Synopsis:
Finding true love is only a matter of time in Maybe This Time, a heartfelt and hilarious romantic comedy, starring Zoë Chao (The Afterparty), Noah Reid (Schitt’s Creek), and a full cast!
Romance can be a little complicated when you get sucked into a wormhole. Just ask high school English teacher June Flint. One little solar flare happens and suddenly you find yourself 85 years in the future. Eighty-five years from your dream job. Your ailing mother whose only companion in this world is you. Your favorite stuffed-crust pizza from DeLucia’s on Sunday nights.
But when June’s cell phone inexplicably picks up a signal, she’s able to call back to the present—more specifically, four weeks before she accidentally time traveled. Problem is, the phone can only call one number: her work nemesis, gym teacher Mikey Shannon.
Now future June must help Mikey befriend present-day June to keep her from disappearing. But present-day June doesn’t even want to be in the same room as Mikey, let alone become besties. And Mikey isn’t exactly…talkie. Yet he’s spending hours a day with future June on the phone, and even more time trying to befriend present-day June. Volunteering with June at school, check. Facing his fear of roller coasters to make June smile, check. Adopting a puppy and letting her name it. Check.
But what does succeeding in the present mean for future June, and for the serious feelings she and Mikey are starting to catch for one another? Stopping time travel is one thing—but can they stop themselves from falling in love?
Review:
If Cara Bastone releases a new full cast audiobook you know I’m going to listen to it. Maybe This Time wasn’t my favourite but it was a really fun read.
I found the first quarter of this book quite confusing. I’ll be honest and say I didn’t read the synopsis because it’s a Cara Bastone audiobook, that’s an instant read for me. I probably should have done this as I had no clue what was going on. This does get explained fairly quickly though and what a cool idea. It’s a little wild and the science behind it probably doesn’t make sense but it was such a fun book.
Full cast, dramatised audiobooks will always be my favourite type. They’re way more engaging and because they’re purely dialogue, I find that I actually listen 100% of the time. The narrators of Maybe This Time were particularly good. It’s only after sitting down to write this review that I’ve realised Noah Reid, who plays Patrick in Schitt’s Creek, is voicing Mikey. Which is pretty cool. Both main narrators did a great job, especially Zoë Chao who voiced two different versions of the same character.
I can’t say I ever read a book where the main character is 85 years in the future talking to a work colleague on the phone in the present day in an attempt to get him to befriend her past self to stop her from falling into a wormhole that causes the 85 year jump. That’s quite the unique premise and also so unlike the other books I’ve read by Cara Bastone. It’s definitely still a rom-com but the sci-fi twist was really fun.
The development of the relationship between not just future June and Mikey, but also present June and Mikey was done really well. Even though this is a fairly short book, the development felt very natural and not at all forced. The chemistry between the narrators helped a lot with this as well. Every conversation they had flowed easily.
I’m not going to comment on the actual story as this is one I could spoil quite easily but it’s so crazy and all over the place (in a good way) that I suggest you check it out yourself. If you have Audible Plus you can listen for free!
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