Yes No Maybe So
Yes No Maybe So book cover

Yes No Maybe So

Hardcover – February 4, 2020

by
Price
$12.23
Format
Hardcover
Pages
448
Publisher
Balzer + Bray
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062937049
Dimensions
5.5 x 1.37 x 8.25 inches
Weight
1.1 pounds

Description

"Buoyed by humor, enriched by a colorful supporting cast, and strung through with a charming (and charmingly awkward) romantic subplot, Jamie and Maya's story, their miscommunications, and their true connection will win hearts and inspire action." — Booklist (starred review) “Albertalli and Saeed unfold a story told in alternating chapters that weaves together timely, relevant, and engaging themes. With topical references to state and national issues . . . this is a warm, beautiful story about relationships’ beginnings, endings, and transitions; and the transformative power of local activism.” — School Library Journal (starred review) "Heartfelt and real on both political and personal fronts, this politically embedded romance tempers realistic anxieties and disappointments with hope." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books PRAISE FOR AISHA SAEED Amal Unbound A New York Times Bestseller “Saeed’s eloquent, suspenseful, eye-opening tale offers a window into the contemporary practice of indentured servitude and makes a compelling case for the power of girls’ education to transform systemic injustice.”— Publishers Weekly , starred review “Amal narrates, her passion for learning, love for her family, and despair at her circumstance evoked with sympathy and clarity, as is the setting. Inspired by Malala Yousafzai and countless unknown girls like her, Saeed’s timely and stirring middle-grade debut is a celebration of resistance and justice.”— Kirkus Reviews , starred review Written in the Stars “Movingly conveys the intense cultural pressure that motivates Naila’s parents and the heartbreaking betrayal Naila feels as she is deprived of her rights. Wrenching but hopeful story.” —Publishers Weekly “I couldn’t put it down.” — Suzanne Fisher Staples , author of Newbery Honor Book Shabanu “This is a page-turner about love, culture, family—and the perilous journey into womanhood worldwide. I couldn’t put it down.”—Meg Medina, author of Pura Belpré Author Award winner Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass PRAISE FOR BECKY ALBERTALLI What If It’s Us A New York Times Bestseller An Indie Next List Pick “Fan-favorites Albertalli and Silvera join forces in this tale of a New York City summer romance. This joyful romance is both sweet and substantial.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Albertalli and Silvera balance cynicism and starry-eyed optimism to paint an honest, compelling picture of adolescent romance. Part feel-good, part star-crossed, this seamless blend of the authors’ styles will appeal to fans old and new alike.” — School Library Journal (starred review) Leah on the Offbeat A New York Times Bestseller A Rainbow Book List SelectionGoodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Young Adult FictionYALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults “Albertalli has a fantastic ear for voice, and it’s beautifully on display in Leah’s funny, wry, and vulnerable first-person narrative. Everything Albertalli already did so well in Simon she’s improved upon here, and fans of the first book will be utterly smitten with Leah.” —xa0ALA Booklist (starred review)“A subversive take on the coming-of-age romance.”xa0— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Albertalli’s latest release continues her penchant for sensitive, insightful writing that gets right to the heart of identity and growth, capturing it all with heartfelt, hilarious emotional clarity.”xa0xa0—xa0Bustle The Upside of Unrequited Top Ten Indie Next List Pick A Rainbow Book List Selection “Readers will fall in love with this fresh, honest, inclusive look at dating, families, and friendship.” — School Library Journal (starred review) “If you’re in the mood for a snappy romance to vicariously bathe you in the pain and elation of first love, Becky Albertalli’s The Upside of Unrequited provides.” — NPR.org Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda Longlisted for the National Book Award 2016 William C. Morris YA Debut Award Winner 2016 Carnegie Medal Nominee An Oprah Editor’s Pick “Albertalli paints a stunningly three-dimensional, cliché-free world for Simon that bursts with unforgettable characters. Savor it, because you’ll read it for the first time only once. Worthy of Fault in Our Stars -level obsession.” — Entertainment Weekly “Funny, moving and emotionally wise.”xa0— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)“Debut novelist Albertalli writes believably in the voice of a confused, openhearted 16-year-old. Readers will fall madly in love with Simon.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Becky Albertalli is the number one New York Times bestselling author of William C. Morris Award winner and National Book Award longlist title Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (now a major motion picture, Love, Simon ); The Upside of Unrequited ; Leah on the Offbeat ; the Simonverse novella Love, Creekwood; What If It’s Us (cowritten with Adam Silvera); Yes No Maybe So (cowritten with Aisha Saeed);xa0and most recently, Kate in Waiting . Becky lives with her family in Atlanta. You can visit her online atxa0www.beckyalbertalli.com. Aisha Saeed is the New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed novel Amal Unbound ; the Bank Street Books Best Book Written in the Stars ; Aladdin: Far from Agrabah ; and Bilal Cooks Daal . Aisha is also a founding member of the nonprofitxa0We Need Diverse Books. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and sons. You can find her online at www.aishasaeed.com. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • A book about the power of love and resistance from
  • New York Times
  • bestselling authors
  • Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed.
  • 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.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(237)
★★★★
25%
(198)
★★★
15%
(119)
★★
7%
(55)
★
23%
(182)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Hypocritical portrayal

This was such a huge disappointment! I really thought with some religious diversity and YA, we would have something special here, but God no. All this did was make me cringe. It was so boring. So monotonous. Each and every day was basically the same thing, on repeat, and mind you...this is a BIG book! Jamie was just, so one-dimensional. He was awkward and cringe-y and just made me want him to really grow a backbone. And Maya was a little aggressive and pushy, but then also somewhat of a doormat when it came to her best friend, and she was meant to represent the Muslim Americans, but I felt like she did anything but.

I hated the contradictions in this book and the characters. I hated the hypocrisy. And I most definitely hated the politics. I knew this book revolved mainly around a political campaign, but I had no idea that the politics would basically take over the entire story! That the story became the political campaign, rather than a story about Jamie and Maya and their growing relationship.

What annoyed me more than anything is at the very very very end, they finally get together, but wait a second, they get into a fight. Maya declares that they can NEVER be together because of their religious differences. Then a chapter later, she changes her mind, rushes to him and starts making out with him in the middle of Target. He asks her, quite considerate of him really, that they don't need to do this, that he is willing to be whatever she needs him to be, and she decides in a moment of pure hypocrisy that all she wants to do is be his girlfriend and make out with him all day long. In fact, they proceed to find an empty fitting room to go and make out in. Really? That is just hugely wrong and juvenile, in so many ways. Definitely do not recommend.
28 people found this helpful
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Very enjoyable and deeply meaningful

This was quite the story. Going by the synopsis and the fact that it’s YA, I won’t be spoiling much. But I will be saying a couple things that could be spoilery; if you want to go into this story blind, I suggest you stop here.

It starts off as a “used to be friends as toddlers” to “teen friends” story. Then becomes a blossoming bestie story. And then it turns into “friends to more”. It felt like a natural turn of events, especially for Jamie. I love when two characters have this amazing bond of friendship and then it becomes a beautiful and all consuming love.

What I loved the most about this was how Jamie and Maya grew to lean on each other. They were there for one another when the other needed it. No hesitation. No questions. No explanation necessary. They saw that their friend needed them, and I thought that was beautiful.

Again, just going by the synopsis, you can tell this is going to focus on politics. But it honestly didn’t feel overly politically heavy. Being Canadian, I personally don’t know an awful lot about American politics, and sometimes political stories become confusing to me so I often avoid them. Thankfully all of the politics in this book were handled well and easily explained. I never felt like I didn’t understand what was going on or what a character’s motivation was to certain plot points. I applaud the authors for making this story easy to understand in that aspect. I feel like this is the type of book that would encourage young adults to learn about the political systems in their areas and to get out there and vote once they reach the legal age.
4 people found this helpful
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Boring!!!!

It is so boring! I wanted to like it. I really did, but every page feels like the exact same thing. The chapters are organized by each main character: Jamie then Maya, Jamie then Maya, Jamie then Maya—It’s Groundhog’s Day! The authors do a TERRIBLE job capturing two distinct POVs. Half the time, I had to check the chapter title to see which person was boring me because the two of them sounded the exact same. Don’t even get me started on the weak politics. Come on, authors! Push it just a little! Save your money unless you’re looking for a book to put you to sleep.
1 people found this helpful
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Diversity is great! Storyline a snore.

Very difficult to finish this story, very monotonous. Did not find myself caring for any of the characters, so I didn’t feel a connection to find out the ending. I did finish it, best parts are A. In this image the description of Bowser and Koopa Troopas and B. The acknowledgements
Seriously not sure how someone wrote 400+ pages of dull fiction that was set to be full of potential. Not sure why this one was so much worse than others from the same author.
1 people found this helpful
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Perfectly Timed Novel

I loved every little bit about this book. I loved how political it was. I loved how diverse it was. I loved that we get two very different points of view. I loved that it was a cute love story but it was also a lot of work too, because of the diversity of the two characters. I loved that you could each author’s voice so clearly but they melded together so well. I was blown away with Becky wrote a book with Adam Silvera and I’m blown away again at this collaboration with Aisha.

Genuinely I loved that there was such a difference in the two characters – I loved that diversity. Jamie and Maya both obviously get along but there’s obvious differences, like Jamie constantly bringing Maya things to eat and drink during Ramadan. While Jamie doesn’t mean it as a slight or anything – he’s so sweet and so kind – his ignorance is definitely something that drives Maya insane because its a HUGE holiday for her and she constantly has to remind people. They have very different personalities and very different home lives. Both of their parents are split but while Maya’s love each other and love Maya and are trying to transition as best they can, Jamie’s father is barely in the picture. I like that it was two very different people learning from each other but it wasn’t just the normal, been-there-done-that opposites attract story.

I also completely and 100% support how political it was. I thought that it was so fantastic to showcase the care that teenagers have for the political environment we are in. If you take a look around, young people care, they care a lot. There are so many jokes that Gen Z doesn’t care but its so opposite of the truth – look at the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, look at Greta Thunberg. So I loved that Jamie and Maya started off doing campaigning because they had to but they got caught up with it because they got caught up in the policies and the issues with the opposite party and so much more. I loved it. I loved all the action and all the care. It really showcased what I find to be a reality.

Its a perfect book to be releasing in an election year and I can’t wait to preach this to everyone I know. Its a fun story and the friendship-turned-romance is fantastic but honestly the political activism of the two characters and the efforts they put in for their candidate is just so inspiring and I really think people of all age will really enjoy it.
1 people found this helpful
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a book to renew hope

(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

Yes No Maybe So is a story about activism. How our individual actions can feel small, but how much of an impact they can make. It's a story that celebrates progress, resilience, and hope. Yes No Maybe So was exactly the book I needed. Faced with the world and the demoralizing politics, you can wonder, "What can I really do to hold back this storm?" Well Yes No Maybe So is a relevant and resilient answer. It celebrates rage, activism, and the knowledge that our act of resistance is progress. As a fan of both authors individually, I am so excited by this powerful dual POV team. I fell in love with Jamie's passion, his awkwardness, and his desire to change the world. At the same time, I love Maya's struggle with her best friend, her vulnerability, and her strength.

I can't decide if I loved this book so much because of its timeliness or the characters. Both of these elements seamlessly work together creating an obsessive need to finish the book and figure out the results of the election. At the same time, the characters expand in your heart that more you get to know them. Jamie's open-hearted nature mixed with Maya's vulnerabilities and the way she feels like her life is crumbling around her. They are thrown together by a mixture of fate and the power of mothers. Throughout Yes No Maybe So I love the strength of the activism, the ways it can come down to a single vote, or a series of single votes which tip the scale.
1 people found this helpful
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Recommend to any teen interested in politics!

~~~Review posted on The Heart of a Book Blogger~~~

Yes No Maybe So was a good pre-election read about two teens getting involved in a local special election. I loved seeing the main characters Maya and Jamie get involved through canvasing and making their voices heard even though they weren’t old enough to vote. I would have especially loved this one as a teen because I volunteered as a poll worker for several elections while I was in high school. The book was on the slower side, so it did take a bit for me to get into it fully, but I would recommend this to any teen interested in politics and wondering how they can get involved in their community.
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Yes No Maybe So review

This young adult fiction novel of a relationship between a Jewish boy Jamie and a Muslim girl Maya who meet and date with multicultural aspects. I really enjoyed reading this book. I received this free book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
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Getting along on the campaign trail

Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed crafted a well-scripted tale of teenage awkwardness, pressing social issues and local politics. In "Yes No Maybe So" Jamie Goldberg dreads the speech his mother has insisted he give for his sister's bat mitzvah almost as much as going door knocking for the candidate his family supports for a seat in the state senate. Then Maya Rehman enters the picture. Urged by her mother to get involved, Maya gets paired with the extremely bumbling Jamie. This, of course, initially horrifies both of them for various reasons. Jamie quickly realizes he and Maya have a connection. Their mothers are friends and had the two play when they were young. Now facing their final year of high school, they each have a lot going on. Maya agrees to door knock after a promise from her parents that they would buy her a car. But trouble hits as her mother and father separate, and she, an only child, must deal with the possibility that her safe world will be torn apart. Meanwhile, her best friend grows more distant as she prepares to head off to college. Then she and Jamie face latent racism among some they encounter during their efforts to drum up support for their candidate. That and the introduction of a bill, crafted slyly to be anti hijab, galvanizes their inner activist. Slowly the pair build a rapport. But they have stark cultural differences and their feelings may not matter. Albertalli and Saeed build strong characters and tell a somewhat liberally weighted story of growing up and getting involved in the issues of governance and cultural acceptance.
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I Feel Seen

As a politically-active Georgia-dwelling Jewish mama, I feel seen. I cannot say enough good things about the way the book examines the different ways white supremacy is experienced by a white-skinned Ashkenazi boy who can pass and a South Asian Muslim girl who cannot. That alone would make the book worth reading, but there's also a good hard look at what is and is not OK to do for the greater good, friends who aren't being there for each other because they have to take care of themselves, a dear sweet romance, Ramadan observance, and a bat mitzvah! The references to actual Georgia politics and the barely-changed names and facts are super fun Easter Eggs for those of us who lived through it. The book is #OwnVoices, co-written by Jewish and Muslim authors, and it really shows. If I could give it 6 stars, I would.

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