This book is compared to The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon on the dust jacket. I've also read and enjoyed that book, and I can see why they would be compared: both include romance and take place over the course of a day (with some seamless transitions to flashbacks). However, I felt like the tone of the two books differed. The Sun is Also a Star is definitely dedicated to the romance, while I felt The Voting Booth read more like a contemporary adventure book. I had a lot of fun reading it because it felt like I was following Marva and Duke across town. Both characters felt like people I would want to be friends with. Also, I would absolutely love to meet Selma/Eartha Kitty (Marva's cat).

Just because it was fun, though, didn't mean the book shied from serious topics, such as familial death/grief, racial profiling, and why it is so important to vote, especially now. I can't speak as an #ownvoices reviewer on all of these topics, but I found all of these topics were told in a way that integrated them well into the story but didn't take away from their gravity. I especially liked the inclusion of music as a form of therapy. I have been involved in the performing arts for most of my life and I identified with finding peace in the arts.

Overall, I would recommend this book if you are looking for a great election year read. I would also especially recommend this book if you appreciate strong teen voices, as both main characters have strong voices that really sounded like modern teenagers.

The Voting Booth takes place over less than 24 hours. The story stresses the importance of voting and making your voice heard. However, it also breaches the subjects of race inequality and discrimination.  This read had more "guts" to it than I expected, and I was pleased by how well the topics were addressed.

4.5 stars 

this book is so good and covers so much 

i am rounding down to 4 stars because some aspects felt underdeveloped 

a list of the good technical aspects: 
- the story has perfect pacing 
- the characters are multifaceted 
- microaggressions are explained well 
- the "i don't have the privilege to not be angry" speech marva gives 
- colbert manages to pack a whole lot into the one day time frame 

a book covering so many social and political issues could have definitely sounded preachy, but it never felt like colbert was lecturing or talking down to the reader 

i do think marva's boyfriend, alec, is a very good character for marva to talk back to - he didn't feel exaggerated for the sake of heroizing marva or duke. marva's relationship with alec felt doomed from the second we learn that he is her boyfriend (the first mention of alec we learn marva is annoyed with him, the second mention we learn that he is her boyfriend) - but i don't think that's necessarily a bad thing 

the gripes: 
- i didn't care about the missing famous cat (but i do understand the plot relevance and i'm never going to complain about adding a pet to a story) 
- duke's relationship with kendall felt severely underdeveloped and i don't really understand why it existed 
- it was weird that alec's grandparents were embarrassed of him being ignorant about social and political issues 

thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing my review copy

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing this review copy.

The Voting Booth is a timely YA novel told through the POV of two Black teenagers on Election Day. Topics of social justice are extremely important right now and I think this is a wonderful novel for young readers to explore and consider during a time of political turmoil and racial injustice and how important it is to VOTE!

3.5/5 stars. I love that this book took such an important topic and portrayed it in a accessible and fun way! Voting is essential. I feel that the target audience for this book is the same audience that needs to be inspired to vote the most. Great read!

This was such a cute book – but with such serious themes! I loved how the author was able to take a cute YA romance and turn it into so much more. I loved both main characters and felt their personalities balanced out well. So much happens in the span of a day but it doesn’t feel rushed. I’m so glad that the author talked about the importance of voting in this story and made a point to address common thoughts people have about voting. The author also allowed us to really understand the characters through flashbacks and their conversations with each other. Although this is a romance, the novel first focused on building a friendship and bond between the two main characters, making their connection more realistic and nuanced. I would definitely recommend this novel for people who enjoy YA contemporary with social justice themes.

As always, a copy of this book was provided by the author or publisher in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.    

Brandy Colbert, I bow down to you. This year has been a wonderful year in young adult fantasy, but I have seemed to hit a bit of a slump with young adult contemporary releases. The Voting Booth is the first that I've really, and truly, enjoyed in months. (And I am definitely making grabby hands at the rest of Colbert's backlist.)

When it comes to contemporaries, I adore books that make me feel something genuine. The Voting Booth consistently hit the marks on so many levels: from its honest exploration of serious topics to its outright fun pacing and striking laugh-out-loud moments, you cannot go wrong with this one. This book basically kicked me in the shins to remind me that I definitely feel a lot of things.

The Voting Booth is one of those reads that is already fairly short, but the engrossing way in which Colbert writes makes it feel even shorter. This was one of the most compulsively readable, breezy, contemporaries of the year for me. Perhaps, even, of all time. I honestly cannot remember the last time I read a contemporary this quickly. (Dear Haiti, Love Alaine? Anna and the French Kiss? Everything Leads to You?)  

Colbert really weaves the story together in a way that feels hypnotic and real. Her characters are complex, important and incredibly relatable. You don't see them on page and think, "Oh, yeah. They don't sound like teenagers." You hear them and think, oh, yes, they are. Together, they represent a good portion of teenagers out there and The Voting Booth is a safe place for them to feel heard/be represented.

For any generation, but especially its target audience. Because of this, I think that The Voting Booth is going to be one of the more important releases of 2020.

Not every novel reaches the right heights, but The Voting Booth soars just beyond it and goes higher by the minute. I absolutely adored getting to know Marva and Duke, who both felt incredibly real to me, and very much so fell in love with the story as a whole.

When I read the background of Brandy Colbert's latest novel, I thought cute, contemporary YA romance. The Voting Booth was that and so much more. It tackles racism, voter suppression, privilege, family relationships, social justice activism, education, and so much more. All in the course of fewer than 24 hours.

I loved the two main characters, Marva and Duke. In each chapter, I felt like Colbert developed the characters and I was able to visualize their everyday life more deeply as I moved through the story.

Social justice is weaved through every chapter of this book, and I love that it is more of a call to action for our young adults. It gives them purpose and real actions of what they can do! I can't wait to share this one with students.

I assumed, at first, that the plot of this book would be primarily focused on voter suppression. While that issue is addressed, it's actually only tangentially present. It's not the main theme. There's quite a lot going on here: the assumptions people meake about teach other; the ways our parents influence our decision making; how we respond to finding out we were wrong; determining which issues are worth standing up for. All of those ideas hold equal footing in this plot and it's almost too much. It would be if these ideas weren't divided between two perspective characters. We see two sides to most issues, most events, giving balance to the plot. We see how their different experiences, privilege, and racial backgrounds influence their view of events and their responses to conflict. It's a lot of plot packed into a single day of book time, providing us with just a slice of life. The ending is left open, allowing us to contemplate what the future might hold for these characters. A solid choice for a group read, as it might prompt some solid discussion.

I liked a lot of this book, about two teens learning more about their civic responsibility, fighting voter suppression, and fighting for their political rights. I was put off a bit by the opening scene, in which Duke's mother lectures him about voting, which felt wooden and unnaturally preachy, and that feeling stayed with me for a while. But in general I think this is one of those YA novels that works best for actual young adults -- I think the 13 to 16 set will probably get the most out of this. A sweet romance, important learning opportunities, a few chuckles. A fun entry into the current trend of YA about voting/politics.

ahh Brandy Colbert truly is the GOAT of YA contemporary! This is so funny and charming and perfectly in line with Gen Z's activism. Bonus star awarded for INSTAGRAM FAMOUS CAT DRAMA.

This entire book takes place over one day, Election Day. I love how this book promotes how important voting is in America, especially to young people. 

When you're 18 and voting in your first election, it's special and you want everyone to be informed and take it seriously like you, but Marva finds out that is not the case. When Marva sees Duke be turned away at their polling place, she sees it as her job to step up and make sure his vote gets counted. 

The character of Marva is my favorite. If we went to the same school, we would have been the best of friends. She's serious yet quirky which helps to humanize her. If she wasn't so likable this book wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable. Duke is such a good contrast to Marva. 

This YA novels so many important and timely topics, such as white privilege, police brutality, voter suppression, grief, gun violence and so much more. It's heavier than many other YA novels out but that's part of what I loved about it. 

It has major The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon vibes, which I loved.

I am loving this new era of political YA contemporaries. I think it is extremely important to show teens caring about politics for teens to better understand how they can use their voice. This was delightful.

Thank you to Net Galley and Disney Book Group for a gifted arc of the ebook in exchange for an honest review!

I studied Political Science in college so I’m a sucker for any YA book that mentions political activism and social justice. I loved how the book takes place in one day and it’s centered on their journey to get to the polls and make their vote count. Throughout the day things don’t go as planned and spark start to fly between these two very different yet similar teenagers. These main characters are passionate, relatable, and have a super fun witty banter! I literally want to be Marva’s BFF.

This book talks about many timely topics such as police brutality, gun violence, grief, white privilege, interracial relationships, and so much more! It was deeper and more weighted than I thought it was going to be for a YA book, but I welcomed it. The content was presented well with authentic dialogue.

Even if you aren’t a typical YA reader, this is one I think any age would enjoy. It’s one I would especially recommend to those learning the the importance of voting or are going to vote for the first time.

The plot:

This novel takes place over the course of one day, an Election Day. Similar to The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon, the book follows a chance meeting of two very different teens.

18-year-old Marva Sheridan can’t wait to vote. 18-year-old Duke Crenshaw can’t wait to be done voting. When Marva sees Duke turned away from the polling place, she immediately decides to make sure that Duke will be able to vote.

This takes the two of them on adventures all over the place, and throughout the day, we learn more and more of each of the characters past.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like the book, but once I was a few chapters in, I knew that I was going to love it. The book starts off strong and only gets better. I really loved how we learned more and more about the characters, most especially Duke’s, histories as the book went on.

Brandy Colbert gave us just enough information to know what was going on, and little enough to keep us constantly guessing at what would happen next.

The writing:

Like I said above, the author supplied just enough information to keep us informed while also keeping us interested. What I felt was best about the writing was that I was really able to picture what was going on, understand each character, and really invest myself in the story and what was going on.

The characters:

The story takes place over a single day, but despite that, we still have plenty of time to meet and get to know an entire cast of characters. Marva, Duke, Ida… I loved reading about them and getting to know each individual and unique character.

Conclusion:

I think that this book is an important read for everyone, especially because it is an election year. The book talks about many different things; the importance of voting, voter suppression, and so much more. The cast of characters is large and each person is unique. The writing is wonderful; it tells us what we need to know, and shows us everything that is happening.

My rating: 5/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendable: Yes

To who? I think that this is a wonderful novel for fans of young adult romance, and also anyone looking for a book that talks about topics like the importance of voting, writes about teens who are very active in their communities, and is pretty fast-paced.

Really enjoyed the plot, but am I the only person who can't get over how...preachy both Duke and Marva's mothers were about voting in the beginning of the book? It felt really unnatural, but that's probably just a me problem. The Voting Booth definitely tackles important issues, which is always good.

This important work of young adult fiction complements titles such as “The Hate U Give” in an era of Black Lives Matter movements. Brandy  Colbert shares “The Voting Booth,”  a story of two young teenagers showing up to vote for the first time and encountering unexpected challenges. I sincerely appreciated the broad perspectives provided throughout the narrative and additional insight into the complex issues surrounding what should seemingly be basic voter rights, civic engagement, equity, access and inclusion in the political process. It is both an eye-opening and also uplifting work of juvenile fiction well suited to help provide context, inspiration and hope to future leaders in America. Also just a super sweet story and a great read!

This is a powerful novel about the importance of voting and using your voice, especially as a young citizen. At first, the character of Marva is a very intense character who comes off as judgmental and superior, but as the novel goes on, we really get to see why Marva is the way she is and how the circumstances she's constantly in feed into her sense of intensity and passion. Duke is dealing with grief and living up to the expectations and legacy of his dead older brother, and we see him begin to sift through his feelings and learn to use his voice in a bigger way. I enjoyed the friendship that blossoms between Duke and Marva, and I appreciate how the books tackles topics of privilege, voter suppression, and activism. I highly recommend this book.

I received both a digital and audiobook ARC from the publisher through  NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


 The Voting Booth tells the story of two teens, Marva and Duke trying to make their voices heard on their firts voting day. The characters encounter various obstacles and setbacks throughout the day, but both learn a few important lessons along the way. In a way it  reminded me a bit of a John Hughes' teen movie from the 80's. All the action packed craziness happens in  a 16-hour period.  I could have done without the missing cat side story.

I liked how the political lessons played out and that it was not endorsing one party over another. I think it will help teens relate to these important issues that occur in everyday life.  It's magnificent to have a diverse book with middle class black and mixed race characters. Who are not portrayed as victims, but young adults who are empowered  to help make change... if only they make their voice heard by voting! 

 Most of the book is fast paced to keep even reluctant readers turning the pages. I absolutely  loved it and highly recommend it to teens and adults.

This book was precious and amazing and gave me so many feels!! I absolutely loved it. The characters, the writing, and the structure, just all of it. I've never read a story that takes place in one day, and I was nervous about how much I would like it but it was perfect!! The story flowed so well and there was never a dull moment.

The two main characters, Marva and Duke, are so well thought out and intricate characters. I felt I knew them from the first chapter, and yet they kept surprising me and I loved watching them grow. But don't let the cuteness fool you... while this book was super cute and fun, it also dealt with important topics. This book tackles social justice, white privilege, being Black in America, grief, and interracial relationships.

And within all this are two teenagers who are fighting for a better world and a better future.

So yes, while this book made me laugh and melt with its cuteness, it also inspired me to never stop fighting and reminded me that even though I am one person my voice, and what I do with it, matters.
Please pick this one up!! I recommend it to everyone!