Review: Good writing, but hated the heroine.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 28, 2013
I was really excited to read "Flirting with Maybe" because of my love for Wendy Higgin's debut novel, "Sweet Evil". This YA contemporary novella has a very original premise with the hero falling in love with an older girl and dealing with that age difference through the turbulent high school years. The story follows Ryan and Brooke's changing relationship over a few years.My favorite part of this book was the hero, Ryan. It is rare for a YA contemporary to have a male narrator and I loved how Higgins depicted Ryan's experiences. His voice is realistic and really helped readers understand his character. His personality was well-developed and he matured quite a bit over the course of the story which is sometimes difficult for authors to show in shorter stories. I am also a huge baseball fan so I loved all the scenes involving Ryan's games and relationships with his teammates.The main issue I had with this book was the character of Brooke, the girl Ryan has been in love with since his sophomore year. She annoyed me from the moment I met her and I just never got over that initial impression. I thought she was whiny, ignorant, and completely selfish regarding her relationship with Ryan. Readers didn't get to know much about Brooke's personal life other than her issues with her stepfather. I could sympathize with her difficult home life, but it was frustrating when she didn't show the maturity that I thought Ryan did. I just couldn't see what Ryan saw in her and why he was willing to put up with her crap throughout the story.I also thought the development of Ryan and Brooke's romantic relationship was a bit lacking despite the fact that the story took place over two years. I appreciated how, in the beginning, Higgins emphasized their friendship and how comfortable they were with each other. But, the romance aspect (on Brooke's part especially) seemed out of the blue and underdeveloped. I also thought the ending was abrupt and not very satisfying.But, despite my dislike of Brooke and overall disappointment with the love story, I did find this story to be enjoyable. Ryan's voice and character is refreshing in the YA contemporary genre and really kept me interested. The sports subplot also captured my attention and made it stand out from others in the genre. I do recommend this story, but I do it with some hesitation regarding Brooke's character and the development of the love story. I also have to mention that I loved seeing the excerpt from Higgin's next release, "Sweet Peril", sequel to the wonderful "Sweet Evil."