The Maybe List

"Mate is here!" What? No—wait... Actually, that's not Yvette's story at all. Yvette Hamilton arrives at college with detailed spreadsheets, color-coded plans, and a desperate need to figure out her romantic orientation before freshman year ends. She's convinced everyone else received some identity manual she somehow missed—especially when she meets her effortlessly confident roommates Alain and Sam, who navigate questioning with the kind of ease Yvette can only dream of. But when curiosity about classmate Maya leaves her analyzing every interaction, and her growing friendship with analytical Alex reveals the limits of researching your way to self-understanding, Yvette discovers something that changes everything: the campus Maybe Group, where questioning isn't a problem to solve but a way to live. Between late-night conversations with roommates who celebrate complexity, coffee dates that defy categorization, and art studios where identity exists beautifully between definitions, Yvette learns that maybe isn't a placeholder—it's home. As she builds relationships that don't fit neat boxes and finds community among fellow questioners, she discovers that the most authentic connections often exist in the spaces between labels. From panic attacks over attraction analysis to co-facilitating support groups for other questioning students, Yvette's journey from desperate certainty-seeker to peaceful maybe-dweller proves that sometimes the most important discoveries happen when you stop trying to solve yourself and start living authentically within the questions. Perfect for readers who loved "Cemetery Boys" and "The Black Flamingo," this heartfelt coming-of-age story celebrates the beauty of uncertainty, the power of chosen family, and the courage it takes to live authentically while still figuring out who you are. Tropes: Found Family College/Campus Romance Identity Exploration/Questioning Slow Burn Connection Friends to Something More LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Mental Health Representation Chosen Family Demisexual/Gray-Ace Rep Polyamorous-Adjacent Relationships