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bibliophile80's review against another edition
4.0
Think "The Hate U Give" for Muslim/Arabic community versus white America. It's a great book for young adults and an illuminating read for older adults. While some of the MC's actions were very immature, I had to remind myself that she is only 17--and she certainly was put in some very rough spots. I loved how she viewed her whole world as a filmmaker but couldn't quite envision herself as the star of her own life story. The novel used stereotypes adeptly and played with the reader's expectations, especially with the single-page vignettes of an unknown character traveling in another (parallel) narrative. I'd highly recommend this for those concerned about (or unaware of) the anti-Muslim sentiment in America today.
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
Pre-ordered this after reading the recommendation by BookRiot - I skimm the daily emails I get and look at the webpage and check what looks interesting.
Wow! Even with a lot of romance very highly recommended!More tomorrow, obviously not. Sorry, still deciding what to write. But the 5 star recommended to all still stands.
Wow! Even with a lot of romance very highly recommended!
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
Writing this review is going to be tough, because my issues with this book are personal. Simply put, the book didn't click with me, but as a matter of preference, not because I thought there was anything technically wrong with it. I also want to be clear that I am 100% behind Own Voices books. I think it's critically important for diverse voices to be included in an industry that has a long, long history of underrepresenting and underserving minority voices. I'm glad to see the YA book industry taking the lead on this, and I hope publishers of adult novels will follow suit. I firmly believe that more diverse books means a better, richer reading experience that all readers benefit from.
I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum in this review, but I want to drill down into one specific element of the plot and cannot do so without giving a big plot point away, so continue reading at your own risk.
I'll kick this review off by saying what didn't work for me: the romance. Now, as I said, my problems with this book are personal. I do not personally like romances, YA or otherwise. I'm fine with romance being an element in a book, but I don't tend to like books where the romance is center stage, and this book is very much a romance. That doesn't mean it doesn't have value; it certainly does, especially because romances featuring a person of color protagonist are in short supply in the literary world. There is a lot of value to this book for that reason alone. I absolutely believe in the necessity of giving teens characters who look like they do.
Disclaimer aside, the romance just didn't spark with me. Phil is fine as a character (although I did not like the crack he made about Maya's chest when they were swimming), and I felt for Maya when she was struggling with what her heart wanted and what conventions dictated she should go for, but I just was not invested in her relationship with Phil. It didn't speak to me in any real way, and on the whole I found it more of a run-of-the-mill romance.
To be honest, I thought her potential relationship with Kareem was more interesting. I was happy to read a portrayal of a supportive and nice Muslim young man, something that's in far too short supply, because, let's face it, representations of Muslim males in American media aren't usually positive. I respected what the author did with Maya making the mature decision that her relationship with Kareem was easier and more tempting than any potential relationship with Phil because of the ease, but I would have liked the romance element more had Maya gone for Kareem rather than Phil.
I was also very much invested in the cultural tensions Maya's choices caused for her. One thing I think is pretty universal is how difficult it is for children to clash with their parents' expectations for them. Maya's struggle felt very real and very painful, and I truly empathized with her. She was not in an easy position, caught between pursuing the life she wanted at the possible expense of her family connections and preserving family ties at the expense of her own professional happiness. That is no small thing to deal with, and I found this aspect of the novel engrossing.
Equally engrossing to me was the community reaction to the crime implicating a Muslim. Going into this book, I was hoping for an in-depth portrayal of a teen dealing with Islamophobia, and while those elements are there, I wish the novel had explored them in more detail. I found it at its visceral best when it showed specific instances of racial aggression against Maya and her family in the aftermath of the attack, despite that she and her family have nothing whatsoever to do with the crime that's committed. I strongly feel the U.S. has a history of painting the entire religion of Islam with a single brush, something that doesn't happen to Christians. That is appalling, and more than worthy of discussion, and to me that was the most important part of this book. I felt for Maya and her family, and as a parent myself, I could understand her mother's seemingly extreme reaction. How could you ever feel safe sending your child out into a world that's hostile to her simply because of the color of her skin and her religious beliefs?
Sadly, though, I don't think the book gets into this topic in enough depth. I don't want it to sound like I was looking for a lurid depiction, because I wasn't, but I was hoping to see more that would really give the reader a sense of what it was like to be in Maya's shoes, to suffer the kinds of microaggressions Muslims in the U.S. (and, sadly, in many other parts of the world) suffer. Instead, this book offers up only Brian. While I know it's an unfortunate truth that people like Brian exist, he's so repugnant that I don't see how any person with a modicum of decency can be okay with his actions. Far more nuanced, to me, was the way his buddies reacted at the theme park. That was the kind of thing I wanted to see in this book, because identifying and condemning blatant racism is a lot easier than dissecting the kind of cowardice Brian's friends exhibit is. I didn't want Maya to be under constant assault, but the only person in the book who seems to take issue with her because of her ethnic and religious background is Brian, and while that's certainly a bad thing, I feel like it waters down the book's message a bit because he's made out to be such an obvious villain.
Writing all this is uncomfortable for me, because I am not a person of color, and it's hard for me to critique how someone who is chooses to write about a character's experiences of her world. However, I wish I'd seen more of the subtle behavior highlighted because I want people like me to stop and feel discomfort over that, wondering what we're doing that's contributing to the problem. That's also uncomfortable for me to say, because I don't think it's up to people of color to educate white people. That's something we need to struggle with ourselves, to be certain.
All I can really say in conclusion is that this book was a letdown for me because I wasn't getting out of it what I hoped to get. That's on me, and I have no doubt a lot of readers will get plenty out of it. To me, that's the great thing about literature becoming more diverse: readers have a much better chance of finding books that personally click with them now than they have in the past, and that's a very good thing.
I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum in this review, but I want to drill down into one specific element of the plot and cannot do so without giving a big plot point away, so continue reading at your own risk.
I'll kick this review off by saying what didn't work for me: the romance. Now, as I said, my problems with this book are personal. I do not personally like romances, YA or otherwise. I'm fine with romance being an element in a book, but I don't tend to like books where the romance is center stage, and this book is very much a romance. That doesn't mean it doesn't have value; it certainly does, especially because romances featuring a person of color protagonist are in short supply in the literary world. There is a lot of value to this book for that reason alone. I absolutely believe in the necessity of giving teens characters who look like they do.
Disclaimer aside, the romance just didn't spark with me. Phil is fine as a character (although I did not like the crack he made about Maya's chest when they were swimming), and I felt for Maya when she was struggling with what her heart wanted and what conventions dictated she should go for, but I just was not invested in her relationship with Phil. It didn't speak to me in any real way, and on the whole I found it more of a run-of-the-mill romance.
To be honest, I thought her potential relationship with Kareem was more interesting. I was happy to read a portrayal of a supportive and nice Muslim young man, something that's in far too short supply, because, let's face it, representations of Muslim males in American media aren't usually positive. I respected what the author did with Maya making the mature decision that her relationship with Kareem was easier and more tempting than any potential relationship with Phil because of the ease, but I would have liked the romance element more had Maya gone for Kareem rather than Phil.
I was also very much invested in the cultural tensions Maya's choices caused for her. One thing I think is pretty universal is how difficult it is for children to clash with their parents' expectations for them. Maya's struggle felt very real and very painful, and I truly empathized with her. She was not in an easy position, caught between pursuing the life she wanted at the possible expense of her family connections and preserving family ties at the expense of her own professional happiness. That is no small thing to deal with, and I found this aspect of the novel engrossing.
Equally engrossing to me was the community reaction to the crime implicating a Muslim. Going into this book, I was hoping for an in-depth portrayal of a teen dealing with Islamophobia, and while those elements are there, I wish the novel had explored them in more detail. I found it at its visceral best when it showed specific instances of racial aggression against Maya and her family in the aftermath of the attack, despite that she and her family have nothing whatsoever to do with the crime that's committed. I strongly feel the U.S. has a history of painting the entire religion of Islam with a single brush, something that doesn't happen to Christians. That is appalling, and more than worthy of discussion, and to me that was the most important part of this book. I felt for Maya and her family, and as a parent myself, I could understand her mother's seemingly extreme reaction. How could you ever feel safe sending your child out into a world that's hostile to her simply because of the color of her skin and her religious beliefs?
Sadly, though, I don't think the book gets into this topic in enough depth. I don't want it to sound like I was looking for a lurid depiction, because I wasn't, but I was hoping to see more that would really give the reader a sense of what it was like to be in Maya's shoes, to suffer the kinds of microaggressions Muslims in the U.S. (and, sadly, in many other parts of the world) suffer. Instead, this book offers up only Brian. While I know it's an unfortunate truth that people like Brian exist, he's so repugnant that I don't see how any person with a modicum of decency can be okay with his actions. Far more nuanced, to me, was the way his buddies reacted at the theme park. That was the kind of thing I wanted to see in this book, because identifying and condemning blatant racism is a lot easier than dissecting the kind of cowardice Brian's friends exhibit is. I didn't want Maya to be under constant assault, but the only person in the book who seems to take issue with her because of her ethnic and religious background is Brian, and while that's certainly a bad thing, I feel like it waters down the book's message a bit because he's made out to be such an obvious villain.
Writing all this is uncomfortable for me, because I am not a person of color, and it's hard for me to critique how someone who is chooses to write about a character's experiences of her world. However, I wish I'd seen more of the subtle behavior highlighted because I want people like me to stop and feel discomfort over that, wondering what we're doing that's contributing to the problem. That's also uncomfortable for me to say, because I don't think it's up to people of color to educate white people. That's something we need to struggle with ourselves, to be certain.
All I can really say in conclusion is that this book was a letdown for me because I wasn't getting out of it what I hoped to get. That's on me, and I have no doubt a lot of readers will get plenty out of it. To me, that's the great thing about literature becoming more diverse: readers have a much better chance of finding books that personally click with them now than they have in the past, and that's a very good thing.
laureliz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
deepower7's review against another edition
3.0
I love the story, most of the plot, I love the rep. I've read some reviews from actual Indian Muslims and they don't really seem that happy, so I'll defer to them on that matter.
My main problem was the writing. The story takes a good 80 pages to start, and a lot of the time there are passages of writing that is pure lazy. I feel like the book needed at least one more round of finetuning with an editor, but they just didn't bother. I don't know if they thought the representation meant they didn't need to, but they should have! It would have made a good book great!
The first third of the book wastes a lot of time - incidentally, this is where the writing is most clunky, especially from the start. It's not a great beginning - it's one you have to power through. So that's where it lost its stars, but I appreciated the book for what it said and what it was doing, and overall it's enjoyable.
My main problem was the writing. The story takes a good 80 pages to start, and a lot of the time there are passages of writing that is pure lazy. I feel like the book needed at least one more round of finetuning with an editor, but they just didn't bother. I don't know if they thought the representation meant they didn't need to, but they should have! It would have made a good book great!
The first third of the book wastes a lot of time - incidentally, this is where the writing is most clunky, especially from the start. It's not a great beginning - it's one you have to power through. So that's where it lost its stars, but I appreciated the book for what it said and what it was doing, and overall it's enjoyable.
jess_mango's review against another edition
4.0
This book counts toward Reading Women 2019 Challenge task #11: A book featuring a religion other than your own
Maya is an American-born Indian Muslim living in an Illinois suburb. Her parents have high hopes for her future (going to college in IL, becoming a lawyer, marrying a suitable muslim boy), but that isn't really the future Maya sees for herself. She has a crush on a football player from her school and she dreams of being a film maker. She already feels "different" being the only muslim in her class.
Then there is a bombing in a nearby state. Maya and her family are suddenly subjected to anti-muslim speech and activity from some in the community.
This book was a quick read and was as cute and light as a book about an American Muslim teenage girl who deals with anti-muslim sentiment from a school mate can be. You can't help but root for Maya.
Maya is an American-born Indian Muslim living in an Illinois suburb. Her parents have high hopes for her future (going to college in IL, becoming a lawyer, marrying a suitable muslim boy), but that isn't really the future Maya sees for herself. She has a crush on a football player from her school and she dreams of being a film maker. She already feels "different" being the only muslim in her class.
Then there is a bombing in a nearby state. Maya and her family are suddenly subjected to anti-muslim speech and activity from some in the community.
This book was a quick read and was as cute and light as a book about an American Muslim teenage girl who deals with anti-muslim sentiment from a school mate can be. You can't help but root for Maya.
thepetitepunk's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't read the summary of Love, Hate, & Other Filters before starting it. This was definitely one of those books where I saw the cover, thought it was cute, and just assumed it was some cheesy romance.
However, Love, Hate, & Other Filters tackles a plethora of serious topics, from teen relationships, the college process, religious and cultural disagreements among generations, and Islamophobia. This story follows Maya, a Muslim high school senior whose dream is to make her love for filmography into a career. Although her family came from India, Maya was born and raised in America, which causes some familial controversy regarding expectations for college and relationships. Even though Maya's parents plan for her to study something practical at the close-to-home University of Chicago and maintain a relationship with a respectful, Muslim Indian boy, Maya dreams of attending New York University to study film, while also falling for a white boy named Phil.
The thing I loved about Love, Hate, & Other Filters was the careful balance of events. There were some more general"teenage issues", like discovering first loves and relationships and having issues with being able to attend one's dream college, which was realistically blended with larger, more oppressive issues, like Islamophobia, hate crimes, verbal aggression, microaggressions, etc. I think it was a very carefully executed mix of describing what it is like to grow up as a teenager who is both American and Muslim.
The only thing that kind of bothered me was Maya's relationships. She ends up kind of going out with two guys at once, one who she believes is still in a relationship. When Maya is interacting with these boys individually, I thought their relationships were sweet, but I didn't want to overlook the fact that some of Maya's and Phil's actions were a bit questionable given the other people they were still connected to.
Overall, I would highly recommend Love, Hate, & Other Filters. (Bonus points for it being an #ownvoices novel!) It's cute, frustrating, heartbreaking, and inspiring all at once.
However, Love, Hate, & Other Filters tackles a plethora of serious topics, from teen relationships, the college process, religious and cultural disagreements among generations, and Islamophobia. This story follows Maya, a Muslim high school senior whose dream is to make her love for filmography into a career. Although her family came from India, Maya was born and raised in America, which causes some familial controversy regarding expectations for college and relationships. Even though Maya's parents plan for her to study something practical at the close-to-home University of Chicago and maintain a relationship with a respectful, Muslim Indian boy, Maya dreams of attending New York University to study film, while also falling for a white boy named Phil.
The thing I loved about Love, Hate, & Other Filters was the careful balance of events. There were some more general"teenage issues", like discovering first loves and relationships and having issues with being able to attend one's dream college, which was realistically blended with larger, more oppressive issues, like Islamophobia, hate crimes, verbal aggression, microaggressions, etc. I think it was a very carefully executed mix of describing what it is like to grow up as a teenager who is both American and Muslim.
The only thing that kind of bothered me was Maya's relationships. She ends up kind of going out with two guys at once, one who she believes is still in a relationship. When Maya is interacting with these boys individually, I thought their relationships were sweet, but I didn't want to overlook the fact that some of Maya's and Phil's actions were a bit questionable given the other people they were still connected to.
Overall, I would highly recommend Love, Hate, & Other Filters. (Bonus points for it being an #ownvoices novel!) It's cute, frustrating, heartbreaking, and inspiring all at once.
kjthenerd3's review against another edition
4.0
Let me just say that overall, I really liked this book. I really liked the plot and how emotional it was (I cried). Really the only thing that made me give it four instead of five stars, is that I think it over-sympathized with the terrorist. I understand that, yes, he was human and yes, he had a backstory and a few reasons why he might be mad at the world because yes, he had an unfair life. But I personally feel like it ALMOST took away from the story. There was a lot about the terrorist and not enough mention of the victims. But overall, an amazing book that I would (and already have) recommend(ed) to friends!
jasapter's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia and Hate crime
nickscoby's review against another edition
3.0
This book has good moments but overall I think it's just ok. For starters, I really don't like Maya all that much. She's way too self loathing, which makes me feel uncomfortable given the subject matter. By the time we get to the second half, I started to wonder who this book is for? Unfortunately, I don't think the answer is Muslim American teens. Her parents, especially the mother, are presented in an unsympathetic one dimensional way. All that is good and right in this book is a pretty standard definition of white Americanness. And the ending is hella cheesy.