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cats33's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Bullying and Vomit
alainajreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall this was a powerful, fairly short YA novel about the struggles of one immigrant girl and her parents and the hardships that jeopardize their visa status, Khan aims to address hot-button issues such as immigration and the green card process, Islamophobia and prejudice, gun violence, and white privilege, as these all collide in young Zara’s life when a tragic event leaves her family to question their own safety in the United States. The author never shies away from difficult topics, but at times it felt didactic.
Zara is a headstrong and dedicated heroine and I liked that she was unapologetic about being a bisexual Pakistani Muslim, and that her parents were supportive of her sexuality. While romance is not the main focus of the book, there is a romantic sideplot, and I thought Zara’s relationship with Chloe was cute but seemed a bit too insta-lovey and underdeveloped for me. The pacing in this book was another thing I was a little underwhelmed by, as it slowed around the middle then resolved itself very quickly and the resolution seemed to brush over some issues. The writing style at times felt a little choppy.
I did like the close and accepting relationship between Zara and her parents and the conflict she faces with them on whether to stay in the US or return to Pakistan was well-handled. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. This was my first book by this author and I am interested in reading more of her work.
Zara is a headstrong and dedicated heroine and I liked that she was unapologetic about being a bisexual Pakistani Muslim, and that her parents were supportive of her sexuality. While romance is not the main focus of the book, there is a romantic sideplot, and I thought Zara’s relationship with Chloe was cute but seemed a bit too insta-lovey and underdeveloped for me. The pacing in this book was another thing I was a little underwhelmed by, as it slowed around the middle then resolved itself very quickly and the resolution seemed to brush over some issues. The writing style at times felt a little choppy.
I did like the close and accepting relationship between Zara and her parents and the conflict she faces with them on whether to stay in the US or return to Pakistan was well-handled. I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator did a great job bringing the story to life. This was my first book by this author and I am interested in reading more of her work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
immaculori's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Racism
queerafictionado's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
4.0
This was an amazing story that covers some pretty heavy and intense topics in a (for the most part) delicate way, without too much sugar coating or downplaying - racism, xenophobia, immigration, and gun violence to name the big ones. It’s the story of Zara, a bisexual, Muslim, Pakistani immigrant in Texas, as she navigates being a teen and growing up while being othered and dehumanized, all while she and her family deal with immigration red tape bureaucracy and the fate of their ability to stay in the country hangs in the balance.
With all the intense topics that this story touches on, including homophobia, I love that Zara’s parents are not one of the sources. They are supportive and love and defend her and it made my heart so happy to see that. Zara has a close relationship with her parents as well as her two best friends and with all the bad things that were happening to Zara and her family, it was great to have so much love and support and goodness written into the story through these relationships. And I of course have to mention the adorable rescue dog, Zoro!
At times it felt like Khan tried to pack too much into the book, and some parts felt rushed and too easily resolved. But overall it was an enjoyable story and I recommend checking it out. The narrator, Richa Moorjani, did a great job bringing this story to life!
While this story did have a sapphic romance subplot, it is not a romance. This story is a coming of age novel about family and friendship, standing strong and remaining hopeful in the face of hatred.
🏳️🌈Rep: MC is a Bisexual, Muslim, Pakistani immigrant; LI is a white lesbian; several POC and queer SCs
📝Tropes/Themes: Young Adult, High School, Friendship, Family Relationships, Catholic School, Immigration, Coming of Age, Racism, Social Justice, Cute Rescue Dog
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Gun violence, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
courtknee__vn's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
This book really made me stop and think about my privilege how much I don’t have to think about daily being a white woman. Being in Texas, I see a lot about immigration and I’ve always thought it was so unfair that immigrants and people of different ethnicities and religions have to deal with so much discrimination on a daily basis but really diving into that experience from Zara’s perspective made me see it even more and it broke my heart and made me so angry. It’s not fair that she had to wake up every day with the weight of so much on her shoulders and constantly had to be on guard because of so many cruel people. I obviously don’t have the words to really express how important this book is but I think it’s such an eye opening and important read for every single person. Very very highly recommend!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
cassiebartelme's review
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This is a young adult novel about Zara who in addition to being a senior in high school is navigating many things including but not limited to Islamophobia, bullying and waiting for the results of an eight year immigration process. It’s a lot.
I appreciate a story that depicts young adults as complex humans with more issues than just crushes and mean teachers but for me there were too many things going on to really get into any of them fully. And then they had to all be wrapped up so the ending felt a little forced. Again, I realize the intended audience is young adults but if they are picking up a book addressing these type of topics I believe they can handle a deeper dive into them.
I appreciate a story that depicts young adults as complex humans with more issues than just crushes and mean teachers but for me there were too many things going on to really get into any of them fully. And then they had to all be wrapped up so the ending felt a little forced. Again, I realize the intended audience is young adults but if they are picking up a book addressing these type of topics I believe they can handle a deeper dive into them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Islamophobia
Moderate: Gun violence
zombiezami's review
3.75
What I most liked about this book were Zara as a character and her loving and mutually supportive relationship with her parents. I really loved how they were written. I also especially enjoy books where I can't predict what's going to happen next, and that was definitely the case with this one.
As far as my critiques, most of the characters did not feel especially developed. What activities does Priya enjoy? Why does Zara like Claire other than that Zara finds her pretty and they are both queer? At the end of the book, I didn't have a clear idea of how to answer those questions. Even with Zara, we open the book with her training in martial arts, but that barely gets brought up again after that first scene, despite the fact that she's been involved with it for most of her life.
Moreover, there were some plot points that were introduced but never really went anywhere. For example,what happened with Maria after Zara intervened in the bullying and intimidation that was happening? It's implied that she might talk to the principal about how she was bullied, but we never hear about her after that incident. I was thinking she might become friends with Zara and her crew . The ending felt rather abrupt, too.
There were also several instances where the characters acted as mouthpieces for the author's beliefs, sounding like they were reading Wikipedia pages about the DREAM Act and immigration reform. Although I agreed with what they were saying (fuck borders), I imagine there could have been a more organic way to present these ideas in the characters' own voices.
As far as my critiques, most of the characters did not feel especially developed. What activities does Priya enjoy? Why does Zara like Claire other than that Zara finds her pretty and they are both queer? At the end of the book, I didn't have a clear idea of how to answer those questions. Even with Zara, we open the book with her training in martial arts, but that barely gets brought up again after that first scene, despite the fact that she's been involved with it for most of her life.
Moreover, there were some plot points that were introduced but never really went anywhere. For example,
There were also several instances where the characters acted as mouthpieces for the author's beliefs, sounding like they were reading Wikipedia pages about the DREAM Act and immigration reform. Although I agreed with what they were saying (fuck borders), I imagine there could have been a more organic way to present these ideas in the characters' own voices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Vomit, and Outing
Minor: Cursing, Car accident, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Deportation
susanknights's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Vomit, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Deportation
bitterseason's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Blood, and Lesbophobia
sarah984's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book touches on a lot of important topics and I did like parts of it but overall it felt a little bland and superficial, more like a summary than its own novel. A lot of things happen really quickly and kind of get glossed over (the romance is SO fast) and the side characters don't have a lot of personality. I liked the way the book spotlighted problems with the immigration system that aren't as commonly addressed. However a lot of issues got solved way too easily - the love interest’s homophobic Christian parents go to one therapy session and then they're okay with her Muslim girlfriend coming over for dinner, the way going to Canada is presented as an answer to every problem as if there are no racists here. The food descriptions are great though, and I loved Zara’s relationship with her family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Medical content
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment