Call Me, Maybe

Call Me, Maybe #1

by Ellie Cahill, Liz Czukas

Clementine Daly knows she’s the black sheep. Her wealthy, powerful family has watched her very closely since she almost got caught in an embarrassing scandal a few years ago. So when Clementine’s sent on a mission to live up to the Daly name, politely declining isn’t even an option. Of course, the last thing Clementine does before departure is grab a stranger’s phone by mistake—leaving the hunky journalist with her phone. Soon his sexy voice is on the line, but he doesn’t know her real name, or her famous pedigree—which is just the way Clementine likes it.

Despite all the hassles, Justin Mueller is intrigued to realize that the beautiful brown-eyed girl he met at the airport is suddenly at his fingertips. They agree to exchange phones when they’re both back in town, but after a week of flirty texts and wonderfully intimate conversations, Justin doesn’t want to let her go that easy. The only problem? It turns out that Clemetine has been lying to him about, well, everything. Except for the one thing two people can’t fake, the only thing that matters: The heat between them is for real.

Genres: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Young Adult, Fiction

242 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2016

About the author

Want to be the first to know the latest releases and giveaways from Ellie? Sign up for Ellie's newsletter to get a free epilogue to CALL ME, MAYBE! HERE

Ellie Cahill is the author of the Cordially Invited series, including I Temporarily Do, as well as stand-alone romantic comedies like When Joss Met Matt, Call Me Maybe, and Just a Girl. Ellie is also the not-at-all secret pen name of Young Adult author Liz Czukas (Ask Again Later, and Top Ten Clues You're Clueless). Liz's books are often compared to John Hughes movies, while Ellie usually gets compared to Nora Ephron. Either way, if you like a good 80s rom-com, you've found the right place. When they're not writing fun, funny romances full of shenanigans and awkward kisses, Liz and Ellie are at home with their family and a golden retriever with different ideas about the definition of "dog bed."

You'll find Ellie on Facebook and Twitter (@ellie_cahill) but you'll more easily find Liz in those same places as well as Instagram and Tumblr. You'll find either one of them parked in front of the TV every Sunday night getting their fill of Zombies, Westeros, The Doctor, or any other place where cute English guys fight evil.

Speed round: sweet tea, Hufflepuff, dark chocolate, cheese is the perfect food, Go Badgers, and Han shot first.


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Reviews

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe...don't call me.

I started this review at 3 stars...then I dropped it to 2 stars...but I really can't commit to either. It was JUST OK.

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet...ish.

This book didn't really work for me. I didn't HATE it, I just didn't really like it. The chick was self-absorbed. Even when she had people telling her to her face how self-absorbed she was, she went back to her fancy apartment to cry about how soooo misunderstood she was.

Unfortunately Call Me, Maybe was a prime example of why NA sends me bonkers. Lies, miscommunication's and unnecessary dramas were aplenty. I really don't remember it being this bad back in my day (get my walking frame hubby...my bones are creaking). I also don't remember feeling the need to lie or cheat as much as these books imply is going on in every 20-something's life.

Now fibbing, (so, soooo different from lying) I could do. I might fib every now and again, but it's for their own good. For example - to my boys...it will fall off if you keep playing with it. To my hubby...I love this pink with purple love heart jumper you bought me for my birthday. See, fibbing, not bad. Lying, to save your own butt, not good. Especially to someone you are supposedly falling in love with. Didn't your parents teach you anything???

Which brings us to...

The family drama...yikes!! Tell them all to BUGGER OFF!!

Oh...and the sexy times were minimal to non-existent. We all know how much I love my sexy times :-(

It was all just a wee bit immature for my liking.

Onwards...

I received a copy of Call Me, Maybe via Netgalley for an honest review.

[XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clementine and Justin accidentally switch phones and end up with a connection to each other. The story had its cute moments and their witty banter made for an interesting exchange. The chemistry is where it fell a little flat for me. On the phone it seemed more present than after they got together. Then there's the call she keeps from him. That part just seems silly. Justin felt very dry and almost cold to me at the end. Enough that I felt we were dealing with two different characters. Clem had moments where she seemed immature but perhaps it lends credence to the spoiled rich girl persona. It was a pretty light read with high and low points.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

[aimee (aimeecanread) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Call Me, Maybe is the FIRST Ellie Cahill (Liz Czukas) book I didn't finish. There wasn't anything particularly HORRIBLE about it, but the pacing was way too fast and it was just, to be frank, boring. I couldn't force myself to read another word. DNF at around 50%.

Full review to come!

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - "I don't think you have anything to say that I would want to hear right now." Stars.

I am not a stranger to Ellie Cahill's writing, When Joss Met Matt was a very pleasant read for me back in 2015. Call Me, Maybe started off in a similarly enjoyable vein, I am a huge fan of a romance building and playing out with the inclusion of texts and emails in to its mix, but Call Me, Maybe seemed to lose its momentum in the second half of the book, once the couple got together.

"You can tell me anything."

I have two main issues with this one and they are what surmounted to the book dropping from a 4 star read to 2.5 stars in the time it took for me to get from about mid-way through the story to its finish.

Firstly, I really, and I mean really struggled with the double standard in relation to lying through your teeth in that, Clementine felt it was absolutely fine to keep leading Justin along with half-truths and distraction to defer from him getting to the truth, especially when the guy had been nothing but honest with her from the beginning. To then think that he was lying to her and possibly leading her along for nefarious reasons, due to a past relationship ending that way (which was mentioned and covered in about two paragraphs, so hardly indicative of an earth shattering life event). I think I could have empathized with her a bit more if it hadn’t taken until the 80% mark for her lies to catch up with her, and then it wasn’t because she had come clean, more that she had been caught out, and couldn’t dig herself any deeper into the hole, by telling more lies.

"How had is all gone so wrong so quickly."

The other thing that really pissed me off was the repetitive mentioning of how Clementine was rich, lived rent free, in a building owned by her (also) rich family, she didn’t need to work, was happy to sit around reading books and writing reviews on her blog each day whilst spending her trust fund, and really wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. I mean this is a girl with such a hard life, you can understand why it was a struggle to feel any sympathy for her when the shit finally hit the fan, and to top it all off, she turns into an uber bitch when Justin dares to be a bit of a dick to her when she initially makes the effort to apologize to him. I could go on, but I think you get the gist…

Not a winner for me on this occasion, I will still look for more work from the author in the future though as her writing is still stellar, it’s just when you intensely dislike one of the main characters in a story due to them being completely non-relatable, its always going to be a struggle to pull much enjoyment from the story being told.

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review.

[Danielle (Love at First Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars

Well, well, well, wasn't this an adorable book? I have some complaints, but after finishing it I sort of wanted to squish it death. I think the whole falling-in-love-over-the-phone thing really worked for me. Of course, our heroine and hero eventually meet up - well before the halfway point, actually - but their dialogue and conversation continue to be fantastic, and their phone calls never dwindle. There's actually a really cute scene when they're talking on the phone as they cross the street to each other! I don't know how to explain it, other than I was really charmed!

Clementine is not your typical new adult heroine. The girl is filthy rich, her family being one of the most well known names in the country. I wasn't sure how I would react to her; she could easily steer into spoiled brat territory, or be a character I couldn't relate to. I mean, here's this girl who has the world at her fingertips, everything paid for... and she's still floundering. She doesn't know what to do with her career and with her life. She loves reading (she's actually a closet blogger, so bonus points), but she doesn't know how to fit that into what her grandparents expect of her. On the one hand, I could totally sympathize. Just because you've been given more advantages, doesn't mean you like the ones given. But then I got sort of angry when we find out her grandparents own a publishing company... like, hello?? It's never explained why this wouldn't be a perfect fit for her, but oh well because the perfect dream job falls into her lap anyway. Not only that, but she keeps information from Justin that could obviously benefit his career (which he needs to survive, unlike her) for really stupid reasons... I'm being hard on Clementine, but the girl herself admits that she was acting a fool.

That's really the extent of my complaints for her and the book, though. Clementine is quite endearing in her own way - bookish, awkward, hopeful, intelligent, anxious. I liked this about her. She seemed real to me. I'm thankful the story wasn't an angsty one. Even though I knew ahead of time how the drama would unfold, it's not long before the characters are trying to fix it. Clementine and Justin actually talk about things, and I found their conversations to be cute and swoony. Justin is such a sweetheart, and he's adorably clever and romantic. I think if a guy talked to me like that, I'd be falling in love in under two seconds flat! (This is why books aren't good for my health... or at least my real world romantic prospects.) I definitely enjoyed the progression of their relationship, and the ending made me smile like a dork. And it all started because they got their phones mixed up and decided to make something of it. Romantic comedy at its finest!

If you're looking for a more lighthearted romance with toe-curling dialogue and an almost-too-good-to-be-true hero, I recommend Call Me, Maybe. Clementine, for all her faults, certainly makes up for things at the end, and I think you'll find yourself rooting for her and for her and Justin to be together.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving my request in exchange for my honest review!

This review can also be found at Love at First Page.

[Jen]

DNF @52%

The writing is actually pretty good but for the life of me I can't connect with either of the main characters. Clementine's (love that name) and her poor little rich girl, need to find myself predicament has officially worked my last good nerve.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[Brittany S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initial Impressions 12/21/15: UGHHH this pains me but more like 3.5 stars than 4.
CALL ME, MAYBE started off SUPER DUPER cute but I really lost steam with it once it hit the halfway point and Clementine's insecurities started kicking in. I just have a really, really hard time with plots where a girl sabotages herself with insecurities. Like dude, everything was totally cool. And then all of these THOUGHTS came out of nowhere with no logic behind them. It's just something I have a hard time with.
The secret identity thing had a sort of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days feel to it, especially towards the end when worlds collide! That was definitely cute but also you KNOW that moment is coming so it's so it's so painful to watch.
As a book blogger, I loved and hated the fact that it was something I shared with Clementine. On one hand, it was like YES connection! I can put myself in this role. On the other hand, it felt like I was reading my own fanfiction about my own life? Like when I try to write a character and it really just comes out as me because I'm not creative (not saying that about Ellie Cahill - like, that's how I feel when I write things haha). So in that sense, it was hard to read about Clem as a book blogger. Also, I guess mild spoiler... a bit frustrating when a job opportunity to write just HAPPENS to fall into her lap. There are zillions of book bloggers out there and I feel like it's not that easy to just randomly get approached for a job. Maybe she's a super-big blogger (the book didn't really specify) but I felt like that's something that would never happen to me, especially when we as book bloggers complain about how we need jobs where we can read and blog all day haha! It just felt too easy.
The beginning was positively adorable but the whole thing with Clementine essentially sabotaging herself and getting to be a bit of a crazy girlfriend really turned me off. They had only known each other for a short period of time and she had no reason to be jealous/suspicious. Eek. I think it just ended on a weird note for me and I was sad to lose that coy, flirty feeling I had in the beginning. The beginning reminded me of my own crushes in college and whatnot and then end it just felt like things were unraveling.

Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 2/1/16: I’m a huge fan of Liz Czukas’ YA novels and absolutely adored her first NA, WHEN JOSS MET MATT. When I heard about CALL ME MAYBE, I knew I had to get my hands on it quickly! Like all of her other novels, CALL ME MAYBE was a fun and quick read. It was also, however, the book of hers that I’ve had the most issues with to date.

CALL ME MAYBE started out incredibly cute. Readers get to know Clementine who seems just like the girl next door… if the girl next door’s family was filthy, filthy rich. Chaos and adorableness ensues when Clementine and mysterious hot stranger accidentally switch phones and end up making a connection while talking. The phone conversations were absolutely adorable and I was quickly falling in love with these two characters and their relationship! I loved how they got to know one another and since it’s New Adult, we got to dip more into the sexy side of flirting. Some of it actually really reminded me of text conversations I had while in college (well, maybe they weren’t sexy like that but the texts reminded me of my own) when I had all of the feelings for a new crush!

Fellow book bloggers might also love that Clementine is a book worm and blogger just like us! At first I was super thrilled because hey, she’s just like me! But as the story progressed, I sort of felt like I was reading something that I had written… but not really in a good way. Don’t get me wrong! This wasn’t the author’s fault, but I have a terribly, terribly bad habit of “writing what I know” aka, I fictionalize my own life when I run out of creative ideas when writing (seriously. This is why I’m a reader and not a writer) so it sort of started to feel like that for me. I also ended up having a hard time with Clem’s job choices and how easy/hard it was to find something in her field. Trust me — we as bloggers would love to write reviews and blog and get paid for it but it’s not as easy as it sounds. Some things just felt like they happened a little too easily since for me/us, the struggle is real.

My big hang-up, though, was that Clementine really ended up self-sabotaging and that was THE reason for conflict in the book. Things were going just fine until she started getting suspicious, jealous, and freaking out for honestly no reason at all. There really could have been some other conflict or maybe something more justifiable for her to freak out like she did but I really didn’t feel like her actions were warranted and that totally turned me off. I didn’t really feel sorry for her because any drama that happened, she really did it to herself.

I was so bummed that it started out so cute and really lost steam about halfway through. I just wanted so much more from this book considering WHEN JOSS MET MATT is still one of my favorite contemporary books and was easily a favorite from 2015. CALL ME, MAYBE just didn’t quite live up to its predecessor and was so sad that I didn’t fall in love with it.

[Marla Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute and a bit too insta-lovey for my taste but what can I say? I'm biased when it comes to Liz Czukas/Ellie Cahill. I just can't bring myself to rate her books less than three stars even though in my opinion, she writes better YA than NA. Just like Joss and Matt, the beginning of the book made me feel super squishy inside because it was just too damn adorable. But once again, I had to read through characters who are just so unrelatable that it took away any more enjoyment I could have gotten from this book. Sad but it's the truth.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This was a really cute story. Strangers at an airport, Clementine and Justin accidentally switch phones. They start a text friendship in the week before they meet in person to return their phones to each other. Between cute texts and a few phone calls, they develop a fast friendship with feelings of wanting more. These two were completely adorable together. I loved the chemistry and easy friendship they developed over texts. I really enjoyed this book but there were a few things that I didn't like there was hardly any steam after all that build up between them and the ending left me wanting more - I desperately needed an epilogue. but I enjoyed more than I disliked. I look forward to reading more by this author.

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**

[Markéta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!***

Okay. This was bit of a let down.

Clementine is a bookworm, but her talks about books just annoyed the crap out of me. I don't know why, maybe because I love books and everything about them and I probably felt teritorial about it, like I can be the only one who is a bookworm.

She also has a bookblog (that is sucessful, which I'm jealous of) and she has the money and place to buy and store books. But she seemed really shallow, easy to guilt trip.

When she meets a gorgeous man at the airport she stumbles and falls into him and than she blushes and stutters and blablahblah. This is not a young adult, so stop it.

Accidentaly they switch their phone and guess what? Neither of them is locked! What a coincidence. And they start texting.. And calling.. And having a phone sex..

There were several things that bothered me.
One, Clementine was once blackmailed by a guy after she send him nudes and she doesn't lock her phone? How stupid are you.. Even if there's nothing, there are at least phone numbers.
Two, Justin was supposed to be a ladies man but he did 180 turn after meeting her? He just clickes the switch in his head and wham, he's relationship oriented.
Three, he was like a blushing virgin about the fact that he used to sleep with whomever.
Four, Clementine's family. They were all so straight with her. "You made a mistake when you were 19 and now four year later we don't trust you and we never will. Oh, we also will never ask you what you want to do with your life and instead we will try to force you t work in the family firm."
Five, C.'s BFF not only her friend and neighbour but he was also checking up on her for her grandparents.. Why would you want to be friends with someone who give your family weekly follow-ups?

I think that those are the main things but I could think up more but I'm too lazy and I don't want to portray the book us bad. Because it wasn't. It was decent, like every other book. It wasn't exceptional. But at least I wasn't bored.

I should probably mention some good things too (:D). It was quite funny. And Justin wasn't as bad as Clementine. There were no "ew" or "hell, no" moments. Isn't it sad that I can't think of more?

For more reviws visit: http://do-notdiewondering.blogspot.com

*ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

[Tink Magoo is bad at reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book because I loved When Joss Met Matt, I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't totally thrilled with this either.



Clementine got on my nerves at times and that made it hard for me to fully get on board with her character, especially at the start were she was like a prepubescent girl who had her hand touched by a boy and then obsessed over it for a week.




But she got a bit better after that, their texts were cute because Justin was adorable and then there was the phone sex, that was actually the most exciting part



This was a nice book with very little drama of any sort but because of that it was a little bland at points. It was pleasant, the characters fell a little flat for me though.

And the word COCK isn't used once, I like the word cock, I like to know the size and where it's going, there was none of that in this book. The sex wasn't descriptive at all and I think it would have helped the chemistry if it was.

[Angie Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m glad I’ve read this author before, because I’d have seen this title and glanced right over it otherwise. And that would have sucked, because I would have missed out on a fun flirty read that brought a smile to my face. My first read from Ellie Cahill was When Joss Met Matt, and I enjoyed it so much I couldn’t wait for her next offering. Call Me, Maybe didn’t disappoint.

Clementine Daly belongs to one of the wealthiest families in country, and she’s well aware that there’s a price to be paid for that. After an embarrassing indiscretion with a former ‘boyfriend,’ her family keeps a close eye on her – going so far as to plant a watchman as her neighbor. But Clementine, being so friendly and carefree, quickly makes friends with him. When a series of mishaps cause her to end up with the wrong phone, she’s surprised to find it’s the handsome stranger whose lap she almost landed in at the airport before boarding her plane. Justin was sweet and charming, but since Clementine’s family never hesitate to remind her of her past, she fibs when he asks her her name. The more time passes, the harder it is for Clementine to find the right moment to tell him the truth. The thing about Justin was that he was almost perfect. I couldn’t understand why the hell anyone hadn’t snagged him up yet. If he'd been a little clumsy at relatsionship-ing, I could have seen it, but the man was a pro. But it was easy enough to get past for the sake of the story.

I loved Clementine’s interactions with her brother and seeing Justin with his friends. And they’re part of the reason this book worked so well for me. It’s no secret I have a hard time finding New Adult books that I enjoy. The slash my wrists angst just doesn’t work for me. But this does. The 20’s, for me, were all about learning how to balance responsibility and fun, not a time to wallow. And that’s was the core of this story – learning how to do the right thing despite fear, and finding out that everything has a consequence. Like everything else, adulthood has a learning curve, and Clementine was learning that, for the second time, the hard way. With her past still plaguing her, trust didn’t come easily. My only issue with this book was the end. On the one hand, I wish there had been a bit more drama, but on the other, I’m not sure that was Justin’s style.

Overall, I thought Call Me, Maybe was a fun, quick read that could be great curled up in front of the fire or in your lawn chair at the beach!

This review was originally posted at Badass Book Reviews.

[Ivy Deluca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clementine, the poor little rich girl, doesn’t know what to do with her life. When she’s trying not to complain about it, all she wants to do is read, run her bookblog and read some more. Something that I would normally agree with. Luckily, she’s got the luxury to figure it out since she comes from old money. She’s on her way out of town with her brother Honor, when there’s a mixup with her cell phone and she ends up with Justin’s cellphone instead.

I think that the decision to state right away that Clementine wasn’t trying to whine about her problems, then basically showing her whine and get discombobulated at the idea of just taking phone messages, set the character off on the wrong foot with me and she never recovered from it.

The focus on Clementine’s lack of direction could have been a chance to really see her discovering her talents, but it felt bogged down with the mundane details of her life and little excitement to drive the plot.

There was a decided lack of tension in the pacing of the story, especially when you know that a big “reveal” is inevitable and add to this the lack of interest in Justin - who was just a Gary Stu lacking a strong personality and I unfortunately struggled to get through this.


This was only ok. It suffered from a serious lack of spark, which is a shame because I did want to enjoy this.

**ARC provided by publisher via netgalley for review**

For more reviews, visit

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I genuinely wanted to love this one, I read the blurb and thought that's a plot line that hasn't been done over and over. However, for me the actual story fell a bit flat.

Basically it's about two strangers who accidentally switch phones at the airport and go off to their respective locations with the wrong phone. They start relaying messages/voicemails to each other until they can meet up and switch back. And obviously they start to develop a bond through their phonecalls etc. I read one storyline like this before by Sophie Kinsella and I loved it!!

As I said before this one fell a bit flat, I didn't feel any chemistry between the characters and the banter was kind of cringey! I also didn't overly like either of the characters, they were a bit one dimensional to me.

I'm gutted this didn't work out because the premise of the story ticked all the boxes for me but it just wasn't executed well enough for me to rate any higher!

An arc was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Steffi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Der Klappentext des Buches hat mich sehr neugierig gemacht und es klang nach einer witzigen und romantischen Geschichte.

Clementine und Justin vertauschen am Flughafen aus Versehen ihre Handys, sie vereinbaren sich am Ende ihrer Reise zu treffen und sich bis dahin über eingehende Anrufe zu informieren. Sie kommen aber nicht voneinander los und beginnen sich zu schreiben und zu telefonieren.

Man landet direkt in der Geschichte und ich mochte wie Clementine und Justin sich in ihren Telefongesprächen kennenlernen, muss aber auch sagen, dass es mir an mancher Stelle ein wenig zu schnell ging. Dennoch fand ich die Liebesgeschichte wirklich sehr süß.

Ich mochte auch die beiden Charaktere sehr gerne. Clementine und Justin waren sehr sympathische Charaktere, die ich schnell in mein Herz geschlossen habe. Nicht verstanden habe ich manchmal Clementine, wieso sie Justin manche Dinge verschwiegen hat. So kam mir die Dramatik, die erst sehr spät auftaucht, ein wenig erzwungen vor.

Insgesamt war das Buch eine sehr süße und nette Liebesgeschichte für zwischendurch, die mich gut unterhalten konnte.

[Nicole M. Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

I don't know what it is about Ellie Cahill's books, but they just make me ... happy. I know that's such a simplistic word (and one that Clementine wouldn't approve of - she's like a living thesaurus), but it's true. I actually picked this book up when I was in the middle of another one (because I didn't want to haul a physical book with me) and, even though I was really enjoying the physical book, I couldn't put this one down when I had the chance. I just devoured it and then sat back with an oh so satisfied sense of happiness, so pleased with myself for making such a good choice.

What I enjoyed:

Clementine.
Clementine is an avid reader and a book blogger, so how could I not love her? Actually, I think what I loved about her most was just her struggle to be her own person. She'd had a bad experience with a guy who took advantage of her family connections, and she'd spent years trying to live that experience down - be the good girl that her family wanted her to be. She was also really struggling to find herself professionally - she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life and she was dealing with guilt about that (in addition to her guilt over what happened with the aforementioned guy) as well. All this is to say, that Clementine felt like a very real person - someone I might know and care about in real life - so that made it that much easier for me to connect to her in this book.

Justin.
Then Clementine meets Justin. Well, she falls in his lap - that's about as far as "meeting" him goes at first. When she accidentally takes his phone, they end up staying in touch - first just to exchange pertinent information ("You got a call from so-and-so), but it quickly blooms into something more. Clementine starts looking for reasons to contact Justin, and vice versa. Their relationship starts out with fun texts and phone calls - the type of banter that just makes me smile - and then progressed to something deeper - especially once they actually meet in person. Justin is sweet and funny and full of life (not to mention sexy), and he encourages Clementine to pursue her dreams, even when she's not sure how to do that! He was just such a down-to-earth guy, it was hard not to fall in love with him right along with Clementine!

The secret.
I often dislike books where the conflict is simply created because one character won't tell the other something, but in this case it really worked. Once you learned Clementine's backstory it made complete sense why she felt the need to be careful at first. And then, the longer it went on, the harder it became for her to just come right out and tell Justin who she really was. There were moments where I wanted her to fess up, but I never felt frustrated with her because I understood her motivations and could see where she was coming from - and how she kept digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole until she couldn't get out of it!

The negatives:

Not much.
Honestly, this book was pretty much everything I want from a book like this. It's not the type of book that rips your heart out and stomps on it (I like those too), and it's not deeply meaningful or philosophical or anything like that, but it's sweet and fun and a heartfelt story.

This book is the perfect pick-me-up if you're feeling like you're in a slump. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good romance - this one pretty much hits the spot! I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

***Disclosure: I received this book from NetGalley and Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

[Meegz Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book for a quick read. The phone swap idea was clever and not something I've come across in a novel before. I liked how Clementine and Justin communicated and were civil about the whole thing. And of course how you could see that this could be the start of something.

I felt like I could connect with Clementine, the main character. Not in terms of the fact that she comes from a rich family that has all these expectations, but the fact that she's an avid reader, book reviewer and once you strip away the part of her to do with the richness of her family, she's really just another normal young girl.

I can understand why she does what she does in terms of giving Justin a fake last name, and not actually coming clean about who she was, especially with the things in her past. I mean, you never can be too careful when it comes to suspicions of people using you, whether its because of money or not. I never thought Justin was the type of character to do that, but I understand why she did it. When you come from that much money, you never can be too careful who you trust. It would be hard to try and work out who was using you for your name and money, and who was a genuine person.

I thought the relationship between Clementine and Justin progressed rather quickly, but I did like how well the fit together. Justin was quite the charmer and has quite the easy going personality. I really liked how both main characters were intellectual and found that attractive in each other. Putting across the message that book nerds can be sexy too, right?

I liked how things progressed by the end of the novel and how it ended. It wasn't too over the top, but it wasn't too easy either. Clementine had to come to a few realisations before she was able to man up and make a decision about what to do.

Overall this was a fun and quick read. Not too serious but not too fluffy either. I was definitely able to connect to the characters and feel their emotions. I would recommend this for anyone who likes bit of romance or who just thinks it sounds like a good book. Go for it!

[Stacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love everything Liz writes, so of course I was so eager to get my greedy hands on her new book written as Ellie.

Clementine and Justin are adorable together. She's an interesting character, especially because of The Incident, and I really enjoyed watching her figure things out. I would have loved to be in Justin's head, but his completed adoration of her was apparent.

Of course there's a tiny bit of angst, but overall, this story is filled with fluff and swoons and I loved every page of it.

**Huge thanks to Loveswept and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Carlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Clementine is awkward and stuck living under her grandparent's watchful eyes, but that doesn't mean she doesn't act like every other twenty-something when she falls into the lap of a hot guy and finds herself stuck with his phone for a week. What starts as passing along messages to one another soon turns into more when Clementine and Justin start pushing the lines of just sharing messages by sharing a bit about themselves and some photos. Music and pictures soon become more and when they finally meet in person for the big phone exchange, their chemistry over the phone is still there when in person. Clementines keeping a secret though, her family money and past makes it convenient to lie, but when real feelings grow she has to face Justin with the truth.

While a bit unbelievable, Call Me, Maybe, is a fast-paced, cute story filled with fun characters. Clementine, what a name, is the kind of character that you will like or hate. She's a bit immature, obsessed with books (we all can relate to that), and has an overbearing family. She dealt with life's pressures in such a way that I wanted to shake some sense in her, but she also landed herself in the cutest flirtashionship. I really enjoyed the phone aspect of Clementine and Justin, especially in this day and age where people really do fall in love through just Facebook, texts, and skype calls. That said, for someone who is so wary of social media, she sure jumps into it with Justin. Clementine is easy to sympathize with and, minus the odd way it happened, her relationship with Justin is one I rooted for. I could understand her hiding parts of herself, yet trying to learn more about Justin as a way to justify her emotions towards him. The drama that unfolds is predictable, but is well written and works out just how you want it too. I enjoyed the personal growth, from both characters, and the lesson that is weaved into the story.

Let's be honest though, anyone who loses their phone now days has everything backed up And can get a replacement one. They certainly wouldn't let someone use their phone for a whole week, especially if they're a wealthy well-known figure in the community, but hey this is fiction. That said, I look up people when I meet them and since Clementine is a really unusual name, and Justin is a journalist, don't we think that Clementine + Chicago typed into Google would turn up some results? Just maybe.

While the general story is unbelievable, it's still a cute, flirty read. I liked the general relationship, the phone conversations prior to their meeting are certainly entertaining, and while it's fairly clean, the sex scenes definitely make up a lot of their relationship. I can always use more chemistry and drama in a book, but this quick read made me smile and relax for a little while.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I managed to get a free copy of this book courtesy of a link on facebook, but the review is all mine regardless

Clem and Justin are strangers, but their clumsy and awkward first meeting very quickly becomes the meetcute of all meetcutes. Clem gets up, spins around, and lands in Justin's lap at the airport. Talk about unfortunate--or fortunate considering Justin is gorgeous. Clem freaks a little as would any woman who just landed on an unwitting stranger. Honor, Clem's brother, is in a hurry to board the plane. While Clem is in the bathroom, he grabs Clem's phone and other belongings, and waits for her.

No big deal, right? Haha. Riiiiight.

Honor grabbed the wrong phone. Oopsie. He grabbed the phone of that handsomely hot stranger whose lap Clem landed on. Of course, she doesn't know that at first. It isn't until her nosy cousin starts digging through the photos that Clem figures it out, but there isn't much she can do after that.

Apparently, Justin realized the mistake much sooner than Clem did. He called and texted and called some more. Clem eventually returned the call. This led to a series of calls and texts with updates about the messages that were being received. It also led to the revelation that they had already met. This leads to some fun.

Justin is entertaining. He wants to get to know Clem. She wants to get to know him, but he is much more creative about it. In a series of questions titled "Getting to know Clementine" he asks her the important things in life. Like, Miracle Whip or Mayo?

Getting to know Clementine, Part 2. Mayo or Miracle Whip:
A: Give me mayonnaise or give me death
B: Miracle Whip is the best
C: I'll take either because I have no taste buds
D: I don't know what you're talking about

As a fellow mayonnaise lover, I canNOT stand Miracle Whip. So I clearly fall into answer A.

Once the two finally meet in person, there is already a connection. The two have talked almost nonstop over the course of the week (when they had each other's phones) and finally--finally!--they are standing face to face. He kisses her. It's hot. The end.

Ooooorrrrr...they go on their first date, it's awesome, and at the end of it he says, "Then...I'll call you." To which she gracefully replies, "On my very own phone, even."

Isn't it the sweetest? No. Well, then what do you know? It really is super sweet and that's what you should take from this. It's super freaking sweet.

Naturally, as books progress, there is drama. There are lies and secrets and love. Because all great stories have love. And this one has it.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Ellie Cahill… she does, sweet, fluffy romance perfectly and Call Me Maybe fits that to a T. Clementine Daly comes from a very well-known family and a mistake she made years ago has her labeled as the black sheep and still haunts her every decision. Determined to live up to the expectations of her family and her name, she is exploring her options for her future in the Daly conglomerate, though nothing seems to fit just right. Heading to California to see what the family business has to offer her there is her next trip and the last thing she needs is to screw anything up, but when she accidentally ends up with a strangers phone and he hers, she finds herself making some choices that have her wondering just what she is doing.

Justin Mueller, a fledgling journalist, didn’t expect that the girl who tripped over him at the airport would be the sexy voice on the other end of the line when he realizes he has some stranger’s cell phone, but he can’t help but be intrigued by her as they share texts and conversations over the week she has his phone, so they plan to meet the day they both return and see where things go.

Neither of them expect the connection that forms, which makes the fact that Clementine has been omitting a very important piece of information from Justin about who she is.

As I said, Cahill does sweet and sexy wonderfully, and this one is full of both. That said, I just didn’t connect with our characters here quite as much as I have some of her others. I love the idea of this story, and the banter and fun texts and conversations were super fun, but I don’t know, I feel like I didn’t feel that connection between the two that I wanted to validate some of the things that these two share via phone.

Additionally, I have to say that I was a bit confused by the fact that Clementine was a blogger and loved books… and her family is a big name in media and even owns a publishing company yet it never occurred to her that that should be where she should focus her career.

Our hero, Justin, is super sweet and like I said the banter between the two was lovely to read and I can definitely see why Clementine fell for him.

Overall, a fun and sweet read with a unique ‘meet cute’. You can’t go wrong with an Ellie Cahill book, and though this wasn’t my favorite, I definitely enjoyed it for what it was. I certainly can’t wait for more from her!

[1-Click Addict Support Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are days when a cute, light and quick read is exactly what you need. What I need. Today was one of those days—so I picked up Call Me, Maybe (yes, the song is stuck in my head) and found myself happily engaged with its interesting meet-cute and low-key sex appeal.

When Clementine Daly accidentally grabs the wrong phone at the airport—after stumbling over the hottest man she's ever seen—all she can think about is what can go wrong… Oh, and the undeniably sexy voice of the man on the other end of the phone. Trust isn't something that come easily to Clem, especially after being burned once before, no matter how much she wants to get to know Justin Mueller.

But will her lies end up keeping her safe…or breaking her heart?

I quite enjoyed reading Call Me, Maybe. It had a certain amount of charm—most especially in the early stages, as Clementine and Justin briefly meet, get to know each other over the phone, and then meet again. It was adorable, actually, the way they bantered and flirted over the phone and through text messages, and I found myself really eager to keep reading.

So I did. I knocked this one out in a few short hours, and finished up with a smile. It wasn't perfect—I found myself frustrated, at times, with Clem’s lack of faith and communication, and I felt there were one or two plot lines that didn't get a proper conclusion—but it was fun. It had moments of humor, moments of hurt, moments of 'oh, shit!' And it was sexy in a simple way; never overt or over the top, Clem and Justin's easy intimacy cemented the chemistry between this couple without halting the sweet tone of the book.

And how sweet it was. Especially Justin. Good grief, he was…swoony. A word nerd, and A-level first dater, I really, really liked him and his honest, easy-going nature. He was nice guy, but a nice guy who wasn't a pushover or boring, which is a much needed change from the alpha-holes who inhabit so many books these days.

This is my first book by Ellie Cahill, and I would happily pick up another with her name on the cover. In fact, I’d be very interested to read more of the Daly family, as this book feels like a solid foundation upon which to build a series about this prestigious family. Maybe Honor might get a book—one I can grab the next time I'm looking for something cute, light and quick? ~ Beth, 3.5 stars

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

When Joss Met Matt remains one of my absolute favorite new adult books of all time. So, yeah, when I heard Ellie Cahill was coming out with another book, I was practically jumping for joy. (Some air kicks may have been done when I received a review copy.) But anyway, long story short, Call Me, Maybe delivered a few giggles and swoons but did not live up to my (admittedly high) expectations.

Call Me, Maybe starts off STRONG. Clementine and Justin accidentally switch phones at an airport and keep in contact until they're both back home to switch them back. That first part of their relationship is all about the emotional connection and banter that they have, and man, there are some funny conversations there. But they obviously feel a spark, so when they do meet up - it's go time. The chemistry is on point, and the swoon is good. And the rest... is kind of just your run of the mill new adult book.

Heads up to anyone who reads new adult books more often: this book is quite tame. It's not all about the sex scenes, and actually the book fades to black a lot more than I'm used to. There's only one scene that's decently explicit as if the author expects that on all future sexual escapades you more or less know how it goes and can fill in the blanks yourself. That's a good and bad thing. This book could be an awesome gateway book for (primarily YA) readers who are kind of nervous about jumping in on NA books. But if you are used to the status quo RE: sexual content, you may quickly find yourself disappointed by the lack of spiciness.

What NA tropes does the book incorporate though? Well, Clementine has a pretty messed up past which blessed her with trust issues. You can probably tell where that's going to go - because she lies about certain parts of her life and identity, and obviously that's going to catch up with her at some point. Yeah, it's pretty typical. Once the book drama-coaster started to trek up its dangerous track, my initial infatuation with the banter and lighthearted swoon of the book started fading.

But I do feel like some of the new adult issues covered in the book are on point. Clementine doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, in spite of her family's connections being able to give her basically any job she could ever want. That might sound a bit spoiled and "first world problem"-y, but it did come off as real and relatable. (She's also a book blogger, if we want to talk about relatability.) Justin does have a job, but it's still a long ways off from what he actually wants to do. I also feel like that's a perfect snapshot of what it's like in your 20s - you think your education should land you your dream job right away, but in reality there's usually still a long way to go.

And that's basically all I can think to say. The book started off light and cute. Clementine and Justin had a nice banter going on. The connection was tangible and may even have given me a few flutterings. It even kind of inspired me to consider dating again because it felt so real and relatable. It had a kind of romcom quality to it that was very enjoyable and easy to read. And the new adult woes? Not very deep but on point. But then the typical drama happened and the characters just weren't dynamic enough for me to think the book is ultimately much better than average. I have very little sympathy for characters who dig themselves a hole by lying to their partners.

Summing Up:

Are you looking for a couple of hours of lighthearted cuteness? To turn off your brain and get swept up in a delightful romance? Call Me, Maybe could very well be the book you're looking for. But if you're hoping for intense heat and spice, you might want to keep looking. And if typical drama turns you off, I don't know what to say. Call Me, Maybe was enjoyable. Certainly not bad. Certainly not a waste of my time. But maybe also not the first book I would recommend.

GIF it to me straight!



Recommended To:

New adult newbies.


*An electronic advance review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review.

[Claire - The Coffeeholic Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

She grabbed her phone from the charging station without taking a better look at it. Too late when Clementine realized she got the wrong phone.  Her own number had called the one she was holding and for the love of all gods, she couldn't help but mesmerized by the voice of the caller. Clementine agreed to keep his phone until they saw each other again. 

Justin Mueller was all the more excited to see Clementine after they've exchanged pleasantries over the phone. Pictures of her on the beach, pillow-talking with her when they both couldn't sleep, imagining this girl from the other side of the continent kept Justine pre-occupied. Until they saw each other again. 

But Clementine was keeping a secret from him. A scandal that would leave a stain in her reputation. A surname that would totally change Justin's perception of her. A woman who was both intriguing and captivating. A woman who's hiding in her shadow. A fake. A deceiver. 

I found this story cute and possible, but I also have my misgivings, given the situation the main character was into. I had this series of "What If" questions in my mind while I was reading this book. What if I accidentally got another person's phone at the airport  and the one who got mine was a boy who wasn't a thief of a maniac. What if he was like Justin, what if I fell in love with his voice, what if he got interested in me, too? So many possibilities. So many questions. But one thing for sure, I have this final answer:  My feelings would go over the moon, to infinity and beyond. Ahh, how I wish I was Clementine (without the family issues and scandal to boot!) 

Call Me, Maybe reminds me of that pop song that has got all the people of the world singing & dancing sometime in 2013. You'd think this book is based on that song. But no. This is totally different.

The way Justin and Clementine met is cute and cosmic, like the stars had conspired for this thing to happen. But what I didn't like was how Clementine repeatedly had to lie to Justin just to appease her family and avoid ruining their reputation. And she was constantly leading him in, taunting him with pictures of her hip or text messages about losing her clothes and towel before going to bed. Seriously, for someone who had almost been scandalized, surely, she should take precautions with her actions and think twice before doing something hazy like that. But no, Clementine just had to be a tease! 



What made me relate to Clementine was her identity as a book blogger. I could feel her emotions when she read books, review them, interact with authors and readers and get ecstatic when receiving comments and compliments from other people. That was totally cool, I felt like I was on the same page with her. 

Justin, on the other hand, was adorable. He was perfect. I dunno if I could say anything wrong about him. I thought he's too good to be true. 

The whole book was relaxing and fast paced. A little unbelievable but definitely relatable. The author was able to write a story that makes the reader imagine themselves as the main characters. Wish I could read more about the other Daly family members, though. Their reputation is quite intriguing, to say the least. A great afternoon / summer read! 

[Eva • All Books Considered · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review originally posted at All Books Considered: TWO STARS

Call Me, Maybe almost felt like it was written to try and appeal to book bloggers since the MC is a book blogger herself. The premise of this book is cute -- the entire thing is almost itself a meet-cute -- Clementine leaves her phone at the airport and instead grabs the cute stranger's phone. The problem arose when there was literally nothing else about Clementine that was relatable. First of all, she is more wealthy than you can imagine -- she even refers to herself as American royalty. In fact, she readily admits she could just buy Justin a new phone but doesn't want him to know who she really is and how wealthy she is -- you can imagine how well this works out when Justin finds out the truth. Maybe it's just me but the whole woe is me because I don't have to work and can't figure out what I want to do and my family bought me an entire building to live in didn't really lend itself to liking Clementine. The romance was fast and there was a bit of insta-love, the combination of which made me not root for this story, at all.

I can't say that I would recommend this to anyone but others may like it. Books such as On an Edge of Glass, Breathe, Annie, Breathe or the books in this post are, for me, better NA that feels a bit more realistic. I also really liked Ellie Cahill's NA release last year, When Joss Met Matt. Call Me, Maybe is scheduled to be released on February 9, 2016.

Some people stress eat. I stress read.

[DJ Sakata · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating:

4.5

Favorite Quotes:

“The guy was like, romance novel hot, and not the old cover models either. Like the actual characters described in the pages. Yum.”

“I don’t mean to complain at all, but I sort of expected college to do more for me than fill my head with interesting trivia.”

“I seemed to be the only one who didn’t know what to do with myself. Maybe I’d missed a class Adulting 101.”

“He had the air of someone who always has three hundred things he should be doing.”

“In case you were wondering, Florida in June is approximately the temperature of hell.”

“I was starting to convince myself that the flowers were the ‘thank you, ma’am’ than followed ‘wham, bam.’”

“I always felt like an archaeologist at an important dig when I went to someone’s apartment for the first time. Clues lay all around me. All I had to do was identify, classify, and hypothesize.”

“My heart sank. I was picturing a stadium-sized crowd of women; his little black book in multiple volumes on a shelf; his bedpost whittled down to a nub for all the notching.”

“The conversation had taken a left turn into dangerous territory filled with bear traps, rusted nails, and psychological damage as far as the eye could see. I had a feeling I was not going to win back his heart with any further steps into the area, but it hard to resist now that I’d started.”

My Review:

Call Me, Maybe is my first experience with this author, but definitely will not be my last as I enjoy her style, humor, and intelligence. An innocent accidental phone switch at the airport lead to a new romance that started over the phone and at opposite ends of the country. The romance sparked quickly during a week of phone calls and I found it adorable, steamy, and precious. He did ALL the right things, but unfortunately, she did not. The writing was easy to follow yet crisp and breezy. The story was generally light, although emotional complications and misunderstandings ensued later in the story. I enjoyed the humor, premise, and all the characters, and would even like to see a series written with the other family members, just saying…

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cute is the best word to describe this book. Very enjoyable, an easy read, lightly amusing. Right from the start I liked Clementine because she's different from the usual struggling student (or something similar) heroine. She's a wickedly rich young woman from an important family but who doesn't flaunt her wealth. She loves reading romance novels and has a secret identity as a successful blogger. Her grandparents want her to join the Daly Foundation in some way, her parents want her to work with them in undeveloped countries, but she doesn't have a passion for anything except reading. (Sounds familiar) When she inadvertently exchanges phones with a stranger (of course a cute, young, unattached stranger), they get to know each other and start to build a relationship. I loved their budding friendship. They struggled with normal issues, working together then retreating, just like any other relationship. It wasn't all hearts and flowers, it wasn't totally predictable and easy. It wasn't angsty, but there were definitely misunderstandings and hurt feelings. They are both intelligent and definite word-nerds, which made their banter fun and entertaining. Some authors try too hard to be funny, but Cahill has a very light touch that made her jokes subtle and clever. I really "got" her humor.

Favorite quote about all the reading she does (which I can relate to) and when her brother complains that she'll be ignoring him: "Not technically. I'll be right here beside you. We can call it quiet togetherness if that makes you feel better."

Exactly what it feels like to have lots of online friends, "Some of my closest friends were people I'd never even met. People who had no idea what I looked like or where I lived. Yet they were my tribe."

And another quote that will make sense to voracious readers, "What's your favorite book?" "That's like asking me which molecule of oxygen I've enjoyed breathing the most."

[Red Cheeks Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge sucker for a book with a good does of texting, emails and phone calls, so when I say the synopsis for Call Me, Maybe I was incredibly excited and eager to start. When Clementine and Justin's phones get mixed up at the airport they decided to hold onto them for a week until they can exchange them in person back home. Suddenly these two strangers are thrust into each others lives delivering messages to one another. Before long they are talking more than necessary and not just passing along important messages and calls. They are eager to get to know one another and quickly find themselves growing close to the stranger who has their main life line in their hands. But socialite Clementine is no stranger to a public scandal involving private matters on her phone and has to decide how much information she can trust this man who she just met and cannot stop thinking about. Can their connection hold strong when they meet in person or will the exciting allure of the mystery stranger be lost when the mystery is solved.

"We've only known each other for what? Nine days?" The result of my mental math surprised me. He felt way too important - necessary - for nine days.'

So while overall I enjoyed this sweet easy read I had a hard time with a few plot points including Justin having no clue who Clementine was. In this modern world where everything is online someone who is such a big socialite I would think would not be too hard to recognize. Her family is big, like Trump or Hilton big, so to think that he has no clue who she is was a tad hard for me to swallow. But again it is probably just me nit-picking. Still overall the book moved along and I loved all the texting and phone calls. I wish I felt a deeper connection between the two but at the same time I didn't feel disconnected either. Full of funny moments and a does of heart Call Me, Maybe is a book worth opening!

~miranda

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really disliked this. The first couple chapters or so were rather cute, but then as Justin and Clementine got more and more serious for no obvious reason, I got more and more aggravated.

These two characters have no chemistry. I didn't feel anything the entire time I was reading a novel. It might as well have been a chemistry text book for how interested I was in it. I have never been so tempted to DNF a book at 93%. I just didn't know if I could take the monotony any more.

The book was filled with random minutia about Clementine's day-to-day life and her struggles as a poor little rich girl trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. I wish the book would have spent more of its time building a relationship between Justin and Clementine than it would have with pandering to the book reviewer audience. I absolutely hated the "Clementine is a book reviewer/blogger" story line. It always makes it seem like an author is trying way too hard to make the character relate-able.

No one in this book was unbearable. The characters were likable. I liked Clementine and I liked Justin. I just didn't understand why they liked each other. They just all of a sudden do. Clementine shares a couple text messages and several 3 minute phone calls with the guy and she's suddenly confident enough in his character to have phone sex with him despite her previous scandal. It just wasn't believable to me. The characters have sex on the first date and suddenly seem so into each other that they want to spend all of their free time together despite not really knowing all that much about each other. The author didn't do a very good job building their relationship. I didn't believe in it so it wasn't something I wanted to read about.

In summary: I found this book extraordinarily dull.

I received this book via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.