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tahsintries's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Islamophobia
noyastan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Moderate: Xenophobia, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Outing
Minor: Car accident
phua_jieying's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
bookwormbullet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Racism and Islamophobia
ribs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
the groundbreaker of this book, aside from its modern-day aladdin plot, is the orpheus and eurydice parallels that kept going back and forth between reggie’s backstory and sy’s enthralling journey.
it was a fun ride reading this because i liked naz kutub’s storytelling but it’s too fast-paced for my liking; the characters, especially reggie, had inconsistencies—it was very hard to put my finger on her because her attitude kept going on opposites in every chapter. the chapters are short and even though the direction of where the story is going is well-paced, the destination is stale compared to the build up.
this book passably discussed the struggles felt by muslims and brown people. i did not like the fact that this book made it seem like its main brown character couldn’t care less about those struggles just because he had been sheltered by his parents from the conflicts his own people experience—not to mention, he had visible experiences of said struggles. there’s a scene, however, where he briefly acknowledged his privilege, but it was brushed off and the story focused on finding farouk again.
i felt like the ending bit was rushed and it could have been more detailed. i felt that this book had a shortage of putting enough details in a scene, which made them lack solidity and felt hollowed out when read.
overall, i did like the premise of this book. it was fine for a debut but the progression could’ve been better.
Graphic: Islamophobia, Racism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Homophobia
Moderate: Outing
lettuce_read's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism and Outing
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
The Loophole is a book that kept intriguing me. While there's very much this central mystery - of whether Sy will be reunited - there are interspersed chapters of a Djinn story. And that added element ended up fascinating me more than I even expected. In this other POV, we are introduced to the greediness, to the love and kindness, of humanity. And when it finally come together - I gasped aloud. But back to Sy's character, my heart broke for him. For the abuse and homophobia Sy experiences from his father.
The ways his family is forced to choose. And The Loophole puts our emotions through the ringer. There's anger, heartbreak, surprise, and fear. For me, reading The Loophole felt like it had a long exposition where the action and the intrigue increased and once it did, there was this moment of clarity. Definitely keep reading to that point! Overall, The Loophole is an ode to the agency in our lives, while also examining the ways we may not be able to act.
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Racism
booksdogsandcoffee's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I went into the loophole thinking it would be an epic love story, but was pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t the meat of the story. It touched on some very hard and difficult topics( done very well and with care) that are happening in the us and around the world.
Favorite quote:
“Being gay isn’t something I choose I just am”
Cw
Homophobia
Outing
Abusive parent
Beating
Religious trauma
Islamaphobia
Child abuse
Graphic: Islamophobia, Child abuse, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
pagesofbellerose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Child abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, and Homophobia
Minor: Grief and Medical content