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taliabasma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.75
I loved this book. Dua and Hassan 🥺 are you kidding me? This was the love story I thought I’d have in high school haha but no actually this was so adorable, relatable, and perfect for Ramadan.
I will say it read less as a romance and more as a coming of age. Islamically, I understand why, but still wish Hassan was in it more considering the ending.
I will say it read less as a romance and more as a coming of age. Islamically, I understand why, but still wish Hassan was in it more considering the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, and Islamophobia
booktribe's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
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: Islamophobia
Moderate: Hate crime
katieav's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
I really enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and even having a decent knowledge of Islam and Ramadan I felt like the writing allowed such a personal account of how special the practices are.
There were two aspects of the book I did not love, with the first being everyone’s perception of Dua at the beginning of the story. Now this may be a tad biased because I absolutely adored Dua, but it frustrated me that Mahnoor was so cold to her, my understanding was that Mahnoor was in her early 20s and I would have never treated my cousin a few years younger than me like that. I also felt her uncle was judgmental when she seemed to be a great young woman, even if not perfect. The second thing I was disappointed in was the romance aspect. While I loved how it began, the ending forboth Mahnoor and Dua seemed rushed. One of Mahnoor’s concerns was that she wasn’t sure if he cared for her prior to the proposal and it appeared that Dua was going through the same thing by the end. While it may be part of her culture, I just wished the time jump was a little further out since during the conversation with her mother they were not hoping to have her engaged so young. I loved at first when he said he wanted his parents to share his intentions with hers, but wish it had ended there.
Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read and I’m so grateful to have read it-especially during Ramadan.
There were two aspects of the book I did not love, with the first being everyone’s perception of Dua at the beginning of the story. Now this may be a tad biased because I absolutely adored Dua, but it frustrated me that Mahnoor was so cold to her, my understanding was that Mahnoor was in her early 20s and I would have never treated my cousin a few years younger than me like that. I also felt her uncle was judgmental when she seemed to be a great young woman, even if not perfect. The second thing I was disappointed in was the romance aspect. While I loved how it began, the ending for
Overall it was a quick and enjoyable read and I’m so grateful to have read it-especially during Ramadan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Gun violence
charmingreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
4.0
this book is really awesome! i love the characters so much, they’re all so vivid and real. the romance is so sweet and adorable. along with the story being great, the book actually informs a lot about islam which is very nice. definitely recommend!!
age rating: 13+
age rating: 13+
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Islamophobia
courtnoodles's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
Cute, but romance is way too high in the genres in my opinion. Almost nonexistent. Reads kind of young, but could probably be super meaningful to young Muslim readers. Happy Ramadan!
"Feeling 22 in 2022": A Taylor Swift Book Challenge - A book with "love" in the title
"Feeling 22 in 2022": A Taylor Swift Book Challenge - A book with "love" in the title
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, Islamophobia, and Racism
Minor: Medical content
varo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
stephanieridiculous's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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? No
3.5
Super cute, feel good coming of age/faith story. There was some unexpected heaviness in the middle, and there were quite a few scenes that kind of fell flat/missed the landing for me, but overall it was enjoyable & heartwarming. I in particular enjoy learning more about how other faiths live out their practices and Salaam, with Love has that in spades.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Islamophobia
Moderate: Hate crime
bookishbasma's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, the TITLE. I will never stop getting a thrill from seeing Arabic/Islamic words on mainstream books (you should have seen my face when the title of Love from Mecca to Medina dropped).
This was such a cute and heartwarming book! While I do think it’s slightly inaccurate to call it a romance, the romance that was there was adorable and I loved it! But this book was really about finding your faith and your family amidst struggle, especially in the month of Ramadan. Honestly this book just really made me miss Ramadan and had me checking my countdown to it
As far as Muslim rep goes, I really enjoyed this one, aside from some minor things. I really liked the emphasis on our holidays and the core of our faith, that Allah never burdens us beyond that we can bear.
TW: intense Islamophobia, gun violence
This was such a cute and heartwarming book! While I do think it’s slightly inaccurate to call it a romance, the romance that was there was adorable and I loved it! But this book was really about finding your faith and your family amidst struggle, especially in the month of Ramadan. Honestly this book just really made me miss Ramadan and had me checking my countdown to it
As far as Muslim rep goes, I really enjoyed this one, aside from some minor things. I really liked the emphasis on our holidays and the core of our faith, that Allah never burdens us beyond that we can bear.
TW: intense Islamophobia, gun violence
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Islamophobia
stephsbooktalk's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Audiobook: I want to thank the Bad Bitch Book Club for putting this book on my radar that I normally would not have picked out myself. I have very limited knowledge of Ramadan so that was refreshing to read about a holiday that isn't normally spotlighted.
This was such a quick listen & the book isn't too long if you are looking for a quick, cute YA read. Dua is visiting her family for a month in New York City during the holy month. I had to chuckle with Dua when she talks about her struggle during fasting at the start of the holiday. I would feel those same struggles.
Dua gets to meet other Muslims while visiting which is overwhelming as she is from a smaller town and doesn't know any other in her school. She becomes smitten with a young man who is brother of her cousin's fiancee. He helps Dua learns the text of Quran at which during this time they become close. Along with Dua we also follow her cousin Mahnoor and her dilemma with being in an arranged marriage.
There is a moment that happens to her younger cousin as a result of Islamophobia.
I was surprised at the ending which I will not ruin but my gosh it seemed so rushed!!!!
I will admit that I rushed through the audio to make sure that I got through it before a discussion so my memory of everything is a bit foggy. And now its been days since I listened, which makes writing this review a bit tougher.
This was such a quick listen & the book isn't too long if you are looking for a quick, cute YA read. Dua is visiting her family for a month in New York City during the holy month. I had to chuckle with Dua when she talks about her struggle during fasting at the start of the holiday. I would feel those same struggles.
Dua gets to meet other Muslims while visiting which is overwhelming as she is from a smaller town and doesn't know any other in her school. She becomes smitten with a young man who is brother of her cousin's fiancee. He helps Dua learns the text of Quran at which during this time they become close. Along with Dua we also follow her cousin Mahnoor and her dilemma with being in an arranged marriage.
There is a moment that happens to her younger cousin as a result of Islamophobia.
I was surprised at the ending which I will not ruin but my gosh it seemed so rushed!!!!
I will admit that I rushed through the audio to make sure that I got through it before a discussion so my memory of everything is a bit foggy. And now its been days since I listened, which makes writing this review a bit tougher.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Islamophobia
this_momma_is_booked's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
YA Lit has come so far from when I was a young adult myself and I am so happy to see the quality and diversity of works young people have access to today. This book was beautifully written, filled with diversity and growth and heart. I loved learning about the Muslim culture, a culture so different from my own. I loved exploring their customs, their beliefs, their relationships to religion and each other.
I enjoyed almost every single aspect of this book except for two. First off, I did feel that the book came off as a bit preachy in terms of what it meant to be a "good" Muslim. The way Dua's parents raised her was put into stark contrast with the way her cousins were raised and the dialogue surrounding that (and Dua's Ramadan checklist) made it seem as if that was the "wrong" way and Dua would now be learning how to do it all properly. I can respect that she wanted to learn more about the origins of the holiday and how it looks for different people, but I feel like the language surrounding it was charged in such a way as to insinuate that there is only one "right" way to be a Muslim (and, by extension, a Catholic, Christian, Jew, etc.). The other aspect of the book I didn't enjoy was Dua and Hassan's engagement at the very end. I understand that it is not uncommon for young Muslim people to become engaged, and my issue with it wasn't the age at all. It was the fact that it was so unlike Dua and the way she was raised. In her conversation with her parents, they even told her that they would put feelers out in a few years. To have her become engaged to Hassan after only knowing him for a couple months felt disingenuous to the character .
During our discussion of the book (over at Bad Bitch Book Club - check them out!), there was also talk about whether the shooting that occurred in the book was necessary or whether it broke with the idea of a romance novel. While I agree that having a shooting come out of nowhere is shocking, I feel like it is an accurate portrayal of how this trauma impacts everyday life. We, as a society, have become so accustomed to racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, discrimination, etc., that we are desensitized to how these things affect people in very real ways. The shooting symbolized the very sudden way these issues come into clear focus when they lead to harm of someone we love. And while it's not often we see this subject matter in romance, particularly YA romance, it does still fall within the scope of the romance formula because there is a happy ending.
All in all I highly enjoyed this book and I suggest you all read it! The audiobook is excellent and really helped with the pronunciation of words that were foreign to me.
I enjoyed almost every single aspect of this book except for two. First off, I did feel that the book came off as a bit preachy in terms of what it meant to be a "good" Muslim. The way Dua's parents raised her was put into stark contrast with the way her cousins were raised and the dialogue surrounding that (and Dua's Ramadan checklist) made it seem as if that was the "wrong" way and Dua would now be learning how to do it all properly. I can respect that she wanted to learn more about the origins of the holiday and how it looks for different people, but I feel like the language surrounding it was charged in such a way as to insinuate that there is only one "right" way to be a Muslim (and, by extension, a Catholic, Christian, Jew, etc.). The other aspect of the book I didn't enjoy was
During our discussion of the book (over at Bad Bitch Book Club - check them out!), there was also talk about whether the shooting that occurred in the book was necessary or whether it broke with the idea of a romance novel. While I agree that having a shooting come out of nowhere is shocking, I feel like it is an accurate portrayal of how this trauma impacts everyday life. We, as a society, have become so accustomed to racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, discrimination, etc., that we are desensitized to how these things affect people in very real ways. The shooting symbolized the very sudden way these issues come into clear focus when they lead to harm of someone we love. And while it's not often we see this subject matter in romance, particularly YA romance, it does still fall within the scope of the romance formula because there is a happy ending.
All in all I highly enjoyed this book and I suggest you all read it! The audiobook is excellent and really helped with the pronunciation of words that were foreign to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Xenophobia, Hate crime, and Islamophobia