YES NO MAYBE is a standalone contemporary romance by Jessica Sherry. Jack Graham, one of the two main characters in this story, is an author. The characters in YES NO MAYBE, and this intricate love story that develops between Jack and Rowan, are exactly the kind of thing Jack writes. I love when an author creates layers and sucks readers in – so much so that they wish they were able to read books that don’t even exist - except as figments of some fictional character’s imagination. But YES NO MAYBE is pretty amazing by itself.
Jessica Sherry has created characters that are realistically flawed yet still entertaining and exude their own unique charm. You feel for them and root for them. It helps that the story is told from alternating perspectives. This lets readers take even more of a deep dive into the main characters and allows them to uncover what they sometimes hide from each other. Rowan tries not to let her burn scars define her, but she’s affected in ways that she’s not aware of. She’s an independent woman who lives her life the best way she believes she can, is a teacher with a host of adoring and delightfully quirky and empathetic students, but her insecurities and her past haunt her at times. Buying a house next to best-selling author (and hottie) Jack Graham acts as a catalyst in her life. Both are forever changed by their meeting and getting to know each other. Jack is haunted in other ways and, at the opening of the story, is suffering from writer’s block. The first section of YES NO MAYBE is set up to be a classic enemies-to-lovers romance. I think, as the story evolves and characters come to some realizations, YES NO MAYBE becomes something richer and a more delicious tale to savor.
With YES NO MAYBE, Jessica Sherry balances whimsical and well-executed rom-com elements with deeper and often murkier aspects of the human psyche. Rowan and Jack’s neighbors are a fun group and lighten the mood from the relationship drama when things get heavy without making things cutesy. This book is littered with characters who are neither wholly bad nor wholly good. Even Rowan’s neglectful and out of sight fiancé, with his casual cruelty, gets a clue and gains a little humility by the end. I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. I recommend going on the author’s website to access a fitting epilogue.
Teacher and fix-it queen Rowan Mackey avoids attention. Afflicted with serious burns as a teenager, she gets too many unwanted stares already. Consequently, her difficult dating history has taught her to dislike romance, too. So, it’s no surprise when her boyfriend’s extravagant public proposal goes sideways.
Longing for a safe, quiet life with Dean and believing his “independent together” arrangement is her best hope for companionship and a family, Rowan buys the perfect little house to fix things.
Problem is… she shares a property line with Jack Graham, a bestselling romance writer and party-centric playboy, who quickly becomes her next door nemesis. He makes it very clear—he doesn’t want a new neighbor. But when clashes with Rowan end his year-long writer’s block, he must explore his creative fascination with his reluctant muse under atypical constraints: Neighbor. Engaged. Off-limits.
These opposites attract, forging a surprise connection. Boundaries vanish as tension rises between them, and they face emotionally charged choices.
Will Rowan risk her safe life with Dean for a chance with the grumpy playboy next door? And will Jack change everything to find the inspiration he craves with the one woman he shouldn’t?
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