Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Henna Wars

This is a romance genre novel and the chemistry is just...not there. It's not nearly convincing enough for me to think that these characters were made for each other. If I had to describe this book, it'd be an enemies-to-lovers gone wrong except they end up together and that's the reason why it went wrong. The will-they-won't-they is just not believable. The author covers racism and homophobia; for the most part, it's handled pretty well from a writing perspective. However, the romance is an afterthought despite being a core part of the plot. I feel like the conversations that needed to happen between the main character and the cast (the "deep" conversations if you will) needed to happen A LOT sooner. I honestly can't see why the main character even likes her crush and vice versa other than "she's pretty" like come on you have to do better than that.

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nikexistiertnik's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.0

i feel like the story could have been explored in a little more depth, some parts felt really unfinished or rushed, but overall, i liked this book a lot.
the relationships were never just "one thing", and i feel like the book authentically conveys the grayness of connection and culture, while also communicating clearly that some things are to be seen in black and white, because sometimes it's just that simple.

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arrow2507's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

4.5

Diverse lesbians and they live in Ireland and its rivals to lovers and it’s adorable

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yolie's review

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing 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

4.25

I raced through this book! What a sweet novel, that took me less than a minute to devour.

Although the main character Nishat can be bratty, I think it’s important to realise she’s a teenage girl and their thoughts and actions may not be as well thought out or logical as we’d like them to be.

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