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alaina11's review against another edition
4.0
4.5! if i knew what this book really had in store i would’ve read it a lot faster. this book is utterly heartbreaking but it seems to put the pieces right back together. i could complain but i don’t even want to. i loved it i loved it i loved it
shanipatel's review against another edition
5.0
this made me smile and cry (multiple times). appreciated this so much as a queer south asian ya lover. shout out to nanis who are always in your corner !! ~ 9/10
shaunaf99's review
4.0
Really good book with a very scary story!! Makes you think how hard it is for other people who are gay. Only thing I wasn’t 100% on with the book is that I got really confused with the characters and mixing up who is who. There is not much explanation on who certain characters are. But overall really good read that will make you cry.
mnboyer's review against another edition
5.0
PopSugar 2023 reading challenge #22
This book is absolutely amazing if you're looking for an LGBT YA story with a BIPOC lead. Rukhsana knows she's a lesbian but cannot find a way to tell her parents. When her mother catches her with her girlfriend, Ariana, everything spirals out of control. Not only do the parents not understand, their culture keeps them even attempting to understand. They're more concerned with how others will look upon the family than their own daughter's happiness.
They go as far as to take Rukhsana back to Bangladesh and try to marry her off to eligible bachelor's, lock her away in her room, and try to get a quack to remove a jinn from her body. Yikes! Just... yikes. Rukhsana finds many allies along the way (there's even some attempted bearding going on) and finds herself back in the US. But will this family ever be able to accept one another for who they are?
Strong, poignant, and a YA book that we should all be reading!
This book is absolutely amazing if you're looking for an LGBT YA story with a BIPOC lead. Rukhsana knows she's a lesbian but cannot find a way to tell her parents. When her mother catches her with her girlfriend, Ariana, everything spirals out of control. Not only do the parents not understand, their culture keeps them even attempting to understand. They're more concerned with how others will look upon the family than their own daughter's happiness.
They go as far as to take Rukhsana back to Bangladesh and try to marry her off to eligible bachelor's, lock her away in her room, and try to get a quack to remove a jinn from her body. Yikes! Just... yikes. Rukhsana finds many allies along the way (there's even some attempted bearding going on) and finds herself back in the US. But will this family ever be able to accept one another for who they are?
Strong, poignant, and a YA book that we should all be reading!
thatsoooonana's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Rape, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
julie_responsibly's review against another edition
4.0
Pros: representation, good story
Cons: sloppy editing, an ending that is tied up with a big happy bow. Sometimes the best lesson is learning how to deal with parents that won't change.
Cons: sloppy editing, an ending that is tied up with a big happy bow. Sometimes the best lesson is learning how to deal with parents that won't change.
anna_f_wagner's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Getting to read about a queer Bengali was exciting but this book is rough! It is INCREDIBLY full of trauma and pretty horrific emotional and physical violence, but then it wraps up with a pretty bow. You also don’t really root for any of the characters or relationships because the writing is soo dry. I appreciate getting to read the queer diaspora experience but this just wasn’t it for me (and I think will be incredibly triggering for a lot of queer folks, especially queer youth)
kaitlyn_hantz's review against another edition
3.0
This was a interesting read. It started off so slow that 100 pages in I had to switch to the audiobook otherwise I wasn't going to finish. The audiobook was a good choice though. It was very interesting to read about another culture and the struggles the main character faces with coming out to her parents. I really loved the relationship she had with her grandma.
whoaitslei's review against another edition
3.0
3.5*
This book started out a bit bland for me. I didn't like the writing style, it almost felt like a fanfiction sort of writing (in a lot of novels that have come out recently I have noticed this pattern). But once it got good it got really good. Though this isn't my favorite book ever I applaud how the author wrote about the culture and being queer, and I would recommend it if someone asked me.
This book started out a bit bland for me. I didn't like the writing style, it almost felt like a fanfiction sort of writing (in a lot of novels that have come out recently I have noticed this pattern). But once it got good it got really good. Though this isn't my favorite book ever I applaud how the author wrote about the culture and being queer, and I would recommend it if someone asked me.
bo0's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It made me cry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Confinement, Religious bigotry, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault