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Yes No Maybe So Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed
448 pages | Published by Balzer + Bray
Jamie is awkward and in for a busy summer full of campaigning for an upcoming special election, helping his Insta-famous grandma, and helping coordinate his little sisters Bat Mitzvah. At a campaign event, he reconnects with childhood friend Maya - whose parents have just begun a trial separation and best friend is just about to head off for college. The two become canvassing partners - but over time Jamie becomes the friend Maya desperately needs and in turn she helps him find his confidence.
Another adorable Book of the Month pick. Aside from proving that Gen Z is coming for all of us (and I admire them for it) Yes No Maybe So is also an ode to Target which is honestly maybe the most beautiful thing I've ever read.
I appreciated that this story felt very true to real life - in terms of the political climate and the conversations happening today around racism, antisemitism & religious freedom. I wasn't expecting this book to hit those topics so hard but I was glad that they did. I don't think people, in general, think that YA talks about serious issues and I like having another example of a book that does.
I really liked the exposure (for me, personally) of the cultural dynamic of Jamie's Jewish family and Maya's Muslim family. I'm white and grew up in a Christian household so I can't claim to know anything about Judaism or Islam, being a person of color, or the accuracy of this book in regards to those things. I'm just happy to read more books from different perspectives and hope to find more of that in what I'm reading.
This book was a pick from Book of the Month! Give BOTM a shot for just $5!
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