48 pages • 1-hour read
Maybe Now
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Prologue-Chapter 8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue Summary: “Maggie”
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness and sexual content.
Maggie Carson nervously signs her paperwork before going skydiving. Her instructor, Jake Griffin, notices she’s anxious and assures her he’s done hundreds of tandem jumps before. When he asks her why she wants to skydive, she admits that she’s dying and wants “to experience life to the fullest” (5). (Maggie has cystic fibrosis and diabetes.)
On the flight, Maggie and Jake flirt. She’s impressed that he’s a doctor and flattered when he asks her out for dinner. Finally, they jump.
Chapter 1 Summary: “Sydney”
Sydney Blake wakes up and remembers her night with Ridge Lawson. After years of an emotional relationship, the two finally slept together. His brother Brennan and best friend Warren invited her to Ridge’s concert the night before so that Ridge could perform the songs he wrote her, profess his love, and start their new relationship.
Sydney finds Ridge writing lyrics in the living room and joins him. Because Ridge is deaf, the two use their phones and computers to talk about last night and their relationship. Sydney is glad Ridge doesn’t regret it. He recently broke up with Maggie—his girlfriend of six years—and she knows he still cares about her. Ridge assures her that he and Maggie weren’t right for each other, and he’s in love with her. Sydney just hopes she didn’t do to Maggie what her ex-best friend Tori did to her with her ex-boyfriend Hunter. (Sydney kissed Ridge while he and Maggie were still together.).
That evening, Brennan emails Sydney a new song Ridge wrote for her. Moved by the lyrics, she starts singing.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Maggie”
Maggie loves skydiving. Since she was 12, she’s thought about death constantly, but while skydiving, she feels alive. At the dive’s end, she and Jake make dinner plans.
Later, Maggie is stressed about her date with Jake. She hasn’t been with anyone since Ridge. While getting ready, she finds her bucket list and marks off skydiving. She wonders how many others she can complete.
Ridge texts Maggie about what happened with Sydney. The two have maintained their friendship since breaking up, and she’s glad to hear things worked out with Sydney, even if she doesn’t like her.
Jake picks up Maggie in his Tesla. She’s impressed by the car and thrilled when he suggests driving on a racetrack—another item on Maggie’s bucket list.
Chapter 3 Summary: “Ridge”
Ridge wakes up on the couch after a long nap and texts with Sydney about coming over. Maggie texts to say she went skydiving, and when Sydney arrives, he’s still worrying about Maggie. He’s been her primary caretaker for years and hopes she’s caring for herself. He puts his phone away, and he and Sydney kiss for a long time. Then they talk. Sydney tries out the American Sign Language (ASL) signs she’s learning, and Ridge practices verbalizing—something he hasn’t done until recently. The conversation turns to flirting, and they have sex.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Sydney”
Sydney wakes up, puts on a shirt, and goes to the kitchen to get some food. She’s shocked to run into Brennan, Warren, and Warren’s girlfriend Bridgette, who tease her about her outfit. Bridgette gets upset when she thinks Warren is flirting with Sydney. Ridge comes out to the kitchen afterwards, joining Sydney and the rest of his band, Sounds of Cedar. Sydney is upset when she notices Ridge texting with Maggie, even though she knows they still talk. She and Ridge text about what she’s feeling. Finally she gives in, admitting it’s okay that he still worries about Maggie.
An hour after Sydney returns home, Ridge shows up at her house. They spend the night kissing, having sex, and talking. The conversation gives Ridge an idea—Sydney is studying music in college, and he and Sydney write a song together.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Maggie”
Maggie and Jake go out for burgers and talk about their lives. Jake admits that he had been with his ex for 12 years and only moved out of her house six months ago. They’re still on good terms, but they weren’t right for each other. Maggie opens up about her relationship with Ridge. Jake is impressed by how calmly she discusses Ridge cheating on her because she’s only 24. Then Maggie blurts out that she doesn’t “want a relationship” because she’s dying and would rather have fun (71). Jake suggests they enjoy themselves for the rest of the night.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Maggie”
Maggie spends the night with Jake and wakes up to an empty bed. She smells him on her pillows and vows to get rid of them. She’s glad she can check “one-night stand” off her bucket list but feels sad and alone. She gets up, goes to the kitchen, and is shocked to discover Jake is still there and cooking breakfast for her. She accuses him of ruining a good night, reiterates her disinterest in dating, and demands he leave.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Ridge”
After her classes, Sydney comes over to Ridge’s house with a gift. When he opens the package, the glitter bomb inside explodes all over him. He laughs, delighted that she pranked him. While he’s cleaning up, he notices her receiving a text from Hunter and confronts her about it. She explains that Hunter needed some paperwork and reminds Ridge that she’s been patient about him talking to Maggie. They make amends and then shower together.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Maggie”
Maggie shows up at Jake’s office, coming in under the guise of having heart palpitations. She hates doctors’ offices and hospitals but wants to see him. He looks surprised when he enters the exam room. Maggie confesses she wanted to see him again, and they kiss passionately. Jake promises to stop by that night and goes back to work. After he leaves, Maggie passes out.
Prologue-Chapter 8 Analysis
Maybe Now picks up where the previous book in the series, Maybe Not, leaves off. In returning to the central plot points and stakes of the previous novel, Hoover expounds upon the series’ overarching themes. Maggie is still dealing with her illness’s complications while trying to pursue new things and enjoy her life in the wake of her and Ridge’s breakup. Ridge and Sydney are finally in a romantic and sexual relationship and are trying to make sense of how they’ll work together. These dynamics introduce the novel’s theme of Navigating the Boundaries Between Friendship and Romance. All the characters are still connected, even though their lives have recently changed. Maggie and Ridge still talk because it would be too hard for Maggie “to lose his friendship” and too hard for Ridge to cut Maggie out of his life (27). Sydney is learning her role within this dynamic while simultaneously orienting to the culture of Ridge’s friend group and home life. These interpersonal conflicts incite the narrative tension and foreshadow the characters’ need to work together to make their micro-society work.
Maggie and Ridge’s relationship transcends the bounds of ordinary friendship. The two were together “for the past six years” and remain reliant on each other (27). Maggie doesn’t have family outside of Ridge and his friends and wants to keep things amicable between them. Her internal monologue about their relationship in Chapter 2 provides insight into their complex relationship:
I’m grateful that even though our relationship didn’t work out that it doesn’t mean our friendship can’t. And yes, it’s weird discussing Sydney with him, but Warren has been keeping me up to date on all things Ridge, even in the areas I don’t care to be up to date on. In all honesty, I want Ridge to be happy. And as angry as I was when I found out he’d kissed Sydney, I still like the girl (27).
Maggie reflects on her and Ridge’s relationship in a level-headed manner. She isn’t bitter with Ridge or Sydney and hopes that they’ll be happy together now that they’re in a relationship. Her forgiving, gracious tone shows that she and Ridge are genuinely friends, and she longs to preserve their connection. She’s still learning how to balance her romantic history with Ridge with their new platonic relationship, but her monologue conveys her desire to try. Hoover thus suggests that creating boundaries between intimates is possible if the participating parties are sympathetic to each other’s needs.
Sydney’s character is also learning how to create boundaries and show sympathy. She is relieved to be with Ridge after developing an emotional connection after so long. However, their seemingly idyllic romance has complications, which largely come in the form of Ridge and Maggie’s friendship. As with Maggie, Hoover uses internal monologue in one of Sydney’s chapters to provide insight into her interior world: “I expected that [Ridge] still talks to Maggie. What I didn’t expect was for it to bother me like it is” (49). Sydney has lingering guilt for being “the girl who came between them” and is still trying to reconcile with this mistake (49). Her remorse impacts how she responds to Ridge and Maggie’s sustained friendship. At the same time, her internal monologue shows that she can be honest with herself about her feelings. This honesty and self-reflection are vital to personal growth and establishing healthy boundaries in relationships—both new and old.
Ridge and Sydney’s dialogues throughout these chapters introduce the novel’s theme of the Importance of Communication in Relationships. Ridge and Sydney communicate in a variety of ways: ASL, verbal speech, texting, and lyrics and music. Each of these forms of communication conveys their desire to be authentic and vulnerable with each other. Their romantic and sexual relationship is brand new, and they know that if they don’t enter this relationship with clear minds and open hearts, it won’t survive. Their complicated romantic histories inform how they relate to each other in the present: Ridge and Maggie were together for six years even though they weren’t right together, and Sydney’s boyfriend Hunter cheated on her with her best friend Tori. Because of these experiences, Ridge and Sydney understand that without communication, a relationship can break down or feel lonely. Together, they foster openness to strengthen their connection.
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