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Maybe This Time

by Jennifer Crusie (Goodreads Author)

3.68 of 5 stars 3.68 · rating details · 6,417 ratings · 1,037 reviews

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven...more

Hardcover, 342 pages

Published August 31st 2010 by St. Martin's Press (first published August 28th 2010)

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Apr 29, 2011 Miriam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ghosts

Like several of Crusie's recent collaborations, this wobbles away from the romance genre but doesn't quite make it all the way to thriller or action. However, it does flow more evenly and the relationships, while certainly not her best, are more convincing than those in Wild Ride, Dogs and Goddesses, or The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, which failed to show any connection, affection or compatibility between her romantic pairs. Here the relationship-building we see is more between the heroine and th...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Siria rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 21st-century, american-fiction, fantasy, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For most of Maybe This Time, I was quite prepared to hail this as a return to form for Crusie. It's got all the things I enjoy about her writing—witty dialogue, fast pace, a kind of compulsive readability, and child characters who are believable. While I rolled my eyes at their names (North and Andromeda? Seriously? At least the latter could be shortened to Andie, but I defy anyone not to feel incredibly silly at crying out 'North!' in the height of passion. What is it with genre novels and real...more For most of Maybe This Time, I was quite prepared to hail this as a return to form for Crusie. It's got all the things I enjoy about her writing—witty dialogue, fast pace, a kind of compulsive readability, and child characters who are believable. While I rolled my eyes at their names (North and Andromeda? Seriously? At least the latter could be shortened to Andie, but I defy anyone not to feel incredibly silly at crying out 'North!' in the height of passion. What is it with genre novels and really stupid first names), I greatly enjoyed both lead characters. Both have issues, but neither are off-putting because of it—I think Crusie actually managed to succeed in creating an alpha male character I didn't want to push off a cliff!

However, just one page in the novel managed to pretty much destroy my favourable impression of the book. One of the secondary female characters, Kelly—who is established as being unlikeable, venal, and overly career-focused—is possessed by a ghost, May. May uses Kelly's body to have sex with three men. We are told the following, with evident narrative approval:

"It's not rape," Andie snapped. "Because May says you would have slept with all of them anyway. And since you were already doing two of them, I think she's right." She looked into the camera. "That's right, Columbus, your reporter here nailed three guys in one night, sixty percent of the adult male population of this house. Let's give the little lady a hand." (255-56)

Regardless of whether or not Kelly is a nice person—and clearly, she is not—rape is still rape. Rape is rape no matter if you previously desired the person, for whatever reason; rape is rape if you are presently married to the person. And to top off that dismissal of the emotional and physical violation of a woman with the implication that it's okay because she's 'promiscuous'...! She slept with three men in one night because she was raped—and even if she had not been possessed, even if she had consensually slept with three people in one night, slut-shaming is not okay! It was disappointing and infuriating all at once, and soured me on the last 80 pages of the novel. Here's hoping that section either vanishes or is substantially reworked between now and the actual publication date.(less)

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Feb 29, 2012 Punk rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

Trigger warning for discussion of rape.

Romance. Andie Miller's ex-husband is desperate; his two young wards refuse to leave their giant English manor, and all the nannies he's sent to take care of them keep leaving, or dying. Andie agrees to look after the kids for a month, packs up her car, says goodbye to her almost fiancé, and moves to southern Ohio.

This has a lot in common with The Turn of the Screw: creepy house (complete with creepy pond), creepy orphans, creepy nannies. Except this makes...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advanced-copy, 2010, firstreads

4 stars
POV: 3rd person: Andie, North
Sensuality: Warm
Mystery/Suspense: Average

Andie Miller is finally moving on with her life. Ten years after her divorce from North Archer she is in a content, adult relationship with Will Spenser and she plans on accepting his marriage proposal. First she has to return the ten years of alimony checks from North.
Seeing him again still makes her heart flutter, but she's over him. When he asks for her help taking care of his wards--children he "inherited" when his...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2013 MrsJoseph rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read, 2012-reviewed, romance-contemporary, jennifer-crusie, romance, ghosts

It's an ok book. It sorta reminded me again that Jenny Crusie doesn't really write typical romance novels. She writes novels that have romance. And she likes to experiment...which really isn't that bad.

This particular book is a ghost story. It's an interesting ghost story and I enjoyed it...but I think I would have enjoyed a little more interaction between the hero/heroine. I think that the story between Andie and North would have been much hotter without the rest of the story. But the story was...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Brownbetty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Crusie's acknowledgements at the beginning thanks the people who "beta read." Has this piece of fanish terminology become mainstream? Is Crusie a fan?

The first page before before the main story starts (I presume this has a name? What is it called?) says "This book is set in 1992. Because" and I kept on getting distracted by trying to figure out what the "because" was. At first I assumed it was because Crusie had written it then, failed to quite complete/sell it, and when she pulled it out in 200...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jennifer-cruise

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 23, 2011 Mollie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, september, library, romance

Finally, a solo title from Ms. Crusie! I've read some of her co-authored works, the only one I liked was Agnes and the Hitman which was excellent but I was glad to see Crusie doing her own thing again.

Maybe This Time is Crusie's re-telling of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I don't know this because I've read The Turn of the Screw, or because I was an English major, or a librarian. I know this only because Jenny told me. Well, not me specifically but the group of us that were at her book...more Finally, a solo title from Ms. Crusie! I've read some of her co-authored works, the only one I liked was Agnes and the Hitman which was excellent but I was glad to see Crusie doing her own thing again.

Maybe This Time is Crusie's re-telling of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. I don't know this because I've read The Turn of the Screw, or because I was an English major, or a librarian. I know this only because Jenny told me. Well, not me specifically but the group of us that were at her book signing last night. It was pretty cool to hear how James had inspired Crusie but there were things about the story that she could not relate to (twenty year old virgin!) so she decided to write her own version and wha-la! We have Maybe This Time.

Jenny also said that Maybe This Time was a ghost story and not a romance. Wait! Romance folks, don't stop reading! While this is an excellent ghost story, it is also "classic Crusie." Long-time fans, you'll know what that means; newcomers, it means quirky heroines, hilarious hijinx, and a sexy hero. The only thing missing from this Crusie was a furry four legged character. This time around she's replaced (wo)man's best friend with....kids?!

Confession: I'm not a kid person. Sure I like some kids, usually a friend's kid. But I don't really enjoy kids. No offense to my lovely readers with little ones...I love seeing pictures of your cutiepies but am glad I don't have any or have to deal with kids on a regular basis. Wow, guess it's a good thing I didn't become a teacher eh?! So, when I see romance novels with kids in them I usually groan. But this was a Crusie so I didn't even think twice and Crusie, fantabulous writer that she is, totally sold me on the book's two kids, Alice and Carter. Although Carter is quite and withdrawn. I kept expecting to learn more about him. Especially after Andie, our heroine, had a discussion with her ex-mother-in-law about him. But nothing ever came of it. That was one of the only things the irked me about this book. Alice definitely gets the most attention. And, according to Ms. Crusie herself, we're going to get to see Alice star in her own book in the future!

Anyway, as far as the romance goes Andie and North are obviously still not over each other despite the ten years since their divorce. There's not as much interaction between Andie and North as I might have liked. The focus seemed more on Andie's relationship with the kids and trying to deal with those pesky ghosts. However, there's enough romance to keep those of us, who NEED romance, going!

Lastly, I have to say Crusie did a great job of building suspense where the ghosts and supernatural aspects were concerned. As I was reading I was thinking, "Wow, this is actually a little creepy." Which was something I wasn't expecting from a Crusie novel. But it's not nightmare worthy so those of you who don't care for scary stuff, it's not THAT scary!

Overall an excellent addition to my keeper shelf. Crusie, left to her own devices, never fails. If you haven't read any Crusie before, what the heck are you waiting for?!
(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Margaret rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, romance, ghost-stories, paranormal-romance, authors-cd

Andie Miller isn't sure how she let herself get talked into this. All she wanted to do was get closure with her ex-husband North before marrying her fiancé Will, but North asked for one final favor: for Andie to spend one month taking care of North's two wards, distant cousins whose parents have died and left them in North's hands. The kids have driven away nanny after nanny, and when Andie reaches their old house, she has not only the kids to deal with, but also, perhaps, ghosts.

I thought the p...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fun!I really enjoyed this comedy/romance/ghost busting story. It was an entertaining read which I would recommend to others. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 center around the character of Kelly. The character of Kelly had absolutely no redeeming qualities whatsoever and was trashed by Andromeda during the seance. It detracted from the story. I enjoyed the Tim Burton-esque style of the Archer House and its occupants. The ending was great!

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Feb 19, 2012 Larou added it

Shelves: 2011-12, romance, horror, fiction

Jennifer Crusie's books are my ultimate comfort read - they are well written, intelligently constructed, very, very funny and above all, they tell heartwarming stories about credible people. This one is the first of her later ones that I've read, and while her early works are more or less purely Romance novels her later ones have a tendency to cross over into other genres - in this case the ghost story. The result is slightly less funny than I'm used to from her her books, but makes up for it wi...more

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May 15, 2013 Jennifer Garcia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what a surprise this book was. I thought it would be a regular romance, but nope ... it was so much more than that. This book had ghosts, amazing kids, and a nanny. With all of that, there was a romance and not in the traditional sense. The people in love were apart for most of the story but the thoughts were there. How she was able to create such a romance with two people that are barely together is a gift. She did a great job with it and it was believable.

I fell in love with the kids in...more

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May 06, 2013 Lyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, mystery-thriller

Andie Miller goes to see her ex-husband for the first time in ten years to return his support checks, which she never cashed. She's about to marry a famous writer and wants to put a period to her past. That North Archer still makes her heart stutter is one of the things she intends to overcome.

North asks one last favor. He is guardian to orphan cousins who live on a country estate brought over brick-by-brick from England. The children, Carter and Alice, have lost both parents and their aunt and...more

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Feb 10, 2013 January rated it 4 of 5 stars

I adored this book. It was just what I needed after striking out with a few new books and finding myself gravitating toward Harry and Bridget yet again. (Love you both, but we can all agree I re-read you too much!) I loved the classic cheesy chick lit set up: Boy and Girl love each other but won't admit it; Boy and Girl try to fight obvious love until something brings them back together... it's predictable yes but comforting. And I enjoyed the ensemble characters who helped them come together, e...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Kara Jorges rated it 3 of 5 stars

After being divorced for ten years, Andie Miller is ready to close the book on her defunct marriage to North Archer for good and remarry. Except when she stops by his office to return all the alimony checks he sent her over the years, he talks her into spending a month with his orphaned wards in a haunted house. He offers to pay her $10,000, which is a nice sum of money for a month’s work, so Andie heads south with enthusiasm.

She wonders if she made the right decision when she gets to the creepy...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Katharine Kimbriel rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Crusie fans, readers who enjoy romantic comedy

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, humor, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. (Trigger Warning Below)

Jennifer Crusie is the queen of contemporary humorous romance. I used to say that I'd love to be the supernatural Jennifer Crusie, but with Wild Ride and now Maybe This Time, Crusie is taking that crown for herself. This time out she presents us with Andie Miller, school teacher and free spirit, who wants to get on with her life. This means returning ten years of alimony checks to her ex-husband, North Archer, and marrying her fiance.

But staid, responsible North has one la...more (Trigger Warning Below)

Jennifer Crusie is the queen of contemporary humorous romance. I used to say that I'd love to be the supernatural Jennifer Crusie, but with Wild Ride and now Maybe This Time, Crusie is taking that crown for herself. This time out she presents us with Andie Miller, school teacher and free spirit, who wants to get on with her life. This means returning ten years of alimony checks to her ex-husband, North Archer, and marrying her fiance.

But staid, responsible North has one last favor to ask of her. And somehow Andie finds herself saying "Yes" and ending up at a crumbling mansion in southern Ohio with two orphans who have run off two nannies already. It's only for a month, until North can get them back up to his family estate, but Andie finds the situation is much stranger than distant relatives appearing better off in their old family home.

The children are bright and quite odd, right down to talking to ghosts, the housekeeper could give Mrs. Danvers a run for her money, and Andie's fiance thinks this is all a ploy by North to get Andie back. When the ex-BIL shows up with a sleazy journalist and a self-doubting parapsychologist, and then Andie starts seeing (and talking with) ghosts, the show is just beginning.

Ghosts or no ghosts? Accidental deaths or murders? Is North making one last try for Andie's love?

This book won't displace Bet Me as my favorite Crusie, but it's a great deal of fun and I expect to re-read it. Andie is a woman with heart, the kids are wonderful and real people, characters have actually grown in the ten years of knowing each other, and the humor just keeps burbling up. I might have liked a little bit more from North's POV -- having the fiance around may have split the male energy a bit -- but he turned out to be even better once he started interacting with the kids.

If you like Crusie, definitely try this one. (If you stopped reading her because you didn't care for the collaborations, it's safe to come home -- this is classic Crusie.)

Caveat -- There is a cavalier and black humor dismissal of ghostly possession of a character who is then pronounced such a slut that she would have slept with the men anyway, and indeed had in some cases already done so. For many people, "It's not rape if you're a slut" is not something to come up on without warning. So -- be warned.(less)

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Aug 25, 2012 Richard rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-12

I very rarely find comedies to be funny. I think I have a pretty good sense of humor, but when you make the jokes the focus of the story... it seems too forced. Maybe this is also why romances are a hard sell for me.

But I wanted to take a break from Bleak House, and a light modern gothic seemed like it might be a fun contrast... so maybe it's also unfair to compare Crusie with Dickens so directly.

All of which works as a kind of apology for the fact that this didn't appeal to me. It is light, the...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars

Author: Jennifer Cruise

Title: Maybe This Time

Genre: Romance

Publication Date: 2010

Number of Pages: 342

Geographical Setting: Ohio

Time Period: 1992

Series (If applicable):

Plot Summary: When Andie Miller’s ex-husband, North Archer, asks her to drive down to southern Ohio and take care of two children of whom he has recently become guardian, she is a bit reluctant. She decides to go for a month, take the money that he offers and then be free to marry her new fiancé, Will. When she gets down there sh...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I love a good Jennifer Crusie novel. Her latest novel is a sweet and satisfying romp, that I devoured in two large bites.

While Crusie may not be a literary great, and her novels may never be award-winning masterpieces, they are still incredibly enjoyable.. as much so as the chocolate chip cookies the main character is always baking. A Crusie novel once in a while is a perfectly enjoyable time, with rarely a tiny issue.

The novel's characters are as wonderful as ever, quirky and fun. The back dro...more I love a good Jennifer Crusie novel. Her latest novel is a sweet and satisfying romp, that I devoured in two large bites.

While Crusie may not be a literary great, and her novels may never be award-winning masterpieces, they are still incredibly enjoyable.. as much so as the chocolate chip cookies the main character is always baking. A Crusie novel once in a while is a perfectly enjoyable time, with rarely a tiny issue.

The novel's characters are as wonderful as ever, quirky and fun. The back drop and added ghosties are an unusual treat, and one I met with whole-heartedly. (There is usually more romance in her novels, at least one more clinch added to get your blood steaming; but let's face it, this main character didn't even have time to shower regularly with everything she was faced with in the novel. So this time I won't mind at all.)

The children, of course, were adorable as could be. You might love them within pages, like everyone else. I will always sing the hit song "Achy-breaky Heart" with the words "I don't like nuts, I really don't like nuts" from now on. Not that I EVER listen to that song...

The ONLY problem I had with this novel is that Andie was always baking!! While it's a great incentive to get your audience back in the kitchen - and let's face it, most of the readers are going to be women. But almost daily batches of cookies and banana nut bread? Who was eating all of this, the ghosts?? Not that this was a problem, since this is literary-land, where just about anything goes.. but by the time I was halfway through the book last night, I HAD TO put it down, go into the kitchen, and make a batch of banana nut bread! Man, I'd better not gain any more weight, because of this novel... My kids were very happy to see it the next morning. My thighs? Not so much!!

Anyway, if you are looking for a light-hearted read, the kind that takes a day, maybe two, to finish, then this is the book for you. It's been quite a while since Jennifer Crusie has written anything in book form, and I, for one, am damn glad she has done so. Her books always make me feel warm and happy inside, and give me a hope for the possibility of that "one true love" again. (less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Jayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

(from my book blog)

A spooky ghost story AND a Crusie! Halloween jackpot over here.

Andromeda (take a drink if you’re counting Crusie-isms, Grecian Named Heroine) agrees to help her (smoking hot) ex-husband North out of a bind - he’s become the guardian of two kids (precocious kids, another drink) who live in a supposedly haunted house and he can’t keep a nanny there for more than a month without them running for the hills. Andie agrees to help out for one month, because he offers her a lot of mon...more (from my book blog)

A spooky ghost story AND a Crusie! Halloween jackpot over here.

Andromeda (take a drink if you’re counting Crusie-isms, Grecian Named Heroine) agrees to help her (smoking hot) ex-husband North out of a bind - he’s become the guardian of two kids (precocious kids, another drink) who live in a supposedly haunted house and he can’t keep a nanny there for more than a month without them running for the hills. Andie agrees to help out for one month, because he offers her a lot of money and also because we have to get this preposterous story going somehow.

You don’t really need more details than that, because seriously, Crusie plots are the weakest part of her books for me. And here she’s at even more of a disadvantage, because she’s experimenting with horror and mystery, and while sometimes she succeeds at being creepy I never got a sense of menace and the conflict didn’t exactly leave me on the edge of my seat.

The thing is, I don’t think that Jennifer Crusie is a really GREAT writer (I’ll just be over here, dodging stones), but it’s a blast to read her books. And what she may lack in plot, she makes up for with characters. So we’ve got Andie, who’s emotional yet capable and wears hideous clothes (sequined chiffon skirts and stretchy tank tops? Oh, okay) (I think this is a shortcut to say that she’s passionate), North, who’s cool and capable, his mischievous younger brother Southie, their battle-axe mother Lydia, a cartoonishly evil television reporter Kelly, Andie’s fiancee Will, a medium named Isolde, Andie’s mom Flo, and a sadsack paranormal researcher named Dennis. They’re all a lot of fun.

Oh, and the kids. Carter and Alice. Check.

So. Was this a great book? Not really. Did I enjoy the hell out of it? Absolutely. This is the perfect time of year to be reading about haunted houses, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night, and if there’s going to be a romance on top of that, so much the better. And the relationship between North and Andie, while it’s not really fleshed out (no pun intended), it is really sweet and ultimately satisfying. I’d give it four fun-size candy bars out of five just because it was so fun, and I can definitely see myself picking it up again next Halloween.(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Taylor rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance

Another great Jennifer Crusie novel. I finished this one in a night, then passed it on to my mother. As always, Crusie's novel features a strong, hilarious, and very natural heroine.... and a bunch of crazy people that are more or less her family. This book, unlike others that I've read, involves a supernatural element. It's actually very scary (though I suppose I should say I don't read horror books), but at the same time subverts the traditional ghost story tropes. (For example, the heroine de...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Bri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-chick-lit

Oh I am so glad I finally picked Maybe This Time up after passing it up on the shelves at the library several times. After going on sort of a Jennifer Crusie binge this summer, I can honestly say this is one my favorites by her. Definitely something I can reread again.

From the captivating characters, to the different relationships, to the winding, twisting plot line, I couldn't bare to put this book down. I was on the edge of my seat, frantically reading through pages to see what was going to...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Janet rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: familysaga, gothic, paranormal-bits

More 2 1/2 stars. This was not particularly satisfying, on any level. The most compelling relationship was that of Andie and two forlorn children, Alice and Carter. But they were overshadowed by too many characters and ghosts and plot and it just didn't work for me.

If you're dying to read Crusie, I would suggest a re-read of Welcome to Temptation.

Edited to add, from The Daily Ruckus blog:

Can an author plagiarise him or herself? You betcha. So what’s the problem? You like the author’s style, you...more

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May 15, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is yet another Crusie charmer. There are certainly some patterns that emerge, if you've read enough of them. That isn't a flaw--the plots and personalities vary enough not to be monotonous, and if you liked one, you'll probably like the others, too. Consistency is not at all a bad thing.

Once again, we have a fairly smart and definitely spunky heroine, who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to charge after it, but isn't always quite sure what path will get her there. She figures it out wi...more This is yet another Crusie charmer. There are certainly some patterns that emerge, if you've read enough of them. That isn't a flaw--the plots and personalities vary enough not to be monotonous, and if you liked one, you'll probably like the others, too. Consistency is not at all a bad thing.

Once again, we have a fairly smart and definitely spunky heroine, who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to charge after it, but isn't always quite sure what path will get her there. She figures it out without looking like an idiot. The leading man is an older brother as usual, and his interactions with his own family round him out nicely. He comes with an overbearing mother (who in this particular case is somewhat more redeemable than some of the others). There's the spunky mystic to give advice and the ice queen to get comeuppance. Mercifully, these kids, like most of Crusie's, have actual personalities. They're a little precious, but they're not just plot moppets.

Like most Crusie books, it's the snappy banter and the delightful minor characters that carry the book along. Andie is charmingly snarky, and her encounters with a host of strange folk ranging from a morose ghost debunker who only wants to see a real ghost to the medium with her Ponzi-scheme-deploying spirit guide make for wildly entertaining reading. Andie and North have excellent chemistry, and a convincingly screwed up past that makes the plot make sense--both that they could not stay together back then but that they might be able to make it work now.

Really, what keeps this from getting a five is that there are some plot issues that, while they did not really dim my enjoyment of the book, don't really make sense. Apparently, the longer you're dead, the more likely you are to be evil and insane. This isn't applied evenly, however--the really old ghosts are soulless nightmares, but some of the recent ghosts are told that they must leave immediately while others are allowed to stay. There are temperament differences between them, but basically it boils down to ghosts we don't like need to leave before they lose their souls, but no one's particularly concerned about the ghosts we like. It doesn't really make a lot of sense.

Other things that, if they were explained, it was too brief--this story clearly takes place in September/October. How can a high school English teacher possibly be gallivanting around as a live-in nanny half a state from her home and not lose her job? Why did North think it was ok to leave two small children with a nineteen year old? And what was up with the valet ghost--half the time he appears to be the ghost of a servant and half the time, he appears to be the ghost of the master. I can't help but think that he started as one and a draft or two in was changed incompletely to the other. There are implications to the relationship between him and the governess that never really jell as a result. And since it's unclear how trying to affect their graves would hurt them when they're tied to the house, the creepy descriptions of the deaths of previous house owners don't make a lot of sense, either.

So there are some fridge-logic issues here. But despite that, it's still a funny, charming love story with a deeply satisfying (if not entirely logical) ending. More than worth your time.(less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Laurel Bradshaw rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-stories, humorous-stories, ghosts, daytimers-book-club, audiobook

This was a delightful book. The characters are funny and engaging. 7-year-old Alice will steal your heart. The ghosts are believable, and the author builds in a nice tension between Dennis the doubting parapsychologist, and Isolde, the no-nonsense down-to-earth medium. Andie is a terrific, strong heroine. The romance, though, was definitely a side-story, and North was never really developed very well as the romantic hero, so that was the least compelling part of the book. Not a lot of substance...more This was a delightful book. The characters are funny and engaging. 7-year-old Alice will steal your heart. The ghosts are believable, and the author builds in a nice tension between Dennis the doubting parapsychologist, and Isolde, the no-nonsense down-to-earth medium. Andie is a terrific, strong heroine. The romance, though, was definitely a side-story, and North was never really developed very well as the romantic hero, so that was the least compelling part of the book. Not a lot of substance here, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars. But if you're looking for a light, funny read with some very original characters, give this a try. Supposedly, it is a retelling of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. I might just have to read it and see.

Description:
Andie Miller is ready to move on with her life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her. A distant cousin has died and left North the guardian of two orphans who have driven away three nannies already—and things are getting worse. He needs someone to take care of the situation, and he knows Andie can handle anything.

When Andie meets the two children, she soon realizes it’s much worse than she feared. Carter and Alice aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. Complicating matters is Andie’s fiancé’s suspicion that this is all a plan by North to get Andie back. He may be right because Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting.

Then her ex-brother-in-law arrives with a duplicitous journalist and a self-doubting parapsychologist, closely followed by an annoyed medium, Andie’s tarot card–reading mother, her avenging ex-mother-in-law, and her jealous fiancé. Just when Andie’s sure things couldn’t get more complicated, North arrives to make her wonder if maybe this time things could just turn out differently.

Filled with her trademark wit, unforgettable characters, and laugh-out-loud scenarios, Maybe This Time shows why Jennifer Crusie is one of the most beloved storytellers of our time.
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Jan 09, 2012 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-uns, retellings

Originally published here.

In the mood for a cozy, post-holiday read? I suggest you give MAYBE THIS TIME a try. I first discovered Jennifer Crusie through the insanely entertaining Bet Me. I then immediately went on a Crusie binge. And though I enjoyed several of them, none quite matched up to that first one. So I'd been kind of avoiding another Crusie read, even after hearing very positive reviews of her newest. The fact that it was categorized as a mystery/romantic suspense piqued my interest,...more Originally published here.

In the mood for a cozy, post-holiday read? I suggest you give MAYBE THIS TIME a try. I first discovered Jennifer Crusie through the insanely entertaining Bet Me. I then immediately went on a Crusie binge. And though I enjoyed several of them, none quite matched up to that first one. So I'd been kind of avoiding another Crusie read, even after hearing very positive reviews of her newest. The fact that it was categorized as a mystery/romantic suspense piqued my interest, but when I received it as a gift awhile back, I placed it on my nightstand and promptly forgot about it. Sometimes you have to wait until the right time for a certain book rolls around, you know? I've made my mistakes trying to force a book at the wrong time, and it never accomplishes anything but driving a rift between us. So I waited on this one. And the right time rolled around (as it almost always does) a few nights back. I'd been bouncing around from book to book for awhile, searching for the one I needed. What a relief and a surprise to find it was the unassuming little ghost story that had been patiently sitting on my nightstand lo these many months.

Andie Miller is trying to do the right thing. Walking into her ex-husband North Archer's law office to sever all remaining ties seems to be, by all accounts, the right thing to do. Even if it is almost impossibly hard. After all, they have been divorced for ten years. And the single torrential year they were married ended so spectacularly badly it almost crushed Andie. They've both moved on since, and it's time for some closure. But when she sits down with North, the man who never asked anything of her while they were married now has a favor to ask. Will she travel down to one of the family estates where his two young wards are living? Their aunt died not long after their parents did, and it seems there's some trouble keeping a reliable caregiver in the house. Could she possibly go down and check on them, see if she can get them ready to attend school? Then in just a few weeks' time they'll be done with each other for good. She can go off and marry her fiance and start that calm and peaceful life she's been looking for. In the face of the hefty wad of cash North is offering her in exchange for her efforts, Andie agrees, overrules her own doubts as well as her fiance Will's objections, and packs her bags. Of course, circumstances at the old house are far grimmer than North suspected. Twelve-year-old Carter and six-year-old Alice are unusual, to say the least. And desperately unhappy. Creepy old Mrs. Crumb, the housekeeper, seems to encourage Alice's tantrums and Carter's increasing isolation. And the longer Andie stays there, the more convinced she becomes that the whole place is haunted. She tries to convey the extent of the weird in her sporadic calls to North, but it's clear that saving these children from whatever dark force is lurking will be up to her and her alone.

I started making a list of my favorite things about MAYBE THIS TIME on page one, and I quickly lost count. A retelling of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw complete with all my favorite Gothic trappings and a leading lady and man with a history with a capital H? I was instantly in heaven. From the first page, which has just two lines on it:

This book takes place in 1992.

Because.

And you know the slightly odd, not-so-very-far in the past setting is perfectly suited to this wacky, atmospheric, romantic tale. I was charmed by the sartorial, cultural, and musical references throughout. In fact, the song "Somebody's Baby" plays a significant role in the book, and I could not get it out of my head (in a good way) the entire time I was reading it. I love it when that happens, when an author successfully accesses a specific cultural artifact that I as the reader have experience with. And so we both bring a set of emotions to the table, creating a wholly new, vibrant experience through the act of reading. I hadn't thought of or heard that song in years. But suddenly I'm singing it in the shower and humming it while I'm driving. And from now on I will associate it with this story and these characters. Speaking of these characters, here's a representative phone conversation between Andie and North which shows a hint of why I keyed into this thing going on between them so quickly:

She sounded worried, and North tried to think of a way to make her feel better and then realized that was ridiculous. She was doing a job for him, she hadn't called for comfort, they weren't married anymore no matter what lies she was telling down there, he had Mrs. Nash waiting, and there was nothing he could do anyway . . . "Do you need me to come down there?"

"No, I can handle this," she said, her voice as confident as ever. "It's the kids I'm worried about. I don't know if I can make things normal for them. I think I can make things better."

"You always make things better."

The silence stretched out at the other end of the phone as he thought, Dumb thing to say, and then she said, "Thank you." Her voice was softer than it had been, and it brought the past rushing back again.

"You're welcome," he said, thinking, Get off the damn phone. "I'll get you your cable and your contractor and somebody to fix the phones."

"I know you will. You always come through."

Jesus. "Call me if there's anything else," he said briskly, trying to find his way back to normal.

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk to each other."

"I was going through an independent phase," North said, and then closed his eyes as her laugh bubbled through the phone.

"That was a helluva long phase. I'll call if there's anything else. You have a good day."

She hung up, and he sat there with the phone in his hand for a minute, trying to find his way back to normal.

There's a lot going on behind those words, and one of the highlights of this book was tracking down those hidden histories, following the progress of this relationship that ignited, flared out, and is trying to find its way back to normal. Another highlight was far and away Andie's relationship with the two kids. Alice and Carter are just barely hanging on. I loved them immediately, and if North did nothing else admirable in this book, I would love him for sending them Andie. She's strong and mouthy, and without blinking an eye she sets herself up as their protector, promising she won't leave until she sets things right. I lapped it up right along with them. Truthfully, I was glad she was there, because this book effectively creeped me out. The roaming spirits and the eerie, bloody history of the house's inhabitants slipped their icy fingers under my skin. And, while the last third of the story got a little too crazy, and I started wishing it had gone back to the restrained tension it mastered in the first two-thirds, I thoroughly enjoyed it for taking me away from it all, giving me characters I could root for, and sending chills down my spine.(less)

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Jan 08, 2012 Evelyn Bryant rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not really sure how I feel about this book. Is it slapstick silly? Or is it killer ghost serious. And does anyone else think she dabbled over into The Turn of the Screw? Which I would have preferred she didn't. It was as if Jennifer Cruisie could not decide WHAT to do with this book as she was writing it so she did everything. Which was a little too much. Also there are almost too many characters and too many things going on. I liked the main characters but could not help wonder why North would...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: appealing-characteristic-story, chick-lit, paranormal, romance, 2011

This isn't exactly a historical but it is set in 1992, as the author writes in the inscription, "Because."
Andie and North met each other one day, got married, and then divorced a year later. She contended that he spent too much time at work and he just couldn't understand why she thought that. Now she's on the verge of getting engaged and is trying to return all of the alimony checks he sent her. But he doesn't want them. Instead, he wants her to go to southern Ohio where two children he has cu...more

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Sep 17, 2011 Lauren Acton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am a total Jennie Crusie fan and most of her books have achieved the status of comfort re-reads for me. This one probably will too, but I'm not as sure of it as I was about Faking It and Bet Me.
The story follows Andie as she ties up loose ends before embarking on a new phase of her life, engaged to a charming writer named Will. One of those loose ends is to return the alimony cheques she never cashed to her ex-husband, North. He persuades her to go to a falling-down mansion in rural Ohio and...more I am a total Jennie Crusie fan and most of her books have achieved the status of comfort re-reads for me. This one probably will too, but I'm not as sure of it as I was about Faking It and Bet Me.
The story follows Andie as she ties up loose ends before embarking on a new phase of her life, engaged to a charming writer named Will. One of those loose ends is to return the alimony cheques she never cashed to her ex-husband, North. He persuades her to go to a falling-down mansion in rural Ohio and take care of his two wards for a month. These two kids have lost everyone they've ever loved and have managed to run off a series of Nannies. North offers Andie the ridiculous sum of $10,000 for a month's work and she takes it to be free of debt before her upcoming marriage. I was a little irked by this - not really clear on her motivations - she hasn't cashed any alimony cheques in 10 years for pride's sake, but she'll take a ridiculous sum from North now to do work he could easily hire someone else for? It was a needed plot device, however, 'cos it's when Andie gets to the house that the book becomes a ghost story.
I really liked how well developed Andie was as a character - she was something solid to cling onto when every other character around her seemed closed off or just plain mysterious. The way she dealt with the kids and the housekeeper was really great, she got the kids to open up and developed a genuinely protective stance about them. I also liked that Andie didn't succumb too easily to all the ghostly craziness, but nor was she irritatingly obtuse or in denial that there was something really strange going on in the house. She does some research to get to the bottom of things but things spin out of control when she is descended on by a series of houseguests. The bit where the seance keeps being interrupted by new people knocking at the door teeters over into farce. Here again, Andie is like a calm in the storm, and something for readers to cling onto.
Will and North are both cyphers. We get enough background to understand that they're different, and why it didn't work out with North, but this is really a love story between Andie and the kids. If you're looking for romance, it doesn't really happen until the second half of the book, when Andie unpacks her issues with both men.
Overall I enjoyed it, but I'm not entirely convinced that all the elements made a complete whole. (less)

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Sep 07, 2011 Gina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Jennifer Cruisie has moments of genius (Bet Me and co-authored Agnes and the Hitman), but she also has some big misses (Wild Ride). If you haven't read anything by her before, put this one down and go pick up one of the greats. Her plots aren't formulaic, but her characters to some extent are. Typically, her works include a serious, successful business man, a woman with quirks and zany friends, a few off the wall friends and family for color, and some kind of misunderstanding that gets out of ha...more

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About Jennifer Crusie

Jenny Crusie is the NYT bestselling author of twenty some novels and lots of other stuff. Her latest novel, Maybe This Time, hit shelves in August, 2010.

Jenny lives on the Ohio River where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings.

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Quotes from Maybe This Time

“The measuring and mixing always smoothed out her thinking processes - nothing was as calming as creaming butter - and when the kitchen was warm from the oven overheating and the smell of baking chocolate, she took final stock of where she'd been and where she was going. Everything was fine.” — 12 people liked it

“Have you talked to North?" he said.
"Yes," she said. "I asked him to get us cable."
"I wish you weren't talking to him."
"I'd talk to Satan to get cable," Andie said.” — 11 people liked it

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