Maybe Not

Maybe Not is an interstitial novella within Colleen Hoover’s Maybe Someday series, which includes Maybe Someday (2014) and Maybe Now (2018). Maybe Someday focuses on the emotionally complex and musically driven romance between a music teacher named Sydney and a composer named Ridge, who is also Warren’s best friend and roommate. This novella serves as a complementary expansion of the Maybe Someday universe, offering insight into characters who played secondary roles in the main book but whose personalities and relationships were only briefly explored.

The central plot of Maybe Not revolves around Warren and Bridgette, two characters introduced in Maybe Someday as members of Ridge’s unconventional living arrangement. Warren, known for his playful, sometimes crude sense of humor, and Bridgette, characterized by her icy and antagonistic demeanor, engage in a volatile sexual relationship in Maybe Someday that largely serves as a counterpart to the more restrained, morally complicated romance of Ridge and Sydney; indeed, Bridgette herself is a largely comic figure in Maybe Someday, making the backstory that Maybe Not provides regarding Bridgette’s emotional guardedness a significant shift in tone and characterization. At the same time, Maybe Not builds on certain aspects of Maybe Someday; for instance, Warren’s role advising Ridge on his relationship with Sydney reveals an emotional depth and complexity that Maybe Not further explores in connection with The Role of Trust and Vulnerability in Developing Deep Connection. 

As an expansion of the series, Maybe Not enriches the reader’s understanding of the Maybe Someday world, exploring the side characters and making the overarching narrative more immersive. While the book is not required reading to understand Maybe Now, it adds context to Warren and Bridgette’s relationship, which continues into the final installment (though the overall focus shifts back to Ridge and Sydney). The novella also maintains Hoover’s signature blend of humor, emotional intensity, and romance.