48 pages • 1 hour read
Colleen HooverMaybe Someday
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Prologue-Chapter 8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue Summary: “Sydney”
Sydney, 22, stands outside her apartment building in the rain after punching her roommate Tori in the face. Her friend Ridge attempts to coax Sydney inside, but she refuses and waits outside for a taxicab. While waiting, Sydney reflects on her choices, which have led her to move to Texas and pursue a music career. When the cab arrives, Sydney realizes she has left her purse inside her apartment and cancels the cab ride. She tries to decide what to do and begins to cry. Suddenly, a woman unknown to Sydney named Bridgette appears and helps Sydney bring her luggage into Ridge’s apartment. Ridge greets Sydney and prepares a bed for her. Sydney refuses out of anger; Ridge had waited two weeks to tell her the truth of her roommate and boyfriend’s affair. Eventually, she accepts Ridge’s offer and takes a warm shower.
Chapter 1 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
Chapter 1 begins two weeks earlier. Sydney sits outside on her balcony and listens to her neighbor play the guitar, a nightly occurrence for the past few weeks. Always interested in music, Sydney plans on becoming a music teacher despite her father’s disapproval. Her boyfriend Hunter interrupts her. They have been dating for two years after meeting in college through Tori. Hunter has moved an hour away to pursue his accounting career and has asked Sydney to move with him. Resolved to live on her own before marriage, Sydney is hesitant.
The chapter switches to Ridge’s perspective. He says goodbye to his girlfriend Maggie who lives far away from him. Ridge and Maggie have been dating for five years. Independent, Maggie is living hours away in San Antonio while completing her degree and working at an internship. Maggie leaves and comforts Ridge about his writer’s block. Ridge answers a text from his brother Brennan who has recently moved out of their apartment to go on tour.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
Sydney continues to listen to Ridge playing music on the balcony. Ridge writes his phone number on a piece of paper and asks Sydney to text him. Over text, Ridge confronts Sydney about the lyrics she has written to his music; he has seen her singing and asks her to send the lyrics to him. When Sydney refuses, Ridge confesses that he is experiencing writer’s block. Sydney reluctantly agrees to provide the lyrics to one of Ridge’s songs and sends them to him.
The chapter switches to Ridge’s perspective. He reads Sydney’s lyrics and is impressed. He wonders whether Sydney will allow him and Brennan to use her lyrics, and recalls seeing Hunter and Tori kissing on the balcony while Sydney took a shower. Ridge has witnessed Hunter and Tori’s infidelity multiple times. He decides not to tell Sydney about the infidelity.
Chapter 3 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
Anxious, Sydney waits for Ridge to tell her his opinion about her song lyrics a week later. When Tori leaves to do laundry, Sydney returns to her balcony and sees Ridge playing his guitar outside. They begin to text. Ridge apologizes for his silence and tells Sydney that he was tending to a family emergency. He praises Sydney for her lyrics and begs her to send him more lyrics for his songs. Tori interrupts their conversation and begins commenting on Ridge’s attractive looks. Unnerved by Tori’s attraction, Sydney nervously reveals that she wrote lyrics for Ridge’s song. After Tori leaves, Sydney sends Ridge lyrics to another one of his songs.
Inside their apartment, Tori tells a story about witnessing an arrest at an Italian restaurant a couple of weeks ago. Remembering that Hunter shared this same story days earlier, Sydney grows distressed and begins questioning why Tori and Hunter would have lunch together alone. She realizes that her birthday is coming up, shrugging off her suspicions and convincing herself that Tori and Hunter are planning her a surprise party.
In his apartment, Ridge texts Brennan about Sydney’s lyrics. At first, Brennan resists Ridge’s plan to hire Sydney to write lyrics but, ultimately, agrees. Ridge texts Sydney to plan a time to meet up. Later that day, Sydney reaches out to Ridge and asks him to tell her if he sees anything suspicious on her balcony. Ridge tells her that he does not see anything, and she confesses to Ridge that she thought Tori and Hunter were planning a surprise birthday party for her. Unsure if he should tell Sydney the truth on her birthday, Ridge reaches out to his girlfriend Maggie for advice. Maggie convinces Ridge to tell Sydney. He tells Sydney the truth.
Chapter 4 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
Back in the present, Sydney takes a shower at Ridge’s apartment and recalls confronting Hunter and Tori. Out of the shower, she ignores messages from Hunter, Tori, and Ridge and contemplates her next steps. She begins searching for alcohol and attempts to talk to Ridge while looking. Through text message, Ridge reveals to Sydney that he is deaf. They continue to communicate through texts and take shots of whiskey. Ridge offers Sydney the opportunity to write lyrics for his band and invites her to move in with him and his roommates.
Ridge offers to get Sydney’s purse from her old apartment, but Sydney insists on going with him. Right before reaching her apartment, Sydney decides to stay back. After asking for Sydney’s purse, Ridge is confronted by a jealous Hunter who asks Ridge about his relationship with Sydney and punches him. During the fight, Sydney rushes into the apartment to grab her purse and punches Tori again. When Hunter tries to stop Sydney from leaving, Ridge punches Hunter. Back in Ridge’s apartment, Sydney laughs and thanks Ridge.
Chapter 5 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
At a local diner, Sydney and Ridge eat birthday cake in honor of Sydney’s birthday. Sydney asks Ridge about his experiences as a person who is deaf. Later that evening, they leave raw fish in Hunter’s car as a prank. Throughout the evening, Sydney wavers between sadness over Tori’s betrayal and happiness while hanging out with Ridge.
The next morning, Ridge’s roommate Warren wakes Sydney. They introduce themselves and begin to chat. Humored by Sydney, Warren invites Sydney to move into the apartment. Ridge helps Sydney move into her new bedroom and informs her that Warren has written something on her forehead as a prank.
Days later, Ridge texts Maggie, who complains about writing her college thesis. They argue over Ridge’s desire for Maggie to return to Austin. After they change topics, Ridge updates Maggie on Sydney moving into his apartment. He finds Sydney cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Sydney warns Ridge not to eat the eggs because she has put dish soap and baby powder in them as revenge for Warren’s prank.
Later, Sydney asks Ridge if she can hang out with him as a distraction from her breakup. Sydney confides in Ridge about her heartbreak, and Ridge confronts Sydney with her song lyrics, which express unhappiness in her relationship prior to discovering Hunter’s affair.
Chapter 6 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
Sydney reflects on her lyrics and realizes how unhappy she was in her relationship with Hunter. At Ridge’s request, they work on the song as Sydney sings the lyrics and Ridge plays the guitar. Sydney expresses awe over Ridge’s talent for music despite not being able to hear, and Ridge invites Sydney to lean against him while wearing earplugs so that he can show her how he feels the music. Sydney asks Ridge questions about his love for music and his band, Sounds of Cedar. When Sydney asks Ridge why he is not on tour with the band, Ridge says that he has “other obligations,” and promises to take Sydney to the band’s next show in Austin. A fan of the band, Sydney grows excited and asks Ridge about some of her favorite songs. Sydney listens to the song Something, which Ridge wrote, and tries to decipher the lyrics. She jokingly asks Ridge for an autograph. As the two playfully wrestle, Ridge draws on Sydney’s face.
When Sydney retreats to her room, Ridge updates Warren on Sydney’s involvement with the band, as Warren is the manager. Warren expresses concerns over Sydney’s financial compensation. Ridge calms him down, stating that Sydney has agreed to provide the lyrics in exchange for not paying rent. Through text, Sydney asks Ridge about his fight with Hunter. Ridge confesses that he made an inappropriate joke about having sex with Sydney in response to Hunter and apologizes to her.
Chapter 7 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
Ridge and Sydney work on another song. Sydney confesses to herself that she is imagining singing to Ridge about running away together. Ridge asks Sydney to try an experiment to help with the songwriting, and she acquiesces. As she lays on her back, Ridge embraces Sydney with his guitar, placing his head on her chest while she sings. They share an intense moment of sexual attraction that is interrupted by a text from Hunter to Sydney.
Ridge struggles with guilt over his attraction to Sydney, but asks her to embrace him again so he can listen to her voice through the vibrations in her body. She agrees. They fall asleep. The next morning, they wake up to knocking at Ridge’s bedroom door. Panicked that it is Maggie, Ridge pushes Sydney into the bathroom that connects to her bedroom. When Ridge explains that he is worried about what Maggie will think, he notices Sydney’s anger and realizes that he never told her about his girlfriend. Ridge opens his door and discovers Warren. Warren confronts Ridge about his connection with Sydney and expresses concern over Ridge’s relationship with Maggie. Ridge shrugs off Warren’s concerns and assures him that nothing is happening between him and Sydney.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Sydney/Ridge”
In her room, Sydney processes her anger about Ridge’s lack of disclosure. In an online chat, Sydney confronts Ridge about his actions. He apologizes. Later that day, Sydney overhears Bridgette confessing her feelings for Warren to her sister and greets Maggie, who is also deaf, at the door. Friendly, Maggie invites Sydney out for the evening to celebrate her birthday properly. Sydney reluctantly agrees. Ridge guilts Warren into agreeing to go out with him, Maggie, and Sydney.
Prologue-Chapter 8 Analysis
Hoover thrusts the reader into Sydney’s uprooted world in medias res, or in the middle of the action, as Sydney grapples with the knowledge of Hunter and Tori’s betrayal and finds herself displaced from her home. Sydney’s discovery of the affair occurs on her 22nd birthday, which emphasizes Sydney’s youth and the growth and development that will characterize much of Sydney’s story throughout the novel. From the beginning, Hoover places the reader alongside Sydney as Sydney narrates the Prologue and shares her innermost feelings of betrayal and distress. Hoover shows Sydney’s vulnerability by disclosing her plight and conflicts with her family, which stem from her choice to pursue a career in music and not law.
Starting in Chapter 1, Hoover flashbacks to weeks earlier and introduces the reader to Sydney more intimately. Hoover builds Sydney’s character by highlighting Sydney’s desire for independence preceding her discovery of Hunter’s betrayal. While Hunter wants to move in with Sydney, she hesitates to accept and feels dissatisfied with Hunter’s comfort in her space, fearing that “eventually, his stuff will infiltrate mine in so many ways it’ll be impossible for me ever to be on my own” (22). Even before learning of Hunter’s infidelity, Sydney displays discontent with her relationship and a longing for something more. Her friendship with Ridge and their shared love of music offer Sydney an escape from her life.
In Chapter 1, Hoover transfers narrative responsibility to both Sydney and Ridge as they share narration of the remaining chapters. Through Sydney and Ridge, Hoover explores the theme of Music as Emotional Expression. Even before speaking, Sydney and Ridge connect through music, and their mutual passion draws them together. By having Sydney and Ridge communicate first through text, Hoover builds to the revelation of Ridge’s deafness while showing how Sydney and Ridge connect deeply through nonverbal messaging. Throughout the novel, text messages offer a vehicle through which Sydney and Ridge can fully express themselves and communicate their complicated, intimate feelings.
Hoover’s revelation of Ridge’s deafness highlights the ways in which it doesn’t hold Ridge back. By delaying the revelation, Hoover emphasizes Ridge’s humanity separate from his deafness and displays the depth of Ridge and Sydney’s connection through music. Ridge comments on his experiences as a person who is deaf and the discomfort that many people display around him—most people “become uneasy once they aren’t sure how to communicate with me,” which leads them to “raise their voices and talk slowly […] as if I’m an idiot” (66). Ridge notes how Sydney’s lack of reaction to his deafness is refreshing.
As he and Sydney grow closer, Ridge reflects on the differences between Sydney and Maggie. Throughout the novel, Hoover highlights these differences. She reveals the ways Sydney and Maggie serve as foils for one another, or characters that highlight another character’s traits through contrasting ones. While Maggie is deaf like Ridge, Sydney is not. Ridge remarks on how “Sydney is the complete opposite” of Maggie in appearance (92). While Maggie is short with straight, dark hair, Sydney is taller with hair that lies “in piles of blond waves that fell past her shoulders” (93). Despite these physical differences, both women share a desire to live independently. Ridge explains Maggie’s resistance to living with him despite his interest in a more formal commitment after five years together. Like Sydney, Maggie too expresses a desire to break free from her relationship and live for herself. Hoover continues to explore The Pursuit of Independence as the novel progresses.
Unlike Maggie, Sydney shares a deep connection with Ridge over music. The lyrics they write act as a journal that expresses their innermost thoughts, communicates their feelings for one another, and forces them to confront the reality of their emotions. As Sydney and Ridge write music together, their attraction to each other grows. Hoover uses each songwriting session to deepen their relationship both physically and emotionally. By the end of this section, their intimacy has been established.
Hoover complicates their connection by hinting at Ridge’s unshakeable commitment to Maggie without revealing the reasoning behind his commitment. Warren reminds Ridge: “You made this choice for yourself years ago” (131). The section ends with the revelation of Ridge’s committed relationship to Maggie, which surprises Sydney and creates suspense. Tortured by her developing feelings for Ridge, Sydney struggles with her role in Ridge’s potential infidelity and proclaims that she does not “want to be a Tori” (136). Hoover ends the section on a cliffhanger as Sydney and Maggie finally meet and venture out on a night on the town. Hoover raises the question of how Ridge and Sydney will navigate their connection in light of his relationship with Maggie.
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By Colleen Hoover
