Maybe This Time

by Kathleen Gilles Seidel

It's been 15 years since Emily has seen Jeff, her high school love, and their best friend, Woody. Now a successful sports agent for one of Chicago's top firms, Emily feels she's finally made it on her own. Then, out of the blue, she hears Woody on a late night radio show. His voice speaks of their bittersweet past, beckoning Emily to find Jeff once again...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance

338 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually couldn't put this book down. I knew it was a different type of romance and I just let it flow over me. Had a few unexpected turns but really enjoyed the characters and their trials and tribulations!

[Nightwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen Gilles Seidel is one of those authors where I'm constantly surprised that her books aren't better known/haven't survived as long as some of her contemporaries; perhaps part of the issue is that she kept her drama and focus low-key and realistic rather than going for soap opera drama. This is a prime example - while her heroine is a high-powered sports agent, not much focus goes to the agency or the glamor of Emily's job; instead a large part of the book is on the millions of tiny compromises Emily makes to be a competent, successful businesswoman in her mid-thirties, the indignities and harassment and control issues she has to deal with, and when the focus turns to romance, it's to a second-chance romance with Emily's high school boyfriend, now a teacher. The characters are vividly-drawn and incredibly sympathetic, and while learning how to reassess and re-examine their high school lives is a big part of the book, it doesn't feel like there's an untoward focus on their adolescence.

That said, the surprise at the end is definitely worthy of a content warning - Emily and Jeff discover that their beloved high school journalism teacher was (a) not a good teacher and (b) slept with at least one of his students. This is especially worthy of mention because it wasn't as foreshadowed as it could have been: Mr. Crockett is noteworthy in part for his absence; he's an invisible presence, he's remembered fondly by most of the characters but he vanished after high school and never reappears. But I think this really works - the focus is on the former students, the ones he guided and taught and the ways in which their lives were shaped and in some cases hampered by that guidance. We don't need to pay attention to Mr. Crockett. He's not the protagonist of this story. I actually appreciate that.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe This Time, is the first book I've read by Kathleen Gilles Seidel. It certainly won't be the last! I really enjoyed this book about second chances. Emily Gordon, Jeff Grant, Steve DeLoss, Bobby Hutchinson, and Dave Woodman -- Woody, went to high school together. Years later some unanswered questions about a car accident Emily, Jeff, and Bobby were in the night before graduation, brings them together again. What really happened that night? Seidel's writing weaves this story bit by bit and it all comes together in the end!

[Bungluna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to see the thought process of a carreer woman in the days when they were the exeption and had to prove themselves to everyboy, especialy other women. Her mother is proud of her but doesn't quite understand what she does and keeps wondering when she'll marry. The married co-workers keep shoving work her way because she's single. The dating pool has been reduced to divorced guys who are divorced for a reason! The device of the radio show as a way to re-examin the formative years from and adult pov was interesting. I really enjoyed this book. I think it would make and interesting read for a multi-generational book club. 4/5

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My mother suggested I read this book and she lent me her copy. She told me it reminded her of me and my high school boyfriend who had gotten together again for a brief time as adults. The story was good and I liked the characters. I predicted the ending pretty far in advance though. That could partly be because I was working for the American Diabetes Association at the time I read it, and I knew the symptoms from the very first mention.

[Jennifer Nennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kathleen is one of my three favorite living authors. I have never lent one to anyone who didn't like Kathleen, men and women alike. Some of her books are date because she wrote them years ago, but all are still very worth reading - even the Harlequins!

[Beatrice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle, sweet tale that I have read several times over the years.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read on making second (or third) chance work, on reconnecting old friendships, on understanding and forgiving others

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by one of my favorite cozy romance authors. I have reread this one numerous times.