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wren_in_black 's review for:
Yes No Maybe So
by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed
4 Stars for this one.
Becky Albertalli is generally a go-to author for me. I've loved everything by her except [b:The Upside of Unrequited|30653853|The Upside of Unrequited (Simonverse #2)|Becky Albertalli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487956734l/30653853._SY75_.jpg|45749039]. So I was excited to see another collaboration between her and another author. This is, to the best of what I know, an #ownvoices Jewish and #ownvoices Muslim representation. Jaime Goldberg, written by Albertalli, is a rising senior whose family is obsessed with bat mitzvah decorations and campaigning for his mother's boss in the upcoming state senate special election. Maya Rehman, written by Saeed, is from a recently split Muslim family and is trying to navigate life within her parent's fractured marriage and her fractured friendships. I've seen some criticism for how liberal Maya is within her religion, as she does not wear hijab and considers dating. However, I do think it is important to say that one character cannot encompass the experiences of all Muslims. Perhaps Maya's character could have introduced us to more aspects of this beautiful faith, but for a YA novel, I think the concepts of hijab and fasting in Ramadan are a great introduction for a high school reader who might be unfamiliar with the religion. The different cultural elements that Jaime and Maya bring to the story are absolutely beautiful.
But this story is more than that. It's more than a romance too, although parts of this could definitely be considered romance.
This book shines a light on our current reality. There are corrupt politicians and blatantly discriminatory policies in our country right now. This book puts those policies and politicians in a human perspective. It also shows students that even if they are unable to vote, they are still able to (when they band together) create change and make a difference.
Some have criticized the ending of this story. I do feel like the climax on the romance portion was too late and too fast. It felt a little young compared to the rest of the story. I like that things are not perfect suddenly by the end. This is a lifelong fight to end discrimination and it won't be solved in one election or with one candidate. But we can focus on making the world a better place a little at a time.
I feel like the story just ended, though. It could have used a little more focus on the final few pages as well as more rounding of secondary characters. Over all though, I think this was a unique read and I enjoyed it!
Becky Albertalli is generally a go-to author for me. I've loved everything by her except [b:The Upside of Unrequited|30653853|The Upside of Unrequited (Simonverse #2)|Becky Albertalli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1487956734l/30653853._SY75_.jpg|45749039]. So I was excited to see another collaboration between her and another author. This is, to the best of what I know, an #ownvoices Jewish and #ownvoices Muslim representation. Jaime Goldberg, written by Albertalli, is a rising senior whose family is obsessed with bat mitzvah decorations and campaigning for his mother's boss in the upcoming state senate special election. Maya Rehman, written by Saeed, is from a recently split Muslim family and is trying to navigate life within her parent's fractured marriage and her fractured friendships. I've seen some criticism for how liberal Maya is within her religion, as she does not wear hijab and considers dating. However, I do think it is important to say that one character cannot encompass the experiences of all Muslims. Perhaps Maya's character could have introduced us to more aspects of this beautiful faith, but for a YA novel, I think the concepts of hijab and fasting in Ramadan are a great introduction for a high school reader who might be unfamiliar with the religion. The different cultural elements that Jaime and Maya bring to the story are absolutely beautiful.
But this story is more than that. It's more than a romance too, although parts of this could definitely be considered romance.
This book shines a light on our current reality. There are corrupt politicians and blatantly discriminatory policies in our country right now. This book puts those policies and politicians in a human perspective. It also shows students that even if they are unable to vote, they are still able to (when they band together) create change and make a difference.
Some have criticized the ending of this story. I do feel like the climax on the romance portion was too late and too fast. It felt a little young compared to the rest of the story. I like that things are not perfect suddenly by the end. This is a lifelong fight to end discrimination and it won't be solved in one election or with one candidate. But we can focus on making the world a better place a little at a time.
I feel like the story just ended, though. It could have used a little more focus on the final few pages as well as more rounding of secondary characters. Over all though, I think this was a unique read and I enjoyed it!