Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - The Henna Wars

Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

45 reviews

mishmosho's review

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hopeful lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

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atomicbritt's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted 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

3.25

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such a good book wow, it has really important conversations about racism and homophobia, and the story itself is great. the characters have lots of depth and are very loveable but also flawed, making them all the more realistic. i loved the celebration of culture in it, and the discussions around cultural appropriation vs appreciation. nishat is a really relatable main character and is written really well, i felt very connected to her. i also loved the portrayal of the sisters' relationship, and the romantic relationship was really well done too awe. all in all just a really nice book that also talks about important things. a bit heavy at times but overall extremely enjoyable :)

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annaem's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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emiliaduerr's review

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emotional hopeful informative lighthearted fast-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? No

3.5

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neighborhoodbeanreads's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

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

3.5

Prior to reading this book, I had read Jaigirdar's "Hani & Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating", and although I tried not to compare the two, the latter is much better than Henna Wars. I enjoyed the plot's focus on the nuances of cultural appropriation, and which cultures can appropriate versus appreciate different customs. The evolution of the romance between the love interest and the MC was well-thought out-- but I found the pacing of the story to be disjointed/choppy at times. I do think overall this was a really cute story of self-discovery, and did a great job of probing at the reader's own misconceptions regarding cultural appropriation.

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