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jillaay_h's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Sexism
clairebartholomew549's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
I read this book in one sitting and found it incredibly compelling. Jenna, Kees, and Malak are easy to root for from the very beginning, and their reckoning with growing up and who they want to be feels very relatable and interesting. I adore books that talk about female friendship and how we support each other through huge life things, and every character's inner life felt vivid and detailed. I found myself absorbed and moved by this book, and the ending hit every note perfectly.
One thing that I find problematic, though - which other reviewers have extrapolated on far more eloquently than I will - was that the white love interests are depicted as "good feminists," while the Arab Muslim love interests are depicted as misogynistic, controlling, abusive, and all around awful men. Obviously everyone has their own experiences, and if that is the author's experience then I don't want to judge that or argue it is wrong. But I do think it's worth interrogating that juxtaposition, and the idea that every Muslim man - or at least most - are sexist and demeaning to their partners and writ large, especially given the raft of Islamophobia in the West and the persistent stereotypes about Muslim men and Muslim relationships. There are certainly many Muslim men who are not domineering and possessive; there are certainly many Muslim women who do not chafe at the societal and family expectations placed upon them (and we all have societal and family expectations thrust upon us, regardless of our religion, ethnicity, or nationality); and there are certainly Muslim families who do not subscribe to the mentality of the families in this book. It's not that I don't think narratives like this are meaningful - they are incredibly meaningful, and I get so much out of them. But there are a lot of books about chafing against Muslim expectations (as there are of chafing against any religion or culture, of course), and I wonder if that's a monolithic experience. Again, I am not Muslim, so I am not at all an authority on this - just wanted to name it.
One thing that I find problematic, though - which other reviewers have extrapolated on far more eloquently than I will - was that the white love interests are depicted as "good feminists," while the Arab Muslim love interests are depicted as misogynistic, controlling, abusive, and all around awful men. Obviously everyone has their own experiences, and if that is the author's experience then I don't want to judge that or argue it is wrong. But I do think it's worth interrogating that juxtaposition, and the idea that every Muslim man - or at least most - are sexist and demeaning to their partners and writ large, especially given the raft of Islamophobia in the West and the persistent stereotypes about Muslim men and Muslim relationships. There are certainly many Muslim men who are not domineering and possessive; there are certainly many Muslim women who do not chafe at the societal and family expectations placed upon them (and we all have societal and family expectations thrust upon us, regardless of our religion, ethnicity, or nationality); and there are certainly Muslim families who do not subscribe to the mentality of the families in this book. It's not that I don't think narratives like this are meaningful - they are incredibly meaningful, and I get so much out of them. But there are a lot of books about chafing against Muslim expectations (as there are of chafing against any religion or culture, of course), and I wonder if that's a monolithic experience. Again, I am not Muslim, so I am not at all an authority on this - just wanted to name it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Sexism, Classism, and Domestic abuse
znvisser's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.75
My expectations for this were high based on the ratings and that is always a tricky challenge to make true. For me, this novel consisted of two parts and the second half was definitely better.
The book starts out quite dialogue-heavy and at times it even felt like five year old twitter discourse in a novel. And - despite the obvious reasons for it which were in fact interesting and well-thought out - I felt Malak and Kees were too similar for too long (kept forgetting which details and man belonged to which woman) and their boyfriends were even harder to distinguish; in contrast, Jenna’s character stood out way more from the start, despite her more limited “screentime”. But while Malak and Kees’ stories do bounce off each other and dance together, Jenna is fairly seperated from them and mostly appearing as vehicle for some extra themes and subplots. Later on she is worked better into the overall story, but it still felt slightly disjointed and I feel she could’ve added more to this if the author were less busy drawing parallels.
Nevertheless, emotionally it picks up in the second half and that is where this story shines all along: the fights are often unhinged and always heartbreaking, and although mostly shown in glimpses, I loved the sibling relationships, and also the little pieces within chapters where we zoom out from the three friends and an omniscient narrator reveals a new emotional layer. Because of these strengths, this really was a a promising debut, making me curious to see what El-Wardany will come up with next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Rape, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Abortion
Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Islamophobia
katrinarose's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.0
This was such a nuanced heartfelt book about friendship, family, religion, and finding yourself. I think this book has excellent representation for Muslim women diaspora and would hit extra hard for these readers. I really liked all the characters, they were all unique and well developed. However for a book sold on female friendship, it was disappointing that the majority of the book they were not friends. I understand that drove home the point of the book in the end and it was really impactful, but I missed the friendship. Also, this book was so sad; I almost cried several times. Overall would recommend if you like sad books with these themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Sexism, Abortion, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Eating disorder, Grief, Alcohol, Medical content, Misogyny, War, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Vomit, and Classism
20sidedbi's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely brilliantly beautiful. A powerful reflection on friendship, love, and faith - all explored with a depth and consideration I'm not used to in books. Definitely check the content warnings before reading, but know that it's all handled really well and none of it is gratuitous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Abortion, and Misogyny
samanfa's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Body shaming, Abandonment, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
farnz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
“A woman has a way of screaming with her whole body that only other women can hear”(370) + “Potential, she had discovered was a powerful drug”(305). So true, i say this all the time. You date a person, not their potential. Trigger warning for rape, domestic abuse & violence. The last line of the acknowledgments😭❤️ makeup deets in comments
Every once in a while you come across book that has such a profound effect on you. It changes you. That’s this book for me. It made me cry, laugh, stress.. it pushed me to make a decision like Kees & Malek. I especially related to Balquees. When kees cried, I cried. I had to stop cause page 236-237 made me cry uncontrollably. Top book of 2022. I’m Iranian so I related to everything. Would recommend this to anyone but if you’re Muslim, middle eastern/Arab woman, I would 100% urge you to read it. I’m happy that I have a signed copy of this!
It follows 3 friends: Jenna (half Palestinian, half British), Malak (Egyptian) & Kees (Pakistani). I loved & worried for all 3. It shows the struggles of women & how our religion & culture can both nurture & crush us. The argument between malak & Kees (I felt that)- how do you choose between the love of your life & your family when this division is caused by religion. Eating all together with food laid on the cloth on the floor, therapy, the ultimatums around dating. Ali stressed me out (so possessive & controlling), kees’ siblings broke my heart cause I can’t imagine ANYTHING keeping me away from my sister & Jenna pushing ahead with something she doesn’t want just to make her family happy. The little lies exchanged between friends when you’re both struggling but afraid to open up. Just do yourself a favour & read it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Sexual violence
emilily's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Colonisation, and Rape
serenas_reads's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Pregnancy
lklitup's review
emotional
sad
tense
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
3.0
I wish this book had spent at least triple the amount of time on the friendship of Malak, Jenna, and Kees. Aside from the very, very beginning, and the last 70ish pages, their friendships with one another are thought of with nostalgia. These women exemplify all the best qualities of friendship, and I wanted to have seen more before they had to face their defining moments. The meat of this novel, the in-between, made it seem like everything happened to Malak, Jenna, and Kees; a seismic shift occurred upon their reconciliation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Rape