Reviews with content warning for Lesbophobia - The Henna Wars

Rep: Bangladeshi lesbian POV, Brazilian MC, Korean MC

Set in Ireland

This story really pulled me in. I learnt a lot about South Asian culture. I can't comment on how accurate it was but the ideas of coming out and existing as queer in a not accepting environment were very relatable.

I loved the developing relationship between Nishat and Flavia especially towards the end when Flavia is more accepting of her own identity. It was great when Flavia was realising how toxic China was and that she didn't want that anymore.

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cosmicwillow's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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? It's complicated

3.75

This was cute! I like how it dealt with heavier topics like race/racism and cultural appropriation, and homophobia, but ultimately I found it to be an adorable queer rivals (because they were hardly enemies lol) to lovers story.

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bluejay21's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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britt_zonnebloempit's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

3.75

This was absolutely adorable!! Plus, I have never read anything like this before, with such a mix of different cultures coming together, PLUS sapphic characters. It feels very wholesome and inclusive!

I'm not exactly the target demographic for this book, considering I'm in my 30s, which led me to a lower rating...

The only thing that reallllly bothered me is the way the writer mentioned characters having "a frown on their lips" or Nishat's heart going "x miles a minute" every other page, but other than that it was a super easy, sweet read.

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meliemelo's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

I'd been wanting to read this book for a long while and was very happy to discover it amongst my birthday present. It's very sweet overall, although the second-hand embarrassment (mainly in the form of "nooooo don't do that!") can make it a tense read at times.

As in a lot of first-person POV romances, we suffer a bit from not getting much insight into the love interest's thoughts and motivations, making it quite difficult to understand and even, to a certain extent, like her at times. In the end though I was happy with the overall resolution.

I especially liked the emphasis on the bond with Priti, as well as family and friends in general.

I think this is a great read for teenagers, and I'm looking forward to adding it to my hypothetical-future LGBTQ+ classroom bookshelf.

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