When the MMC in a time travel romance says, “I can take care of both versions of you.” 🥹
Full disclosure, Cara Bastone is an instant listen for me. She is the queen of witty, adorable banter. So, when I saw there was a new Audible Original by her, I knew it was my next listen.
Junie & Mikey are two teachers at a high school in Brooklyn. They are not only colleagues, but also grew up together with a few core memories floating between them. However, time has passed and they have grown apart. Mikey, the gym teacher and former champion winning coach, is fresh off of a humiliating resignation from a high profile collegiate coaching position. Junie, an English teacher with a passion for poetry, is managing her mother’s degenerative cognitive condition while trying to hold onto her job in the face of the principal’s scrutiny. Both Junie and Mikey have little excitement in their careers or their personal lives. That’s until a solar storm opens a worm hole transporting Junie 85 years into the future and leaving her mom without anyone to care for her. Her only hope at returning is a phone connection with Mikey. Told through both present and future, Maybe This Time is the darling tale of the power of being seen and the witnessing of others for who they truly are.
Bastone handles time travel like a true physicist, but distills it down for the laymen. She covers the basics so that the story (while obviously still far fetched) feels authentic. The side characters help add to the development of the characters themselves rather than the plot which is exactly what they should do here. Bastone takes the time to explore what a crush truly is in such a heartwarming way. She also explores the similarities between poetry and playing sports in a way that truly gave me perspective on art & sports. Compared to her other works I found this one had less of the witty banter and more of those heartfelt conversations. What I loved most is that Junie and Mikey are two genuinely amazing, caring, beautiful people who still have their hang ups, but handle them together. There’s no third act break up, no pettiness, but real feelings and insecurities confronted & love existing within the imperfect.
Lastly, the voice acting on this was TOP TIER. Zoë Chao’s reading of Junie was absolutely adorable. You could feel her insecurity, but genuineness. Noah Reid, of Schitt’s Creek, was the absolute cinnamon roll of a MMC we needed. He exuded warmth and sexiness. I want to hear these two act together again and ASAP!