This was one of my most anticipated releases for 2020 and it didn’t disappoint!

I was nervous going in, I’ve read all of Becky’s books and loved two of them, liked one of them and hated one of them so I was nervous about how I’d feel about this one but I loved What If It’s Us which is her other co-written work. I’ve never read a book by Aisha before but oh my goodness, I want to read everything she’s ever written. Her writing is so beautiful and flows so incredibly well that I can’t wait to pick up another one of her books!

I thought this book was so cute and we love a political, cute romance I mean look at red white and royal blue and I just fell head over heels for this one as well. Some serious topics were covered in the story but also it was fun and cute and I really enjoyed it!

I loved our cast of characters so much, I love that everyone’s personalities truly stood out and I knew who everyone was really distinctly. Especially our main characters I adored them, they’re some of my new favourites for sure!

Overall I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to reread it soon!!

"Yes no maybe so" explores topics like political acticvism (especially when you're too young to vote) and a cross- cultural friendship, while also having two of the most adorable maincharacters. 😍 It's a very important and thoughtful read, but also a really cute and funny one.
The blurb says it: Maya, whose parents are separating and Jamie, who has to hold a speech at his little sisters bat mizwah, are kind of "forced" to go political canvassing together.

Both of the characters are so sweet and well written. Their friendship was just so fun to read and I loved their trips to target as much as I loved their discussions about political topics. It was also really well done, how Jamie, who's Jewish, learned from Maya, who's Muslim, and the other way around.
I enjoyed how the friendhsip developed into a lovestory without feeling "forced". Yes, it was a little awkward, mostly because of Jamie, but in a good way. 😂💕
Also every sidecharacter played an important role in the story and all of them were well written.

But what I loved the most about this book is the way it explored political acticvism.
You really feel how much heart and soul the authors put into this story, how carefully and thoughtfully they handled the political topics, how they discussed it from an intersectional point of view and showed how differently certain topics and laws affect different people.
Especially when you're too young to vote, you sometimes just feel helpless, like you have to watch everything going down without being able to do something against it. 😅 This book shows that there are ways to help and how important the work is. Maya and Jamie were so passionate about it, I loved it. Every voice matters.
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All in all I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. 😊

3.5/5 Stars

I'm so happy for the recent recurring themes that a lot of young adult books seem to want to explore recently: politcs and elections. I didn't know it was something I needed to read so badly, but apparently I did and I'm glad I got the opportunity to do so.

This book focuses on Maya and Jamie and how the two of them spend the Summer canvassing for their local state senate candidate. I liked how the book was focused on politics, I really did. My main issue was how repetitive some of the book was, especially during the canvassing days. The plot was drawn out without any apparent reason in my opinion.
Thank goodness the book managed to pick itself up and I must say that the last 100 pages were very eventful and basically flew by.

Also, I really appreciated the representation in this novel. Maya is a Muslim girl and Jamie is Jewish and the two of them often talk about their religion and their traditions and also how this all relates to the current political climate in the USA.

If you're looking for a sweet YA that explores politics, then I suggest you give this book a chance!

From New York Times bestselling authors Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed comes a heart-warming, hilarious story about the power of love and resistance.

BooksandLala has niches of books she loves, and so do I, and my niche is political romance. Romance and an election you have got my attention and when I saw Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed’s names I knew I had to read this book as soon as possible andI was very very right.

I do feel Albertalli when it comes to her romance does have a formula, but my, it does work. Waiting for the twist was intense I’ll be honest and when it came I was crying over my laptop and trying to urge the world to get it’s literary stuff together because I wasn’t happy and they came through and they came through well. I love the characters of Jamie and Maya, how they grow in their relationship and how they become better people is just wonderful to read.

As someone whose sat in polling booths at lost elections and traipsed streets with leaflets saying ‘you were visited today’, I felt like I was getting flashbacks, it’s surprising how little difference there is between the US and the UK when it comes to campaigns and that actually made it far more real for me? I have seen people with stacked garden posts in the back of their car and losing, well losing when you feel it’s the most important thing in the world is like being whacked in the stomach and I feel like they wrote that well too.

A joyous read from start to finish, I want a book of Sophie and Tessa or whomever makes her happy if possible - please, Becky, Aisha!?

I loved this book, it was just the most addictive thing I’ve read in a long long time!

I am a massive fan of Becky Bertalli. I think she is the coolest writer ever so I was so happy when I got the chance to read her latest project with Aisha Saeed. There was a lot of buzz around this book already last year and for all the good reasons. This book was SO GOOD and I can’t express how much I enjoyed it. This book is just so relevant, and its story is so important that everyone, of every age, should read it. Controversial topics such as religion, faith, racism and politics were – in my humble opinion - majestically handled. Mostly politics is a really big chunk of the story. As UK based, I really don’t understand the American election system, so I don’t really know how election for state senate would work. Yet, the writers did a good job to make it very simple for the reader to understand what was going on.
The writing styles of both writers are perfectly mashed up into the main characters’ POV. I loved Jamie and Maya’s cross-cultural romance and their awkwardness. As a huge fan of the show The Office, I loved all the geeky references – typical Albertalli’s style.
I simply loved it!!

With everything going on in the world, this feels important. It's just about a tiny part of the whole world, super tiny, but it tells you so much about what's happening and the frustration, the anger. Both the mcs were plenty likeable and adorable. There was a bit too much politics but they got me involved in the narrative and dynamics. I didn't understand much, though.

I'm a not jewish nor muslim, and I'm ashamed to say I don't much about either, but I love how tv shows and books educate me and show me more and more. It puts you in their shoes for a bit, showing you the good and the bad parts.

People are so infuriating. They hate for the sake of it, being ignorant and just plain blind about why they're hating. They just do. And it's terrifying because they feel entitled to hate, like it's their right to be physically and mentally violent towards someone. That's not what this is about. It's so frustrating it's making me furious!!

As much as the political theme played a very wide and important part in this book, it's the friendship between Maya and Jamie that wins it all. Love it.

Important, diverse, with queer rep, friendship, family matters. It has a bit of it all. I really enjoyed it.

This was one of those books that I didn’t have particularly strong feelings about either way, it just left me feeling kind of meh afterwards. There isn’t anything specifically wrong with it- the writing was ok and I liked most of the characters (loved Jamie’s awkwardness)- I guess it just dragged for me, it lacked the humour I needed and I really wanted a stronger romance with more chemistry.

Overall not a bad book, it just didn’t blow my socks off.

Thoroughly enjoyable story. Really enjoyed the modern feeling on a classic love story, and it was for once enjoyable to read about political aspects. The characters of Jamie and Maya were well developed and thought out. I felt as though the two distinct writing styles worked well together, Overall, an excellent book with well representation, and a modern day relatable story.

"This is your narrative, you get to pick the framing."

Becky Albertalli and Aishe Saeed have a way with writing that makes me want to read more. Their characters and storyline are so well put together, their words make you feel like you're truly apart of the narrative and you're back to being a teenager again with dreams and ambitions that you're determined to achieve.

I have felt every emotion while reading this arc, from happy and extremely giddy to sad and worried, my emotions had fluctuated constantly, all the while, my mind was egging me on to read more!

I was thrilled when I got the email giving me the possibility to read this arc, and I greatly thank the publishers and Netgalley for this opportunity. Albertalli and Saeed deal with thoughts and issues that not everyone may consider but are out there and important in the world, they respectively represent communities and their livelihoods and marks tales of teenage lives of love and loss, of family and friendships, of new beginnings and unknown futures.

A well-written novel that I will be recommending to all.

This is a book about politics. Not about sexy themes such as Presidental Elections or protests but about local level elections. This being aimed at the YA crowd makes it even better because as we all know, our generation is very bad at hitting the poles and stories like these show us that politics matter on a small scale first and sometimes that is all you need to affect change.

In true Albertalli style (sorry I haven’t read any other Saeed yet!) LGBTQ rep, racism, sexism, diversity, mental health, and so many other themes are featured and discussed throughout it, in an honest and accessible way but of all of those, I have two favorites. With Jamie being Jewish and Maya Muslim, the authors were able to tell us a lot about both religions and show us an intersectional relationship in which people sometimes made mistakes but instead of reacting badly when chastised for it, it was seen as an opportunity to learn.

The other thing I really liked (and that also happened in Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda) was that unlike so many YA books in which the teenagers seem to live in a bubble, both Jamie and Maya’s families appear frequently and have both positive and negative impacts in their lives. More than that though, both of them have loving, caring families that actively try to get involved in their lives while having jobs and their own lives and I think there are not enough parents in YA being portrayed in such a (positive) way.

There is only one thing I wish it had been discussed: both Maya and Jamie sneer at people that don’t mind their kid’s gay friends or smile at a woman wearing a hijab but vote for people that would make their lives harder by discriminating against them or even outlaw their existence. What they didn’t do was consider that they do the same: they are both allies of the LGBTQ community while being people of faith and the way each one of their religions treats people such as their friends is never acknowledged.

I really enjoyed this book and I found that it had many beautiful messages such as people genuinely caring for their neighbors, checking our own privilege, voting with their conscience after being shown what their candidate would do to others and the importance of the fight for itself not just as a means to win. I’m so here for more books like this.

Thank you to Balzer + Bray, NetGalley and Edelweiss+ for this DRC.

This book managed to walk the fine line between an incredibly important topic and creating a fun, youthful read incredibly well. Both protagonists were relatable and real and faced very relatable and real struggles. Their attitude and strength carried them through, be it a good or bad outcome, and I like the message of resilience while maintaining humanity as a theme for YA.
In current political times I think books like this are important to remind young people that you are not as powerless as you sometimes feel and you CAN make a difference.

When I first came across this book, I knew it was one I’d eventually read. But I was stoked to be approved for an ARC. Thank you to Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed, Simon and Schuster UK Children’s and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read all of Albertalli’s books and this one is heaps different from her other works - mostly because the story focuses a lot more on politics and the current state of the world, rather than the romantic side of things like her earlier stories. That’s still a major feature, though, and of course it wouldn’t be an Albertalli without characters identifying on the LGBTQIA spectrum.

I have strong political views, but never really knew what went on behind the scenes of election campaigns, so this book was heaps informative on that, and Bowser is the perfect description of the president. I just thank my lucky stars I’m an Aussie - though our country is currently being run by those dead/skeletal Koopa Troopers who also want to employ a ‘Religious Freedom Bill’ - so we aren’t faring much better.

I also learned a lot about the Jewish faith, and added to my knowledge of Islam. So on the whole, I learnt a lot of new information from this story. An with that comes a renewed appreciation for the little guys fighting the good fight, fighting for change, and fighting to make the world a better place.

But what I didn’t get from this book, is a feel for the romance. When I read a book like this, I expect butterflies, and swooning electrifying chemistry, and lighthearted banter. I just didn’t quite feel it from these two characters. To be honest with all the other stuff going on I think it got a little overshadowed, and I reckon I’d have enjoyed it just as much if Jamie and Maya were platonic.

I was sceptical going into this novel. I love Becky Albertalli's previous work and I've never read anything before by Aisha Saeed. However, I have not had good luck with Muslim YA novels because they usually have bad stereotypes, even if they are written by Muslims. However, I enjoyed this book. It definitely isn't one of my favourites but it was a gripping read. I read this on the UK election day so it felt like the perfect time to read it. I enjoyed the conversations about politics and racism. However, I do think this book had much more of a focus on anti-semitism than on Islamophobia which isn't how the book seems to be being pitched online. It was fascinating but I was hoping for in depth discussions about Islamophobia too. The reason I probably enjoyed this Muslim YA novel is because it didn't feel like it was about a Muslim. I liked the parts about Ramadan but I just wanted more. However, I did love the talks about the separation of parents and I thought this book had a lot of potential. I just wished it went deeper into conversations that it lightly touched on.

Well...to start, I give this book 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) and the ONLY reason I knock off 0.5 is because I found myself not wanting to keep reading this book constantly, which normally a great book does. However, I don't think this was due to the writing, this was due to how close to home the story hit. It's no secret that politics are really dominating the news at the moment and with elections having come and gone, I didn't always want to read about it in a fictional world too. However, I loved the message this book sent, to fight for what you believe in, to continue having hope.

The romance was sweet, though personally I think I'm growing out of stories about teenage romance, but I did love how the book handled the religions of both characters. You never forgot that Jamie was Jewish or that Maya was Muslim, yet it wasn't shoved down your throat. It was just their lives.

Overall, a great read with a powerful message and thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book gave me all the feels! I love Becky Albertalli novels and this might just be my fave yet!

Maya and Jamie spend the summer canvassing for the local election. Jamie is Jewish and currently in Bat Mitzvah planning hell. Maya is Muslim and fasting for Ramadan. When they go out canvassing together, they become close and closer. Could it lead to more?

Thanks NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I loved this. I loved both Jamie and Maya and their families. This is a lovely, hopeful. positive book. I will definitely read something else by Aisha Saeed!

Listen, I hate the current political climate as much as the next guy – but I can’t deny that I love the stories that are being published because of it. Never have authors been more politically active and never have young adult stories made me want to pick up a sign and protest to save the world more than they have in the last few years. Yes, No, Maybe So is a story that gives you back a voice you might feel like you have lost – or never had in the first place. It reinforces the belief that you – sitting there, reading that book – have the power to change the world.
The story follows young Jamie Goldberg and Maya Rehman who come to volunteer for the local state senate candidate in different ways – Jamie is kind of forced into it because nepotism will always be a part of politics and Maya needs a distraction from the troubles at home. For Jamie, the idea of going from door to door to get someone to vote is at best cringeworthy, at worst his biggest nightmare. Jamie would love to be a politician one day – if only he could speak to people without getting anxious and feeling nauseated. Maya can think of a dozen things she’d rather do than canvass for another cis white dude – but when she and Jamie, childhood friends, reunite – everything changes. And suddenly, going from door to door and getting people to engage in the issues the world is facing doesn’t seem so bad anymore. Especially when you find a cause worth fighting for and a politician to stand up for.
So yes, this book features a love story, but that’s not the focus of this book. Instead, this story shows the journey of two individuals who are fighting their own silent war inside of themselves and are just trying to find a way to survive in the world. Jamie is Jewish and Maya is a Muslim and it was so refreshing to see that even though they might not know all about the other’s religion, they are willing to learn. Yes, mistakes are made, Ramadan is misunderstood but it doesn’t end in two sides crossing their arms and walking away – instead they both grow as individuals and together. They became invested in religious freedom and discrimination and while their love story definitely played a part in it, the bigger part of this book – and where it shines – are the moments that show the reader that teenagers are not just sitting in front of their phone all day, doing nothing – but that they are actually worried about the political climate and where the world is going. It put heavy emphasis on the passion children can feel about changing things and the helplessness they experience because they are told that they don’t matter until they’re 18 when they can vote. And the book completely subverted that statement to show that no matter your age, your race, your heritage, you can help make this world a better place. You just have to find your niche.
Naturally, this book isn’t flawless. The secondary characters are one-dimensional and could have done with a bit more fleshing out and the big fight at the end was too quickly resolved for it to have mattered as much as it did. But seeing as this wasn’t the focus of the book, these notes are understandably not as important than the real message.
Without spoiling too much, I just want to say how much I loved the ending. Some will surely say it was pessimistic or devastating but to me, it only drove home the message that sometimes you can do everything you need to do and still not get what you want. But the valor is in getting up the next day and trying all over again.
A wonderful exploration of political activism, multicultural interests and how powerful one voice can be when joined by others. A must read for anyone who feels like fighting the forces that bind us.

Becky Albertelli continues to wow with heartfelt contemporaries that overflow with relatable characters. I loved the humour and the story kept me turning pages until the early hours!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC! (spoiler ahead)

I think "Yes No Maybe So" was a pleasant read with such an important message. I think Jamie and Maya are two hopeful teenagers who are fighting the good fight. I think this book will encourage more teenagers to vote and let adults know that teenagers aren't just on their phones looking at crap all day but actually live with fear in their hearts about the current political climate.

I think the political elements of this novel were an amazing addition to the current gap in our bookshelves. There are many books with laws impacted by politics but so little which actually focus on the canvassing, the rallying of votes, etc, which is why this book was an incredible one to add to the lst.

I thoroughly enjoyed the dual narrative of this novel and while romance played a part it was great to see that it didn't take over the political message of this book. And although the book doesn't end on a "happy" note, it does end on a hopeful note - which is what we need right now.

My only criticism would be the lack of punches. You'd think with the bill being passed at the end, that there'd be more devastation from both characters. Jamie could at times be a bit annoying but that's to be expected from a teenager in love!

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. All opinions are my own! 

Trigger warnings: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic hate crimes, racism, gaslighting (not between love interests), non-consensual photography (not between love interests)

Let me start off by saying that I think that this book is going to set the tone for YA in 2020 and beyond. At its core, this book is about two politically active teens who are doing their upmost to change modern politics, even when they're not old enough to vote. I think that is going to hugely resonate with the teens who read it, and I think it might even be a bit of a wake up call to authors who perhaps have been a bit nervous to make politics and activism central to the plot of their YA fiction. Yes No Maybe So is a great depiction of teenage life today, and the lessons that teenagers are learning - i.e., it's okay to take breaks from politics and activism sometimes, because you're not going to be effective if you're completely burned out. (If I can say that, being an old-ass 23-year-old).

This book is about Jamie, a Jewish teenager who has been helping with the campaign for a local state senate candidate, and Maya, a Pakistani-American Muslim girl, who needs something to do with herself whilst her parents start a short-term separation. And while it was the politics and activism plot that initially drew me to this book, I also thought that their romance was really cute! I am neither Muslim nor Jewish, so I can't speak for the representation of religion, but it was interesting to read how religion did play a part in both of their lives - Maya because this book takes place over Ramadan and Eid, and Jamie because he helps organise his little sister's bat mitzvah. (As a side note, I really love that inter-faith relationships are getting more representation in books!) 

One of the other aspects of the book that I thought was brilliant was the use and discussion of social media. It frustrates me to no end that a lot of YA books have next to no mention of apps like Instagram or Twitter. I get that referencing these apps might date the book in the future, but it is such a huge part of life right now that it feels weird for them not to play a part in contemporary novels. In Yes No Maybe So social media actually plays a really big part in the plot. From Jamie's Instagram-famous Grandma (who I love and adore) to live-streaming to anti-Semitic memes which are clearly based on the Pepe the frog, this book really goes the distance with the representation of social media. I really think that this, alongside the political aspects, made this book really special. 

Finally, I just wanted to mention that I thought that the co-writing between Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed worked really well. I wasn't the hugest fan of Becky Albertalli's other co-written book, What If It's Us, so it was great to see that this was a book-specific problem for me. I think both of them really brought Maya and Jamie to life in a way that I think will be very relatable for teenagers.