Yes No Maybe So audiobook

4.5 stars. Read this entire book during my red-eye to Philly bc I could NOT put it down. This was so, so good and I am so happy to have finally loved a book from Becky Albertalli again! I also especially loved the chapters written by Aisha Saeed and I DEF need to read more books from her immediately. This was honestly just great.

I thought going in that this would be a sweet, summery romance with a little bit of political discourse sprinkled in. It was, but it was also relevant, engaging and realistic. The romance took a back seat to the friendship and political aspects, which I loved. It had something for everyone, from relatable characters, to diversity in terms of race and religion to fighting for what you believe in. I love how this book put our characters into situations that forced them to grow and re-evaluate their beliefs. The book as a whole subverted genre expectations, causing both the characters and us as readers to amend their assumptions. It was from little things like how Jaime’s grandmother was a social media influencer, to Jaime realising his ignorance about Ramadan, and how no, Maya does not eat goldfish, drink coffee or even water during the period. I cannot comment on the representation in this book, but it is ownvoices in terms of the Jewish, Muslim and Pakistani-American rep. ➽ Jaime. Ahh my dear, sweet, awkward, target loving Jaime. Jaime is helping out over the summer to help his cousin work on a campaign for a special election coming up for his state’s house. He is roped in (see also: forced) by his mother to canvas for the election. I can relate to Jaime in the fact that there are probably a thousand things I would rather do than go door to door to talk to strangers about something that has the aptitude to get people very heated. However, Jaime wants to be a politician one day, and figures this may be a way to learn to speak to people without embarrassing himself. Over the course of his canvassing, he becomes more and more passionate about the cause.➽ Maya is a Pakistani-American Muslim who is going through some difficult times with her family at the moment. Her parents are taking a separation to try to sort some things out. Her world is subsequently turned upside down and all she wants to do is to have her friend be there to talk to, but Sara is eternally busy with work, getting ready for college and moving in with her new roommate. As a result, Maya feels shunned and replaced- and doesn’t have many plans for summer. When her parents offer her a car for going canvassing for Rossum, she agrees. She is initially a bit trepidatious, after all, isn’t he just another cis white guy going for office? But as she and Jaime talk more, it becomes less and less about the car and more about doing what she believes in. The stakes are especially high for Maya when a bill is announced that directly targets Muslim people and would essentially make her mother a criminal just because of what she chooses to wear. Maya and Jaime team up to try and fight the racist bill, but nothing they say or do seems to work. Representatives they go to talk to brush off their concerns and twist their words, so it seems like the bill is there for the protection of citizens, rather than targeting them. It made my blood boil, and that was the intention. "we might give it our all and crash and burn. But we might win. We might actually change things. And that maybe makes it still worth going for, don't you think?"This book felt realistic, and that was the most terrifying thing of all. I am not from the US, but it is difficult to escape American politics even from on the other side of the world. It was interesting however to see how the political climate manifests itself in forms of tension, black and white attitudes and the division of a country. This book was not entirely flawless, at times I found it a little reference heavy, dramatic and some issues felt unnecessary. I also feel this book could have been a good opportunity to explore international politics, and thought that since Jaime was so engrossed in the political climate of the US he probably would have been more interested in that of of other countries- but that did not diminish my enjoyment enough to lower the rating. The things I loved far outweighed those I didn’t. As someone who is currently too young to vote, I loved how the authors depicted teenagers in today’s political arena. The characters feel so deeply and strongly and want to make a difference- but people don’t take them seriously because of their age and they begin to feel helpless and insignificant."The truth is, it's a weird time to be coming of age. The world's really messy right now. And it's so hard to be twelve or thirteen or fifteen or seventeen, where you're old enough to get it, but... you can't vote"I loved the ending of this book, in terms of the result of the election. I won’t say anything about it, because it is very easily spoiled. While this book is intended to make you mad and feel the passion that it is so evident these authors feel about the current state of America’s government- it left me with a feeling of hope. Hope that our generation can change things. Hope that even though I am young, I can make a difference, no matter how small. Hope that life can improve for the thousands who are suffering under oppressive and discriminatory governments and sovereignties not just in the US but across the world. Hope that one day, a teenager can look back on this book and not relate to the issues we are facing today. _____________________________________________I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved it I loved itreview to come!_____________________________________________I just got accepted for an arc of this and WHEN I TELL YOU I SCREAMEDthank you so much Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Australia!

Sooooooo....This is what politics looks like in the eyes of our - ‘not-quite-old-enough-to-vote’, teens!Who knew volunteering & canvassing could be so romantic?Personally- I don’t see anything romantic about our elections - come November in the states....But... in “Yes No Maybe So”, Jamie and Maya do!Two adorable teens - (a Jew and Muslim) - awkward, shy, perky cute, and naïve....come together during election year. The satiric dialogue adds lightness and humor. “I hate that word. Mingle. I mean, the word itself is fine; I just hate the concept. When has anyone in the history of earth ever made a meaningful connection while mingling?” “I will never understand why adults find the passing of time to be so unexpected. Time is literally what life is made of. But it’s like a ritual; each time my mom chats with a friend or family member she hasn’t seen in a while, they spend half the time talking about how fast time goes, and the other half promising to see each other soon, which they almost never do”. “This election feels like a family affair, Lauren tells my mother. But I’ve been so busy planning Sophie‘s bat mitzvah, I haven’t been able to help out as much as I’d like. Jamie’s really stepped up—text banking and monitoring our social media analytics. He’s a lifesaver. People are retweeting about the campaign, but volunteers are scarce”. “How do you go nine years without seeing someone, and then run into them twice in the span of two days? It’s like when you learn any word, and suddenly it’s everywhere”. “I guess seeing her kind of threw me— not in a bad way. Really, it was the opposite of a bad way. I don’t believe in signs, but it’s so weird. There I was, kicking myself for not talking to her at target— and then there she was ‘again’. An unmissable second chance. For a split second, I actually thought ‘mingling’ might not be such a terrible concept after all”. Goldfish crackers, anyone?Don’t even try to understand why I mentioned fish crackers...The quirkiness will become more clear if you choose to read this young adult book Issues include antisemitism- Islamophobia -cultural differences- family - friendships - swooning relationships- and politics. Given the adults in our country aren’t getting things right with our current state of political affairs — maybe our underage teens will! Ha....cute book with charming characters and a touch of social activism!Moral of the story? Never stop fighting for what you believe in!!!Vote no on Trump! Never forget he is “not a docTor”. 3.5 rating .... enjoyable YA book.

SLOW BURN ROMANCE NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD! 💙Actual rating: 3.5⭐Three things attracted me to this book - Becky Albertalli, the diversity and the reviews. I loved the main character Jaime, I loved the diversity, I loved the push-back and the activism and I loved the slowmance. However, I was not a big fan of the Americanism... Of course, that's just me - a Scandinavian. "It's so fun to make Jaime blush, it's almost a full-time hobby at this point."- Maya 👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍Jaime: I fell head over heels in love with Jaime's clumsiness, his self-consciousness and his considerate side. He was just straight up adorable!Push-back: This book showed such a great push-back against racism, misogyny and the Trump-administration!Mario brothers: I absolutely loved how Jaime likened Trump to Bowser from Mario brothers and all his minions to the Koopas! So much fun! 😂Slowmance: My biggest pet peeve in YA is insta-love, so of course I loved the slow burn romance of this book! Friends to lovers is classic and it works!👎 WHAT I DISLIKED 👎Americanism: I am not an American - I don't get the American elective system. I have American friends who try to teach me - shout out to my favourite girl, Olivia! - but this was just a bit too American for my taste...

Actual rating: 4.5 starsThis book was very good and I enjoyed it immensely. I thought it was just going to be this cute rom com type of story, and sure, it was. But, it was so much more than that. It honestly took me by surprise with how relevant it was, with religion, politics, even what people will do to go viral on the internet.I’m a white cis woman, so perhaps take this review with a grain of salt, but I felt like the religion was handled in a respectful way and I appreciated that a lot. The topics that were controversial in here, I thought were handled in the correct ways. It made me so angry with what Maya and her family have to go through, because it’s what Muslim people go through daily, and it makes my blood boil because they’re just people trying to live their lives and this world is so corrupt and ehdiwosnwksjxh. I hate it. And this book focuses a lot on that and the whole point was to get me mad, so kudos to Becky and Aisha because that’s what they were going for and it worked. I loved the family relationships and also the friendships. The family drama was both precious and sad. I also really liked Maya and Jamie together. They always supported one another, and they were just all-around adorable. The only reason why I’m not giving this five stars is because of the ending. I thought it ended abruptly and when I clicked to go to the next page and saw that it was over, I was like, “really? That’s it?” Like, it was cute, sure, but it also wasn’t a happy ending and I thought there would at least be an epilogue or something. But, maybe it was ended this way because there could be a sequel or at least a companion novel? I don’t know, but it took me by surprise and I didn’t really care for it. I thought there could have been a little more to it, you know? I can’t say why because of spoilers, but I felt like the story would have been better with some sort of epilogue or like a “X amount of months/years later” sort of thing. Overall, I highly recommend reading this when it comes out! It’s very well written, and has just enough cuteness to it while also being completely relevant to our world today. Thank you so much to Edelweiss for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!Yes No Maybe So is set to be released February 2020.

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Mimi KoehlerListen, 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 puts 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 valour 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.

Yes No Maybe So is a contemporary that follows Jamie and Maya who meet as they are canvassing for the election. As the polls get closer, so do Maya and Jamie, and soon a romance develops between the two. “Hey,” I say slowly, trying to keep my voice from jumping. “Um. If you ever want to do this again—”Maya’s smile fades. Crap. Okay.“Or not,” I say frantically. “Or, you know. You could canvass on your own, or with someone else. No worries. Or you could go with me again. If you want. No pressure. I just mean Gabe is always looking for volunteers. So I would go again . . . if you wanted to. Either way.” I attempt a smile. “Yes, no, maybe so, right? Ha ha.” I really, really, really enjoyed this book. One of my favourite parts about it was that although it was a cute contemporary, it still dealt with a lot of important themes, such as politics and racism and islamophobia. But the cuteness of the characters and their romance didn’t take away from the seriousness of those topics and how they need to be discussed. I applaud Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed because although they created a cute contemporary which made me swoon, they also discussed really important topics and did so in a really good way that held my interest and made me want to change the world alongside the characters. “I hate change, Jamie. I fucking hate it. But if everything’s going to change, let’s just get it over with, so I can start getting used to the new normal.” The romance was done really well. Jamie and Maya are such awkward characters, well, Jamie definitely was. And seeing them grow closer and seeing their romance develop really made me swoon and feel butterflies in my stomach. I was rooting for these two so hard and I really enjoyed the way their romance developed and the way it was concluded. The only thing that I had an issue with was their fight that happened towards the end of the book, mainly because it didn’t feel authentic and felt like more of a plot device to create conflict in their relationship only to have them come together in the end. But apart from that, I ship them. “It’s ridiculous. Women are problematic if they show too much skin and problematic if they don’t show enough?”“What people wear is their own business,” Jamie says. “If I want to wear a tiara every single day of the year, who is anyone to tell me I can’t? I mean . . .” He pauses. “Not that I plan to wear one, but . . .”“I would legit love if you wore a tiara every single day of the year. I’d pay to see that actually.” Overall, Yes No Maybe So was cute, important and just really enjoyable. Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertalli are amazing authors and also really amazing people who I had the pleasure of meeting at an event. I hope this isn’t the last book these two geniuses write together.

(free review copy) as a very liberal, almost-40 school librarian I adored this book! It is a hard-core political message book (with sweet romance thrown in) and it’s a message I very much appreciated ~ just a heads up that it’s definitely a rally cry for liberal ideals......if those aren’t your personal ideals going into it, please keep an open mind ❤️ political activism + love and peace and human decency and religious and gender/romantic freedoms for all are perfectly awesome messages to be preaching.

I came for the epic Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed collab and stayed for the utterly adorable romance, inclusive discussions on race and religion and the empowering messages about politics, taking a stand against bigotry and fighting to make a difference, no matter your age, religion or race. (Oh, and the cute The Office *not a date* dates.)The alternating perspectives were done brilliantly. They were unique and strong on their own but not so different that it was jarring whenever the perspective changed. The cast of characters were great and I loved reading the multiple relationship dynamics Jamie and Maya navigated both individually and as a pair.All together, this was a funny, powerful and moving story made all the more poignant considering the current political climate.TW: racism, islamophobia, antisemitism

“It’s not about waiting for the good parts of history. We’re the ones who have to make them happen”I have never been disappointed by anything written by Becky Albertalli and Yes No Maybe So is no exception. Her and Aisha Saeed completely stole my entire heart within the story. I had never read anything by Aisha and now I must stock her backlist ASAPThis story brings attention to so many important issues in this world in a modern and fun way. It has become increasingly more important to vote (no matter who you support) and I so appreciate these authors making a story reflecting that in such a unique way. There is an evolution of friendships and relationships within the story and so much character development that it’s so easy to cling to these characters from the start. I really appreciated all of the modern day references to things like the bachelor, they had me cracking upSee more reviews on Instagram @UnshelvedEdition

4.5/5 stars *** E-arc kindly sent by Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Australia in exchange for an honest review***First off this is the first e-arc I have ever gotten and I’m so very thankful to have read this early. And I have to say that I loved this story; the commentaries, the messages, the family dynamics, friendships and the friends-to-lover romance (that DIDN’T take up the entire plot). Yes No Maybe So is a story of religion, family, relationships and finding your footing in a world that is still building barriers between people. From the cover and title, I expected a cute, fluffy romance between Jamie and Maya, and familial complications, however, it is so much more than that. Yes this book had those things but there is so much more to it than that. Told in dual perspectives, this story sheds light on the religious discrimination, particularly Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, that is still present in modern day America. It discusses about the power young teens have in creating change within their community however small it may be.Jamie is the embodiment of awkwardness and I felt all his struggles and overthinking of social situations. However, past the awkwardness he is a truly nice guy who is considerate of others and would be such a great friend to have. He has such an amazing family filled with such supportive people. His little sister, Sophie was surprisingly mature for her age, his mom knew what to say to have me laughing at the situation and don’t get me started on his grandma who was a social media queen. I love it when the stereotype “old people don’t know how to use the internet” is flipped on its head. Jamie is also Jewish and throughout the book we see quite a bit of representation on their religious customs .I am not Jewish so I cannot comment on the representation but it seemed to be handled respectfully It was interesting reading his perspective on anti-Semitism and the overall political tension in America and I really loved his views on power of youth in changing the future. Maya on the other hand is much more socially confident, though unlike Jamie, her family is falling apart with her parents having temporarily split, leaving Maya with a summer full of uncertainty with nothing to distract her. That is until she was forced to canvass with Jamie. In the beginning, I was quite annoyed with Maya given that she was rather whiny and self-absorbed but like what teen wouldn’t behave like that her certain situation. Still, it wasn't fun to read about. Though after a couple of chapters she started to be much less whiny and I really admired her strength and confidence in certain scenes. I also loved how she was proud of her heritage and religion and didn’t shy away from the challenges imposed on her because of these things. She was such a badass for not breaking in those highly Islamophobic situations.I really loved their relationship, and how gradual and realistic it was. This book is an example why I love the friends-to-lovers trope the most out of all the romance tropes, and these two complimented each other so well. I would read another book following their relationship. Moreover, I was inspired by the messages this book had on change and that any small change you do is still better than no change at all.A large part of this novel tackles religious discrimination and harmful stereotypes and I feel like I cannot truly comment on the representation of these elements given that I’m not Jewish or Muslim or even live in America. So I couldn’t even fully understand the politics in the US but objectively, I do think the authors did the representations respectfully. Feel free to contradict me if you’re of this background and have better understanding so I would be better informed.There were some aspects that I felt could’ve been done better and therefore, didn’t receive the full 5/5 stars rating but they could all be improved in the final copy. Overall I loved this story and I would highly recommend picking it up when it comes out.

take ALL of my money. there is no title, cover, or description but i can already tell you it's going to be my favorite 👀

This review is a hot mess and it’s 11:40 pm so don’t mind me. Yes No Maybe So is about two people going door to door for a political campaign. Add in some romance and you got this story. Jamie. This man is socially awkward in the funniest way, and in case you were wondering, he loves Target. He’s just this really sweet muffin and I love him. His cousin convinces him to help with the campaign he’s running. He decides to do it because of his hopes to be a politician, and it won’t be any good unless he can improve his social skills. And he’s mostly forced, forgot to add that. Meanwhile, I send one Shrek GIF, and days later, I’m still feeling like I came on way too strong. Maya. She’s having some family problems with her mom and dads separation. She’s a really good friend, but her best friend, Sara, has no time for her right now. Maya hides the fact that she’s upset, and gets asked by her mother to do canvassing for the campaign.“And that, my friends, is how I met your mother-“I can imagine Jamie saying that. The Representation: Jamie is Jewish and Maya is a Pakistani Muslim. I can’t speak for the Jewish rep, but I definitely can for the Muslim representation. I mean this book literally takes place during Ramadan so points for that. But otherwise, I think the representation wasn’t enough. The authors bit off more than they could chew, and both of Maya’s identities should have been dealt with in a better way, and given equal attention. To be honest? It was kind of insta-lovey. I didn’t mind too much, though. It was cute and fluffy and stuff. I just don’t understand how Maya calls relationships sacred in the first few pages and then gets involved with someone. The references were hilarious and I’m not even mad they got in a relationship- And she had a talk with her mom about pre-marital relationships.But it was so cute that I just can’t get that annoyed with it? Cuteness clouds my better judgement, don’t blame me. I wish I knew why some people keep holding hands and why some people stop. Overall? This book was great. A solid 4 stars. Not a complete favorite but I’m genuinely glad I read it. And it reminds me of the song “Backyard Boy.” There’s no particular reason it’s just the aesthetic? Anyways, 4 stars ✨ This girl who hates change, but wants to change the world. This girl who never holds back when it matters.

Yes No Maybe So? DEFINITELY A YES FROM ME! 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a really entertaining, really heart touching, fast paced book. Jamie and Maya were best friends when they were little kids, and now that they’re 17 they find themselves again and reconnect. They’re paired together to canvass for their local election and things go on from there. Jamie and Maya, along with Sara and Sophie and every other character in this book feel as real as it gets. They’re anxious, they’re flawed, they’re worried, they’re happy, they’re hopeful; all at the same time. We get an insight into both Maya’s and Jamie’s brain and it’s refreshing to see that these characters are inherently flawed in the most realistic, sympathetic way possible. Becky and Aisha do a great job at exploring religion, politics, friendship, family, school, coming of age in such a way that makes you feel that maybe all the things in your head are in everyone’s else heads too. The story flows pretty easily and it’s hard not to keep reading straight on when you start. I know for a fact I didn’t want to put this down even for a second, hence why I kept trying to sneakily read it while at work. Overall, this book was incredibly cute. I’m enjoying the pattern of YA author trying to incorporate politics and religion into their stories more often and it’s amazing to have all this representation and diversity all in one small book. Highly recommend not only for the amazing characters and cute slow burn romance story but also just for a fun fast paced and entertaining read.

cw for racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism, and politics LOTS of politics (esp actions from conservative parties)I enjoyed this one a lot! The romance was great - Jamie and Maya were wonderfully interesting characters with a lot of depth facing real issues and dealing with them like most teens would. I think the combo of me reading this at the beginning of COVID quarantine in an election year made it not quite IT for me [should've gone more for escapism at that point, so that's on me], but I really liked it.