The Voting Booth: A Tale of Black Lives During an Important Election Year

Hi Friends!

Today I am reviewing another e-ARC that was kindly given to me from NetGalley! Thank you NetGalley for the chance to review Brandy Colbert's new tale, The Voting Booth prior to it's July 7th release date. 

*This review and opinions are my own* 

This story follows our two main characters, Marva and Duke. Marva has been canvassing for the upcoming election and is first in line of Election day. When she is there, Duke is trying to vote and is being told he cannot and his voting place has changed. Feeling defeated, he leaves and Marva stops him and promises to help him vote before the day is done. The story then follows our two characters as they try to get Duke to vote, and then Marva's cat goes missing so they work together to find her cat, who is also Instagram famous. 

This book sounds cute, and I am not saying that it wasn't because the ending was, but I had a lot of issues with the story itself. First off, it takes place during a 24-hour time span. Usually, this makes things very interesting with a plot but I felt like there was a lot of jumping around and that the story could have been shortened. I know that the author could not realistically write a teen fiction story just about getting Duke to vote, and had to add other elements, but the search party and missing of Marva's cat felt thrown into the story and felt like it didn't really fit with the rest of the plot. 

There was also a part where Duke reveals that his brother was shot and killed and his band manager's brother was also shot and killed. It was sad to read that because it made me think of all the other individuals of color who have been shot on the street for no rhyme or reason. We learn about how Duke deals with his brother's murder by channeling his anxiety and grief into drumming, is in a band, and carries these drum sticks with him wherever her goes.

Marva's and Duke's parents were also way too laid back in this, to the point where it did not seem realistic. If my parents found out that I was skipping school to vote and look for a missing cat, they would ground me and I would never hear the end of it. They would tell me that the cat will come back and I can look after school and to vote before or after school. 

Marva and Duke have an Insta-Love relationship which was cute, and also really unrealistic. I like stories where there is some build up with their relationship. Yeah, they spend the entire day together but for them both to develop such intense feelings in such a short time, and RIGHT after Marva breaks up with her boyfriend, was a little too much for me. I would have liked to see more of a build-up and story around that, and I'm a hopeless romantic so that says a lot.

Overall, this was a quick read. It could definitely be finished in one sitting, which I probably would have done if I wasn't reading another book at the same time and if I was more invested in this story. The plot line is basic and fluffy, and very easy to follow. The book itself is also very short, which helps. 

Rating: 3.5 Stars