Something, Maybe is about Hannah, a pretty ordinary girl, and her less-than-ordinary family that prevents her from having an ordinary life. Her father, Jackson James, is an infamous Hugh Heffner type, and her mother, Candy Madison, is a washed-out semi-celebrity whose “job” consists of sitting in front of a webcam in her underwear talking to strangers. Her father’s not around unless it serves his own interests, and her mother, while she loves Hannah, is not exactly a typical mom.

Like any teenage girl, Hannah’s got her eye on a guy, too. Josh is a sensitive, poetry-reading, coffee-drinking, activist-type guy who works with her at the call center for the drive-thrus at a chain of burger restaurants. Her other coworker, Finn, is lound and obnoxious, and Hannah can’t stand him…right? Hannah’s also got a best friend (only friend) who advises her on her guy troubles, and another girl at school who might be a friend but is instead only an acquaintance because Hannah doesn’t really open up to people.

Something, Maybe is a pretty typical contemporary girl story, with the requisite storylines that are major parts of any teen girl’s life–family, friends, and guys. The romance is sweet and predictable. The friendship storyline is underdeveloped, and the friend and acquaintance both felt like placeholders sometimes rather than characters, although the friend did have an intriguing backstory I would have liked to read more about. The family story was interesting, but not particularly compelling. Most of the secondary characters could have been better fleshed out.

Hannah was not a particularly fascinating character, either. She did not appear to have any interests outside of boys. She was not particularly intelligent or deep. She was pretty ordinary, honestly, and while there’s nothing wrong with ordinary, it does not make for a particularly compelling novel. I didn’t hate spending time in Hannah’s head, but I could definitely stop reading with no trouble. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book, but it’s not particularly original and nor is it one of Elizabeth Scott’s best. It’s a kind of shallow, light read, nothing memorable. It was a fun way to pass an afternoon. I love Elizabeth Scott generally, and while I enjoyed this book, it was not up to what I was expecting. It was cute and fun and generic and forgettable.  I’m still eagerly awaiting the author’s next book, though!

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