Reviews with content warning for Racism - Good Intentions

Reviews tagging 'Racism'

heiparra's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Very slow paced and at times boring. Ending was disappointing yet satisfying at the same time. Book delivers good messages. Main character can be insufferable at times.

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aliquid's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

a sigh of relief when she broke up with him

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natashaball's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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sprucewillow's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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the_maccheroncini's review

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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stvrlightt_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Firstly, this book doesn’t portray muslims properly as the MCs engage in acts that are prohibited by islam such as drinking alcohol, smoking weed, having sex as well as living together before marriage. Secondly, I felt like their relationship was somewhat unhealthy, as i felt like Nur didn’t have the space to address his mental health issues with Yasmina, and at the same time I felt like Yasmina was mistreated. Also, as much as it is inclusive, it is inaccurate in its portrayal of a gay muslim guy.

Very happy about that ending to be honest but i would have loved to explore Nur and Rahat’s relationship more as I felt like somethings were left unresolved.

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shaziareads's review against another edition

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challenging reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Good Intentions features Nur, our anxiety ridden main character who has been hiding his relationship with Yamina, a black Muslim, from his traditional Pakistani parents--for 4 years.

Although Nur's perspective can be frustrating to read at times, I did have to consistently remind myself that in his mind, revealing his relationship could potentially cause issues with his parents. And this may not make sense to a lot of readers, but I'm sure it will strike a chord with desi readers, particularly any that may be in "secret" interracial/interreligious/queer relationships. And it also brings up the very real issue of racism in Muslim communities, whether they acknowledge it or not.

There is another character that is mentioned in the book, and although not directly featured, is Nur's good friend Imran. Imran is a gay Muslim, and throughout the book, goes through his own struggle with coming out to his family and dealing with the aftermath. He also mentions his perspective of being queer but still identifying as a Muslim - and I think that's so important. Being gay is another topic that is so taboo in many communities, but queer Muslims do exist. And having this representation of a character who is gay but still identifies with his religion is so great. It shows that these individuals do not need to choose one identity over the other.

Overall, I think this book was okay with its Muslim representation. It wasn't great, and I know a lot of Muslims tend to hate when the representation features characters that are not practicing. And yeah, it does kind of suck to have these characters depict a group of people. But at the end of the day, it's a realistic representation. And representation does not mean this is a role model, or someone to look up to. It's just one pov out of a larger, diverse group that is filled with many different cultures and views.

I'd give this book a 3.5, rounding up for Goodreads.

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