A review by irrelahvant
Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli, Aisha Saeed
2.0
The book set place in the suburban neighbourhood in Georgia (correct me if I'm wrong) where we meet former friends; Jamie and Maya. Jamie is Jewish whereas Maya is a Muslim. We follow their adventures as they reunite and promote the campaign of a democrat senator for the town.
First off, I am never a fan of split narrative, it's like one moment you'll be reading in the voice of Jamie - getting to know him better, being his shoes and you're then somehow in Maya's shoes instead and you're just like.....wait a minute. You know how they say like you're in the flow of a book and you've stopped abruptly as the narrative. Yup.
There's a few themes going on while I ventured further into the book - there were a few pretty sensitive topics that were brought to life; for example - this book was set during the holy month of fasting / Ramadan which is relatively rare in the generalised YA books. My girl Maya really be kissing James during Ramadan huh.
I appreciate getting to explore more on Muslim / Jewish tradititons but I felt like that quote;
'Too many cooks spoil the broth'
There are so many issues and topics that are being handled in one book that it felt meh. It just turned out to be very one-sided. Like for example, they'll be discussing about Ramadan, then it's on Hijab Ban, then tackling a bit on racism. For me, I would prefer if the author chose a theme and explore more on the topic throughout the book - for example, if the scene is to be set in Ramadan - then focus more on the holy month. Instead of, you know, acknowledging it and just leaving it there.
Onto the character, personally I found that Maya has a very 'Blame everyone but yourself' vibe going on.
Is that how teenagers are?
WAS I LIKE THAT?
I cannot symphatise with her - She reminds me of an acquaintance I know who needs to let people know she's grunge, not your average Muslim and, to always feel bad for her. This person would get really angry when you wish your fellow Muslim pals a 'Eid Mubarak' when you're not Arab. And I'll just be side-eyeing her like.......
I can see that Jamie is trying his best to socialise with Maya but she gives off this 'The World vs. Me' vibe.
Overall, I felt like the book could do away with some parts of the story as I skimmed through several chapters could still have a rough idea of what is going on. I also thought that it could focus on a handful (one or two) major topics to discuss on but not a whole chunk of it as it would then feel very one-sided.
At the end of the day; I like to think back on what did I learn from the book.
So far, not much.
First off, I am never a fan of split narrative, it's like one moment you'll be reading in the voice of Jamie - getting to know him better, being his shoes and you're then somehow in Maya's shoes instead and you're just like.....wait a minute. You know how they say like you're in the flow of a book and you've stopped abruptly as the narrative. Yup.
There's a few themes going on while I ventured further into the book - there were a few pretty sensitive topics that were brought to life; for example - this book was set during the holy month of fasting / Ramadan which is relatively rare in the generalised YA books. My girl Maya really be kissing James during Ramadan huh.
I appreciate getting to explore more on Muslim / Jewish tradititons but I felt like that quote;
'Too many cooks spoil the broth'
There are so many issues and topics that are being handled in one book that it felt meh. It just turned out to be very one-sided. Like for example, they'll be discussing about Ramadan, then it's on Hijab Ban, then tackling a bit on racism. For me, I would prefer if the author chose a theme and explore more on the topic throughout the book - for example, if the scene is to be set in Ramadan - then focus more on the holy month. Instead of, you know, acknowledging it and just leaving it there.
Onto the character, personally I found that Maya has a very 'Blame everyone but yourself' vibe going on.
Is that how teenagers are?
WAS I LIKE THAT?
I cannot symphatise with her - She reminds me of an acquaintance I know who needs to let people know she's grunge, not your average Muslim and, to always feel bad for her. This person would get really angry when you wish your fellow Muslim pals a 'Eid Mubarak' when you're not Arab. And I'll just be side-eyeing her like.......
I can see that Jamie is trying his best to socialise with Maya but she gives off this 'The World vs. Me' vibe.
Overall, I felt like the book could do away with some parts of the story as I skimmed through several chapters could still have a rough idea of what is going on. I also thought that it could focus on a handful (one or two) major topics to discuss on but not a whole chunk of it as it would then feel very one-sided.
At the end of the day; I like to think back on what did I learn from the book.
So far, not much.