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naikaii's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
abbyl819's review against another edition
3.0
This story is definitely very character driven, as it felt like there was no plot. The writing and scenes were very emotional at times and Shadi and her situation had me tearing up at times because I definitely felt for her. However, the end felt very sudden and inconclusive, and it seemed like nothing had even happened yet. I wish it was longer, because it seemed like it was over before it even started.
eryn_elenath's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
4.5
brookey8888's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I enjoyed this, but I think that to much was happening and none of it get wrapped up or flushed out. I appreciate the topics discussed in this, all of them being hard and difficult conversations, but half of them weren’t even concluded. This also just felt off to me? I’m not Muslim so I can’t speak on the
Representation And the some of the topics discussed, but it just didn’t seem All that well done to me. I know the author is Muslim so maybe that’s her experience, but read reviews from Muslim readers.
Graphic: Bullying, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Islamophobia, Car accident, Grief, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Suicide attempt, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
minayaayy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sarahreads143's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
whimsyfaerie's review against another edition
1.0
- 1 star ༉‧₊˚
check tw !! .*•
0/5 spice ୨ৎ
i don’t even know how to begin with this review, but let me just preface this by saying these are my opinions, so please do not attack me for them!! i was really hoping to fall in love with an emotion of great delight because i rarely read books with muslim rep, let alone written by muslim authors, but let me just say: i couldn’t be more disappointed.
the writing was atrocious. it literally lacked everything: depth, feeling, description, etc. i felt like i was reading something a third grader wrote. like mafi would write, "the car sped away," and then under that line, she would write, "with a great roar, the car sped away." why are we repeating sentences?? just choose one: either the non-descriptive sentence or the slightly more descriptive sentence. i’m sorry, i just couldn’t stand her writing style. ://
all of the characters were so, so one-dimensional. just like the writing, they lacked everything needed to create solid, relatable characters. shadi was crazy annoying and had absolutely zero character development. why was she constantly praying for her father to die?? i couldn’t stand her, oh my god.
as a muslim girly myself, i feel like i have the credentials to speak up on the muslim representation, and let me just tell you: it was appalling. this book contained nothing but (harmful) stereotypes and an abundance of misrepresentation. i am actually disgusted by that conversation about burqa’s, i don’t even want to talk about it. why did literally every muslim character in this book do the exact opposite of what our religion teaches us?? i am just so fcking angry and upset that even though this book is written by a muslim, we still can’t get good muslim rep.
anyways, i truly would not waste your time by reading this book. if you do want to read a book that contains good muslim representation, i recommend love from a to z by s.k. ali !! i’m hoping that the rest of tahereh mafi’s books have much better representation (and writing) than this one does…
check tw !! .*•
0/5 spice ୨ৎ
i don’t even know how to begin with this review, but let me just preface this by saying these are my opinions, so please do not attack me for them!! i was really hoping to fall in love with an emotion of great delight because i rarely read books with muslim rep, let alone written by muslim authors, but let me just say: i couldn’t be more disappointed.
the writing was atrocious. it literally lacked everything: depth, feeling, description, etc. i felt like i was reading something a third grader wrote. like mafi would write, "the car sped away," and then under that line, she would write, "with a great roar, the car sped away." why are we repeating sentences?? just choose one: either the non-descriptive sentence or the slightly more descriptive sentence. i’m sorry, i just couldn’t stand her writing style. ://
all of the characters were so, so one-dimensional. just like the writing, they lacked everything needed to create solid, relatable characters. shadi was crazy annoying and had absolutely zero character development. why was she constantly praying for her father to die?? i couldn’t stand her, oh my god.
as a muslim girly myself, i feel like i have the credentials to speak up on the muslim representation, and let me just tell you: it was appalling. this book contained nothing but (harmful) stereotypes and an abundance of misrepresentation. i am actually disgusted by that conversation about burqa’s, i don’t even want to talk about it. why did literally every muslim character in this book do the exact opposite of what our religion teaches us?? i am just so fcking angry and upset that even though this book is written by a muslim, we still can’t get good muslim rep.
anyways, i truly would not waste your time by reading this book. if you do want to read a book that contains good muslim representation, i recommend love from a to z by s.k. ali !! i’m hoping that the rest of tahereh mafi’s books have much better representation (and writing) than this one does…
mamalovesfour's review against another edition
2.0
The writing was beautiful so I wanted to love it, but I couldn't follow the storyline.
inditravis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0