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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, Islamophobia, Gun violence, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Homophobia
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: Gun violence, Medical trauma, Racism, Xenophobia, Bullying, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
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: Bullying, Racism, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Grief, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Islamophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Biphobia
Moderate: Gun violence, Vomit, Death, and Outing
Minor: Death of parent, Cursing, Deportation, Colonisation, and Car accident
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: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, Bullying, Deportation, Violence, War, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Biphobia
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, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Bullying, and Hate crime
Minor: Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Homophobia, and Blood
clakyn's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Xenophobia, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Racism, and Religious bigotry
venetiana's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This was so good. I especially love how it didn't latch onto the "easiest" solution. The purpose of this book is definitely not to assuage white guilt, and I really appreciate that.
Also, very lovable characters, great writing, and funny too.
Also, very lovable characters, great writing, and funny too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Racism
Moderate: Biphobia, Hate crime, Medical content, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Xenophobia, Vomit, Bullying, Death, Grief, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Violence
starryorbit12's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
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
4.75
Zara Hossain is Here in a short, fast-paced novel filled with intention on every page. The struggle and injustice that Zara and her family go through are core of this novel showing how government processes can often further victimize already hurt and marginalized people. It shows just how much immigrants have to fight no mater how many years they have been in the country and how fight rarely every ends.Zara, her friends, and family shine and the book never shies away from the ugly true of what they have been through and continue to go through waiting 14 years for their green cards to finish processing. The social commentary is spot on, and this a short read that could be finished in one to two sitting making it work the read if your on the fence. I do appreciate the optimistic but not perfect ending as well. It felt realistic without use realistic as way to be overly grim-dark or angsty.
This is also F/F romance with a bisexual lead and lesbian love interest. While the representation is great, the conversation on homophobia is a little shallow in places. The novel focus more on Chloe, the love interests, homophobic Christian family than the implication of what could happen to Zara if she moves back to Pakistan and is outed. I do like the Zara family was supportive though. Not even Zara thinks about to as debates going with her family, she thinks more on not being with Chloe than the implication of what being with women could mean for her there. It only briefly touched on that although her parents may miss their family that they may lose by them anyways if they find out Zara is bisexual. In comparison to the other themes, the homophobia and romance felt tacked on. Zara and Chloe were cute, and I love the way they are able to communicate and be each other's rocks when bad things happen. It just the harder LGBTQ+ topics the book approached fell flat.
This is also F/F romance with a bisexual lead and lesbian love interest. While the representation is great, the conversation on homophobia is a little shallow in places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Medical content, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Religious bigotry
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
This book was wonderful. I feel like Zara went through so much in a short time and learned a ton and really developed. I enjoyed the explorations other characters went through as well. I loved how supportive her parents were of her and how they defied the stereotypes about Muslim parents and queer children.
I also really liked Zara's relationship with Chloe and how open it was! So cute!
I also really liked Zara's relationship with Chloe and how open it was! So cute!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Islamophobia, Hate crime, Racism, Homophobia, Bullying, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Violence and Religious bigotry
atreyib18's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Religious bigotry, Racism, Racial slurs, Islamophobia, Hate crime, and Gun violence