Overall though, I really enjoyed this book. But in a book this powerful, that’s a small issue that might just be me, anyways. One moment, they were these flawed teens who make mistakes and learn what it means to stand up for someone else and themselves, and the next, they took themselves so seriously they lost their heads a bit. It’s hard to explain but basically, they were all fleshed-out and distinct until they spoke about politics at school or in the world outside in which cases they all reverted to sound like the same Wikipedia article. Though I really enjoyed the characters, they sometimes sounded like they were thirty- which of course isn’t an issue but after a few chapters, it became obvious that nothing really distinguished them when they talked about political concepts.

That being said, I felt almost too dumb for this book at times. This never felt like the author was just checking boxes but instead, every character was fleshed out and had their own pursuits and dreams. Besides Mark, who is trans and has made a deal with his politician father to stay under the radar and tell no one he is trans so he can finish school without causing headlines for his father, we also have loads of BIPOC representation and people on the LGBTQIAP+ spectrum. I loved the diverse cast of characters in this book. If no one will give them the space to be themselves without fear of being persecuted, then by God, they will create it themselves, and I was here for it. There’s a plethora of real-life political references that will either make you want to go out there and smack people over the head for how they’re messing up the world, or at the very least pray that Mark and his friends will succeed in their endeavour to make sure that everyone at their school get the unconditional support they need and deserve.

This book will especially cater to people who are heavily invested and interested in politics, which good for you, but at this point in my life I can barely stomach push notifications on my phone, so kudos! But if you’re into politics, thrive on narratives of getting justice, and seeing the bad guy fall, then this book is perfect for you.

Democracy, he said, is an elegant, elaborate distraction.

The art of the steal, rather than good old-fashioned hard work. “ Politics,” my dad used to tell me, “ is sleight of hand.” Smoke and mirrors.

The [Un]popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez