Review: Yes No Maybe So

Title: Yes No Maybe So

Author: Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Publication Date: February 4, 2020

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Summary

Volunteering for the local state senate candidate is Jamie’s plan for the summer. After all, he’s always been interested in politics, as long as he gets to stay behind the scenes. Speaking to strangers gives him so much anxiety that he always does something embarassing. So, when his cousin suggests he go canvassing, his answer is no way.

At least, until Maya comes into the picture. Maya’s parents are separating, her best friend doesn’t have time for her, and all her plans for the summer are now cancelled. When her mom suggests she volunteer for the local senate campaign, it’s the last thing she wants to do.

But maybe canvassing isn’t as bad as they both thought. And maybe, just maybe, they could make a difference in their community. While trying not to fall for each other in the process.

Review: Yes No Maybe So

Trigger warnings: Racism (verbal aggression)

We received an ARC of this at work, and I was so excited! I saw the cover release way back when, and I knew I had to immediately read it. I’m glad I wasn’t disappointed! It was a quick read that had me engaged for most of the story. Albertalli and Saeed also brought up a lot of relevant points, especially for our current political climate.

The Positives:

As someone outside of both religions, I felt they were represented realistically. For a lot of the book, Maya is fasting due to Ramadan, and Jamie does his best to learn about her religion and culture. And vice versa! Jamie’s family is planning his sister’s bat mitzvah, so Maya learns a lot about his religion as well. Throughout the book, both feel authentic.

Additionally, the explanation of voting, elections, and social media impact is huge in this novel. With an election coming up this year, the topic is extremely relevant, and this book makes it relatable to teens who won’t yet be able to vote. They can see how Jamie and Maya work to make a difference, and I don’t think it’s too over the top.

There are also some great conversations between Jamie, Maya, and their parents. Most of the time, they don’t really want to listen to what they have to say, but this book did illustrate healthy relationships between teens and their parents. That’s not always represented in YA books, but it’s always nice when it is.

Finally, there is quite a bit of diverse representation in here, from religion, to race, to sexuality. Albertalli always makes it a point to include these characters in her books (I haven’t read any of Saeed’s other books, so I can’t speak to that). But the diversity felt authentic, and gave teens voices that they might not otherwise have.

The negatives:

Okay, there were times in this book where it felt a bit repetitive. Jamie constantly brought up how awkward he was with girls, and there were a lot of sections of recap that I don’t think were necessary. Like, if we would shift from one character to another, there was recap we didn’t need because we had just read the other perspective. This bogged down the story and made the plot drag at times. Honestly, the book itself could have been a bit shorter and still just as effective.

I also don’t think the romance was necessary, especially since it was very drawn out and not much happened until close to the end of the book. The book would have been just as effective without the romance; just a couple of new best friends, out taking on the work of racists and Nazis. I would have liked that better, actually. And I think would have given even more room to cover all the social justice issues in the book.

Finally, there were way too may pop culture references in this book. While I’m 100% an Office fan, it felt like I was beaten over the head with it. The references tended to pull me out of the story because I either had to figure out what they were talking about, or it just didn’t seem to fit with the story. Another thing that could have made this book just a tad shorter.

All in all, this is an enjoyable read that I think a lot of teens and adults alike will love. With its timely subject matter, this is one you’re all going to want to read this election year.

4/5 stars