Maybe This Time, written by Kasie West, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary: Sophie Evans dreams of escaping her tiny hometown in Alabama and attending design school in New York. Sophie begrudgingly works at the local flower shop, Every Occasion to pay for college. She meets Andrew Hart, son of celebrity chef Jett Hart, while working at a Valentine’s Day event. Jett Hart is in town to help rescue her best friend Micah’s dad’s catering business. Andrew is everything Sophie is not: sophisticated, rich and from New York. It's hate at first sight as far as Sophie is concerned. Andrew intentionally or not makes Sophie feel insecure about her future plans. Maybe This Time takes place over the course a year. The novel is broken into nine sections, one for each event. Andrew and Sophie keep running into each other at the various events. Over the course of the year, their relationship changes. The ongoing tension between Andrew and Sophie begins to affect Sophie’s friendship with Micah.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Maybe This Time is a lively modern romance. West’s characters are richly drawn and engaging. Most of the characters are white but there are several African American characters including Micah and her family. There is no noticeable racial tension. The novel does contain several allusions to the fact that not everyone in town will order from an African American catering company. Breaking the story into sections based on the nine events works effectively and keeps the novel moving along at a brisk pace. Each event has a corresponding flower and a description of the floral arrangement at the event. The reason West chose this literary device becomes apparent only near the end of Maybe This Time. The romance is age appropriate. There is some kissing but nothing too sensual. There are several references to adults drinking alcohol including Sophie’s mom declaring “Point me to the wine.” None of the underage characters drink alcohol. I highly recommend this novel to fans of West's previous novels and readers seeking a well-written romance.