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avidbooknerd2028's review against another edition
5.0
WOW....This book was beautifully done.
This book had beautiful writing and a very intense story. It had me feeling all the feelings and wanting to hug the MC. I will put some more thoughts in once my emotions aren't so high!
Just know that I highly recommend this book, especially if you need to shed a few tears.
This book had beautiful writing and a very intense story. It had me feeling all the feelings and wanting to hug the MC. I will put some more thoughts in once my emotions aren't so high!
Just know that I highly recommend this book, especially if you need to shed a few tears.
simran_deb's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so sad. I really enjoyed it though but I do think it felt half written like it should of been 50-100 more pages??
danareadzz's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so short but so hard to keep reading it it’s not because it’s bad noooo because tahereh wrote about grief, lost, longing for love, loneliness in a beautiful way that made me feel all these feelings for real somehow i was shadi, i cried so much reading it, tahereh never fails me, lastly rip mehdi I loved him and his flaws, i don’t want to go through what shadi went through cuz i love my brother too much, and ali!!!! Oh my love he is perfect
zarfus211's review against another edition
dark
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
3.75
The end killed me a little because I wanted the book to keep going
musaho's review against another edition
4.0
Compelling, heartbreaking, hopeful. Really enjoyed it. I'm not going to review this book, but rather defend it because I'm starting to realize that a lot of people aren't too fond of the story for reasons I disagree with. All opinions, however, are valid. So if you hated this book, you're not wrong. These are just my opinions.
I'm seeing a lot of unfair critiques of the book from especially Muslim reviewers, who don't feel like the book properly represented them. While representation is great, representation politics has one major flaw - the idea that we EXPECT to be represented by books that seem to be about characters that are like us. Just because this is a Muslim-American story does not mean that it is MEANT to represent all Muslim-American experiences. I don't think that authors and their stories (especially those underrepresented in literature) should be burdened with the weight of having to properly represent the groups that their characters belong to. We are collectives but we're also individuals and should not expect that a story about someone with a similar background is going to fully reflect our own experiences. Besides, I think seeing yourself in a story is consequential. It's an added bonus, but it should not be something that you expect from an author nor should it be something the author is required to pander to.
I agree that there's an oversaturation of YA Muslim novels that talk about political issues, racism, Islamophobia and problems within the Muslim community while simultaneously not talking about Islam. Books like ALL AMERICAN MUSLIM GIRL and LOVE FROM A TO Z are rarities in the sense that they are two of the only YA Muslim novels that actually talk about the main characters' relationship with the faith of Islam itself, as opposed to just representing Islam as a socio-cultural identity sans religiosity (like most Muslim YA, including this book).
But here's the thing, Tahereh Mafi does not owe us that. If she wants to write a story about a Muslim character who is not religious or whose religiosity is not explored on the page, that's her prerogative. I do not think that this book leaving out the 'Islamic representation' is an inherent flaw in the story. In my very humble opinion, these critiques are less about the quality of the story and more about what reviewers are subjectively expecting from it. It's okay to be disappointed that the book didn't go there, but that doesn't make the story objectively bad. I think the issue is that publishing is afraid to put out more 'religious' Islamic stories, and would much rather ride the current trend of 'political' YA when it comes to publishing Muslim books.
I understand that many Muslims will have issues with the book - the lack of religious exploration, the main character being a smoker and having pre-marital contact with a boy, her brother being a substance user, etc. But none of these things make it a bad story. And just because the book is not ideologically aligned with you, does not make this any less a valid Muslim story. Surprise, some of us are not perfect and it's okay for Muslims to write stories that explore that imperfection and complexity.
I'm seeing a lot of unfair critiques of the book from especially Muslim reviewers, who don't feel like the book properly represented them. While representation is great, representation politics has one major flaw - the idea that we EXPECT to be represented by books that seem to be about characters that are like us. Just because this is a Muslim-American story does not mean that it is MEANT to represent all Muslim-American experiences. I don't think that authors and their stories (especially those underrepresented in literature) should be burdened with the weight of having to properly represent the groups that their characters belong to. We are collectives but we're also individuals and should not expect that a story about someone with a similar background is going to fully reflect our own experiences. Besides, I think seeing yourself in a story is consequential. It's an added bonus, but it should not be something that you expect from an author nor should it be something the author is required to pander to.
I agree that there's an oversaturation of YA Muslim novels that talk about political issues, racism, Islamophobia and problems within the Muslim community while simultaneously not talking about Islam. Books like ALL AMERICAN MUSLIM GIRL and LOVE FROM A TO Z are rarities in the sense that they are two of the only YA Muslim novels that actually talk about the main characters' relationship with the faith of Islam itself, as opposed to just representing Islam as a socio-cultural identity sans religiosity (like most Muslim YA, including this book).
But here's the thing, Tahereh Mafi does not owe us that. If she wants to write a story about a Muslim character who is not religious or whose religiosity is not explored on the page, that's her prerogative. I do not think that this book leaving out the 'Islamic representation' is an inherent flaw in the story. In my very humble opinion, these critiques are less about the quality of the story and more about what reviewers are subjectively expecting from it. It's okay to be disappointed that the book didn't go there, but that doesn't make the story objectively bad. I think the issue is that publishing is afraid to put out more 'religious' Islamic stories, and would much rather ride the current trend of 'political' YA when it comes to publishing Muslim books.
I understand that many Muslims will have issues with the book - the lack of religious exploration, the main character being a smoker and having pre-marital contact with a boy, her brother being a substance user, etc. But none of these things make it a bad story. And just because the book is not ideologically aligned with you, does not make this any less a valid Muslim story. Surprise, some of us are not perfect and it's okay for Muslims to write stories that explore that imperfection and complexity.
talesofaliteraryaddict's review against another edition
3.0
Another book that started somewhere and forgot the plot points. I enjoyed it to an extent but there are so many holes in the narrative that I’m still a little confused
s_k8's review against another edition
5.0
Breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. I will read this book over and over again for the poetic prose, the emotion, the humanity, and the beauty of trying to figure oneself out in the midst of suffering.
rebecca_chu's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5