title: Maybe This Once
author: Sophie Sullivan
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
publication date: February 10, 2026
pages: 336
peppers: 2 (on this scale)
warnings: none
summary: After her potential, future step sisters post a horrible (and doctored) video of her that goes viral, Charlie needs to escape California, where her drama-queen mother plans to remarry and turn their lives into fodder for a reality television show. Charlie turns to her deceased father's great uncle, who lives at a small cabin at Get Lost, an outdoorsy hotel on an island in Michigan. Get Lost is run by Grayson, who was burned by love in his first marriage and doesn't want to risk getting hurt again.
tropes:
- once burned, twice shy
- famous family
- need for escape
- found family
- finding one's roots
- being outdoors is healing
what I liked:
- Family dynamics
- Cute kid character
what I didn’t like:
- Repetitive! Both characters have the same thoughts circling in their minds on repeat.
- Even though both know they want to get close, they both hold back, and they both think about how/why they're trying to hold back without talking to the other one.
- The female main character has a secret that's public on the internet, and somehow, nobody in the whole family looks her up. I don't buy it.
overall rating: 3 (of 5 stars)
As always, you can click on the photo above if you want to buy the book.