Maybe This Time by Kasie West

SYNOPSIS

One year. Nine events. Nine chances to . . . fall in love?

Weddings. Funerals. Barbecues. New Year's Eve parties. Name the occasion, and Sophie Evans will be there. Well, she has to be there. Sophie works for the local florist, so she can be found at every big event in her small hometown, arranging bouquets and managing family dramas.

Enter Andrew Hart. The son of the fancy new chef in town, Andrew is suddenly required to attend all the same events as Sophie. 

​Entitled, arrogant, preppy Andrew. Sophie just wants to get her job done and finish up her sketches so she can apply to design school. 

But every time she turns around, there is Andrew, getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Until one day she wonders if maybe complicated isn't so bad after all . . .

Told over the course of one year and following Sophie from event to event, this delightful novel from master of romantic comedy Kasie West shows how love can blossom in unexpected places. 

Synopsis from Goodreads

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PERSONAL REVIEW

I honestly don't know how Kasie West is publishing books so quickly, but I won't complain. I'm always in the mood for a cutesy rom-com story, especially during the summer when I want fun books to read as I travel or hang out by the pool. While Maybe This Time isn't my favourite of West's, it's still a sweet story for the summer months. 

Cute Story
West is a pro at writing cute, light stories that are quick reads and guarantee a happy ending. In the case of Maybe This Time, I didn't feel like we got to know Sophie as well as we should have. Because the story revolves around events that Sophie is working (which is a fun concept), there a lot of gaps in her life that are mentioned in passing, so I felt a degree of separation of what she was going through. That said, it was nice to see Andrew and Sophie grow up and realize why they act the way they do and what they need to do to change. 

Finally Seeing Some Representation 
Although they are secondary characters, I was really happy to read a Kasie West book that expands beyond an all-Caucasian cast of characters. Sophie's best friend, Micah, is African American and there's subtle reminders that life for a black family in Alabama is not all sunshine and roses; there are families in their small town that will not hire Micah's family to cater events because they refuse to hire a black family. It's not mentioned often, but I was happy to see West including some real issues in the world. 

While the ending was really abrupt, overall I thought this was a fun summer read. I'd recommend this to anyone who already loves West's books or those interested in a quick and easy novel to enjoy. 

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FINAL RATING: 3/5