Book Review: Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed

Goodreads Synopsis:

YES

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.

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After falling in love with the entirety of the Simonverse, I couldn't wait to get my hands on Yes No Maybe So. Becky Albertalli has always been one of my favourite authors, and I adored reading something so different from her usual sphere of writing.

- style -

Given the fact that the book was written by both, Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed, you could almost hear the shift in dynamics as the POVs changed from Jamie to Maya. Incredible. The diversity in terms of cultural contexts as well as authors really gives this novel the twist that it needed.

- characterisation -

Jamie is the most RELATABLE character I have ever come across, and that's really saying something. He gets tongue tied. A lot. And Maya manages to bring out the best in him. That's the best thing about this book; the characters balance each other out. What more could you want from the cutest uhm pair of friends *cough* ever?

Also, Jamie's grandma is insta famous and we are so here for it. When Jamie and Maya's canvassing goes viral, we have grandma to thank for it. Watching them navigate their friendship and heaps of political turmoils, all while having their lives broadcasted on the internet was a delight (especially when they're being shipped together by everyone on the internet).

tl;dr it's a really cute book. with a really cute cover.

Rating: 3.5/5