Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA cute book that seamlessly discusses the importance of local activism in the current age
Reviewed in India on 13 April 2020
First off, lets all collectively say AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH because we have been blessed with a new Becky Albertalli book this year! A welcome ray of sunshine in these dark days!
Secondly, I want to acknowledge that I know I talk about Becky's books being cute a lot, but it is important to remember that this is also an Aisha Saeed book - she wrote half of it and she deserves equal credit to this book being cute and fun.
Alright, now let's get to the book- which for some reason I felt like explaining in the form of Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi, so sing along if you feel like it:
He was a Jewish boy
She was a Muslim girl
Can I make it anymore obvious?
He was too shy
She wanted a car
What more can I say?
A local election
They both volunteered
Georgia needed Rossum to win
But some of the people
Were Islamophobic nazis
They had a problem with his progressive policies
They knocked on peoples doors
To convince them to come vote
But he wasn't good enough for them
Do they both fall in love?
And will people come and vote?
You gotta read the book to find out
Jamie - I loved awkward Jamie so much. I personally love the way how Becky portrays familial relationships in books and this one was no different. We see Jamie interacting with his sister, mom, and grandma (who is an Instagram influencer btw!) and I loved all the heartwarming scenes involving them. We also see Jamie start crushing on and falling for Maya and it has all the signature cute stomach squirming moments that you get when you read a Becky book.
Maya - Maya is going through a more tough time. Her parents may be splitting up. Her only ever best friend might be finding a new best friend. Oh, and there might be an Islamaphobic bill about to be passed in their state and the result of the upcoming election might be a deciding factor in it. (does any Indian discriminatory bill C(AA)ome to mind?).
I went into this with a bit of trepidation (cause I've not had the best experience with collab novels in the past) and excitement (cause its co-written by BECKY ALBERTALLI, one my favorite author ever). And I'm glad to say that both Becky and Aisha have exceeded my expectations with this gem of a book.
I loved the dynamics between Jamie and Maya cause we saw their friendship develop into those close, wondering-what-they'll-think-of-this-thing-I-randomly-thought-of-HMMM-lemme-text-them-right-away sorta relationships and they didn't even notice that they might be low-key in love with each other until cupid was standing in front of them holding a 100 ft. banner that says "JUST KISS ALREADY, YOU IDIOTS"
I loved how politics was seamlessly interwoven in Yes No Maybe So cause it has never been more relevant than now - and I loved how Becky and Aisha bring attention to getting involved in local political activism. I loved how it mirrored the anxiety and fear we face in our current society. Especially for people of marginalized identities who have to wade through a space where things are getting more hateful with every passing day.
There's also an influencer grandma, a few viral moments, awkward glances and authors plunging tridents into their reader's hearts in this book.
Yes No Maybe So has all the elements of a cute, awkward YA novel - combined with all the relevance and importance of discussing politics in the current age. I definitely recommend you to pick this book up!
Thanks to Simon And Schuster India for the ARC
