Call Me Maybe by Cara Bastone

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Oh how I love the manic pixie dream girl and geeky boy trope, so I was praying that this did not disappoint me, and it did not.

If you are looking for a cutesy, feel good romance, that will have you smiling from ear-to-ear, look no further!

I know that this book was originally made for audio, and even though I feel like it would have read better as an audiobook, if you didn’t know the original format before reading, I don’t think it would take away from the reading experience at all, which was very nice to see!

In my opinion, this book did a great job of showing what it’s like dating in today’s climate, though most people would not quite start a relationship the way that Cal and Vera did, with many relationships starting online, then heading to phone conversations, it was a very real view of how a lot of relationships start nowadays and I really appreciated that detail.

I was a tiny bit disappointed by the ending, but that’s just me being picky and wanting more from the characters because I LOVED their chemistry and Vera’s sense of humour so much!

Very excited to read more from Bastone in the future!

I loved this book! It was just so cute, so heartwarming I’m sure I smiled all the way through. Main character Vera is having problems with her website so she’s on the phone to customer service for help, Cal is on the other end with her for hours. They end up crushing on each other. There is a cute little twist for our lovers. Perfect quick read, highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very sweet romance with a nice hero, who was unfortunately too nice for me! The story focuses on two characters who meet over the phone.

This was pure sunshine in book form. When I got approved for the ARC of this book and the UK FINALLY got the audible plus package, it was surely kismet. Because this was my first foray into that catalogue. And it was pure sweetness. It's really quite low angst and I was rooting for Kal and Vera the whole time. My face hurts from smiling so much but the only problem is I 100% need more. Greedy, I know, but it's true. It's a book I will reread if I'm ever needing a serotonin boost. Thank you to Headline Eternal, NetGalley and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this. All opinions are my own.

This was a really sweet book from two perspectives, Vera, who's racing towards a big deadline for her business launch and Cal, the guy who picked up the phone when she called customer service for her website issues. They talk on the phone for over 9 hours that first day, while Cal worked tirelessly day and night on fixing complex issues with the website before the big convention for Vera's debut, all the while dealing with his own family issues and while Vera feels the pressure from her family for this business venture to succeed and from her brother to date his best friend. The story of Vera and Cal is a fast-paced series of conversations over the phone and text, with one key email, and it takes place over the course of a week.

It's really fascinating to think about our conversations online and how they could be fateful and connect us to the right people. It was also about standing up for yourself, trying a variety of things before you find that one thing that's your calling and making sure you have the right kind of support from the people you care about most. I loved the plot and the trope, though some of the conversations seemed unrealistic and didn't read like how people talked. I will say that there was no shortage of miscommunication which I found slightly annoying due to the characters' awkwardness and inability to communicate clearly. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a light-hearted, fast-paced romantic comedy, especially with conversations over digital means.

This book bought the biggest smile to my face. The two main characters are so likeable and there was the perfect amount of cliché involved. A lovely easy read that I didn’t want to put down!

Thanks to netgalley for the copy of this.

I love love LOVED this book!
I loved the entire premise, the references, the banter between the main characters, the twists and turns, and the end was literal perfection.

Call Me Maybe is a lighthearted super quick read that just makes you smile.

The plot centres around Vera, who is trying to launch her new business and is desperately in need of a website that works. Cue Kal, the nerdy sweet Customer Service representitive. Cal answers Vera's call (literally) and a cute relations grows from there.

Honestly this is such a feel good book. The pacing is perfect, the humour is spot on and both characters are engaging and multidimensional.

This is unique in terms of romance as you get story is solely the preamble. It makes the relationship between the two characters more believable and the fact it is so innocent and clean doesn't take away from any of the chemistry Cal and Vera have.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a quick fun read on a weekend.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

⭐️ rating: 5
📖 genre: romantic comedy
🍾 pub date: July 27, 2021
📚 Read this if you like: Lauren Layne, Jo Watson, epistolary romance

THE QUOTE:
I want Cal. He’s officially added to the list of things I want. And I don’t mean that in a selfish but I want it! type of way. I mean that in the purest sense. Simply that things are better when I’m talking to Cal. He makes things better. Easier. Funnier. Brighter. And I want to be the person who can do that for him too.

THE STORY:
With just a few days to build a website for her thriving business “Date in a Box” before it launches, vera Hoffman calls the customer service of the content management system to help her fix it. After hours of waiting she finally gets transferred to IT guy Cal Kantola. As Vera and Cal try to fix the website over one long phone call, catastrophes happen, meals are shared, secrets are revealed, and they start to develop feelings for each other. But will their systems be compatible face-to-face, too?

WHAT I LOVED:
The thing I love most about Cara Bastone’s books is her ability to find the romance in ordinary lives, the swoon in simple places. You don’t get celebrities or football players with her, just normal folks falling in love. I ADORE it.

Also, how cool and relatable is the premise of the book? I mean, have you ever had to make one of those maintenance phone calls? It’s endless waiting and being transferred from one line to the next. Vera and Cal’s phone call is the most insane, most hilarious phone call ever - I swear to you, these two had me giggling the whole time - and it’s totally relatable. I can definitely imagine two people falling in (at least) like with each other of that.

I will say that there’s two big twists in the story that I figured out very fast, but that didn’t impact my enjoyment of the book one bit. Also, there’s zero steam as the book is focused on the “falling” in love part. I found it very endearing!

IN A NUTSHELL:
Pure RomCom BLISS. Hilarious. Heartwarming. Tender. A quick, summer read that will leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Vera has been waiting to speak with Cutrio's customer service for the past few hours. Shocked and thrilled to finally speak to a human she shares her issues with her website. Babbling, rambling and oversharing about her time on hold, how important the website is to her and expressing her need to stay on the line rather than getting a callback.

Working from home answering customer services enquiries, Cal, has never come across a call quite like this one he having with Vera. There is something about her friendly nature that draws him in and wants him to make sure that her site is up and running in time for her expo on Friday. Speaking for ten hours on Monday he identifies the problem with Curio's compatibility with older operating systems - which will take some fixing.

Over the course of the week, they share phone calls and texts learning more about each other as Cal fixes her website behind the scenes, Each helping the other with family issues in their lives. With things going well between them Cal feels he need to come clean to Vera and ensure that there are no miscommunications between them and sends her an email laying everything out of her - but she's too afraid to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers and the Author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Call Me Maybe is the first book I've read by Cara Bastone, and it certainly won't be my last! I'm usually not a fan of epistolary-style novels, but this one has made me change my viewpoint. It is written with a lot of dialogue, potentially as it was firstly published as an Audible Original, and through the conversations Cal and Vera have we are able to see their relationship develop.

This novel is a clean, sweet romance with an ending that both ties up all the loose ends and has you on the edge of your seat. It is not a cliff-hanger as such, but you read the final words and think "I hope there is a sequel!" The book was quite a slow burn novel, so if you like your romance novels to be one that develops over time and feels realistic this novel is for you!

I really enjoyed the book, but it wasn't my favourite romance novel ever. Personally, I prefer a bit more drama in a plot with a few more twists and turns, and in this book every big reveal rounded off quite quickly. I liked the sweetness of the romance and learning about the characters and their stories, but I know that I will probably not remember the plot in a few days. Nevertheless, I would still recommend it to those who are looking for a light-hearted read and love well-rounded characters!

The idea behind this book was extremely promising and one that I was really looking forward to reading.

Unfortunately, the writing just wasn’t for me - I struggled to connect with the characters and the phone conversations felt too forced and unrealistic.

I think this was a case of it’s not you, it’s me considering the positive reviews from other readers.

A massive thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

A short fun read. I loved both of the main characters and how it is told from both their points of view.
Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This is a short, sweet romance that I really enjoyed. Both Cal and Vera were great characters and I loved how this book starts with their conversation which was so much fun to read! It was a little predictable (which romance isn't though) but there was one surprising twist which I enjoyed as much as the characters, if not more!

The romance was sweet, for the most part. It was a little much for me at parts but I was rooting for them so much, especially near the end, that I don't mind.

Overall, I'm glad I read this and would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet, short romance.

Thank you to Netgalley, publishers and to the author for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Firstly, I love the concept of this book with following over a call (while I’m sure its much better to listen to on audible), I still felt it captured it perfectly in ebook form. I’ve never read anything like it and for that I loved it!

Both characters in this book were really lovable, and its the first book in a long time that I actually found funny (even from the start!) and I wish I could have seen their chemistry when they finally met.

I never expected there to be twists in this book, but there were and they were good!

As much as I loved these things, I do dislike the miscommunication trope and one thing goes through right to the end and that I didn’t like. I feel like something was missing but apart from that I did really enjoy this book and I definitely recommend for a fun and lighthearted read.