Yes no maybe so – A book review

What turns a book good to great? I would love reading a predictable story if it has awesome, well developed characters. Is that what happened with Yes no maybe so? I am not hinting anything! Read on to find out more.

What turns a book good to great? I would love reading a predictable story if it has awesome, well developed characters. Is that what happened with Yes no maybe so? I am not hinting anything! Read on to find out more. Click To Tweet

About the book

YES NO MAYBE so cover

Book Name: Yes no maybe so

Author: Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed

Genre: Fiction – Romance

Characters: Jamie and Sophie Goldberg, Maya Rehman, Sara, Gabe.

Setting: Atlanta, GeorgiaThe United States of America

The plot

Jamie is a shy, awkward teen who wants to do everything in his might to help his favorite congressman win. He has aspirations to be a politician himself one day, if he can survive his toast at his sister’s bat mitzvah. To make things worse, his mom is pushing him to try out door to door canvassing.

Maya is a Pakistani-American Muslim who is not having the best summer. Her parents are splitting up and her best friend is moving away and has been too busy to hang out lately. When her parents offer to buy her a car in return for canvassing for Rossum, she is not thrilled. 

By luck and their mothers’ will, Jamie and Maya begin their canvassing with different goals in their mind. But a bill that was passed recently targeting Muslims and anti Semitic against Rossum’s supporters get them both rallied up.

Will the slow burn chemistry between them derail them from their political campaigns? Or is it the opposite? You might have to read Yes no maybe so to know more. 

My initial thoughts

Yes no maybe so is a cute YA contemporary romance with a liberal dose of politics. It takes a strong stand on their political leaning towards a particular side. So if you had strong opinions about it or that will stop you from enjoying this YA romance, you might have to watch out.

Even as someone who is not from the USA, I am not totally devoid of any opinions about it and such a law against covering the head would be against personal freedom, something that the USA boasts of quite often.

The one thing that did not sit right with me Maya’s sudden change of opinion towards kissing Jamie, given that she was not allowed to date non Muslim guys or to be physically intimate with a buy before marriage. Sure she was missing him and in love with him, but kissing (or any kinda physical intimacy) was explicitly forbidden. What made her make that leap?

This might sound too weird for others, but “no physical intimacy before marriage” is a real thing with desi families, and I am sure it would have been more strict in a Muslim household. #RepresentationMatters.

I loved Jamie’s cool grandmother and Sophie was a diva. I would love to read a spin off or fan fiction with them as main characters. It has been a while since I loved the sub plots so  much. 

Things that worked for me

  • I loved the fact that the romance takes a back seat (for a tiny bit) for family and politics.
  • Jamie was perfect. His awkwardness and mishaps kept me laughing!
  • The side characters were extremely well developed and I loved Sophie, especially.
  • And Yes no maybe so is based on a true story!

Things that didn’t work for me

  • We could have seen a bit more of Maya’s faith and her community.
  • Maya changing her belief and value for a white guy, may come off as a “white savior” thing to some.
  • And yes, the book takes a political stand. If you don’t like politics mixing with pleasure reading, that might be turn off for you.

Bottom-line

Yes no maybe so is cute and perfect for a summer read, or you know, for just staying in due to the lock down. It has well developed and likeable characters and takes a political stand. 

Pin me!

YES NO MAYBE so pin me

Let us chat

Have you read Yes No Maybe So? What makes a good book great for you? What do you think about contemporary books that take a stand on social issues? Let us talk.

20 Comments

  1. Robin Loves Reading

    Great review.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Thanks !

      Reply
  2. Whispering Stories

    I’ve never heard of the book before but it looks fab. Great review.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Thank you.

      Reply
    • Gayathri

      Yes I did. Thank you for your comment.

      Reply
  3. Nadene

    I am not too keen with stories that have a heavy dose of politics. However, this on does sound interesting. Great review.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      It is a good one, despite the political tone.

      Reply
  4. DJ Sakata

    Not my genre, political arguing makes my head hurt 😉

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I understand.

      Reply
  5. Kate @ Bitch Bookshelf

    This sounds cute and I think I would enjoy it. It sounds like it could use a little more explanation for characters’ behavior but overall lovely.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      It is definitely a cute read.

      Reply
  6. Bewthed Reader

    Politics in a book are a hit or miss for me, so I may skip this one. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I agree and that is a good choice.

      Reply
  7. Kymber Hawke

    Great review! I would like to read this one; adding it to my TBR.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      Let me know if you evre read it.

      Reply
  8. Nikki @ The Bibliophibian

    Interesting! I really want to read more by Becky Albertalli, but it sounds like this might not quite suit my taste. Thanks for your review!

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I understand. You should try Simon vs Homosapiens.

      Reply
  9. Mehsi

    Fab review, great to hear you enjoyed this book. I still wanted to read this, but seeing that it has a pretty big dose of politics… I think I will just step away. A shame because the rest of the book sounds absolutely awesome.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      I am sure others have been able to compartmentalize the politics part. So if you are able to do that, you should be able to enjoy it.

      Reply

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Gayathri

Gayathri

Gayathri has been reviewing books since 2010. When she is not reading books or creating online content, she works as a writer and a digital marketer. Head over to meet me!