3.75 stars

There are a lot of things happening in this book, which takes place within 24 hours, but I felt like it was too much at times. Some of what happens is ridiculous, but the characters are enjoyable. The relationship feels SUPER rushed and I did not care for that. I would have preferred a fade to black type but it wasn’t horrendous. I’d recommend but it’s not my favorite of hers.

Love the characters, especially the adults who have nuance and their own motivations. It’s fun to have a fun political book out this election year—with friendship, romance and the importance of voting.

That said, the story wasn’t that strong for me. You could definitely predict some of the twists and turns, especially the interpersonal ones. But still a good, topical 2020 read

I ADORES this book!! It got me out of my reading slump and gave me a good distraction from what's going on in the world right now, while still relating to some of the very important issues happening in the world right now also. It's a cute romance for those looking for that "one day" type of connection, and also a great story on friendship, finding yourself, and having a purpose. It is timely and, hopefully, will also help get out the vote with teenagers.

Today is the big day. Marva has been waiting for this day for years. She finally gets to vote for the first time. If only her boyfriend Alec hadn’t put a damper on the day when he said he wasn’t voting.
Duke is getting to vote for the first time today as well. Problem is they don’t have him registered to vote at the polling place. Marva overhears and offers to help out.
Between a series of issues related to voting and life in general, Marva and Duke embark on this momentous journey some can vote. Along the way, they find things out about each other and themselves. They find a new friendship in each other and maybe more.
Opinion
This is my first book by Brandy Colbert and I am impressed. When I looked her up, I was amazed to see the titles to all of her other books. How have I never heard of her before? If this book is indicative of her other books, what she writes is pure gold.
I absolutely loved the self discovery that Marva and Duke went through. The situations they were put through in the book were perfect. The characters were well defined.
I loved Marva’s drive to get people to vote. Duke’s admiration of her for this is endearing. Getting in trouble with their parents for skipping school? Realistic.
Great book altogether.
Spoiler Alert Here
The only problem I had with the book revolves around the search for the cat, Selma. If people go to help someone search for their cat, they will expect that person to be there as well. They also wouldn’t show up to search and then agree to change direction and help get people to a polling place.

I just love everything brandy Colbert writes. Her characters are so interesting and the stories are intriguing, I can't get enough of them

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “The Voting Booth” for my review.

I really loved reading this book! It is always a treat reading such stories where someone’s life changes over the span of a day. I loved how the story alternates between Duke and Marva. This made it interesting to see how the story progresses from different perspectives. The author has written the story in such a fun and engaging way that you never feel bored for even minute. I finished reading this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Marva and Duke are so charming and cute together! As individuals, both characters seem to face different issues. Duke faces emotional family challenges over his brother Julian, whereas Marva is more career focused and wants to achieve all her goals. Though they have their insecurities, they support and compliment each other so nicely. The book also has a lot of diversity written in a subtle yet engaging manner. On a side note, I also loved the supporting characters like Ida and even the cat!

Probably the only minor flaw in the story is how Marva meets Duke in the beginning. It was a bit unbelievable how Marva went out of her way and sets herself to help a stranger initially. But I enjoyed this book so much past that moment that I don’t really mind how they met.

I also think this book released in a very apt time with the upcoming elections. Hopefully, this would encourage people to take the voting process more seriously. The book also touches on some important issues like women’s rights, rape, abortion and gang violence. Overall, The Voting Booth is a great read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a good YA contemporary read.

I think this book is incredibly timely and explored a lot of issues regarding politics and voting that are important for young readers to experience and be able to talk about. I wish something like this had been out when I was in high school so I could better understand some issues around voting and why it was so important. The writing of the story was engaging and fun and I really enjoyed this read.

Set over the course of Election Day 2020, this delightful two-hander starts when activist Marva and laidback musician Duke, both 18, meet cute at a polling station.

Over the course of the day, as Marva helps Duke get to vote and they look for Marva’s lost cat, social media celebrity Eartha Kitty, the author skillfully builds her characters, often using sidebar “About” chapters to fill in background information about other people important to them.

Though this presents as a smooth and easy romance, it’s something of a Trojan horse (in a good way!) Inside the charming exterior, the author doesn’t let the reader off the hook: the injustices against people of color and women are central to her characters’ passionate belief in the crucial need to vote to get change.

Alternating narration, the two lead characters, controlling Marva and laidback Duke come from ostensibly different backgrounds. Marva come from a comfortable middle class home, is one of only 8 black students at her fancy independent school and dates the charismatic (but ultimately villainous) white Alec. Duke’s family was shattered when his older brother, activist Julian, was killed and Duke has been learning how to deal with that loss ever since. But they are an attractive couple and it’s no surprise that after their initial decision to help Duke vote, their political dedication and commitment leads their relationship to develops quick.

The novel is apolitical in the sense that names and parties are not named, though I’m not sure how you could read this and vote Republican. Will it be enough to get Bernie elected? Likely not, but it might encourage a few readers to get out there and take their place in the democratic process.

Thanks to Disney-Hyperion and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I loved this book and I think it’s extremely timely. I like that it addresses the issues of voter suppression and voter apathy - both are complex issues that should be addressed when considering civic engagement. It also addressed racial issues through a multitude of lenses and experiences, the same topic through different eyes looks completely different. For example, both Marva and Duke got ‘the talk’ about police brutality from their parents so it’s a shared experience but also unique to both of them. I also like the exploration of interracial relationships, what it means to be the child of such a relationship and what it means to be in one. I will definitely be recommending this book.

The Voting Booth follows two high school students on election day (presumably a presidential election) as they scramble to vote while overcoming political and personal hurdles. The story switches between the perspective of the two main characters, Marva and Duke, who have different relationships to political engagement and meet at their polling place. The character development was solid for Marva and Duke, and the book balanced taking the reader between the present day narrative and informative flashbacks well. Their plight had a realistic and feel good conclusion. I appreciated that the story didn't just elevate voting as the only way to be engaged in one's community and as a process without flaws. The book highlighted the very real struggles marginalized people face in the voting process in addition to Duke's difficulty casting his ballot. The dialogue and pacing is engaging and in touch with a teen voice. Especially given that we are in an election year, I think teens will find this to be a relevant and informative read.

Marva and Duke are both 18 and ready to vote in their first election, but when Marva sees Duke getting turned away to vote, she makes it her mission to help this stranger guarantee that his vote counts.

Both Marva and Duke are so likable, which made this a really quick and enjoyable read. It was cute and light when it needed to be, but still it had its powerful moments that showcased the importance of voting and paying attention to the world and what your part is in making it a better place for everyone.

This book is perfect for young readers who are passionate about voting and social issues, and I could see it being one of the favorites in my classroom library. The book switches back and forth between Marva and Duke’s point of view, with occasional flashbacks about important figures in their lives, which helped make this a quick and easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley for offering me this book in advanced for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed this - it’s so timely and so applicable to right here and now. I also loved the characters. They were very relatable and believable. I’m sure it’ll remind some of us of The Sun Is Also a Star. The only drawback for me is the cop thing at the end. It really mussed the plot up for me - was Colbert trying to make literally everything go wrong for these two in the course of their day? After that point, it felt like she was just trying to do too much, add too many components to the conversation for a 300 pg book, and it felt forced.

This book was fantastic!! I love Colbert’s ability to address complex, nuanced issues without “dumbing them down” for teen readers and simultaneously telling a really excellent story. This one was full of sweet romance and smart, engaging characters. Looking forward to more Brandy Colbert books!

Brandy Colbert's writing is always vibrant and engrossing, telling relatable stories, and The Voting Booth might be the best one yet. Marva is an idealistic, engaged, near-perfect teen, but Colbert gets us in her head and shows us that behind all of that also lives someone who loves fun and memes. Her dedication to getting Duke - and later, others, to vote makes readers think about how they might take for granted how relatively easily they can exercise that right - and that many they know might choose not to. With a major election right around the corner, Colbert's work is right on time. I would love to use this in conjunction with our civics classes.

This book was fun to read and was certainly in a setting or environment that was one I'd never read about before. Caught up in the desire to vote for the first time, these two young protagonists set a good example for student readers to encourage them to get out an vote. That is something that is really important right now, perhaps more important than some less frightening times. There are many other reasons to read this book, The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert. One thing I noticed in particular is that the issue of "race" was shown in a way that seemed natural, casual, and less of a threat or a divide even though things got tense during one part of the book, it worked out well and again, set a good example. I would definitely recommend this book to my students. It's a good, positive read that sets us in the right direction for bringing people together rather than dividing them.

This book is everything I want from a Young Adult contemporary book and more. It's absolutely fantastic in every single way.
I've been having a hard time really loving YA books the past few years, struggling to find many YA books as enjoyable as I once did. I've been starting each YA book with high hopes but often finishing the book disappointed. That was not the case with The Voting Booth. It caught my attention right away and I read the whole book in just a day. It was surprisingly a quick read and I never wanted it to end. From the characters to the plot, this book was wonderful.
Both of the main characters were so well written and very likable. I loved the diversity so much and the unique plot really made this book such a one of a kind read. I've loved seeing so much added diversity in YA the past couple of years and The Voting Booth brings so much to the YA genre.
I honestly can't think of anything negative about this book. I enjoyed it so much and even though it's only February, I know this is one of my favorite books of 2020.

I can always count on Brandy Colbert coming through with a great story. The Voting Booth is a quick and easy read that’ll put a smile on your face and make you proud of the characters.

The idea is clever - another one of those "boy meets girl in the morning and falls in love by dinner" stories but instead of someone leaving the country or dying we watch the characters vote - or try. I appreciate what the book conveys because it's a cause dear to my heart; voting and highlighting voter suppression. If this will help teens realize the importance of their votes, then I'm all for getting the story out there.

Could this happen in real life? Meh. But it's a cute tale and an important premise. I'd buy it for our middle school library.

This book is amazing and I hope so many teens and adults will read it. The premise is a falling in love during the course of a day troupe similar to The Sun Is Also a Star but it becomes so much more. The story follows two teens who set out to vote for the first time in Election Day and while one is able to cast her vote, the other runs into problems with his voting location and registration mixup. As they team up to help him find his polling place, they open up to each other about their families, aspirations, frustrations, and dreams for the future. The story expertly addresses microagressions, privilege (especially when it comes to caring and participating in politics), interracial relationships, and family dynamics. I love that while many YA books show social media as an evil, this story shows how important it is in the lives of teens in positive ways like finding forums to discuss topics you can’t talk about with friends and running pet Instagram accounts as ways to be creative and a different side of yourself than what’s expected. I could gush on and on about this book which I plan to do in the months leading up to its publication. I immediately want to read more by this author. I’m so glad this story and her voice are out their for readers today.

The Voting Booth is a great read for this election year. It tackles big ideas, voter suppression, voter turnout, social media influence, police brutality, and many more in a poignant manner. This provides hope for a stressful election year, that regardless of the outcome, every vote matters.