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hannahdudley's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
dilkaur231's review against another edition
2.0
This book seemed promising but instead was triggering and very difficult to get through because the plot and characters were so frustrating. Also the love interest is completely unlikeable and is just another clueless white person and we’re just…supposed to be okay with that I guess…But I’m glad this book exists for the sake of more diverse South Asian stories, I just wish it was done better.
kendrra_payne_'s review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the book and I loved getting a glimpse into a different culture. However, I was not a fan of the main characters, and the writing was very repetitive. Some of the minor characters were more appealing and I was more excited to read about them. But I did like many of the story elements and the events that occurred while Rukhsana was in Bangladesh.
ldccrist_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thatlizhunter's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, lots of thoughts. Will post a full review soon.
UPDATE - Here's my review!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a great exploration of a Bangladeshi-American teenager's life, as well as a great way to highlight muslim faith and LGBTQ issues.
The characters were developed, the plot kept me on my toes, and I liked the ending. I also think the author did a fantastic job of showing how some people are mistreated and misconceptions about other people's cultures. It's a great diverse book.
So why not five stars? Mainly because this book is hard and dealt with so many really bad things. Not as in bad writing, but bad stuff that happened to characters that weighed my heart down.
Trigger and spoiler warnings now
This story is about a Bangladeshi Muslim American teenager, Rukhsana. Rukhsana is brilliant, has a full ride scholarship to CalTech and has a girlfriend. When her parents find out, they drag her to Bangladesh and try to force her into a marriage.
I liked the story but the stuff that happened in Bangladesh was just too much. I know people do horrible things to LGBTQ people around the world. Knowing and reading a fictionalized account is very different. It's just more emotionally hard and intense. I also felt like the characters who initiated these horrible things didn't really come to terms with their actions? Yes they stopped, but it felt like gay characters paid the price more than the oppressors?
End of spoilers/triggers
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone's who is in a healthy place emotionally. The cultural rep is AMAZING and now I'd really like to makes some authentic chai.
Also, I listened to the audiobook and I loved how it's read!
UPDATE - Here's my review!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book! I think it was a great exploration of a Bangladeshi-American teenager's life, as well as a great way to highlight muslim faith and LGBTQ issues.
The characters were developed, the plot kept me on my toes, and I liked the ending. I also think the author did a fantastic job of showing how some people are mistreated and misconceptions about other people's cultures. It's a great diverse book.
So why not five stars? Mainly because this book is hard and dealt with so many really bad things. Not as in bad writing, but bad stuff that happened to characters that weighed my heart down.
Trigger and spoiler warnings now
This story is about a Bangladeshi Muslim American teenager, Rukhsana. Rukhsana is brilliant, has a full ride scholarship to CalTech and has a girlfriend. When her parents find out, they drag her to Bangladesh and try to force her into a marriage.
I liked the story but the stuff that happened in Bangladesh was just too much. I know people do horrible things to LGBTQ people around the world. Knowing and reading a fictionalized account is very different. It's just more emotionally hard and intense. I also felt like the characters who initiated these horrible things didn't really come to terms with their actions? Yes they stopped, but it felt like gay characters paid the price more than the oppressors?
End of spoilers/triggers
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone's who is in a healthy place emotionally. The cultural rep is AMAZING and now I'd really like to makes some authentic chai.
Also, I listened to the audiobook and I loved how it's read!
bushraboblai's review against another edition
5.0
I had to put this book down multiple times because I couldn’t stop crying. I’m really glad Rukhsana got a happy ending but I’m also devastated that Sohail didn’t -especially because the really life fate of Sohail was equally as horrifying.
Give this book to your younger siblings and to your parents. This is important.
Give this book to your younger siblings and to your parents. This is important.
jenlouisegallant's review against another edition
4.0
This was a rough one to get through. I was so angry at her parents for putting her through all of that, but I'm also an outsider looking into this culture, so I only have my own viewpoint. The tears were close near the end. I'm not sure if the end is believable though, even though I want it to be.
mckinlay's review against another edition
3.0
2/9/19- finished on audiobook! 3.5 stars
12/11/18 DNFing at page 72... i'm not vibing with the writing, but i might come back to it in the future.
12/11/18 DNFing at page 72... i'm not vibing with the writing, but i might come back to it in the future.
mediocre_writings's review against another edition
4.0
This was a hard one to read.
I had read through some of the reviews before reading the actual book (accidentally spoiling a huge plot-point, because someone in this review-section forgot to hide their spoilers), so I knew this was not going to be rainbows and roses, but that didn’t make it easier to read.
I probably didn’t read it at the ideal time in my life either, but that’s not important.
Now, I am a white person, so I can’t really speak for most of the culture being shown in this book, except to say that I really enjoyed getting to know it.
I generally liked reading a queer book that stood apart from the usual White/American/European MCs, to get to know a story of someone whose culture is so different from my own (if you can call mine even a culture, lol).
Nevertheless, as a queer person, a lot of the things, especially the homophobia in this book hurt on a personal level
Some of the scenes in this book were genuinely terrifying. It wasn’t the kind nail-biting-mortal-danger-for-a-few-chapters kind of fear, it was just that nagging in the back of my head that something was about to go very, very wrong.
I truly admire Sabina Khan for being able to bring that feeling across so vividly. It wasn’t just that fear that seemed to jump off the page, it was all the huge emotions within this book, the love, the happiness, the anger and rage
The only reason this book is not a five-star-read for me is because of the last chapters. I can’t explain it without spoilering anything.
I also realise that the character of Rukhsana’s mother went through something more terrible than I could ever imagine, but I can’t forgive her actions because of it.
I also thought the turn-around of her parents was a bit too quick. Yes, someone’s death can fundamentally change a person but this development still seemed a bit rushed to me.
4,4/5 stars
I had read through some of the reviews before reading the actual book (accidentally spoiling a huge plot-point, because someone in this review-section forgot to hide their spoilers), so I knew this was not going to be rainbows and roses, but that didn’t make it easier to read.
I probably didn’t read it at the ideal time in my life either, but that’s not important.
Now, I am a white person, so I can’t really speak for most of the culture being shown in this book, except to say that I really enjoyed getting to know it
Spoiler
even though it was overshadowed by the extreme homophobiaI generally liked reading a queer book that stood apart from the usual White/American/European MCs, to get to know a story of someone whose culture is so different from my own (if you can call mine even a culture, lol).
Nevertheless, as a queer person, a lot of the things, especially the homophobia in this book hurt on a personal level
Spoiler
and when Sohail died, even though it had been spoilered for me, it felt like a physical punch, not because I was so attached to the character, but because I realised how realistic the scenario was. How this is a story that actual, real people across the world could tell. To know that, if I had been born under different circumstances, into a different family, this could be something I would have to go through, just because of who I am, that hurt.Some of the scenes in this book were genuinely terrifying. It wasn’t the kind nail-biting-mortal-danger-for-a-few-chapters kind of fear, it was just that nagging in the back of my head that something was about to go very, very wrong.
I truly admire Sabina Khan for being able to bring that feeling across so vividly. It wasn’t just that fear that seemed to jump off the page, it was all the huge emotions within this book, the love, the happiness, the anger and rage
Spoiler
and also the grief that numbs everything. In that regard, one quote that struck out to me was towards the end, after Sohail died:“I wanted to reach out and hold him. To cry with him and try to make sense of this insanity. But all I could do was say his name over and over again while his heart broke thousands of miles away.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” His voice quivered with tears and mine finally came. I could do nothing to stop them. I didn’t want to.
The only reason this book is not a five-star-read for me is because of the last chapters. I can’t explain it without spoilering anything.
Spoiler
I just thought that would never be able to forgive anyone for doing to me what Rukhsana’s parents did to her. I know that my culture is very different and that I probably just don’t get how much family means to her, so it might just be my own ignorance keeping me from fully enjoying this book.I also realise that the character of Rukhsana’s mother went through something more terrible than I could ever imagine, but I can’t forgive her actions because of it.
I also thought the turn-around of her parents was a bit too quick. Yes, someone’s death can fundamentally change a person but this development still seemed a bit rushed to me.
4,4/5 stars
mango123's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a great book; I couldn't put it down. Unlike other recent YA books that have a Desi-American protagonist (think From Twinkle with Love by Sandhya Menon), this novel had realistic dialogue, realistic characters and serious plotlines. I loved that Sabina Khan actually explored the conflict between Rukhsana and her parents, rather than making them magically okay with her orientation or quick to accept her. I particularly loved the scene where Like much of the book, the dialogues and emotions during that scene were so raw, painful, and real. Halfway through the book, I had to check the end to . My one complaint about this book was that the ending seemed too rushed and a tad unrealistic. .