This was one of my favourite releases of the year, and it's safe to say I really enjoyed it. But at the same time, it wasn't as good as I hoped it would be.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I really think Becky Albertalli is at her best when she writes a character closer to her own experience. Sure, Simon Vs made a huge impact, but to me, The Upside of Unrequited is a lot better, not in the least because it feels a lot more authentic. I felt the same way about Yes No Maybe So. Jamie was a really soft, really loveable main character who I couldn't help but root for. So this was a big plus for the book.

I also really enjoyed Aisha Saeed's chapters, from Maya's perspective, and I really want to read her other books as well.

I did feel a bit of a disconnect between the alternating chapters though. There was a clear difference in writing style, but those differences didn't enhance each other like they could have. It made the book feel a little disconnected instead.

Overall, my main problem with this book is that it moved much too slowly. Then towards the end, a lot of drama is inserted, and it just felt fabricated to me. I think the book sometimes missed direction and it could have been a lot shorter.

But that doesn't mean it wasn't worth reading. This is a great book to introduce teens to politics and learning to care about their communities. It's a great book to teach teens that no, you can't change the world on your own, but if a lot of people make small changes, the world is slowly going to change. It was a very hopeful and uplifting book because of that, but also very realistic.

CWs: racism, islamophobia, antisemitism

I love dual narratives, but never really find myself favouring one character to the other. That wasn't the case here – I much rathered Maya's chapters to Jamie's. I can't really put my finger on why. I think it might be a sign, though, that I should seek out more of Aisha's books. 

This book is full of amazing representation, from anxiety to Muslim main characters with much in between. I don't want to say this is an "issues" book, but it's for sure covering many talking and thinking points of the moment. This is a definite must read.

Many people have already said many things about this one and I don't think I can say much more. It's a good book that explores topics like politics and religion, but also friendship and romance. It has a diverse set of characters that gives a depth to the story and it is, in one word, good. It challenges the beliefs that teens are idle and how their thoughts and opinions might not weigh as much as an adult's.
I could have done with a bit more interest in the secondary characters and I did have to remind myself that they were teenagers and therefore allowed to be a bit mad at life. I'm also not very interested in politics - especially American politics, so those parts did drag for me. It's not a point down for the book, though, since that opinion is entirely on me. It was a important part of the story and handled well - I could have fallen asleep, but didn't, so that's a plus. 
Anyway, did you like Albertalli's other books? Then this is just for you. I haven't read anything by Saeed before, so I can't say much about that. 

/ Denise

Content warnings: anxiety, islamophobia, antisemitism,

Yes No Maybe So was one of my most anticipated books for 2020. I was super excited when I managed to get an ARC. I wished I’d read it earlier because it was SO GOOD.

When Maya’s plans fall through for the summer because her parents are having marital issues she ends up striking a deal with her mm to get a car. That deal is going canvassing for the local democrat candidate for an upcoming special election. Her canvassing partner is Jamie. Jamie is interested in getting into politics but his anxiety is stopping him from really getting involved. Maya and Jamie spend a lot of time together over the summer and start becoming really passionate about politics and each other.

The premise of kids getting involved in local politics was what really called out to me when I heard about this book (apart from Albertalli being my fave). And I really enjoyed that part of the novel. I think this could be good for teens who are more into politics but don’t know how to make a difference because they can’t vote yet. It shone a light on ways of helping that aren’t just voting etc. I think in that respect it’ll resonate with a few teens and hopefully encourage them in their aspirations.

I’m a really big fan of what Albertalli is doing right now. I don’t know if she’s doing it purposefully or she’s just working with friends, but I love that she’s using her big presence in the YA contemporary genre to uplift diverse voices. First, she worked with Adam Silvera and now Aisha Saeed.

Jamie is a soft boy. He just wants to do good in the world and make a difference. He makes some mistakes with Maya and you can see he makes a note of his mistake and endeavours to learn from it. I loved him a lot. I also loved Maya. She changes and becomes so much more aware of her position in society throughout the novel, but doesn’t back down on her beliefs when challenged. Her relationship with Islam is a huge part of her identity and she stands by it.

One of my favourite things in this book is Maya’s relationship with her best friend Sara. Maya and Sara are 1 year apart in age, and Sara is about to leave to go to university. What thrilled me about seeing this in the novel is that it shows just how much a difference a year makes in your teens. These 2 girls who have been inseparable their whole lives are changing into different people and the things that are important to them are different. I remember my later teens were such a strange time because everything was shifting and nothing really stayed the same. I found this very true to that experience.

That being said, my one issue with the novel is that the friends of our 2 MCs aren’t really fleshed out. And even the secondary characters who do have more time, like their families and Gabe, don’t have a huge amount of attention paid to their own stories. But this wasn’t a huge downer for me as I still really enjoyed the central story. I just wished we could’ve seen a little more interaction with different characters.

This is a solid addition to both authors catalogues and I now will definitely be looking to pick up Saeed’s Amal Unbound as this has shown me that I will vibe with her writing style. I’m very glad this one didn’t let me down.

This is the perfect summer read. I thought that the premise and writing style were magical, and the representation in the story was fantastic. The book follows Maya and Jamie who are teamed up for some door to door political canvasing, preparing for a local election in 2020. I think this book very cleverly explores politics from the perspective of someone not yet allowed to vote. It manages to walk the line between hope and disappointment, and does so very well. The romance was adorable, the story was very clever. I do very much recommend it.

The premise of this book is something I really haven’t seen before in YA. Yes, there are books about making changes and protesting. Moxie Girl is a great example, since it’s about girls protesting the sexist school uniform regulations at their school. But the political changes stuff is something I’ve honestly never come across before. It sounds weird to say that, especially since I know a lot of authors and readers were furious when Donald Trump was elected in the U.S. but I’ve never seen it come across in this way in a book before.

Yes, I know this sounds weirdly vague, but I was thrilled about the theme of Yes No Maybe So. And a little hesitant too. I’ll admit that, as much as I wanted a book like this, I was concerned that the narrative of people campaigning and going door to door to canvass, might in some ways be a bit too optimistic. I know, I know, but hear me out. My problem is that while I’m not one of those people that refuses to vote because ‘my vote doesn’t matter’ [It does, it absolutely does] I’m also not massively keen on the idea of suggesting that by working really hard and being incredibly enthusiastic, you can change the course of an election. So I guess what I’m trying to say in a super roundabout way, is that I didn’t want the book to sugar coat the reality of voting, especially since many YA readers aren’t yet old enough to vote, or are just turning eighteen, and I don’t like the idea that some people might read something like this and then get upset or discouraged with themselves and their own efforts when things don’t go their way. Thankfully, I think this book did an incredible job of handling this potential issue and there are definitely moments when reality hits quite hard. There’s people shutting doors on the main characters, refusing to change their minds, and a whole load of other stuff that I won’t get into because this review is spoiler free. I will say that I was also pleasantly surprised by the way the election process is handled too. There’s a lot of useful information woven into this book, and I think anyone who is interested in seeing a behind the scenes type thing of politics will be pleasantly surprised by how well it’s done.

The main characters are, as always with Becky’s books, very likeable and relatable. I don’t know how the work was divided between Becky and Aisha. I don’t know if they both wrote a character, or alternated in some way or something, but it’s very seamlessly done and both characters are nuanced. Maya’s chapters were possibly my favourite, just because she’s a complex character and she’s really intelligent and just feels very real. Jamie’s sweet and funny, and I liked his determination and his slight naivety about the world. Again, it felt very natural and he came across as a well developed character.

I do think there were moments when the pacing dragged just a touch. The middle went on for quite a while and I struggled with some of the romantic storyline. There was a lot of back and forth uncertainty and it felt a bit pointless. I mean, again, no spoilers but it was a YA book so it was quite obvious how the romance would develop as the story progressed. I will say I liked that there was some discussion about why it was difficult in places, rather than it just being two very uncertain teenagers wondering if their crush liked them back, but since most of the story is that back and forth stuff, it wasn’t amazing for me because it was predictable. Saying that, I still made the appropriate tea kettle noises when the two of them finally admitted their feelings.

Overall, I’d give Yes No Maybe So a 9/10 stars. I thought the election campaigning theme was something I’ve never come across in YA before, and it was handled very well and left me feeling educated about how voting works in the US. The romance was a touch predictable, but I’ll give it a pass since it’s a YA novel and it’s usually pretty easy to figure out how these things go in them. The characters were really well developed and I enjoyed their interactions and reading more about them as the story progressed.

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for this local state senate candidate, as long as he is behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers, Jamie just can't. There is no way that he would ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes. That is until he meets Maya.

Maya Rehman's having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friends is too busy to hang out, her summer trip has been cancelled and now her parents are separating. She also has no idea why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing with an awkward guy she hardly knows.

I went into this book honestly having next to no idea what it was going to be about. I was expecting your typical contemporary but it is so much more than that. It is sweet and summery, yes, but it is also relevant, engaging and realistic. This book has something for everyone, from highly relatable characters, to diversity in terms of race and religion as well as fighting for what you believe in.

This book does an incredible job of putting the characters into situations that forced them to grow and re-evaluate their beliefs. This book completely goes against your expectations of the genre and causes both the characters and readers to change they assumptions. Little things like Jamie's grandma being a social media influencer and Jamie realising his ignorance about Ramadan really add so much to the story. Personally, I cannot comment on the representation in the book, but it is own voices in terms of Jewish, Muslim and Pakistani-American.

Jamie and Maya are both excellent main characters and have incredibly developed and realistic personalities that I feel so many people will be able to relate to. I loved reading the story from both of their POV's and seeing how they all feel in different situations that arise within that narrative. There are so many wonderful side characters in this book and I feel Jamie's grandma deserves a mention and I wish she was real!

This book feels incredible realistic and to be honest this is quite terrifying. Although I am not from the US, it is difficult to escape American politics and the bills they are passing. I could also relate to this happening in the UK too and it made me want to take a stand here.

This book is definitely meant to make you feel mad about the state of politics across the world today. It is also shows the passion both authors have about the current state of America's government. Overall it left me with a feeling of hope. Hoping that our generation can change things and hope that even though I am only one person, I can still make a difference no matter how small. Also, hope that life can be improved for the thousands who are currently suffering under oppressive and discriminatory governments, not just in the US bu across the world. Aisha and Becky have both done amazing jobs of writing such a hard-hitting and important story and I cannot wait to read more from them both in the future.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a sweet story that is also incredibly hard-hitting and realistic. I hope that one day, teenagers can read this book and not have to relate to the issues we are facing today.

4.5 Stars

So Yes No Maybe So doesn't have quite the same depth of realism as The Hate U Give, neither did it rock my emotions as much as Red, White and Royal Blue, but it was so much better than I thought it would be. The romance doesn't overtake the more important parts of the story, and the political aspect becomes more nuanced as the story goes on.

Writing a book which is essentially about voter apathy when the main characters are too young to vote - and showing what young people can do to make a difference - is such a great idea. The novels veers a bit into cutesy at times, but is still mostly realistic. I actually really liked the romance, and feel like it took up just the right amount of the plot. I also really liked how the characters' religions were a big part of the novel; not being Jewish or Muslim myself, I can't speak to how well they were depicted, but they are own voices and I enjoyed reading about them. There was also a really lovely coming out scene.

Overall, a really enjoyable read, one that would be particularly great for teens.

3.5 stars 

This was an interesting YA contemporary read and one that I definitely think there was a huge gap for in the for YA market.
It was great to see such a YA book centred around politics and canvassing for a local politician. Although the political system is much different in the UK, I found it really interesting to read about the US processes.
I felt really connected with the two main characters, who I also adored and loved the representation of the Jewish and Muslim community. 
I felt at times the political aspect was pushed a little too far but the author's focused on such important issues that I do understand why they would want to use this book to teach younger adults. Sadly I think it was a little preachy for me even though I hold the same views as they do on the issues raised.
There was some moments towards the end that I didn't think were needed and which reduced my rating. Also at a few points the dialogue was rather clunky.
Overall, it was an interesting read with great characters and a good storyline. The characters nearly made it 4 stars for me, but I will settle on 3.5

I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I have to begin by saying that this is a very US-centric book in the narration, but the story itself could probably be expanded to other countries. I say this because I have a semblance of understanding of the US political scenario the past couple of years, and that did help me enjoy the book as much as I did.

The story is told by two high-schoolers who are a year away from being able to vote. Maya and Jamie are minorities in their own way. They have a whole other life with people who go to their mosque and temple respectively apart from those of a regular teenage lifestyle except for some differences. Jamie is very interested in politics and is extremely awkward, and Maya has but one friend who is going away to college. It was a cute story, and despite neither character being even close to my age group, I still empathised and sympathised with their situations. I enjoyed both versions of the narrative and seeing the story from different eyes in alternating chapters. I would have given it a full five stars if the ending had turned out slightly different. I actually would have really liked it if they had stayed platonic best friends (it is not really a spoiler).

The story highlights some things that affect teenagers in society regularly and the helplessness that can go with it. There is also an essential factor in it, they question the 'going with the crowd' phenomena at crucial junctions. They show us that it is an informed decision that they are making and not protesting for something just because their loyalties lie with a different political power and that I think is something a lot of young people in multiple countries need to look into, although a few do read up on all the facts.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Written in response to the 2016 US Presidential Election and the current political climate in the States, Yes No Maybe So, a collaboration between Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed bravely walks the line between political commentary and cute contemporary romance. This is difficult act to pull off, but this duo manage to accomplish it  in style. 
The book follows two teens who become involved in a political campaign for a local representative. Maya is a young Muslim woman who is roped into the campaign by her mother while Jamie, a young Jewish man who  is also being coerced into campaigning by his family. The two knew each other as young children but had long since drifted apart, so being sent door to door on the campaign trail is more than a little awkward. 
Both Maya and Jamie were great well rounded characters, and their early interactions were a perfect blend of sweet and awkward. As the campaign continues and some of the issues become more personal and start to hit a little closer to home, the two become closer and the sweetness of their romance is the perfect balance to the serious political issues of racism, islamophobia and anti- semitism that rear their ugly heads. This difficult blend of cute and serious is deftly handled, and incredibly well balanced . Neither protagonist is without flaws, making them all the more easy for the reader to relate to. There is a wonderful panoply of secondary characters, most notably Jamie's InstaGramm and his little sister who are both wonderful in their own ways, and honestly I'd love to read more about their exploits. 
I read and reviewed an ARC courstesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This is a gift of a contemporary book that bravely tackles the political climate we live in. On top of this, YES NO MAYBE SO is loaded with cuteness. In this way, it balances the serious themes with some lightness very well.

YES NO MAYBE SO had two quirky and endearing characters in Jamie a Jewish teen and Maya a Muslim teen. They were childhood friends but they hadn’t seen one another for a long time. Suddenly, they were coerced into canvasing for a political leader’s election together. Along the way were a bunch of humps in the road, the personal humps were sad but more impactful were the polarising political issues affecting their cultures and faith. The writing was approached in just the right way, it was compelling, it wasn’t preachy and it immersed you in the personal stories of racism, prejudice and ignorance. I can’t speak to the representation of faith or culture in this book but both authors are own voices, that said, please also search out own voices reviews.

There was the sweetest of slow-building connections with these two, it was cutely awkward, especially with Jamie’s knack for saying the wrong thing. There was a lot of cringey, fun moments that made me laugh. I liked that these two were not immediately drawn to one another, at least Maya wasn’t but friendship and camaraderie was a persuasive allure. I did like Maya and Jamie but I didn’t always connect to their wider stories and the side characters. The wider stories were relevant and I think I just wanted something more from the storytelling, this had an overall effect on my enjoyment at times.

This was a cute, joyful read that didn’t evade real life and politics. There aren’t that many books embracing this kind of context and so I say bravo to Albertali and Saaed for this.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this book! Told in a duel perspective you follow Jamie and Maya on this amazing journey where friendships and beliefs are tested. These characters are beautifully written. They aren’t perfect but I found myself loving them more and more as the book went on. 

I don’t tend to go for books that are quite heavy in politics, especially American politics because I don’t follow it as much considering I’m from the UK but as soon as I saw Becky Albertalli’s name I knew I had to read it. Whilst I haven’t read every book she’s ever written, I loved the ones I have read so put all my faith in her writing style to get me hooked on this book and introduce me to the writing of Aisha Saeed. 

This book ticks all the boxes with LGBTQ rep, racism, mental health, sexism and diversity and is discussed in a way that opens your eyes to what issues people are facing daily. It definitely helped expand my knowledge on Jewish faith and Islam. 

The reason this book is not getting a five star review is that I honestly don’t think that this is a book I will read again. Whilst I’m incredibly glad to have had the opportunity to read it and did enjoy it I don’t think it will be one I pick up again. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable read about fighting for what you believe in. I do recommend giving this one a read if you’ve liked any of Becky Albertalli or Aisha Saeed’s previous work!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

There’s no doubt this will be a hit for fans of Albertalli’s other work, as well as Saeed’s I’m sure, though I haven’t read any of her other work yet to claim her writing is the same. 

I was particularly captivated by Saeed’s characters and chapters, where I found Albertalli’s protagonist to be somewhat irritating. In this current social climate this romance will be an educational and timely read while providing page-turning entertainment.

This book is co-written between Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed. They brought Jamie and Maya to life as a young socially inept Jewish boy and a lonely Pakistani-American Muslim girl. It’s nice to see such an interesting pair of protagonists.

This is a book about two teens who are voluntold to help out with a local political campaign. They’re drawn into caring due to right-wing policies and friendly and not so friendly constituents. They also have other things going on in their lives, Jamie is preparing for his sister’s bat mitzvah and Maya’s parents are starting a trial separation. 

While both of them learn and grow they also make their own mistakes. Maya is thoughtless to her best friend Sara; Jamie is continually ignorant about Maya and his religion while expecting her to know his without explanation. They also both have good supportive families which is quite rare for many YA novels. That said I wish their friends had bigger roles. 

I hope this novel encourages young readers to find out more about politics and find causes to care about.

Jamie and Maya are teenagers from different backgrounds that have been reluctantly been brought together to canvas for a local election candidate.  They are both preoccupied with evolving family matters but their passion to overcome the challenges of the racist elements in their community overtakes their reservations of being forced together. 

It's a story about friendship, romance, multiculturalism and big dollop of politics chucked in the mix. It’s fantastic, feel-good tale that overpowers the negativity in the wider world.  I’m a big fan of Abertalli’s works and I look forward to discovering other books by Saeed as this was a delightful collaboration.

This was the first book that I have read from both of these authors and I really enjoyed it. This is a dual perspective novel that follows Jamie and Maya during an election campaign and their growing friendship. 

I liked the characters in this book and the friendship that developed between them. I thought that the two author's writing styles worked well together and the story flowed really well. 

There are a lot of relevant topics that are highlighted in this book and I thought that the topics were handled really well. There is a lot of representation in this book which I felt was very authentic. 

Overall I think that this was a good read and I think it is going to be popular with a lot of readers. I am looking forward to reading more from these authors in the future.

Loved this book! So utterly charming and really timely. A romantic comedy centred on politics - in the run up of a local election - told from two points of view. Jamie and Maya were friends as young children, ten years on and they don't know each other any more. But fate throws them together when both end up signing up to help with the campaign for their local state candidate. The end result is a read that is funny, charming and utterly delightful.

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. 😊