Former childhood best friends Jamie Goldberg and Maya Rehman reunite as high school seniors when their mothers decide that political canvassing would be a beneficial activity for them both to participate in during the summer. For Jamie, this gives him the opportunity to practice his public speaking skills before giving a toast at his sister’s bat mitzvah. For Maya, canvassing provides her with the perfect diversion from considering her parents’ separation during Ramadan. As they greet likely voters and advocate for Jordan Rossum to become their state senate candidate in Georgia, they both become very close and have to consider the ramifications of love intersecting with their different faiths.
I thought the book was really good, but slow during the first 1/4 when Maya and Jamie didn’t really interact. When they did meet up though, it was great to see how passionate they were about making a difference in their communities. It was especially interesting to see how Jamie’s Jewish faith guided how he reacted with the Fifi the poodle memes since anti-Semitism isn’t too commonly discussed in the media. Ultimately, while all of the characters were charming, Jamie’s grandmother (Instagramm) was my favorite; I loved how she was the social media queen for the Rossum campaign and how tech-saavy she was.
Maya’s reflection about her friendship with Sara and how it was a beautiful gift, even if it was evolving, was so realistic. It was a reminder that growing up can lead to change in the most unexpected ways.
Reviewed by Manasa, Twin Hickory Library
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