Absolutely Maybe

Lisa Yee's first young adult novel begins in Florida, where Maybe - short for Maybelline Mary Anne Mary Katherine Chestnut (she's named for her mother's favorite mascara and two beauty queens) - has finally had it. She's sick of her mom, who dotes on her charm school students. She's sick of her mom's students, who pick on her in school. And she's sick of her mom's fiancee (who will be her jillionth stepdad) who has finally overstepped his bounds in a serious way. Worst of all, Maybe's mom blames her. Determined to find her real dad, Maybe grabs her BFF Ted and they hitch a ride to L.A. with Hollywood, a friend who just enrolled at UCLA and is heading west for summer classes. But things aren't as glamourous as they should be - if she's show more going to turn her life around, Maybe has to be proactive. And with a few nudges from her friends, a wacky new job, and the sudden reappearance of a loved one from her past, she just might make it through the summer. Lisa Yee has put together a stunning novel, both fun and heartbreaking as we watch Maybe hit rock bottom and pick herself back up. Her characters are compelling and honest, if a bit over-the-top, and their problems aren't unlike those facing real teens. You can't help but love Maybe as soon as you meet her, and you won't soon forget her, either. show less

I was pleasantly surprised by this one--I was expecting some fluffy, brainless book, but instead got a well-rounded character who deals realistically (which is to say, not always terribly well) with some serious crap being thrown at her. While there is maybe a liiiiittle bit much thrown at her in the beginning, her reactions make sense in relation to who she herself is. There was a lot more meat to this than I'd anticipated. I like it when books surprise me like this!

Maybelline “Maybe” Chestnut is at odds with her mother Chessy, a former beauty queen who only seems to care about her Charm School students and planning her elaborate weddings to a series of unsuitable men. So when Chessy refuses to protect Maybe from her latest scuzzball, Maybe decides to join friends Ted and Hollywood on a road trip out to California, where maybe, just maybe, she might find her real father.

I was excited to read this because I just adored Lisa Yee’s Millicent Min: Girl Genius. Millicent was so well drawn as a character that she became a real person for me. In fact, I still have her voice in my head even 8 months later. Sadly, this is not the case with Maybe. I read this last week, and as I write this, the only show more thing I still have clearly in my mind about her is the changing color of her hair and the fact that she dyes it with kool-aid. Maybe is billed as being this independent, dynamic girl, yet spends most of the narrative reacting to circumstances instead of taking a proactive role. She lets her friends walk all over her (she doesn’t object when her guy friends take the beds and make her sleep on the floor?! Seriously?), she bums around in California instead of looking for her father, and when her purse is stolen, she kind of just gives up and hopes for some sort of miracle to save her from homelessness.

Perhaps to counterbalance this serious lack of title character personality, the novel is populated with a plethora of over-the-top supporting characters, most of whom are extremely egocentric (except for one of Maybe’s former stepfathers who is so accommodating it borders on a creepfest). For example, Maybe’s friend Ted, an adopted Thai, is splashy, charming and bold but once he starts working as an assistant for a reclusive Hollywood star, he becomes unbearably pompous.

There were definitely things I liked about the novel, such as a subplot where Maybe has job at an illegal Mexican food stand, but overall, this felt like a really disjointed series of vignettes and crazy personas that could’ve used a stronger, more memorable and more proactive main character to hold it all together. show less

Maybelline Chestnut, also known as Maybe, leaves Kissimmee, FL for Los Angeles, CA, after her mother’s latest fiancé attempts to rape her and her mother sides with him instead of her daughter. One of her best friends, Hollywood, is on his way to UCLA Film School and Maybe and her other best friend, Ted go along for the ride. Getting away from her critical, alcoholic mother, Chessy, and her groping fiancé, is one reason Maybe heads for California, but she also wants to find her biological father, the one man serial marrier Chessy did not marry. The trio has several interesting adventures along the way and when they get to California. The novel has several subplots and is populated with many quirky characters making for a mostly show more lighthearted read. show less

pretty predictable story: teen that does not fit in with the usuals overcomes adversities, alongside friends who also are not usuals. still, some pretty unique elements makes this an entertaining read and worthwhile way to pass a couple of hours.

While there were bits and places where I was a little irritated or just bored with the main character, Maybe (short for "Maybelline", as named by her beauty pageant star mother) and her friends, overall this was a really good read. The twists and turns took the book to places that I didn't expect, without becoming cheesy or disjointed in the process. And unlike a lot of YA books, this is one where you don't only see the teen growing and changing across the book, but the adults are growing up as well.

Definitely a great pick for libraries, schools, and mother/daughter book clubs. :)

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

ABSOLUTELY MAYBE by Lisa Yee is due out in February 2009. It is her first YA/teen novel - and readers will not want to miss it.

The main character is Maybelline, "Maybe" to her friends. She is currently living above her mother's Charm School. She is surrounded by glamour and future pageant hopefuls, but she feels anything but glamorous. Depending on the day, Maybe's hair color might be red, green, or blue, thanks to endless boxes of unsweetened jello. Her baggy black T-shirts, goth eyeliner, and dark lipstick have her mother frantic. That is, when her mother isn't busy trawling for her next husband.

Maybe's best friends, Ted and Hollywood, are the only things that keep her show more going. Their support helps her tolerate her mother's boyfriends-turned-step-fathers, until the most recent, Jake, makes an attempt to turn Maybe into more than an innocent step-daughter. When her mother sides with her pervert husband-to-be, Maybe decides it is time to follow through on her lifelong dream to find her mysterious biological father.

Ted and Hollywood join in the adventure as they head to L.A. in search of all their dreams.

Their arrival in California is followed by terrific opportunities for Ted and Hollywood, but not so much for Maybe. After weeks of living homeless, she finally searches out her mother's husband #2/#4, the only one who made Maybe feel anyone ever cared for her. At least now she has a place to call home while she continues her search for the father she never knew.

Yee's characters draw readers right into their lives. You'll find something to like about all of them, and they'll make you anxious to turn to the next page and sad when you arrive at the last one. There are humorous escapades mixed with sensitive, sentimental scenes as Maybe's story is revealed.

I can only hope that Maybe returns someday to let readers know about the next chapter in her awesome life. show less