Yes No Maybe So By Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertalli

“’But the work itself is the point. You keep doing it, because otherwise, how do you keep from feeling helpless? It’s like their sharks that keep swimming or they die,’ I say. ‘It’s about the fact of resisting. Waking up everyday and deciding not to give up.’”

(pg 411)

About

Authors: Aisha Saeed and Becky Albertalli

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

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Synopsis

YES

Jamie Goldberg is cool with volunteering for his local state senate candidate—as long as he’s behind the scenes. When it comes to speaking to strangers (or, let’s face it, speaking at all to almost anyone) Jamie’s a choke artist. There’s no way he’d ever knock on doors to ask people for their votes…until he meets Maya. 

NO

Maya Rehman’s having the worst Ramadan ever. Her best friend is too busy to hang out, her summer trip is canceled, and now her parents are separating. Why her mother thinks the solution to her problems is political canvassing—with some awkward dude she hardly knows—is beyond her. 

MAYBE SO

Going door to door isn’t exactly glamorous, but maybe it’s not the worst thing in the world. After all, the polls are getting closer—and so are Maya and Jamie. Mastering local activism is one thing. Navigating the cross-cultural crush of the century is another thing entirely.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To the voice of the young,

The second I read the first line, I knew I was already in love with this book.

There are absolutely no words to how relevant, heart-felt, sweet, awkwardly-cute, and beautiful this story was and both Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed did a phenomenal job at mixing both love, family, friendship, politics, and discrimination all with the essence of being young. I absolutely loved this book.

There is soooooooo much I want to digest/talk about, but let’s start with sweet baby, Jamie. Because my gosh, I just want to wrap him in a hug and shelter him from all the rude hate of the world because there is no one as precious as Jamie. I don’t know if Becky Albertali wrote the perspective of Jamie, but I’m going to assume so, and if yes, I would just like to say, she created another main man to love. I can’t fully say how much I love the way Becky Albertalli authentically writes and how well she does so. I felt like I was inside the mind of Jamie throughout the entire book, from his awkward thoughts to his steady progression into someone more confident (as confident as Jamie can be). I just loved Jamie’s perspective because not a lot of young adult books are from the male perspective in such a humanistic way. I felt Jamie’s awkwardness when he was with Maya, when he was around his sister, Sophie, or his friends. I honestly really loved the boyish timelessness with his friends because it just sounded so real. Just a bunch of his friends hanging out, playing video games, making jokes at each other and their crushes, or visiting each other at work. It was all super cute. I loved how ride-or-die Jamie was with his friends Felipe, Nolan, and Drew and how he literally woke up early to be a hype man for one of his friends. Like that is true friendship my dude. I also loved the way his friends teased him about Maya the whole time because they knew there was more to that 😂. And then they would casually walk out and give Maya and him alone time. We love supportively funny friends!

But the relationship I adored more than Jamie and Maya’s was the relationship he had with his sister. Not a lot of books dive in deep with the family dynamics—usually it gets pushed aside or mentioned—so I loved how Sophie was brought to the forefront of the story. We got to see their brother-sister dynamic and how cute it was. Again, it just felt like an honest breath of fresh-air. And they are soooooo cute 💙.

I love how teasing Sophie is of Jamie and his awkwardness because as a younger sister, I can understand wanting to make your older siblings feel embarrassed. When taking notes of the book, by page nine, I wrote, “I love Sophie” because I truly did. She is such a bubbly and precious girl. I also love her humor, her quirkiness, and how she is not afraid to be herself in a lot of ways. I mean, who talks about oranges, tangelos, and nipples. I don’t know. But Sophie would.

What would Sophie do?

I love her.

I also loved how she had the whole idea of a teen room for her bah mitzvah and she said:

“I’m just concerned about some of the music being a bit much for the old people, you know? This way, y’all can play ‘Shout’ or ‘What’s in here.’ She pokes the middle of the ballroom of the floor plan. ‘And then we can have Travis Scott . . . and everyone’s happy.'”

(pg. 13)

I really shouldn’t have laughed as hard as I did at that 😂.

Oh, but I love the moment when Sophie and her friends go to Jamie to ask him for a ride to the mall, so Tessa (Sophie’s friend) can go flirt with an older boy. It just brought a huge smile to my face because it was such a little sister thing to do: bug the older sibling to drive him/her places. But Jamie is so chill and cool and didn’t grumble about it, but he just asked questions about why he was going to drive them there. He really is a cool older brother if I’m being honest. I love how invested he was in Sophie and her friends life and how he waited there without complaint. Most brothers would have, but again, Jamie deserved the brother of the year award. I also liked how Sophie’s friends also liked him because they saw him as cool and it was just so wholesome and it highlighted how Jamie was a good person.

Did I mention I love Jamie?

Sophie also did her part in being the embarrassing little sister by teasing her about Maya. I loved when she went with them canvassing and then to Target and Sophie not so discreetly was trying to ask Maya what her type was 😂. She was Maya and Jamie’s biggest stan too!

But the other moment I loved between Sophie and Jamie was at the end. After Sophie’s bah mitzvah, they had a cute heart-to-heart conversation where Jamie felt crushed, but Sophie checked up on him. She’s also such a good sister for being concerned about her brother. There’s something so beautiful about siblings actually speaking to each other about meaningful things because I didn’t grow up with close relationships with my siblings—we never told each other anything and we never talked much. I would have loved to have been closer to my siblings, but I just think we’re not those types of siblings and it’s sad, but it’s people like Sophie and Jamie that makes me realize how special it is to have someone related to you by blood and who it should be easy to talk to.

What was special about this moment though was how the conversation was taken back to Sophie and her girl drama. When she started talking about Tessa and everything, things clicked for me, much faster than they did Jamie. Because Sophie has a big heart and she helped Tessa flirt with an older boy and she cared about Tessa because she . . . liked Tessa. And it was beyond special that she was able to open up to Jamie about that. I loved how Jamie was supportive of her in her ‘coming out of the closet,’ and how he didn’t make her feel like it was wrong or a big deal. I was literally tearing up 😢. We love a supportive brother.

We also love a supportive sister! The tears came full on when Sophie gave Jamie the notes from her friends that said how they didn’t like the HB 28 bill. Because her friends couldn’t vote, sending those letters to Congress was the next best thing and my gosh, my heart was touched because it showed how much Sophie cared. She knew how much this bill and canvassing meant to him and Maya, so for her to go the extra mile for them was absolutely the sweetest thing I have ever heard. She has such a good heart.

I THOROUGHLY say this with the utmost love in my heart, but if on the off chance that Becky Albertalli or Aisha Saeed is reading this, I would like to say if either or you wrote a spin off about Sophie’s journey with growing up and finding herself, I WILL READ IT. I would love to get more of Sophie. Such a sweet girl! Just like her brother 😉.

Speaking of sweet girls, let’s talk about Maya. Maya, such a sweet girl 🤪. But she has so much fire within her and I can’t wait for the day she blazes up on everyone because my gosh, she’s such a powerhouse! She can be both, actually, which I love; A balance between sweet and bold 👌🏼.

In Maya’s life, she’s going through a lot of changes. In the beginning of the book, she spoke openly about how she disliked change and as someone who has a hard time with this too, I understand. Change is uncomfortable. And it’s hard to see or know that things are changing without feeling a bit helpless about the situation.

So I related to Maya a bit in what she was going through with her family. That was such a highly complicated situation if you ask me. The parents were trying to work through things and were on a break during Ramadan. The dad bought an apartment literally four minutes away by car—a car she did not have—and she had to go back and forth between them. That can lead to a lot of instability and insecurities because Maya would not have a steady environment when it was constantly changing. My heart really felt for her because I too get that. When my parents did the same thing, I remembered how my mother lived literally down the street from where I lived. And it was weird. It didn’t feel like a true separation given how close she was. I also felt for her when she went to her dad’s apartment and kept hoping that he would move back. But when he bought the bed, the worry kicked in because more furniture, especially a bed, meant permanence. The dad also set up her own room in his apartment and it was kind of sad how it resembled her old room with cat and band posters. It reminds me of my teenage self too. But I think the dad doing that was sweet because he wanted her to feel comfortable in a space that felt familiar. But it also showed how he still thought of her—-as his little girl. It’s sweet, but I also felt like he didn’t see the true her she was now. I remembered there was a part of the book when Maya said she spent a holiday (Halloween?) at his house because she knew he would be more lonely. And when I read that, I felt that. Because her dad was the one who moved out and who’s life probably changed more than the mom did. At least, for the most part, the mom had her. It was sweet of Maya to think about her dad and be there for him, but personally, I can also understand how difficult it can be to feel stuck in the middle having to always think about which parent needs that love and attention when you need it more too. It’s hard.

I think if Maya hadn’t rekindled her friendship with Jamie or if she hadn’t gone through with what she did with Sara, she would have had a harder time with this change.

Her parents still lived separately and I feel like she grew to accept it even if it was hard. That was mature of her to do. And when parents drift a part, it really humanizes them because they don’t have it all figured out. I would have liked to see more with the parents and what terms they were on the end of the book—-if there was a possibility for them or not. Based on what I feel from the parents, I think they still have a lot to talk about and won’t reconcile anytime soon. I don’t know. I would have also liked to understand why they felt the need for a separation in the first place because it was never said. I think it would have also helped Maya understand the situation better too.

Maya and Sara’s friendship was really tested. Maya and Sara had been friends since diaper and Elmo days, which is such a unique bond to have. I don’t have a friend from my baby days, but I do have one from Kindergarten days, so I also understood what Maya felt. Their friendship was interesting though because Sara was a year older and that meant she was going to college sooner. This created a rift between them because Sara was focused on going to school, work, and her new roommate Jenna. It felt like Maya never saw her anymore and she just wanted to spend time with Sara before she left.

But it always felt like Sara had one thing after another lined up. It broke my heart because it felt like Maya was denying everyone in her life so she could only hang out with Sara. I felt bad whenever she would text back to Shelby some excuse of why she couldn’t go. I was like, Maya, don’t wait around for Sara, go hang out with Shelby! In the beginning, I also found it kind of off-putting how Maya only relied on Sara to be her friend. I get it, ride-or-die, Sara’s her best friend. But that didn’t mean Sara had to be her only friend. I could see how Sara would feel burdened with that because Maya would be too dependent on her. But I think the way Sara said it to Maya was kind of harsh.

I also thought it was a bit telling when Sara forgot about Eid when she remembered every year. That’s like Sara forgetting Maya’s birthday—-it hurt. Heck, even Jamie knew it was Eid and he sent her a text and got her a gift and he barely knew what Eid was. He was a good friend on that day. But it hurt my heart when Maya posted that picture of her on Eid and then Sara posted her moving into her dorm with Jenna and how they were “besties.” Honestly, I’m not going to lie, but I have felt this too. I mean, haven’t we all posted a picture or tweeted something in the hopes someone specifically sees it and responds to it? But Sara retaliating back with the word “bestie?” OUCH 😮. People can have multiple best friends, but Sara did that intentionally to bite back because she knew in the back of her mind that Maya would see it. She had to know. Given the tension between them, she bit HARD. I wanted to hug Maya and tell her don’t take it personally.

Then they had their big blow up, which I am here for dramatics. But I really do think that things escalated far because of how they both acted. I do think that Maya shouldn’t have placed all her dependence on Sara to always be there for her because Sara was going through a lot—-college, her own changes, financial worries. So she could have understood it from her perspective. I also thought it would have been kinder of Sara to reach out to Maya on Eid, knowing how important that was for her. I also think it would have been nice if Sara was really honest with her and said, “Hey, I know it might not seem like I’m making time to hang out with you, but I’m really trying to make money for college and yada yada yada,” because I know Maya would have understood that. I also think Sophie could have been nicer to Maya and not lash out as hard as she did.

“‘I can’t wait to have friends who aren’t such damn high schoolers.'”

(pg. 234)

I’m sorry, but I’m not even in high school and I took offense to this 😅.

What was cute was how she went to Jamie’s house after talking to her for comfort. And I LOVED how Felipe, Nolan, and Drew reacted to that 😂. But Jamie was such a supportive friend to Maya in her time of need. And it broke my heart how horribly Maya was crying and it just emphasized how much she loved Sara and how much it hurt to feel like she lost her 💔.

At the end, when Sara came back, I was highly on guard. What did she want? 🤪 But then when Maya saw the pin that said she voted, I touched my heart. She remembered to come back and vote!!!😢 (AND YOU SHOULD TOO–VOTE, I mean, if you’re eligible). She wanted to make things right. And I loved how Sara brought her an Angie Thomas signed edition 😂. It was sweet because at least Sara thought of Maya when she met Angie Thomas. But from Becky Albertalli’s perspective, it made sooooo much sense! If anyone is the president of the Angie Thomas fan club it’s Becky Albertalli! I absolutely love Angie Thomas and Becky Albertalli’s friendship! Such respected, phenomenal authors who have all my heart and love 💙. I can only impinge Angie Thomas reading this and grinning ear to ear that she got a cameo 😁. Super cute! Anyway, I liked how they talked things through in their own way and made up. Before seeing Sara, Maya came to terms with accepting that her and Sara were not friends anymore, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still love and support her from afar. But I’m glad they made up and would try again because they have so much history and one fight shouldn’t have torn them apart. I hope it brings them close together.

Now’s the time we talk about Jamie and Maya. What we’ve been waiting for. A slowmance, if you will 🤪. Gosh, knows we had to wait for them to get together!

But it was worth it. I knew the minute Jamie dropped those tangelo’s it was Maya who saw him 😂. I think fate has a fun way of working out and bringing two people together again, so I’m happy Maya and Jamie saw each other after the tangelo at Target incident. They saw each other at a festival at the school, where everyone was excitedly awaiting Jordan Rossum, the person running for governor. Jamie’s cousin, Gabe, worked under Rossum, and looped Jamie not canvassing and doing various jobs for him, so that’s why Jamie was at the event. Jamie’s mom is also big on politics.

Politics.

No one likes it.

Am I wrong? 🤪

Anyway, I loved the young perspective of politics because not a lot of kids are invested in it or know about the issues. But along this journey, I could feel Maya and Jamie find a burning passion in politics in what is right and wrong.

“‘In the Mario Bros. games there’s the big bad—Browser, who is this evil mega-turtle,’ Jamie finally says. ‘And they also have these Koopa Troopas—little turtles that are weirdly cute but completely evil. Browser became president in 2016. But I guess I didn’t really think about how it’s now just about him—there’s hundreds of Koopa Troopas everywhere to watch out for too.’

‘Thousands,’ I say grimly. ‘Not as flashy—but just as dangerous.’

‘It’s weird to think about.’ Jamie turns to me. ‘But they were always there.’

‘They hid themselves a little better a while back. They knew they’d get roasted for saying any of their white supremacy bullshop, but, well–‘

‘Browser became president.'”

(pg. 111)

I have to really hand it to Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed because this was the best analogy they could use to explain everything that has happened from 2016 to now 👏🏼.

We have had Browser as our president, which I honestly don’t even know why people would think that having someone he owned hotels be president would be a smart idea. Heck, I am not even proud because I knew people who said they just voted for Browser because they wanted someone “different” and they wanted a “change,” but then again, I don’t know what type of change they really thought would happen. This kind of reminded me of the scene at the end when people were voting and Maya saw this sweet elderly woman who voted for the other guy who was not Rossum, Asa, I think. And to me it highlighted how even the most unsuspecting people can be deceiving or be deceived. I say they can be deceiving because nice people can have deeper colors. But they can also be deceived by the “highlight reel” and false promises they hear from someone in politics they choose to believe in. And my heart hurts if a person is either or with that. People really need to be informed and know who they vote for and what that person stands for before standing behind him/her.

But back when Browser became president, I was 16. I couldn’t vote. But I knew that Browser was not the president we needed leading this country. He belittles people, he is disrespectful, he is discriminatory, he is uninformed, and he is inadequate for the position he filled. And time and time again has proven that, especially given the situation around the global pandemic. It really highlights a lot about his character in how he reacted to such a pandemic and how he treated others. We had a president out there, not caring so much for the health and well-being of the people, rather than the economy. Because why else would the government start caring about people when the economy was doing poorly? WHY? And I think it’s honestly such a sad sad world we live in where we people protest to stay at home because they need to go back to work to make a living. And that’s sad. There is something wrong with a system that makes people feel like they have to feed into the economy instead of taking care of themselves. I mean, who places value in money? We do. So why can’t we just not? Why can’t we place value in each other and make sure our basic needs are met? I have absolutely no idea and I am currently writing this during quarantine and you know those thoughts just go off. I mean, why do we need an economy? Who created an economy? Why does it matter? Why does money matter? Why?

I don’t know. But sorry for my spiel. Suffice to say, our president is the big, bad Browser. And honestly, these last four years, I have ignored him as president because to me it is an honest to gosh joke 🤡.

What Becky and Aisha brought up though, was such an important point. When Browser became president, all the Koopa Troopa’s finally felt like they had a voice for their hate. If there’s something psychology can teach us, it is that people learn from people—social cognitive learning. And they imitate what they see. And if people see big, bad Browser, acting like the racist bigot he is, then others will start to do the same unapologetically because they feel like it is right. It is not. And it’s crazy because Becky and Aisha are right. These people have been hiding in the shadows for years, never saying anything, living in their prejudiced ideas. When Browser came to power, they knew it was their time to shine. And it sucks. We have people saying things all willy-nilly because they feel like it is ‘right,’ we have people making cutbacks on things because it is ‘right,’ we have laws and things being created because people feel like it is ‘right.’

YEA, RIGHT! 😓

It sucks. As a young adult, it truly SUCKS to feel like people suck. It hurts to know that there are people in office who just don’t understand the virtues of life of being compassionate, understanding, civil, and kind. HOW FREAKING HARD IS THAT? 😡 Politics is messy, I get it, but it doesn’t excuse poor behavior. It absolutely doesn’t. It also doesn’t mean that the government push aside everything and minimize its importance.

Climate change? Ever heard of her?

Yea, she’s real.

What’s the government doing about it?

Polluting the world more.

Inequality and racism?

Still exists.

Black Lives Matter?

Government could care less.

Homeless families and kids?

Government said no thank you.

Prison industrial complex?

Government said, let me feed you money.

Business and sports?

Government said, let me help you out.

Rich corporations?

Government said let me give you a hand.

Rich Caucasian people?

Government said, I’ll cover it up and bail you out.

IT SUCKS.

And something’s truly got to give.

“’Voting for the best of two bad choices still means you’re stuck with a bad choice.’”

(pg. 179)

When Maya said this, it also hit.

This was highly relevant back with the 2016 election and the current election. Because honestly, I really didn’t think Browser was the option in 2016, nor did I think it was Wendy O. Koopa either! They were both choices and 16 year-old me was like, I’d rather have Wendy out there in the office than freaking Browser. But, to be honest, both options sucked. And with this election we have Browser and freaking Donkey Kong or something running and it’s like, I really need to move because I am fed up with American politics 😂.

But in all seriousness, voting for the best of two sucky choices is still wrong. And I hope one day we will have someone knowledgeable, compassionate, understanding, and caring in office. We need change and I think having the same type of individuals in office with absolutely no defining change in our country emphasizes a lot. We need a woman. We need queer presidents. We need presidents who have different cultures/backgrounds. We need younger voices. We need change.

And if there’s one thing I will say about America right now, is that it is not “great again,” but I truly believe we have moved backward.

“This isn’t how history’s supposed to work. The timeline’s not supposed to move backward.”

(pg. 99)

We can see this with inequality, discrimination, feminism, racism, all kinds of isms. It’s terrible.

One thing Jamie and Maya talk a lot about throughout the book is the timeline of history.

“’It’s not about waiting for the good parts of history. We’re the ones who have to make them happen. We have to draw the timeline ourselves.’”

(pg 410)

I love this moment with Jamie because this was when he was talking to Gabe. And we finally understand why Gabe is so zealous of having people vote for Rossum—because it was him doing something to change history no matter how small. For Jamie, it also became that. Because no matter how small a difference might seem in the grand scheme of everything, it makes a greater impact—a huge impact that a person has no idea about. And I love that they were going to keep fighting to make change. That’s the type of attitude and zeal we need from people. We’re in this world together and change isn’t going to come from the government or from corporate powers. It has to come from us. There is power in numbers and if there’s one thing my America and the World class taught me in college, it’s that we are power. The lower-class, the middle-class, and the working-class, we are power. We are strong because we have the numbers. If we bonded together over our shared adversity, we can do so much together. But for far too long, history and the government has made us hateful, selfish, and angry at each other—to pin each other against one another so that we don’t revolt or become angry at the government. We are too angry at each other. They are doing it to us. And they have played this game for years. So much, I see it today. I see it in the way when people protest with huge Call of Duty weapons because they are scared of each other. I see it in the way people hole themselves up in their houses rather than asking how can I help? I see it. But I am not saying there aren’t good people who are selfless, because I see that too. But the negative is overwhelmingly powerful these days. That’s the last thing we need. That’s how they win.

They are winning.

We are losing.

We need to wake up and be aware of all these games being played with us and to really ask ourselves, why? Why are we hateful and mad at each other? Why do we treat each other the way we do? Why am I discriminated against? Why am I treated inferior? If you ask why, you’ll realize it’s all social constructions made so we hate each other, pin against each other. Feed that anger onto each other and not the government.

We shouldn’t be angry at each other.

We are people and no matter our social identities, we are going through life together being wronged each and every day by people who laugh because they know we will eat anything up. Anything.

I can write a whole blog post about how I learned how discrimination sort of started in America because gosh knows I always wondered why! But that’s another blog post. But I kid you not, nothing gets me more heated than politics because I am angry. Angry at the system and the way we live because of how we are told to. It’s sad.

But it’s people like Maya and Jamie who give me hope, even if they are not real.

“‘I just figured after the racist guy, you probably don’t want to canvas again.’

‘Well, I do.’

‘Really?’ I look at her.

‘Of course! We don’t want the racist [butthole] guy to win, right?’

‘He already did win. In 2016.'”

(pg. 101)

It was unhealthy how much I laughed at this, but I love a jab 😂.

But what made me angry as well, was the way that person treated Maya when canvassing. I mean, I know discrimination and hate goes on in this world, but hearing and seeing it, hits differently. I know it must hit differently to actually experience it. And my heart hurts for those who do because I am GENUINELY SORRY on behalf of my whole being. You did not and DO NOT deserve that. Hurt people, hurt people and people who are scared and angry also lash out at others because they don’t understand their feelings. So I really am sorry for the wrongful way you are treated. I really am.

I wanted to lash off at that guy, frankly.

It’s sad to know there are people like that. And I understand the fear, but I also feel like if someone is scared, instead of being closed off and angry at the feeling, to be open and understand it. I liked when Jamie tried to understand Maya’s religion instead of being put-off by it. It was awkwardly cute how he offered her Goldfish the first time in the car and she told him she was celebrating Ramadan and he didn’t get it at first. He kept trying to understand it and didn’t get it right. But he tried. I loved that. I also liked how he did remember Eid and took the time to learn about it. I also loved how he celebrated with her and got her Goldfish for an Eid gift 😂.

But I really admired the way he became impassioned about House Bill 28 (HB 28). HB 28 was going to be written so people who wear hijab or any head scarves or covering would be banned from it. I think that people should be able to express their religious practices because it’s what that person values and who are we to say it’s wrong? People are just scared and don’t understand.

OOOOH, but when Jamie and Maya went to that Dickers office, oooooh! I was ready to start a fire! 🤪 Someone was GASLIGHTING!

I detest.

She made everything Jamie and Maya said, sound like it was their fault. It wasn’t.

“‘Well,’ Ms. Dickers says, ‘given recent advances in weapon technology, it’s entirely conceivable that a would-be attacker could carry an explosive on his or her person that’s small enough to fit beneath a standard bandana or face mask.’

‘But that’s not real,’ I say. ‘That’s never happened.'”

(pg. 147)

Again, I understand the fear, but there is a point where it becomes imposting and overreaching.

Maya’s right: it’s never happened. So this bill was created out of fear. That’s not right when it does no harm. I mean, I have seen Americans with weapons much more than I see other cultures or races. That says a lot more. I don’t know why we don’t fear that—why we don’t impose on our actions.

Hmmm 🤔.

It goes back to being understanding.

This book would honestly be too easy, if Rossum actually won. So it made sense that he didn’t. And it felt like the Camp Rock scene when Camp Rock lost to Camp Star; my heart just dropped and so did my smile. But even if they didn’t win, I loved how Jamie and Maya said they would never give up. Because like with the 2016 election, America didn’t win. We lost. And we have been losing for four years. But we have those who are fighting back, who are using their voices because they finally want a win.

I hope we can have a win.

I really do.

But politics aside, this was also a love story and I love love 💙

Jamie and Maya’s love was so raw and beautiful: a perfect slowmance dance if you ask me.

What I absolutely loved about them was how they supported each other.

When Maya was amped up about HB 28, Jamie went to the ends of the earth to be there for her and to get angry on her behalf. Through his anger, we really saw Jamie find his voice and his confidence and I loved that. I loved how Maya also supported him on his dreams of wanting to be a politician because GOSH DARN knows I would vote for Jamie!

I also liked that moment when they were giving canvassing advice and Maya started talking because she knew Jamie was nervous and then Jamie spoke up. They empower each other.

I also liked how Maya supported Jamie with giving Sophie’s bah mitzvah speech.

Jamie was beyond nervous because he is known for being awkward. I thought it was funny how crazy-hilarious his life is.

“Some people are meant to change history. And some people are meant to change out of their vomity interview clothes.”

(pg. 35)

But there was this whole moment when his mom asked him why he thought he was so awkward? And then the mom hyped him up.

“‘I’m just saying. This is your narrative. You get to pick the framing. Why does that one interview have to define you? Maybe it was just a [shizzy] morning. Maybe you ate something weird for breakfast. Whatever! Look at everything you’ve accomplished since then. The canvassing, the videos, the toast. You know that toast was amazing, right?'”

(pg. 385)

We all need a hype mom!

But it really touched my heart because Jamie couldn’t see how cool he was because he had all these little moments engraved in his head of when he was awkward. The slowmance, the vomiting on the boss, the tangelos. I get it. I was a teen and felt the exact same; like all my embarrassing moments defined me. But it’s crazy how people see you differently than you see yourself. We are our own worst critics. So I liked how Maya and everyone else in his life made him feel like he was anything but awkward—they lifted him up.

Jamie really did crush it with Sophie’s bah mitzvah speech. Had me in literal tears when he said that he was proud to be her brother 😢. I love Jamie.

But like any couple, they had their ridiculously cute moments. I loved when Jamie obsessed over whether or not inviting Maya to that high class restaurant was a date or not—you know, the one where they got the cake and then the waiter came up to them and complimented them as a couple. I thought that was funny 😂. Again, it was a pleasure to be inside of Jamie’s mind. He’s a funny dude. I also loved how they would watch The Office together. I absolutely loved the moment when they were watching with each other through the phone. Then there was the moment when Maya was over and they were all cuddly and the episode they watched paralleled with their developing love. I kept thinking to myself, “Maya, stop touching him, he’s going to get mixed signals.” Jamie was already thinking waaaaayyyy too much into everything either way. Which is fine because it’s nice to know guys feel just as crazy when in love.

I also loved loved loved the cake smash scene because that was an innuendo if there ever was one 😂. I mean, cake smash. In a coat room closet. And then Maya was like, “I’ll smash it.” Umm, smash what? Are we still talking about cake? 🤪

I need to wash my find with soap.

The moments I loved between them the most were the scenes at Target. I already knew before they did, that they would go to Target 😂. It’s just soooo relatable and funny because Target is my go-to place too—my guilty pleasure, my safe haven! Literally could spend hours in a Target as well. Target should be the official sponsor for this book or any book really because we don’t see any other store as much as Target in YA books 😆. Oh, and we can’t forget Kevin from Target. He’s like the Alex from Target and I loved it. Kevin was an interesting character who Maya respected, then had beef with, and then liked again. I liked how Maya was able to change his perspective on things because it emphasizes how powerful a person’s voice can be. How powerful an influence we are on each other.

Then everything blew up with social media because Gabe had to make Jamie and Maya go viral. Social media ruins a lot, doesn’t it? 😂 Joking! But I felt bad because Maya wasn’t supposed to be in a relationship and now it was encapsulated on social media for millions to see. It also had to feel overwhelming to see all those comments about her and Jamie. That’s a lot of pressure. So I understood his reaction. But, my man, I was hurting more for Jamie.

But can we talk about how cool Jamie was when he found out about the car? Maya started canvassing because she was promised a car. But then it became personal—more than just a car. And Jamie was so chill about it and took no offense at first. Then this whole almost kiss picture leaked on the Rossum page and everything blew up.

What hurt Jamie more was Maya’s reaction to the photo and how she said she couldn’t be with him, and that almost kissing him was a mistake. Wrong words, Maya, wrong words. And then Jamie was like, I told you I loved you. GOSH MY HEART 🤧. He loved her and she said it was a mistake. Man, I felt for him. He was in love.

And then she figured out she was in love with him, but was scared to confront those feelings because her parents’ love fell out. But thank gosh she got her feelings together! When she got the car, I was like, DRIVE TO HIS HOUSE SIS!!!! And then I was like, I bet he’s at Target. He was 😉.

It really did seem fitting that they made up in Target. It was on point 😉. Very cheesy and cute, in a good way, but I also thought they were being a bit too cheesy with rushing to make out in the dressing room. Slowmance people! We need slow! Beep Beep Beep 😂. Who am I kidding, they’re cute!

There were a couple I can see lasting into the future because of how much they make each other better. I bet their wedding would be in the Target patio section with Kevin officiating and Felipe, Nolan, and Drew sitting front row with a bag of Goldfish and Sophie with a basket full of tangelo’s. And then I guarantee you, that Jamie would be funning for office and would make some sort of speech about voting for him or something 😂. I can see the novella now! Oh, and let’s have the older people dance to Shout while we’re at it! That would be a great time.

I also want to give some love to Jamie’s Grandma on Instagram. What a cool Grandma? I would follow her! She sounds so sweet and more tech savvy than people would think. I also found it cute how Maya was flattered that his Grandma followed her. Oh, but I absolutely thought it was cute when Maya fangirled over seeing Rossum. I would fangirl over seeing Zac Effron—-we all have our people 😆. I just loved how Jamie set the whole thing up for her because she knew how much it would mean. I love Jamie. I will keep saying it because what a man. We need more men like him for sure.

This book really had me grinning, laughing at all the wrong places, and holding my heart in aching, loving pain. It was such a good time.

There’s also a lot to be learned from young people who care about politics. Because if I’m being honest, when I was 16, I had absolutely no idea about anything political. I didn’t care because I was unaware. And I feel like there has to be teens who have felt the same way I did. When I felt that way, I did nothing and that’s why nothing changed for the better. But as someone who understands more and is a bit more educated, I care. I care because I realize this is my world too and I am going to grow up in it. I want a world that is fair, equal, just, kind, and environmentally friendly for many generations. I can be that change. We can be that change.

No matter how young you are, you can do something. No matter how small, it does something. Never forget that.

But my biggest advice would be get educated. Really know what is going on in your local government and the federal government. Delve deeper into topics that matter to you or your loved ones. See how it affects you and your loved ones. If something isn’t moral or right in your heart, do something about it, nonviolently of course. Write about it. Speak up. Show up. Be present.

Vote if you can. Do something if you can’t vote. But don’t sit there, thinking, I am one person, I don’t matter. Or I am one person and my voice won’t change anything. Or don’t you dare think that things will “work out,” if I sit here and do nothing. Oh and do not sit there complaining that the world sucks when you don’t do anything. If you feel helpless, help more.

So please do your part. Do your best. And let’s make the world great again. Truly.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? Anything I mentioned that you want to discuss more about? What is something you plan to do to enact change? What is something you want to see changed in the world. Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕 And also, let’s be kind and not leave mean comments to me or anyone below. This is a safe place, open to all voices 😊. Thank you. And sorry, if anything I said sounded harsh I really don’t mean to offend anyone.

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this.

And as always, with love,

Rating

5 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: I would gladly vote for Jamie in a heartbeat. I would happily be friends with Sophie. And I would be honored to sit with Maya in the Target patio section and talk politics with.

Plot: Such a highly relevant concept given today’s political ground. A book all ages should read to inspire and be inspired.

Writing: When Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed write together, their voices are unstoppable magic that instantly puts a smile on your face or laughter in your heart.

Romance: Maya and Jamie had the perfect slowmance 💙