Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone), Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya.
NO
Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her.
MAYBE SO
Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural romance of the century is another thing entirely.
Becky Albertalli is an insta-buy author for me and so is Aisha Saeed after reading this book (I just ordered Amal Unbound). It's a really engaging, romantic read that also raises topical points about what individuals can do to stand up for their beliefs.
I absolutely loved the dual narrative in Yes No Maybe So. Jamie and Maya are both fully fleshed-out characters with interesting back stories, as well as the overlapping story line of the election and their developing relationship (which is the absolute sweetest thing). Both narrators have a distinctive voice that is full of warmth and humour.
This book is perfectly timed for the current political climate, encouraging readers to think about what they can do to change things. It's very honest about prejudices different characters suffer and shows them acting against it.
I flew through this book and had so many thoughts and feelings by the end! It's the perfect read if you want something that manages to be both extremely fun and thought-provoking.
If you'd like to read another book to get you stirred up about politics, I'd recommend Laura Wood's brilliant MG book Vote for Effie.
Thanks so much to Simon and Schuster Children's books for the gorgeous review copy!
