby starts to catch feelings for Nick, he realizes they should stop while they are ahead. Libby then ends up meeting her rich man and wonders if he is the one for her.

I just can't with this book. Nick is a jerk and so are his friends. Libby is a jerk too though so I don't know who wins that contest. I have never read a book about so many unlikable people in my life. And the only one I felt sorry for was the guy Libby ends up dating after Nick, Ed. Ed wines and dines Libby and she's angry that he's bad in bed, has a gross mustache, etc. but is still happy to get all the flowers and presents the guy showers onto her. Her mother practically offers herself up to him if he will keep dating Libby.

I think in the end I should be happy about follow your heart or something, but wow they all suck. show less

Twenty-seven-year-old Libby Mason is determined that a recent "fling" with novelist Nick will stay just that -- a fling. She's not serious about him, she says, and though they have a great time spending time together, he's not exactly husband material. And what Libby wants, more than anything, is a husband.

So when she and Nick inevitably part ways, Libby's slightly distraught -- until Ed McMann (McMann, that is, not McMahon!) arrives on the scene. Ed is just another awkward British guy chatting her up until she learns, from a friend, about Mr. McMann's padded checkbook. The guy is rich -- like, seriously loaded. Memories of Nick's disgusting flat fade into oblivion the first time Libby walks into Ed's posh London home, and as Ed begins show more his swift courtship of Libby, she finds herself falling more and more in love . . . with his dough.

Jane Green's Mr. Maybe is basically an exercise in how far can Libby seriously take this whole "relationship" before calling uncle? Seriously, it was kind of like watching a slow-motion train derailment. I couldn't believe Libby would even entertain the thought of being with someone like boring, pedantic and clingy Ed -- and neither could anyone else in her life, save her mother. But somehow Libby is drawn into this world of wealth and minor fame, basking in the glow of Ed's attention and lavish gift-giving.

Very little of Mr. Maybe sat right with me. Despite the fact that we're to believe Libby is an empowered PR representative who hob-knobs with celebrities, has tons of friends and many contacts in the media world, she comes across as weak, shallow and, frankly, uninteresting. Her banter with Nick is believable and fresh, but the entire mess with Ed felt sticky and terrible. As she let things drag on and on, I kind of . . . started to hate her.

Maybe I related too much to the whole "single girl" on the town -- and felt a little irked that for Libby, having a night by herself to watch TV and eat Chinese was like a fate worse than death. Um, personally, I call that Tuesday. Should I down a bottle of poison now or wait until after I've watched three back-to-back episodes of "Gossip Girl," Libby?

Of course, our narrator eventually changes her tune on that front -- and has undergone quite a transformation by the end of the novel. And I could appreciate that she'd changed. In fact, she became quite self-aware at the conclusion of the novel . . . and I genuinely believed she'd become a better -- and bigger -- person. But getting to that point? Unpleasant. show less

I was prepared, somehow, to dislike this book - the cover, maybe? But I found myself quite enchanted by it. You know what's going to happen right from the beginning, but still find yourself excited to get there, rooting for the inevitable because what if you didn't and it all fell apart?

I don't often buy used books, particularly since 99.5% of my book-buying these days is done online, and the difference in price between used and new really shrinks when you add in shipping costs (I always get enough new books to get free shipping). But when there's an out-of-print book I really, really want, I browse through the seller's other books to see if they have anything else I might want--in particular, some new-to-me author that I'm not yet ready to take a chance on buying new. And that's how Mr. Maybe ended up in my TBR pile.

Libby Mason's Mr. Right is wealthy, gorgeous, and willing to support her in the style to which she'd like to become accustomed. So when she meets Nick, who is gorgeous, but who's also a struggling show more unemployed writer "on the dole" (why does that sound better than "welfare" or "unemployment"?), she knows he can't be The One. But he's so fun and sexy that she can't resist spending time with him. They embark on a relationship that they keep reassuring each other isn't serious, but it turns out to be such a great relationship that Libby's starting to reassess her criteria, and despite her denial, she's starting to fall in love with him.

And then Nick breaks up with her.

Out with her girlfriend in an attempt to cheer up, she meets Ed McMann (I know I'm not the only one taken aback by his name--the PW review spelled it McMahon!), who's everything she thought she wanted. Okay, so he's not gorgeous, but he is sweet, and one of Britain's most eligible bachelors, and he's definitely willing to spend money on her.

And so maybe he gets on her nerves, and the sex is terrible, but it'll get better over time, right?

I had such a difficult time with this book at first. Libby is unabashedly materialistic--wearing designer clothes, going to the best restaurants and clubs, all in the search of her wealthy Mr. Right. And Nick wasn't much better--blame my Puritan American background, but I had a very hard time sympathizing with a young, healthy, intelligent person choosing to go on welfare rather than work.

But along the way, they grew on me. Mostly because they grew--or Libby did, at least. Nick redeemed himself in the end. Eh--the story is about Libby, growing, changing, learning--that's why it's chick lit (or women's fiction--I still prefer the chick lit label) and not romance.

I loved how Libby changed while she was with Nick, and then I loved how she tried very hard to make the relationship with Ed work. The format was great--she grew in the relationship with Nick, and those changes were evident in her relationship with Ed. And boy, could I relate to her determination to make it work, as well as to her decision that since it didn't work out with the man she loved, she was going to settle for the one who met her old criteria.

And unlike other stories with this plot, Libby did care about Ed and worried about hurting him.

I believe I have another one of Green's books in my TBR pile. I look forward to reading it. show less

This was great! Loved the additional British flavor and the London locale. Same problems, though. What made this a standout for me were the descriptions of what the most eligible bachelor lacked. Green was right on with this guy's irritating habits, manipulations, and lack of depth. 'Course she did pretty well with the hottie, as well. The main character's friends and family were realistic and the details right down to the Nutello were sustaining. I am going to read more Jane Green.

Funny writing style, cute voice, nice characters.
Watching Libby interact with Ed was painful, but then I suppose that was the point.

I don't have a whole lot to say, other than Green captures the voice of "marrying someone you aren't in love with" very very well.

I love Jane Green's books as they are light and very easy to read. Mr. Maybe was a little different in that her main female protagonist was unmarried and searching for her Mr. Right. After a series of disastrous relationships Libby decides that a casual not strings attached relationship is just what she needs. And while it starts out that way, this guy is perfect. Except he doesn't want to commit to a relationship let along marriage. Yep sounds familiar. Ok, so whilst on the rebound she meets another guy - mega rich and seemingly the perfect husband material. Libby has finally met the man of her dreams, or has she. No spoilers here you have to read the book.

Well written, believable characters and a really good read. I'm a big fan of show more this author so I loved it. show less