Yes No Maybe So
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed is the teen rom-com we all need to remind us that we can fight change or fight for change.
Jamie Goldberg is fine with volunteering for the state senate campaign his cousin is working for, as long as he doesn’t actually have to talk to anyone. Maya Rehman’s mom agreed to get her a car if she spends the summer volunteering for the same campaign. When Jamie and Maya find themselves paired up to canvass surrounding neighborhoods, they don’t think their relationship will venture beyond their assigned routes. As the election draws closer, the teens realize a victory might be within reach — and they could be the ones to push their candidate across the finish line.
This book toed the line between super cute and societally relevant perfectly. The storyline about the election was reminiscent of so many actual elections we’ve seen play out in this country over the past few years. We get the hope and excitement of Jamie and Maya, volunteering in the final election before they’ll be old enough to vote themselves. We see this positive energy carry them from acquaintances to friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. But we also see them confront how this election could affect their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. We see how they struggle in their already established friendships when their friends are less informed. And we see how they balance their youthful optimism with the heaping dose of reality served up with the election results.
In some ways, this book reminded me of Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The duel plots of an election and romance, the desperate hope for change for the better. But where RW&RB went for the shiny happily ever after, this stayed grounded in reality. This book still manages to keep hope alive, Jamie and Maya’s work isn’t all for naught, and there’s plenty of room to imagine the positive paths their lives may take — but we don’t get everything tied in a neat little bow.
I really liked the balance of aspiration and truth. I found it comforting.
You can get your own copy of Yes No Maybe So here or borrow it from your local library.
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