The Voting Booth

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My Opinion

(3.5 / 5) I really like that there is a book about young people voting, it’s an important thing for youth to learn. This book covered the importance of voting and how each vote can make a difference. Marva is very, very passionate about politics and voting and as a high school senior, she canvases the surrounding area to get people to vote and to know what is on the ballot. Marva is very put-together and knows exactly what she wants in her life. While voting, she meets Duke who is at the wrong polling center and offers to help him. From there, they have a day-long journey about voting and getting to know each other.

I really liked that both main characters were so involved with politics. They took voting very seriously and cared about the topics. I also liked that both main characters were black. The story touched on the political issues and problems black people tend to have about the American government. Marva’s family does not celebrate Independence Day, but instead celebrate Juneteenth. She tells her new boyfriend and his family, who are white, about the holiday and why it is important to her. It was a great learning lesson and I appreciated the author’s candid approach. It’s a subject I highly recommend researching. I also appreciated learning about the difficulties of being black, especially the instructions kids are given on how to interact with policemen and more.

While the subject matter is great, I wish there was a little bit more to the story. There is a small spat between two teens that shapes a chunk of the story, but I wish that story line would’ve ended a bit differently. It wasn’t a huge deal, but I wish there would have been extra time, instead of a few hours, to recuperate from the disagreement before another relationship started. I also wish there were specific details about the election. Who, what they stood for and why it was important to them. The stance that was taken was very generic and I see the effect Colbert was trying to achieve, but it left me wanting more details and more info instead of the ambiguity.

The content was very low in every aspect except language. It was a strange combination of excessive swearing with little content otherwise.

Thank you Libro.fm and Disney-Hyperion for the complimentary ALC in exchange for an honest review. This book was released July 7, 2020.

The Voting Booth

Brandy Colbert

From Stonewall Award-winning author Brandy Colbert comes an all-in-one-day love story perfect for fans of The Sun is Also A Star.
Marva Sheridan was born ready for this day. She’s always been driven to make a difference in the world, and what better way than to vote in her first election?
Duke Crenshaw is do done with this election. He just wants to get voting over with so he can prepare for his band’s first paying gig tonight.
Only problem? Duke can’t vote.
When Marva sees Duke turned away from their polling place, she takes it upon herself to make sure his vote is counted. She hasn’t spent months doorbelling and registering voters just to see someone denied their right. And that’s how their whirlwind day begins, rushing from precinct to precinct, cutting school, waiting in endless lines, turned away time and again, trying to do one simple thing: vote. They may have started out as strangers, but as Duke and Marva team up to beat a rigged system (and find Marva’s missing cat), it’s clear that there’s more to their connection than a shared mission for democracy.
Romantic and triumphant, The Voting Booth is proof that you can’t sit around waiting for the world to change?but some things are just meant to be.

-Excerpt taken from Goodreads.

Check Goodreads to see the book’s ratings. 

Detailed Content Review

Language 

F***- 17

H***- 22

S***- 38

A**- 15

B****- 1

D***- 34

Bas****-

Religious Cursing

J****- 4

Chr***- 1

G**- 14

L***-

Derogatory terms etc-

Dick 

Flipping off

Alcohol, Drugs, Smoking

A young man drinks alcohol at a party with others.

Intimacy, Sex, Immodesty

*No LGBTQ+ aspects included*

A young man notes he’s never had sex.

A young woman and young man kiss quite a few times. The young woman feels a deep need for him. 

A young man and young woman kiss a few times. He bites her lip gently.

A young man and young woman kiss gently.

Violence, Weapons, Crime, Blood

A young teen is arrested at a protest. 

Potentially Intense Themes

A brother has died. It talks about it quite a bit, slowly giving more information. He was killed by getting shot in a drive by.

Talk about abortion and whether women should have the choice to abort.

Emotional funeral stories. 

**As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases.